Chapter 70: Chapter 69

Mission accomplished.

After waking up one by one using similar methods, the From Hell Guild members concentrated for several hours and finally achieved the mission.

Your level has increased.

S-class dungeon conquest successful.

Individual rewards will be distributed according to contribution.

Group rewards will be distributed based on mission completion time.

They were able to open the exit leading directly outside the dungeon.

From Hell Guild successfully conquers S-class special dungeon!

From Hell Guild obtains over 17 tons of monster corpses from this conquest

‘What’s the main reward?’ A matter of utmost interest

The secret to the fastest domestic conquest time: Pre-prepared enchantments?

From Hell Production Research Lab discovers clues to predicting dungeon types

Dr. Han Gang-seok: “Ryu Seo-ha shows genius potential in research as well”

As expected, the spotlight of all media focused on them.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go see my sister first.”

However, Ryu Seo-ha indicated that he would not conduct a post-conquest interview. It meant turning his back on a golden opportunity to boost From Hell Guild’s stock price.

“Gasp, if you skip this one too…”

“Secretary Jang. Secure a detour.”

“Yes!”

Secretary Jang, who was about to try persuading him by saying rumors of discord might spread, quickly turned at Choi Gang-hu’s order and found a way to leave the scene avoiding reporters.

Perhaps he was being considerate of Seo-ha, who unexpectedly had his past life memories exposed and felt naked. Choi Gang-hu, who silently provided transportation, didn’t follow right away.

A-class hunter deployed with From Hell was a spy from an outside guild? From Hell Guild in uproar

Guild Master Choi Gang-hu: “Regrettable politicization of guild ecosystem”

Suspicious glances toward powerful guilds… Why?

There might still be a press conference where he needed to fan the flames at the right time. He seemed to be trying to secure a favorable justification for future power struggles through this opportunity.

Choi Gang-hu didn’t target any specific guild. Nevertheless, the unidentified person who interfered with the conquest became a spy from a powerful guild overnight.

Modern-day succession war intensifying?

Guild Master Choi Junwan: “Spy? Groundless slander”

Brothers’ feud ignites, why financial and political circles focus on Gangseong Group’s management dispute

Given the interesting topic, public interest was immense. So much so that related articles poured out even while he was heading home in the car driven by Secretary Jang.

“Pyuut!”

As soon as they arrived home, the red bird that had been warming itself over a scented candle shot out like a bullet to welcome him. Park Je-hyun, who had been silently guarding behind, quickly blocked its path.

The baby bird that bumped its head against the outstretched shield irritably flapped its colorful wings. But it didn’t show aggression like before.

“…Did you protect my sister well?”

“Piyu!”

Though slightly flustered by the intense welcome, he couldn’t push it away immediately like Park Je-hyun. After all, it had guarded his sister.

His already complex feelings became even more jumbled. He felt quite pathetic for trying to ignore the innocent red bird.

“Good bird.”

He awkwardly reached out to pat the small bird’s head as he moved into the living room.

“Oh, what? You came back quickly?”

Ryu Jeong-ah, half-lying on a comfortable recliner, casually welcomed him. Her attitude was as if greeting a family member returning from school, not an S-class dungeon.

“When did you sneak out? Whew, you’re quite skilled.”

On the hologram TV filling one wall of the living room, an A-class hunter from From Hell Guild was giving a live briefing. He could clearly picture his sister watching the screen intently, searching for him.

“More importantly, Seo-ha, this place is really heaven, heaven!”

As if she had never felt anxious, Ryu Jeong-ah smiled naturally while crunching on snacks from a freshly opened bag.

“Better than the hotel?”

“How can you even compare? This is paradise!”

Her praising ramble about how the house had all conveniences so there was no need to step outside, and how the meals were better than high-end buffets, brought a smile to his face.

“Oh, but did you fight with the guild master?”

“…Huh?”

As he opened his eyes wide at the sudden change of topic, Ryu Jeong-ah tilted her head while brushing crumbs from around her mouth.

“Even if you fought, he wouldn’t leave you alone.”

“Alone?”

Hearing her words, he glanced behind at Park Je-hyun as if checking his reaction.

“Ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to treat you like you’re invisible…!”

Realizing a beat late that her words could be rude, Ryu Jeong-ah waved her hands and explained.

“Please don’t mind me, both of you.”

Park Je-hyun gave a blunt answer, standing with his hands behind his back.@@novelbin@@

“No, what I meant was, I naturally thought he’d appear right beside you.”

Her muttering while scratching her head was puzzling. As far as he could tell, the security level was no different from usual. As always, the security team led by Lust would have followed using stealth skills.

“He’s already overprotective by nature, and you just came out of a dangerous place.”

While rationally thinking that way, a sudden sense of unease crept over him. Perhaps not asking about the scenes from inside the dungeon was a signal of rejection. Maybe he felt betrayed for hiding information about the past life.

When he confessed, Choi Gang-hu had said it was okay to talk about anything slowly, but the feeling of deceiving his lover weighed heavily on his chest. Perhaps it was because there was one more big secret left – the terminal illness.

“Even at the hotel, there was a dedicated team constantly contacting to check your schedule… Oops.”

“Dedicated team?”

Just as he was thinking he should visit the guild headquarters to receive the dungeon conquest reward redistribution, if only to quickly spill the inside story. Ryu Jeong-ah’s words, spoken as if grumbling, caught his ear.

“Ah, well…”

She covered her mouth with a troubled expression, but her eyes meeting his were shining meaningfully. It was clearly an intentional slip of the tongue. It was the reaction she often showed when she had something she really wanted to say but was conscious of those around her.

“Oh well, never mind. As an N-year veteran BL reader, this sister will give you one piece of advice!”

“…What’s BL?”

“You don’t need to know that. Just know that I’m surprisingly well-versed in this kind of thing, okay?”

He didn’t ask again and quietly sat down across from Ryu Jeong-ah. When his older sister acted like this, listening quietly was the fastest way to sort out the situation.

“I’m sorry, but could you cover your ears?”

Ryu Jeong-ah suddenly demanded, turning to look at Park Je-hyun standing like a totem pole behind the sofa.

“That’s not possible. To perform my guarding duties, my eyes and ears…”

“Ah, you’re so strict. Then just filter your report appropriately. Okay?”

Park Je-hyun’s gaze touched on him briefly before quickly moving away. Though his expression didn’t change at all, it seemed like a gaze processing that showed he was flustered.

He didn’t seem to realize that Ryu Seo-ha himself was almost certain that all the guards reported his every move in detail.

“That’s not possible.”

“Argh! Never mind! Then do whatever you want.”

“Sis, what are you trying to say…”

“Okay, repeat after me. No, I don’t want to, why are you doing this, let me go, it hurts, stop it.”

“What?”

As he opened his eyes wide as if woken by someone knocking, Ryu Jeong-ah grinned.

“I really like characters like our guild master, you know? Chaebol, handsome, straightforward. Whew!”

“…What?”

“Pretending to be endlessly sweet in front and secretly stalking behind, even the desire for control is right up my alley.”

Ryu Seo-ha furrowed his brow at the parade of incomprehensible words. The more he listened, the harder it became to grasp what she was trying to say. It was because she was randomly attaching the same syllable to social position, innate appearance, attitude, and personality.

“The problem is that we live in reality, not in novels.”

Ryu Jeong-ah’s voice, which had been bouncing excitedly, suddenly became subdued. Like a face-changing artist who switches masks in an extremely short time, her expression had also instantly become serious.

“The obsessive type is attractive in novels, but in reality, it’s a character you should run away from immediately.”

“Are you saying Choi Gang-hu is that kind of person?”

Although he had some quirks, he didn’t seem to show pathological obsession. The surveillance was due to special circumstances. Thinking this to himself, he tilted his head.

“I happened to see it, your security guards were recording daily.”

“Recording?”

He saw Park Je-hyun, who had been standing still like a statue, flinch.

“From the types and amounts of nutrients per gram in the food you ate, to the number of steps per hour, how many times you smiled at whom, who you contacted and which body parts and how much.”

This was another fact he was learning for the first time.

“It was written down to the second when you woke up and when you lay down, and even the number of times and exact times you went to the bathroom.”

He had guessed they would report his daily routine in detail, but not this specifically. It was a bit shocking. He didn’t understand the point of collecting such useless information. Wasn’t it an excessive waste of energy?

“Seeing that they had transcripts of conversations, it seems they’re secretly recording all day long, and maybe even video…”

“…It’s not a secret.”

“Huh?”

“I agreed to it. Choi Gang-hu is protecting me with all his might.”

“Tsk. Look at you, it’s severe. What does recording urine volume have to do with protection?”

Her voice, questioning with a click of the tongue, was full of incredulity. Urine volume records? Unable to find words to defend that far, he closed his mouth, and Ryu Jeong-ah let out a deep sigh.

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