The Saint Wants to Rest - vanish into fiction

Then, one day, rumors began to circulate that most of those who had gone missing were inside the Gates. Choi Jae-heon believed that Ian must also be somewhere beyond a Gate. Initially, he entered Gates that matched his rank, but his rank skyrocketed in no time.

Naturally, Hong Seo-yun and Yoon Tae-gyeom tried to stop him.

“Hey! Are you crazy?”

The day Hong Seo-yun shouted that was the day Choi Jae-heon returned with a massive wound to his abdomen. He had luckily avoided his vital organs, but he had nearly died due to heavy blood loss.

“He’s right. You’re overdoing it right now. Since you’re injured, take some time to rest in the hospital. I’ll arrange a room for you,” Yoon Tae-gyeom added. Even so, his friend’s voice did not reach Choi Jae-heon.

“I can’t. Even as we speak, Ian could be in danger.”

Hearing those words, Hong Seo-yun felt his breath catch for a moment. Is this what family is like? he wondered. He thought perhaps he couldn’t understand Choi Jae-heon’s obsession because he didn’t have a family of his own. However, Yoon Tae-gyeom wore a similar expression.

“Don’t you think Ian would be even sadder if you died?”

Wow, look at this cold-hearted bastard. Even in a situation like this, he was speaking the blunt, logical truth.

“I won’t die until I find my brother,” Choi Jae-heon said firmly, clenching his fists. It was on that very day that Choi Jae-heon underwent his second awakening. After being granted an S-rank, Choi Jae-heon threw himself into Gates while grinding his own body to the bone. Eventually, he gathered people in similar circumstances and formed a guild.

Since he had gathered people just like himself, they did not refuse to clear Gates without a single break.

Choi Jae-heon looked excessively precarious. It seemed as though he might die at any moment, causing Hong Seo-yun to worry more than was typical for him. Yes, that was how it had been in the past.

“For now, the rank of the Gate he entered today is A. Usually, nothing much should happen.”

“Still!”

“I’ll take him home. Fortunately, Hong Seo-yun over here has time to spare.”

“Huh? Oh. Right. I have plenty of time.”

Hong Seo-yun willingly agreed to take Ian. Originally, Yoon Tae-gyeom would have wanted to look after Ian himself. However, someone had to clean up the mess caused by the sudden change in the Gate’s rank.

Leaving that to Hong Seo-yun?

Yoon Tae-gyeom scoffed. It was like leaving a fish to a cat. He didn’t believe Hong Seo-yun could handle the situation intelligently. Instead, since he had a sturdy body, he put him in charge of Ian’s protection.

“If anything happens, I won’t let it slide.”

“That won’t happen!”

Hong Seo-yun spoke confidently, then picked Ian up in his arms and exited the tent. This time too, Yoon Tae-gyeom provided a little help so they wouldn’t be noticed by the crowd.

Now, Yoon Tae-gyeom had to leave the tent, handle the gathered reporters, and make sure the Phoenix Guild members were well cared for and sent back.

Furthermore, he had to keep an eye on the Management Bureau officials who had come to discover why the Gate had changed.

“Sigh.”

It was all a task Yoon Tae-gyeom had taken upon himself. Hong Seo-yun had a fiery personality and was difficult to handle. Choi Jae-heon was a rational man, but after losing his brother, he acted even more impulsively than Hong Seo-yun. I can’t leave it like this. From the moment he realized that, Yoon Tae-gyeom decided he had to join the Management Bureau.

Since the Bureau didn’t have a single S-rank Awakened, he planned to join and secure the highest possible position. Then, he intended to support his reckless friends.

Because I am the most rational and intelligent one.

It was more efficient than trying to stop his friends. Based on that judgment, Yoon Tae-gyeom became an Awakened for the Management Bureau. And as he had decided, he had spent his time building a foundation and supporting those wild bastards.

He didn’t hate it, but it was tiring at times.

“Well, shall we go out then?”

It was time to go to work.

***

A-rank Gate: The Jewel Mine.

Although it was named a mine, the interior was wider than expected. At the very least, it wasn’t so narrow that one couldn’t even stretch.

“Five people could stand side by side here.”

“The hall in the middle is even wider.”

The guild members who had entered with him followed behind Choi Jae-heon, analyzing the Gate. More than half of the monsters they had encountered so far were of the undead type. The only exception was the Jewel Vampire Bat.

The Jewel Vampire Bat wasn’t particularly large, but it had a hard outer shell. It had a habit of clinging to a target and driving its straw-like teeth in to suck their blood.