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Side Story 6

"The Australian government is putting a lot of effort into it. It\'s a national business."

The one to welcome Yi-An was Stearson, a Hunter and a member of the Australian Hunter Management Bureau.

Yi-An and his assistant rode in Staerson’s car, following a road through the desert.

Yi-An marveled at the endlessly unfolding desert landscape. Clusters of greens were placed here and there on the desolate red land, like a patchwork.

"It\'s beautiful. I never thought I’d use that word to describe a desert."

As if Azhi Dahaka was out of his mind, Yi-An started off the conversation with praise for the landscape. He was also being sincere.

The endless expanse of red land had a strangely beautiful side. Within the desolation, one could feel the truly grand scale of nature.

Stearson smirked.

"It\'s even more beautiful at night. The night sky here is marvelous."

The silhouette of Uluru was faintly visible on the distant horizon.

So far, there were no signs of any danger or problems.

"Since it\'s getting dark today, we\'ll start the operation as soon as the day breaks tomorrow," Yi-An suggested.

"Will you be okay? I heard you\'ve dealt with two Dragon-class monsters just in the past few days alone."

"It\'s what I always do. It won’t change anything."

They entered the downtown part of Alice Springs. The city had more greenery and trees than Yi-An had expected. Buildings that were once homes were now being used as barracks for soldiers and Hunters.

"There are a lot of Hunters who\'ve heard the news of the famous Raven and want to meet you."

"Maybe next time. After the job is done, if possible."

"Of course. You don’t think we’re amateurs, do you?"

Yi-An was shown to a home.

It was a house that was left behind by the evacuated residents.

Yi-An suddenly thought of his own home. His memory of it was fading as he hadn\'t returned to it in a long time. He wondered if the cafe was doing well. It was now being run by his sister Yi-Yoo.

After everything is over, it would be good to go back for a visit.

"Please rest comfortably. We\'ve asked for the residents\' understanding. They were more than willing to cooperate."

"Thank you."

"I\'ll be in touch again."

Upon entering the house, Yi-An found a family photo in the living room. It was a picture of an elderly couple, standing side by side in front of the door, smiling brightly at the camera.

Who could have taken the photo? Perhaps it was their children, neighbors, or even a photographer.

"It’s a nice picture." his assistant said as he approached and looked at the family photo with Yi-An.

"I wish I had someone by my side when I get that old," he added.

Yi-An chuckled lightly.

"Don’t you have a girlfriend?"

"We’re going through it right now. I\'m always out because of work, so she’s..."

The complaining assistant trailed off, gauging Yi-An\'s reaction. Yi-An was gazing at the photo with a faint smile.

The secretary shrugged.

"Try to get some rest. You must be tired."

"This is me resting, right now."

Yi-An sat in the living room, reviewing the documents he had been given.

Azhi Dahaka, a monster resembling a dragon as its name suggested.

When this unprecedented Dragon-class monster appeared, all of Australia\'s Hunters were deployed, but they were completely wiped out. Sydney became a lair, continuously spawning demons. The casualties continued to increase with no signs of slowing down. Eventually, a nuclear weapon was used, turning the area into a land of death.

Modern weaponry was ineffective against monsters, but nuclear weapons were an exception.

With its overwhelming firepower, the monsters were exterminated, and Azhi Dahaka ceased its activity. Thus, the first Dragon-class monster was eliminated.

Or so thought everyone...

“He died for sure, but he’s come back to life now?” Yi-An asked his secretary.

“Maybe it wasn’t dead in the first place? Maybe it was just in a dormant state due to the impact.”

“They said they confirmed the cessation of life activity with their drones.”

“You never know with these monsters, right? They’re pretty strange.”

Strange.

Yes, they were indeed strange.

The monsters were beings that completely shattered the expectations of Earth’s common sense.

Yi-An thought of the humanoid monster that had emerged from Parthenon’s insides.

What was its identity? Could it have been a parasitic entity controlling Parthenon from within? Were monsters actually bioweapons with controllers inside them, as some scientists argued?

Everything felt like a mystery.

“By the way, Leonardo said that Rommel has been persistently trying to contact you.”

“Hansung?”

“Yes. It sounded like you should probably take the call.”

Yi-An pondered for a moment before responding.

“I\'ll call him after I finish this job.”

The assistant nodded.

Ever since he heard about Azhi Dahaka, Yi-An seemed quite down.

Yi-An was neither a toxic boss nor a brute who abused his power, but precisely because of that, his assistant didn’t want to go against Yi-An\'s mood.

He was the one who observed the weight on Yi-An’s shoulders from up close, so he knew what he was dealing with better than anyone else—other than Yi-An himself, of course.

Supporting the only Hunter capable of defending the whole of humanity, ensuring Yi-An could focus fully, was his duty.

"Understood. I\'ll go talk with Stearson some more," the assistant excused himself.

Left alone in the home, Yi-An leaned back on the sofa, flipping through documents, before closing his eyes.

Fatigue washed over him.

After a rather long moment of silence, he asked into thin air.

"Are you there?"

But no one answered.

"Of course you’re not..."

The Ashen God did not respond.

Even after returning to Earth, Yi-An had been able to communicate with her. However, as the monsters appeared and the Age of Great Monsters became more serious, their communication started to suffer.

According to the Ashen God, the energy from the other dimension was overriding their connection.

It had been a while since their sporadic conversations had completely stopped.

And with that, Yi-An felt like he was truly alone in this world.

There was no one by his side to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. He was the only one capable of facing Dragon-class monsters. In Elder Lord, many heroes fought against the Ashen God alongside him. But here, on Earth, he was always alone.

He had to bear all the burdens himself.

Perhaps it was a bit lonely.

He missed the energetic Tiyo and the gentle voice of Anor.

"Sigh."

Yi-An opened his phone with a sigh.

Once upon a time, there was something good that helped him forget everything.

And although it was gone now...

Yi-An hesitated before opening the messenger app on his phone.

She didn’t change her profile picture. Her bio didn’t even have the title of a sad breakup song like everyone else’s does. It was just her bright face, as it always was.

It was the same for Yi-An as well.

He sighed deeply.

He remembered his sister\'s angry face saying she wasn’t asking for a breakup but was actually pleading for him to ask her to stay.

But it was fine. He used to regret it, but he didn’t anymore. Not everything went according to one’s will, and that’s just how the world worked.

Just as he accepted his parents\' deaths and went to war, some things just had to be endured.

"Man, I\'m tired..."

Yi-An covered his face with his hands. The coolness of his palms soothed his turbulent mind.

He prayed with his eyes closed, hoping everything would turn out just fine.

Several images flashed through his mind like a dream.

He imagined defeating Azhi Dahaka with ease, receiving gratitude from the Australian government, and returning to Korea.

He pictured giving gifts to Yi-Yoo and meeting Baek Han-Uo or Choi Hansung for a drink. The weather would be clear, the air brisk, and there would be nothing rough. Sharing trivial jokes, laughing without worries, and toasting.

And then, by pure chance, he would encounter someone on the street as if by fate.

Such thoughts...

Even adults sometimes wished for everything to fall perfectly into place, harboring child-like hopes where every single thing they imagined came true.

An elusive dream that was never going to come true.

He stayed still in that spot, lost in his daydreams for a long while.

* * *

"Is that Rommel?"

"Choi Hansung, right? He’s just like in the videos."

"Who are those with him? Hunters?"

The Incheon Airport was buzzing.

Rommel Choi Hansung, South Korea\'s top star, had made an appearance.

He was going through the check-in process accompanied by four unidentified beings.

The man with his face hidden by a hood and a mask was abnormally large. Not just big, but huge. Even Brock Lesnar in disguise wouldn\'t look as big. The men in the airport admired his pure muscle mass.

And the two men standing beside him were incredibly handsome young men. Their skin was sun-kissed, which only accentuated their exotic charm. The gaze of many women was fixed on them.

And then, there was one quite short in stature, a man wearing a trench coat and sunglasses.

He outdid everything with his presence. His walk made people feel as if this place wasn\'t an airport but a dark alley in Hong Kong, a windy desert in the Wild West, or a post-apocalyptic city that was left in ruins.

"Oh my God. Look at that gorgeous hard-boiled guy," a woman said to her companions, almost inspired by his appearance.

"Smoking is prohibited inside the airport......"

A passing airport staff started off his usual warning without even realizing it, then trailed off. Nobody was smoking.

Yet, it felt as if the chilly, bitter smoke of a cigarette was flowing from where the crowd was gathered.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn\'t the smell of cigarettes.

It was a scent. T

he scent of a lonely man!

"Thank you."

"This is a one-time thing. We’re only doing this because it\'s you, Mr. Hansung.”

"Yes. You\'ve seen the video. These people are the real deal."

A high-ranking official from the government had come down to the airport himself to facilitate their departure.

It was partly because of Choi Hansung\'s status and the hint that they were associated with Raven, but mostly, because of their combat video.

The Ogre-class monster Gramas was reduced to rags by just a few shots from a handgun. It was a shocking sight.

Upon Choi Hansung\'s assertion that they were beings from Elder Lord with combat power comparable to Raven, the Korean government decided to cooperate.

It was an era when national security was constantly threatened by monsters. Competent Hunters were by far the most important asset of the country.

"It\'s hard to believe they came from Elder Lord, but since there\'s also the video footage from that time, I doubt you are lying. I was plenty startled by that Tashaquil fellow."

"This whole era doesn’t make any sense to begin with, right?"

"That\'s right. If you have any more information, don\'t keep it to yourself and share it with us. There won\'t be any sabotage attempts like in the movies or drama. We don\'t have the capacity for that, even if we wanted to try."

"Why sound so defeated, Director? Haha. Weren’t you the one who put me in that research facility before?"

"I told you that was just a health checkup."

With the appearance of monsters and Hunters wielding powers from the days of Elder Lord, the new era had tossed aside the concept of common sense.

Rommel Choi Hansung, who was in front of them, was already an unfathomable being. It was easier to just accept whoever came from that world.

"So, Azhi Dahaka is that dangerous? To the extent that everyone must go?" The director of the Hunter Management Bureau asked while stroking his chin.

"Yes. Yi-An might be in danger. It\'s different this time."

"Ah..."

Initially, there was a bit of rashness, but even the shaman Tashaquil advised that it was crucial to go to Crockta quickly.

Tashaquil had cast spells in Choi Hansung\'s home and got the heavenly readings of this world. Its future was grim. The shadow of another dimension was on the verge of swallowing this world.

Crockta needed them.

"I hope everyone comes back safely. I mean it. And also, tell Yi-An to come by after the job’s over. He is Korean after all."

"Yes. Don\'t worry. I\'ll drag him back if I have to."

"That\'s why we\'re sending you."

They finished their check-in, went through security, and headed to the gate.

Their destination was Darwin, a city in the northern part of Australia. Since Alice Springs was closed, they were going to go to Alice Springs from Darwin with the cooperation of the Australian government.

Tiyo and his group were steadily making their way to Crockta.

"We’re finally going to see that guy..."

Tiyo muttered while seated on the airplane.

Crockta, known there as Jung Yi-An. What would he look like?

Hansung had told them that he was now a human, not an orc. Although his appearance seemed different in pictures, making it hard to believe that it was really Crockta, they were looking forward to meeting the essence of Crockta.

"What about finding Tiyo’s father?"

Anor, who had been fiddling with the seat, eventually lost interest and leaned back and asked.

"He\'s somewhere in this dimension, so we\'ll see him eventually. There’s no need to rush.”

Tiyo had a vague premonition.

He felt like at the end of the journey, where they were facing monsters from another dimension and meeting Crockta, his father was waiting for him.

Hedoro was such a man. Seemingly within reach, yet uncatchable, and following his trail inevitably led to new adventures.

"Since Crockta saved our world."

The great warrior Crockta, who defeated the Ashen God and protected the world of Elder Lord.

Every being in that dimension had received salvation from Crockta.

"Now it\'s our turn to save his, isn\'t it?"

He wasn\'t one to leave a debt unpaid.

Since he owed his world to Crockta, it was time to return his world to him.