From dawn, I wondered if there was a café open, and luckily, there was one that had opened early. I sat in the most secluded corner of the first floor, waiting for Russ, when soon after, the café door opened with a chime.
I lifted my head, thinking it might be Russ, but a stranger with black hair entered instead.
Feeling awkward, Kang Sihyun lowered his head and fiddled with his phone, intending to text Russ to ask when he would arrive.
"Are you addicted to your phone, kiddo?"
"…?"
The man naturally walked over to my spot and struck up a conversation. Recognizing his voice, Kang Sihyun looked up at him with wide eyes. Just as I was about to ask who he was, I barely remembered that Russ was a master of disguise.
"Is it you?"
Russ was not a common name in Korea. Being the world's top Awakener, it was a name that had to be cautiously mentioned in the presence of others. The man, who had been tilting his head away, looked towards the café staff and then burst into laughter, realizing the situation.
His appearance might change, but his laugh remained unmistakable.
"Why are you so cautious?"
"You might not be him since you're in disguise."
"I didn't want to be caught at school."
You told me that, but here you are, originally blonde and now with dark eyes?
The man, previously with green eyes, pointed to his now-black irises and added. Kang Sihyun, understanding since Russ's appearance was indeed conspicuous, handed one of the two green tea lattes he had ordered in advance to Russ.
"What's this?"
"Green tea latte."
"Kid, you've got mature tastes."
I wondered if I should have ordered a strawberry yogurt shake instead. Russ, in his coat, took a sip of the latte and grimaced. Not his style, he declared, so Kang Sihyun took back his cup. Russ was dumbfounded.
"What are you doing, kiddo?"
"You said it wasn't to your taste, so I was going to have both."
"Oh boy, just give it here."
The man snickered and took back the latte. Kang Sihyun shrugged and asked how he had been. Russ replied he had been incredibly busy. There. Meaning, at the core of things.
His speech was as bold and unrestrained as ever.
Suddenly recalling something, Kang Sihyun spoke up.
"Right, about the mana collision. Has it gotten better?"
"Do you think that would improve overnight? Obviously…"
Cutting off with a dismissive tone, Russ raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, scrutinizing Kang Sihyun. His brows furrowed.
"Kiddo, your hand."
Treating me as if I were a pet, he asked for my hand for some inspection. Complying, I extended my hand, and Russ, gripping my wrist as if to take my pulse, soon showed a surprised expression. His astonishment was evident.
"What did you do?"
"Is it better?"
"How did you manage that?"
"Is it better?"
"If you've done something strange, just spit it out, kiddo."
"Is it better?"
"...You sly kid."
We kept talking past each other, focused only on what we wanted to say. Unable to explain in detail, Kang Sihyun once again asked if it was better. Russ squinted his eyes, running his hand through his hair in confusion.
"It wasn't supposed to be solved like this…"
"It seems it has gotten better."
Kang Sihyun must have found a way to resolve it. Nodding as if he had expected this, Russ stared intently at Kang Sihyun.
"What did you do?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
I was curious too. What exactly had been done to instantly resolve the mana collision? Deciding to ask Kang Sihyun next time, he sipped his latte. Seeing Kang Sihyun's reluctance to speak, Russ sighed. I had expected him to press further, but surprisingly, he gave up cleanly.
"Looks like asking will only tire my mouth."
"I appreciate your understanding."
"How odd."
"That's just how I am."
"It's like you're a mystery."
"These days, being enigmatic is my thing."
The conversation meandered along playfully. Russ, seemingly questioning my identity, was skillfully dodged by Kang Sihyun until Russ finally raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Anyhow, you're quite stubborn, kiddo."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Unfazed, Kang Sihyun continued the conversation, and Russ chuckled. He wasn't the type to get upset over such matters, allowing Kang Sihyun to be more bold than usual. Confirming the topic had shifted, he set down his now-empty cup of green tea latte.
"So, is teleporting to the Orc Stronghold possible?"
Leaning in slightly
, he lowered his voice to get to the point. Knowing the location was necessary for teleportation, the man smirked.
"Of course not."
"…?"
"But even if I don't know, this guy does."
He's currently in Korea, so if I contact him, he'll come.
Tapping on the black screen of his phone, he spoke leisurely. The mention of calling someone else made Kang Sihyun visibly uncomfortable, worrying about keeping secrets. Russ, noticing Kang Sihyun's concern, clicked his tongue, saying he worries too much.
"It'll only be used for teleportation, so don't overthink it," he reassured Kang Sihyun before making a call somewhere. Not long after he shared his location and invited someone unknown, the café door opened, and a man with brown hair and glasses entered. His eyes were a diluted blue, like water.
Seeing the foreign-looking man, Kang Sihyun guessed he was the one Russ had called and sent an inquiring look. Russ grabbed the shoulder of the man, who was a head shorter.
"American S-Class Ranker, Eddie."
"I told you not to call me by that name."
The unfamiliar-faced man was also quite proficient in Korean. Capturing the intellectual aura of the man, Kang Sihyun stood up and extended his hand toward him.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Kang Sihyun."
"I've heard a lot about you, I'm Edward."
It was quite rude to think this upon first meeting, but it sounded like a tremendously outdated name. It felt like hearing someone introduce themselves as 'Kim Chulsoo'. Kang Sihyun's hand twitched in Edward's grasp as he subtly observed the man.
"But you're an S-Class Ranker…"
"I was just lucky to become S-Class. It's because I'm fairly good at handling teleportation abilities."
"I was the first to create a teleportation circle."
Russ added, pushing the modestly answering man's back. Kang Sihyun, who had been nodding calmly until hearing about Edward's teleportation skill, suddenly widened his eyes. If true, Edward's ability was not something to be merely 'fairly good' at.
There was a limit to modesty. Feeling somewhat cheated as he let go of Edward's hand, Edward appeared awkward. Then, turning his head towards Russ, Edward asked in an annoyed tone.
"So, what do you need this time?"
The 'again' implied this wasn't his first time being summoned like this. Edward's visibly irked expression made Kang Sihyun inwardly sympathize with him.
"We need to go to the Orc Zone."
"In Korea?"
"Yeah."
"Why the Orc Stronghold all of a sudden?"
"Our little sprout wants to go."
This time, it was Kang Sihyun who was grasped by the shoulder.
It was embarrassing. The feeling of being called a 'little sprout' in front of a man he had just met was intensely shameful, causing Kang Sihyun to bite his lip hard. Edward, rolling his pale blue eyes to look at Kang Sihyun, seemed to contemplate for a moment before turning towards the entrance.
"That won't be difficult. Follow me."
"Make sure to install it discreetly."
"I'm reminding you, Russ, this is Korea."
"Who's asking? It's necessary."
The conversation between the distrustful man and the sly one continued. Edward, who had been sending skeptical glances, lightly nodded when his gaze met Kang Sihyun's. Kang Sihyun, reciprocating the nod, followed him. In front, Russ and Edward were arguing about whether the service was free and whether Edward intended to demand payment.
It seems Russ isn't the only one who doesn't attend parties.
I didn't know another American Ranker was in Korea. With no articles or news heard about him, Kang Sihyun scrutinized his appearance as if Edward could read minds, he neatly combed back his hair and explained why he was in Korea. He mentioned a covert investigation into the recent surge in Irregular appearances.
"Is it okay for me to know this, considering it's a secret?"
"If you're acquainted with Russ, what don't you know?"
"Does that have anything to do with me hearing the information?"
"Russ would tell you first anyway."
"Ah."
It then made sense. Indeed, it wouldn't be strange for Russ to freely share such information with me, so I nodded along. Russ, eyebrow twitching, looked back and forth between Edward and Kang Sihyun, bewildered.
"Eddie, why are you explaining, and kiddo, why are you accepting?"
Kang Sihyun ignored the question alongside Edward. Even though they had just met, Kang Sihyun felt they might get along quite well.
After leaving the café and taking Kang Sihyun and Russ to a secluded alley, Edward secured a space big enough for three adult men and bit his finger.
"Let's settle for two gold bars."
"Isn't that a bit too stingy for one teleportation?"
"You asked to make it untraceable. Didn't you want to avoid being tracked?"
With an eye-roll that bordered on a scold, the man insisted on not doing it for less than two gold bars. Kang Sihyun watched Edward with surprise; despite his clean and upright appearance, which seemed void of material desires, his personality didn't necessarily match his looks.
As blood dripped from the bitten finger, Edward drew the teleportation circle with it. Rising from his spot after drawing a simple formula within less than a minute, Edward's speed was unsettlingly fast.
Worrying he might have missed a detail in his rush, Edward wiped his blood-stained finger on a handkerchief pulled from his pocket.
"Go in."
He gestured towards the circle. Russ, whistling, pulled Kang Sihyun into the circle.
"I'll send the gold bars as soon as I return to the US."
"Eddie, when have I ever not kept a promise?"
"You've broken it four times. Just send it, and take care, especially you, Quadruple."
"Isn't that
a bit cold?"
"It's not bad to be on good terms with Quadruple."
He said that nonchalantly right in front of me. Kang Sihyun looked at Edward with mixed feelings but expressed his gratitude. Dismissing it as nothing, Edward stepped onto the teleportation circle.
"Sending you now."
With a voice that could seem indifferent, the red circle flashed. Without the grand impact one might expect, it merely flickered dazzlingly.
Kang Sihyun, who usually experienced dizziness and nausea with teleportation, shielded his eyes from the bright light and slowly lifted his eyelids as the light dimmed.
A dry wind touched his skin. The desolate and eerie ambiance unfolded before his eyes.
It was the Orc Stronghold.
"To think it's S-Class…"
Kang Sihyun murmured in surprise, never having thought they could arrive so quickly and comfortably without any tension.
The ride on the teleportation circle was unexpectedly smooth.
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