Chapter 154: Entrusted (4)
“Even though you knew an uninvited guest had barged in, you show up late, strolling in all leisurely? Isn’t that a breach of contract? You’re really unprofessional.”
I complained as I tried to push away the arm wrapped around me. As always, though, he didn’t budge an inch. I was a little worried he might forcefully interrogate me like he had on the day the dungeon collapsed, but for now, there wasn’t anything particularly threatening in his demeanor. Just a slight chill, the kind I’d gotten used to and could ignore.
“It’s unfortunate you see it that way. Allow me to take responsibility for my so-called unprofessional behavior and explain the circumstances in detail to the young master—”
“Sometimes life happens, and people are late! It’s fine, let’s just move on since nothing serious happened.”
I didn’t want Yuhyun to hear anything about this, especially not the deal that jellyfish thing had proposed. As long as Seong Hyunjae kept his mouth shut, I planned to keep it all under wraps.
“Nothing serious, you say? Didn’t quite a bit happen that can’t simply be overlooked?”
“You were eavesdropping, weren’t you? I’ll let the invasion of my privacy slide, so why don’t you pretend you didn’t hear anything either?”
“Previously, I said I’d wait a day before acting once it hid itself.”
Seong Hyunjae’s gaze shifted to where the jellyfish had been.
“Running away like this won’t do.”
“Running away? Who’s running?”
“Then what would you call it, Han Yujin? Altruism?”
So he’d heard everything about the mana stone—and the contract too. Did Seong Hyunjae see the jellyfish creature the same way I had? I had no way of knowing how much he’d figured out.
“I didn’t sign anything. I didn’t even intend to. At most, I thought I’d negotiate a bit to gather information, just in case.”
Since it was interested in me, I’d be foolish not to take advantage of that. Whether or not I signed the contract, acting like I might could get me valuable intel. And if the situation became truly hopeless, signing wasn’t entirely out of the question. There was no reason for everyone to die unnecessarily.
“So, what else are you curious about? The Nurturer title? That’s pretty common. I’m sure you’ve heard of it at least once.”
Raising natural-born S-classes might be rare, but Nurturers themselves weren’t. Seong Hyunjae surely knew that much already.
“The only unique thing is that the one I raised happened to be Yuhyun. As for the mana stone, well, you’ve already overheard everything. It’s a skill that allows me to fuse mana stones and create beasts. It originally belonged to Diarma, that damned lizard.”
I casually explained how I’d gotten it thanks to the system administrators’ help when we took down that creature. Fortunately, the jellyfish’s ranting was something I could explain away without much trouble—aside from the part about it taking on Yuhyun’s appearance.
Since it specifically told me to turn away earlier, it probably knew it had taken Yuhyun’s form. But whether it had seen him directly or inferred it from calling me “Hyung” was unclear. Did Seong Hyunjae notice? Did he realize the form was older than Yuhyun’s current age? Even if he did, tying it to something like regression would be a stretch.
What would I say if he asked? Maybe I’d claim it was just an older version of Yuhyun, someone who’d aged normally without awakening. Perhaps I’d say the creature chose that appearance because it represented the future I wanted for him.
While my thoughts spun, trying to devise an explanation—
“…What are you doing?”
Seong Hyunjae had started pulling off my pajama top. He inspected the scar on my chest and even touched it.
“You’ve already seen it before. Why are you poking around again?”
“So it really has stabilized. It feels different now.”
“Whether it’s different or not, it has nothing to do with you.”
“‘Nothing to do with me,’ you say.”
I felt the movement of mana. Normally, with my stats, I wouldn’t have been able to sense someone else’s mana unless I used the teacher skill. But the way his mana swirled over my scar was vivid, almost like I could see it with my eyes.
And then, in the next moment, his mana was absorbed by the mana stone, leaving a faint tingling sensation behind.
“It feels somewhat similar to mine. I wonder why that is.”
“You’re just overthinking it.”
My body shuddered slightly. Even though I hadn’t used a skill, I felt as though my mana had significantly dropped. Had the mana stone used my own mana to absorb Seong Hyunjae’s? I quickly downed a potion before continuing.
“That’s a mana stone fused from an SS-grade dragonkin stone and an unknown-grade Diarma stone. It’s probably at least SSS-grade. So why are you trying to compare it to yourself? I know you’re amazing, but—”
“‘Just an S-class,’ is what you’re saying. My apologies for presuming too much.”
“If you get it, then stop making weird assumptions and let go.”
If he found out I’d used a fragment of him to stabilize the mana stone, he might try to claim ownership of it. That would never happen. Not even a 1% stake would be handed over.
“So, Diarma’s skill… The scar on its hand must have been a trace of the beasts it created. And placing the mana stone in your chest… Is it because proximity to the heart improves the skill’s efficiency? I suppose you’d want the best results from such a rare-grade mana stone.”
“I’ll just keep quiet. Feel free to fill in the blanks yourself.”
Why waste my breath explaining? At least he wasn’t asking about Yuhyun, so he probably hadn’t realized anything.
Seong Hyunjae suddenly turned me around. Or rather, spun me like a doll. His gaze burned into my back. Exposing it so openly sent a fresh wave of chills down my spine. I felt like the protagonist of a horror movie being chased by something unseen.
“It hasn’t reached here yet.”
His hand rested on my back, near where my heart would be. I swallowed dryly without meaning to.
“All you need to do is split it open and insert a mana stone?”
“…Do you think that would work?”
I replied with a tone that implied how absurd the question was, but upon reflection, it actually might work. My body had absorbed the first mana stone on its own without much issue. The difficulty had been in merging the second one. If I inserted one stone first and then forced in a second, it might trigger the skill on its own. Or it could outright reject it. What would happen if I stopped after inserting just one?
“There are plenty of S-class mana stones lying around, but using them for this would be a waste.”
The hand that had been lightly pressing against my back moved upward, giving my shoulder a firm tap.
“This spot should do. Do you have a preference for the type of mana stone?”
The way he said it made it sound like he was ready to split open my shoulder and insert one right now. What an unrelenting spirit of experimentation.
“With my frail F-rank body, I can’t handle two at once.”
“You won’t know unless you try.”
“I said no! And bring me at least SS-grade stones if you’re going to suggest that. I don’t accept anything below that. My body’s surface area isn’t that big—I can’t waste it on subpar materials.”
“Looks like we’ll have to fatten you up a bit more.”
What do I look like, a pig or a goose? At least go for antibiotic-free, free-range treatment if you’re going to talk like that.
“I’m reserving the spot over your heart on your back. Don’t let anyone else have it.”
“Sure, if you pay the proper price. It’s a prime location, so mediocre mana stones won’t cut it.”
It would probably take a long time to acquire two or more SS-grade mana stones, especially ones from dragonkin. In the meantime, I could use the reservation as an excuse to milk him for everything I could.
-Chirp!
Seong Hyunjae picked up Chirp, who had been circling around his feet. Then, adjusting his grip on me, he turned toward the broken door.
“The bed’s still intact. You could just sleep here.”
There was a faint smell of burning, but nothing unbearable. Actually, smoke from burning furniture wasn’t good for the body, was it? For Chirp’s sake, I’d probably need to switch rooms anyway.
As he carried both Chirp and me out of the room, Seong Hyunjae spoke again.
“We’ll know once the beast is complete—whether the mana stone in your chest is connected to me or not.”
“I already told you it’s not.”
I replied firmly, but unease crept in. The beasts created from the mana stone would naturally be influenced by its components. If Seong Hyunjae’s fragment was involved, it might not be obvious if the result was beast-like…
‘The SS-grade mana stone was from a dragonkin, and Diarma’s was also dragonkin… This is definitely leaning toward a humanoid form.’
No way it would actually produce something that looked like Seong Hyunjae, right? That would be a nightmare. Then again, if it looked like Diarma, I’d want to kill it on sight, so that’s no good either. Please, let it resemble the SS-grade dragonkin. I’m counting on you, dragonkin. Don’t let me down.
“Why not? Why can’t I?”
The next morning, as soon as it was light out, I asked Seong Hyunjae to take me to a nearby low-grade dungeon. It was to meet with the so-called dungeon managers. But Seong Hyunjae flatly refused.
“There’s a clause in our contract that prohibits you from leaving the premises.”
“Even dogs get taken for walks every day!”
Sure, there was a spacious rooftop garden, but it was still part of the building. My fear resistance level had finally recovered, and I was ready to step outside with a light heart, but now I wasn’t even allowed to leave.
“You saw that jellyfish show up yesterday. We need to prepare countermeasures.”
“You also heard that appearing in that form isn’t easy. It can’t cause much harm anyway. If you’re feeling uneasy, my bedroom door is always open—come by anytime.”
“I don’t need that!”
Since I couldn’t leave because of the contract, I had no choice but to ask my brother for permission. I retrieved my phone and called Yuhyun, but he didn’t answer. Why wasn’t he picking up so early in the morning?
“…Do you know what my brother’s doing right now?”
“That, too—”
“Let me guess, you’re contractually obligated not to tell me. Damn it.”
I was seriously considering using my stealth skill to sneak out. The moment Seong Hyunjae stepped out of sight, I’d make a run for it. So could he please just go do some work?
But, of course, the infuriating Guild Leader of Sesung, who was supposedly in the middle of dungeon conquests, was once again as free as ever today. Not that he was lounging around all day—he handled some simple tasks, but only because others brought them to him.
By lunchtime, I was still stuck in place when Song Taewon arrived. In his hands was a small cage containing the jeweled snake.
“Hunter Liette asked that this be entrusted to you, Han Yujin. The Haeyeon Guild Leader has also approved it.”
“Yuhyun did? Do you know where my brother is or what he’s doing right now?”
“He is still operating as Hunter Kim Minui. However, I cannot share any further details. He told me to pass along the message that if you’re bored, you should try taming this jeweled snake. It’s diurnal and small, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Comet was nocturnal, and Blue and the unicorns had too much energy, so I guess he sent the jeweled snake instead. Was he telling me to stop worrying about his business and focus on raising another monster?
I wasn’t thrilled, but I took the snake’s ownership marker. Song Taewon placed the cage on the table and opened it. The snake, with golden eyes like its master, slithered out cautiously. Its ruby-like body shimmered, reflecting shades of purple, pink, and blue as it moved, glittering beautifully.
“Your name is Belare, right?”
-Sss.
The jeweled snake turned its head toward me, reacting to its name. A message window for the Nurturer effect popped up, and I activated the Promising Talent skill on Belare.
[Grade 2 Illusion Snake Species – Red Jeweled Snake (Juvenile) Belare
Current Stat Grade: D
Potential Growth Stat Grade: A~S
Optimized Initial Skills:
— Gem Weaponization (SS): Acquired after growth
— Venomous Fangs (A): Acquired
— Scale Reinforcement (B): Acquired after growth
— Poison Resistance (B): Acquired
※ Growth triggered upon consuming a certain amount of specific gemstones.]
The Venomous Fangs and Poison Resistance were nothing out of the ordinary for a venomous snake species. However, the Gem Weaponization skill was one I’d never seen before. Could it mean the snake could transform parts of its body into weapons?
‘So that’s why Liette, who doesn’t need a mount, asked for Belare to be raised.’
An S-class monster with an SS-grade weaponization skill. At that level, it would likely have stats comparable to at least an SS-grade weapon. Since it was a snake, it would probably transform into something like a sword or spear. Liette, being a swordswoman, would naturally covet such a monster.
‘Yuhyun uses a sword too.’
Would it be possible to get another one of these? While Myungwoo was around, who knows how long it would take to create an SS-grade weapon. If I raised a jeweled snake quickly for Yuhyun’s weapon, he’d probably dedicate countless sleepless nights to make it happen. But… stealing Belare? That wouldn’t work. Especially since it had Poison Resistance instead of Flame Resistance.
-Chirp.
At that moment, Chirp, who had been wandering around on the table, approached the jeweled snake.
-Sss!
In a flash, Belare lunged at Chirp.
“Chirp!”
Song Taewon quickly grabbed the snake, but it had already bitten Chirp. Its sudden leap was incredibly fast for a juvenile. Thankfully, its fangs were still small, and I could detoxify the venom. I quickly reached out and scooped up Chirp.
“Don’t pull it off! If you try to forcibly yank it, the wound will get worse.”
I pulled out a potion, but before I could do anything, Chirp flapped its wings energetically. Then, clutching the snake attached to its chest, it flipped forward onto its belly.
-Chirp!
And with its entire body, Chirp began to press the snake’s head into the table. Its fluffy down-covered body was several times larger than Belare’s jeweled head. Wasn’t this essentially like smothering someone’s face with a feather pillow?
‘…That’s got to be suffocating.’
-Chirp chirp!
Chirp continued to gleefully pin the jeweled snake down, exuding an air of triumph. Song Taewon looked slightly bewildered at the sight and let go of the snake. Belare’s long, ruby-like body went limp, twitching weakly.
“Chirp! Let’s call it a win and let it go this time!”
At this rate, Belare might actually die!
-Chirp chirp!
Perhaps understanding my words or deciding it had proven its point, Chirp finally rolled off the snake. Belare slumped onto the table, its head dangling limply as it hissed faintly. Opening the potion, I carefully checked where Chirp had been bitten, but I couldn’t find any visible wounds. Was it because of Chirp’s thick feathers that Belare’s fangs couldn’t pierce through?
-Chirp chirp!
“Alright, alright, Chirp. You won.”
My kid’s a fighter, I’ll give it that. But still, I’d prefer if they got along.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt