# 21
-1 Episode 21
After she left, Jeong Dae-sik was engulfed in an unknown afterglow.
But for a while.
He quickly smiled as he looked at the sign in his hand.
“I got it.”
As he knew, Choi’s autographs were being traded at a fairly high price.
I thought it would be salty if I put it up for auction, so I put it in a small space so it wouldn’t wrinkle.
Jeong Dae-sik repeatedly said that there was no need to go to the hospital, but his opinion was clearly ignored.
From the looks of it, rather than being concerned about Jeong Dae-sik’s safety, it seemed that he was concerned about whether he was affected by any virus or unknown substance by a monster from another world.
So, he was taken to the hospital, underwent all kinds of tests, and had to stay in the hospital for a day until the test results came out.
While in the hospital, all kinds of media outlets wanted to interview him.
The hero who protected the citizens from Monster Break, anyway.
If he had truly acted heroically, he would have been more than happy to receive such a title.
Go on TV shows, pretend to be modest, and shake hands with lawmakers while receiving a letter of appreciation.
After that, I even entered the entertainment industry and got an offer to appear in a CF.
But strictly speaking, Jeong Dae-sik didn’t do anything in particular.
To be honest, I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have a million dollars.
If you did anything, how much did you help the passengers on the same bus?
It was Choi Hee who actually did something.
Had she not appeared and swept away the monsters, he would have already been dead.
Choi Hee is a real hero, and it was just shameful that she was treated like a hero for doing nothing.
So Jung Dae-sik refused to be interviewed by all broadcasters.
The hospital also strictly controlled the access of reporters, so he was able to go through the discharge procedures without selling his face.
‘Damn, you only played ball for a day.’
Jeong Dae-sik, who was on his way to discharge after receiving the diagnosis that there was nothing wrong with his body, ran into an investigator in front of the hospital.
However, for some reason, the members were a little different from the previous time.
Previously, there were two sloppy men who could be seen as civil servants, but this time there was another woman in a neat suit.
Jeong Dae-sik didn’t care too much about what department the monster must have come from.
I just nodded and greeted him, and the investigator, who had given him a business card the other day, came to ask for his regards as a courtesy.
“Are you okay?”
“Because it was fine from the beginning.”
“Then can we talk for a while?”
Jeong Dae-sik followed them to the coffee shop.
Then I answered the questions asked by the investigators and filled out simple paperwork.
Only then did the woman in a suit open her mouth.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions too?”
“If it’s a question, haven’t you already done it?”
“What I’m asking is informal.”
“Isn’t it the same affiliation?”
To Jeong Dae-sik, who was puzzled, the woman in a suit gave a slightly meaningful smile.
And he said in an overly polite tone.
“I am not affiliated with the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, but the ultimate goal is the same. Above all, this is an unofficial matter, so please feel free to think about it.”
The woman turned around, pretending to be some kind of secret agent, avoiding specific answers.
I don’t know, but a government agency with a slightly different personality from the Ministry of Public Safety and Security… It seemed like he came from the National Intelligence Service or something like that.
After all, the woman’s identity wasn’t important, and there was nothing else to fuss about, so Jeong Dae-sik didn’t bother to ask.
I said I would answer any question that I could just answer, and the woman took out a tape recorder and opened her mouth.
“First, tell me what you’ve been through.”
“If that’s the case, I think I’ve already said it many times here and there.”
“We want very specific answers. Please tell us all the impressions, feelings, smells, touches, sights you had at that time, any little thing or anything that comes to mind.”
Jeong Dae-sik shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.
“So it was the way back after hunting.”
“What kind of hunting was it?”
“That is…….”
The woman’s question was very detailed.
He inquired about what kind of monster he hit, what weapon he used, how he fought, where he moved from where he moved, what the injured person said and did, and whether he had ever seen a special smell or anything unusual.
Thanks to this, Jeong Dae-sik had to feel an unexpected embarrassment.
Even if he doesn’t have any qualms, he has the true powers…
Because I couldn’t talk about sensibility or entropy.
‘If I talked like that, everyone would look at me strangely.’
Daesik Jeong was also skeptical about his abilities at first, so he had no intention of divulging the story that others might not believe or not.
It is difficult to reveal the fact that he has awakened in a different way than usual, and it is because he has not yet fully grasped what kind of influence his sage ability has.
As the wind flipped over that part, the woman spoke in a surprising way.
“You gave first aid to the wounded? With psychic powers?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“Then you are saying that you have both strengthening and healing abilities.”
“…I have both the reinforcement system and the transformation system.”
“He’s a dual-skilled man. That’s amazing. Being able to handle two positions, a dealer and a buffer, at the same time is amazing. For the reinforcement system to do the work of two people, it has to support that much mana. Tell me, can’t you play three different positions including healer?”
“Uh, um… That’s because I didn’t even know that I was a changeable person until now.”
“So, you mean that you awakened your second ability after this incident?”
“Is that so?”
“Did it happen suddenly in a crisis situation? I wish you could elaborate on that part.”
Dae-sik Jeong, slightly regretting answering the question without much thought, proceeded with the conversation.
‘…If you find out that I have even possessed the spiritual powers, I’d be stunned.’
I felt like I was writing a novel myself, but anyway, I put together the story so that it wouldn’t be strange for others to hear.
Originally, Jeong Dae-sik was good at creating things that didn’t exist.
This is because he has always thought that a modest lie is more correct than the naked truth.
Satisfied with it or not, the woman finally nodded and turned off the recorder.
“Today’s story has really helped me a lot.”
“Then I’m glad.”
About 40% of the story was made up, but Jeong Dae-shik laid an iron plate on his face.
Then the woman smiled and asked to shake hands again.
“A lot of people were impressed by what Daesik Jeong did this time.”
“No. I haven’t done much. It was Choi Hee who killed the monster, and I just ran away with the passengers…”
Did you think that Jeong Dae-sik was humble?
The woman grabbed Jeong Dae-sik’s hand tightly.
And he said with strength in his voice.
“No, it’s not. No matter how great Choi Hee is, there is only one person. If something like this happens in the future, just like Jeong Dae-sik, each ordinary hunter will need more activity.”
Jeong Dae-sik was slightly shocked by what she said.
‘…Does something like this happen in the future? What happened? You mean Monster Break?’
In an instant, the peace that surrounded me was awakened.
In the middle of downtown Seoul, the coffee shop in the middle of the day was full of daily life.
Even if there was a monster break on a street, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with that here now.
People were chatting over coffee as usual, and people passing by seemed busy with their own work.
But does that happen again?
Without noticing how Jeong Dae-sik was feeling, the woman let go of his hand and smiled.
“Of course, it would be a bit unreasonable to say that Dae-Sik Jeong is an ordinary hunter. It’s not enough to become a level 7 hunter within a few days of awakening, but to become a duel capable. I’m looking forward to seeing how much he will grow in the future. .”
“No, I’ll have to wait and see.”
“Oh, come to think of it, you didn’t even introduce me. My name is Hannah Jang. From now on, please call me Hannah.”
I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again and talk, but Jeong Dae-sik nodded that he knew.
Then Hanna Jang said thank you for today and got up with the other investigators.
After sending them off, Jeong Dae-sik was left alone in the coffee shop.
And I reflected on what I felt while talking with Hanna Jang.
‘…I never thought that the same thing as yesterday would happen again. But yeah, come to think of it, there’s no way this wouldn’t happen.’
Then, I could easily imagine the scene where the peaceful streets became a chaos.
‘Ten years ago, when the Monster Break happened, a huge number of people died. In fact, even if we release just one troll here, it will cause a lot of trouble. If even a dragon appeared… the whole of Seoul might explode.’
When I think of such a thing, goosebumps run down the back of my neck.
‘Then what’s the use of buying a building? Cyclops would have collapsed in one single kick. No matter how wealthy you are, if you can’t be safe from monsters, it’s meaningless.’
Jeong Dae-sik felt a sense of crisis as if he was being thrown into the middle of a dungeon while sitting in a coffee shop.
It really touched me that monsters are no longer wild beasts that only exist in dungeons.
Jeong Dae-sik stopped in surprise.
‘……What?’
“The need for survival. It is also a desire.>
‘This voice… Democritus?’
The voice I heard from God’s space.
It was the voice of Democritus, the god of wealth, greed, and price.
Jeong Dae-sik heard the voice clearly in his ear and jumped up from his seat.
The people around him had been staring at him for some reason, but Democritus’ voice ended there.
When he heard no more words, Jeong Dae-sik, embarrassed, sneaked out of the coffee shop.
And as he walked down the street at a brisk pace, he contorted his face.
‘Damn it…….’
Desire to be stronger than you are now.
It was a word that urged him to pay the price.
The price is none other than money!
‘If you are anxious, you mean to become strong by doing sage… Yes. You just have to get stronger, if you get stronger.’
It doesn’t matter if the monster runs out of the dungeon and trembles, it doesn’t matter if it becomes strong enough.
Then you don’t have to be afraid of losing your life and property.
‘You shouldn’t have to think about dying because you don’t have at least 1 billion won.’
Jeong Dae-sik murmured inwardly and moved on.