Chapter 52. Kkyuu
I remembered.
About a woman named Shin Somang.
She was definitely the female student who had been bullied by delinquents right after I returned to Earth.
I stepped in and resolved the situation.
It was a brief encounter.
But the fact that I met her on the day I returned to Earth, along with her quite striking appearance, left a strong impression on me.
Of course, her name still felt unfamiliar.
In any case.
That day was the only notable connection I had with Shin Somang.
After I received her number and left.
A few days later, I sent her a text, we saved each other’s numbers, and exchanged a few messages.
I simply asked if the delinquents were still bothering her and told her to feel free to ask for help if they continued to harass her.
Aside from that, I had never contacted her for anything personal.
I avoided sending unnecessary messages, thinking it might come off as me pestering her.
I also don’t recall Shin Somang ever texting me first.
But for Mysti to turn out to be Shin Somang…
I was a bit flustered by the appearance of someone so far outside of my expectations.
Also.
I was shocked to find out that the person who had been secretly following me all this time was Shin Somang.
I never would have guessed that the stalker and Shin Somang were the same person.
When I heard this from Hedgehog, my mind went completely blank for a moment.
“…Mysti, you were that girl back then? And the stalker, too?”
【Mysticism】─Yeah… but I wasn’t a stalker…
“You weren’t a stalker?”
【Mysticism】─I followed you, but I wasn’t stalking you.
【Rizenova】─What are you even saying?
【Yumi】─Is this like saying you drank but didn’t drive?
【Pururu】─Quit spouting nonsense, Mysti.
“There’s no way you followed me because you liked me…”
【Pururu】─?
Why did Mysti stalk me?
I thought for a moment about her reason for following me.
The answer came pretty quickly.
“Mysti, you said you saw me coming out of the portal, right?”
【Mysticism】─Yeah…
【Pururu】─Stop pretending to be cute, it’s disgusting.
【Yumi】─Exactly. It’s making me sick. ㅡㅡ
【Rizenova】─Why are all of you so harsh?
“Was it because you saw that and got curious about who I really was, so you kept following me?”
【Mysticism】─Yeah, that’s right.
As I thought.
My guess was right.
Well, I could somewhat understand Mysti’s actions.
If anyone had witnessed something as surreal as a scene straight out of a movie or a comic, they would’ve been extremely curious.
Even if it had been me before I went to the other world, I would have felt the same.
If I had seen space suddenly tear open.
And then watched a person walk out of it.
I, too, would have felt a strong urge to uncover the mystery of who that person was, driven by curiosity.
But still, that doesn’t justify the crime of stalking…
‘Since she didn’t harm me and just quietly followed me, I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. There’s no benefit to straining relations with an Assistant for no reason.’
Since I hadn’t been harmed.
I decided to just let it slide.
【Pururu】─Even so, stalking someone for two years is seriously creepy.
【Yumi】─I agree. There’s a limit to how shady someone can be. She really needs counseling.
【Mysticism】─Oppa, I’m sorry…
【Pururu】─Oppa my foot. Stop acting cute.
【Yumi】─Apologize properly.
【Rizenova】─Ahem. While it is a grave offense to invade someone’s privacy without their consent, she didn’t have any malicious intent and is sincerely remorseful. Wouldn’t it be better to forgive her?
【Pururu】─Stay out of this, otherworlder. This is an Earthlings’ issue.
【Mysticism】─I’m sorry. I was wrong.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize, I’ll forgive you.”
【Rizenova】─As expected, Sir Gauntlet, you are truly magnanimous.
【Yumi】─?
【Pururu】─Aren’t you forgiving her way too easily?
“She didn’t follow me with bad intentions, did she?”
【Pururu】─You never know.
【Mysticism】─Thanks.
“But Mysti, if you were curious about who I was, why didn’t you just ask me directly? I would’ve told you kindly.”
【Yumi】─Exactly. He even told me everything. At the time, I thought Kang Geon was just schizophrenic, though.
If Mysti had asked me about the portal.
Back then, right after returning to Earth, I might’ve revealed my identity without hesitation.
With Ha Yumi, I had let it slip while drunk, and I hadn’t told anyone else because regular people wouldn’t believe me anyway. But for someone who had directly witnessed the portal, they would have believed my story.
【Mysticism】─I was too scared to meet you in person. I’m shy around strangers.
“Then why didn’t you just text me?”
【Mysticism】─I thought you wouldn’t tell me. I also thought you’d become more guarded if I asked…
Listening to her, it made sense.
Maybe not asking directly had been the right decision.
It would’ve been risky to ask about my identity without knowing what kind of person I was, especially after witnessing me cross through the portal.
If I had been part of some secret organization trying to hide my identity, Mysti might’ve been eliminated without anyone knowing.
That’s how it usually goes in movies.
【Mysticism】─Still, I’m hurt that you didn’t remember me.
Hmm. Did Mysti ever tell me her name?
I don’t think I even saved her number under her name.
I couldn’t recall, but since she was upset about it, I offered an apology.
“Sorry. I still remember your face clearly, but I just couldn’t recall your name.”
【Mysticism】─You remember my face?
“Of course. You were someone I met on the day I returned to Earth after several years.”
She was also really pretty.
But I kept that to myself.
Didn’t want to sound like I was hitting on her.
【Mysticism】─Haha, thanks for remembering, even though we only met once.
【Pururu】─Wait a minute. You still remember someone’s face from a random brief encounter years ago? What’s up with your memory, Kang?
【Yumi】─Maybe her appearance left a strong impression.
【Mysticism】─Yeah, I must’ve left a strong impression because I’m pretty.
【Pururu】─Don’t get cocky. I’ll kill you before that happens.
Had we spoken informally to each other before?
I didn’t think we had.
We had only exchanged a few texts.
…Let’s not dwell on it.
It wasn’t important.
Now that I knew Mysti’s identity and the nature of our relationship, speaking formally would feel awkward and uncomfortable.
Anyway.
That was enough talk about Mysti’s stalking.
“Dochi.”
[Doom-ba?]
It was time to scold the Hedgehog Summoner.
For casually revealing something she had promised to keep secret.
I appreciated that she had revealed the truth to me, but…
It was still important to point out her mistake.
“You told me that you had promised to keep those things a secret between you and Mysti, but now you’ve blurted everything out. Mysti is really angry right now.”
[Do-doom-ba?]
【Pururu】─For real, though, Hedgehog really does have a loose tongue.
【Yumi】─I agree. While it was satisfying to hear, breaking a promise like that is basically betraying Mysti.
【Mysticism】─😡
Hedgehog tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand what she had done wrong.
I calmly scolded her in a soft voice.
“A secret is something you’re not supposed to reveal to others. Breaking a promise to keep something between just the two of you is a violation of trust.”
[But… we’re not ‘others’. Gauntlet and I don’t have any secrets. We share everything, so there can’t be secrets between us.]
【Pururu】─What is she even saying?
【Yumi】─Sounds like she’s just using a different word for ‘but’.
【Pururu】─Wow, the things people come up with.
[Mysti is a precious friend now, but she’s nowhere near as important as Gauntlet! Gauntlet and I are the best of friends, our souls are deeply connected. If it weren’t for Gauntlet, I wouldn’t have revealed that secret.]
It seemed that my bond with the tamed monster was much deeper than I had thought.
If she was saying something like that, it had to be true.
Hedgehog apparently believed that it was only natural to reveal everything to me and didn’t think that what she had done was wrong.
Still,
[But since Mysti is upset, I’ll apologize. Sorry.]
She lay flat on the ground, acknowledging her mistake.
It was admirable to see that even though she didn’t think she was in the wrong, she still knew to apologize, considering the other person’s feelings.
“Mysti, since Dochi seems to be reflecting on it, let’s forgive her. I forgave you too, remember? Okay?”
【Mysticism】─Okay…
Even though Mysti probably felt a strong sense of betrayal, she generously forgave Hedgehog.
Well, she couldn’t really hold a grudge.
Especially since I had just forgiven her as well.
Afterward.
I let Hedgehog know that Mysti had forgiven her, and the little incident was successfully resolved.
【Pururu】─Oh, I’ll need to change Kang’s house code later. Because of a certain creepy girl.
“Leave it as is.”
【Mysticism】─Yeah, leave it as is. I’ll keep coming by to clean.
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─She’s seriously out of her mind. We should have a counseling session when we all meet up.
【Mysticism】─Oppa, is it okay if I clean?
“If you clean for me, that’d be great.”
【Mysticism】─😃
【Pururu】─I’ll definitely set her straight when we meet.
【Yumi】─Let’s break her skull.
“Anyway, now there’s only you left, Pururu.”
【Pururu】─What now?
“You’re the only Assistant whose identity is still unknown.”
【Pururu】─Lol, my identity is a secret.
I had a feeling that Pururu’s identity would be revealed soon, too.
Once the Assistants all gathered, Mysti or Yumi would probably let it slip.
I was looking forward to that day.
***
Time passed, and it was now day 25 of the labyrinth.
After giving Azeras another severed arm.
I continued my daily explorations, thinking about how I could become the ruler of the labyrinth. I came up with a vague plan.
Tame as many monsters as possible.
Increase the number of Assistants even more.
Explore all areas of the labyrinth and create a map.
I figured that if I continued to do these things, I’d eventually get closer to becoming the ruler.
Of course, for now, finding the vending machine was my top priority.
I planned to stock up on as many Designated Dispatch Tickets as I could, just in case something happened to Earth.
So, I left the exploration to the monsters.
My routine became checking the places I’d already explored, hoping to stumble upon a vending machine.
Since there was no telling where a vending machine might spawn. It could even show up again in a spot where one had already appeared.
‘Another dead end today.’
Having failed to find a vending machine, I trudged back to the hideout.
Teams 1 and 4 hadn’t returned yet.
Teams 2 and 3 were already back at the hideout.
As I waited for the remaining teams to come back, I was preparing the Pig King we had caught for dinner when suddenly.
[Kkyuu.]
Out of nowhere, a soft voice reached my ears.
The sound came from the direction of Passage No. 1.
I turned my head to see something poking its backside out of the passage.
[Kkyuu.]
Wagging.
It was wagging its tail.
Then it turned its head and glanced over at us.
Or did it?
For some reason, it had its eyes closed.
[Kkyaa!]
It was a fox.
To be precise, a fox monster.
But for some reason, it looked familiar.
【Pururu】─It’s a white fox! Is it an Arctic fox?
【Mysticism】─😋
【Yumi】─It’s so cute! This one’s actually really cute!
【Pururu】─Does that mean the others were fake-cute?
“That fox looks familiar… Where have I seen it before…?”
The fox continued to wag its tail, its rear still sticking out of Passage No. 1.
While watching it.
“Ah.”
【Pururu】─Ice cream.
Suddenly, a scene from my memory flashed.
“Could it be that fox from back then?”
It had once been under Min Hyeong-seok’s control.
And when that control was broken, it betrayed Min Hyeong-seok and bit him.
Among the monsters that had turned on him, this fox was the one that had furiously smacked him on the forehead with its paws when his control was lifted.