Episode 28. Just One Smoke. It’s Been Tough.

“Honey.”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you going to the guild office today?”

“Oh, right. It’s my day off today.”

“Then go back and get some more sleep.”

In a shabby apartment in Incheon.

A middle-aged couple watched over a child, who looked like an elementary school student, sleeping under a blanket.

This was the home of Man Saseong, the guild master of the Harmony Guild.

They had rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night because their child had a sudden seizure. After receiving treatment, they had just returned home.

The child, exhausted from the early morning ordeal, had fallen asleep in his mother’s arms before they even reached home. Man Saseong had gently carried him to bed.

This was a routine they went through once or twice a month, but it never got any easier.

The couple, having stayed up all night, was now pushing each other to get some rest.

“No, you should rest. You hardly get a break because I’m usually not around.”

“You’ll wear yourself out.”

“Haha. Did you forget? I’m an Awakened.”

“Stop pretending to be strong. Do you know how loud your snoring has gotten lately? I was wondering how tired you must be.”

“Ahaha… Did I really?”

“You did.”

Ring. Ring-ring.

Just as Man Saseong scratched his head in embarrassment, the phone rang.

“I’ll just take this call.”

“Alright.”

Man Saseong checked the caller ID and hurried outside.

Soon after, his face stiffened as he listened to the call.

“Can’t you give us just two more years?”

I understand your situation, but we have to make a living too. Ask around. Everyone’s already raised their rent and deposits. We can’t be the only ones waiting indefinitely. If you can’t manage by next month, you’ll have to vacate. I’ve made myself clear.

“Then, could you please give us just one more year? We really don’t have anywhere else to go…”

I’m hanging up.

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

“Sigh.”

Man Saseong bit his lip unconsciously.

He didn’t mind feeling humiliated and miserable.

He was too old to be swayed by such things.

The real problem was that no matter how much he swallowed his pride and pleaded, nothing improved. In fact, things only seemed to get worse over time.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

His sigh was deep and heavy.

He even thought about the cigarettes he had quit.

He had promised never to smoke again after his son got sick.

‘And just last week, they said the office rent would go up too. What a mess.’

Bad news always seemed to come all at once.

The timing was impeccable.

Was this what it meant to feel utterly hopeless?

As he lamented his situation, Man Saseong looked up at the apartment he lived in.

‘I should’ve bought a place like this when I was younger… But even if I had, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.’

As a C-rank Hunter running a fairly large guild, his earnings weren’t bad. In fact, compared to an average person, he was doing quite well.

But Man Saseong had a sick young son.

A son with a rare disease that wasn’t easy to treat.

It was a disease that appeared with the advent of the Gate era and was still difficult to cure.

The monthly medical expenses were astronomical.

There was a specialized hospital for treating his son’s rare disease, but getting in required a substantial amount of money.

It was beyond what Man Saseong could manage.

The hospital had a limited number of patients it could accept, and the queue was long. Even if he had the money, getting admitted wasn’t easy.

Another specialized hospital was supposed to open on a large scale this year, but the opening date and its capacity to accept patients were still uncertain.

He’d probably have to line up with money again.

But the biggest problem was that Man Saseong didn’t have that money.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

As his thoughts reached this point, he despaired once more at his own helplessness.

To make matters worse, the guild’s situation had become difficult over the years.

Bear Richard, who had been the vice guild master, had secretly persuaded some capable members to leave and start a new guild with him.

The blow was significant.

Man Saseong had always thought that the camaraderie and bonds among the guild members were enviable, so the betrayal was a huge shock.

He couldn’t forget the moment Bear Richard announced in front of all the guild members, “I can’t stand this lousy guild anymore. I’m leaving.”

He even had recurring nightmares about it.

Since that day, the guild had started to decline significantly.

But the final blow came from elsewhere.

It was the Gate Change incident that happened recently.

It was a stroke of bad luck, or whatever you might call it.

Because of that incident, even the remaining guild members left.

Some developed a phobia of Gates and retired, while others transferred to different guilds or expressed a desire to take a break from being Hunters.

You needed a sense of shame to hold onto guild members who wanted to leave.

All he wished for now was for his son’s illness to be cured safely, so he couldn’t bring himself to stop the guild members from leaving for their own reasons.

In the end, all that was left was his most trusted younger brother, Ki Seungho, who was currently the vice guild master, and the clueless but enthusiastic Choi Yongsik, who had just returned from a dispatch mission to witness the guild’s downfall… and the only Gate Helper of the Harmony Guild… Thunder Emperor…

Yes, that Thunder Emperor.

Our C-rank guild is using a Legendary Rank, one of the 12 Apostles, as a Gate Helper. Haha.

‘How did things end up like this?’

One day, the association suddenly sent a young, new Gate Helper.

But honestly, even the two Gate Helpers they already had were more than enough.

He even thought that one would suffice.

Unless it was a large-scale operation involving multiple guilds, having three Gate Helpers was a bit excessive.

While there were guilds that used more than three Gate Helpers regardless of the Gate size, Man Saseong, who had to run the guild practically and reduce unnecessary expenses, thought otherwise.

However, the association said that the guild wouldn’t have to bear any costs for this Gate Helper.

They said the association would handle everything and that they should use him freely.

It was the first time he’d heard of such a thing, but there was no reason for Man Saseong to refuse the offer.

He regretted the part where they mentioned that the work might be very short-term.

But it turned out that the man was,

‘Thunder Emperor.’

He never imagined it, not even in his dreams. Who would have known?

It was amazing. Seeing a hero of humanity, whom he had only seen on TV or in videos, in person, and witnessing his power during the Gate Change incident was awe-inspiring.

After that, for some reason, he continued to stay as the guild’s sole Gate Helper.

He heard in passing that it was to write some novel, but Man Saseong couldn’t understand what that had to do with being a Gate Helper.

But since he was offering to help the guild for free, he gratefully accepted his service.

Honestly, it was a huge burden, but the merit of having a free Gate Helper somehow outweighed the immense pressure and gratitude.

Anyway… things couldn’t go on like this.

He needed to find a way to earn more money.

To do that,

‘Should I increase the number of times we enter Gates?’

Man Saseong quickly shook his head.

No. With the current guild’s strength, they were already stretched thin.

If they went in more, everyone would be worn out.

In that case,

‘Maybe I should work as a mercenary…’

But then again, who would hire an old C-rank Hunter like him as a mercenary?

His head throbbed.

For every solution he thought of, two or three new worries followed.

No matter how he thought about it, no good ideas came to mind.

So, Man Saseong sat crouched on the street, lost in thought. It was truly exhausting.

He needed something to relieve his stress.

Before he knew it, he found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in his hand.

‘Oh, I shouldn’t… I promised…’

The promise he made to his son came to mind, and he twisted his body in agony, holding the cigarette.

Passersby glanced at him.

He must look strange. A big guy like him acting this way.

He wanted to shout, “What do you know!”

Well, since he bought it, he might as well have just one.

Son, Dad’s going to have just one smoke. It’s been tough.

With that significant decision, he put the cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when,

Ring-ring. Ring-ring.

“Whoa!”

The sudden ringing of his phone startled him, and he dropped the cigarette from his mouth.

Huh? Dropped?

He looked down to see the cigarette floating in a puddle of stagnant water.

“…Haha, haha.”

With a hollow laugh, he looked at the phone screen, which showed an unknown number.

‘What is it? Another phishing scam?’

If something like that annoyed him today, he felt like he might just grab all his weapons and tools and head out.

“Hello.”

Man Saseong, biting his lip, answered the call.

A voice came through the phone.

And then,

“Yes? Which… city did you say?”

His eyes widened in surprise.