Chapter 144: Hive Removal (1)
“It’s just because I pushed myself too hard. It happens sometimes.”
Not that it’s actually common, but it’s a phenomenon that can occur when you overexert yourself beyond your abilities. Of course, no matter how determined you are to bring out power beyond your limits, it’s usually impossible—this sort of thing happens more often when a specific monster sucks out your mana and vitality.
“Healers aren’t much help; it’ll get better with rest.”
Probably. It’s like a temporary decrease in the eyesight stat. If, by any chance, it’s permanent, would I need to get glasses? Leveling up more might help restore it a bit.
“Why on earth did you overexert yourself?”
Han Yuhyun asked, glaring sharply at Seong Hyunjae as if he had already identified the culprit. Well, it was that guy’s fault, but half of it was also because I couldn’t control myself.
“I was using a mental skill on Seong Hyunjae and overdid it a bit.”
“So, it was the Sesung Guild Leader’s fault?”
“It’s not exactly that, but let’s just go with that.”
The root cause was Seong Hyunjae being unnecessarily sensitive. But that’s also probably why he retains memories from before my regression. Judging by how he recalls things while fighting, the parts he absorbed haven’t completely blended or disappeared.
I really want to probe him further, but I can’t handle the consequences. Should I look for someone with a hypnosis skill?
“Why did you change your clothes again? And why is your hair wet?”
“It’s because someone tied me up with chains and dragged me up to the third floor, then dunked me into a tank of water.”
Instead of answering, Han Yuhyun swept back his wet bangs that were stuck to his forehead. Meanwhile, the fire lizard perched on his shoulder flickered with small flames. I quickly stopped him as he began removing the sealed inventory bracelet from his wrist. Maybe I had been a little too honest.
“Hey, we’re indoors. If you pull out a weapon here, the building might collapse. Think of the regular employees at Sesung.”
I tried to calm my brother down as I glanced back at the equally drenched Seong Hyunjae.
“Anyway, you’re fine now thanks to me. You nearly drowned—well, not really, but close enough. Calm down, Yuhyun. Even after going through all that, I still helped him.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t seem to remember any of it.”
“Don’t think you can brush it off just because you can’t remember. Please track the sales routes for that monster honey. Also, if there’s a hunter who can extract information from corpses—and I’m sure there is—send them to Haeyeon.”
I need to check the truck driver’s corpse. At my request, Seong Hyunjae pulled out his phone.
“Once we catch the culprit, things are sure to heat up for quite a while.”
“I wasn’t planning to reduce them to ashes, you know. Hopefully, this ends with burning down an old roof—I’d rather not deal with the hassle. And also, please prepare a change of clothes for both me and my brother.”
“As you command.”
Honestly, he’s very useful. That’s why I put up with him, really.
After washing off the mud from my feet in the bathroom, I changed clothes. Poor tropical fish. It’s not their fault their owner is a disaster.
“Hyung.”
My brother called out to me after he came out of the bathroom. He had opted for a quick shower to rinse off the muddy water that had splashed high during the water bomb explosion.
“Do you still… see me as just a kid?”
“What’s with that all of a sudden? Well, you are still young.”
“I mean, as someone you can depend on.”
“There’s no one I trust more than my own blood, if that’s what you mean.”
Even with my response, Han Yuhyun didn’t look satisfied at all.
“Then if something difficult and complicated comes up, who would you contact first?”
“Well─”
“Be honest.”
Yuhyun stared directly into my eyes as he spoke. Honestly, if I were to be completely truthful…
“…I’d probably try to avoid involving you.”
Most likely, I’d contact Seong Hyunjae, the Filial Duty Addicts, or perhaps Seok Gimyeong or Chief Song Taewon first.
“It’s not just you—I wouldn’t tell Yerim, Noah, or Myungwoo either, if I can help it. It’s not because I don’t trust you, but because I don’t want to drag you into something difficult.”
Even if they’re S-Rank hunters, they’re still just kids. If the adults who are also S-Rank can handle it, there’s no need to make the younger ones suffer too. Honestly, if I had the time and freedom, I’d prefer they tackle dungeon raids after finishing college—like it’s just another step in their career.
Especially Yerim—while it’s necessary to nurture her growth since we don’t know what the future holds, I can’t help but feel uneasy about it sometimes. Sure, she seems to find dungeon raiding more fun than school, but… maybe skip a few classes a little less often.
“I don’t like that you think that way, hyung.”
“Yuhyun.”
“I’m stronger than you. No matter what happens, there’s a higher chance I’ll stay safe. I’m not going to get hurt easily. I can more than protect myself. But still, I feel like you’re overly worried.”
…Is it really that bad? If I were overly concerned, I wouldn’t let him enter dungeons at all. Though I’d prefer it if he didn’t.
“It’s natural to worry about your little brother.”
“Sometimes, it feels like our roles have reversed. Like when I hid the truth because I was afraid you’d get hurt… back then. And what if, because I pushed you away─”
“That’s not it. I don’t blame you for anything.”
We haven’t even reached the point where things are irreparable yet. Of course, it was a shock when he suddenly left me and pretended not to know me, but there was still hope back then. The real cracks didn’t form until after the awakening centers were established.
“No matter what anyone says, Yuhyun, you’re the most important person to me. That’s why I admit I try to shield you more. But it’s the same for you, isn’t it? That desire to protect someone. It’s what made you pull away from me back then.”
“…That’s true, but still.”
“So, please try to understand my perspective too. I’ll do my best not to hide things from you anymore. I know you’re feeling anxious—Iryn told me.”
“Iryn? It talked?”
Yuhyun looked down at the lizard coiled around his wrist, a bit taken aback.
“Yeah. I used a mental skill on it. You could say it’s an evolved version of the teacher skill.”
“…What did it say?”
For a moment, Yuhyun’s expression stiffened slightly. Did he think it shared some kind of secret?
“Well, it said I should express my affection for you more often. That way, your anxiety might ease a bit.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Or are you hiding something?”
Since Iryn stays with him all the time, it’s inevitable that there might have been some breaches of privacy. Maybe something deeply personal, like his preferences… now I’m curious. He pretends to have no hobbies, but maybe he secretly likes a celebrity or something. Does he play games? Yerim said she’s into some decorating phone game.
“No, I’m not hiding anything.”
“Really? You don’t look like you’re not hiding something.”
“I said I’m not.”
Yuhyun quickly turned his head away. No matter how you look at it, he’s definitely hiding something. Family or not, privacy should be respected… but what could it be? It’d be great if it’s something like a secret romance.
I pulled out my phone and searched for Song Taewon’s number. It’s annoying how blurry everything looks. Should I get glasses, even temporarily? This time, he picked up the call—either he got a new phone or reconnected his number to a different one. When I asked to meet regarding yesterday’s events, he replied that he was at the site of the dungeon break.
“Then would it be alright if I came there?”
[…Yes. But it’s not a pleasant place.]
Even if there wasn’t much loss of life, the accident site wouldn’t exactly be cheerful. After hanging up, I was about to leave the room when Yuhyun grabbed one of my arms.
“You said your vision’s bad. Let me help.”
“I’m not blind. I can still get around.”
Sure, I tripped a few times on the stairs, but walking on flat ground is fine.
“If you couldn’t see at all…”
“What?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
Though Yuhyun tried to dismiss it, it wasn’t hard to guess what was on his mind. This is the same guy who once intentionally didn’t fix my leg. It hasn’t happened yet, but still.
“I can’t go blind, Yuhyun. I’d hate not being able to see you, and the others too.”
How could I not see how adorable my kids are? If I lost that, life would lose about 80% of its joy. Even now, it’s frustrating that my vision’s blurry. I should definitely stop by to get glasses on the way.
When we exited through a mini-portal, Kang Soyeong and a few other Sesung hunters were waiting for us. Was it because I had them fetch clothes? Their faces were filled with subtle concern and worry.
“You’re alright, right?”
Kang Soyeong asked, her expression practically begging for reassurance. I wasn’t completely fine—far from it, actually—but I couldn’t exactly explain everything in detail.
“Well, the tank just burst, that’s all.”
“Oh, I see! The tank… wait, that tank doesn’t just burst for no reason…”
“It was due to the refraction of light. A fire broke out in the garden below the tank, so we used it for fire suppression.”
“Ah… I see…”
Let’s just leave it at that. For some reason, though, not only Kang Soyeong but the other hunters kept glancing at Yuhyun. Right now, he looked like Kim Minui, so why were they acting like this? Was there a problem with the glasses item effect?
Even as we left the Sesung Guild building, those strange gazes continued to follow Yuhyun—or rather, Kim Minui. They didn’t approach but kept observing him with focused attention.
“Did you do something while I wasn’t looking?”
“No. Nothing happened. I even got permission before entering the Sesung Guild Leader’s private residence.”
Then why is this happening? Was it because of the road accident? As a support-type hunter, he did clean up the scene a little too easily.
“Excuse me, Hunter Kim Minui. If it’s not too forward, could you please accept this business card?”
We even ran into an employee from another guild handing out business cards in the parking lot. Approaching a hunter who’s already affiliated with a guild is usually considered bad form—especially with high-ranking hunters, since it could start a conflict. But Kim Minui was a B-Rank support type, so he was in a position they might test the waters with.
I guess they think his stats are beyond B-Rank for a support type because of what happened at the accident scene. Poor Kim Minui is going to have a hard time now.
We politely declined the business card and stopped by a glasses shop to get a pair made. Then, we headed to the site of the dungeon break. The area was still cordoned off, as there might be monsters left to deal with.
It looked chaotic at night, but in the broad daylight, it truly resembled a battlefield. The rain had stopped, but the skies were still overcast, making the collapsed buildings and cracked pavement look even more desolate. It felt like a scene straight out of an apocalypse movie.
Though in reality, we might actually be approaching the end of the world.
“You’re here.”
Song Taewon noticed us and walked over. His gaze landed on my face and paused.
“Are those prescription glasses?”
“Yes. It’s… something I needed, for now.”
“What on earth happened this time…?”
He trailed off, looking around.
“For now, let’s move to a different spot.”
“There’s a convenience store nearby. Looks like they evacuated without locking the doors. Let’s head there.”
Inside, there were tables and chairs. Although there were some fairly large fragments scattered around the convenience store, the glass walls had fortunately remained intact. I picked out a coffee and placed some water-soaked bills on the counter.
“This should be fine, right?”
I said, handing the coffee to Song Taewon. It was one of those two-plus-one deals, so each coffee cost less than two thousand won. I paid with a ten-thousand-won note anyway.
As soon as we sat down, Song Taewon asked if something had happened again.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“It’s because of the Sesung Guild Leader.”
Yuhyun, seated next to me, jumped in immediately. At the same time, a slight frown formed on Song Taewon’s face.
“Is this about last night?”
“No, last night he safely dropped us off at home without issue. But today, we had to visit the Sesung Guild Leader’s house─”
“Hyung went in alone and got into trouble.”
Yuhyun spoke in a sulking tone.
“…You went in alone?”
With a sigh, Song Taewon responded, then both of them looked at me with nearly identical expressions. Oh, come on, why this reaction? I could understand Yuhyun, but Mr. Song’s gaze is a bit intimidating, so maybe ease up a little?
“I’m perfectly fine—aside from my eyes, that is. More importantly, I plan to investigate yesterday’s dungeon break.”
I continued as I stuck a straw into my coffee.
“Mr. Song, are you planning to cooperate, interfere, or stay out of it?”
Song Taewon, who had been silently staring at me, unwrapped the plastic from his straw. He took a sip of his coffee before finally speaking.
“I’ve already told you I will protect you.”
So if I put my safety on the line, he’s saying he’ll side with me in those moments. Well, I’ll gratefully accept the protection for now.
“By the way, just hypothetically.”
It feels a little odd to ask this, but I can’t hold back my curiosity.
“If, hypothetically, before you died, you were to give the Sesung Guild Leader… let’s say, something precious to you as a gift—what would the reason be?”
“…Pardon?”
Song Taewon stared at me as if I were some strange person, looking utterly baffled. Even Yuhyun shot me a “what’s wrong with you?” look. How the hell do I explain this?
–TL Notes–
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