When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 106



Only Krnovel

106. The Importance of Soil

“I wonder if the general, who should be playing soldier at the border, has the leisure to come all the way here.”

“Thanks to that soldier game, you guys in the rear have free time to mess around and do stupid things.”

“I guess I’ve forgotten everything I learned in the special forces after hanging around with the military guys. I guess I should go back to training camp.”

Baek Ji-soo let out a cynical laugh.

Of course, Kang-seok did not react at all to her words.

Oh Hyeon-seong touched his forehead at their appearance.

‘Here they go again, guys.’

Baek Ji-soo and Kang Seok.

They were two of the three members of the 5th generation known as the Golden Generation, and they caused a big stir in the organization from the time they first entered.

Not only was he strong as a basic hunter, but his ability to carry out missions as a special agent was also so outstanding that the rotten upper echelons of the time were unable to even restrain him.

Thanks to the help of those who actively supported him, Oh Hyun-seong was also able to expedite the reform of the organization.

However, despite their skills, the main characters of that golden generation often had shaky relationships with each other.

These two in particular were quite significant.

If Han Su-yeon and Baek Ji-soo were at odds because of their differences in values, it would be like these two are at odds from start to finish.

We’ve been living together for a long time, risking our lives, so we have some grudges, but we get along well and get along well.

Their reaction now seemed even colder than before.

“I don’t know what happened, but we’re on good terms…”

“I was caught wiretapping my subordinates at the Security Bureau a while ago.”

“It’s not wiretapping, it’s legitimate eavesdropping by an intelligence agency.”

“You still haven’t gotten rid of that habit. Do you want to dig up the backs of those who silently protect the country at the forefront?”

“You’re going to protect the country silently? Stop talking nonsense. I can hear your subordinates chattering all the way to Seoul. Do you think it would be considerate not to arrest them right away?”

“It’s only natural that you’d feel resentful while other Hunters are in the spotlight, guarding a border that no one notices. To say that with just a few harsh words…”

“Everyone knows that the military is full of Awakened supremacists.”

She came closer and said.

“If you just look at overseas cases, those guys always end up in one of two situations. They either become a subversive force or terrorists like the IAE.”

“I am controlling the self-purification process within the Special Forces, while the government is just sitting there with no solution. This makes me wonder, what on earth has the government’s loyal dog been doing all this time…”

“stop!”

Oh Hyun-seong came between them.

“It’s good to share camaraderie, but be careful about the time and place, or should we start over after a long time?”

The conversation between the two, which had been filled with a strong murderous intent at his words, stopped.

A moment of silence.

Kang Seok let out a short sigh and opened his mouth.

“Yeah, that’s not what I came here for.”

He shook his head, passed Baek Ji-su, and stood in front of the tombstone.

After checking the name written there, he knelt down on one knee and put down the flowers he had brought.

After the unit was disbanded and they took their places, they had been fighting whenever they met and had been so fierce that they had even drawn their swords, but at least today, they decided not to say anything.

They had gathered here to remember and honor a man who had been forgotten and left without a name.

Such behavior needs no words.

Behind the daily lives that people take for granted today, there were countless sacrifices.

Oh Hyun-seong took out a bottle of alcohol and gestured, and soon they sat together and drank their glasses in silence.

*

Sarak.

Choi Jeong-il is reading a newspaper with his hat pulled down low.

Sitting on the terrace of a café, he ordered two cups of coffee, but did not take a single sip, waiting for someone.

A moment later, Han Su-yeon, wearing pitch-black sunglasses, appeared and sat in the front seat.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“Of course.”

“You used to complain that hats were stuffy, but now you wear them all the time?”

“Senior, this is the first time I’ve seen you wearing sunglasses.”

“Well… there’s nothing we can do about it when we’re living our daily lives.”

Han Soo-yeon shrugged her shoulders and said.

Clothes you wouldn’t normally wear.

It was a weekday afternoon at an ambiguous time, and it was basically a place on a quiet street.

But even in this relatively quiet time and place, the two, who are the best hunters in the country and have great recognition and fame, had to hide their identities.

In a city like this, if they didn’t hide their faces, people would soon pour in like a tidal wave and it would become a bustling place.

“After all, Changyeong-ri is comfortable.”

She said, looking away.

People would recognize me excessively in urban areas both domestically and internationally, but this was not the case in Changyeong-ri.

A place where you can freely walk along quiet and secluded forest paths and streets without having to cover your face or worry about other people’s eyes.

This was also a major reason why they felt particularly comfortable in Changyeong-ri.

“If you’re a senior, you probably already heard the news.”

“You mean Seoul Station?”

“Can I not go?”

“I’m okay.”

Han Su-yeon shook her head.

Her answer was a bit unexpected, but I let it go, thinking there must be a reason.

“More than that. I heard those two met.”

“I heard that we didn’t intend to meet, but we ran into each other at bad timing. But despite that, he said that no swear words were exchanged, so it seems that he held back a lot because his senior was in front of him. Last time, he even pulled out his sword and caused a ruckus in front of the president.”

“As expected, it seems like I need someone like Senior Oh to be able to control myself.”

Choi Jeong-il nodded and muttered.

Baek Ji-soo and Kang Seok.

In fact, the only person who could stop them was Oh Hyeon-seong.

In fact, it’s not just those two that apply.

Although he himself didn’t seem to think much of it, his presence was special even within the special forces.

At the time, there were many incidents and unique members of the special task force, but it was only possible with strong unity and leadership to lead the special task force to the end as a single organization.

“If I think about it, it would have been unthinkable for us to meet separately like this in the past.”

Han Su-yeon said, resting her chin on her hand.

Since the special task force was disbanded five years ago, these individuals have not had a chance to meet each other as they each take their own positions.

I was so busy, and there was no one I could contact right away.

For a while, all we could do was check the news to see if they were alive or dead.

But now, even though they were gathered together, it was not an official event, and it was a meeting without any special purpose.

This wasn’t the first time.

Recently, Han Su-yeon and Choi Jeong-il have often seen each other like this whenever they are in Seoul, and it is not just their story.

That Baek Ji-soo also met Choi Jeong-il three or four times under the pretext of delivering ingredients received from Changyeong-ri.

All of the special forces that went to Changyeong-ri saw a significant increase in their interactions.

“It can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“Is it because the waters have opened once?”

“Rather, it might be because a focal point has been created… Perhaps, it might not be a coincidence that the special task force was disbanded after Senior Oh retired.”

After subduing the queen who was advancing down the southern part of the Korean peninsula at that time and securing the northern defense line.

The special mission unit they belonged to was disbanded.

We defeated the enemy that was the greatest threat to the survival of the nation, established a defensive line, and overcame a major crisis.

With the death of the Queen, a certain degree of stability came to the world that had been in danger.

Also, unlike the early days when the existence of the Gate was not even known, Hunters were receiving enough attention, a lot of information about the Gate and Hunters was being released, and stories about secret units in each country were gradually spreading.

The time when they could hide in the shade was almost over.

There were countless superficial reasons or inside stories that could lead to dissolution.

But I didn’t think that was the only reason that the organization that had been maintained for so long was so easily disintegrated.

“I’ve never really thought about it… but it makes sense.”

Han Su-yeon nodded.

There was talk that it was the government’s way of keeping the special forces, whose authority and status had grown too high, in check, and there was also a theory that it was inevitable that it would happen anyway as the hunter world went through the process of becoming a public corporation.

However, the reason why the remaining members scattered so quickly compared to their previous dedication may have been because they lost their central focus, Oh Hyeon-seong.

She habitually reached for the coffee, but then stopped and took her hand back.

“Even though he is the only one from the special forces to have retired, does that mean we are all living in the shadow of such a senior?”

“Well, he wasn’t an ordinary person, was he?”

Choi Jeong-il shrugged his shoulders and said.

She nodded slightly and turned her gaze to take in the scenery on the street.

For the first time in a while, all I could hear was the chirping of birds on the quiet roadside, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

But that was only for a moment.

The sharp honking of car horns rang out from afar, and the pungent smell of exhaust fumes drifted into her sensitive sense of smell.

“Wow, really.”

The once quiet street was soon filled with cars and people, one by one.

Looking at the time, it seemed like lunchtime was approaching, and many people would be flocking to the restaurants around here.

Although it is said to be one of the streets with relatively few people in Seoul, there is no place in Seoul that is not teeming with people due to its abnormally high population density.

“… I want to eat my senior’s home-cooked meal.”

“Haha!”

They both laughed at the same time, thinking the same thing.

*

“Swoop… Phew.”

A path through a dense forest.

Oh Hyun-seong, who had been walking slowly, exhaled deeply.

When I come down to Changyeong-ri after breathing in the stale air of the city, I realize anew how precious this refreshing and clean air is.

‘I realized how pleasant a morning jog can be after coming here.’

I remember that even when I was young, there were issues with fine dust, yellow dust, and air quality.

But when you think about the air quality in the 2040s, it becomes a cute complaint.

A city with extremely high population density.

It wasn’t just the population that gathered, but also various industrial facilities, including power plants, were located near major cities to ensure safety from the gates.

Of course, it is an environment where the air cannot be good.

But on the contrary, in rural areas far from the city, the situation was actually better than in the past.

All domestic industrial facilities were headed to major cities, and the problem of fine dust from overseas was not relevant because the industrial areas in China were completely destroyed.

Thanks to this, the clear, blue sky continued all year round.

‘The air is fresh, the scenery is nice, and it’s quiet and peaceful.’

Oh Hyun-seong, who was in a very good mood, returned home humming a tune.

Boom boom!

“Yeah, yeah.”

After greeting them in the morning and enduring the whining and whining of the spirits, he took off his shoes and went inside.

‘Before I ate, there was something I wanted to get rid of.’

Bam!

Oh Hyun-seong took out the weapon contained in the case.

A national treasure artifact with the earth attribute, the great sword Theranos.

A treasure of inestimable value.

According to the Cultural Heritage Management Act, it was a strategic national item that could result in the maximum penalty under the law simply by attempting to take it out of the country.

“Then… shall we go?”

But to him now, it just looked like a farming tool.

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