The Rankers Guide to Live an Ordinary Life - CH 20

The nightmare of March.

Around 8000 victims in total.

Cracks were cracks, but the amount of sacrifices made in the man-made calamity also couldn’t be ignored

The government who abandoned the people, and the hunters that ignored their duties.

The protests that demanded for the impeachment of the president continued every day in the streets.

And petitions calling for the giant guilds to be punished were carried out nationwide.

Lion’s Eun Seok-won lost one of his eyes.

The grade 1 crack on Mt.Seoraksan had the highest number of casualties.

The only people who blocked it were the members of 〈Silver Lion〉and its affiliated forces.

Numerous Lion brothers never came back and were forever buried in Seorak.

The〈Silver Lion〉guild expressed its support for the reform of the awakeners act.

Same went for 〈Haetae〉that protected Uijeongbu by itself.

Along with the temporary hiatus of 〈Haetae〉 the guild master announced that he would retire after handing the position over to his granddaughter, Ha Yan-sae, who was a high schooler.

For all the big guilds except 〈Silver Lion〉and 〈Haetae〉, the flames of hatred people had against them couldn’t be extinguished. Every day a different apology press conference was held.

But it was already over,

Their reputations had already become bloody.

Because there were too many victims, joint funerals had to be divided region by region.

Zio looked at the portrait of her father that was too far away to be seen clearly.

Estimated time of death;

March 26th, 10:40 in the morning.

By the time Zio asked where her father was, Gyeon Tae-song was already at death’s door.

His body, which was found late, contained two  notes.

One was a request to go and rescue his young daughter and the civilians at the Oriental medical clinic, while the other was a will to give to his family.

He had written in advance just in case he wouldn’t be able to return alive.

Thanks to that, everyone else was able to safely get rescued.

Zio was taken to the hospital immediately after being rescued due to a high fever, she woke up right before the funeral.

Everyone, including her mother, strongly opposed her attending the funeral, but she refused and cried until she could go.

There was heavy air everywhere.

The grieving sobbing of the bereaved families.

Her younger brother, Ji-rok stood next to the dazed Zio and held her hand tightly, not letting go.

“Sister.”

“…”

“If parents get awakened, there is a higher chance for the children to do so.”

“…”

“I-I’ll definitely become awakened and… will climb the tower. I will climb up until the last second and find out why they are doing this to us.”

He would definitely do that.

Teary eyes.

A young Ji-rok made a promise with his tear filled eyes.

January, and December, they were 11 months apart.

They were born in the same year and grew up as friends instead of siblings.

The face of her younger brother who endured everything.

Zio didn’t reply.

When the coffin was being put down, as her mother put it halfway. She murmured like a madman with a face that lacked tears.

“You idiot. …Gyeon Tae-sung you stupid idiot. Who the hell do you think you are…”

Not even she seemed to know what she was talking about.

“You say you are a hunter but what kind of a hunter even are you? You bastard who isn’t even as good as a salary man.where is it, what do you know, what kind of a power do you even have? You are such a fool. Why would you go there? I told you not to go. Who do you think you are, a human who doesn’t even think about his position, what are you even doing….”

“…”

“Zio.”

“Don’t live like that. You just -don’t live like that. Just- -yes?- – live.”

When there was no answer, her mom turned around.

Mrs. Park was the strongest person Zio knew, the face of such a person crying was both shocking and frightening.

Her mother, who bended down her knees, grabbed Zio’s shoulder. It hurt.

“- – -. – – – – – -. – -.”

“…”

“- – -. – -. All right?”

Gyeon Zio nodded and promised.

She got it.

She would definitely do that.

***

She asked if she could revive the dead.

The deity responded saying It’s impossible.

She asked if she could turn back time.

The deity said as much as he wanted to, it was impossible.

Then she asked what the hell could she do.

The deity.

[Your covenant ’the reader of fate’ answers.]

[He whispers saying it’s simple to block memories so you wouldn’t have recollection of the events.]

The funeral was over.

Her mother got rid of and burned everything related to her father’s death.

Half a year went by.

Zio could no longer remember her father’s face.

***

The place she stood at was a field of flowers covered in thick fog.

All the fragments of memories that had been covered up and erased long ago had returned.

The 20 year old Gyeon zio stood crookedly with her hands in her hood pockets.

She could feel a gaze.

It was a gaze she knew very well.

“…Did the perverted bastard star finally fulfill its dream of kidnapping?”

[I’m hurt.]

Deity.

The only weakness of the incarnation Gyeon Zio lightly laughed.

【If it was my skill, I wouldn’t have brought you to such a shabby place.】

“Then where are we?”

Zio asked, smashing away the intangible hand that gently touched her like a fly.

【Baby cat is in a cold city.】

“Where?”

【Red Lily hill in the border.】

Wow. I see.

Excuse me sir, how am I supposed to know if you say it like that?

As she silently waved her fists, the Covenant softly added.

【You can think of it as one of the places used by spiritual creatures whenever they do their tricks.】

【The prays that can’t return to their world become fertilizer and bloom the bud of nightmares.】

In other words, it was the final disposal site for souls who failed to wake up from mental attacks.

【I woke you up because you were sleeping in a cold, rough place. Did you have a good dream?】

“Don’t ask if you already know.”

【I’m setting the stage so we can speak in ease. Humans also call it consideration.】

Zio looked around.

Every time it rubbed against her body, the red flowers scattered into the mist.

It was quite beautiful scenery that didn’t match it’s creepy reality.

“In short, this is it.”

While walking, Zio started rhyming.

“The pure and innocent little girl Zio, who was too innocent for the world, fell for the devil deities old-fashioned tricks and committed a crime that erased her memories of her father, didn’t she?”

【Hmmm. I have an objection.】

“Defendant Star, you may speak.”

【Isn’t Devil too low-key…?】

“Noisy. Toilet-class Satan.”

Covenant continued speaking languidly in a distant echo.

【Humans are always looking for answers.】

【Answering is also a human thing.】

【That was the only answer that Gyeon Zio asked for that day.】

【Why? Did you happen to have a change of heart because you recovered your memory?]

“That can’t be.”

Rather, she didn’t know if this was okay if she wanted it to be like this.

“Nothing has changed. It’s just that.”

So this was why every time she talked about her father, Bambi avoided her.

And the face of Mrs.Park.

She kept her promise about a topic she couldn’t even remember.

“This was just a dime.”

It was a worn-out humanity, the professional and chronic diseases of the hunters.

This is especially true for wizards.

It wasn’t just because of that.

Life and death.

Somewhere in the middle.

On the border of a heterogeneous fantasy, a single human with a distinct color.

Zio’s short hair fluttered in the wind.

She ran into her past full of dark memories, it was a sweet potato trial.

(A slang for being frustrated/feeling uneasy)

She had no intention of creating a story of growth like that of heroes or main characters.

She just raised her chin and crossed her legs as usual.

Because nothing would ever change.

The place Gyeon Zio always stood at was the peak.

Where else could she go?

This position wasn’t for those who longed to get stronger, but for those who stood firm and never fell.

“I graduated when I took off my uniform in tears while looking for Mom and Dad.”

【That’s too bad. If you shed even some sad tears this oppa wanted to give you his shoulder to let you calm down.】

“Unni is still too far away from that. Did you not hear? King Zio only cried twice in her life.”

When she was born.

And when Mrs. Park spilled a salt container on the braised beef ribs.

“To continue on the topic, King Zio only got mad 3 times in her life.”

And this place was also a place to clearly distinguish between withdrawal and mercy.

The sky was distorted.

The stone mountain shook like a wave.

Zio had her head up as she faced the calm before the storm.

“When the Wi-Fi was off limits. When someone else won first place, and…”

When the killifish touched her powers without knowing the subject.

[The unique traits of spirit are being awaken]

[The hidden trait, ‘King’s majesty’ will be lifted!]

[The trait ‘immobility” evolves into ‘lionism’ (legendary) in response to ‘King’s dignity’!]

There was no reason a sword that cut the neck of a dragon couldn’t cut through a sashimi.

They were similar things, it’s only because she never experienced a mental attack that she was unfamiliar, but now that she did.

The enemy was no longer an enemy.

“Unni.”

【I am telling you it’s not unni.】

“Then ahjussi.”

【You’ll get in trouble.】

“I understand why you keep telling me to go to the tower. It’s been a while since I talked to you through my voice, so it was nice to meet you. But I can’t come here often.”

Of course, it was annoying to be bothered, but…

“If I level up like this every time I come, you will look like a gangster.”

[The difference between you and the opponent is remarkable.]

[Enemy’s binding force will be lifted!]

Saaaa-

The border turned upside down.

And the world.

The red flowers that soared into the sky like waves fell in unison.

It was time for the comeback of the ecosystem disturbance now that she leveled up.