Bound For Australia (2)

As soon as the plane landed, Kang-hoo immediately called Takashi.

If he left for Australia, it would take time to return, and there would be no room to exchange messages in between.

Right now—before departing from Japan to Australia—was the only breathing room he could make before that.

Takashi answered before the ringback even finished once. At this point, it would not have been strange if he had been waiting for the call.

-Where are you!

“Me? I’m in Japan. But I’ve been busy, so I called to answer briefly. A message didn’t feel right.”

-You’re planning to go, right?

“Of course. Are you ready to go?”

-Not yet. There’s a dungeon nearby that someone else owns, so I’m going to buy that too before I go.

“Is it too close? Sounds like you’re blocking the possibility in advance because you’re worried the dungeon’s existence might get found out.”

-Yeah. There’s no need to hand it over to the country for no reason, right? If there’s something you can secure, you should secure it. It’ll take some time.

“Got it. Then tell me once everything is finalized.”

-Oh right, Kang-hoo. Is it okay if about two more teammates go too?

“Who?”

-My friends. Takashi Family.

It was true that there was a social circle Takashi had named Takashi Family.

But even if he had a “Family,” it was rare for Takashi to say that name outside. There was no reason to.

But seeing him tell Kang-hoo without hesitation made Kang-hoo feel good, as if trust was beneath it.

“I don’t care. If they’re your teammates, it’s fine. They passed your strict standards, didn’t they?”

-They did.

“Then I trust them.”

-Good. Then let’s pick about two people from our Family and go as four in total.

“Okay. Leave me contact. I might not be able to check right away, so don’t nag or wait without any breathing room.”

-Good! Nice!

Just by Kang-hoo expressing acceptance, Takashi sounded excited enough to hang up in a high-tension voice.

Kang-hoo had no sense yet of what the hunters in Takashi Family would be like. The original story only mentioned them briefly in a single sentence.

What was certain was that they were companions who enjoyed adventure and exploration to the fullest. Their bond with each other was strong, too.

It had been a short call, but the loneliness thickly embedded in Takashi’s voice.

Kang-hoo thought it was probably because Emilia and Yu Cheonghwa had each been busy with their own matters lately.

And since Jang Si-hwan was also completely distracted elsewhere, the mutual understanding that was already scarce must have shrunk even more.

Takashi fundamentally felt loneliness easily and had a large deficit in relationships, so sharing emotions was important.

From now on, whenever contact was possible, Kang-hoo thought he should leave messages—even if only to ask how he was doing.

Even a small check-in message, Takashi would receive deeply and meaningfully.

A small investment could return as a very large expected value. He reminded himself again of Takashi’s importance.

After that.

Upon arriving at the airport, Kang-hoo headed to a seminar room set up inside.

Once they arrived in Australia, there would be no time to leisurely brief, so now was the first and last time detailed discussion was possible.

Everything looked like it was flowing urgently, but Kang-hoo maintained a calm state.

That was because things like this commonly happened at any time. Not every schedule flowed when and how you wanted.

Before long.

He met Ayane in front of the seminar room where they had agreed to meet in advance.

“Kang-hoo! We’re seeing each other again so soon!”

“Ayane, this is— Ah.”

As Kang-hoo briefly turned his head to introduce Park Dong-jae, she suddenly pulled Kang-hoo into a tight hug.

Because it was a hug he took in an unguarded state, Kang-hoo was drawn deeply into Ayane’s arms.

Seeing a hyung who looked like Mount Taesan being forcibly(?) held in a woman’s arms, Park Dong-jae burst out laughing.

At this moment, Kang-hoo looked not like a “god” of combat, but like a person who had come down into the human world.

“Sister-in-law! Nice to meet you!”

Park Dong-jae bowed at a perfect right angle and greeted Ayane politely. The form of address had already become “sister-in-law.”

“Dong-jae? I’m your noona, right? I’ll call you Dong-jae comfortably. That’s fine, right, Dong-jae?”

“Ah, it’s fin— but it feels like you already settled it before asking.”

“Drop the honorifics too.”

“Should I?”

It was settled in an instant.

Ayane talked more than Kang-hoo, but it was not as if she had a warm, cuddly personality.

Still, it was nice to see her approach first so Park Dong-jae would not feel tense.

Park Dong-jae also treated Ayane with easy confidence, quickly narrowing the psychological distance.

They seemed to have no aversion, perhaps because they both used “Kang-hoo’s teammate” as the standard of trust without prejudice.

At this rate, even just talking enough on the plane should strip away the initial awkwardness.

After greetings ended, the briefing began immediately.

Since the Australia hybrid zone information was new to Ayane and Park Dong-jae, they listened closely and took notes.

Kang-hoo, who already knew everything, instead rechecked his memory of the profit he would take from it.

‘First, two hidden skills I can expect to obtain from hybrid species. And I should also be able to get rare materials like Claw of Hatred and Shell of Blackwood.’

The only case where the rare material Shell of Blackwood appeared outside India was the Australia hybrid zone.

If Claw of Hatred increased cutting power, Shell of Blackwood increased defensive power.

Many hunters sought them because you could aim for additional effects simply by adding extra reinforcement work, without wearing a separate item.

The problem, naturally, was that it was extremely difficult to obtain. Most hunters did not even know where it came from.

‘Should I consider EXP more of a secondary element? Even so, the level gains should be pretty sweet.’

There was much to look forward to.

And he judged that the value of mana stones expected to drop from hybrid monsters would also be high.

Because there would be many that had not been hunted in a long time—rewards that were truly “concentrated.”

As soon as the briefing ended.

Fumiya announced that preparations for the charter flight departing to Perth Airport in western Australia were complete.

Before long, the charter flight took off.

Since it was a charter shared with Rikou Guild members, Kang-hoo met not only Fumiya but another familiar face.

An Yeong-ho.

Despite it being his first meeting, Park Dong-jae talked nonstop with An Yeong-ho and quickly became friends.

Since they were the same gender, similar in age, and their humor codes matched, the wall of unfamiliarity seemed to crumble quickly.

Thanks to that, Kang-hoo and Ayane could sit comfortably in their seats.

“Kang-hoo.”

“Yeah?”

“I had a really funny dream early this morning. I don’t usually talk about dreams, but I feel like I have to tell you this one.”

“What was it?”

Usually, dream stories are fun for the person telling them but not fun for the listener. They are hard to relate to.

So Kang-hoo thought that people who gave believable reactions to someone else’s dream story were usually “acting.”

You could not empathize just by hearing the scenes and sensory elements that only the dreamer had felt.

But since Ayane was not the type to chatter lightly, he became curious what kind of dream it was.

“In the dream, you know? Kang-hoo showed up dressed like a woman and asked in front of me, ‘How am I?’ But I thought you were even prettier than me, so I told you, ‘You’re really pretty,’ like that.”

“…….”

Why did he feel like his whole body froze just from hearing her dream story?

The memory of the Cross-Dress skill—something he had consciously thrown into the back of his mind—was forcibly summoned.

There was no way she could have known and said it. She was not the type to tease with such pointless jokes.

She really said she had such a dream… but for a coincidence, it was remarkably precise. Had she had a precognitive dream?

“People have dreams about impossible imagination all the time. That’s what it is. There’s no reason for me to cross-dress.”

“Then later on my birthday! As a present, can’t you cross-dress just once? I’ll help with the makeup. Only I’ll see it. How about it?”

At Kang-hoo’s gaze that stabbed into her, Ayane let out a small laugh and gave an embarrassed smile.

Because she understood far too clearly, even as she said it, that there was no way those words would work.

“I feel like you’d be really pretty….”

Even so, as if she could not shake off the twisted desire that had appeared in her mind, Ayane stared at Kang-hoo and licked her lips.

Someday, she wanted to draw a clear smile on that expressionless face. And a thick eyeliner too.

Around that time.

Celestial Assassin was walking through a garden with Sinwol.

At first glance, it looked like they were enjoying peace, but their conversation inside was full of tension.

Still, since Celestial Assassin’s hostility had softened compared to the beginning, his tone and attitude toward Sinwol had returned to his original self.

“Are those children all right?”

“Of course. They only had minor injuries, and all treatment is finished. They’re happy, saying it was good experience.”

“Hoho. I see.”

The “children” Celestial Assassin asked about referred to the subordinates who had come with Ihwa to take him away.

At that time, a chaotic melee had broken out, and in the end Celestial Assassin could not withstand their human-wave tactics and was defeated.

If they had been a random group, they would not have touched even a hair on his head.

They were the elite personally selected by Ihwa. It was impressive that Celestial Assassin had lasted as long as he did.

As if something still bothered him, Celestial Assassin asked again.

“And Ihwa?”

“She’s fine.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“Have you thought about it?”

Sinwol had been continuously asking Celestial Assassin to return.

He even showed an unexpected side, admitting that the attempt to forcibly bring him back had come from his own impatience.

That was how much Sinwol, after the organization was formed, was facing the greatest crisis.

A situation where losses outweighed gains was continuing even at this very moment. His heart could not help but waver.

Celestial Assassin could not ignore the crisis of the organization he had belonged to, but something mattered more to him than that.

Kang-hoo.

“To start with the conclusion, I actively sympathize with your pain and hardship. But from now on, the one who decides the direction of my fate will not be me, but my disciple.”

“…….”

“Because that child gave me new life. The right to decide belongs entirely to the disciple.”

Sinwol nodded.

He had heard directly from Celestial Assassin what Kang-hoo’s existence meant to him. He empathized as well.

But perhaps he did not like Sinwol’s expression, which seemed optimistic about Kang-hoo joining.

Celestial Assassin raised his voice like a warning and spoke to him.

“Given that boy’s personality, there’s a good chance he’ll come here in person. Are you prepared to receive him? He might not let it go.”

In other words, Celestial Assassin was warning: are you prepared to be beaten down?

Kang-hoo, who always tied off grudges cleanly, would see this incident as a clear grievance until he learned the full inside story.

He would not just let it pass.