I was taken aback when the name of my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago, suddenly came up.
Is it a coincidence? Park Hee-soon isn't such an unusual name.
But Grandma smiled slightly and confirmed it was her.
"I only showed her a picture of my granddaughter once. You've grown up just like that."
Grandma patted my shoulder lightly with a welcoming expression and then took out a photo from her bosom to show me. In the photo were a slightly younger-looking Grandma Kim Deok and our Grandma. They looked very close.
"Did you know each other?"
"I once received help from her."
Her voice was thick with nostalgia. Though her gaze was on me, it seemed she was looking far away.
"When I tried to find her to repay her, she had already passed away."
"Yes, a few years ago, from an illness..."
"Among Park Hee-soon's belongings, there should be a hand mirror. It's something I lent her in the past. I want it back, so it would be great if you could find it for me."
Grandma gave a simple description of the hand mirror.
But I didn't find such a hand mirror while sorting through the remaining clutter in the store. I didn't throw away Grandma's things, and no one else could have touched them.
However, it was hard to refuse by saying I had never seen such a hand mirror.
It wasn't just because the Dark Ether item was essential. It was because I could feel a deep nostalgia from Grandma.
Isn't nostalgia always a powerful emotion?
It seeps out from the cracks of memory and violently scratches the heart. There are times when this vague yet immense emotion becomes particularly unbearable. At such times, I know how much a memento can help.
I spoke carefully.
"I don't know if the hand mirror is still there. I didn't see it when I was sorting through Grandma's things... But I'll check the storage room."
"That's enough. Thank you."
Grandma smiled softly.
Her face had a hint of melancholy.
* * *
Kwon Yi-yeon was marveling at the items in the workshop. Ki Yu-hyun stood a bit away, watching her.
Her expressions changed a lot. She nodded vigorously after listening to Kim Deok's explanation, then looked at the item next to her. Kim Deok continued his explanation, finding her reactions amusing.
Though my doubts hadn't completely disappeared, it seemed she had no direct connection to the 'Cult of the Star's Wisdom.'
That's a relief.
'Because I don't have to kill her.'
That thought was sincere.
At that moment, Kim Deok, who had quietly approached, tapped Ki Yu-hyun on the shoulder and spoke.
"You're too tense."
"Huh?"
"You're so tense. Why don't you relax a bit?"
Ki Yu-hyun spoke in a cold voice, though his tone was polite but sharp.
"What do you know?"
"I know nothing."
"That's a bit of a joke. I know you wouldn't casually give away a unique item."
"..."
"Why did you give the Cthugha ring to that person? Who is that person?"
"It seems you don't know either."
"..."
Ki Yu-hyun looked at Kim Deok with a frozen expression, as if to say there was no time for word games. But the reclusive craftsman remained calm.
"Don't make that face. I just heard a voice one day."
"A voice...?"
"I told you my role is to complete the Cthugha ring and pass it to a suitable owner. I followed that voice. I know nothing else."
"You mean that person is the suitable owner of the Cthugha ring?"
"Yes."
Ki Yu-hyun frowned. He could still see Kwon Yi-yeon browsing the workshop in the corner of his eye.
"Then who is that person? What power do they have...?"
"Didn't you hear the voice too?"
"..."
Ki Yu-hyun's face contorted. He realized what Kim Deok was talking about.
The man's well-defined face changed dramatically with his expressions.
Beneath the polite smile he had barely maintained, a cold and absolute figure emerged. His black eyes burned like fire.
If Kwon Yi-yeon had seen him, she might have suspected his true identity even more, but she was still focused on the workshop.
"I believe I have shown you the respect due to a craftsman."
It was a warning that he wouldn't tolerate the same words again. But Kim Deok stood unmoving.
Ki Yu-hyun awakened as a Hunter at the age of 13.
But it wasn't a random or miraculous awakening, and there were no celebrations or cheers.
His awakening was artificially prepared.
<Awakening Center.>
It's known to the public as the predecessor of the <Dungeon Management Bureau>, which disappeared due to corruption, but its true nature is even more terrifying.
First, the people who called themselves the 'Cult of the Star's Wisdom' occupied the upper echelons of the <Awakening Center>. They were a pseudo-religious group that claimed to explore the truths of the universe.
Under the cult's direction, the <Center> gathered children to artificially create Awakened individuals.
Ki Yu-hyun was one of those children. He thought they were good people who took care of him after he lost his family, without suspecting the <Center>'s true purpose.
Then, one day, the <Center> opened a 'Gate.' It was a portal to summon a demon from another world.
The children who directly encountered the demon beyond the gate all went insane and eventually died.
Many years have passed, but Ki Yu-hyun still vividly remembers that day.
The screams, the cries, the blood, the pain... and the voice.
[Summoning of the demon complete. Manifesting the demon at the designated coordinates.]
[...Failed. Reality intervention is limited by causality.]
[The Great Demon: □□□□ gazes at you from beyond the ultimate gate.]
【I have been waiting for you, child. □□.】
The chilling whisper that echoed in his mind. Even covering his ears couldn't block out the voice.
The thing beyond the gate was laughing.
How could he describe it?
An overwhelming terror that transcends human perception. A void that exists merely to be. An amorphous chaos that drives humans to madness just by looking at it.
A translucent window appeared before his eyes along with the chilling sensation.
[The Great One: □□□ □□ wishes to form a contract with you.]
[Eligibility confirmed.]
[Eligibility: Ki Yu-hyun's will grants the ability.]
[Class: Awakened as a Righteous Ruler (S).]
[Skill: Obtained the Power of White Light (S).]
...
[Causality has reached its limit. Further intervention could cause reality to collapse.]
[Connection forcibly terminated. ...30 seconds until termination]
【I sleep at the bottom of the abyss. Find me.】
[Connection terminated.]
When he came to, the surroundings were a sea of blood. All the children were dead, and Ki Yu-hyun was the only survivor.
And he awakened as the first and greatest S-class Hunter in Korea.
"Ah, finally, it's a success! An S-class!"
"□□□□, Great Demon, have you finally answered us!"
The <Awakening Center> rejoiced, claiming they had finally succeeded in their experiment. As expected of madmen, they seemed to care little about the deaths of the other children.
It was disgusting.
The awakened Ki Yu-hyun immediately resolved to destroy the <Awakening Center>. The only person with him at the time was Hunter Han Isung.
At 15, after a long battle.
He succeeded in destroying the <Awakening Center> and driving out the 'Cult of the Star's Wisdom.'
However, the cult didn't give up and continued to operate in the shadows, eventually reviving the demon.
While climbing the dungeon to prevent the demon's resurrection, Ki Yu-hyun thought.
He wanted to ask the demon beyond the <Ultimate Gate>.
Why did this happen? Why did only he survive?
...Why did the 'voice' call him that day?
But time rewound, regardless of his will.
The same events repeated.
This time, he moved to save the world from the demon.
But the questions from that day remain unanswered.
Some people called the voice he heard during his awakening the voice of a god or a star. Some called it a constellation.
It's known as a cosmic deity that speaks to a select few Awakened individuals and grants them special powers.
But its essence isn't entirely benevolent to humans.
After that day, Ki Yu-hyun felt a part of himself had worn away. No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't recall what he was like before his awakening. He felt that if he let his guard down, the 'voice' inside him would consume what was left of him.
But for Kim Deok to mention the 'voice'...
Ki Yu-hyun frowned in discomfort.
"I heard the voice too."
"..."
He was startled.
Did Kim Deok also make a contract with a cosmic deity?
"What it told me was what I should do and what my role was."
"..."
"I've been waiting for this day since the moment of my awakening, and I finally achieved it."
Kim Deok's face looked very relaxed as he said this. Ki Yu-hyun slowly opened his lips.
"I don't believe in fate."
"Hmm?"
"Whoever you gave the unique item to... If they interfere with my goal, I will eliminate them."
"Ho ho ho..."
The retired craftsman burst into laughter.
"Indeed, you're too tense. If you relax, you might see something."
But the enemy was still lurking in the shadows.
Kim Deok, with a wry smile, left his seat.
"What are you doing there?"
"..."
Kwon Yi-yeon had approached without him noticing. Ki Yu-hyun turned around with a soft smile, as if he had never been on edge.
"Grandma said I could take this. Isn't it pretty?"
In her hand was a small flower-shaped hairpin. A white stone was intricately embedded in the center of the flower.
"That's..."
"Why?"
He was about to tell her it was a 4-star rare item that reduced mental damage but stopped himself. It would be better if she didn't know the truth, thinking it was just an ordinary hairpin.
An ordinary person.
At least, that's how she appeared.
An Awakened individual, but one who knew little about the cult, Hunters, or dungeons.
Still, Ki Yu-hyun felt a strange emotion every time he faced her. Especially when he drank her coffee.
It wasn't just the coffee's healing properties; a warm feeling that was hard to define seemed to rise from within.
Why he felt this way...
He didn't know yet.
"Give it to me."
"Huh?"
Ki Yu-hyun took the hairpin from Kwon Yi-yeon's hand. He brushed her dark brown hair with his fingers and pinned it in place.
Kwon Yi-yeon stood still until he let go. Looking at her curly dark brown hair and red cheeks, Ki Yu-hyun murmured softly, a faint smile on his lips.