Chapter 172: The Deal (2)
“Hunter Evelyn, what exactly are you doing right now?”
Myungwoo’s voice was cold enough to startle even me.
“There’s someone here who’s practically no different from a non-Awakened civilian, and you’re thinking of picking a fight in front of them?”
Evelyn’s expression tightened slightly, but her attitude toward Myungwoo remained polite.
“You might not know this, Hunter Yu Myungwoo, but it’s an unspoken rule not to reveal another’s skills. Particularly among high-rank Hunters, where even minor disputes over skills can escalate into deadly violence. If you’re not directly involved, it’s best not to interfere in such matters.”
Her tone was calm, even kind, but the meaning was clear: if you don’t fully understand the situation, stay out of it. However, Myungwoo didn’t back down.
“What did Hunter Noah mean earlier by calling you dangerous?”
“That was an overreaction.”
“No, it wasn’t! Hunter Evelyn is…”
Noah hesitated, trailing off as if unsure how much he was allowed to say. Seeing his hesitation, Myungwoo spoke again.
“You’ll need to explain yourself properly, Hunter Evelyn.”
“Regarding skills, no matter how—”
Thunk.
Myungwoo tossed the arrow he was holding into the Mana Furnace. In an instant, it melted away without a sound. Evelyn’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-Wait a moment, Hunter Yu Myungwoo?”
Then, as Myungwoo reached toward the pile of arrows stacked on the table, Evelyn hurriedly gathered them into her arms.
“Why are you wasting perfectly good arrows? Let’s talk this out!”
“It won’t end with just the arrows.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ll also decline the request to craft a bow for you. And of course, any other equipment as well. Furthermore, I’ll ban anyone associated with Hunter Evelyn from entering the forge.”
At those words, Evelyn’s face filled with confusion. Refusing to craft equipment was one thing, but the final declaration essentially meant cutting off ties with the entire Sesung Guild. Even I thought it was an extreme move.
“All this… just because I didn’t disclose my skill?”
“I have no intention of explaining further.”
Myungwoo’s expression hardened, as if carved from stone, making it clear he wouldn’t budge. Faced with that unyielding gaze, Evelyn hesitated before finally speaking.
“I trust that you won’t reveal it to others. My skill is a minor form of mental manipulation. It’s a psychic-type skill that works under the simple condition of making eye contact. However, it only affects non-Awakened individuals or those with F-rank stats, and only under typical circumstances.”
The mention of F-rank effectiveness caused Myungwoo to frown. Evelyn, noticing this, quickly added an explanation, almost defensively.
“It’s not as dangerous as it sounds. It merely makes what I say seem more persuasive.”
Even though Evelyn claimed her skill wasn’t dangerous, it didn’t feel that way at all. The idea of enhancing her persuasiveness through a skill seemed both useful and perilous, depending on its application.
“Besides, I usually block it with my glasses. Since it’s a constantly active skill, even ordinary lenses can obstruct its effects simply by covering my eyes.”
Smiling softly, Evelyn tried to assure everyone that there was no need to worry. With the previous tension completely gone, she now looked like a kind-hearted teacher straight out of a foreign fairytale—a private tutor, perhaps. Even her accent was refined, polished, and pleasant to listen to. She wasn’t using a translation item, yet her Korean was impressively fluent.
“Hunter Evelyn.”
When I called her, she turned her round eyes toward me, like a teacher looking at a student raising their hand with a question.
“Yes, Candy Box.”
…So that nickname was meant for me? I thought it was some weird metaphor, but apparently, it was her way of addressing me. Even Liette had her peculiar ways, but this was something else.
“You mentioned that your skill works on non-Awakened individuals. That means it could give you an advantage in negotiations with non-Hunters, doesn’t it? It seems particularly useful at a guild level.”
In government organizations or even the Hunter Association, the upper echelons were still largely composed of ordinary people. For now, Hunters, whether high-rank or low-rank, were still a minority in this world. Moreover, it was a time when countermeasures against psychic skills were underdeveloped.
“It has its uses. Oh, I’ll also be attending the negotiations with Japan.”
“Then I should wish you the best of luck.”
Sesung had officially announced their partnership with Evelyn only recently, but in truth, they had probably been working with her for much longer. With her ability, they could have easily extended their influence to other countries from the early days of the dungeon era.
“In any case, since it’s a skill that can easily be blocked with glasses, there’s no need to be so wary, everyone.”
“…If the target is in an unstable state, the skill’s influence becomes significantly stronger.”
Noah whispered softly behind me. Psychic-type skills were typically like that. Though his tone was low, we were close enough that an S-rank Hunter like Evelyn would have no trouble hearing it. As expected, her brow briefly furrowed before she returned to her composed and gentle demeanor.
“Don’t worry, Mister Candy Box. I wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you—especially not with our guild leader watching.”
“Yujin, just to be safe, you should wear glasses or contact lenses. I’ll also try crafting an item with a defense against psychic skills.”
“It won’t be easy to defend against that. Usually, the best method is to raise your Willpower stat as much as possible.”
I already had a few items that boosted Willpower stats, specifically for resisting psychic skills. I didn’t use them often, but they were there if needed.
“Hunter Evelyn, would you mind using that skill on me just once?”
“Huh?”
“Yujin?”
“I just want to see how strong it is. It’s not like it’s a persistent effect, and if it’s dangerous, you can block it for me.”
Why are they all so startled? At my words, Evelyn removed her glasses. Her uncovered eyes glimmered faintly with a pale blue light.
“Once I demonstrate, perhaps Hunter Yu Myungwoo will feel less uneasy. S-class weapons are already scarce, and ranged ones are even rarer. Getting kicked out of here would be quite the predicament.”
With that, she made eye contact with me. Other than noticing how pretty her eyes were, I didn’t feel much of anything.
“Could you speak to Hunter Yu Myungwoo on my behalf? I really need that bow.”
“It’s not hard to bring it up. It’s true that rare weapons can be problematic.”
I nodded as I spoke, then suddenly realized—what nonsense was I saying to someone I’d just met today? There’s no way I should be promising to help her. Yet, even as I thought that, I couldn’t shake the urge to talk to Myungwoo for her. Despite being fully aware, I still felt swayed. If I didn’t know about her skill, I’d be completely under her influence.
“This level of minor persuasion can make simple requests easier to fulfill. But… wasn’t it Peace? I need a monster mount, too. Could you pass him over to me?”
“Are you crazy—no, absolutely not.”
Hearing his name, Peace, who was sitting next to me, tilted his head as if to ask what was going on. Pass him over? What kind of absurd suggestion was that? Even as a joke, it annoyed me.
“When a request crosses the line, it generates resistance, rendering the skill ineffective.”
“You’d have to manage it carefully, then. But it’s still a threatening skill. It’s almost overwhelming how easily you’ve explained it.”
“It’s not like I have a choice. I’ll be relying on Hunter Yu Myungwoo for a long time, after all.”
At her comment about depending on him, Myungwoo replied that he’d take it into consideration.
“And honestly, it’s not a skill I can use for very long anyway. Word has already started to spread, so it’ll lose its effectiveness soon. It’s just too easy to counter.”
Evelyn started to put her glasses back on but paused to look at me directly again.
“By the way, Mister Candy Box, what do you think of the Sesung Guild Leader? Be honest.”
“Huh? Well, he’s dangerous. Sure, he’s competent. But he’s too capable—so much so that I feel like I need to be careful not to depend on him too much…”
The real issue is that I can’t fully trust him. If Seong Hyunjae truly had a firm resolve to protect dungeons, it might be better to leave everything in his hands. He’d probably use me better than I could use myself. After all, I’ve already failed once and gone back in time, while he’s someone who has built everything on his own strength. If someone like him were given new opportunities and powers…
At that moment, Noah’s hand covered my eyes.
“Stop it.”
“I was just a little curious, puppy.”
When Noah moved his hand away, Evelyn had put her glasses back on and was smiling. She stored the arrows in her inventory and said she’d take her leave, reminding me to keep her secret.
“By the way, why are you calling me… that? Could you just call me by my name instead?”
It’s an incredibly embarrassing nickname, after all.
“Everyone calls you that.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Well, not in Korea, but in English-speaking regions. Since the incident in Hong Kong, ‘Candy Box’ and ‘Honeypot’ have been the standard terms.”
“…What?”
Why? How? Evelyn added that while she’s more commonly called ‘Honeypot,’ she personally prefers ‘Candy Box.’ With that unnecessary bit of information, she left. Seriously, why? Who spread this ridiculous nickname?
“Yujin, are you okay?”
Myungwoo approached me with a concerned look. Noah also seemed worried, for reasons I didn’t quite understand.
“Hunter Evelyn’s skill only works temporarily. Of course, I’m fine.”
“Your expression… looked a bit off.”
“Yeah. Did the Sesung Guild Leader harass you or something? Was it so bad you don’t even want to think about it?”
When Myungwoo mentioned cutting off ties with Sesung if that were the case, I quickly shook my head.
“No, not at all. If anything, he’s been treating me well. And Myungwoo, don’t say things like that so lightly. Even if you’re in the stronger position, you’re dealing with S-class Hunters. What if they lose their temper and lash out? Safety comes first. Even if something makes you angry, let them leave first and deal with it later.”
“I don’t usually act like that.”
Myungwoo shrugged.
“I don’t even like abusing my position of power. Maybe it’s because I used to be on the receiving end. I have no desire to control others with my abilities. Except when it involves you.”
His hand, which had grown even larger from his constant hammering, lightly brushed against the cracked table surface.
“There’s just one rule: don’t mess with my friends. If someone can’t follow that, I won’t accept them, no matter who they are. Even if it’s the Sesung Guild Leader or anyone else.”
Hearing his declaration that he wouldn’t back down from anyone made my chest stir with a strange feeling. Why does Myungwoo treat me so well? It keeps making me feel guilty.
“…When you say things like that, it makes me feel even more undeserving. I actually came to ask for a favor today. It makes me feel like such a selfish opportunist.”
“Selfish? What’s selfish about it? Yujin, you can openly ask me for anything. You could even push me around, and I’d put up with it for at least ten years.”
“Ten years? That’s… way too long. I already feel like you’ve done more than enough for me.”
“Well, if I think you have, then that’s that. But if you want it to last not just ten years, but a lifetime…”
Myungwoo gave me a wide grin as he continued.
“All you need to do is say these two things: ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you.’”
For a moment, I was completely speechless. Approaching Myungwoo initially because of his skill had made me feel like a terrible person, but at the same time, I realized just how fortunate that decision had been. Truly fortunate.
“…Myungwoo.”
“So, what’s the favor you want to ask?”
“Ah, take a look at this.”
I pulled out an SSS-grade magic stone from my inventory—the magic stone from Choi Seokwon.
“Do you think it’s possible to make a weapon with this? Grace was also crafted using a magic stone.”
“An SSS-grade, huh? Yeah, it’s possible. But it depends on the properties of the stone’s original owner—what kind of abilities it had.”
“It was from someone who used a sword. They also had an armor-related skill.”
“A monster with that kind of ability? That’s unusual. Humanoid monsters are rare, let alone an SSS-grade one. With abilities like that, it should definitely be possible to make a weapon. A sword would probably be the best fit.”
“A sword sounds great! Do you think it could come out as SS-grade?”
“Well, the base material is good, and if I use some SS-grade materials I have, it should turn out decent. But my skill level isn’t quite there yet, so the performance might not fully match the materials’ potential. Are you planning to give it to your brother?”
“No, it’s for an event. A prize for the winner. I’m thinking of hosting a competition soon.”
The idea was to identify not only the remaining two naturally-born S-class Hunters but also capable individuals worldwide who needed protection from the jellyfish monster’s reach. For that, nothing would draw attention like a ranking competition with an irresistible prize.
And if Yuhyun ended up winning the SS-grade weapon, even better. …Though I wasn’t sure how to deal with Seong Hyunjae. Most Hunters would be easily defeated by Yuhyun, but Seong Hyunjae was a problem. His combat foresight skill was practically a cheat code. I wanted to ban it outright in the competition rules.
“It’ll take some time, but I’ll make it as quickly as I can.”
“Thanks, really. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Um, Hunter Yu Myungwoo.”
Noah, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, cautiously spoke up to Myungwoo.
“If it’s alright, could I commission a saddle?”
“A saddle?”
“Yes. It’s a saddle for Mister Yujin to use.”
Startled by the mention of a saddle, I turned to look at Noah in disbelief.
“Noah, I don’t need a saddle. What I have now is more than enough. I know I’ve relied on you a lot, but I’m not a monster, you know.”
“But wouldn’t having a saddle make things more comfortable for you? If not a saddle, then at least some kind of straps or harness.”
“Straps… wait, you don’t mean something like a leash, do you? No, no, that’s definitely not it.”
Even when he’s in his dragon form, Noah is fundamentally still a person. A leash? Absolutely not. As I shook my head in protest, Myungwoo pulled out a measuring tape and spoke up.
“How about a harness? Like a climbing harness.”
“A harness?”
“Yeah. That way, it could be worn even in human form, which would be more convenient.”
“That sounds great! Hunter Yu Myungwoo, would it be possible to make a harness that works both in human form and dragon form?”
Noah’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as he looked at Myungwoo. A climbing harness… I guess that might be okay? What would it even look like?
“Of course, it’s possible. Coincidentally, Sesung sent me some S-grade monster leather as a gift along with their arrow order. I’ll use that to make it.”
“Thank you, Hunter Yu Myungwoo.”
“You’re very welcome. And please continue to take good care of Yujin for me. If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
As he spoke, Myungwoo skillfully measured Noah’s chest and waist circumference. Then, he also took measurements for his dragon form’s size.
“I’ll add some features and make it extra durable.”
“How much would the cost be?”
“It’s free, of course.”
Myungwoo answered breezily, and Noah smiled brightly as he thanked him. The two of them seemed to get along surprisingly well.
–TL Notes–
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