Chapter 141 – Tapgol Park

[Ghost Wolf has been upgraded from A-grade to S-grade!]

[All stats of Ghost Wolf increase by 100.]

[Skill ‘Riding’ has been added.]

[Size increases significantly.]

The ghost wolf was enveloped in light and gradually grew in size.

2 times, 3 times… it kept expanding until it finally grew to 5 times its original size.

“Awoo.”

[AWOOOOOO!]

A powerful mid-bass voice struck his ears.

Even its voice was different now.

‘To think it’s grown this much already.’

Perhaps because he had watched it since it was small like a puppy?

Though it had clearly become majestic and threatening, because Min Do-jun still had memories of when it was a baby, it only looked cute to his eyes.

The bonus was the warm smile that formed, as if he had raised it himself.

‘As its body has grown, its abilities must have improved too, right?’

Min Do-jun, who was impressed by the 100-point increase in all stats, checked the newly added skill.

[Skill – Riding]

-Description: When you call out the skill name, you can mount the ghost wolf’s back. When mounted, you become ghostly like the ghost wolf, and skill use is prohibited. It is canceled when attacking and has a 24-hour cooldown.

‘Wow, what is this?’

Min Do-jun couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

‘I can ride Awoo?’

Moreover, when riding, he would also become ghostly.

‘Does that mean I can pass through walls freely like Awoo?’

The ghost wolf’s ghostly state was an absolute invisibility unlike normal stealth.

‘That means I can hide my appearance from anyone regardless of combat power, even from Shin Kyung-min?’

Not only did he gain a transportation method that could pass through walls, but also absolute stealth.

‘In other words, it’s cheating…’

There was no other way to describe how overpowered it was.

‘Since it’s come to this, should I try riding it?’

Min Do-jun looked at Awoo.

Though it might look scary to others, to its master, it was just cute. Awoo, reading its master’s thoughts, prostrated itself.

‘Riding.’

After activating the skill and approaching, Min Do-jun could feel Awoo’s soft fur, which normally should be intangible.

It felt like touching a real living being rather than a skill.

Whoosh-

Min Do-jun grabbed Awoo’s fur and mounted it, then looked at his own body.

His semi-transparent appearance indicated that he had entered a ghostly state.

‘Awoo, run.’

[Grrrr! Grrrr!]

Excited to carry its master, Awoo made a sound and cut through the air.

* * *

Pet Master Kim Byung-soo is a man in his 70s.

This means he was an early hunter who awakened 11 years ago.

Though he’s a solitary elderly man who hunts alone without belonging to any guild, his skills are genuine.

‘Once you see him utterly destroying monsters with six summons, you can’t forget it.’

Though he was such a powerful master, the world was unaware of his existence.

People would occasionally look at the ranking system and be surprised that there was an elderly hunter at level 2,502.

‘That’s inevitable. Pet Master is also skilled at disappearing without a trace.’

Even guilds couldn’t locate him, so they couldn’t make consistent recruitment offers even if they wanted to.

That’s how much Pet Master preferred to move alone and was adept at escaping.

It’s not for nothing that he’s called a reclusive master.

‘That’s how Kim Byung-soo gained fame as Pet Master.’

In about 3 years, an A-rank dungeon break will occur in downtown Seoul.

The first person to appear and prevent that dangerous moment was Kim Byung-soo.

‘Looking at just that, he’s no different from a hero who saved citizens, but…’

To Min Do-jun, he was a terrorist who participated in bringing down the country and a murderer who killed him.

‘But I’m not inclined to kill him for something that hasn’t happened yet…’

He would meet Pet Master and judge whether he had committed evil deeds worthy of death.

Only then could he justify his judgment.

‘Laugh at it as self-justification if you want. I’m just silently walking the path I believe is right.’

If he could kill his revenge targets, ultimately prevent the coup, and protect Cha Ye-rin?

‘I’ll be satisfied with that.’

He had no greater ambition.

As a foundation for this, Min Do-jun was now at Tapgol Park in Jongno.

‘This is where Pet Master is supposed to appear.’

Min Do-jun, who had once been in a party with Pet Master, had heard about places he frequently visited during their conversations.

‘He said he often takes his summons to Tapgol Park for walks to alleviate loneliness.’

Remembering those words, Min Do-jun was now wandering around Tapgol Park in an invisible state.

Since he knew the face well, there was no worry about not finding him.

‘Even if I don’t know the face, it doesn’t matter. I just need to find an old man walking with summons.’

However, since he didn’t know when or at what time he would appear, meeting him wasn’t easy.

After a full 2 weeks passed.

In between, Min Do-jun had been conquering the Shadow of the Desert dungeon and other A-rank dungeons, allowing him to grow to level 2,160.

‘Is he not here today either?’

Min Do-jun, who had been consistently searching for Pet Master by reducing his sleep, was finally able to see the fruits of his labor.

He discovered Pet Master Kim Byung-soo.

‘Seeing his face, there’s no doubt it’s Pet Master.’

An old man with an unforgettable face was walking a dog.

‘It’s not just a dog. It’s a summon.’

At first glance, it looked like a slightly large hunting dog, but it was clearly a summon that hunts monsters.

‘People who don’t know might find it hard to distinguish whether it’s a summon or not.’

Awakened individuals can instinctively tell whether it’s a skill or a real creature when they see a summon.

But ordinary people can’t do that.

‘Knowing that, he’s openly walking his summon like this… He’s quite peculiar.’

It was undeniably strange that he was walking a summon, not an ordinary dog.

Min Do-jun approached Kim Byung-soo.

Then, a weakness detection information window appeared.

[Kim Byung-soo]

-Description: A hunter born in 1951. Current level is 2,502. Unaffiliated, and his profession is Summoner.

-Combat Style: Utilizes various attack patterns using summons. However, he never sacrifices his summons.

-Weakness: Though his summons are strong, his physical specs are quite low. He tends to get excited at the death of his summons.

‘I can see his weakness.’

No matter how much of a reclusive master Kim Byung-soo was, he was no match for Min Do-jun.

‘Well, with my combat power exceeding 1 million, anyone below S-rank would be beneath me.’

Still, he had been worried if he could defeat Kim Byung-soo.

But it seems he had underestimated himself too much.

‘That’s good. This way, I can not only be invisible but also transform my face.’… With no risk of being detected, he could wear a mask and perfectly hide himself.

This was the advantage of having high combat power.

Sruruuk-

Min Do-jun’s face transformed into that of a man in his 40s.

‘Being a bit older would arouse less suspicion.’

It would be best to transform into an elderly peer, but Min Do-jun’s voice was too young for that.

After completing his disguise, Min Do-jun walked directly towards Kim Byung-soo.

It would be simple to approach and kill him like this, but that wasn’t his intention.

Killing was only for those he judged to be evil.

For now, he was approaching just to talk and explore.

As the distance shortened, the man in his 70s looked at Min Do-jun with wary eyes.

“Hello, elder. Out for a walk?”

“……”

Though there was no response, Min Do-jun, undeterred, spoke with a friendly demeanor.

“Is that your dog? It looks impressive.”

When Min Do-jun casually tried to touch it, the hunting dog growled and bared its teeth.

“If you don’t want to lose your hand, I recommend pulling back. Our Byung-hoon doesn’t like being touched by others.”

At the old man’s words, Min Do-jun silently withdrew his hand.

“Is the dog’s name Byung-hoon?”

“Rather than a dog, I’d prefer if you called it a puppy. Though it looks big, it’s only 1 year old.”

“Really? It seems to be growing fast, huh.”

As he looked at the puppy with wonder, a layer of suspicion lifted from the old man’s eyes.

“You’re an ordinary person, aren’t you?”

“Pardon? What do you mean by ordinary?”

“If you had known this child was a summon, you wouldn’t have tried to touch it so easily.”

A hunter would instinctively recognize that the hunting dog in front of them was a skill.

The fact that he tried to touch a summon that could tear apart monsters without any fear proved he was an uninformed ordinary person.

“Plus, the fact that you believed me when I said it was born a year ago.”

Naturally, summons are not living beings.

Though they can be touched, they don’t defecate or die.

They are just programmed skills.

Of course, they don’t reproduce either.

Seeing him believe it without question, it was natural to mistake him for an ordinary person.

Of course, Min Do-jun was not unaware of these facts.

He had deliberately acted like an ordinary person to lower the guard.

“No, were you testing me?”

Because of this, Min Do-jun also didn’t forget to react as if he was bewildered.

His acting must have been convincing, as the wary Kim Byung-soo’s eyes softened somewhat.

“I apologize if I offended you. Having been harassed by hunters in my younger days, it’s become a habit to check if someone is an ordinary person.”

According to information Min Do-jun had heard before his regression, Pet Master had received numerous recruitment offers from guilds in the past.

‘When he says he was harassed by hunters, he must be referring to that. That’s why he lives in seclusion.’

It was certain information since he had heard it directly.

“Hunter? Were you a hunter, elder?”

“I wasn’t particularly trying to hide it, but yes.”

“And this puppy is a summon?”

“That’s right. What do you think? Not much different from a regular dog, right?”

“Indeed. I was almost fooled…”

Min Do-jun, who had been acting bewildered, asked with a curious expression.

“But aren’t summons skills rather than actual living beings? Why do you walk it around?”

Min Do-jun already knew the answer.

He had asked the same question before his regression.

If his thoughts were the same then as now, he would answer like this.

“Because it’s convenient.”

‘Exactly like that.’

Sure enough, the answer was the same as before.

“Convenient?”

“Of course. Think about it. It has a tangible form, but you don’t have to clean up after it. It doesn’t get sick, and it won’t die of old age later. How convenient and ideal a pet is that?”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, it does seem that way. It seems to have all the advantages.”

“Right? Even though it may not have life, I am its parent. Having been together for several years, I’ve grown attached.”

Kim Byung-soo’s eyes, as he looked at the hunting dog, were filled with infinite love.

His feelings of considering his summons like his children were genuine.

“Is that why you gave it a human-like name?”

“That’s right. Hmm, wait. I usually don’t bring out the others, but I’ll show them to you specially.”

It’s a parent’s heart to want to show off their children.

Having found someone who understood, Kim Byung-soo, checking the surroundings, summoned his summons.

“This cat here is Ye-seul, the one I cherish the most after Byung-hoon. And this one is Gi-hoon. It’s a hyena, but contrary to its appearance, it’s gentle.”

Kim Byung-soo, after explaining while being mindful of the people around, dismissed the summons, leaving only the hunting dog.

“I’d like to show you more, but given the location, I’ll stop here.”

“Ah.”

Min Do-jun made a disappointed expression.

“They’re all cute and pretty, aren’t they?”

“Right? Especially Ye-seul’s tail. Isn’t it adorable how it curls up?”

“Yes, it was really cute.”

As Min Do-jun agreed and responded enthusiastically, Kim Byung-soo took the opportunity to boast at length.

‘As expected, his love for animals is immense, both then and now.’

Even when they met as party members, he would talk excitedly if Min Do-jun complimented animals just a bit.

‘Why did such a person betray me in the end?’

He clearly had no memory of being disrespectful or looking down on the summons.

“People might think I’m crazy for treating summons like my children, but do you know how comforting they are when I’m lonely? If you have children, you’d understand. They’re so lovable…”

The more Min Do-jun conversed with the old man, the more perplexed he felt.

‘A pure-hearted old man who loves animals. Nothing more, nothing less.’

Since he couldn’t find any malice anywhere, he couldn’t find a justification to kill him.

‘It’s certain that Kim Byung-soo participated in the coup at the end. But…’

Looking at his current state, Min Do-jun could only tilt his head in confusion.

He didn’t look like a bad person to anyone.

‘Am I really on the right path?’

Just as he was uncertain whether to kill him or not.

A shout was heard from somewhere.