Chapter 254

What?!

The onlookers were stunned. The exchange sounded like an ordinary conversation between a mother and her son, but those who overheard it were immediately shocked.

“D-did Sung Suho just call Cha Haein ‘Mom?’”

“He’s... her son?!”

The day’s surprises seemed to be endless.

There was simply too much information for the crowd to process all at once. It was incredible enough that Haein, who they believed was living a completely ordinary life, had suddenly appeared on the back of a black dragon. Now it was revealed that she was the mother of the most talked-about hunter in South Korea.

This is some scoop!

With news like this, it’s first-come, first-serve!

The cameras flashed incessantly as every photographer scrambled to capture the moment faster than their competitors. They each aimed to be the first to break the news about Suho and Haein, who stood together before the giant, crouching dragon.

At the same time, the journalists’ fingers flew across their keyboards, publishing the explosive headlines.

—Shocking Photograph: The Secret of Sung Suho’s Birth!

—Exclusive: Sung Suho, Cha Haein’s Son

Information spread at lightning speed across the internet.

The public, who were already intrigued by the appearance of the black dragon, were now completely blown away.

—What???

—Suho’s her son?

—This is nuts!

It’s completely out of this world!

—Photo: Suho and Haein, Side-by-Side Comparison

—No way.

They really do look alike.

—When they’re together like that, you can see the resemblance!

—He’s got Haein’s facial features!

—So this is real, then?

Why didn’t anyone notice this before?

—Because she retired twenty years ago, probably.

—Wait a second.

So how old is she right now?

—She doesn’t look nearly old enough to have a son in his early twenties.

Are we sure she’s not his older sister?

—Why doesn’t she age?

The photo of Suho and Haein at the scene shocked people even more.

Even after twenty years, Haein looked like she was barely in her early thirties. Standing beside her son in his early twenties, the resemblance was uncanny and downright fascinating.

—Yeah, they clearly resemble each other.

—Suho’s chin and eyes are slightly sharper, but other than that, he’s the spitting image of her.

—He must have his father’s eyes.

I am so curious to know what his dad looks like...

—From just the eyes, you can guess that he’s super good-looking.

—Come on, like Cha Haein would’ve married an average-looking guy.

Do you think she fell for his looks?

—For sure!

It always seemed weird that she married an ordinary civil servant!

The reactions were heated. While the river beyond the metal fence boiled and bubbled, the internet discussions grew even hotter. The journalists would seldom feel as much satisfaction from their jobs as they did today.

And the stream of exclusive news hadn’t stopped flowing yet.

“Haein, I’m sorry to interrupt...”

Just then, a man stepped forward, placing himself between Suho and Haein.

“I’m Jaehyuk, a team leader from the Hunters Association.”

Jaehyuk, along with several other association staff members, were already there to oversee the delivery of supplies to Woo Jinchul. He had borrowed the mana-measuring device that was kept by the troops stationed here, and he handed it to Haein politely.

“I checked the records and noticed that you haven’t been registered as a hunter. If you have awakened, may I request that you measure your mana?”

“Oh...”

Suddenly, the ears of everyone present perked up.

Jaehyuk spoke cautiously, noticing how starry-eyed the reporters had become.

“Of course, if you find it uncomfortable to do so here, you can measure it on a different day. We can ensure the results remain confidential. However, I’m afraid we can’t allow you to take Suho across the border on the back of this... dragon.”

Each of his words had to be carefully chosen. Requesting personal information from an unregistered hunter in front of the press was inappropriate and borderline offensive, and this was Cha Haein, a figure who was beloved by the entire populace.

From the association’s perspective, however, they had no choice.

“If you wish to go to North Korea, you must pass a national vote like your son. Since you are not even registered, just allowing you to go would be in violation of international law. Besides...”

Jaehyuk trailed off as he glanced nervously at the massive black dragon yawning behind Haein.

Managing the public’s access to information was the media’s job, but it was the association’s responsibility to manage hunters. Even if the dragon raid had turned out to be a harmless event, it didn’t change the fact that Cha Haein had flown across the sea on this creature’s back and landed in Korea without any official travel records.

There were no records of her ever leaving the country in the first place,

Jaehyuk thought.

We don’t know when she left, where she’s been, or what she’s been doing...

All of those things had to be investigated by the association.

At the same time, Jaehyuk knew he had to speak carefully. This was none other than

Cha Haein.

Even if she had been retired for twenty years, the countless citizens who remembered her from her heyday still loved her. It made her immune to criticism.

If he said anything rude to her now, especially in front of so many reporters, the entire country could turn on him. If he used an expression like “villain,” the citizens would rise up against him, and the mere thought of what they might do scared him.

Thankfully, Haein seemed to understand the situation. She nodded without any resistance.

“Yes, I understand,” she said. “I’ll measure it now. I don’t mind if the results are made public.”

It had been a long time since she had been the center of attention. After all these years, public scrutiny still made her uncomfortable—but that aside, she was used to it. From her teenage years to her twenties, she had lived her life in the spotlight as a track athlete.

After retiring, she was finally able to live a normal life, one that suited her personality better. However, the transition hadn’t been easy.

My husband helped a great deal.

Jinwoo’s shadow soldiers had thoroughly blocked any paparazzi surveillance or unwanted attention, allowing her to live in peace and quiet.

Actually,

my life wasn’t all that quiet, I suppose.

Raising Suho was far from peaceful.

Haein smiled softly as memories of those years surfaced. The exhaustion of raising a child had turned into precious memories. Now Suho was all grown up and had become a brilliant young man.

With Earth in danger once again, she knew she couldn’t keep insisting on the quiet, normal life she had enjoyed for so long.

Yes. Twenty years was more than enough.

It’s now time for me to use my powers to protect the normalcy of others’ lives,

just like before.

Haein’s calm eyes suddenly changed, and without hesitation, she placed her hand over the mana-measuring device Jaehyuk was holding.

I’ll protect people as a hunter.

A brilliant light burst from the device.

“S-rank...”

There was no surprising twist. Jaehyuk swallowed hard before announcing it to everyone present.

“Congratulations on your awakening as an S-rank hunter, Cha Haein.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the cameras went wild like the reporters were caught in some sort of hypnotic trance. It was just like the moment twenty years ago when Haein had won her Olympic gold medal.

—Exclusive: New S-rank Hunter Arrives in South Korea

—Urgent: Former National Athlete Cha Haein is an S-rank Hunter!

“Oh, by the way,” Haein said, pausing. She wasn’t done here.

In her younger days, all she had wanted was to beat her boyfriend in a race, but she had ended up accidentally setting a world record. That achievement had left her feeling embarrassed and humbled.

But this was different. She was no longer the gold medalist Cha Haein living in a peaceful world, but once more an S-rank hunter. She knew exactly what she had to do.

She turned to the reporters, gazing confidently into their cameras. Her tone was slightly troubled, but she spoke without shame.

“I know that I am breaking international law, but I need to give my son a ride.”

“What...?”

Nobody—not Jaehyuk, the other hunters, or the reporters—understood what they had just heard.

“Kaisel? Let’s go,” Haein said.

The dragon roared, and the onlookers watched, dumbfounded, as it unfurled its wings.

Haein climbed onto Kaisel’s back with practiced ease and reached out to Suho.

Then the crowd caught themselves.

“W-wait!”

“Haein! Wait!”

“This is a violation of international law!”

“We need to hold a national vote—”

Some of them snapped out of their daze and rushed forward, trying to stop her, but Haein simply smiled.

“Don’t worry. I will simply drop him off and come right back. Then I’ll accept whatever punishment or fine I’m given.”

“No! Hold on! Wait!”

“You can’t just—”

“Son? Aren’t you getting on?” she asked.

Suho, however, remained where he was, staring at his mother in silence.

To the onlookers, this seemed like a reasonable thing to do. They were greatly relieved.

Y-yes!

That’s right, don’t get on!

They could understand a mother’s wish to help her son, but laws were meant to be obeyed. Thankfully, Suho seemed to have made the logical decision, perhaps since he had been active for so long as a hunter.

Of course, their assumptions were all wrong.

“Oh, Mom, just a moment.”

Suho ran in the opposite direction, toward where Miho was standing.

“Huh? What?”

Yoonho, who had been planted in front of his daughter for some time, flinched despite himself as Suho neared them.

“Wh-what? Why is he coming this way?!”

“Suho?”

Miho, flustered, also froze in place, looking unsure what to do.

“Oh, you must be Yoonho’s daughter!” Haein cried. Her eyes sparkled from her perch on Kaisel as she watched the scene unfold.

However, Suho’s target was not Miho nor Yoonho. It was what lay behind them—the truck loaded with supplies that Miho had personally escorted there that morning.

This government-provided truck was meant to carry supplies to support Jinchul in North Korea. The original plan was to load the entire truck onto a military helicopter and cross the boiling river. After that, Suho would drive it the rest of the way to Jinchul’s location.

At least, that was the plan the government and the Hunters Association had agreed on. Suho’s plan was slightly different.

“Beru?”

“Yes, Young Monarch.”

Suho produced the key to the Shadow Dungeon, and his shadow spread out to envelop the entire truck.

“Let’s put the whole thing inside my shadow.”

At that moment, the truck disappeared as the shadow swallowed it whole. Then without hesitation, Suho turned around and climbed onto Kaisel’s back.

“Let’s go, Mom.”

Another breaking event had just been added to the day’s headlines.