Title: [Anonymous] If J is alive
If there is a rift in the West Sea, shouldn't we send a rescue team?
He might be alive but unable to move.
Maybe his legs are cut off…
Comments (99+)
—Are there really no other survivors?
⤷ Yes, I compared the names on the memorial with the rankings, and J's name was newly added. It looks like only J survived.
—Do you know what it's like inside the rift? Do you know how many hunters have died there?
⤷ But are we just going to leave someone trapped in a rift?
⤷ Ha… They went in to save people like this, huh? ㅋㅋ Humanity is doomed.
⤷ Don't you remember when the West Sea rift was expanding rapidly? If we open it, the country could be doomed.
⤷ Is it the same now as it was back then? How much has our power increased? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ this isn't the time when the entire nation had to risk their lives for one person, J.
⤷ Does it make sense to use all that power just to save one J??
—Nope~ you can't even open a closed rift, see ya.
At first, people didn't believe it. Even among the hunters, most thought it was just a temporary error that would soon be fixed. However, Channel 1, which had directly confirmed J's existence, remained silent, waiting for the official announcement from the Awakened Management Bureau.
—It's a lie~
—Sigh, why tell such lies?
—Even if there's an error, how can there be such an error? ㅋㅋ.
—The system can also break down sometimes.
.
.
.
—Why isn't the error being fixed?
—Could it be?
It didn't take long for people to attach a question mark, half doubting, behind the word 'could it be.' Days passed without the rankings changing, and people grew anxious.
As all sorts of media outlets began to spread baseless rumors, treating them as facts, the Awakened Management Bureau hurried to control the confusion. The press conference was scheduled for 3 PM, so Cha Eui-jae put up a "Ingredient Preparation Time" sign to watch the press conference alone.
When the time came, a woman appeared on the screen, dressed neatly in a short haircut and a smart suit, holding a cane. Apart from her pale complexion, she looked similar to how Cha Eui-jae remembered. She was Ham Seok-jeong, the head of the Awakened Management Bureau, who had avoided public appearances due to health reasons.
After a brief greeting, she spoke firmly.
—This ranking update is not a system error.
She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing.
—It's not a case of name duplication either. No one else has taken J's name… It's hard to believe, but according to our internal investigation, J is currently alive.
The murmuring and the sound of camera flashes grew louder. Journalists raised their hands one after another.
—How can you be so sure?
—Are there no other survivors besides J?
—Eight years ago, the Awakened Management Bureau confirmed the death of the hunters who entered the West Sea rift. Why is the story changing now?
—If J is alive, where is he now?
Despite the barrage of questions, Ham Seok-Jeong raised her hand slightly to call for attention and responded calmly.
—We are planning to dispatch a rescue team for a more accurate assessment of the situation. Please wait a little longer.
Ham Seok-Jeong and the hunters of the Awakened Management Bureau bowed.
Seeing Ham Seok-Jeong's face, Cha Eui-jae suddenly realized that eight years had passed. The Ham Seok-Jeong in his memory was young and passionate, neither using a cane nor limping. When did she hurt her leg?
And she…
'How can she be so sure?'
Today's press conference by the Awakened Management Bureau contradicted their previous statements. Given the attention, they couldn't have made such an announcement without irrefutable evidence.
Ham Seok-Jeong was that kind of person. Someone who moved only with undeniable proof and a clear justification, steady as a mountain. Cha Eui-jae stared at the still-bowing Ham Seok-Jeong for a while before turning off the TV.
After the Awakened Management Bureau's press conference, the topic of J was everywhere in South Korea. It was incomparable to the previous special broadcast of "110-Minute Debate."
Every day, breaking news and headlines were all about the West Sea Rift and J. Whether J should be rescued also split opinions sharply.
'They fight over everything.'
Whenever someone asked Cha Eui-jae what he thought about J's resurrection and rescue, he would brush it off with, 'Haha, I don't really know,' like a passive bystander— this had almost become his default response.
But all his attempts to avoid this topic eventually failed, because…
[Why the whole world is shocked by J's incredible abilities, why Japan is furious, and why Americans are desperate to see J!]
J had taken over the trending videos on YouTube.
***
The topics of conversation among the regular hunters at the hangover soup restaurant constantly changed, but the hot topic over the past few days was, of course, 'J.'
Ignoring the tables, the hunters ate hangover soup and debated everything from J's survival to the state of the rift. Since all the participants were active hunters, various opinions emerged.
"Isn't it a system error? That seems the most likely."
"The Bureau said it wasn't in the press conference. They said J is alive."
"Then how are they so sure? Did they talk directly to the system or something?"
"I don't know. But since Ham Seok-Jeong held the press conference herself, it must be certain."
"Anyway, there are some shady aspects to that place."
"Uncle, why are you saying that right in front of Jung Bin's autograph?"
"Crap, when did this autograph get put here?"
The most common but least credible theory was the system error theory.
Rankings are updated once a year, but usually, a hunter's name is immediately removed from the list upon death.
Since people often checked the ranking to confirm life or death when contact was lost inside the rift, the accuracy of this system was guaranteed. So, people would suspect the system and then quickly dismiss the idea.
Then, a new hunter, deftly chopping chili peppers, suggested an idea.
"Maybe he died and was recently resurrected?"
"Is there an item that can revive dead people?"
"With the world in this state, there could be one, right?"
"Some healer might have saved him…"
"Even Nam Woo-jin can't revive the dead."
"Maybe J had a unique resurrection item with an 8-year cooldown."
"This one sounds plausible."
'What sounds plausible.'
Cha Eui-jae was fed up with hearing the resurrection after death theory.
Logically, they were all dismissible nonsense, but J's return was bewildering enough. Naturally, not only at the hangover soup restaurant but also on the anonymous boards of the HunterNet, various theories emerged…
—I'd rather believe a necromancer revived him ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
⤷ Is there a famous necromancer? Quick, find one.
⤷ Necromancers have a ban on reviving humans, they'd never do it. ㅠㅠ
Such as the illegal necromancer revival theory,
—He actually fought in another dimension for 8 years and returned, J the returnee.
⤷ Seems like you read too many fantasy novels…
⤷ Dude; since the Day of the Rift, fantasy novels = reality, didn't you know?
There were plenty of absurd theories like the returnee theory, but of course, no one got the right answer. The premise was wrong from the start. J had never died.
And those debating the 'how' eventually realized that without J speaking up, no answers would come, and they moved on to another question.
J is alive. So where is he?
The last known sighting of J was in the West Sea rift. He clearly hadn't escaped, and people thought he had closed the rift and died inside. But the truth they had believed for eight years might not be the real truth.
***
In the middle of the night.
Cha Eui-jae woke up suddenly. In the silence where even breathing couldn't be heard, he stayed still, holding his breath. His small room was quiet, but instinctively, he knew.
'There's an intruder outside this room.'
No guest would come at this late hour. No matter how much someone craved hangover soup, they wouldn't break in through a locked door.
The only weapons were in the kitchen, and all he had was a sturdy body. As quietly and slowly as possible, he raised his upper body and clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. Fortunately, he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
'Whoever this bastard is…'
He wanted to break every limb, but dealing with the aftermath would be a hassle. Breaking just enough to extract information before reporting would suffice.
Cha Eui-jae moved without a sound, opening the door to the small room and stepping onto the floor barefoot. After slipping out of the walls made of boxes, he saw the familiar hall. Dim streetlights faintly illuminated the dark restaurant, and in the middle,
A figure in a gas mask was sitting.