Translator: Min999, Editor: Spade
Proofreader:Sapphire
The sun gently ascended into its throne.
It wasn’t until after noon that Yisun woke up. He was more of a light sleeper, but ever since that day one year ago, he’d started sleeping a lot more, almost as if he wanted to escape reality. And even after sleeping for close to 12 hours, he still woke up looking tired.
Afterwards, he habitually checked the curtains on the veranda. The thick black curtains were always tightly drawn over the windows to ensure that no one could peek in from the outside. However, the beings that move around in the house sometimes bumped into the windows, so he had to constantly keep an eye out to see if the curtains were drawn. After making sure the curtains were carefully shut, Yisun moved to the kitchen.
“Did you guys sleep well?”
His question to the living room inhabitants remained unanswered. As he approached the dining table, he suddenly paused. There was a cake on the floor. Probably one of his friends who had been walking around during the early morning hours bumped into the table and dropped the cake.
There was no sign that anyone had eaten it. Yisun hadn’t eaten it either, but there was no regret in his eyes when he saw the cake on the floor, just a flash of a gloomy emotion before he sighed and began to sweep the floor. The floor was slippery from the cream.
“It’s not like you’re children, why throw the cake…”
No one turned to look at him at the playful jab, but he muttered to himself in a friendly voice as he put the cake away and microwaved the rest of last night’s food that was still on the table. Once reheated, the instant food was bland and tasteless, but Yisun still ate it mechanically.
And after a few bites only, he threw it all in the trash. After standing in front of the trash can for a while, Yisun turned around with a nonchalant face. It wasn’t exactly an indifferent face, but one that was so full of emotion that it was impossible to distinguish it anymore.
“Okay~ Gather around everyone. I bought some new potions yesterday, maybe this time… they’ll be effective.”
He sat down on the sofa in the living room, and the beings that had previously been wandering all around the house gathered around him, while continuously making “uh-uh-uh…” sounds. he grabbed the arm of the one closest to him, cold and stiff as an old tree, and made him sit next to him.
Six beings surrounded Yisun. Although they might look human from afar, they were so bizarre that it was difficult to attach the word ‘human’ to them. With unfocused gazes and pale bloodless bodies, they Wandered aimlessly and uttered strange and hollow sounds occasionally, they were Yisun’s friends.
They had lived in this house with him a year ago when they were alive, but he didn’t know if the word ‘dead’ would be appropriate to describe their state right now.
They had died, but he had restored them.
The Second Great Dungeon. Although this incident did not involve an S-class dungeon, it was still given the title of a Great Dungeon because it was the first linked dungeon to occur in Korea. In this case, after a dungeon was cleared and all Hunters returned, a second dungeon that was tied to it would emerge, causing chaos. Once they cleared the C-class dungeon, a B-class dungeon appeared out of nowhere.
Thinking the dungeon was over, Yisun had gone to repair the damage, and ended up getting swept into the dungeon with along with his friends. All of his friends had died in the dungeon, and the Yisun who couldn’t accept that had, for the first time, used his Restorer ability on living beings.
His friends, who had fallen to the ground, rose up, but they could no longer be called human. They couldn’t think like humans, and their bodies were a sallow deathly gray. They looked more like zombies.
Yisun had made countless efforts to return them to their human state. He didn’t dare hope that they would come back to life, but he wished that they would at least close their eyes in peace. If all he wanted was to make them close their eyes, he should have found a way to kill them…
As an S-class Restorer, Yisun had one requirement for his ability: he could never harm his own kind. His restored friends were more like zombies than humans, but although he could harm them, he still couldn’t bring his knife near them. The fact that they were still more or less living beings was both a relief and a self-fulfilling indulgence. It was a comical and tragic gray.
So, the only thing he could do was get potions. He had tried most of the Healing pills on the market, but none of them had worked. The Healing potions were mainly for Hunters who had been cursed or attacked by monsters in the dungeon, but Yisun used them on him friends who had been restored by him own hands.
“This is a potion made by the Paradise Guild, and it’s really expensive.”
The Paradise Guild was the third largest guild in Korea. The larger guilds were becoming more and more like corporations, recruiting Healers who specialized in crafting to make and sell potions. Potions made from high-level magic stones found in difficult dungeons were mostly exclusive to the big guilds.
The prices of these potions were exorbitant and Yisun had saved up little by little to buy them. If he were to resume his work officially as a Restorer, he would make a fortune in no time, but he did not dare to show his face outside. He felt like the moment he treaded outside the shade, it would only be a matter of time until his hidden friends would be discovered.
Yisun grabbed his friend’s arm and injected the potion into his arm. Potions were usually absorbed by drinking, but since his friends were no longer able to eat or drink, injecting them directly into their arms was the fastest way.
“How is it… does it feel better?”
“…Uh, uh, uh….”
“All you ever say is ‘uh, uh’, why isn’t it working…”
(T/n: Am I the as*hole for laughing? Yes, yes I am…)
Speaking in a slightly tired voice, Yisun eventually threw away the potion next to him. The potion fell and rolled under the sofa, but he didn’t bother to pick it up again. He was tired, that was the most expensive potion from the Paradise Guild, and it had no effects at all.
He had known all along that the potions on the market wouldn’t work. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do in the first place, but because of his shallow faith, Yisun still couldn’t give up.
Leaning his head against the top of the sofa, Yisun pressed his brows together and muttered, “HN Guild… is also famous for its potions.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Of course, as the number one guild in Korea, they were famous for their potions, especially those made by the Vice Guild Leader Sa Yoonkang. They were so rare that they were only released once or twice a month and were said to be so effective that they were more likely to be bid on at auctions than sold in the marketplace.
There were rumors on the internet that Yoonkang’s potions weren’t actually that great, and that he was using a rarity marketing strategy to keep up with Hyeon. People loved watching the rivalry between HN’s Vice Guild Leader Sa Yoonkang and HN’s Special Elite Team Leader Sa Hyeon, considering they were the son of the Guild Leader and his half-brother.
However, Yoonkang was also an A-class Healer in his own right and one of the top potion experts in Korea, so Yisun thought “Maybe this time….”.
Yisun suddenly remembered the business card he had received last night, but he didn’t reach out for it. It was better to earn money using low key jobs than to go back to official activities, he wouldn’t risk it for a potion the effectiveness of which he wasn’t even sure about.
Eventually, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
“Uncle, I will take care of the restoration of that district office annex.”
Stillness blanketed the deserted road at 2 am.
Yisun stood still by the roadside and breathed in the cool morning air. He wanted to stay away from the crowded city as much as possible, but most of his lucrative work was in Seoul, and he was glad that at least the area around the collapsed ward office annex was relatively quiet.
Even, he chose to work early in the morning because he didn’t want to encounter with people, and he asked Won Taesik to make sure no one was around. He grumbled that he was being too paranoid, but he still checked all the neighborhoods, and said that he couldn’t find even an ant at dawn because of the Class A dungeon outbreak a few days earlier.
However, Yisun stood with his hood pressed deeply into his face and looked at the ruins in front of him. The damage to the annex was measured as a B-level, and more than half of it had collapsed. It was strange to stand in front of such a large collapsed building, as he had only ever taken care of D-damage level restoration cases for fear of being noticed.
After letting out a long sigh, Yisun glanced around once more. Only when he was completely sure that no one was around did he place his hands on the collapsed wall of the annex.
There was an uproar as the debris on the floor began to rise one by one. It didn’t take long for all the debris to be lifted into the air, a task that would have required several pieces of heavy machinery. Yisun’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he looked at the building through the rubble.
The wind swirled briefly around them. It was a phenomenon caused by the Restorer reversing time for the building. The wind blew clockwise, then suddenly counter clockwise, creating violent currents.
Throughout the unreal scene, Yisun’s eyes never wavered. His pupils, which were a pale brown color when bathed in moonlight, instantly frosted over, and at the same time, the debris in the air began to stack up onto the building.
The large debris stuck to the building like a jigsaw puzzle, and the gaps between the debris began to connect the materials like watery paint smeared on a piece of drawing paper. This was the power of Yisun’s S-class restoration ability, which was impossible to achieve with just the pieces on the floor.
Finally, the restoration was complete, and the gusts of wind that had been swirling all around disappeared. Yisun’s hood was ripped off by the last gust of wind, and he let out a short sigh.
“Haa….”
His head ached from the extended use of his abilities. Only 50% of the building was restored, but considering that a normal Restorer could only restore 20%, what he had done was already incredible.
He had to quickly put his hood back on, but his head hurt so much that all he could do was hold his forehead with one hand for a while. When he finally managed to put the hood back on, the sound of applause came from behind him.
Yisun’s face paled immediately and he quickly turned around.
“That’s quite an incredible feat Yisun-ssi, You’re truly amazing.”
Sa Hyeon was there. Yisun quickly looked around, but there was no one else there, only Sa Hyeon, who had appeared straight out of the darkness and was praising him. As if he had been there, watching all along.
Yisun frowned and asked.
“Since when have you been watching?”
“I don’t know, maybe since whenever you think I’ve been watching?”
“…I definitely made sure there was no presence around.”
Sa Hyeon smiled at Yisun as he muttered quietly, and seeing that smile, Yisun felt faintly irritated. He was annoyed at himself for saying that about an S-class who was ranked first among the Hunters and whose specialty laid in shadow abilities that grew stronger the darker it was.
It was indeed an ability optimized for stalking.
Yisun fiddled with his hood one more time. The street lamps in the ruins gave off only a faint glow, and the prospect of confronting Sa Hyeon in the dark made him wary.
“How did you know that I was here?”
He asked, his voice sharp. It was obviously a personal request from Uncle Won Taesik, and he had emphasized several times that he didn’t want anyone nearby. Just when Yisun was wondering if maybe Taesik had been blackmailed, Hyeon gave a short chuckle.
“That’s funny, Yisun-ssi.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
“I just find it curious that you would actually assume that I wouldn’t know.”
“…….”
“Oh, I’m not making fun of you, I’m just genuinely curious to know if it’s because you’re not a Hunter that you would think like this.”
Sa Hyeon said neatly, accentuating his words with a smile. The Awakeners who entered the dungeon were called Hunters, while those who showed their abilities outside, like Yisun, were called differently depending on their abilities.
So, it was understandable that Sa Hyeon, who was more used to interacting with Hunters, would find it fascinating to talk to Yisun, and the look on his face was one of pure wonder. Even though Yisun knew he meant what he said, he couldn’t help but feel bad.
They had only spoken a few times, but even from those short interactions, he could tell that Sa Hyeon was incredibly skilled at controlling the flow of a conversation. Yisun didn’t want to be swept away by him, so he simply waved and walked past. This time, instead of blocking his path, Sa Hyeon walked beside him and asked lazily.
“By the way, Yisun-ssi. Why is that only 50% of that building was restored, when with your abilities you could have restored it completely?”
Sa Hyeon tilted his head forward to look at Yisun, but he didn’t give him the slightest glance. Undeterred, Sa Hyeon continued.
“I’ve seen a lot of videos of you, Yisun, and you’ve been called a ‘Hero outside of the dungeon’. You were able to restore a building much bigger than the ward office annex in one fell swoop, so why did you only restore 50% of it this time? Is it because you’re afraid that rumors that the S-class repairer Yisun is back would spread if you restore it to 100%?”
“…….”
“Hmm, but after you finished restoring the annex, it seemed as if you had a headache…. Your abilities must have deteriorated, Yisun-ssi.”
At that moment, Yisun’s whole body tensed. In the meantime, Sa Hyeon had walked ahead, step by step, then he turned and faced Yisun with a relaxed attitude. As the cool moonlight bathed them in its light, Sa Hyeon smiled his trademark smile.
“I’ve seen cases where a Hunter’s abilities would deteriorate, and most of the time it’s due to PTSD following traumatic events. Isn’t that the case for you too, Yisun-ssi?”
His voice, sweet as honey, sounded like it was gently cooing and coaxing a child. At that tone, Yisun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he wondered if that was what Uncle Taesik had meant by ‘already had it all figured it out’.
Having lost his parents in the First Great Dungeon and his friends in the second, it was natural to attribute his deterioration to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In fact, Yisun was not sure if his condition was due to PTSD either, but he did not want to confirm Sa Hyeon’s words, so he responded in a dry voice.
“I don’t know if you know me enough to make such claims.”
“I am telling you because I want to know. Do correct me if I’m wrong.”
Seeing the way Sa Hyeon’s eyes curved, Yisun finally spoke up.
“Yes. As you said, my abilities have deteriorated. I can only manage about half of what I used to be able to do. Sometimes, even a 30% restoration leaves me drained and out of it. Since even an A-class can restore 30% of a building, there is no point in scouting me, right? I’m sure your HN guild is full of Class A Restorers, use them. No need to bother with me.”
“Yisun-ssi, I’m really happy you noticed all the hard work I’ve been putting into recruiting you.”
Yisun eventually gave up trying to talk to Sa Hyeon. He wondered if it was because he hadn’t had a proper conversation with another human being in a year, but no, it was just probably just a Sa Hyeon thing.
“And there is actually quite a big difference between what you said earlier and the truth: if an A-class can restore a maximum of 30%, you can restore 30% at the least. Not only that, but what I need from you can’t be provided by an A-class.”
Although he knew that there was no point in trying to move past Sa Hyeon in the dark, Yisun continued walking. Surprisingly, Sa Hyeon didn’t block his way, nor did he walk right beside him, but simply followed a couple of steps behind him and spoke lazily.
“By the way, Yisun-ssi, do you think the ranks of Hunters who can’t use their abilities as well as they used to due to PTSD would be re-evaluated and downgraded?”
“…….”
“No, that would never happen, because a rating evaluates a person’s potential, so even if you’re exhausted after only restoring 30% now and, or even if you can only restore 10%, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re an S-rank, and that you’re capable of 100%.”
His words were unnecessarily sweet and gentle, and it was impossible to tell if they were sincere, an act, or a surprising mix of the two, but Yisun turned his head and asked.
“So, what’s your point?”
“I am saying that people with PTSD are supposed to get psychological treatment. Steady mental care, counseling, etc..”
“Are you saying that if I were to join Chord, you’ll provide me with a top counselor?”
“No, I’m going to take care of you personally.”
“Crazy- no… yeah. Have you gone crazy?”
“…Weren’t you about to change your words?”
Sa Hyeon laughed as if it was funny. But Yisun didn’t feel like laughing along with him at all.
Just then, the dawn breeze picked up. Yisun looked back one last time at Sa Hyeon’s fluttering jet-black coat, ducked his head, and grabbed his hood tightly. When he looked up again, he was forced to face the figure standing in front of him.
Not even the sound of footsteps could be heard from the man who had suddenly appeared right in front of him, perhaps he had used his ability once again. Unconsciously, Yisun’s gaze was locked on the man’s eyes.
He couldn’t tell if the obsidian orbs were captivating, or if it’s just that Yisun, who had gotten used to seeing only unfocused eyes, was surprised when gazing into a human’s eyes. To Yisun whose breath was stolen, Sa Hyeon whispered softly, “I’m really good at taking care of people.”
Along with those words, a warm human breath brushed against Yisun’s face. As if hit by an electric current, Yisun jerked back, frightened. His eyes widened in an instant, displaying both fear and shock. Yisun had always kept his distance from people, but the warmth of a human being was truly terrifying.
The unfamiliar warmth made him feel miserable.
He immediately turned his back and started walking away. Although it was obvious he was running away, Sa Hyeon didn’t chase after him, he just stood there and said with a smile in his voice, “I’ll see you next time, Yisun-ssi.”
Yisun didn’t reply. For a moment he thought, ‘Let’s not meet again, it’s sickening every time.’
After restoring the office annex, Yisun called Taesik to tell him that he would not be taking any work for the next few days. Taesik, who had just checked the status of the restoration of the annex, replied with excitement.
“This time, because you deliberately left a few cracks, no one got suspicious, and they were just talking excitedly about how envious they were that I was able to get a good A-Class repairer.”
Some Restorers were part of the guild, but most were outsourced by companies. Only large guilds could afford to hire Restorers, and small and medium-sized guilds couldn’t afford them. Therefore, after a dungeon occurred, the association would establish a damage rating, and companies would bid for the right to repair it.
Some companies had a lot of Restorers, while others, like Won Taesik, were small, one-man businesses. So it was understandable that Taesik, who had done a great job on the restoration of the ward office annex, was currently in a state of excitement.
Yisun sat at home, looking at the amount of money that had been deposited in his bank account. It was not that he doubted him, but considering that he met Sa Hyeon every time he went out to work, it was better to take a break for a while.
He didn’t want to leave the house at all, but there was one problem: Yisun couldn’t cook. He wasn’t good at it, and with his friends turned into zombies, he had no one to eat with, so he mostly relied on ready meals or takeout.
So, he headed out to pack dinner and stock up on more instant meals. There was no supermarket open in his neighborhood, so he had to travel a distance, and on his way back, he ran into Sa Hyeon at the station again.
“We meet again, Yisun-ssi.”
He didn’t know just how long he had been standing there. Sa Hyeon, dressed neatly in an immaculate suit as if he had just left work at the HN Guild office, greeted him. Yisun didn’t see any cars around, but he figured it must have been parked somewhere nearby.
It had been less than a day since their last meeting. Yisun didn’t even want to say hello to him, so he kept his mouth tightly closed. Nevertheless, Sa Hyeon smiled wryly and spoke.
“They say three coincidences make a charm, so I guess we are meant to be.”
“Is running into a stalker also considered a coincidence these days?”
The sarcasm didn’t dampen Sa Hyeon’s smile. Yisun felt like he would be swept away again if he talked to him, and he was tired of being dragged along by his banter, so he decided to draw the line.
“It’s unpleasant that you keep coming over like this.”
“I’d love to have a pleasant meeting with you too, but since you never contact me, I can’t help it. I know it’s unpleasant, but you’ll have to bear with me.”
… Yisun was truly exhausted. For the past year or so, he had always been in a subdued mood, but just looking at Sa Hyeon’s face made him irritable, and feeling that way felt like an emotional drain, and he was terribly tired.
“I’m busy right now, I’ll call you later.”
“How are you busy? I thought you weren’t getting more work.”
“Were you eavesdropping?”
“Let’s not call it eavesdropping, but consider it an effort I’m making because I want to work with Yisun-ssi.”
Sa Hyeon chuckled in response, and Yisun was getting tired of his tone. He couldn’t draw a firm line in the sand, and every attempt of his at firm refusal was brushed off. He really was something else.
“I’ve told you many times already, I won’t work with you. I don’t care what you pay me, I don’t want to do it. I‘ve been saying that I don’t want to show my face in public, and I’m tired of you persistently following me around like this. It sounds less like you’re making an offer, and more like you’re making a coercive threat.”
After pouring out his words, Yisun had to pause for a moment to let out a sigh, which was tinged with a deep sense of exhaustion.
“I’m busy, and I have other things to do, so I’ll leave you to it.”
“What exactly are you so busy doing, Yisun-ssi?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, so please get out of the way.”
“I see you’re quite interested in potions.”
“…What?”
Having walked past Sa Hyeon, Yisun’s turned back to look at him, the color slowly draining from his face.
“I’ve noticed that you’ve been taking on jobs that are only D-level in damage, and you’ve been saving up all the money you make every time to buy potions… Abnormal status cancellation potions. I don’t think something like that would help with your PTSD-induced ability deterioration…”
“….”
“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to get home every time. There is no one living with you at home anymore, but if you keep rushing to walk past me like this…”
Sa Hyeon smiled as he kept talking.
“…I can’t help but think there’s something you’re hiding at home, right?”
Yisun couldn’t say anything. As if he had already seen through everything, Sa Hyeon’s eyes stared straight at him, and he felt pressured once again.
Looking down at Yisun’s pale face, Sa Hyeon slowly smiled. Then he lowered his head to be eye level with him, and whispered softly.
“Yisun-ssi. Let me make one thing clear before I leave.”
Sa Hyeon had his back to the sun, and in front of him, Yisun felt trapped in his shadow. In the back-light, his shadowed face was chilling, even though he was clearly a smiling stranger.
A light tap on his shoulder came as a warning.
“I haven’t forced or threatened you yet.”
Min999: me everytime Sa Hyeon opens his mouth: ᕙ( ︡ ‘︡益’︠)ง Also me everytime Sa Hyeon:( ‘з ‘)ﾉ⌒♥*:・。
Thank you for the chapter!! <3
Thank you for reaading~~ <3
Thanks for the chapter ^^
And can’t say I like Hyeon Sa yet -_- Makes me wonder if he equipped Yiseon with a GPS or is just too talented in stalking
Hey~~, thank you for reading <3!! He was acting like a total asshole and pushing Yiseon’s was willing do anything to get what he wants, which is having Yiseon on his team since they actually needed his ability for upcoming Dungeons… Well you’ll get to know more about this creep in the upcoming chapters…!
I’m looking forward to it <3
Hyeon Sa really seems like he had everything figured out
Thanks for the chapter
Thank you for reading <3
And yes, he’s got his ways …🕵
Shadow stalker ml is coming on quite heavy…
Thanks for the update 🤣❤️
YO SA HYUN IS SO FREAKING HOT
RIIGHT??
THANK YOU FOR THE CHAPTER TRANSLATOR 😭❤️🥹
Tyyy for reading~
Thank you!! For translating and sucking me into another pit hehe.
Having half found the manwha and reading this…Hyeon gives me Im a arse due to my S status, and history.. and Im being this way to you becouse of your mental/emotinal state needs me to be one to you.. vibes…or i am just misreading things so early on. =)
Thank you for translating!
Thanks for the chapter 💥