CH 19

Using the remaining embers of the magic stone, Baron treated some of the injuries and poisonings.

Then he glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

Although he had focused his abilities on one person at the end, the evidence of the collateral damage showed that the surrounding area was a mess.

He thought that if he had not concentrated on that one person, but instead unleashed his violent abilities in all directions, it wouldn’t have been a problem to demolish a mountain or two.

Baron shrugged off his regrets and moved towards the Moon Bear to claim his victory reward.

“Damdadi~ Damdadi~ Damdadi-dam~…”

As mentioned earlier as a joke, Baron was not really expecting to see a spectacle. Rather, he saw cutting open the deceased moon bear as a necessary action to uncover its hidden secret.

While he might be able to catch a glimpse of some of Ghost’s memories after being digested, it was not something that could be accomplished immediately, and it would only be a fraction of the recent traces he could steal, so it wouldn’t be clear information.

That’s why he needed to check for himself.

“…The Philosopher’s Stone?”

Two dazzling beads emitting a mysterious glow were nestled inside the bear’s belly.

Baron sensed a peculiar flow beyond the hide, and so he cut it open, but what he found was surprising.

“I thought it was a magic stone, but could it be… I didn’t expect this.”

The beads had different colors, and Baron nodded as he carefully inspected them.

A white bead and a bead with various colors!

In the past, when he had heard about magic stones, he had recalled something called the Philosopher’s Stone or the Dragon Heart.

After seeing the magic stone firsthand, he concluded that it was nothing more than a well-made fake, and a high-quality imitation.

“There’s a reason why I call it ‘Junk food.'”

But the two dazzling beads in front of him were not fakes, they were genuine. The only difference was that they were not Dragon Hearts.

“It’s the Philosopher’s Stone, but not the Dragon Heart…”

What even is the Philosopher’s Stone?

[The essence of energy!]

Or the purification of pure and immaculate breath, known as the crystal.

The Dragon Heart was the purification of that mana’s breath, and these two beads were simply another form of the purification of energy.

That’s why they could be called the Philosopher’s Stone, but they couldn’t be called Dragon Hearts.

There was a lack of condensed energy inside it.

“Is this some kind of sacred object?”

That meant that this moon bear was some sort of divine spirit creature, but why was it carrying not one, but two core in its belly?

Lost in thought, Baron inspected the beads in his hands.

They were the essence of energy.

They were the Philosopher’s Stones.

They were the product of the miracle that ‘this world’ had created.

“Mmmhh… It can’t be compared to a magic stone, can it?”

Unconsciously, his mouth began to water.

ΔΔΔ

A fighter jet took off.

A state of emergency was declared, and the national movement began.

Top-level members of the association and union also appeared.

It was a more than sufficient reason to sound the alarm:

A monster wave!

Furthermore, some of the field reports from helicopters were even more shocking.

“Twin Head Ogre!”

This was because the appearance of a level 6 monster had been confirmed.

The shock didn’t end there.

“Someone defeated it?”

Someone had apparently taken down the twin-headed ogre, but there was still more to come.

“A monster higher level than level 6…”

The news was urgent enough for both the Korean branch of the association and union and their global headquarters to go into emergency mode.

Although the quality was not very high, the information became known through a video shot from a few helicopters.

“Why is it shaking so much!”

“The video is a mess.”

Due to the constant attack of the gargoyles, the video was shot during their movements and there were many gaps.

The distance was also considerable, which made the resolution low.

Nevertheless, they were able to confirm.

“Level 7!”

“Disaster grade!”

Since some of the agents who had already felt this from the roar were present, the video was only used as evidence.

Although the quality was low, the scenes in the video were not so chaotic that one could not recognize the level of the monster.

A strange man and a bear-like monster collided, and a short battle ensued.

The overwhelming destruction scenes were captured on video.

Even that brief battle had caused some mountains to crumble, and that was enough to make people shudder.

At the same time, a shocking sight was captured.

“He defeated the disaster grade monster alone?”

It was an unequivocally surprising event.

So far, there have been three occurrences of the opening of a disaster grade dimensional rift with a level 7 monster that has appeared in the world.

The first resulted in the worst outcome.

Although the so-called superhumans existed even then, their number was only three, and even they could not fully subdue the monster without sacrificing themselves.

[Nuclear bomb!]

The superhumans acted as bait and a reference point, and only after humanity dropped the worst weapon in history, the nuclear bomb, could they finally subdue the monster.

Due to the physical resistance of the monsters, the extreme decision made at that time was both the best and the worst option available.

Even then, victory was only made possible by the resistance and sacrifice of the “100-person suicide squad,” who, in addition to the superhumans, threw themselves at the monsters.

Although it was a small tactical nuclear weapon, the moment when the weapon known as the “nuclear bomb” was used again was a painful story that has remained in textbooks and history books.

The second and third disasters were able to be suppressed under the cooperation of the greatly increased number of superhumans and the world’s major forces, taking advantage of the information from the surviving 10% of the suicide squad and the experience gained from the first disaster.

The important point here is that all the world’s superhumans came together to exert their power against the disaster level rifts, and in addition, the elite forces of each country also participated.

Of course, most of the forces were deployed against the monsters due to the wave.

The important point here is that the superhumans were deployed.

“If this video…if this information is true…”

The leaders and skilled members of countless guilds all swallowed their words.

…Gulp!

It was just a figment of their imagination.

It was the moment when not only the skilled individuals from all over the world but also the top-tier fighters known as Rankers and superhumans boarding a plane headed to Korea.

ΔΔΔ

Baron, the mysterious man who had caught the attention of the world’s top guilds and powerful figures, was standing in front of an unexpected location in an unimaginable outfit.

Unlike the shabby clothes that he had been used to wearing on the streets, he now wore a pristine suit and dress that looked brand new. With a tense expression on his face, he gazed up at a building, his restless Adam’s apple betraying his inner turmoil.

“Gulp…”

Baron swallowed another dry lump in his throat as he looked up at a sign that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

‘Barun… Chicken!’

He had never seen this building before.

But the exterior of the store that stood before him was an exact replica of his memory, causing an eerie feeling of dissonance to run through his body.

“I never would have thought…my parents were still alive.”

He was stunned and amazed by the fact he had accidentally discovered, and how it had surprised him so much.

Suddenly, he remembered the person he had met during the incident at Bukhansan.

‘Choi Il-kwon…’

That was truly a chance encounter, almost like a miracle.

ΔΔΔ

After defeating the moon bear and checking the safety of Lim Seon-hee, Baron went to Dokbawi Station to check the bottle for the last time.

And there, he saw them.

Choi ll-kwon and his teammates were guarding the entrance to the station with the bottle.

After rescuing a team of students, they were going out of Bukhansan Mountain when they saw the crisis at Dokbawi Station and rushed to help, but they encountered a crisis of their own.

A troll!

Although they were only a C-rank party, their expertise surpassed their level. If you consider this, a level 4 monster like a troll would have been a manageable opponent in ordinary circumstances.

However, at that time, they were exhausted beyond measure, and the firepower of their guns was difficult to rely on. Their force was also on the verge of depletion.

They managed to endure somehow, but eventually, their limits were evident. Choi Il-kwon, who was leading the battle at the forefront, collapsed first.

Baron arrived at that very moment.

As he appeared, he swiftly broke the troll’s neck with a single move.

“Long time no see.”

With these words, he coolly grinned and, unwittingly, Choi Il-kwon found himself thinking of that smile, despite being dazed.

It was like a nonsensical, gibberish-like utterance that came out of his half-conscious state.

“Ahn…Baron?”

The bizarre suspicion that he had harbored since their first meeting took on a concrete shape within Baron’s smiling countenance.

It was the protagonist in a photo saved on his friend’s phone.

Without realizing it, Choi Il-kwon had blurted out the name of the person in the photo in the midst of his confusion.

Baron’s expression stiffened, and a heavy silence descended upon them.

“…Who are you?”

Although he had revealed his name many times to this world after returning, he had never exposed his true roots.

[Baron!]

He never revealed his surname, but always his name.

The last name “Ahn” was never spoken aloud, and not a single person knew it. Even the bottle, with whom he had developed a fairly close relationship, was no exception.

Of course, the unexpected full name spoken by an unexpected individual at such an unexpected timing was enough to stiffen the atmosphere.

Still reeling from the troll’s attack and not sensing the tension, Choi Il-kwon soon let out a groaning laughter mixed with a whimper.

And that was the decisive moment.

“Heh…I’m…your uncle!”

Of course, Baron didn’t just accept that. Instead, he grabbed Choi Il-kwon by the neck and shook him until he could barely breathe.

Thanks to that, Choi Il-kwon regained his composure and calmly, yet sincerely, engaged in conversation, eventually revealing a shocking truth.

“Father and Mother…are alive?”

Baron was so surprised that his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground.

Of course, just as surprised were Choi Il-kwon and his team members.

‘Goodness gracious!’

‘Is he really Team 5 Leader’s son?’

‘Wow…I thought he was dead.’

When they recalled the skills he had shown earlier, the intensity of their surprise could only increase.

In fact, Baron’s face was similar to the one in the photo Choi Il-kwon saw on his friend’s phone, but it was difficult to say they were exactly the same.

Perhaps it was due to the passage of time, but it seemed that many things had changed in many ways.

If one were to name the most representative part, it would be his body, which had grown significantly larger than in the phone photo.

The photos on his friend’s phone mainly featured a visit during Baron’s military service, and Choi Il-kwon remembered standing shoulder to shoulder with his friend.

He looked to be about 170 cm tall, but Baron was at least 10 cm taller.

‘Wait… is his head even bigger?’

To exaggerate slightly, it seemed to be the case.

Of course, the photo was from his early 20s, so it was possible that he had grown taller over the years.

‘It’s true that growth plates usually close in your mid-20s…’

While there was some possibility, the difference seemed too much.

There were also considerable changes in his face, and if one had to name a difference, it would be the feeling that his twisted features had been fixed.

‘Did he get plastic surgery or what?’

That was the extent of their suspicions.

Despite his battered skull, his overall appearance was not affected much.

Since he lived near the park, he usually washed up before going out, and he didn’t have any major facial injuries even though he was severely wounded.

As a result, it wasn’t difficult to examine his face.

The two of them were silent for a while, each lost in thought, and at the end of it, Baron’s words were surprising once again.

“For now… keep it a secret until I meet you in person.”

His tone towards Choi Il-kwon became more respectful.

It was because Choi ll-kwon said that he was a friend of his father’s, and Baron didn’t think it was a lie. He had some suspicions, but the information he had shared about his father and the surrounding information was too accurate.

Choi ll-kwon really wanted to see the happy face of his friend during the reunion with his son, but he assumed Baron had his own reasons for not showing up right away. After nodding his head in agreement, he reminded his teammates to keep the secret before they parted ways.

And so, 24 hours have passed.

ΔΔΔ

I should have come right away, but I had something I wanted to check and I also needed time to heal from the injuries I sustained in the battle with the moon bear, so I invested two days.

‘I can’t come in a disheveled state.’

Of course, it was difficult to achieve perfect healing in such a short amount of time.

‘If only there was regeneration.’

After only one day, the appearance was convincingly restored, but traces of the injury remained inside.

“If I didn’t have the Philosopher’s Stone, I would have suffered from the aftereffects of magic stones. I guess that’s fortunate.”

While I was recovering, I spent time searching for the information that I had been avoiding.

[Ilsan!]

As I searched, what appeared on the main page were provocative articles and pictures full of mosaics.

[Astronomical damage… total destruction… death…]

Among the painful contents, I clicked on the decisive keyword that had kept me away from Ilsan.

[Total destruction!]

Then, I chuckled at the successive contents of the stimulating article, accompanied by vivid pictures.

[News of hunters’ total annihilation… second backup unit wiped out… emergency situation with the Association and Union… conference and cooperation… arrival of foreign support units… third deployment…]

And so on, various reports of accidents and deaths were written, but they all had the same message.

“That’s all… the news of the deaths of the ability users?”

Then where is the news about the damage suffered by ordinary citizens?

I found it at the end of the article.

[No civilian casualties!]

The initial response was good.

Despairing and provocative headlines and pictures dominated the main page, with hopeful stories being written as a closing note at the end of each article.

It was a bewildering and disappointing feeling.

I felt stupid for not being able to overlook a few lines of stimulation and a few pictures, and for not finding a ray of hope.

“F**k…”

I almost punched the monitor, but I managed to calm myself down and put my hand on my chest.

I wanted to excuse myself by saying that I had been affected by the composition of the article, but it didn’t justify my foolishness.

“I thought it was nothing.”

Because I had already lost hope for my family in the other world, I didn’t think I would be so affected by the pain of loss on Earth.

But the word “family” was special, and it touched the weak part of my heart without my knowledge.

That’s why I had run away from the few lines of stimulation and despair.

Despite the worn-out emotions, the word “family” rekindled a spark in me.

“Phew…”

Exhaling deeply, I headed for the store entrance.

For the past two days, I had been doing various investigations, and I had come to know that Choi Il-kwon’s story was true.

Now it was time to accept it as reality.

Clink…

As the sound of the bell rang faintly in my ear like my memory, the store door opened, and even though the air was unfamiliar, the familiar scenery came into view.

“Welcome.”

And the voice that was heard struck a chord in my heart.

“Ah…”

Baron felt his eyes well up without even realizing it.

Someone came out from the kitchen to greet the guest, and when he saw the person’s face, tears streamed down his red eyes.

“…Mom!”

Without even realizing it, the word escaped Baron’s lips, and his throat tightened and his heart felt heavy.