Chapter 41: Chapter 40

The peace that came after the troublemaker disappeared was sweet. The foreign land he stepped on for the first time in both his previous and current life was full of wonders.

Strictly speaking, his first overseas visit was to China, but he couldn’t even think about sightseeing there due to various incidents.

The thin, elongated hull of the black-painted gondola quietly cut through the water. The unique scenery he had never seen before delighted his eyes.

To think that rivers flowed between ordinary buildings where civilians lived. His mood began to rise again.

“That is the famous Bridge of Sighs,” said the gondolier, the boatman standing at the bow and rowing, as the gondola slowly navigated through narrow and complex water alleys.

“It’s the bridge connecting the courtroom of the Doge’s Palace on the left and the Venice prison on the right. It’s named so because convicts would sigh as they crossed it after receiving guilty verdicts.”

The explanation was as detailed as that of a local tour guide. Judging by his polite attitude tinged with slight nervousness, he might have received a large tip before the ride.

“The infamous womanizer Casanova also crossed this bridge but succeeded in escaping.”

Ryu Seo-ha tilted his head to look up at the arch-shaped stone structure that looked more like a unique sculpture than a bridge. As his body swayed, losing balance, Choi Gang-hu, sitting across from him, gently pressed his palm on Ryu Seo-ha’s knee.

“Let’s come back here around sunset.”

“Huh? Why?”

He asked back, tilting his head at the sudden remark, but Choi Gang-hu just grinned.

“There’s also a famous legend that if you kiss under that bridge at sunset, you’ll enjoy eternal love.”

The gondolier, who didn’t understand the conversation in Korean between the two, immediately solved the mystery.

“…Surely not because of such a superstition?”

“If you truly want something, you should try anything possible.”

As he glanced at him slightly, as if reproaching the brazen answer, Choi Gang-hu chuckled, clearly amused by something. Perhaps he too was intoxicated by the exotic scenery like Ryu Seo-ha.

The gondola tour ended just as they were getting used to the unfamiliar fishy smell. The two, after disembarking at the pier, went straight to the gelato shop they had regretfully left earlier.

After much deliberation, they came out with the most elaborate cone and four flavors generously scooped. Perhaps because of the belief that they could enjoy it unlimitedly if desired, the joy from the selection process was exceptional.

With Italian natural ice cream in hand, the two leisurely strolled through unfamiliar alleys. Freely, without a set destination or time plan. The excitement, far from subsiding, only continued to swell.

“How does it taste?”

The gelato, which he was tasting for the first time, hit the spot for him. Especially impressive was the texture, which was soft yet much chewier than other commonly available ice creams.

“Would you like to try?”

Instead of evaluating the taste, he tilted the cone slightly as if offering it to Choi Gang-hu. Without hesitation, Choi Gang-hu took a bite of the lemon-flavored gelato and slightly raised one eyebrow.

“The flavor I chose is better.”

“Ah…”

“Would you like to try?”

“Yes.”

After answering without hesitation, he lowered his head and brought his lips to the gelato in Choi Gang-hu’s hand. The half-melted sensation wet the tip of his tongue.

Strangely, only his gelato seemed to have melted faster. Although milder than Korea, it was still clearly cold winter weather here.

Nevertheless, the yogurt-flavored gelato offered a different gustatory pleasure from the tangy lemon flavor. A smile naturally flowed out.

“It’s delicious.”

As he was taking out his handkerchief to wipe off the white liquid slightly smeared on the tip of his nose, Choi Gang-hu’s face suddenly enlarged. Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit.

This was because a moist and soft tongue licked up the ice cream on the tip of his small nose. He couldn’t avoid it as the hand gently gripping his chin pulled his face forward.

“Indeed, the flavor I chose is the best.”

Choi Gang-hu, smiling slyly, wiped the nose tip with his handkerchief, now smeared with his saliva instead of ice cream. With a satisfied expression like a beast that had marked its territory.

Ryu Seo-ha pulled out the signature cookie stuck in the gelato. And shoved it into that annoying mouth that wouldn’t stop smiling. The face changing to a surprised expression at the unexpected response was satisfying.

Usually, he would have immediately turned serious. The question arose again whether everyone becomes this relaxed when traveling abroad. Is it the magic bestowed by a place where no one recognizes you?

“Wow.”

Among the various tourist spots they visited after informing Kwon Se-jeong of their absence from the party, the most impressive place was St. Mark’s Square. It might have been due to the timing of the visit.

The sunset dyeing the tall, beautiful bell tower in gradients evoked a fantastic appreciation. Classical music being performed live from the outdoor terrace of a restaurant captivated the ears.

Golden lighting resembling the sunset brightly illuminated everywhere like a group of lights at a lantern festival, on both the magnificent cathedral built mixing Byzantine and Gothic styles and the numerous buildings surrounding the square.

“It would be nice to have dinner here.”

“I’ll rent it right away.”

“No, let’s just eat normally.”

A restaurant located in a building showing traces of time. The meal enjoyed with the brilliant night view, among people of various skin colors laughing and chattering, was excellent. It was a perfect evening in every way.

❖ ❖ ❖

‘Ah, I don’t want to go to work…’

The aftermath of enjoying a holiday for the first time in his life was considerable. He could finally understand why many office workers live with chronic Monday blues.

Status: Remaining lifespan 17 days 11 hours 6 minutes

Only after seeing the remaining lifespan displayed on his status window did Ryu Seo-ha struggle to pull himself together from his endlessly stretching mood. With a time bomb running towards D-day, what choice did he have but to keep moving without rest?

The accommodation assigned to the Korean hunter delegation participating in the IHL had an attached training ground made of dungeon-sourced materials. In one corner, there was also a dedicated booth where medical staff could be on standby at all times. This was because injuries were frequent due to the intense sparring involving various abilities. There was also a need to provide timely buffs to help with final training.

“Ugh. My stomach hurts.”

10 minutes before the scheduled group training time. One of the medical staff who had gathered early was seen with a sickly expression and a yellow face.

“That’s what you get for drinking so much.”

It seemed to be due to excessive drinking at yesterday’s party. Although hangovers can be cured with healing-type skills, most skills come with the limitation of a reuse cooldown time.

Even as skill levels increase and cooldowns decrease, it was common for cooldowns to take several hours. Ryu Seo-ha, whose cooldown was only 10 minutes from level 1, was an exceptional case.

“I thought I could wake up early, heal myself, and come out…”

The delegation’s training was about to begin soon. In line with their duty, they needed to save their skills to heal potential injuries that could occur at any time. So they had no choice but to be in a situation where they couldn’t heal themselves.

“If it’s okay, would you like me to take a look?”

Feeling sorry for the healer hunched over clutching their sore stomach, he cautiously offered. His characteristic [Sanctification] allowed him to cast healing indefinitely without cooldown as long as his mana supported it.

“Really? That would be so helpful, thank you.”

He thought they might refuse out of pride or feel burdened, but surprisingly, the healer brightened visibly. To level up and increase proficiency, Ryu Seo-ha used his skill first.

Skill ‘Healing Light’ is activated.

The healer’s sickly complexion quickly returned to normal.

“Ah, finally I can live. Thank you! I’m completely fine in one go.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“Are you perhaps an angel? Indeed, prejudice is bad. To be honest, I thought you’d be super arrogant.”

“Me too. To think you’d be this kind.”@@novelbin@@

This incident noticeably diluted the somewhat awkward atmosphere between Ryu Seo-ha and the medical staff. The invisible distance that had formed due to using separate flights, accommodations, and even not attending yesterday’s party was also greatly reduced.

“Oh right, this morning Hunter Jung Woo-bin came to the medical staff’s quarters looking for Hunter Ryu Seo-ha…”

“Hey, hey.”

A colleague quickly stopped the healer who had received treatment from him from speaking. The healer hurriedly closed their mouth at the action of their colleague poking their side and giving them a look.

“Haha, maybe the alcohol hasn’t worn off yet… I spoke nonsense.”

Even without knowing the details, it was quite predictable that a Chinatown survivor and the spatial hunter who had made that place a sealed zone would find it difficult to get along well.

“You can speak comfortably.”

As he shook his head with a faint smile, the healer who had been watching carefully let out a sigh of relief.

“He kept glancing at our side during yesterday’s party too. Whew, it made me so nervous I ended up drinking more. Thinking about it now, it seems he was waiting for Hunter Ryu Seo-ha.”

Jung Woo-bin’s industry reputation didn’t seem very good. Though how many in the same industry would be comfortable with an S-rank hunter who could be called a walking human weapon.

“Considering he’s been under the government’s thumb since high school, it’s a bit pitiful, but his personality is too overbearing…”

“Hey, stop it. Don’t you know S-ranks have sharp ears?”

“So what? That wall is made of dungeon material, so the soundproofing is amazing.”

The healer, who seemed to be naturally talkative, was starting to feel annoying as they continued despite their colleague’s dissuasion. As he was considering what excuse to use to leave, Kwon Se-jeong came into the booth.

“Hunter Ryu Seo-ha. Could you spare a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

He quickly followed as if he had been waiting for this. In the individual training room they entered, Choi Gang-hu was already there. The two exchanged silent glances and shook their heads as if they didn’t know the reason either.

Two pairs of eyes turned to the person who had arranged this meeting. After checking for any presence outside and firmly closing the door, Kwon Se-jeong swallowed dryly and, after some hesitation, opened her lips.

“Director Hwang Munseok is suspicious.”

With a very serious expression.