Editor: Stomatopoda, Kris
Kim Sang-hu picked up the chopsticks as the green wasabi was put into the soy sauce.
It was meant to be dissolved in soy sauce and the food remaining on the chopsticks eaten .
“It’s been a long time since I had raw fish.”
He swallowed his saliva, carefully dipping a piece of raw fish into the soy sauce, and put it in his mouth.
At first, it was salty and sweet.
Then came the surging taste of wasabi that erupted into one’s mouth.
Next was the texture, which was the tasty part of the white fish. He enjoyed the texture of chewy fish flesh.
Following the texture, one had to slowly savor the fish by chewing slowly. It tasted so light.
Savouring it was also a pleasure to the taste buds .
Kim Sang-hu, who enjoyed the clean, very light, and subtle fresh taste, smiled brightly. Bite it, swallow it. When the chewy sashimi passes over your throat, the taste remains and the aftertaste is sublime.
Then he filled a glass with soju, and chugged it.
The taste of soju collected with the taste mixed in your mouth and passed over to the throat. His mouth was refreshed again.
He was thinking of eating belly fat this time.
The belly fat is like a plain white fish fillet.
Chew the fat, savor the belly a little longer. The more you chew, the more savory and rich the taste becomes, and I desired to eat no other dish in the world.
If you chew for a long time, swallow it and take a sip of soju again.
Having eaten one piece, Kim Sang-hu looked at the remaining belly fat. There were about five portions left. Watching how much soju is left, he eats the sashimi carefully.
Seeing Kim Sang-hu enjoying the sashimi so much, Cheol-ho also felt good.
It’s always nice to have a customer who eats with enthusiasm.
At one point when soju bottles increased by one or two bottles. Kim Sang-hu raised his head.
“Oh, it’s been a week.”
Kim Sang-hu muttered lowly.
“Is that so”
He grinned at Cheol-ho’s words.
Yes, the urgent matter has been settled, so I took about two days off. It’s my first vacation in two years. It’s probably already been half a day.”
Haha, he laughed and drank another drink as if celebrating his long vacation.
Suddenly, his eyes turned to his spear, leaning against the chair. Cheol-ho also glanced at the spear. It wasn’t a rare weapon, but it was a pretty good one.
“That’s a great weapon.”
“When I graduated from Cypher School, I received a personal weapon given to awakeners at level 2 or higher. Adamantium ores are used to make this weapon, because they are good at absorbing mana. ”
“Oh-ho.”
Kim Sang-hu continued, looking at the spear with eyes soaked in memories.
“Cypher school…” I miss those times somehow. I was proud of myself until I first got a second class awakening and graduated with honors from Cypher School. Now I can save the world with my powers! With one spear! There was nothing left to be afraid of in the world.”
He burst into a bitter laugh.
“But when I came out into the world, that pride came and disappeared. Should I say that there is a heaven in the sky? It didn’t take much longer than I thought to realize that I was nothing on this vast land. It’s already been 10 years since I was assigned to Seodaemun.
Kim Sang-hu leaned back against the chair as far as he could. The sound of his stiffened waist was heard.
“Ah- this is hard.”
Cheol-ho understood what he was saying.
There was a time when he thought he was something.
When he lived with confidence, believing that he was the greatest in the world, and that he would be able to do everything.
There was definitely a day when a person would realize that you are less than you think. Not just for awakeners, but for anyone in any field.
On such a day, it was best to have a glass of soju with a bitter smile.
“But you’re the guardian of the West Gate, aren’t you? I mean the guardian with five people in Korea. It’s great enough.”
“……is that so?”
Kim Sang-hu stared blankly into the air.
“Many people’s lives, hopes, and futures are at stake on my back. So…”
Kim Sang-hu breathed a long sigh.
“Sometimes i get overwhelmed because of the responsibilities.”
Still so young.
In the age of the innate, the exceptionally gifted bore the tasks of the ungifted. It may have been a little difficult for his young friend to endure.
Cheol-ho just kept quiet, listening.
“By the way, how old are you, sir?”
“Oh, I’m thirty.”
He was almost 60 years old, but he didn’t have to say anything.
“Oh.”
Kim Sang-hu opened his eyes widely.
“You’re the same age as me.”
“Is that so.”
“Somehow I felt like I was talking to my father, ah. I don’t mean anything bad. “
Kim Sang-hu grinned. He chugged down a glass of soju.
“Killing monsters everyday is a pain.”
“Yes.”
“I’m tired of fighting every day. Actually, I am psychologically exhausted. Monsters endlessly cross the dimension, and there’s no time to rest.”
Sigh.
-kugugung!
Suddenly, looking out the window, a dark cloud came over.
Not long after , it started to rain.
Kim Sang-hu ordered another bottle of soju. Cheol-ho decided to ask a question while giving out the new bottle,
“Was there a monster that impressed you?”
“Oh, there was one of course.”
Kim Sang-hu was lost in thought with his chin rested on the table. Before he had started eating the ramen, he was thinking about something.
After emptying the soju glass for a while, he opened his mouth.
“Do you know about the Nine-Tailed fox?”
A nine-tailed fox.
Nine-Tailed fox, of course he knew about them.
He had caught a few before.
Unlike monsters that have been led by the devil and invaded the continent, monsters in the East, such as the Nine tailed fox, were very intelligent. So it used to be called a spiritual monster.
The present Earth seems to be connected to the Esfan continent, so it was not so strange for monsters to appear in the East.
‘Hmm.’
Cheolho thought for a moment.
“They’re all monsters, aren’t they?’
In doubt, he listened to the man across from him .
“Those like Nine-Tailed foxes are usually called spiritual monsters. Meaning that they are incredibly intelligent monsters “
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
He continued to speak again, as if he was excited by the addition of Cheol-ho.
“Right? There are many different types, not just the nine-tailed foxes, but they’re usually labeled ‘out of grade ‘ when you see one, don’t touch it, just leave them alone.”
“Hmm?”
“They’re classified as objects, I don’t know why, but they don’t antagonize humans. I mean, they don’t attack first. We haven’t had a history of pre-emptive strikes for the last 30 years. And–“
Kim Sang-hu muttered, rubbing his temple.
“Silently, they live in a place that has a low population. In a place no one knows, in a realm of their own. So it’s not easy to find them. But that day, someone touched him first.”
Kim Sang-hu’s eyes sank. It showed deep fatigue.
“If you think about it… …it rained that day, too.”
* * *
-Tatatatak!
“Is he sick?! What bastard touched the sleeping Nine-Tailed Fox?”
Kim Sang-hu ran and spat out foul language. The team member who was following shouted.
“Gentleman!”
Park Jung-woo was a second-class awakening man who protected Seocho.
Wearing a black suit every day, he was a freak who called himself “Mr. K” instead of a Korean name.
“Why on earth did you touch it!”
“We’re on our way to find out!”
The racing men, joined by Tim Jenkak, were out to catch the nine-tailed fox who started running around Seocho.
It would have been nice if first-class awakeners could be called out, but unfortunately they were on a mission under the special orders from the higher ranks .
Kim Sang-hu, who had gone on vacation for a number of days, led the team and moved on.
There was a tremendous downpour.
It rained with the momentum and volume to cause flooding all over the world.
Beyond the rain, there were nine red lights.
Fortunately, this was an abandoned area without authorization.’
That was the only good thing. That monster had to be stopped here.
Oh!
There were also five eagles floating in the sky. ‘Gentleman’ was the only one who played with such an eagle.
“Hey, you son of a bitch!”
Kim Sang-hu spat out abusive language instead of greetings. In front of him, a man in a black suit greeted him with a sour face.
“ Shit.”
“Leader!”
“Get in line! It’s a non-graded Nine-Tailed fox!”
Jenkak’s team gathered together, ready to attack.
In the midst of the heavy rain, nine fireworks danced eloquently. And in the middle of it, a giant fox statue appeared.
-Hehehehehehe-!
The fox smiled quaintly.
He was as big as a house. Disturbing sounds came up all over the place and echoed.
There was a storm , so strong that it poured all over the world.
“Don’t face the fire of the tails ! Now you, come with me!”
Kim Sang-hu ran.
“Come on, boss, you’re leading the way!”
The raid began.
The nine tailed foxes moved skillfully, and their tails were strong. The world covered with falling rain burnt heavily with flames, and the whole earth opened its doors.
That’s how the fighting continued all night.
When finally , Kim Sang-hu’s spear penetrated the neck of the Nine tailed fox, he heard a shriek.
-Crying
In the arms of Nine tailed fox, there was a fox with only one forearm. It was a baby that seemed to have been born recently. A very young baby, who hadn’t even opened his eyes.
The baby fox had a long scar on his body.
It was a wound created by the eagle’s claws.
‘A baby…’
Kim Sang-hu, who removed his spear from the neck of the Nine-Tailed fox, looked down at the baby fox.
* * *
“What…?”
Kim Sang-hu shook his head as he finished speaking.
“It had a baby.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I killed it.”
He who said that was laughing bitterly at the words. And he secured his drink in his mouth, he said,
“I couldn’t help it.”
Editor: Stomatopoda, Kris
Kim Sang-hu picked up the chopsticks as the green wasabi was put into the soy sauce.
It was meant to be dissolved in soy sauce and the food remaining on the chopsticks eaten .
“It’s been a long time since I had raw fish.”
He swallowed his saliva, carefully dipping a piece of raw fish into the soy sauce, and put it in his mouth.
At first, it was salty and sweet.
Then came the surging taste of wasabi that erupted into one’s mouth.
Next was the texture, which was the tasty part of the white fish. He enjoyed the texture of chewy fish flesh.
Following the texture, one had to slowly savor the fish by chewing slowly. It tasted so light.
Savouring it was also a pleasure to the taste buds .
Kim Sang-hu, who enjoyed the clean, very light, and subtle fresh taste, smiled brightly. Bite it, swallow it. When the chewy sashimi passes over your throat, the taste remains and the aftertaste is sublime.
Then he filled a glass with soju, and chugged it.
The taste of soju collected with the taste mixed in your mouth and passed over to the throat. His mouth was refreshed again.
He was thinking of eating belly fat this time.
The belly fat is like a plain white fish fillet.
Chew the fat, savor the belly a little longer. The more you chew, the more savory and rich the taste becomes, and I desired to eat no other dish in the world.
If you chew for a long time, swallow it and take a sip of soju again.
Having eaten one piece, Kim Sang-hu looked at the remaining belly fat. There were about five portions left. Watching how much soju is left, he eats the sashimi carefully.
Seeing Kim Sang-hu enjoying the sashimi so much, Cheol-ho also felt good.
It’s always nice to have a customer who eats with enthusiasm.
At one point when soju bottles increased by one or two bottles. Kim Sang-hu raised his head.
“Oh, it’s been a week.”
Kim Sang-hu muttered lowly.
“Is that so”
He grinned at Cheol-ho’s words.
Yes, the urgent matter has been settled, so I took about two days off. It’s my first vacation in two years. It’s probably already been half a day.”
Haha, he laughed and drank another drink as if celebrating his long vacation.
Suddenly, his eyes turned to his spear, leaning against the chair. Cheol-ho also glanced at the spear. It wasn’t a rare weapon, but it was a pretty good one.
“That’s a great weapon.”
“When I graduated from Cypher School, I received a personal weapon given to awakeners at level 2 or higher. Adamantium ores are used to make this weapon, because they are good at absorbing mana. ”
“Oh-ho.”
Kim Sang-hu continued, looking at the spear with eyes soaked in memories.
“Cypher school…” I miss those times somehow. I was proud of myself until I first got a second class awakening and graduated with honors from Cypher School. Now I can save the world with my powers! With one spear! There was nothing left to be afraid of in the world.”
He burst into a bitter laugh.
“But when I came out into the world, that pride came and disappeared. Should I say that there is a heaven in the sky? It didn’t take much longer than I thought to realize that I was nothing on this vast land. It’s already been 10 years since I was assigned to Seodaemun.
Kim Sang-hu leaned back against the chair as far as he could. The sound of his stiffened waist was heard.
“Ah- this is hard.”
Cheol-ho understood what he was saying.
There was a time when he thought he was something.
When he lived with confidence, believing that he was the greatest in the world, and that he would be able to do everything.
There was definitely a day when a person would realize that you are less than you think. Not just for awakeners, but for anyone in any field.
On such a day, it was best to have a glass of soju with a bitter smile.
“But you’re the guardian of the West Gate, aren’t you? I mean the guardian with five people in Korea. It’s great enough.”
“……is that so?”
Kim Sang-hu stared blankly into the air.
“Many people’s lives, hopes, and futures are at stake on my back. So…”
Kim Sang-hu breathed a long sigh.
“Sometimes i get overwhelmed because of the responsibilities.”
Still so young.
In the age of the innate, the exceptionally gifted bore the tasks of the ungifted. It may have been a little difficult for his young friend to endure.
Cheol-ho just kept quiet, listening.
“By the way, how old are you, sir?”
“Oh, I’m thirty.”
He was almost 60 years old, but he didn’t have to say anything.
“Oh.”
Kim Sang-hu opened his eyes widely.
“You’re the same age as me.”
“Is that so.”
“Somehow I felt like I was talking to my father, ah. I don’t mean anything bad. “
Kim Sang-hu grinned. He chugged down a glass of soju.
“Killing monsters everyday is a pain.”
“Yes.”
“I’m tired of fighting every day. Actually, I am psychologically exhausted. Monsters endlessly cross the dimension, and there’s no time to rest.”
Sigh.
-kugugung!
Suddenly, looking out the window, a dark cloud came over.
Not long after , it started to rain.
Kim Sang-hu ordered another bottle of soju. Cheol-ho decided to ask a question while giving out the new bottle,
“Was there a monster that impressed you?”
“Oh, there was one of course.”
Kim Sang-hu was lost in thought with his chin rested on the table. Before he had started eating the ramen, he was thinking about something.
After emptying the soju glass for a while, he opened his mouth.
“Do you know about the Nine-Tailed fox?”
A nine-tailed fox.
Nine-Tailed fox, of course he knew about them.
He had caught a few before.
Unlike monsters that have been led by the devil and invaded the continent, monsters in the East, such as the Nine tailed fox, were very intelligent. So it used to be called a spiritual monster.
The present Earth seems to be connected to the Esfan continent, so it was not so strange for monsters to appear in the East.
‘Hmm.’
Cheolho thought for a moment.
“They’re all monsters, aren’t they?’
In doubt, he listened to the man across from him .
“Those like Nine-Tailed foxes are usually called spiritual monsters. Meaning that they are incredibly intelligent monsters “
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
He continued to speak again, as if he was excited by the addition of Cheol-ho.
“Right? There are many different types, not just the nine-tailed foxes, but they’re usually labeled ‘out of grade ‘ when you see one, don’t touch it, just leave them alone.”
“Hmm?”
“They’re classified as objects, I don’t know why, but they don’t antagonize humans. I mean, they don’t attack first. We haven’t had a history of pre-emptive strikes for the last 30 years. And–“
Kim Sang-hu muttered, rubbing his temple.
“Silently, they live in a place that has a low population. In a place no one knows, in a realm of their own. So it’s not easy to find them. But that day, someone touched him first.”
Kim Sang-hu’s eyes sank. It showed deep fatigue.
“If you think about it… …it rained that day, too.”
* * *
-Tatatatak!
“Is he sick?! What bastard touched the sleeping Nine-Tailed Fox?”
Kim Sang-hu ran and spat out foul language. The team member who was following shouted.
“Gentleman!”
Park Jung-woo was a second-class awakening man who protected Seocho.
Wearing a black suit every day, he was a freak who called himself “Mr. K” instead of a Korean name.
“Why on earth did you touch it!”
“We’re on our way to find out!”
The racing men, joined by Tim Jenkak, were out to catch the nine-tailed fox who started running around Seocho.
It would have been nice if first-class awakeners could be called out, but unfortunately they were on a mission under the special orders from the higher ranks .
Kim Sang-hu, who had gone on vacation for a number of days, led the team and moved on.
There was a tremendous downpour.
It rained with the momentum and volume to cause flooding all over the world.
Beyond the rain, there were nine red lights.
Fortunately, this was an abandoned area without authorization.’
That was the only good thing. That monster had to be stopped here.
Oh!
There were also five eagles floating in the sky. ‘Gentleman’ was the only one who played with such an eagle.
“Hey, you son of a bitch!”
Kim Sang-hu spat out abusive language instead of greetings. In front of him, a man in a black suit greeted him with a sour face.
“ Shit.”
“Leader!”
“Get in line! It’s a non-graded Nine-Tailed fox!”
Jenkak’s team gathered together, ready to attack.
In the midst of the heavy rain, nine fireworks danced eloquently. And in the middle of it, a giant fox statue appeared.
-Hehehehehehe-!
The fox smiled quaintly.
He was as big as a house. Disturbing sounds came up all over the place and echoed.
There was a storm , so strong that it poured all over the world.
“Don’t face the fire of the tails ! Now you, come with me!”
Kim Sang-hu ran.
“Come on, boss, you’re leading the way!”
The raid began.
The nine tailed foxes moved skillfully, and their tails were strong. The world covered with falling rain burnt heavily with flames, and the whole earth opened its doors.
That’s how the fighting continued all night.
When finally , Kim Sang-hu’s spear penetrated the neck of the Nine tailed fox, he heard a shriek.
-Crying
In the arms of Nine tailed fox, there was a fox with only one forearm. It was a baby that seemed to have been born recently. A very young baby, who hadn’t even opened his eyes.
The baby fox had a long scar on his body.
It was a wound created by the eagle’s claws.
‘A baby…’
Kim Sang-hu, who removed his spear from the neck of the Nine-Tailed fox, looked down at the baby fox.
* * *
“What…?”
Kim Sang-hu shook his head as he finished speaking.
“It had a baby.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I killed it.”
He who said that was laughing bitterly at the words. And he secured his drink in his mouth, he said,
“I couldn’t help it.”
