Chapter 246: Back at Ji Won’s Apartment

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Back at Ji Won’s Apartment

Ares continued walking through the streets, his hands resting casually at his sides as he made his way through the familiar surroundings. He had only been back on Earth for a short while, yet there was already a strange sense of familiarity in the ordinary rhythm of the city, with people moving between shops, vehicles passing along the roads, and Awakeners occasionally appearing among the crowds.

He was about to turn onto another street when a familiar figure caught his attention.

Ares slowed down.

A young man was walking a short distance ahead of him, carrying several bags filled with groceries and other supplies. Although his appearance had changed slightly since their last meeting, Ares recognized him immediately.

It was Ji Won.

As if sensing someone’s gaze, Ji Won turned his head.

His eyes landed on Ares, and he stopped in his tracks.

"T-Tae Ho?"

Ares gave him a small smile.

"Yo. It’s been a while."

Ji Won stared at him for a moment, seemingly making sure that he was not imagining things before his expression gradually softened.

"Yeah. I didn’t expect to see you again after a few weeks."

"How have you been?"

"I’m doing well," Ji Won replied, adjusting the bags in his hands. "I’ve mostly been hunting in D-Rank and C-Rank dungeons lately, although I’ve also joined a few expedition teams whenever I had the opportunity."

"I see. Good for you."

Ji Won smiled faintly before looking at Ares with a little curiosity.

"By the way, what about you? How have you been?"

"I’m doing fine as well. I’ve just been busy handling a few things."

Ares deliberately kept his answer vague.

There was no reason to explain the events that had taken place in Ravellon, the Eclipsed Order, or everything else he had been dealing with. As far as Ji Won was concerned, Tae Ho was simply someone who had been busy with his own affairs.

Ji Won nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer.

"That makes sense. You always seem to have something going on."

He glanced toward the bags in his hands before looking back at Ares.

"By the way, will you come with me? I’m planning to cook something at home."

"Sure."

Ares then remembered the power banks he had collected earlier.

"Actually, I brought the power banks I bought last time. Would it be alright if I charged them at your place?"

Ji Won looked surprised for a moment, then laughed softly.

"Of course. I don’t mind. All right, let’s go."

The two of them continued walking together toward the apartment.

The journey was relatively quiet, although Ji Won occasionally brought up small things that had happened during the past few weeks, most of which were related to his dungeon hunts and expeditions. Ares listened without interrupting, occasionally responding when necessary, while his gaze wandered across the familiar streets.

After walking for some time, they eventually arrived at the apartment building.

Ji Won unlocked the door, but before he could even open it completely, it was pulled open from the inside.

Han Do Hyun stood on the other side.

His expression immediately brightened when he saw Ares.

"Oh, Tae Ho. Come on in."

"Thank you."

Ares entered the apartment together with Ji Won, and the familiar atmosphere immediately settled over him. It was a rather ordinary home, but after everything he had experienced across different worlds, there was something strangely peaceful about returning to a place like this.

Ji Won carried the groceries toward the kitchen.

"You can sit down for a while. If you’re bored, you can watch television while I cook."

"It’s fine. I’ll just use my phone for a while."

Ares took out his phone and casually sat down.

However, after only a moment, his attention shifted.

There was something unusual in the atmosphere.

Ares narrowed his eyes slightly.

A dense concentration of mana was spreading through the surrounding area, far stronger than what could normally be felt in this part of the city.

He turned his gaze toward Ji Won.

"By the way, what’s this dense mana I’m sensing?"

Ji Won stopped what he was doing and looked back at him.

"Oh, you haven’t heard about it yet?"

"Heard about what?"

"An S-Rank Gate appeared just last week."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"An S-Rank Gate?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won placed the groceries on the kitchen counter before continuing.

"According to the reports, there isn’t anything to worry about for now. The authorities have already sent a large number of high-ranking Awakeners inside, and from what I’ve heard, most of the monsters found within the Gate are only around A-Rank at most."

"And the boss?"

"Apparently, there’s only one."

Ares remained silent for a moment.

’An S-Rank Gate with only one boss and mostly A-Rank monsters.’

It was certainly unusual, although not enough to immediately concern him.

Ji Won continued explaining what he had heard.

"They’ve already started the expedition, so everyone is saying that the Gate should be cleared soon. The Association is keeping a close eye on it, and the guilds involved have apparently prepared enough people to handle the situation."

"I see."

Ares nodded calmly.

There was no reason for him to interfere without knowing the circumstances.

"Then I’ll continue preparing the food."

"All right."

Ji Won turned his attention back toward the kitchen while Ares leaned against the sofa, taking out his phone.

For the next while, he casually browsed through social media and various news updates concerning the S-Rank Gate.

The reports were already spreading rapidly.

Several major news outlets had posted images of the Gate, along with articles discussing the large-scale expedition that had been organized to clear it. There were also countless discussions among Awakeners, with some people speculating about the identity of the boss while others argued over which guild would receive the most credit once the Gate was cleared.

Ares read through several of the reports without showing much reaction.

Most of them contained little information beyond what Ji Won had already told him.

He continued scrolling for another few minutes before eventually putting his phone down.

By then, the smell of food had begun spreading throughout the apartment.

Ares glanced toward the kitchen.

Ji Won was carrying several dishes toward the dining table, carefully arranging them one by one. It was clear that he had put considerable effort into the meal, rather than simply preparing something quick.

After placing the final dish down, Ji Won wiped his hands and looked toward Ares.

"Tae Ho, you were already appointed as an S-Rank Awakener, right?"

"Yeah."

Ares nodded.

Ji Won hesitated briefly before continuing.

"I received a call from the Chairman recently. He was actually looking for you, but I told him I couldn’t contact you."

"I’ll visit him later."

Ares glanced toward the table.

"He probably wants me to participate in the expedition."

"That’s probably it."

Ji Won nodded.

"If an S-Rank Gate has appeared, it makes sense that the Chairman would want every available S-Rank Awakener involved."

Han Do Hyun, who had been listening from nearby, looked at Ares with visible surprise.

"To think Tae Ho has already become an S-Rank Awakener."

Ji Won immediately shook his head.

"You see, Father, Tae Ho is much stronger than an ordinary S-Rank."

Han Do Hyun looked at his son.

"You’ve seen him fight?"

"Of course i am."

Ji Won’s expression became serious as he recalled the first time he had witnessed Ares’s strength.

"I’ve seen him fight before, and even though I don’t know exactly how strong he is, I could tell immediately that his power was on an entirely different level from what I’ve seen from other S-Rank Awakeners."

Ares remained silent, allowing Ji Won to speak.

After a moment, he turned toward Ji Won.

"What about the other guilds? Have they tried to recruit you?"

Ji Won gave a small sigh.

"Yeah. A few of them have already approached me, but I turned them down."

"You could join one if you wanted to. Being affiliated with a guild should provide considerably better income and resources, shouldn’t it?"

"That’s true."

Ji Won pulled out a chair and sat down.

"But joining a guild also means accepting their rules, schedules, and responsibilities. I’m not sure whether I want to give up that much freedom yet."

He thought about it for a moment before giving a small shrug.

"Still, I’ll think about it later."

"That’s probably for the best. There’s no need to make the decision immediately."

Ji Won nodded.

"Exactly."

With the conversation settled for the moment, the three of them finally sat down around the table.

Ares picked up his utensils and took a bite of the food Ji Won had prepared.

He chewed slowly, then looked at Ji Won.

"It’s good."

Ji Won’s expression immediately brightened.

"Really? I’ve been learning how to cook different kinds of dishes since last week, so I’ve been practicing whenever I have the time."

"Is that so?"

Ares took another bite before giving a small nod.

"Then you’ve improved quite a bit. Honestly, this makes me feel as though I’m eating at a restaurant."

Ji Won laughed softly.

"You’re flattering me."

"I’m only telling you what I think."

Han Do Hyun smiled as he watched the two of them talking.

The atmosphere around the table was relaxed, with none of the tension that usually accompanied discussions about Gates, Awakeners, or the dangers that had become an ordinary part of their world.

For a while, there was nothing particularly important to discuss.

They simply ate together.

The conversation occasionally shifted toward ordinary matters, with Ji Won talking about his recent dungeon expeditions and Han Do Hyun commenting on small things that had happened around the apartment. Ares listened quietly, responding whenever necessary while enjoying the meal in front of him.

After they finished eating, Ji Won gathered the dishes from the table.

Ares helped him clean everything up, and Han Do Hyun eventually joined them before the three of them finished putting the kitchen back in order.

Once everything had been cleaned, they returned to the living room and settled down comfortably, allowing the apartment to fall into a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.