[Kamish's egg?!] Beru exclaimed in surprise, causing Suho to ask with a puzzled expression.
"Why? Do you know that name?"
[Of course I do! Kamish is...!] Beru passionately explained everything about the Red Dragon…
After hearing the whole story, Suho nodded. "I see. So it's the egg of the Dragon my father encountered when he was young."
[Yes. Kamish was one of the prisoners captured by the Rulers during the Monarchs' war with them. So this must be an egg Kamish laid before going to battle.]
"Hmm. Maybe..." Listening to Beru's explanation, Suho had a strange feeling.
'Perhaps the dragon that hatches from this egg will become the successor to the Dragon Emperor,' he mused. With all he had experienced, such a possibility didn't seem far-fetched
Laura, who had been listening to Suho and Beru's conversation, relayed what Cha Hae-In had said when she handed over Kamish's egg. "Ms. Cha Hae-In suggested putting this in the Shadow Dungeon."
"That would definitely be wise." Suho nodded in agreement.
Cha Hae-In had pondered a lot about how to handle this egg after finding it in the Tomb of the Berserk Dragons. It felt wasteful to just break it. But leaving it in its original place was out of the question. In the end, she thought of Suho's Shadow Dungeon. She thought that no matter what kind of monster hatched from this egg, everyone would be safe as long as it stayed in the Shadow Dungeon.
It was a good idea.
"Thank you for letting me know. I think I'll do as my mother suggested with this egg." Suho expressed his gratitude to Laura, who then opened the second bag she had brought.
"And this is the high-grade essence stones you requested." Suho and Beru's eyes lit up at the same time. Unexpectedly, there wasn't just one high-grade essence stone inside the bag.
"You got three?"
"Yes. Of course, it wasn't easy. Since the number of high-grade essence stones available on the market is so limited, the bidding competition was quite fierce."
Two years into the Cataclysm. The hunter industry was still in its early stages, and there were countless things to develop, so there was always a thirst for resources. Especially high-grade essence stones obtained by hunters from dungeons were truly rare items. They were snatched up by the scientific community or the hunter industry as soon as they appeared on the market. So naturally, their prices were also quite high.
"They must have been very expensive. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. It's nothing compared to the value of our boss's life." Laura promised to bring more high-grade essence stones if she found any.
"...And now for the main topic."
Laura's expression turned serious as she glanced at her subordinates gathered around. As if on cue, the Scavenger Guild employees left the office.
"From now on, everything is classified information that could have serious consequences if leaked."
"Copy that, our guild members are all trustworthy."
"Understood."
After all, Suho's guild members consisted only of Lim Dogyoon and Esil, and they weren't the type to carelessly spread secrets. In fact, Suho had to stop Lim Dogyoon, who was subtly trying to follow the Scavenger employees out of fear.
"Dogyoon, you need to know what you need to know."
"No, I think it's okay if I don't..."
Lim Dogyoon was feeling anxious these days because the scale of Suho's activities was becoming increasingly unmanageable. But since he was in charge of most of the tasks except for combat, there was no way to escape. Esil on the other hand, seemingly unconcerned, just sat next to Suho. He then plugged in the USB Laura had handed him into the laptop, and it displayed the video files on the screen.
"Please watch this video." Asked Laura
"Christopher Reed?" The face that appeared on the screen was definitely Christopher Reed, the American S-rank hunter who had been killed by Thomas Andre.
"This is data we found during our recent investigation. It turns out he had been receiving regular psychiatric counseling since his awakening."
As Laura explained, the video showed Christopher Reed having a conversation with a therapist.
– I don't know why I feel so empty these days… I wonder if other Awakened feel this way too? – He had a very tired expression.
– Chris, the other Awakened I've counseled feel the opposite of you. They all seem elated and intoxicated by their newfound power. – The therapist spoke with a puzzled look.
– Then why do I alone feel this way?
– People... sometimes feel anxious when they experience a windfall that's too much for them to handle. You might feel better once you get used to your power.
– Are you saying it's because I became an S-rank hunter? Like suddenly winning the lottery? But, Doctor, the emotions I'm feeling are a bit different from that. – Christopher Reed continued to express his feelings with a serious expression.
Laura showed Suho the videos of his counseling sessions in chronological order. Most of the conversations in those sessions were similar.
– Doctor, I'm still anxious. I think I've become too weak.
– Why do you think that way? Chris, you're an S-rank hunter.
– I don't know. I've clearly reached the pinnacle of hunters, but I feel weaker than before. I want to become stronger.
"..." Watching the videos, Suho exchanged a serious look with Laura.
She nodded and said. "That's right. The emotions he felt are exactly the same as what our boss was feeling until recently."
Meanwhile, Christopher Reed's counseling videos continued to play in sequence on the screen repeating the same pattern.
– Doctor, I want to become stronger. No, I feel like I can become stronger. But I just don't know how.
– Doctor, I've been thinking about it. Could it be that I have some tremendous hidden potential? Beyond S-rank?
– Doctor, I...
But then. At some point, Christopher Reed's expression started to change, becoming confident.
– Doctor, I think I've found a way to become stronger.
– Chris, that's great news. But how?
– That's a secret I can't tell you. But I'm certain. If I use the method 'they' taught me, I'll definitely become stronger.
– Who are 'they'?
"They?" Suho also became curious.
At the therapist's question, all expression vanished from his face in an instant. A chill ran down the spines of those watching the video. His eyes were like those of a soulless being. Christopher Reed, who had always received counseling with an empty and dejected expression, was now wearing a completely different look. Then, staring directly at the camera lens that had been recording the entire counseling session, he slowly curled his lips into a smile.
– I'm afraid I can't answer that. If I did, I might... Anyway, thank you for everything, Doctor.
Stopping the video, Laura provided further explanation. "After that session, he never visited the therapist again. Instead, he bought a luxurious mansion and started throwing parties and living frivolously."
It was common for hunters to indulge in sensual pleasures. It was a typical behavior of the newly rich, transcending gender and age, that had existed throughout history. But Laura, after thoroughly investigating Christopher Reed's seemingly normal behavior, discovered one strange fact.
"A significant number of people who were invited to his mansion went missing."
"M-missing?! You mean, murder?" Lim Dogyoon asked back with a frightened expression but Laura shook her head slightly and replied.
"Well, it would be considered murder, but the investigation revealed something different. A large quantity of Stardust was found in Christopher Reed's mansion."
"Stardust? You mean, the drug?"
"Yes, that's right. It's a mana booster that's quite widespread in Korea as well." Hearing this unexpected story, Suho's gaze turned to Esil.
Originally, Stardust was a mana booster developed by low-rank demons in an attempt to mimic Bloodstone, the exclusive ability of the demon nobles.
Esil nodded with a hardened expression. "It seems there are demons from our kind in that country as well."
In a way, it was natural. Even at this moment, the demon realm was drifting through the dimensional gap, torn into several pieces. And on a global scale, it was unlikely that the dimensional rifts connecting to those fragments were only happening in Korea. If this was the case, there was a high probability that demon factories existed all over the world, or in this case in the United States.
"Demon factories... I know quite a bit about Stardust. But the reason our boss killed him is actually different." Laura opened the next file.
"...?"
It was an image showing the interior of Christopher Reed's extravagant mansion, now destroyed and gone thanks to Thomas Andre. A brave reporter who risked his life sneaking into the burning ruin took the photo.
"According to that reporter, Christopher Reed seemed to have fallen into a strange cult at some point."
"A cult?" Suho asked back with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. And the very next day, that reporter suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth without a trace. We assume he's probably dead, but we recently discovered a phrase he left behind."
Click.
Laura turned to the next page, and the phrase he left behind appeared on the screen.
[Outer Gods]
"...!" In an instant, the eyes of everyone, including Suho, widened.
"The Outer Gods Cult." Laura spoke with a heavy expression, looking at the words.
"It seems they call their religion by that name."