The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: A Brief Life in Korea

The two remained at the restaurant for quite some time.

After finishing their meal, they stayed at the table a little longer, talking about various things that had happened over the years and gradually becoming accustomed to the strange reality of sitting across from each other again after thirteen years.

Eventually, they left the restaurant and continued walking through the evening streets.

The city had already become much brighter than it had been earlier, with storefronts illuminated by colorful signs and people filling the sidewalks on their way home.

Ares had intended to buy an ordinary smartphone, something practical that would allow him to communicate and access information without drawing unnecessary attention.

Jun-ho, however, apparently had a different idea.

When they entered an electronics store, he immediately went toward one of the more expensive models on display.

Ares looked at the price.

"Hyung, that’s unnecessary."

"Why?"

"It’s too expensive."

Jun-ho picked up the phone and handed it to him.

"You’re going to use it every day, aren’t you?"

"Yes, but that doesn’t mean I need something like this."

Jun-ho shook his head.

"After everything that happened today, you’re still worried about saving me money?"

Ares looked at him.

Jun-ho smiled.

"Just accept it."

Ares hesitated.

"I can buy it myself."

"I know you can."

Jun-ho gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

"But let your hyung do something for you once in a while."

Ares sighed.

"You’re not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No."

"...Fine."

Jun-ho laughed.

"Good choice."

The purchase was completed shortly afterward.

Jun-ho helped Ares set up the phone, transferred his own number into it, and made sure Ares knew how to contact him before they left the store.

By then, the evening had already grown late.

They eventually reached a point where they needed to go their separate ways.

Jun-ho stopped and looked at Ares.

"Then I’ll see you tomorrow."

Ares nodded.

"Alright."

Jun-ho smiled.

"And Tae-ho."

Ares looked at him.

"Thank you."

His expression became more serious.

"Not just for what you did today. For everything."

Ares remained quiet for a moment before smiling.

"You don’t have to keep thanking me."

"I know."

Jun-ho laughed softly.

"But I’m still going to."

He glanced toward the road.

"Be careful on your way back."

"I will."

"And call me if anything happens."

Ares nodded.

"Yeah."

Jun-ho smiled.

"Good. I’ll see you tomorrow."

"See you, hyung."

The two finally parted ways.

Ares waited until Jun-ho had disappeared into the evening crowd before turning around and making his way back toward the apartment.

By the time he arrived, the city had become noticeably quieter.

He climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the apartment door before knocking.

A moment later, the door opened.

Ji-won stood there with his smartphone still in his hand.

"Oh, Tae-ho. You’re back."

"Yeah."

Ares stepped inside.

Ji-won closed the door behind him and followed him into the living room.

He had apparently been waiting for him while looking through his phone, and the moment they sat down, he looked over with clear curiosity.

"So, how did everything go?"

Ares leaned back against the sofa.

"I managed to take care of what I needed to."

Ji-won nodded.

"I see. Then that’s good."

He put his phone aside and looked at Ares.

"By the way, are you hungry? I can make something if you haven’t eaten yet."

Ares shook his head.

"No, I already ate."

"Really? Where did you eat?"

"At a restaurant."

Ji-won smiled.

"Sounds like you had a good evening."

"It was fine."

Ares looked down at the smartphone Jun-ho had given him.

Ji-won noticed it almost immediately.

"Is that a new phone?"

"Yeah."

"When did you buy that?"

"Today."

Ji-won looked at it more closely.

"That’s an expensive one."

Ares glanced at the phone.

"Yeah, someone i know give me this."

Ares didn’t bother explaining that he hadn’t actually intended to buy such an expensive model.

Instead, he put the phone away.

After a brief silence, Ji-won leaned back against the sofa.

"By the way, Tae-ho, are we hunting again tomorrow?"

Ares thought about it for a moment.

"Let’s see..."

He glanced toward Ji-won.

"Alright. We can hunt tomorrow."

Ji-won’s expression immediately brightened.

"Perfect."

He sat up straighter.

"Actually, while you were away, I spent some time training."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"You did?"

"Yeah."

Ji-won clenched his hand and smiled with renewed confidence.

"I figured I couldn’t keep relying on you forever, so I worked on my combat skills and practiced controlling my mana."

He looked at Ares proudly.

"So tomorrow, you’ll see a completely different Ji-won."

Ares smiled.

"That’s good."

He leaned back comfortably.

"You should get used to becoming stronger. It won’t help if you always depend on someone else to protect you."

Ji-won nodded firmly.

"Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do."

The two continued talking for a while before eventually preparing to sleep.

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The next three days passed rather quickly.

Ares and Ji-won continued hunting together, although they decided to start with D-Rank Gates rather than immediately taking on another C-Rank dungeon.

For Ji-won, the decision was obvious.

They had already earned a considerable amount from the previous C-Rank Gate, and there was no reason to take unnecessary risks when they could make a steady income from easier dungeons.

For Ares, it was simply another opportunity to observe how this new world worked.

The D-Rank Gates were considerably smaller than the C-Rank dungeon they had entered before, and the monsters inside were weaker as well. There were still dangers, of course, but with the two of them working together, the hunts were relatively straightforward.

Ji-won handled the fighting.

Ares carried the supplies and occasionally stepped in whenever something threatened to overwhelm him.

There wasn’t much need for Ares to display his real strength.

In fact, he deliberately kept his abilities to a minimum.

The important thing was earning money while allowing Ji-won to become more accustomed to fighting.

By the end of the first day, they had collected several monster magic stone and a decent amount of materials.

After selling everything at the Association, Ji-won stared at the money in his hands for several seconds before smiling.

"It’s more than I expected."

"You should be able to replace some of your equipment now."

Ji-won looked toward the battered dagger hanging from his waist.

"This thing has been with me for a long time."

He pulled it from its sheath and examined the chipped edge.

"I bought it when I first awakened. It wasn’t good even back then, but I couldn’t afford anything better."

Ares glanced at the weapon.

"Then you should replace it."

"I will."

Ji-won smiled.

"Just not today. I still need to save enough for my father’s medicine."

Ares didn’t argue.

The second day went much the same way.

They entered another D-Rank Gate, cleared the dungeon, collected the useful materials, and returned before evening.

The third day was no different.

By then, Ji-won had earned enough to finally replace the equipment he had been using for so long.

They visited a shop that specialized in equipment for low and mid-rank Awakeners.

Ji-won spent a considerable amount of time looking through the available weapons before finally settling on a new dagger.

It wasn’t particularly expensive by the standards of the store, but compared to his previous weapon, the difference was obvious.

The blade was properly balanced, the edge was sharp, and the handle was reinforced well enough to withstand repeated use.

He also purchased a simple set of hunter equipment consisting of durable clothing, light leather armor, boots, gloves, and several small pouches for carrying supplies.

After changing into the new equipment, Ji-won stood in front of a mirror and looked at himself.

He turned slightly from side to side.

"How do I look?"

Ares glanced at him.

"Much better."

He looked at his new dagger again, clearly pleased.

"It’s strange."

"I’ve been using that old dagger for so long that I almost forgot what it was like to hold something that actually feels reliable."

Ji-won carefully returned the dagger to its sheath.

"This should make things easier from now on."

It was a small change.

But for Ji-won, it meant something.

He finally had equipment that didn’t look like it was going to fall apart halfway through a hunt.

That evening, however, Ares had already made his decision.

He was going back.

There were still things he wanted to investigate on Earth, but he hadn’t intended to remain here permanently. His responsibilities in the other world had continued in his absence, and he was already in his second year at the academy.

He couldn’t simply disappear for weeks without explanation.

More importantly, there were people waiting for him.

So before leaving, Ares quietly prepared something for Ji-won.

While Ji-won was asleep, a small shadow slipped into the room.

It was one of Ares’s summons.

The creature possessed no remarkable appearance and could remain completely hidden from ordinary senses, making it perfect for what Ares intended.

He placed it near Ji-won without saying anything.

It would remain there.

If Ji-won encountered a situation he couldn’t handle, the summon would intervene.

Ji-won would never know it was there.

That was exactly how Ares wanted it.

After making certain everything was in place, Ares left the room.

He had no intention of telling Ji-won.

There was no need.

The following morning, Ares went to Jun-ho’s house.

Jun-ho opened the door after hearing the knock.

When he saw Ares standing outside, a faint smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Tae-ho."

"Hyung."

Ares returned the greeting.

Jun-ho stepped aside.

"Come in. What brings you here this early?"

"I came to say goodbye."

Jun-ho’s expression changed slightly.

"You’re leaving?"

"For a few days."

Ares stepped inside.

"I have some things I need to take care of, so I’ll be away for a little while."

Jun-ho nodded slowly.

"I see."

There was no disappointment in his voice, but Ares could tell that he hadn’t expected the visit to end so quickly.

"You’ll come back, right?"

"Of course."

Ares smiled.

"I don’t plan on disappearing for a long time."

Jun-ho gave a quiet laugh.

"Good. I was beginning to wonder whether I’d only gotten one day with you before you’d vanish again."

They sat together for a while, talking about ordinary things.

Jun-ho asked about the academy Ares had mentioned, while Ares listened as Jun-ho talked about the small business he was considering opening now that he had been given a second chance at life.

The conversation wasn’t particularly important.

But perhaps that was what made it meaningful.

Neither of them needed to discuss the years they had lost.

For once, they could simply sit together and talk.

Eventually, Ares stood.

"I should get going."

Jun-ho rose as well.

"Be careful, Tae-ho."

"Yes, thank you Hyung."

Jun-ho hesitated before placing a hand on Ares’s shoulder.

"I’m glad you came back."

Ares looked at him.

"Yes."

Jun-ho smiled.

"Then come back safely."

Ares nodded.

"I’ll see you in a few days, hyung."

"Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ares stepped outside.

Before leaving, he turned around once more.

Jun-ho was still standing at the doorway, watching him.

Ares gave him a small wave.

Then he turned and walked away.

He had only been back on Earth for a short time.

Yet somehow, it already felt different from when he had arrived.

He had found an old connection he thought was lost forever, helped someone who had once been like family to him, and gained a clearer understanding of the world that had continued moving after his death.

But there was still much more to discover.

And for now, Ares had another world waiting for him.

He returned to a quiet location away from the city, where he could safely activate Dimensional Crossing without drawing attention.

The familiar distortion began forming around him.

Space twisted.

The world blurred.

Then Earth disappeared from his sight.

Ares returned to the other world.

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