Chapter 104: The Swordsman Who Fell into Seoul

A sharp light shining from above distorted the man’s brow.

The face visible beyond the light was unfamiliar.

Not only his face but also his attire was unusual, even for a man who had roamed freely across the continent.

Yet, they were able to communicate.

The language the stranger spoke was undoubtedly the Common Language of the As Continent.

“Are you… perhaps stranded?”

“‘…Seems like it.”

Though he couldn’t fully grasp the situation, one thing was certain.

The stranger neither knew the man’s identity nor did he show even the slightest pity.

Even though his abilities had returned to normal, without a disguise identification card or money, he had been dropped into an unfamiliar place completely empty-handed.

He was in such a bad state that he had to rely even on the pity of others.

“Here, at least take this first.”

The stranger took out a large blanket from his backpack and handed it to the man.

Instead of refusing the kindness, the man accepted the blanket quietly.

“You must have gotten lost. I was just taking a look around my ancestral tombs for the first time in a while. I’d been too busy with work to visit before.”

The clothes he had taken off were so worn and dirty that no amount of washing would save them.

The man wrapped the blanket the stranger had given him like a garment and followed him.

“Where do you live? If it’s near Seoul, I can take you there. I’m actually off work just for today, and I have to go back to the office tomorrow.”

He couldn’t understand everything the man said, but Hajun cleverly pretended to understand based on his own experience.

“What’s that?”

His eyes caught something about the size of a palm, a small rectangular object.

“This? It’s a smartphone…”

The man looked puzzled by Hajun’s question.

His innocent face tilted in confusion.

‘Who nowadays wouldn’t know about smartphones?’

Come to think of it, Hajun was quite sturdy physically.

Besides, even though he was lost, the fact that he had been washing himself in a water source where anything could jump out showed he wasn’t the usual type.

“Are you a Hunter? Judging by your build… I’d say you’re either a swordsman or a martial artist. Am I right?”

He recalled hearing that some Hunters lived separated from civilization, deliberately seeking out remote places for training.

A sudden thought came that Hajun might be one of those people.

“Yes, I’m a swordsman.”

Though the word ‘Hunter’ was unfamiliar, Hajun was indeed a swordsman.

He saw the doubt flicker across the stranger’s eyes and quickly calmed his anxiety.

“Figures. You look really strong. I’m jealous. I haven’t awakened as a Hunter, so no matter how much I go to the gym, I can’t even compare to a low-level Hunter’s physique.”

The man chattered on, but thanks to that, Hajun was gathering bits of information about this unfamiliar place.

‘I think I really fell somewhere strange.’

At first, he thought he had fallen into a remote area of the As Continent.

After all, the prison where Hajun was confined was also far, far from the capital of the Lumen Empire.

Kailus was ruthless.

Those closest to Roy, like Hajun, weren’t simply killed but incapacitated in battle and scattered far and wide.

He might have claimed they were dead, but perhaps to inflict suffering, he kept them alive and tortured them endlessly.

“Oh, by the way, today’s the last rerun of the final episode of the contest!”

The man suddenly brightened up and started fiddling with the device called a smartphone.

‘…This is an amazing gadget.’

The man didn’t use any magic, yet with just a few gestures, the once-black screen showed moving images of people. What Hajun confirmed from that video was—

“Uh… Roy?”

“Oh, are you a fan of participant Hwang Roy too? I was rooting for him as my pick. It’s so great he’s debuting now.”

Hajun’s eyes widened as he shook the phone violently.

He couldn’t hear what the man was saying clearly.

Someone who had been stabbed to death by a sword was now moving perfectly alive—trapped inside a small rectangular frame Hajun had never seen before.

“You said Hwang Roy?”

“Yes! Did you root for someone else?”

“Where is he now?”

The grass around Hajun flattened as if a strong wind blew across it.

Startled by the sudden change in his aura, the man hiccupped nervously.

“Roy, how’s your body?”

“Much better now. I’m fine.”

***

As soon as Roy opened the door, Hajun hurried over, keenly checking his complexion.

Roy smiled reassuringly and ruffled his hair several times before stepping into the living room.

“Roy’s out. How’s your condition?”

Besides Hwang Guman, Ki Yonghyeon and Gong Taecheon were already present in the living room.

Like Hajun, the other members couldn’t take their eyes off Roy.

Fortunately, his face looked healthier than when he had stumbled into his room nearly unconscious yesterday.

“Our debut stage is set for a week from now.”

Once Roy came out and everyone gathered, Gong Taecheon began briefing.

“We barely split the route yesterday…”

Kim Chan voiced his concerns.

Although the song was practiced countless times, performing on stage with eight people felt as unfamiliar as learning a new piece.

“Given the schedule, it can’t be helped. But with your skills, I believe you’ll do well.”

In Roy’s eyes, none of the members were below an A+ grade in dance and singing.

‘Status window.’

The status window that appeared before his eyes was now far more dazzling than when he first summoned it.

‘At first, it was just an F-grade parade.’

He had learned then that F was the lowest grade.

It was strange to be graded by someone for the first time in his life.

He had only ever felt differences in status.

Since summoning the Spirit Kings, it was the first time he struggled hard because of skill.

“So, I cleared the heavy schedules for this week. Everyone just needs to focus on practicing to perfect the debut stage in the rehearsal room.”

The show ‘Please Pick Your Hunter Idol!’ had ended successfully.

It was the first time all debuting members had surpassed Hunter Level 300, so the news appeared occasionally even in social news, not just entertainment.

Moreover, the fact that, except for Roy, the members obtained Legend Grade Weapons made it even more sensational.

They became big news not only in Korea but overseas as well.

Especially Roy became famous for summoning multiple Sa Wonso Spirit Kings at once, unlike ordinary Spirit Summoners.

“Keep an eye out for any suspicious happenings while I focus on practice.”

Roy asked the spirits and Earth to watch for any strange phenomena appearing on Earth while he devoted himself to rehearsals.

{Just trust me, hero!}

Even without Roy’s request, they knew it was a task they had to do. Earth’s lively voice answered first.

“Beep.” (I’ll take the lead.)

“Poruru?” (You hardly can do much.)

“Umm…” (Contractor, don’t worry.)

“Pihii-.” (Fighting again, fighting again.)

Following that, the cries and voices of various spirits rang simultaneously in his ears and mind.

None of it was reassuring, but with such dependable friends, Roy could faintly smile.

“Practicing alone is boring, so let’s make a bet.”

“What? What kind of bet?”

Just as practice was going smoothly, Song Doyoon’s suggestion suddenly changed the atmosphere.

Kim Chan’s eyes lit up as he downed a 500ml energy drink at once. Practice wasn’t unenjoyable, but doing the same dance repeatedly made him crave something interesting.

“In the programs, they dance sometimes at double speed, sometimes at half speed. You all know that, right?”

“Yeah, we watch a lot.”

Hajun, cheeks flushed, sat down next to Song Doyoon.

Han Jihoo stopped the music that was about to start again for the intro.

“Let’s bet on who dances the worst, and the loser has to wear an apple hair tie.”

“What’s an apple hair tie?”

Min Junyoung swept his hair back in confusion.

“You mean one like this?”

Kim Jaewoo pretended to tie his bangs.

“Exactly. I have an apple hair tie too.”

Song Doyoon pulled something out of his pocket.

The bright red apple-shaped hair tie dangling on the tip of his large hand looked particularly cute.

“Why on earth do you carry this around…”

Roy couldn’t understand.

If your bangs were long, you could just sweep them back with your fingers.

‘Why would you need such a hair tie?’

“Look at this. If Roy hyung tried to tie your hair with this, you’d freak out and run away.”

Song Doyoon twirled the hair tie around his index finger, grinning mischievously.

Roy’s expression turned sour.

Just thinking about tying that on his head gave him goosebumps on the back of his neck.

“So, are we all in on the bet?”

As if expecting the answer, Song Doyoon lightly patted Roy’s shoulder. Roy let out a heavy sigh.

Though he didn’t show it, the spirits were drawing on his magic, making his body feel heavy.

The only saving grace was that the more he focused on dancing, the warmer his body got, bringing some color back to his face.

“Should we start with double speed first?”

Han Jihoo seemed interested in the bet as well and began fiddling with the sound equipment.

“Everyone, take your positions.”

The first person to stand center when the song started was Roy.

‘Honestly, isn’t Roy hyung the most center-worthy among us? His singing and dancing skills have improved so much, and he has the face that should be center.’

When they divided the parts and planned the choreography, Han Jihoo had brought up the point.

But Roy thought he had already been extremely lucky just to debut, so he didn’t care about the parts.

Fans’ buffering abilities crucial for growth were given to the entire team, not individuals.

To reduce conflict, they avoided giving extra buffer effects to individual members, even if fans had their favorites.

From that perspective, Roy didn’t need to be greedy about parts.

‘I think Doha would fit the center position well too.’

In terms of looks, Doha and some others were more traditionally handsome than Roy.

But—

‘It feels like hyung needs to be our center. We’re all so unique, and hyung brings us together harmoniously.’

His opinion was inevitably dismissed.

When Han Jihoo explained what he felt but couldn’t put into a single word, ‘I thought so too!’

Song Doyoon and the other members agreed enthusiastically.

In the end, Roy couldn’t tell them not to put him in the center.