Chapter 171: An Old Friend

The wretched relationship between Kang Ian and Kang Ji Yoon was far too glaringly obvious to the rest of the hunters. This predicament was genuinely perilous, if two SSS-rank hunters decided to throw down right here and now, the entire Dungeon might collapse around them.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario the hunters dreaded did not materialize.

A faint sound echoed from inside the tent, where Kei was currently sleeping, the safest spot at the moment under the protective watch of both Kang Ian and Kang Ji Yoon.

Kang Ian and Kang Ji Yoon pivoted simultaneously.

Both had already surged to their feet, their frigid gazes locking across the gloom. A single extra word of provocation would likely have hurled them into a full-blown brawl, yet right at this juncture, neither made any further move.

The tent flap was suddenly pulled open under the watchful eyes of many.

Kei poked his head out, his raven-locked hair a disheveled mess, his sleep-heavy eyes blinking against the campfirelight outside. He looked at this man, then shifted his gaze to the other.

Why on earth were there two identical faces?

Kei stood in a daze, momentarily under the surreal impression that he might still be trapped inside some bizarre dream.

Kang Ian was the first to withdraw his hand. He turned away quietly, striding toward the campfire as though suddenly recalling some other pressing task that demanded his attention.

Kang Ji Yoon lowered his hand, as well, though his expression immediately brightened. Seating himself right by the tent entrance, he tilted his head to look at Kei and flashed a grin.

"Kei, do you recognize me?"

Kei startled.

The face resembled Kang Ian so closely it looked as though it had been cast from the exact same oversized mold right before his eyes. Yet those golden locks and crystal-clear eyes somehow struck a chord of familiarity within him.

Alongside that gentle aura, overlapping entirely with an old acquaintance who had always worn that exact same smile whenever he stood before him.

Kei blinked, his lingering drowsiness evaporating past the halfway mark as the words tumbled past his lips:

"Kang Mi So... is that you? But why on earth did you turn into a man, and furthermore... Why do you possess a face identical to Kang Ian’s?!"

Kang Ji Yoon burst out laughing. He pointed a finger at his own face, making zero effort to conceal his amusement.

"Right now, I am Kang Ji Yoon, not Kang Mi So. And as for why I bear a face identical to Kang Ian’s? Because we’re twin brothers, obviously!"

Kei stared at Kang Ji Yoon for a beat longer, still entirely at a loss for words.

Kang Ian returned, holding a cup of warm water. He marched straight up to Kei’s side, unceremoniously shoving Kang Ji Yoon aside before pressing the cup directly into Kei’s hands.

"Drink this. Your voice is completely hoarse from crying."

"Thank you." Kei accepted the cup with both hands, his cheeks flushing a faint pink from embarrassment.

Bawling to the point of passing out directly inside Kang Ian’s arms was genuinely mortifying; Kei wished he could un-do that moment instantly, no matter how overwhelming his emotions had been at the time.

Kang Ji Yoon propped his chin in his hand, completely unbothered by being shoved aside. He watched Kang Ian with an expression that looked tailor-made to intentionally needle him, while Kang Ian acted as though he didn’t even exist.

Kei took a small sip of the warm water.

The gentle heat slid down his throat, anchoring him firmly back in the present reality. Kang Ian seated himself close by, and then slowly recounted the tale of the [Angel] race Ji Yoon had awakened into, detailing his ability to freely alter gender alongside the fact that he had chosen to become a woman solely to avoid carrying a face identical to his older brother.

Kei listened to the entire account, before letting out an irrepressible laugh.

At first, it was merely a soft chuckle. Before long, his shoulders were shaking violently, and tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.

Kang Ian knitted his brows.

"What on earth are you laughing at?"

"Nothing..." Kei forced out, though the harder he tried to rein it in, the more impossible it became to stop laughing the longer he stared at Kang Ji Yoon’s face. "It’s just... this whole situation is far too hilarious."

Kang Ji Yoon chuckled along, his eyes curving into crescents.

"At least you still find me entertaining."

Kei’s laughter gradually subsided.

An image abruptly flashed across his mind: a stunning angel he had crossed paths with during his journey alongside Daniel to the Holy Land. That individual had perpetually concealed their appearance beneath a shroud of white veils. Their physical form possessed an ambiguous, gender-neutral air that defied categorization, accompanied by a gentle voice and a proud, aloof aura.

That had been one of the rare friends Kei had ever made during his travels.

That angel had never revealed their true name or identity in Kei’s presence, yet during a perilous mission their party encountered within the Holy Land, the angel had materialized to assist them in pulling through.

The smile upon Kei’s lips abruptly froze solid.

Kei stared unblinkingly at Kang Ji Yoon. The longer he looked, the more pronounced that wave of familiarity grew. The golden hair. The crystalline golden eyes. A visage mirroring Kang Ian down to the bone, yet radiating an aura that irresistibly called to mind that old friend from years past.

Kang Ji Yoon offered a soft, knowing smirk.

Leaning forward toward Kei, he dipped his head to press a light kiss upon Kei’s forehead.

"It’s been a long time, my friend."

Kang Ian frowned and immediately shoved Kang Ji Yoon away. However, Kang Ji Yoon completely ignored him, stubbornly wrapping his arms around Kei in a cheerful embrace that instantly stole all of Kei’s attention.

"Wait... are you really... that angel?"

Kei stammered.

It only just dawned on him now that his drifting over to South Korea probably wasn’t a simple coincidence at all. So many of his acquaintances from his old world seemed to have been waiting for him right here the entire time?!