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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Mail call~!”
Lake City, a small city located far south of Seoul.
Despite its small population of around 5,000, its barrier—its thickness, height, and the companies responsible for its maintenance, repair, and defense—were considered world-class.
In other words, Lake City boasted top-tier facilities and security, far exceeding what was necessary for a city of its size.
On the northern slopes overlooking the city, a quaint house was nestled among the lush trees of a nameless hill.
The mail carrier, making his first-ever delivery to this location, looked around with unconcealed curiosity before placing the mail in the mailbox beside the gate.
‘Someone actually lives here?’
He was a seasoned veteran, yet he had never known of this place.
There were no records of previous mail deliveries here.
Hidden beneath the shade of the trees, filled with the gentle sounds of nature, the house seemed more like a secluded mountain cabin.
So,
‘Ugh, let’s get out of here.’
The mail carrier hopped onto his mana glider, a levitating motorcycle, and quickly descended the hill.
A short while later,
Creak!
The gate opened with a metallic groan, fitting the eerie atmosphere.
A young woman, as vibrant as springtime, peeked out, contrasting sharply with the surrounding gloom.
She appeared to be in her late teens.
Her skin was so fair, it seemed to reflect the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
She had delicate features and a small face.
Round, thin-rimmed glasses, straight bangs, and bobbed hair with slightly curled ends gave her the air of a model student.
But a strong, almost imposing aura emanated from her slender frame.
She was clearly someone extraordinary.
She possessed the qualities of an Awakened, yet lacked the refined air of the academy students, carrying a wildness that resonated with the surrounding mountains.
Her name was Han Yu-ra.
Yu-ra retrieved the mail from the mailbox and walked across the large yard towards the house.
Inside, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron was busy cooking.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“Mail? We got mail? What is it?”
For the past 20 years or so, all bills and notices had been delivered digitally, via text or email.
Paper mail was a relic of the past, a welfare system for a select few.
So, this was a novelty for Yu-ra.
The middle-aged woman, Yu-ra’s mother, Baek Mi-hwa, stopped chopping vegetables and looked towards the narrow window, where a dim light filtered through.
“…Mom? What is it? What’s wrong?”
Sensing her mother’s strange reaction, Yu-ra opened the mail.
Then,
“Huh? What’s this? It’s blank! Mom, it’s just a blank piece of paper.”
Inside was a single, blank sheet of paper.
She looked at it, with a puzzled expression, and Mi-hwa silently put down her knife and washed her hands.
“Look! It’s completely blank. Who would play such a prank?”
Unlike Yu-ra, who seemed slightly annoyed, Mi-hwa calmly dried her hands and took the paper.
Her expression was grave.
Then,
“It’s finally happened.”
She murmured, looking at the empty sheet.
“What? What do you mean?”
Mi-hwa placed the paper on the table, then held Yu-ra’s shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“Han Yu-ra.”
Mi-hwa addressed her daughter by her full name, her voice low and steady.
There was no anger in her tone, but being called by her full name always sent a chill down Yu-ra’s spine.
Yu-ra looked at her mother, her expression tense.
“W-what…?”
Her mother’s eyes were filled with a sadness she had never seen before, tinged with regret.
It was an unfathomable depth of emotion, too profound to be triggered by a single blank sheet of paper.
Yu-ra couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind her mother’s reaction, but her next words offered a glimpse into that depth.
“You said you missed your Oppa, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes. I did.”
“Let’s go get him. Your brother.”
A single, blank sheet of paper.
But in Mi-hwa’s eyes, it held the promise she had made with her husband ten years ago, as they signed their divorce papers.
[If anything happens to me, I’ll send you a blank piece of paper in the mail. Take care of him in my stead. It’s my last request as your unworthy husband.]
It was the final letter from the man she had once loved so passionately, a man who was now a stranger.
The final letter, the one that should never have arrived, had finally come.
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“Hohoho. Did you really think you could challenge me with such meager skills?”
The stereotypical villainous laughter echoed through the empty clearing.
A laugh as sharp as a blade, yet as alluring as a siren’s song.
But to Baek Mi-hwa, kneeling on one knee, it was nothing more than an unpleasant noise.
“Yu-ra, are you alright?”
Mi-hwa leaned on her staff and looked at her daughter.
Yu-ra’s condition was better than hers, but not by much.
“Y-yes. I’m okay… for now.”
The Azure Witch was strong.
Far stronger than Mi-hwa had been in her prime, when she had reigned supreme in the Hunter world.
Her weakened body was no match for the witch’s power.
And Yu-ra, lacking experience in direct combat, was struggling as well.
But they couldn’t retreat.
Not when she had a promise to keep with her ex-husband, Han Chang-ho.
Not when her son was involved.
And knowing what lay within that cave, retreat was not an option.
“They should have arrived by now…!”
Mi-hwa scanned her surroundings.
Last night, Yu-ra’s custom-built GPS tracker had detected a signal from Tae-jin’s phone.
It was a faint signal, but it confirmed his presence within a 5 km radius.
Many things had changed since the advent of dungeons, monsters, and mana.
Housing, occupations, a society prioritizing survival…
Communication had also transformed.
After the “Great Cataclysm,” Earth’s magnetic field had shifted, rendering space-based communication satellites useless.
Attempts to launch new satellites had failed – some were attacked by flying monsters, others succumbed to mana anomalies, and some were destroyed by the intense frictional heat generated by the dense mana layer in the stratosphere.
Eventually, humanity adopted a city-centered communication system.
Just as undersea cables had once connected nations through landlines, barrier cities were now linked by underground cables.
For wireless communication, powerful transmitters were installed in the center of each city, creating a wide-area network.
This meant that wireless communication was readily available within cities, but became increasingly unreliable the further one ventured into the wilderness.
It had become customary for Hunters and mercenaries to download entertainment before embarking on long-range expeditions, sharing it amongst themselves.
Downloading entertainment for the team had become an unspoken rule.
Anyway,
Cell phones became useless in remote areas, and communication was impossible unless both parties were within the same city.
Contact was only possible through the wired internet network.
That’s why Mi-hwa had no way to contact Tae-jin after he left Seoul.
She didn’t know why Chang-ho hadn’t given her Tae-jin’s number, but knowing his cautious nature, she had rushed to this location.
Unfortunately, instead of reuniting with Tae-jin, she had encountered the Azure Witch.
The signal on Yu-ra’s tracker was still active.
The villains wouldn’t be carrying ordinary cell phones.
The only person who would have a phone in this remote area was Tae-jin.
But frustratingly, he was nowhere in sight.
She was burning with impatience.
But dealing with Lexa was the priority.
Holding out seemed like the best strategy.
“Hohoho. I don’t know who you’re looking for, but it seems you’re searching for someone like me. We might have something in common. I’ll spare your life in consideration of that. Hohoho!”
Lexa let out a chilling laugh.
Mi-hwa bit her lip.
She didn’t know how Illusion had found this place, but if things continued like this, Yu-ra would be in danger.
Her stubborn refusal to give up, her desperate clinging to her promise…
She wouldn’t burden her daughter with those things.
“Yu-ra.”
“Yes.”
“If you find your Oppa, run. Run as far as you can. I’ll hold them off.”
“What?”
Yu-ra frowned.
She would never abandon her mother for a brother she didn’t even remember.
So,
“No.”
“Please, just listen to me, girl.”
“I said no.”
“Are you throwing a tantrum in this situation? Even if you find your Oppa, you can’t defeat the Azure Witch.”
“Why not?”
“Unlike you, he was born frail. It’s a miracle he’s even made it this far. I don’t know what your father was thinking, sending Tae-jin to this wasteland.”
She knew her ex-husband never acted without reason, but this decision seemed incredibly reckless.
Honestly, if she had seen him, she would have yelled at him for being so foolish.
If Tae-jin hadn’t insisted on going with his father ten years ago… If her husband hadn’t said, “A boy should grow up in his father’s shadow to develop great ambitions,” and taken Tae-jin away…
He would have grown up safely with Yu-ra.
Anyway,
“Just go, Han Yu-ra. Listen to your mother.”
“I said no!”
“Why are you being so stubborn? You’re not a child anymore!”
“I don’t have to go?”
“What? What do you…!”
Yu-ra suddenly held up her tracking device.
The red light at the tip of the crude antenna began to blink rapidly.
“He’s coming.”
“What? He’s coming? Tae-jin is?”
A moment later,
Tae-jin and his party appeared, leaping into the air after silently dispatching the surrounding villains.
And,
“Multi-Shot.”
Tae-jin unleashed his [Multi-Shot] skill, now capable of unlimited fire after reaching MAX level.
A massive surge of mana.
Thick arrows, as large as medieval siege bolts.
A barrage of golden mana arrows rained down like a storm.
It was a magnificent yet terrifying sight, like a multi-rocket launcher firing endlessly.
And watching this spectacle,
“H-he’s our Tae-jin…?”
“That’s… my Oppa…?”
Before the joy of reunion could sink in, Yu-ra and Mi-hwa felt a strange sense of awe.
That was the first impression of their family reunion after ten years.
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