Chapter 2

Jeongeun had just awakened from the spell and was chasing after Gwiho, who couldn’t remember anything. Gwiho, who was naturally indecisive and compassionate, couldn’t bring himself to reject Jeongeun, who was like a son to him. Instead, he allowed Jeongeun, who was still weak and unable to speak, to stay in the container used as an office for the wall guardians.

The problem was another wall guardian working with Gwiho, Minseong. He inexplicably disliked Jeongeun, a civilian whose identity was unknown and who couldn’t even speak.

From the beginning, Minseong tormented Jeongeun like a rat caught in a trap. Gwiho didn’t particularly stop him. Perhaps he thought he had done his duty by providing shelter to this poor soul whose identity was unknown.

For a year, Jeongeun lived as an unpaid slave and punching bag for the wall guardians, clinging to their office. During that time, his health had somewhat recovered.

‘Status window.’

As Jeongeun chewed on pickled cucumbers, he thought inwardly, and a status window appeared before his eyes.

Jin Jeongeun

Word Sorcerer (S)

1. Lord of Language (??)

2. Magic Absorption (??)

3. Loudspeaker (??)

Status Effect - Debuff due to 63.5% magic damage

Although the skill levels were still marked with question marks, the extent of magic damage had significantly decreased. It seemed that after not using his spells for a year, he had naturally healed.

At that moment, the voice of a news anchor from the TV caught Jeongeun’s ear.

A year after the Rift. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of our true hero, Jin Jeongeun Hunter, who single-handedly blocked the Rift.

Jeongeun bit his tongue slightly to avoid making a sound and turned his gaze to the TV. His old photo was appearing on the screen. With slightly long hair, fierce eyes, and a special mouthpiece covering half of his face designed for awakened ones.

Jeongeun absentmindedly ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek.

There was also a shocking incident when the grave of Jin Jeongeun Hunter, who made a noble sacrifice to protect South Korea, was desecrated, shocking the nation.

'Hmm… that was my doing.'

The horrific incident where the body of Jin Jeongeun Hunter was found burned remains an unsolved mystery, inciting anger and fear among the public…

'That wasn’t my doing, though.'

Jeongeun scratched his cheek with the clean end of his chopsticks.

Not long after he crawled out of the grave, a charred body was discovered near the national cemetery. The government announced that the body was Jeongeun’s, and the public was outraged. They felt it was cruel and miserable that even the last journey of a national hero had to be met with such humiliation.

Jeongeun, who hadn’t even taken his last journey yet and thus had never faced any posthumous humiliation, was just bewildered.

After the death of Jin Jeongeun Hunter, Heero, who became the number one ranked hunter in the country, will lay a wreath at the nameless grave on behalf of the hunters tomorrow.

Thump. As soon as he saw the bright and handsome face on the TV, his previously quiet heart began to race.

‘It’s Heero!’

He stopped eating and stared intently at the TV. Even on the small screen, Heero’s features were clear and prominent.

‘His beauty is insane.’

For the first time in a while, color returned to Jeongeun’s pale cheeks. His breath quickened.

However, it was disappointing that the camera couldn’t fully capture Heero’s beauty. Seeing him in person was far more breathtaking.

Human appearance isn’t determined solely by looks. The way he briefly inhaled before laughing, the slight tremor of his eyelashes when he was a bit annoyed, the delicate pink almond-shaped nails tapping lightly on the desk, his warm smile, and his soft, playful voice—all of these elements created an aura around Heero that made him even more enchanting.

Occasionally, he could see him in person during high-level dungeon openings or when the Hunter Association summoned the top ten ranked hunters in the country, but that was enough for Jeongeun to feel joy for an entire year.

Jeongeun was a devoted fan of Heero.

‘I guess I won’t be able to see him in person again…’

But that was okay. Just being able to see Heero on broadcasts or the internet was enough for him.

In fact, it might be better than seeing his in person. After all, all hunters with magic feared and loathed being near Jeongeun. Although Heero had never shown it, it was clear that he probably didn’t like him either.

That was only natural. No hunter would welcome a Word Sorcerer who could perfectly manipulate and control them with just a word.

‘I honestly don’t want to be in the same space.’

‘If I get hit by a spell, I won’t even remember it. If he makes us do something shady and then disappears, we’d be the only ones suffering.’

‘What a creepy kid. I can’t even guess what that young brat is thinking.’

Such opinions were mainstream, so the Hunter Association had long advised Jeongeun to wear a mouthpiece. It was essentially an order.

Despite this, Jeongeun, who fully understood the fears of other hunters, wore a specially made mouthpiece designed for awakened ones without much resistance. He had been wearing a restraining device that filled his mouth since he awakened at seventeen and had been wearing it for about eight years.

Even now, whenever Jeongeun felt the emptiness in his mouth, he would absentmindedly run his tongue along the inside of his cheek.

“Hey!”

Suddenly, the office door opened, and Minseong walked back in. When Jeongeun, lost in the TV’s image of Heero, looked at Minseong, he threw a cart key at him.

“Get your eyes straight and go patrol, you brat.”

Jeongeun picked up the cart key that had fallen to the floor and stood up. Minseong, who seemed displeased with Jeongeun’s height, kicked his shin for no reason. Jeongeun simply bowed without a sound and left the office.

Minseong’s behavior wasn’t new, and since it didn’t hurt, Jeongeun didn’t mind at all. Compared to the malicious hunters and monsters he had encountered so far, Minseong was quite ordinary.

Of course, Jeongeun was aware that his calm demeanor only provoked Minseong further. But even so, he couldn’t just react with anger or retaliate…

‘Son Minseong is too weak.’

Even though his magic vessel was broken and he was under a status effect, Jeongeun was still an S-rank hunter who had once been ranked number one in the country. With only a few exceptions, everyone else in the world was weaker than him, so he had always tried to live with a generous attitude towards others. That’s why he was lenient towards Minseong, an F-rank hunter.

‘Weak people need to be protected.’

Jeongeun nodded to himself and climbed onto the electric cart parked in front of the office.

It took about an hour to patrol around the wall surrounding the deer field on the electric cart. Originally, this task was the sole responsibility of the wall guardians, but since Jeongeun arrived at the office, it had become his share.

He quite enjoyed this patrol time. Slowly driving around the wall, which seemed to have returned to its primordial nature after being neglected for a long time, felt like a vacation to him.

As usual, Jeongeun drove the cart around the wall. However, after going halfway around, he noticed something strange.

‘Why… is magic leaking out?’

Jeongeun stopped the cart and turned off the engine before cautiously approaching the source of the magic. As he got closer, the air mixed with magic became denser.

And the moment he discovered the source of that magic…

Skill ‘Magic Absorption (??)’

Naturally absorbs magic from the otherworld, reducing magic damage rate to 59.2%!

Ding! A notification appeared.

‘Oh… it’s been a while since a skill activated.’

Jeongeun wasn’t overly surprised and gently touched the source of the magic with his fingertips.

The magic was seeping out from the wall. It seemed that the lower part of the wall blocking the deer field had cracked. From the inside, the wall must have been severely aged, but from the outside, only a thin line was visible.

‘I need to repair this.’

Jeongeun first picked a few flowers growing nearby and placed them between the bricks around the crack. This was to make it easier for others to spot the damaged area.

‘It must be a wall built with special bricks that can block magic, so if there’s a crack, something might be happening inside the field. The wall might collapse.’

He felt he needed to emphasize the seriousness of the matter when reporting.

Jeongeun hurriedly returned to the cart. He woke up the sleeping Gwiho and communicated this information through writing, and Gwiho immediately called the Hunter Management Bureau. The Hunter Management Bureau, flustered by the report that the wall might collapse, requested cooperation from the Hunter Association.

A few days later, hunters dispatched by the Hunter Association arrived at the wall guardian office.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

A beautiful man standing at the front of the hunters greeted them with a bright smile.

Thud, splash.

While preparing mixed coffee for Minseong, Jeongeun dropped the paper cup from his hand, spilling coffee everywhere.

“Ah, damn it, you mute brat! Are you out of your mind?”

Minseong, who had been dozing on the nearby sofa, wiped the coffee droplets off his face and shouted. Then he belatedly noticed the tall and dazzling man standing at the cramped office entrance.

“Huuh, Hyun… Heero?!”

At that moment, Jeongeun could deeply empathize with Minseong’s foolish reaction.

Before his eyes stood his long-time favorite, the archangel who descended to Earth in human form, the pinnacle of divine creation, a being who embodied both purity and allure… Heero was there.

Notes:

• In the last sentence, Jeongeun uses the term "커리어 하이" (Career High) — a borrowed phrase from sports or entertainment that means someone’s peak achievement. Here, he’s basically saying that Heero is God’s ultimate masterpiece.