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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 6
Hong Wolha ended up not sleeping a wink that night.
'I must be crazy. Why did I let my brother go?'
Judging by the circumstances, it was clear that his brother, who had likely made an extreme choice— had left again at night.
Thinking rationally, it made no sense.
He wondered why he couldn't stop him until the very end.
If it were the usual him, he would have definitely stopped him.
So, the one who had changed wasn't him, but his brother.
He pushed back his usually lowered hair, revealing his forehead.
He wore the smile of a working adult, not a teenager.
He dealt with the loan sharks like a skilled politician.
Hong Wolha knew their intentions.
'Both my brother and I have been porters for quite a while now.'
Porters boasted a mortality rate comparable to Hunters and earned a considerable income, though not as much as Hunters.
Naturally, those who took on this job were either people in desperate need of money or those who had nothing left to lose.
A tiny minority of lucky ones managed to earn enough to pay off their debts in the hundreds of millions of won within a few months and left this line of work.
But most realized that even in their lives, which they thought had nothing left— there was still something to lose.
And they paid the price for that realization with their lives.
People like Wolha and Ilha, who had been porters for a long time, were rare.
At this point, it wasn't a matter of luck but skill.
In other words.
From the loan sharks' perspective, they were guys they could milk for a long time to come.
That's why they could overlook a slight delay in interest payments.
His brother must have known this and said what he did yesterday.
'Does he have a plan? If he does, what is he thinking? No, can a person change this much in a single day?'
Countless questions flashed through Hong Wolha's mind.
Dawn was breaking.
'I have to go to work soon, but when will he be back? I need to go early to get a safe spot.'
Just as his anxiety and impatience were reaching their peak.
Smoothly.
A taxi pulled up outside the window.
Ding-dong.
Someone approached and rang the doorbell.
Even the loan sharks wouldn't come at this hour.
"Who is it?"
Hong Wolha opened the door, puzzled.
Creak.
"It's me. I'm back."
And he thought once again about what he had thought earlier.
'Can a person change this much in a single day?'
The change from last night was nothing short of a complete transformation.
Honestly, he wondered if someone had come to the wrong house.
He was at least a handspan taller than when he left, and his physique had changed visibly.
His black hair was slicked back, and his face resembled not his brother, but the great Hunter seen everywhere on TV and YouTube.
It was already well-known that Awakened people's bodies change in real-time as they go through the Tutorial.
But for his brother, who had been Awakened for over five years, to change overnight?
It was impossible, according to Hong Wolha's common sense.
"What in the..."
Before he could ask anything, Hong Ilha spoke first.
"Sorry, am I late? The conversation got a bit long."
A low, gentle voice.
That was the only thing that remained the same about Ilha, the one he knew.
"Here. Open it."
Hong Ilha put the bag he was carrying on the floor.
He briefly wondered why he put the bag on the floor when there was a desk.
Thump!
Hong Wolha flinched at the sound.
Ziip.
"What is all this?"
The bag was filled with blue mana stones.
Smaller than the palm of his hand but weighing several kilograms each, they were top-quality stones, each worth millions, possibly even tens of millions of won.
Such mana stones filled an entire hiking backpack.
He understood why he had carried it like a baby.
The bottom of the bag would have burst the moment he put it on.
"I asked, what is all this?"
"Stuff."
"That's not an answer! Did you rob some guild's vault or something?"
"No, I didn't. Anyway, I have it. And if I could rob a guild vault, do you think I'd be buying artifacts?"
"No, but this isn't about having it! Where did something like this suddenly come from?"
Hong Wolha was dumbfounded.
Even winning the lottery wouldn't be this absurd.
But Hong Ilha was talking as if he had just picked this up on the street.
"Forget it. This should be enough to pay off everything. Let's exchange it for cash when the Mana Stone Exchange opens at 9 today."
"Where did you get it? Answer me."
"I did a rough calculation, and it looks like we'll have about 100 million won left after paying off the debt. Let's take a break. We've worked hard all this time."
"Do you not hear me? H. E. L. L. O!!!!"
"Let's eat something delicious, buy some clothes, and travel. You wanted to go to college, right?"
"When did I ever say that? In this day and age, even if you graduate from a good university, you'll end up serving Rankers."
"...Didn't you? You always said you wanted to go to college."
"What?"
"Nevermind, it's not important. Anyway, let's take a break."
Hong Wolha looked into his brother's eyes as he kept giving vague answers.
'What's going on?'
A red aura shimmered like a heat haze in his black irises.
"Did you get this illegally? If you did, I won't use it."
"Illegal... it's not."
Hong Baekya hesitated for a moment.
He did have a separate warehouse where he stored money and elixirs acquired through channels that couldn't be disclosed, but most of the things in the warehouse he visited today were properly reported income.
"Tell me where and how you got it."
"I can't."
"Why can't you? Did you really rob a bank or something?"
"...I can't tell you. I swore an oath."
“An oath, my foot.”
Hong Wolha felt so frustrated and dumbfounded that he could barely breathe.
He clenched his fists and pounded his chest hard.
He couldn’t understand why Ilha wouldn’t speak.
There was no way his relatives could afford this many mana stones.
If it was through legal means, there would be no need to hide it.
If it was through illegal means, there was no need to show it to him either.
Swish.
At that moment, his brother pointed a finger above his head.
Hum!
'Huh?'
The halo, which had definitely been the same white color as his, flickered with a reddish tinge before returning to white.
'Wh-what was that? The Aitel System? Or a Constellation? Really? For real? Then...!'
Hong Wolha was also an Awakened.
'Is it that he can't tell me, not that he won't?'
He remembered the thrilling Tutorial, his successful peers, and the indescribable miracles performed by cosmic beings.
'They say it's common for them to impose vows of silence.'
Hong Ilha left the bag and went back to his room.
"I'm going to shower and get some sleep. I'm exhausted."
Hong Wolha watched his back with a hollow laugh.
He thought the world's number one Ranker, Hong Baekya, was dead, his brother was in debt, and both their country and family were doomed.
It seemed that wasn't the case.
'But can even an F-rank make an oath?'
* * *
Awakened Community, Chatter of the Stars.
A brand-new question appeared on the Q&A board.
[Author: Anonymous (F-rank)]
[Title: Can F-ranks make 'oaths' too?]
[Content: My brother has been acting strangely lately. He won't answer my questions and just points at his halo. Every time he points, his halo glows red, so it seems like something's going on, but is that even possible for an F-rank?]
In "Chatter of the Stars," where Awakened ranks were displayed next to usernames, questions from F-ranks were often buried. However, perhaps due to the intriguing title, this question received quite a few replies.
[Of course they can lol. Who can't make a verbal oath? We all swore an oath, didn't we? Something about being an Awakened of the Republic of Korea and upholding the free and democratic nation...]
[Your brother is probably messing with you. Or maybe you're just trolling.]
[Is there something really wrong? If he's an F-rank, he's probably a porter. I heard they can go crazy from being exposed to the residual thoughts of monsters while working in Gates with high mana density.]
[You're talking about making a magical oath, right? There are two ways. One is to learn contract-related magic, and the other is to be involved with a Constellation. But if he's an F-rank, neither is possible, right?]
[Today's trolls are pretty good, huh?]
[It's possible. Maybe your brother met an Awakened with a Constellation or one who learned contract-related magic. He got some help or a geas from them. And now he has to fulfill the conditions. That's the most likely scenario.]
[Maybe he reawakened?]
[But there are still a few months until the next Tutorial, right?]
[You can awaken by encountering a wandering Constellation on the street.]
[Anyway, it was an interesting story. If your goal was to distract me during work, you succeeded!]
[Could it be the Black Star?]
[!]
[The Black Hole Constellation? Lol, the one that other Constellations immediately issue an extermination order for?]
[Ah! That's possible.]
[Uh, is that a Matiz coming this way?]
[OP, are you sure you didn't order any deliveries? Did someone just ring your doorbell?]
[Rankers from 2nd to 100th are all going to show up.]
Hong Wolha narrowed his eyes after reading one of the replies.
'A Black Hole contract?'
That's what they called Awakened who were chosen by inherently evil beings.
The most recent Black Hole contractor appeared in China.
He had contracted with the mythical beast 'Pasa' and ravaged an entire city before being killed by Chinese Rankers.
Due to the immense negative impact on society, Black Hole contracts were considered a serious crime in any country.
'That can't be it, right?'
Hong Wolha glanced at the closed bedroom door.
He could sense a distinct presence even from outside the door.
'It can't be. It shouldn't be.'
Doubt crept into his mind.
'But what if it is?'
The answer that came to his mind was this:
'...He's still my brother.'
He rose from his seat.
It was almost time for the Mana Stone Exchange to open.
* * *
Friday.
In front of Hong Ilha's house, Mr. Oh, the skinny manager of Million Loan Sharks, and Mr. Lee, his bulky colleague, couldn't believe their eyes.
"The principal of 850 million won. The overdue interest of 28 million won. It's all here."
A large plastic box was filled to the brim with stacks of cash.
"Manager, isn't this prop money for a movie shoot?"
"If you don't believe me, we can go to the bank right now and confirm it."
Hong Ilha, who had borrowed the money, was a completely different person from the one they saw on Monday, five days ago.
It wasn't just about his increased height or changed hairstyle.
It was his attitude.
The childish complaints were gone, replaced by the responsible and relaxed demeanor of a capable adult.
'There's no way this bastard could get this kind of money overnight.'
Mr. Lee glared at Hong Ilha.
The guy he looked down on just a week ago now towered over him.
"Where did you get this?"
"Why do you care?"
Hong Ilha scoffed.
His chin was raised, and his defiant attitude was entirely natural.
"Excuse me?"
"I asked, why do you care?"
"Well, if you obtained this money illegally, we have to return it."
"Isn't that why I'm giving it to you in cash, so that doesn't happen?"
"Ha. This customer is getting cheeky, huh? Do you think we're some kind of gangsters...?"
"Enough."
Manager Oh stopped Mr. Lee.
"Alright. It's not our business where the customer got the money from."
"Then please sign here."
Hong Ilha handed over the loan agreement.
Manager Oh signed the agreement and instructed Mr. Lee to take the box of money.
"We'll see you again then, sir."
"Let's not see each other again, Manager."
Vroom.
Right after the car started.
Manager Oh lowered his voice.
"Mr. Lee."
"Yes."
"Dig into that guy's background. This money is definitely dirty."
"What should we do after we investigate him?"
"What do you mean what should we do? Did you forget the clause in our contract?"
"...If the debt is repaid with criminal proceeds, such repayment is void... As expected of you, Manager."
"Those brothers are pretty skilled porters. We need to squeeze them for as long as we can. I'll report to the boss, so you quickly get the guys on it."
"Got it, Manager."
Mr. Lee was impressed by the manager's profound foresight.
Watching the car drive away, Hong Baekya thought to himself.
'Those guys who live like that won't give up easily... Do they think I'll just sit back and watch? They say sunlight is great for disinfection. I'll let them bask in it to their heart's content.'
He entered the house and called out to Hong Wolha.
"I'm going out tonight."
"Where to?"
"Artifacts. To see if they can be repaired, how to dispose of them if they can't, or if there's a way to sell just the materials. Things like that."
"Ah. Should I go with you then?"
"No need. Rest."
"But still..."
"We paid off all our debts, so what strange thoughts would I have now? I'm just an F-rank, taking my family along would be pointless."
"...Alright."
Baekya smiled inwardly, feeling satisfied.
'I'm getting pretty good at acting like his brother.'
Hong Wolha watched his retreating figure and thought.
'Did my brother ever end his sentences with that tone before?'
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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