When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 58



Only Krnovel

58. Returnee

A controlled downtown area with the introduction of gates.

The police set up barricades to control the line, and inside there, dispatched staff from the management office were monitoring the situation.

Although they are not capable of fighting as non-awakened beings, they are personnel dispatched to deal with variables that are bound to explode at the gate from time to time.

Against such large gates, it is not an option but a necessity.

“That gate… isn’t it too big?”

The man stared blankly at the gate.

A huge gate that appears between two buildings and blocks one side.

At that size, it was a top-tier gate even among S-rank gates.

The larger the gate, the stronger the waves it emits, and I felt uneasy because there were beings inside that could emit strong waves.

“Even for the Aegis Hunters, this might be a bit difficult.”

“You’re making a fuss. Haven’t you seen the list of hunters who entered? The representative of that side went in himself, so why are you talking like you’re worried?”

A man was scolded by his co-worker.

The S-Rank Gate is basically only open to high-ranking hunters of rank 10 or higher, and even then, it is a dangerous place where it wouldn’t be strange if some variable exploded.

But even so, it seems absurd to be worried about this scene right now.

“Huh…? Wait, what’s that?”

Kuuuuung!

At that moment, a powerful wave burst out from the gate.

Even to the unawakened eyes, a wave of red light swept across the area.

Although there was no direct physical force, the shape of the gate was greatly distorted and changed.

“This, this is crazy…!”

“The gate has been transformed!”

The terrified management staff jumped to their feet.

The hidden pattern of the gate has been revealed.

In general, it was possible to know in advance that there was a special gate, but there was a special gate that appeared only after the hunters entered.

Space is distorted, powers are sealed, gravity is reversed.

Anything absurd could happen inside, and those on the outside had no idea what variables might have exploded inside.

“Call me quickly!”

Anyway, they quickly contacted headquarters.

If a special pattern bursts out from an S-rank gate, it was to be reported to headquarters immediately.

If the S-rank gate fails to be blocked, a catastrophe could occur in the surrounding area, so they want to prepare for any type of variable in advance.

But an unexpected answer came from headquarters.

“Hey, you told me to wait?”

“What? Why?”

The two employees who had been moving hurriedly stood there dumbfounded.

It was the first time for them to experience such a variable at an S-rank gate and not take any action.

However, the reason why the headquarters of the management made that decision was simple.

Because there’s only one name on the list.

A 12th-grade hunter, two levels above the 10th-grade hunters, and considered a national-level force.

It’s only because of the three characters of the name Choi Jeong-il.

Phage crackle!

After waiting in our seats for a few minutes, the gate opened.

They looked at the gate with great tension, thinking that the monsters might erupt earlier than scheduled since the gate had been transformed, but what appeared through the dimensional rift was a human.

First memory.

Choi Jeong-il appeared with a neat appearance and his head shaken.

After the gate’s special pattern began, a huge number of monster waves poured in from all directions.

But he slaughtered all those monsters with ease, and not a single bloodstain was left on his clothes.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“I… learned a lot.”

The hunter who followed answered bewilderedly.

Unlike Choi Jeong-il, he was a man covered in dirt and blood, but the monsters he had killed were not even a tenth of what they were.

I stared at the back of Choi Jeong-il, who wasn’t even panting or feeling uneasy.

‘Yes, as expected… you are a legend in the hunter world.’

The man swallowed hard.

The reason why he, a promising prospect in the past, turned down preferential offers from other companies and joined Aegis without hesitation.

It wasn’t simply because the company’s weight class was high.

The most decisive reason was that he followed Choi Jeong-il, an industry legend whom he had always admired.

I had forgotten about him since we usually don’t carry out the same operations, but seeing him on the battlefield together gave me goosebumps again.

A simple and efficient fighting style that earned him the nickname of a living textbook and professor for all hunters, and above all, a look that never wavers even in the most intense situations.

It was just like the old legend he knew.

Even I, a 10th-rank hunter, felt that there was a depth to it that I still couldn’t see the end to.

Thud!

Meanwhile, Choi Jeong-il, sitting on a chair, drank some water.

Then, he looked down at his hands and let out a hollow laugh.

‘It was definitely a tough scene… but I didn’t know my body could move this well.’

If it had been only a month ago, it would have been a weight class at the gate where you would have suffered while covered in blood all over your body.

But as you can see from his current blood-free appearance, he was surprised at how well his body moved.

Choi Jeong-il, who stayed in Changyeong-ri for a whole month, eating three meals a day with the spirits.

I knew that the turbid air would be neutralized and would have an effect, but I didn’t know that it would be this dramatic.

And then, for a moment, he felt a strange sensation in his eyes.

A tingling yet alien sensation.

Choi Jeong-il unconsciously took off his blindfold.

But at that moment he was shocked.

“Whose… eyes…?”

In that moment, his body flinched at the dazzling light that came pouring in.

The pitch-black darkness that had been occupying half of my field of vision cleared away.

It was still absurdly hazy and blurry, but clearly the eyes were accepting the light and forming images.

‘Am I really recovered?’

It’s been several years since my left eye lost its light.

He blinked in disbelief for a moment at this sudden, unexpected change.

“Haha… This is ridiculous…”

“Yes, sir!”

He felt a severe dizziness he had never felt before, and he fell sideways.

***

“Ahem~”

Joo Ji-hye is walking down the street, humming a tune.

Fully armed, wrapped up in a fur hat and scarf, she looked around at the sky and the streets.

For someone who usually pays a lot of attention to fashion trends, this was something she wouldn’t have done, but today she was willing to do it to set the mood.

“It definitely snows in winter.”

The sky is pouring snow.

The streets were also completely covered in white snow.

The forecast said there would be heavy snowfall across the country for some time, and she felt satisfied.

There is a reason why I walk the distance that I would normally have called my manager and taken a car to.

And on this delightful day, some good news just in time.

‘The CEO opened his eyes. That’s ridiculous!’

She was heading straight to the hospital where Choi Jeong-il was admitted when she heard the news that he had regained the sight in his lost left eye.

Although it was nominally a visit, in reality they were going there to congratulate him.

He was hospitalized for a while due to dizziness, but it wasn’t a big problem, so it’s time to congratulate him.

‘How can I congratulate you? Should I just smear cake all over your face? No, I’ll probably end up getting screwed over like last time…’

Bam!

“Huh?”

At that time, Joo Ji-hye, who was walking down a narrow alley, bumped into a person at the corner.

How could you just pop out like this without any noise?

When I turned my head to see if she was some kind of ghost, she let out an exclamation without realizing it.

‘Wow, she’s so pretty. Who is she?’

Joo Ji-hye stares at the woman she bumped into.

If it were normal, I would have quickly passed by, thinking that the other person would recognize me as a famous person, but the other person didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Although he looked pale and haggard, the original was so outstanding that it seemed to stimulate his sickly beauty.

On top of that, the fact that he had such great proportions made him look like an actor or a hunter.

But even for her, who has been in both industries, it was a face she had never seen before.

‘That person would be famous just for their face. How amazing. Ahem, of course they’re a little bit worse than me!’

Joo Ji-hye opened the way first, thinking to herself that it was pointless.

But the woman with long hair staggered and leaned against the wall.

“Ah… uh, are you okay?”

Then Joo Ji-hye reached out to her, feeling sorry for her.

I thought I had definitely lost some strength, but the impact may have been even greater since it was a collision between a hunter and a civilian.

But at that moment.

Hwaaaaak!

“Ugh…?!”

Joo Ji-hye hurriedly stepped back from the sudden surge of murderous intent.

It’s just a moment, but it’s a sincere killing intent that makes your throat tingle.

The hair on her body stood on end, and she quickly raised her magical power.

But when she stepped back, the woman had already disappeared from her sight.

“… is gone?”

The sight of a woman disappearing in the blink of an eye.

I looked around frantically, but couldn’t find even a trace of it.

All I can hear is my own pounding heart.

‘Wow, did I just… get scared?’

Joo Ji-hye looked down at her trembling hands.

It was just a moment, but I was completely overwhelmed.

A fear so alien that I have never experienced it before.

But at the same time, I also felt like I had experienced it somewhere before.

I felt the same overwhelming feeling I had when I saw the skills of Oh Hyun-seong and Choi Jeong-il, who were legends of the past.

‘But he definitely looked Korean…’

The current Joo Ji-hye has reached the level of an 11th-rank hunter.

Even if you count all the Awakened Hunters in the country, which is considered one of the strongest Hunter powerhouses in the world, there are less than 30 Hunters who are ranked 11th or higher.

But, what kind of opponent would overwhelm me like that?

“W… who the hell is that woman?”

***

Oh Hyun-seong came to Seoul for the first time in a long time.

I wasn’t happy about driving long distances while the snow was falling so heavily, but I came straight here because it was important.

Although it was nominally a visit to a junior in the hospital, the atmosphere was very bright with congratulations being exchanged.

“My eyesight really recovered… I guess it accumulated slowly and took effect later. It’s great. Really.”

“It’s all thanks to you, senior. Thank you.”

Choi Jeong-il said with a bewildered expression.

He thought he would never see the light on the left again, and he had completely given up and accepted reality.

Even when Oh Hyun-seong took the initiative, I never thought things would really get better.

Even though I trusted my senior without any doubts, I thought that this time he was holding on to a problem that had no answer.

That’s why I still hadn’t thought about it and was most shocked by the unbelievable event.

Of course, Oh Hyun-seong just smiles while looking at that guy with pride.

“I’m going to wash my hands for a bit.”

Then Oh Hyeon-seong left the hospital room for a moment.

While peeling fruit, my hands got sticky and I was looking for a bathroom. Suddenly, I ran into Han Soo-yeon standing outside the door.

“Huh? Why aren’t you going in? What are you doing here?”

“Senior, look at me for a moment.”

“I’m watching you right now.”

“No, not here.”

Han Su-yeon glanced around the hospital room and then dragged him out.

Oh Hyun-seong wondered what was going on with her sudden behavior, but he had no idea.

Han Su-yeon finally went up to the rooftop and opened her mouth after confirming that there was no one around.

“Senior, haven’t you heard anything yet?”

“Did you hear? You came here because of Choi Jeong-il?”

“… It was like that at first.”

“What’s going on?”

Oh Hyun-seong asked her with a serious expression.

It wasn’t an expression that suited such a nice day.

Han Su-yeon, who had been silent for a moment, opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Yoon Seol-ha has appeared.”

“… what?”

A former colleague who is clearly dead, and a name that Choi Jeong-il should not have heard of.

Oh Hyun-seong’s expression hardened in an instant.

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