Chapter 49. Mysticism #2
Kang Geon originally didn’t hit women.
No, to be exact, he was the type of person who didn’t hit people at all.
It wasn’t that he’d never used violence in his life, but the number of times he had fought could be counted on one hand.
This was thanks to his overwhelming physique.
There were hardly any people who would pick a fight after seeing Kang Geon’s massive body.
Even people with anger management issues would suddenly gain the ability to control their rage when they saw Kang Geon, and sometimes they even ended up with a bowel control problem instead.
Of course.
It wasn’t as though he had lived his entire life without any friction with others.
Very rarely, there were insane people with nothing to lose who picked fights with him.
But even then, things didn’t escalate into fights.
Kang Geon didn’t react aggressively to trivial provocations and just laughed them off.
He wasn’t born with a combative personality.
His environment as he grew up also didn’t twist his character.
Most people had been scared in advance and treated him kindly against their will.
That’s why Kang Geon had tolerated most troubles and, as he grew older, became someone more and more distant from violence.
This was all before Kang Geon went to the other world.
That place was a dangerous world where monsters roamed freely.
Death was always lurking nearby.
As a result, most people, regardless of gender or age, naturally developed aggressive personalities.
Not innately, but through circumstances.
The experiences in that world were more than enough to change Kang Geon’s personality.
He became someone who was strong toward the strong and weak toward the weak.
Kang Geon, who had been someone people would call “strong against the strong and weak against the weak,” had now developed the opposite trait, becoming someone “strong against both the strong and the weak.”
Being weak didn’t necessarily mean being good.
In fact, there were cases where the weak were even more malicious.
Moreover, it was also hard to clearly distinguish between the strong and the weak.
Unlike on Earth.
In the other world, being old, young, or female didn’t automatically make you the weak one.
That was because magic, supernatural powers, and other abilities existed there.
Conversely.
Just because someone had a large physique didn’t mean they were free from being picked on.
There were plenty of big people who were actually weak. Kang Geon himself, who couldn’t use magic or supernatural powers, was also considered weak.
Because of such an environment, Kang Geon’s personality had no choice but to change over time.
And as time passed.
When Kang Geon was lucky enough to acquire a certain ability and used it to build the strongest body possible.
His personality changed once again.
This time, it became what one might call “harsh toward the wicked, kind toward the good.”
To explain in simpler terms:
He became someone who was harsh toward the wicked and kind toward the good.
—
As soon as Kang Geon returned to Earth, he witnessed an unpleasant scene.
A school bully, likely a delinquent, was harassing a frail girl.
Without hesitation, Kang Geon intervened between them, and before he knew it, he had slapped the delinquent girl across the face.
Due to his experiences in the other world.
He had no aversion to violence.
Naturally, hitting a woman also didn’t bother him at all.
The girl he had hit was simply one of the “wicked.”
At least according to Kang Geon’s judgment.
Even if Shin Somang wasn’t necessarily good just because she was weak, that didn’t matter to him.
His action wasn’t about helping Shin Somang—it was simply because he was in a bad mood.
“Hic, hic…”
The delinquent girl, who had been unconscious for a while, finally woke up.
She let out a painful groan as she picked up a tooth that had fallen on the ground, glaring fiercely at Kang Geon with bloodshot eyes.
“You, you… I’ll report you for assault!”
Kang Geon, interpreting her slurred speech roughly, responded with a satisfied expression.
“I’d appreciate that.”
Everything’s going as planned.
At least she wasn’t accusing him of sexual assault.
That was what crossed his mind.
“…Appreciate it? Why?”
The girl, unaware of Kang Geon’s thoughts, was bewildered.
Why does he look so confident?
How can he just hit a woman like it’s nothing?
Does he have connections?
Or is he someone of high social status?
And what does he mean by ‘appreciate’?
All kinds of thoughts crossed her mind.
After much speculation, she concluded that the man who had hit her wouldn’t be harmed even if she reported him.
In fact, he might have the power to ruin her life!
This was the conclusion she reached.
Normally, without any rational judgment, she would have just kept screaming.
But Kang Geon’s slap had woken her up.
For the first time, she thought about the consequences of her actions.
The girl suddenly realized how scary the world could be, and her beastly way of thinking began to turn more human. Her intelligence even seemed to rise a bit.
The proper fear and overwhelming violence she had just experienced completely changed her attitude.
In the end, the girl stayed silent and only cried.
Meanwhile.
“Um… sir, may we go now?”
A male delinquent cautiously asked Kang Geon.
After glancing at the crying girl, Kang Geon calmly replied.
“Yeah. Take her with you. Just because you broke up doesn’t mean you can leave her behind.”
“Understood!”
The male delinquent, now relieved that his life was spared, led the other delinquents away.
“Thank you!”
“Mister, could you hit me too?”
“You crazy girl. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up.”
“Goodbye!”
The other delinquents politely bowed and quickly disappeared with the crying girl.
Watching them go, Kang Geon quietly muttered to himself.
“Delinquents these days seem a bit tamer than before.”
It was a misunderstanding.
Delinquents these days were, if anything, even worse than before.
They had only instinctively entered ‘weak mode’ upon seeing Kang Geon.
After all, his body had become even more intimidating than before.
Standing idly by, Shin Somang hurried over to Kang Geon and bowed her head.
“Um… thank you for helping me.”
“I didn’t help you. I just stepped in because they were bothering me, so there’s no need to thank me.”
“Still, you helped me, so… thank you.”
Kang Geon stared at Shin Somang.
She was a person who knew how to express gratitude properly.
Based on that alone, he judged her to be closer to a good person.
So, he decided to offer her a small favor.
Of course, just because someone was good didn’t mean he helped them unconditionally.
Kang Geon wasn’t a hero.
He simply didn’t bother good people, but unless they were in a life-threatening situation, he didn’t often go out of his way to help.
It was hard to judge what was good and evil, anyway.
And Kang Geon himself was closer to someone neutral than good.
But in this situation, he thought it was only right to take minimal responsibility since this girl might suffer because of him.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Could you give me your phone number?”
“Huh… my number?”
“Yes. I’m not asking for it with bad intentions. I just want to help you. Those kids might hold a grudge about today and cause you trouble.”
“……”
“If you give me your number, I’ll reach out later. And if you have any problems because of them, you can contact me anytime.”
Shin Somang hesitated for a moment.
Seeing this, Kang Geon awkwardly added.
“You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.”
“Oh, no. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but… could I get your number instead?”
“Ah, sorry, but I don’t remember my number. I don’t even have my phone right now. And even if I had it, it would’ve been suspended for unpaid bills anyway.”
After some hesitation, Shin Somang eventually tore a piece of paper from her notebook and wrote down her number, handing it to him.
Normally, she would never have given her number to anyone.
But right now, she was deeply intrigued by Kang Geon.
It wasn’t simply because he had helped her.
Shin Somang had clearly seen it.
The moment when the space at the end of the alley had torn open, and Kang Geon calmly walked out from within it.
It seemed like no one else had noticed, given their lack of reaction.
‘Who exactly is this guy?’
Is he even human?
Kang Geon’s existence piqued Shin Somang’s curiosity.
She wanted to know more about him, to discover what he really was.
From this day onward.
Shin Somang began to follow him.
—
Shin Somang began researching what she had witnessed.
There wasn’t much she could do, so she started by searching the internet.
Of course, there was no way reliable information would come up.
Only stories from fiction, like comics or novels.
Other worlds.
Returnees.
‘Could that guy really be a returnee from another world? Was what I saw a portal?’
No way.
This isn’t some fantasy novel.
Normally, that would have been her conclusion, but Shin Somang didn’t completely dismiss the idea.
Sometimes, reality could be stranger than fiction.
Especially since she had seen with her own two eyes Kang Geon stepping out of something that looked like a portal.
The more she speculated, the more her interest in Kang Geon grew.
As her curiosity about him increased, so did the frequency of her following him.
She had no intention of asking him directly.
‘If I ask him outright, he probably won’t tell me. People like him tend to hide their true identities.’
If people like him casually revealed their secrets, information about them would already be widespread.
Of course.
Kang Geon had no intention of hiding his identity.
It wasn’t that he was reluctant to reveal he was a returnee; he just refrained from talking about it because people would think he was crazy.
Sometimes, he would even casually mention it when drinking.
Shin Somang didn’t know that.
After that.
Shin Somang continued to tail Kang Geon for a long time without giving up.
Once she became an adult, there were even days when she followed him around all day long.
Sometimes, she stalked him five days in a row.
Two years passed like this.
She found out that he was physically stronger than most people, that he worked manual labor all day long, and that, despite all the strenuous activity, he remained in perfect health.
She also learned that he liked drawing.
Other than that, she hadn’t discovered much about him.
Not once had she witnessed any moment that would fascinate the average person, like when he had stepped out of the portal.
Nevertheless, she continued to follow him.
Her curiosity had slowly faded, but she couldn’t stop stalking him.
One could say she had become addicted.
Or perhaps it had just become a part of her daily routine.
Her interest in his identity had lessened.
Now, just watching him from afar was enough to make her feel satisfied.
It had become a part of her life to secretly observe Kang Geon from behind.
Just when she was about to give up on uncovering his identity and settle for stalking him quietly.
====================
Kang Geon has requested assistance!
Labyrinth Explorer Kang Geon is currently in need of an assistant! Please respond to Kang Geon’s half-hearted request for help and become his assistant!
★Survive in Kang Geon’s thrilling labyrinth!★
♥Now airing to great acclaim!♥
Join now ▶Click◀
Hurry! If you don’t become his assistant within 24 hours, Kang Geon’s request will be canceled!
====================
She received a text message.
—
These days, Shin Somang was happy.
The mystery about Kang Geon had been solved.
The broadcast from the other world was fun.
The labyrinth monsters were cute, fascinating, and cool.
Most of all.
She was ecstatic to finally be inside Kang Geon’s house, a place she had longed to enter.
“As expected, there’s dust everywhere. Pururu should’ve cleaned up at least a little if he came by to see Geon.”
Even though she had stalked Kang Geon for so long, she had never crossed a line.
She had always suppressed her desire to enter his house.
After all, breaking and entering was a crime.
Of course, stalking was also a crime.
But anyway.
Her visit today wasn’t for any sinister purpose.
She came to atone for all the times she had followed him.
As his assistant, she wanted to fulfill her role and help in places where he couldn’t see.
She was here to clean Kang Geon’s neglected room.
Like a magical helper.
“I think I’ve cleaned enough…”
After finishing the cleaning, Shin Somang stared at the wardrobe.
Carefully, she walked over and opened the wardrobe door.
Inside were the clothes Kang Geon had worn.
Shin Somang took one of them and slowly brought it to her face.
“This is the one Geon wore 42 days ago.”
She buried her face in the clothes and took a deep breath.
“Hnnng… haaa…”
Kang Geon’s scent filled her nostrils.
“No need to do laundry yet.”
Shin Somang muttered to herself.
She convinced herself that this wasn’t an act done for any strange reason, but merely to check if the clothes needed washing.
It was a form of self-justification.
“And since I’ve helped him so much… it should be fine to take just one piece of clothing, right?”
With that, Shin Somang packed one of Kang Geon’s clothes and left the house.
—
On her way home.
Shin Somang got lost in old memories.
Entering a familiar alley, the day she first met Kang Geon naturally came to mind.
‘That day, Geon showed interest in me and asked for my number… I wonder if he’s still interested in me?’
As she slowly walked through the alley, reminiscing about distorted memories.
[Creak.]
“…Huh?”
An unsettling sound echoed from the end of the alley.
Soon, the source of the sound turned the corner and revealed itself.
A creature similar yet different from a human.
A hideous monster with green skin.
Shin Somang’s eyes widened as she took in the sight.
“A Psycho Clown?”
[Creeeak.]
It wasn’t a Psycho Clown.
Just an ordinary goblin.
“Why is there a monster on Earth…?”
Her shock was brief.
Swallowing her dry saliva, Shin Somang awkwardly waved at the goblin.
Maybe it was because she had watched Kang Geon tame monsters for so long on the broadcast.
She didn’t find the monster all that scary.
In fact, it even felt familiar.
She even wondered if she might be able to befriend the monster.
Then, she planned to ask why it was on Earth.
“Uh, hi? Are you pregnant or something? Your belly is huge.”
That foolish thought was instantly shattered.
[Creeeeeeeak!!!]
“Eek!”
With glowing red eyes.
Emitting a murderous aura, the goblin roared viciously.
Its sinister face, full of desire, was fixated on Shin Somang as it began to charge toward her.
She immediately turned and ran, frantically typing into the chat of Kang Geon’s broadcast, which she had kept open on her phone.
【Mysticism】─What should I doooo
【Pururu】─Oh. Mysti’s chatting again. She’s been chatting a lot these days.
【Yumi】─Her message seems urgent, though?
【Rizenova】─Did something happen?
─[Missy, what’s going on?]
【Mysticism】─Monsteeer
─[Monster? What monster?]
Crash-!
Shin Somang tripped and fell forward.
In the process, she dropped her phone.
[Creeeak.]
A small shadow slowly approached.
Lying on the ground, Shin Somang slowly turned her head to look up at the goblin.
Fear and chills ran down her spine.
It was nothing like seeing monsters on the broadcast.
Seeing one in real life overwhelmed her with terror.
‘My phone… where’s my phone…?’
She couldn’t ask for help.
She needed to grab her phone quickly and call for help…
But her phone had flown too far away.
And now, the goblin was right in front of her.
“It’s… too late…”
Shin Somang closed her eyes tightly.
The goblin reached out its filthy, repulsive hand toward her.
Its mouth watered at the thought of tearing into fresh flesh and filling its belly, before giving birth to healthy offspring.
And at that moment.
「Coordinates confirmed. Dispatch initiated.」
「Dimensional barrier breached.」
「The dispatcher’s power is being unlocked. The dispatcher has regained their original strength.」
Between the goblin and Shin Somang.
「The Demon King, Hedgehog Summoner, has arrived.」
The space tore open, and a small hedgehog jumped out.
[Doodoomba! Nice to meet you! Who’s Mysti?]
The hedgehog glanced at the goblin and asked.
[Is it you?]