Chapter 126: Their Vacation (2)
On February 20, 2041, a video was uploaded to the DG Guild's MeTube channel.
It documented a Gate clear, featuring Hunters teaming up with humans from another dimension and elves to fight off monsters.
Five days later, another video was posted, coinciding with a surge in subscribers after the elves' debut. This time, the footage showed elves watching movies and dramas, or going wild at live performances by the idol group, Fairy Flower.
Though unseen by the public, elves had long been considered mysterious. However, this video revealed that—differences in talent, lifespan, and appearance aside—elves weren't so different from humans after all.
Typically, those near Hunters could understand otherworldly languages thanks to the Earth System. Without a Hunter present, however, that effect disappeared.
To address this, the DG channel provided subtitles, allowing a broader audience to follow along. Some videos featured elves; others showcased the Temple Alliance, humans who used a power called sacred power. Knights and soldiers from a vast nation known as the Aians Empire also made appearances.
—You all have experienced a lot in the past three days: dubbed dramas, movies, console and computer games, chess, xiangqi, gomoku, Go... You even became fans of that elemental idol group after attending their concerts.
Kim Ki-Rok spoke from the podium, directing his gaze toward the elves and imperial soldiers seated below the stage.
—It would normally be hard to enjoy movies or dramas without Heroes around, since you wouldn't understand the language. But that's not a problem. I plan to give you the equipment you need to record your voices.
The elves and humans cheered and applauded.
—That said, the only thing I'm giving you for free is the voice-recording equipment needed for dubbing. I'm thinking of selling the rest. The items you enjoyed weren't especially expensive, not to the point where anyone would cry out, 'That's too much!' But still, they were prepared using public funds. I hope you understand.
He couldn't give the items as gifts because they'd been purchased with public funds?
The audience's reaction was lukewarm, though they had no choice but to accept his reasoning.
—Alright! Let's begin the auction. We will only accept mana stones as payment. Once an item is sold, I'll deliver it immediately. Now, presenting our first auction item!
Kim Ki-Rok gestured to his right, and Lee Ji-Yeon stepped onto the stage, her face flushed. She pushed a cart beside him, set it up quickly, then turned and ran offstage.
—Our first item is a beam projector, a screen, a USB drive, and a laptop loaded with a dozen Korean morning dramas—also known as makjang dramas. What's a morning drama, you ask? Think of a play so outrageous that you find out your wife is actually your long-lost younger or older sister.
"Did he really have to use that metaphor?" President Kim Tae-Hoo said as he watched DG Guild's newly uploaded video, "Auction with the Elf."
Nearby staff who had also been watching bowed down in an attempt to hide their smiles.
The president sighed deeply and asked his aide, "What's the most popular video so far?"
Shaking to hold back laughter, the aide took a deep breath and answered, "The top videos are the Fairy Flower fan meeting, the recording sessions with the High Elf and the Saintess, and the village adventure with Ji-Hee."
"Not the collaborative monster hunts?"
"No sir."
"This is driving me crazy."
It wasn't surprising that the video of Fairy Flower chatting with fans after their stage performance had gone viral. Kim Ki-Rok often brought up the idol girl group to boost their recognition.
The popularity of the videos featuring the High Elf trio and the Saintess also made sense. After all, the first elf-focused release had emphasized their importance.
The video about Kim Ji-Hee's village adventure? That one, too, had a clear appeal. She was a well-known Hunter, and the footage offered a glimpse of the elf—or rather, human—city from another dimension. Until now, such scenery had barely been shown, since most of the previous videos had been battle-heavy.
Still, just because he understood the popularity didn't mean he agreed with it.
"You said Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok will return in three days?" the president asked, recalling a request he had received earlier.
After receiving confirmation that the Permanent Gate modification was complete, Kim Ki-Rok sent for the government-affiliated Hunter who regularly reported to the upper echelons, asking him to relay a message: gather the press at the DG Guild on March 3rd at 9 a.m.
"Yes, that's correct," his aide confirmed.
"Before we go on, could you pause that?"
The pink-suited auctioneer, Kim Ki-Rok, was particularly grating.
As soon as the video stopped, President Kim Tae-Hoo tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought.
"Turn it off. Haaa, I can't believe we paused right there," he muttered, glaring at the frozen close-up of Kim Ki-Rok's face on the screen.
Even after the screen went completely dark, one problem remained.
"Ha! I can't concentrate."
A few people attending the meeting doubled over silently, while others coughed drily.
Kim Tae-Hoo could hardly blame them. The video had been so absurdly memorable that even with the screen off, its imprint lingered like a phantom image, disrupting everyone's focus.
"For now, contact the reporters in touch with us, broadcasting stations, and embassies of each country. Tell them that Kim Ki-Rok is scheduled to clear and exit the Gate on March 4th."
"Understood."
***
Why did Kim Ki-Rok open a market, debut an idol group, and wander around filming movies, unlike everyone else? Simply put, there was nothing left for him to do.
He had already gathered all the information he could by repeating life dozens of times. He didn't need to visit the library, nor did he need to converse with key figures of the Continental Alliance.
Of course, he still exchanged information in conversation now and then, just enough to avoid raising suspicion. But unlike members of other guilds, he didn't have to shadow important people or bury himself in research.
"Hmm, what should I do?"
Kim Ki-Rok stared into space as he sat on a bench beside Kim Ji-Hee, eating crepes by the central fountain where the now-dismantled platform had once stood. He'd already used all the material he could. All that remained was editing.
He considered adding more elves to his usual footage, but ultimately decided against it. If they appeared too often, it might put viewers off.
"Okay. Stop," Kim Ji-Hee demanded, prompting him to turn toward her.
"Yes, I'm stopping," he replied.
"Mister."
"Hmm?"
"Make me another one, please."
"You got it."
He stood up and walked over to the nearby cooking station. With practiced ease, he made two fresh crepes and handed one to her.
"Mister," Kim Ji-Hee said again, examining her crepe.
"Hmm?"
"Is this chocolate?"
"No, it's strawberry. Want me to change it?"
"Ummm..."
Strawberry was also good, Kim Ji-Hee thought as she shook her head. Once she had the crepe in hand, she dug in with a bright, satisfied smile.
Just as Kim Ki-Rok was about to take a bite of his own, he felt someone watching him. He turned to see a small group of elf children—probably eight or nine in human years—staring at him with wide, hungry eyes.
"Hmm, what's the matter, hyungs and noonas?" he asked with a light smile.
"I'm not a noona," one of the elf girls replied firmly.
"Not a hyung," said another.
"You are," Kim Ki-Rok said, shrugging. "If we're going by appearances, I think I should be calling you oppa or hyung."
"But we're not..." the two replied in tandem.
"Sure, let's go with that," Kim Ki-Rok said, chuckling. "So, what do you need?"
The elf children had been surprised by how politely this human adult spoke to them, using honorifics. Now that his tone had suddenly shifted, they hesitated, blinking at him.
Finally, they nodded in unison and said, "Mister."
"What," he replied, already knowing where this was going.
"Does that taste good?"
"Aha! You want me to make you one?"
The elves nodded again.
Kim Ki-Rok stood up from his seat again and returned to the cooking station. With swift, practiced movements, he made four chocolate crepes and handed one to each of the elves.
"Woah!"
"Wow!"
The dessert looked like a work of art. The young elves sat down on the bench beside Kim Ji-Hee and eagerly dug into their crepes.
"Wo...ah..." they murmured, eyes wide in awe.
It was almost frightening how sweet and delicious it was.
"Mister Pink," one of the elf girls said, looking up at him.
The children had taken to calling Kim Ki-Rok the Pink Hero, after the bright, eye-catching armor he wore as a hero.
"Huh?"
"What's the name of this?"
"Crepes."
"Crepes?" she repeated, the word unfamiliar on her tongue.
"Yes. It's a type of pancake from a country called France."
"Crepes..." she echoed again, trying it out.
"That's right, crepes."
The girl nodded solemnly and took another bite. She shivered at the overwhelming sweetness, a flavor entirely new to her.
"Hmm."
Kim Ji-Hee and the elf children continued to sit on the bench, happily munching away on their crepes.
"Hmm," Kim Ki-Rok murmured, watching them.
There's nothing else to do, anyway.
"Hey, kids. Want more?"
Kim Ji-Hee and the elves nodded vigorously.
"Ji-Hee," he called.
"Yeeess!"
"You've had five already, so no more for you."
Kim Ji-Hee pouted and looked up at Kim Ki-Rok with her clear eyes. "Booo."
"No means no."
"Booo... Daddy."
Although she usually called him Mister or Guildmaster, following the example of other guild members, Kim Ji-Hee would occasionally break out that word specifically when she wanted something. That something was usually food. Delicious food.
Ha! At her age, already using that trick? Who taught her this? Kim Ki-Rok thought with a sigh.
"Okay. My daughter, shall we eat two more?"
"Yeeess!" she shouted, victorious.
***
March 4, 8:30 a.m.
A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the DG Guild building, where a sign still hung declaring that the guild was on vacation. Reporters from internet news outlets, broadcast crews, and Hunters from other guilds had all assembled. Even politicians had shown up, and mixed in with them were ordinary civilians, drawn by the buzz and rumors spreading like wildfire.
It looked like a world expo of the entire human race.
"P-please. Co-coming through!" a voice cried.
Kang Seok-Hyun, a reporter for the internet newspaper Hunter World, had arrived early and staked out a prime spot at the front of the DG Guild entrance. He turned at the sound, recognizing the voice immediately as it belonged to an old college classmate.
"Excuse me! I have a reserved spot! I'm a reporter! A reporter! Please let me through!" shouted Lee Bo-Ram, a reporter in the Hunter Department of K Daily, as she forced her way through the throng.
Like most major outlets, K Daily had managed to secure a place near the entrance, though not due to Lee Bo-Ram's own efforts. The credit belonged to a junior colleague who had joined the company just a month earlier and had saved the spot next to Kang Seok-Hyun.
"Gosh, I almost got trampled to death," Lee Bo-Ram said, shaking her head as she brushed her hair back and straightened her clothes. "Oh! Great job, junior. You held the spot well."
"Ha, haha..."
The junior reporter looked rough, his hair messy and his clothes stained with dried ramen broth. He looked like he had been homeless for the past three days, which was not exactly wrong.
"Junior," Lee Bo-Ram said, eyeing him sympathetically.
"Yes, Senior," he replied wearily.
"I'm really sorry, but... before you go home, stay and work with me for a while."
"Senior."
"Yes?"
"I was only told to hold the fort. I even got a message from Senior Yoo just now. She said, 'You've really worked hard. Go home and rest once Bo-Ram gets back.'"
Several nearby reporters nodded in quiet agreement. The rookie was in his first year, and he had worked hard. Three days on-site without a break was no joke.
"Junior."
"Yes."
"You're a fan of Ji-Yeon, right? Are you really going to leave without seeing the beautiful Elementalist, Lee Ji-Yeon?"
His resolve began to waver, but the exhaustion from three nights of sleeping rough still had the upper hand over fan devotion.
"And, come on, hmm? I'm nicer than your other seniors, right?" Lee Bo-Ram coaxed.
"You are?"
"Yeah. Unlike the others, I'll make sure your name is included in the article."
"But I'm just a rookie..."
"If we cover the story, take the photos, and write the piece together, both our names should be on it."
"Ooh!"
The thought of having his name published just a month into the job made the junior reporter pause. Then he let out a deep sigh, sat back down, and pulled out his laptop.
The minutes dragged on until, nearly an hour later, a shout rang out.
"It's open!"
At the reporter's cry, cameras snapped up, and the entire crowd—press and civilians alike—turned to face the entrance of the DG Guild building.