Chapter 12
Editor: Stomatopoda, Kris
Kim Sang-hu picked up the chopsticks as the green wasabi was put into the soy sauce .
It was meant to be dissolved in soy sauce and the food remaining on the chopsticks eaten .
“It’s been a long time since I had raw fish . ”
He swallowed his saliva, carefully dipping a piece of raw fish into the soy sauce, and put it in his mouth .
At first, it was salty and sweet .
Then came the surging taste of wasabi that erupted into one’s mouth .
Next was the texture, which was the tasty part of the white fish . He enjoyed the texture of chewy fish flesh .
Following the texture, one had to slowly savor the fish by chewing slowly . It tasted so light .
Savouring it was also a pleasure to the taste buds .
Kim Sang-hu, who enjoyed the clean, very light, and subtle fresh taste, smiled brightly . Bite it, swallow it . When the chewy sashimi passes over your throat, the taste remains and the aftertaste is sublime .
Then he filled a glass with soju, and chugged it .
The taste of soju collected with the taste mixed in your mouth and passed over to the throat . His mouth was refreshed again .
He was thinking of eating belly fat this time .
The belly fat is like a plain white fish fillet .
Chew the fat, savor the belly a little longer . The more you chew, the more savory and rich the taste becomes, and I desired to eat no other dish in the world .
If you chew for a long time, swallow it and take a sip of soju again .
Having eaten one piece, Kim Sang-hu looked at the remaining belly fat . There were about five portions left . Watching how much soju is left, he eats the sashimi carefully .
Seeing Kim Sang-hu enjoying the sashimi so much, Cheol-ho also felt good .
It’s always nice to have a customer who eats with enthusiasm .
At one point when soju bottles increased by one or two bottles . Kim Sang-hu raised his head .
“Oh, it’s been a week . ”
Kim Sang-hu muttered lowly .
“Is that so”
He grinned at Cheol-ho’s words .
Yes, the urgent matter has been settled, so I took about two days off . It’s my first vacation in two years . It’s probably already been half a day . ”
Haha, he laughed and drank another drink as if celebrating his long vacation .
Suddenly, his eyes turned to his spear, leaning against the chair . Cheol-ho also glanced at the spear . It wasn’t a rare weapon, but it was a pretty good one .
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“That’s a great weapon . ”
“When I graduated from Cypher School, I received a personal weapon given to awakeners at level 2 or higher . Adamantium ores are used to make this weapon, because they are good at absorbing mana . ”
“Oh-ho . ”
Kim Sang-hu continued, looking at the spear with eyes soaked in memories .
“Cypher school…” I miss those times somehow . I was proud of myself until I first got a second class awakening and graduated with honors from Cypher School . Now I can save the world with my powers! With one spear! There was nothing left to be afraid of in the world . ”
He burst into a bitter laugh .
“But when I came out into the world, that pride came and disappeared . Should I say that there is a heaven in the sky? It didn’t take much longer than I thought to realize that I was nothing on this vast land . It’s already been 10 years since I was assigned to Seodaemun .
Kim Sang-hu leaned back against the chair as far as he could . The sound of his stiffened waist was heard .
“Ah- this is hard . ”
Cheol-ho understood what he was saying .
There was a time when he thought he was something .
When he lived with confidence, believing that he was the greatest in the world, and that he would be able to do everything .
There was definitely a day when a person would realize that you are less than you think . Not just for awakeners, but for anyone in any field .
On such a day, it was best to have a glass of soju with a bitter smile .
“But you’re the guardian of the West Gate, aren’t you? I mean the guardian with five people in Korea . It’s great enough . ”
“……is that so?”
Kim Sang-hu stared blankly into the air .
“Many people’s lives, hopes, and futures are at stake on my back . So…”
Kim Sang-hu breathed a long sigh .
“Sometimes i get overwhelmed because of the responsibilities . ”
Still so young .
In the age of the innate, the exceptionally gifted bore the tasks of the ungifted . It may have been a little difficult for his young friend to endure .
Cheol-ho just kept quiet, listening .
“By the way, how old are you, sir?”
“Oh, I’m thirty . ”
He was almost 60 years old, but he didn’t have to say anything .
“Oh . ”
Kim Sang-hu opened his eyes widely .
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“You’re the same age as me . ”
“Is that so . ”
“Somehow I felt like I was talking to my father, ah . I don’t mean anything bad . “
Kim Sang-hu grinned . He chugged down a glass of soju .
“Killing monsters everyday is a pain . ”
“Yes . ”
“I’m tired of fighting every day . Actually, I am psychologically exhausted . Monsters endlessly cross the dimension, and there’s no time to rest . ”
Sigh .
-kugugung!
Suddenly, looking out the window, a dark cloud came over .
Not long after , it started to rain .
Kim Sang-hu ordered another bottle of soju . Cheol-ho decided to ask a question while giving out the new bottle,
“Was there a monster that impressed you?”
“Oh, there was one of course . ”
Kim Sang-hu was lost in thought with his chin rested on the table . Before he had started eating the ramen, he was thinking about something .
After emptying the soju glass for a while, he opened his mouth .
“Do you know about the Nine-Tailed fox?”
A nine-tailed fox .
Nine-Tailed fox, of course he knew about them .
He had caught a few before .
Unlike monsters that have been led by the devil and invaded the continent, monsters in the East, such as the Nine tailed fox, were very intelligent . So it used to be called a spiritual monster .
The present Earth seems to be connected to the Esfan continent, so it was not so strange for monsters to appear in the East .
‘Hmm . ’
Cheolho thought for a moment .
“They’re all monsters, aren’t they?’
In doubt, he listened to the man across from him .
“Those like Nine-Tailed foxes are usually called spiritual monsters . Meaning that they are incredibly intelligent monsters “
“Oh, that’s amazing . ”
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He continued to speak again, as if he was excited by the addition of Cheol-ho .
“Right? There are many different types, not just the nine-tailed foxes, but they’re usually labeled ‘out of grade ‘ when you see one, don’t touch it, just leave them alone . ”
“Hmm?”
“They’re classified as objects, I don’t know why, but they don’t antagonize humans . I mean, they don’t attack first . We haven’t had a history of pre-emptive strikes for the last 30 years . And–“
Kim Sang-hu muttered, rubbing his temple .
“Silently, they live in a place that has a low population . In a place no one knows, in a realm of their own . So it’s not easy to find them . But that day, someone touched him first . ”
Kim Sang-hu’s eyes sank . It showed deep fatigue .
“If you think about it… …it rained that day, too . ”
* * *
-Tatatatak!
“Is he sick?! What bastard touched the sleeping Nine-Tailed Fox?”
Kim Sang-hu ran and spat out foul language . The team member who was following shouted .
“Gentleman!”
Park Jung-woo was a second-class awakening man who protected Seocho .
Wearing a black suit every day, he was a freak who called himself “Mr . K” instead of a Korean name .
“Why on earth did you touch it!”
“We’re on our way to find out!”
The racing men, joined by Tim Jenkak, were out to catch the nine-tailed fox who started running around Seocho .
It would have been nice if first-class awakeners could be called out, but unfortunately they were on a mission under the special orders from the higher ranks .
Kim Sang-hu, who had gone on vacation for a number of days, led the team and moved on .
There was a tremendous downpour .
It rained with the momentum and volume to cause flooding all over the world .
Beyond the rain, there were nine red lights .
Fortunately, this was an abandoned area without authorization . ’
That was the only good thing . That monster had to be stopped here .
Oh!
There were also five eagles floating in the sky . ‘Gentleman’ was the only one who played with such an eagle .
“Hey, you son of a bitch!”
Kim Sang-hu spat out abusive language instead of greetings . In front of him, a man in a black suit greeted him with a sour face .
“ Shit . ”
“Leader!”
“Get in line! It’s a non-graded Nine-Tailed fox!”
Jenkak’s team gathered together, ready to attack .
In the midst of the heavy rain, nine fireworks danced eloquently . And in the middle of it, a giant fox statue appeared .
-Hehehehehehe-!
The fox smiled quaintly .
He was as big as a house . Disturbing sounds came up all over the place and echoed .
There was a storm , so strong that it poured all over the world .
“Don’t face the fire of the tails ! Now you, come with me!”
Kim Sang-hu ran .
“Come on, boss, you’re leading the way!”
The raid began .
The nine tailed foxes moved skillfully, and their tails were strong . The world covered with falling rain burnt heavily with flames, and the whole earth opened its doors .
That’s how the fighting continued all night .
When finally , Kim Sang-hu’s spear penetrated the neck of the Nine tailed fox, he heard a shriek .
-Crying
In the arms of Nine tailed fox, there was a fox with only one forearm . It was a baby that seemed to have been born recently . A very young baby, who hadn’t even opened his eyes .
The baby fox had a long scar on his body .
It was a wound created by the eagle’s claws .
‘A baby…’
Kim Sang-hu, who removed his spear from the neck of the Nine-Tailed fox, looked down at the baby fox .
* * *
“What…?”
Kim Sang-hu shook his head as he finished speaking .
“It had a baby . ”
“Yes, I’m afraid I killed it . ”
He who said that was laughing bitterly at the words . And he secured his drink in his mouth, he said,
“I couldn’t help it . ”