Chapter 50
After Jia disappeared,
Juhyuk, as usual, set out for an A-rank gate as soon as his forced rest period ended.
This time, finding an A-rank gate wasn’t particularly difficult.
The incident at a gate he had previously cleared with Hyunsu had spread through rumors, and more people who had witnessed his skills firsthand began to recognize his abilities.
Of course, A-rank gates themselves didn’t appear that often, so there was some difficulty finding one…
Fortunately, he managed to slot into an available party at a remaining empty spot.
“All right, everyone, let’s go in.”
As always, all eyes turned toward him.
In the past, this would have been overwhelming, but now, it didn’t bother him at all.
He hadn’t received this kind of attention even back at the academy.
Just make sure the artifact isn’t noticed.
He had even secretly wrapped it under his armor with bandages, just in case.
Juhyuk meticulously concealed the artifact.
“Let’s ease in slowly, vanguard members!”
The gate run proceeded smoothly.
Since this gate had been cleared multiple times before, there was no particular issue.
With the party advancing, the atmosphere was good, and it seemed like a peaceful run was coming to an end…
Clang—!
Until a three-headed hellhound appeared before them.
“C-Cerberus?”
“Why is that here?!”
A Cerberus appeared in the cave.
The party, having only faced undead or slimes before, was shocked at this sudden appearance.
A Cerberus showing up in an A-rank gate that’s not even a boss room?
Nothing about it made sense.
It was hard to call it a mutation, unlike his first gate experience.
“What… what should we do?”
“We… we have to fight it!”
The panicked party quickly regained composure and prepared for battle.
An S-rank monster versus four A-rank hunters.
If they all attacked together, they might have a chance—but only barely.
As everyone swallowed the fear rising from the depths of the cave, Juhyuk calmly observed the Cerberus and noticed a familiar accessory around its neck.
That collar… is that the same Cerberus?
He had only ever faced a Cerberus twice in his life—once now, and once before in Hell, serving Mephisto.
The memory of almost dying made its distinctive collar unforgettable.
Yeah, that’s definitely the one.
Why had Mephisto’s hellhound come all the way here?
The answer didn’t take long to become clear.
Juhyuk stopped the party members from charging in and said,
“Fighting this thing now would be suicidal.”
“Huh?”
The party looked puzzled.
Juhyuk pointed at the collar he had just noticed.
“See the collar? It means this monster has an owner.”
The party, focused only on the Cerberus itself, had missed the collar entirely.
Once they noticed it, their expressions tightened.
“You’re saying a stronger one than it might appear?”
“That may be true, but… since we’ve encountered it, we have no choice but to fight.”
“Yes, we have no choice but to fight.”
Juhyuk quietly drew his sword.
“Not all of us need to fight.”
“….”
Nobody on the party misunderstood what he meant.
“I’ll handle it. Evacuate immediately.”
“But we can’t leave Hunter Juhyuk behind…”
“Do you want to die together?”
He asked, calmly and matter-of-factly.
Before anyone could object, he stepped slowly toward the Cerberus.
“Before you change your mind, go back and get someone.”
“….”
The party hesitated.
They clearly felt uneasy about leaving a rookie hunter behind, but soon the leader, seeming to make a firm decision, sheathed their weapon.
“We’ll be back soon.”
“Come before you die.”
The leader left without another word, likely burning with guilt for sending the rookie into danger.
Their footsteps faded.
The party had fled at full speed.
The Cerberus ignored them completely, standing in place.
“….”
“….”
The standoff continued.
Come to think of it, I haven’t settled this with that guy yet…
The fight left unfinished due to Mephisto’s previous appearance.
If Mephisto hadn’t shown up back then, he would’ve died—but now the circumstances were entirely different.
Having eaten the Dream Herb and completed the corrupted training room, he was ready.
[You struggling against Jinky? A light flick of the finger isn’t going to cut it.]
He could win.
The hellhound’s mana stone could contribute significantly to the funds for founding his guild.
Juhyuk slowly approached, sword in hand, toward his delicious prey.
Clang—!
The Cerberus barked lightly and took a small step back.
The left head, which had kept its mouth shut, spat something out.
“…A mana stone?”
No—it wasn’t a normal mana stone, but a gem emitting an intense light.
Before he could figure out its nature, the Cerberus smashed it with its paw.
Crack—!
The heavy sound of the gem breaking.
Smoke rose from the shattered gem, forming into a familiar shape.
Gate.
The gem’s destruction created a gate.
Almost immediately, a familiar face appeared in the gate, grinning mischievously.
“Hello~ Long time no see.”
Mephisto emerged, her expression friendly.
He had expected her to appear, but now he had to postpone finishing off the Cerberus a bit longer.
“Why are you suddenly appearing in an A-rank gate?”
“There was no other way to meet you… so I had to appear.”
“What if the party hadn’t run away?”
“Ha, if I showed up, they would’ve all run anyway.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Anyone would flee if a dangerous demon like her appeared in an A-rank gate.
“So, what do you want?”
“I came because something interesting happened.”
Leaning on the Cerberus, she asked softly,
“You met the human who recently signed a contract with me, right?”
“…You said you signed a contract with them?”
“Why~ we’ve been seeing each other every day recently.”
The person she met every day for a week.
Juhyuk thought of Hyunsu for a moment but Mephisto clarified.
“A girl who smokes heavily and has serious dark circles.”
A girl with heavy dark circles and a strong smell of smoke.
There was only one person recently who fit that description.
“Seong Jia.”
“Right, Seong Jia.”
The same Jia who told him to stand down while she destroyed the Association.
He frowned at this unexpected connection.
“You’re saying she contracted with you?”
“Just over ten years ago, I think?”
Ten years?
She muttered to herself, spreading her fingers slowly. Juhyuk, not wanting to dwell on Jia, replied nonchalantly:
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Exactly, it doesn’t. I came to make it happen anyway.”
She exaggerated her gestures dramatically, like a musical actor delivering lines.
“Do you know how tragic her past was? Bad enough she had to contract with a demon…”
Mephisto glanced at Juhyuk slyly while saying this.
Then she put her hands down and chuckled.
“You don’t look that curious.”
“More villains have tragic pasts than ones without.”
He already knew, thanks to the Hyunho Candy crew, that their motives weren’t entirely about money.
He didn’t need to know more.
“Knowing more would just make me uncomfortable.”
If he ever had to face them, remembering their past might make him hesitate in combat.
Juhyuk, knowing he wasn’t cold-blooded enough to act entirely without empathy, had no desire to satisfy her curiosity.
“Exactly. That’s my point.”
Mephisto immediately understood his intent.
“I want you to know.”
“I said I don’t want to know.”
“I know. I expected that from the start, and I just heard it straight from your mouth.”
“So, we’re done talking?”
She seemed to expect a reaction, enjoying the conflict.
I don’t need to get caught up in these games.
Whether he listened or not, there was no reason to let himself be bothered by the petty stories of villains.
No point in it at all.
“I got information about Garisto. Don’t you need it?”
She already knew he wasn’t the type to waste time chasing gossip.
“This isn’t a bet—it’s a trade.”
There was a reason she came all this way to propose it.
Offering him information he couldn’t refuse, in exchange for one condition.
“Listen carefully to Garisto’s past while I give you the info.”
Mephisto grinned widely.
Aside from her skin color and eyes, her face was mostly human—yet at moments like this, she reminded him that she was a genuine demon.
“What will you do?”
“….”
A moment of hesitation.
Honestly, getting information about Garisto in exchange for hearing Jia’s past was a fair deal.
It was an offer anyone would take.
Yet, for a demon like Mephisto to deliberately come and offer such a one-sided condition… it felt a bit off.
Maybe this info isn’t even that useful to me… should I risk it?
“Hmm~ It’s necessary if you want to enter the Garisto Mansion. I guarantee it with my name.”
She tilted her head, sighed, and said disappointedly,
“Damn, the gate’s already open.”
With that, Mephisto moved toward the gate with the Cerberus.
She added one last line before disappearing:
“Remember the place we saw last time? I’ll open it tomorrow at the same time. See you then~”
“….”
With that, she vanished.
The gate soon closed, leaving Juhyuk alone, facing the choice before him.
