You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

Chapter 83

Lee Pyeong-hwa, suddenly taken aback by the serious atmosphere, alternated glances between the two of us.

"Why, why is this happening? Is it because there’s no one around?"

Even if I wanted to explain, I didn't know how to do so.

Han Jae-young's face turned serious.

"If this is the case, we’ve been stranded in a random dimension... the premise is collapsing. Even if the accident was intentional, how exactly did they move us to this dimension?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that...?"

"And if it was a fixed dimension we were moved to, there must have been a purpose, but the purpose is unclear."

As I listened to Han Jae-young's words, I gazed at the village scene.

It was a nightmare-like landscape.

In the Yeongjong Island dungeon from earlier, I saw a scene similar to my past life.

At that time, I thought it was a landscape deliberately created by my past life’s sibling to torment me.

—Welcome home, my little sister.

...However, it seemed that the malice in that letter was far deeper than I imagined.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and then opened them again.

"You seem to have some idea, Jeong Da-on."@@@@

And Han Jae-young, annoyingly quick to pick up on things.

I only showed a slight sign of disturbance, yet he was quick to seize the opportunity.

"No, I was just lost in thought. Wondering if there's another strange person around, like last time."

"Definitely, that is a concern..."

After eyeing me suspiciously for a moment, Han Jae-young noticed Lee Pyeong-hwa’s confused expression and clicked his tongue softly.

"Just in case, let’s search the area a bit more. We won't be able to progress any further today."

"Alright."

I revived the experience from last time and searched the old well and other corners, but there was no real gain.

‘If Leo were here, the search would be easier.’

Since our souls are fundamentally the same, even though the dimension is different, summoning him wouldn't be a problem. But considering Jeong Da-jeong’s safety, I can’t call him recklessly.

Reluctantly, I had no choice but to do it myself.

As I searched the village, the day quickly drew to a close.

The village, which had long been abandoned, looked even more ominous as the red sunset light fell over it.

Lee Pyeong-hwa, looking slightly frightened, asked,

"It seems like people lived here... but where did they all go? Did some epidemic spread and they left or...?"

"We have the purification stone, so that’s fine. It may look a little gruesome, but it’s better to rest in a place with at least a roof. Let’s rest here today."

Despite Han Jae-young having brought a tent, it couldn’t block all the cold winds, and sleeping in it would easily drain our stamina.

Almost all the houses were in a state of ruin, but there were a few with intact frames.

We picked the most intact house and unpacked inside.

Although we unpacked, it was just the cumbersome military gear.

It’s strange, but being stranded in military uniforms was actually a blessing.

The military uniforms given to special ability users are particularly sturdy and made with camouflage, optimized for exploring such dimensions.

We finished a simple meal with preserved food.

It was convenient as there was no need to heat it, but the taste was really awful. It filled us up but didn’t satisfy us.

"Tomorrow, we’ll have to catch some birds."

"It might be better not to waste energy on that. Do you know how to cook? Without salt or pepper, catching something won’t do much..."

After finishing the tasteless meal and chatting idly with Han Jae-young, it happened.

Rustling!

A tension ran through our bodies.

The three of us stared at each other.

That sound wasn’t made by any of us here.

It wasn’t a sound a bird we had seen so far would make, either.

It was clearly the sound of cloth rubbing together, as if someone was moving.

Han Jae-young mouthed the question.

'It was outside the house, right?'

I nodded and gestured for Lee Pyeong-hwa to step back.

The sound clearly came from somewhere in the village, not from inside the house.

Whoosh!

Han Jae-young’s arm was suddenly surrounded by magic.

He crouched down and peeked out through the slightly opened door.

"...Huh?"

But then, Han Jae-young uttered an astonished sound.

And I, who had been looking out the window, was also taken aback.

The scene felt extremely surreal.

A red sunset light cast over a village that had crumbled with time, abandoned and forgotten.

And through the village, a man was walking in.

His hair, appearing red due to the sunset, was originally white.

"Yoo Han-ul?"

At the sound of my voice, the man reacted as expected.

Recognizing us, Yoo Han-ul opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

"...Da-on?"

And in that moment...

The system recognizes ‘Dimension Stranded’ as a condition.The system has recognized the user, ‘Jeong Da-on’.The system is preparing a guide for the user.

The system recognized me.

"Wow."

It seemed like Han Jae-young saw the system message too, and let out a relieved sigh.

"I have no idea what’s going on, but at least we’re out of the stranded state, so that’s a relief."

"Thank goodness!"

Lee Pyeong-hwa looked like she was about to cry.

After all, not only had there been an accident in the military, but now it was a dimension stranding.

The system welcomes the user, ‘Jeong Da-on’.The system activates the quest, ‘You’ll be blessed if you do good deeds’.The system is collecting information on the unidentified dimension.The system has successfully detected the ‘Soul Core’.

I just needed an excuse to check his full power.

Yoo Han-ul was definitely the most reliable asset in the current situation.

"So, why did you go to New York?"

"Well, it’s confidential."

Lee Pyeong-hwa raised her hand awkwardly with an uncomfortable expression.

"Should I leave?"

"Acting alone in this situation is dangerous... There’s no choice. The relevant parties are here, after all."

Yoo Han-ul wrinkled his nose as he spoke.

"I requested an investigation into the leak of the ‘Smoke’ item from the World Hunter Association."

This referred to the item that had caused trouble during the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break, which disabled the magic circuits of all Hunters here.

I remembered it was invented in the United States.

"If that item keeps circulating, it’s a problem for all Hunters, not just me. It’s too easily disabling."

"Huh, that’s bold."

Han Jae-young seemed impressed.

"So, did you throw the documents in front of the Association Chairman?"

At the follow-up question, Yoo Han-ul shook his head.

"Of course not. Estella wouldn’t tolerate such an attack."

Estella.

That name, frequently mentioned on the news, I knew very well.

The head of the World Hunter Association.

And once regarded as the strongest Hunter.

An S-rank Hunter from the United States, about sixty years old.

Her achievements were so numerous it was almost tiresome to list them.

So much so that there was often debate online about who would win if Estella and Yoo Han-ul faced off.

Koreans, considering Estella’s age of sixty, often said Yoo Han-ul would win, but that wasn’t true.

The strength of Hunters is not necessarily proportional to their physical age.

Even now, if she didn’t have the strength, she wouldn’t be the head of the Hunter Association.

Hunters, in the end, are as strong as their own egos, and Estella was no exception.

"However, I did protest, asking if she made the item, she should take responsibility."

"So what did she say?"

"She said she would investigate where it leaked from and send the results."

"She sure knows how to talk."

Han Jae-young scoffed.

"Even so, if it was someone inside the Association, it’s clear they’ll cover it up."

"I think so too. But action must be taken, or else nothing will change."

I didn’t know Estella well, but it was clear Han Jae-young was suspicious of her, and even Yoo Han-ul didn’t seem entirely comfortable with her.

‘I would like to meet her in person at least once.’

I had an ability to pierce through someone's soul.

If the other person had been reincarnated, I was confident I would recognize them in person.

If there was an ‘enemy of mankind’ in one of these two organizations—the Central Administrative Office or the Hunter Association—then Estella, the association's chairperson, would definitely be a suspect.

"So, that still doesn’t explain why Yoo Han-ul is tackling a dungeon in New York?"

"...There’s not a huge reason. I was getting a bit of side-eye staying in the Association, so I figured while I was here, I’d train my body and clear an uncaptured dungeon. That’s all."

He said that, but probably came here because of the information the system had given about the Soul Core.

Han Jae-young, unaware of that fact, clicked his tongue.

"I can’t believe it, being so nice. What good are you doing in another country?"

"It’s not as simple as that... Wait."

Yoo Han-ul suddenly stopped talking.

Rustling!

And in the brief silence, another sound came.

It was the same sound we had heard before encountering Yoo Han-ul.

‘Wasn’t that sound made by Yoo Han-ul?’

The timing was so perfect, it made sense that we thought the sound had come from him.

But no.

Swoosh!

Yoo Han-ul silently drew his sword.

Then...

Puff!

The sound of light, quick footsteps echoed.

"Stop right there!"

Behind the crumbling house.

Someone was running away after seeing Yoo Han-ul's drawn sword.

The sound alone suggested they were quite agile, but...

I reached out.

Crack!

Crash!

"You’re being too violent!"

"It’s better than letting them escape."

If they ran into the alley, it would be troublesome.

So I chose to demolish the house where the unknown person was hiding.

The already crumbling house was blown away with just a weak spell.

Then, as the wall flew away, standing before the sword-wielding Yoo Han-ul was...

"...A child?"

Behind the wall, crouching down, was a little child dressed in rags.