023 - Rather, It's Easy

They parted ways without a chance to figure out the source of the déjà vu.
Stepping through the Blue Portal, Rona took a deep breath, taking in the familiar forest scenery.
A magnificent palace stood in the vast woods. Built from polished alabaster wood and luxurious stone, the palace was large enough to encompass three forests.
That majestic palace was Rona's workplace and her residence. And...
‘...It's suffocating.’
It was also a place Rona detested.
Just like its orderly and neat appearance, the palace's air, its dress code, and even the Elves who walked its halls were all stifling.
Because it was a place frequented by High Elves of particularly pure blood, even among the nobility, the palace etiquette was rigid.
It's not fun. It's not free. I want to leave.
These were the feelings she had harbored since her first day at the palace.
Her misfortune, if you could call it that, was that she couldn't leave.
"Welcome back."
One of the waiting palace servants bent at the knees and waist, assuming an extremely low posture. He then raised both hands above his head, and Rona placed her dust-covered cloak into them.
The servant brought out a clean, new cloak, helped Rona put it on, and then departed silently.
The spotless white cloak was wrinkle-free and smooth, befitting the formality of the palace.
The one wearing the cloak, Rona, felt nothing, her lips not twitching in the slightest.
—You have returned, second daughter of Garcia.
Just then, a white light flew through the sky, delivering a voice from afar.
It was the voice of one of the palace nobles, responsible for summarizing the achievements of the knights who entered Gates and reporting them to the royal family.
He was a despicable man who would nag endlessly if you didn't produce proper results, and would snatch away any good results without a single word of praise.
—What became of the mission to support the Dark Elves?
"Nothing special. It was just looking after some bandit group, what could have happened?"
—There was news of a swordsman who steals souls.
Tch.
Rona clicked her tongue softly.
"So I heard. They were running away after getting beaten up somewhere."
—You saw the swordsman?
"I stayed at the base, so I didn't see him."

Her blatant admission of negligence seemed to leave the other party speechless, as silence followed.
Then, in a voice that was a degree colder, he spoke.
—How do you expect to restore your family with such laziness? Diligence is the greatest virtue of the High Elves, so why are you so idle?
Here we go again. That annoying nagging.
Letting it go in one ear and out the other, Rona headed toward her quarters within the palace grounds. The white light continued to follow her, delivering the lecture.
—I do not know how you received the title of knight with such an attitude. When on earth will you raise and protect your family? Will you be so insincere even in the duty of protecting your house? How a perfectly fine family was annihilated overnight is very well...
Unable to listen any longer, Rona drew her sword and sliced the light.
The voice was cut off, but the irritation and stress clung to her like thick tar.
Rona ran a hand through her hair, trying to somehow quell her anger.
‘I miss Jinwoo.’
It hadn't been long since they parted, but she already missed him. The days spent in that waterfall cave had been so enjoyable and free.
The days she walked through the forest with Jinwoo, the days they crossed swords, and even just blankly watching Bulkar work—everything was full of interest.
It was so much better than being trapped in this stuffy palace, surrounded by stuffy High Elves, just barely getting by.
As she ran her hand through her hair and touched her face, she was suddenly reminded of the final handshake she shared with Jinwoo.
His hand was firm, different from an Elf's, but it was warm and reassuring.
She knew a similar hand. One that had held her—no, not held, but slung her over a shoulder and fled.
It was a story from her childhood, but she still remembered it. The hand that had wrapped around her waist, and the hand that had lifted her head to pour nectar into her bruised eyes.
The memory of that day was so vivid that even now, whenever Rona faced a strong enemy or a dangerous situation, she would recall the feel of that hand.
When she did, her heart would strangely calm, and her mind would become composed.
She had felt a similar sensation from Jinwoo's hand. It seemed that his hand was similar to the touch from back then, causing the memory to flash back.
‘Well, it's a story from over 150 years ago.’
For a very brief moment, she wondered if her savior could have been Jinwoo, but that couldn't be right.

A human's lifespan was barely 100 years, so there was no way he could be connected to an event from 150 years ago. Moreover, they were beings from different worlds.
Still, it felt good. She already felt a closeness to Jinwoo, and after that handshake, her sense of inner intimacy seemed to have grown even stronger.
She thought about trying to get even closer the next time they met.
Thinking about it, she suddenly felt that they had parted ways too easily.
‘I should have attached a spirit for location tracking.’
Why hadn't she thought of such a good idea then? It was an obvious thing to consider, wasn't it?
Of course, the reason she hadn't thought of tracking him at the time was that it was against her principles.
No matter how insincere she could be, she was still a knight. It was not right to attach such a thing to another person.
‘It’s not polite. I don't know about Jinwoo's world, but in ours, it's a crime.’
Attaching such spirits or familiars to others without permission was a clear crime in the kingdom.
If it weren't a crime, it would mean it was okay to freely spy on the private lives of other Elves.
Fortunately, Rona quickly came to her senses and realized it was not something a knight should do. It was a wicked act more befitting of bandits like Benville.

‘Still, I'll do it.’
But strangely, her resolve remained unchanged.
She began to ponder how she could attach a spirit to Jinwoo without him noticing.

Returning home, Jinwoo was startled by the sight of his garden. Unlike its previous barren state, it was now full of green plants.
The ground was covered in grass, and in one corner stood a tree in the midst of growing. There were vines running along the wall and small, clustered flowers in bloom.
He had seen Chartia plant a few things, but it seemed they had grown vigorously.
However, it was untidy, and it looked like it needed a human touch.
‘I should get some gardening tools.’
The transformation of the once-empty space wasn't bad at all.
Deciding to buy gardening tools the next time he went to the supermarket, Jinwoo entered the house.
"Hoo."
A sense of relief washed over him upon returning to his own home. His mind grew calm, and the tension left his body.
That day, Jinwoo did nothing but sleep. He lay down on his bed and truly didn't lift a finger.
He only got up briefly when he was hungry to quickly cook some sausages or eggs; otherwise, he slept.
It was an active kind of slumber, as if trying to wash away every last bit of fatigue from the Gate.
But the exhaustion accumulated from a long time away couldn't be resolved by sleep alone.
The next morning, Jinwoo headed to a 24-hour jjimjilbang.
「Gwangbaek Salt Sauna · Jjimjilbang. Men's & Women's Sleeping Rooms Available」
He entered the jjimjilbang after seeing the sign. It was the largest one in the neighborhood.
After paying the fee and receiving a key, Jinwoo showered, washed his hair, and then soaked his body in the hot water.
"Ughhh."
His eyes unfocused, and his body immediately became languid.
There had only been cold streams in the Gate, so soaking in water this hot was unimaginable.
This strange sensation of feeling your breath catch while your insides completely relaxed. How could you possibly feel this in a frigid stream?
Perhaps because it was early morning, there were few other customers. Using one of the tubs almost as if he had rented it out, Jinwoo became lost in thought.
Mostly, it was about settling the accounts from this Gate trip.
‘The biggest thing is the Sky Sword from Bulkar. I wonder how much it would go for at auction.’
Even for a Dwarven-made sword, prices varied wildly. There was no set price; if many people wanted it, the price went up, and if few wanted it, it went down.
He didn't know how much the Sky Sword would sell for, but it wouldn't be cheap.
A quick search yesterday had turned up an article about the cheapest Dwarven-made weapon ever sold, a dagger, going for 1.5 billion won.
If a single dagger was worth that much, a longsword would fetch several times more.
‘Not that I plan on selling it.’
Of course, he had no intention of selling the Sky Sword. If he were in desperate need of money, it might be a different story, but that wasn't the case.
He was already living comfortably on the money he earned from game and magic stones. This jjimjilbang was three times more expensive than the neighborhood bathhouse.
Unless he was planning to buy a building in the middle of Seoul, he wasn't so hard up for cash that he'd sell a gifted sword.
‘Next... right, I got a few Dark Elf weapons.’
He had picked up the weapons of the few Dark Elves he had cut down. It had been a hectic chase, but he had the presence of mind to do what needed to be done.
Unfortunately, he hadn't had the leisure to sweep up everything, but he had grabbed what he could.
Swords and arrows. He wouldn't use them himself, so it was fine to sell them.

‘The magic stones from the rat swarm I'll save for an emergency, and the game I caught with Rona while looking for the Blue Portal I'll sell to Cheonok Trading.’
As he sorted through everything one by one, he realized he had gained quite a lot from this Gate trip as well.
Just selling the things he decided to sell would bring in a considerable income. Considering the estimate Cheonok Trading gave him last time, he might get around 100 to 200 million won this time too.
Leaving aside the Sky Sword and the magic stones, earning over 100 million from the other byproducts was a satisfying amount.
‘Oh right, I need to go to the Bureau to report that I'm alive. If I report in this time, I’ll be promoted to E-class.’
All in all, it was a very satisfying Gate. And he had made connections there, which made it even better.
Just then, someone opened the door to the bath area. A man of unusual size, who had to duck his head despite the rather high doorway.
There was only one person in all of Seoul with such a conspicuous build.
"Isn't that Mayor Ma Doo-sik?"
"Hm? Hunter Kang Jinwoo?"
Ma Doo-sik's eyes widened as if he'd seen someone unexpected.
"I heard you went into a Gate. Looks like you're back already."
"Yes. I got home yesterday, slept like a log, and just came out for a soak."
"Well, I'm glad you returned safely. Please wait just a moment. I'll be right there after a shower."
Jinwoo closed his eyes and waited, and soon enough, Ma Doo-sik entered the tub. The water displaced by his massive frame sloshed onto the bathhouse floor.
"I didn't know you were a customer here too, Hunter Kang."
"I usually go to the bathhouse near my home, but today I wanted to relax somewhere bigger."
"Ah, you just got back from a Gate and need a rest."
"That's about right."
"I can relate. When I was active, I was always busy having fun whenever I got back from a Gate. Hahaha. You need time to let off some steam."
Just as he said, Jinwoo was in the middle of relaxing and letting off steam.
But strangely, even in this state, a part of his mind was thinking about the sword. About the hundreds of clashes he had shared with Rona.
It felt natural, so Jinwoo didn't try to push the thoughts away.
He seemed to recall hearing once that it was important to forcibly empty your mind and rest, but for Jinwoo, the more he emptied his mind, the more it filled with thoughts of the sword.
"How was this Gate trip?"
"It was a success."
"A prompt answer. May I ask how it was?"
"The details are a bit much, but I made progress in my swordsmanship."
"Ooh, congratulations."
Perhaps because Ma Doo-sik had also come to relax, their conversation remained small talk. As they spoke, Jinwoo remembered a promise they had made before.
"When are we going to Jeongun?"
"The restaurant? Anytime would be... what I'd like to say, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time. I've gotten busy again."
"I can wait anytime. I'm unemployed, so I have plenty of time."
"Haha, you have a respectable profession as a Hunter. How can you be unemployed?"
"When I'm not in a Gate, I'm unemployed."
Hmm. Since he was unemployed, he had quite a bit of time until the next Gate. It felt like a waste to do nothing during that time.
He had once considered looking for a swordsmanship academy or dojo, but now it felt a bit too late. What academy could offer better teachings than Rona?
In that case...
"Mr. Mayor, may I request some information from the Bureau?"
"Of course. What information do you need?"
"Please give me information on all observed Erosions worldwide. Excluding the ones where the Core has been destroyed."
"Erosions with intact Cores... I see you plan to hone your search abilities."
That wasn't it, but since he was going to acquire an ability, it was similar enough.
"Understood. I'll speak to the Director and have it delivered to you by courier."
"Thank you."
"By the way, regarding Erosion Cores... hmm..."
Ma Doo-sik tilted his head and grimaced, as if finding it difficult to speak.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, actually, while you were in the Gate, Hunter Kang, we received a request for assistance."
"A request for assistance?"
"Yes. An Erosion with no visible Core appeared near a city, and they requested your help. A message should have come through email, did you not receive it?"
"I haven't checked, so I wouldn't know."
He wasn't the type to check his email often. Yesterday, all he had done was sleep, eat, and sleep.
"But why do you look so troubled? Requests for assistance are common for the Bureau, aren't they?"

"Actually, that city is Tokyo."
"What about it?"
"I can't recommend Tokyo. It's dangerous."
Tokyo is dangerous?
"Isn't it a city just like Seoul? Is there a particular reason it's so dangerous?"
"It's very different. It's practically in a state of anarchy."
"Anarchy?"
"While the city hall and the Management Bureau exist, they have very little power. They're no different from scarecrows. The ones who rule that place are the various assassination guilds."
The description was unsettling.
"For some reason, an unusual number of Hunters in Tokyo awaken assassination-type abilities. They build up their own factions and fight amongst themselves, and in the process, it's a daily occurrence for government officials to be found dead. It's absolute chaos."
"I think I've heard something about that... Is it really that bad?"
"Even the super-rich who go around surrounded by bodyguards never travel to Tokyo. Getting everything you own stolen is a given; they'll even kidnap you and meticulously collect a ransom. I hear it's their own form of business, and they'll let you live if the ransom is paid properly. Let you live, that is."
"Yikes."
Just hearing about it made it sound like a city run by the mafia. Or, since it's Tokyo, should I say the yakuza?
"I do not recommend Tokyo. As they say, a wise man does not set foot in a dangerous place."
"That may be true, but..."
Something suddenly occurred to him.
"If they're assassination abilities, does that mean they're specialized in stealth and surprise attacks rather than direct combat?"
"That's right. Assassins are typically specialists in hiding and ambushing. In a head-on fight, they're only a little better than a normal person."
In that case, if I can find them while they're hidden, doesn't that mean they'd be easy to deal with?