MLCAI 18

MLCAI

Posted by Elsa, Released on September 8, 2025

Chapter 18

Chapter 2

When worn, <Atlas’ Safe House> becomes accessible.

It wasn’t until the morning, when the sun had fully risen, that Saebyeok returned home.

Her younger brother had already gone to work.

On the way, she had laid the sleeping Sihu on her own bed, then checked the messages waiting on her phone.

“Housemate: You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?”
“Housemate: Staying out all night—are you sane?”
“Housemate: Seriously, what’s going on lately?”
“Housemate: Be honest. Are you hurt?”
“Housemate: Did you take out a private loan?”

The screen was full of her brother’s worry and complaints.

“Housemate: I made some jangjorim (braised beef) and perilla leaf pickles.”
“Housemate: I left them in the fridge, so eat them if you want.”

It almost felt like she could hear his grumbling voice in her ears.

Still, the side dishes were all things Saebyeok liked—a touch that only her little brother would think of.

She chuckled and tossed her phone into her inventory, then stepped into the living room.

When she closed the door, Kang Suho was sitting on the sofa.

He was sitting upright, watching the live news on TV, a towel Saebyeok had given him neatly folded on his lap.

When Saebyeok stepped out, his gaze shifted from the screen to her.

The slight crease between his brows and his stern expression made it almost seem like he was glaring at her.

“Want a beer?”

Saebyeok grabbed two cans from the fridge, handing one to him as she sat down beside him.

Kang Suho took it but didn’t open it.

All his attention was focused on her, but he didn’t make a move. It was as if he was waiting for her to speak first.

Saebyeok opened her own can silently.

Hiss!

The cool sound of the beer foaming filled the air. She immediately took a big sip, drinking about half in one go.

“Ahh.”

She leaned back into the sofa with a satisfied sigh.

Another awkward silence followed.

She had succeeded in convincing Kang Suho to come home by using Sihu as an excuse.

But she wasn’t sure what to say to make him stay by her side.

She couldn’t use Sihu as an excuse every day…

Unlike the Kang Suho of her previous life—who had been completely wrapped up in hatred for the world and impossibly difficult—this Kang Suho seemed cautious, and somehow polite, which made her extremely awkward.

She found herself speaking carefully.

The news played quietly in the background.

[Newsroom]: The footage you’re seeing was all taken several hours ago in Seoul. Despite the distance, lightning strikes are clearly visible.

Footage, zoomed in from afar, appeared one by one.

Though shaky and low quality, the lightning striking mid-mountain at Bukhansan was clear.

[Newsroom]: Some netizens claim they felt vibrations even in their homes. Reporter Won, what’s the situation on the scene?
[Anchor]: As you can see, the sudden downpour extinguished the fires. However, most buildings have collapsed, and a large number of nearby trees were burned.

The gang’s hideout looked utterly destroyed through the news cameras.

[Anchor]: This large crater about 1 km from the building is where the head of the group was struck. From the remaining evidence alone, one can imagine how tremendous the lightning strike must have been.
[Newsroom]: Still no information on the “mysterious ally” who used the lightning skill?
[Anchor]: Correct. According to the consistent testimonies of survivors, it was a woman who wielded a spear. Unfortunately, no one got a good look at her face, so the association is having difficulty creating a composite sketch.

A few survivor interviews followed.

They were all wrapped in blankets with the Glory Guild logo or holding potion bottles marked with the logo.

[Newsroom]: Did Kim Ihan, the guild leader of Glory Guild, make any statements?

The focus naturally shifted to the Glory Guild.

[Anchor]: Kim Ihan Hunter is refusing all interviews for now and plans to release details later on the HunterTube channel “GloryHan TV”…

“Is she part of the Glory Guild?”

Finally, Kang Suho spoke.

“No.”

Saebyeok answered immediately; it was a simple question.

“I heard she’s not affiliated with the association. Then… a mercenary?”

As expected, he tried to figure out who she really was.

Having already been helped twice by her, he knew she meant no harm.

But he still didn’t know who she was or why she was showing such goodwill.

She had saved him from death twice without asking for anything in return—and now even offered him a place to stay. That made him uneasy.

For Kang Suho, who had always lived by the rule of “give if you receive,” such generosity was unsettling.

“I’m not a mercenary.”

Saebyeok leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees.

Tilting her head toward him, her dark red hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Her eyes, clear as glacier water, gazed at him.

“I haven’t registered with the association yet, so I don’t have a Hunter license.”

Kang Suho’s frown deepened.

“Not registered means…?”

“Not a villain, and I didn’t come from abroad either.”

Saebyeok answered preemptively, as if she knew exactly what he was worried about.

“It’s been three days since I awakened.”

“….”

His gaze hardened as he looked at her.

“Even a non-awakened person like me knows that doesn’t make sense.”

The beer can in his hand crumpled slightly—he mistakenly thought she was trying to deceive or tease him.

“It’s true. Seoul Station was my first battle. There were a lot of lizards that day, which helped me improve my skill proficiency.”

Saebyeok mixed truth and half-lies to reassure him.

“All my skills are elemental—water, fire, wind, lightning—so they’re easy to understand intuitively.”

Technically, it wasn’t a complete lie. That day really was the day she awakened.

But Kang Suho still stared at her suspiciously.

“It’s true. Want me to show you on my phone?”

Saebyeok spoke confidently, denying she was a villain. Kang Suho lowered his gaze back to the beer can.

His thoughts grew even more complicated.

No matter how he looked at it, this woman had no reason to lie to him.

But trusting her outright was difficult, because her claims had no clear evidence.

She had said she was S-rank.

An S-rank hunter couldn’t even land properly?!

There were only four S-ranks in Korea:

Association head Yoon Byunggeun
Ipado of the East Sea
Kim Ihan of Glory Guild
Hwang Taesan of the Black Dragon

She wasn’t on that list.

But since she wasn’t registered yet, she could be the fifth S-rank in Korea.

The appearance of an S-rank hunter is an event watched worldwide, so it couldn’t simply be dismissed as “not registered yet.”

Even so, her claim about improving her skill proficiency due to many lizards made no sense.

Thanks to his father, Kang Suho knew a lot about awakened people.

He also knew that an S-rank couldn’t become that proficient in three days.

B-rank or below might gain some information from the internet, but S-ranks were different.

Even Taesan, whose skills were intuitive, took a month to fully analyze his dragon.

Three days? She shouldn’t have even started.

Yet, because all her skills were elemental, no analysis was needed—he considered that plausible.

Her claims were consistent in that way. Each claim supported the others.

To believe one part, you had to believe all of it.

And whether to believe her or not was entirely Kang Suho’s choice.

[Anchor]: Breaking news! Among the rescued survivors was the daughter of Hunter Ipado! Last night, after dining with the association head at a famous Korean restaurant in Cheongdam, Ipado Hunter filed a missing person report when his daughter Lee Cheonghae did not return home, at which time he received a call from Glory Guild…

As the news played in the background, Kang Suho alternated his gaze between the beer can in his hand and the towel on his lap.

Truthfully… it would be foolish not to believe her.