Chapter 51 (2/2)

Then, every three hands were quickly placed on her palm.

If it was anyone else, they would’ve not cared at all even if the summoners snapped at the object right in front of their eyes.

“Well done,” Lee Tae-hee handed out the cores one by one and looked at the Summoners excitedly eating them.

Il-Hyun had been bitten by an animal once when he was a child, so he was reluctant to summon Summoners even when he first saw them. But now, he’d feel regret if ever he parted with them.

“Well, I gave these guys the core,” Il-Hyun, who saw it, said sorry.

When the Summoners needed a core, they took it from their prey. And when they realized that they needed more than one core, the other team members soon fed the cores to them.

“I work along with you, so I can take care of this,” Lee Tae-hee replied uncaringly.

The Summoners of Il-Hyun were no longer just a small part of his life, time, or just his assistants on the battlefield.

Il-Hyun’s Summoners, which had been getting stronger over the past three weeks, were now able to tackle and solve problems to some extent, making it easier for Il-Hyun to handle the increased work.

Then, they heard the door open.

At the same time, Lee Soo-Yeon and Seok Pil-jun, who had gone on different missions, came back.

But the first thing that ran into the living room was a gray puppy.

The wolf, who went on a mission with the two of them, looked magnificent. It looked at the broken piece of core on the floor while looking around the entire room.

“Oh, I only got three cores in the field……” Lee Tae-hee had an apologetic expression on her face.

“No problem, I got it,” Seok Pil-Joon came in and threw a core.

Then, the little wolf jumped and swiftly caught it with its mouth.

Soon, Il-Hyun woke-up, and Ghost told Lee Soo-Yeon about it.

“Fortunately, it must be over now. The dangerous Seyferon had appeared again.”

“Yeah, it was breathtaking, and it ended well.”

“It wasn’t just a gate or two, but I don’t know if anyone is seriously hurt.”

“I can’t help it. I can’t just work as safely as before.”

There wasn’t enough workforce and equipment anymore, and the situation was always complicated. This was the same for Awakeners all over the world.

It wasn’t the right time to enter the scene before planning everything securely, as they always did before.

When Lee Soo-Yeon sat beside Il-Hyun and tried to lean her body back, the receiver rang at bad timing.

— B1 level gate generation in eastern Sicily! 15 minutes until activation!

“…What?” Lee Soo-Yeon, who was in an uncomfortable position on the sofa, woke-up.

After her, it was Ghost’s turn to wake-up.

“Something just came up, and I’m going with Ghost.”

“Done. You just came in a while ago. I was just taking a break.”

“Have something to eat first,” Ghost said as he picked up his sword.

Lee Soo-Yeon shook her hand at the end of his sentence.

The moment the two left the hotel for the mission, the receiver rang again.

— Another B2 level gate has been created in Nice! I think you need to go immediately because it only has 9 minutes left before it activates!

“Um… you guys have to delay the dinner this time.”

* * *

Sparkle!

A sign of a broken shop burned down halfway.

A spark that was unintentionally created around the darkened street at night revealed the surroundings.

Broken trees, half-destroyed buildings, overturned roads, and bent streetlights were everywhere.

In the middle of such ruins, Il-Hyun and Lee Tae-hee sat down.

“This time, the city even had some kids.”

A section of the city was completely messed up, but Il-Hyun’s was indifferent.

If it was a virtue that could be done without any personal injury, he was more than happy to perform it.

“Uh? It’s snow.”

“It really is,” Lee Tae-hee said as she looked up at the sky.

As she said that, it began to snow from the sky.

“So, it’s Christmas now.”

It was a decorated street that was broken all the way.

He had almost managed to forget the concept of dates, but there was an exciting Christmas atmosphere in every corner of the street.

“What do you want to do when you go back tomorrow? It’s Christmas, after all. Would you meet your girlfriend?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that,” Il-Hyun looked at the distant mountain.

Lee Tae-hee chuckled.

“I want to go home and take a rest as if I’m on a day off. I’m not going anywhere, I’m just sleeping in bed. I also want to see my parents’ faces.”

“That’s like any high school student’s vacation, is it not?”

“So, what about your brother?”

“What am I to tell you? He’s the same as always.”

Lee Tae-hee’s laughter burst out.

Following a light laugh, Il-Hyun pushed Phoenix at its side, trying to rise slowly above the city.

I’m glad Korea is safe.

His family, friends, and other ties—everything was in Korea.

After Il-Hyun took the role of an Awakener, the numerous scenes he had seen outside had been terrible, and he didn’t want to imagine that his family would get caught up in it.

Thanks to its well-equipped system, which is interlocked with several high-ranking Awakeners and narrow lands, it can be said that Korea is as safe as it can be.

It was his job to help make it safe everywhere in the world, but unfortunately, he didn’t know how he’d survive it if his home was attacked.

There will be no danger—Il-Hyun thought quietly.

Hopefully.