Chapter 175: Sibling Fight (3)
“I didn’t realize Chief Song was here.”
Ignoring the unnecessary presence of a certain Seong Hyunjae, I addressed Song Taewon instead. As usual, he answered in his calm, obligatory tone.
“If nothing else comes up, I visit twice a month on a regular basis. It’s mostly to assist with the training of the Awakened Management Office and Hunters affiliated with the Association.”
“You’re working hard as always.”
Conversations are meant to be conducted while looking at the other person’s face. I knew this, but my gaze kept drifting downward involuntarily. His collar was noticeably wide open. It was already loose to begin with, but combined with his shirt size, it was borderline inappropriate—especially for a public official.
…Honestly, it was a bit much in many ways.
“…Isn’t that outfit a little tight? If it’s workout gear, I’d assume there’d be more size options.”
After all, most people here would have well-built physiques compared to the average clothing consumer.
“Standard clothes don’t hold up, so it’s specially made.”
He explained that it was a uniform typically used during physical measurements at the training facility. Since it was communal wear, there were limited sizes, and he often served as a measurement opponent. Apparently, the unusually high number of high-rank Hunters here today was due to his presence. Even Hunters from private guilds could request sparring sessions with him.
“For simple training, using low-rank dungeons is preferable, but precise measurements require machines. The recorded data isn’t stored; it’s immediately deleted on-site.”
The facility was also frequently used to test various abilities, including skills and items. It was well-equipped to measure a wide range of factors like temperature, toxicity, recovery rates, and effective range.
At that moment—
Kiiiiiiiing.
An unpleasant, ear-scraping sound rang out, and almost simultaneously, an arm stretched out to pull me back. Immediately after—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion resounded, followed by a gust of wind and scattered debris flying from who-knows-where. I was half-held and shielded, leaving me unharmed, and the others, being high-rank Hunters, probably didn’t even have a scratch. But what just happened?
“Evelyn’s test firing.”
Said Seong Hyunjae, who had pulled me back, now speaking from behind me. A test firing—was it her bow? Judging by the aftermath, it felt more like a rocket launcher had been fired.
“Why are you causing a commotion here when there are perfectly good dungeons for this?”
“It’s for segmented speed testing. There’s a slight issue with skill activation; it’s slower than expected, apparently.”
He figured this out just by listening?
“By the way, is that… lotion?”
“Sunscreen. Yerim insisted I wear it.”
She had slathered it on me, saying F-rank skin needed to be protected. She herself claimed she was fine because she was S-rank. The scent was admittedly a bit strong.
“Could you let go now?”
“You’re welcome to lean on me, you know.”
What nonsense is he spouting now? I was about to brush it off when I suddenly remembered yesterday’s events.
“…Did Evelyn mention something?”
“I apologize on her behalf for using that skill. Even if the person wanted it, it was discourteous.”
A pang of guilt shot through me. Discourteous… Well, yes. But, knowing him, he probably made liberal use of Evelyn’s skills whenever it suited him. What’s with the sudden moral high ground?
“Did she apologize to anyone else?”
“Why would I let her use a skill on someone she should apologize to?”
Right. Of course. I didn’t bother asking how many people he thought deserved her apologies. It was likely a situational judgment.
“Well, I’m fine with it. And it wasn’t a big deal anyway. Everyone knows how impressive you are, Seong Hyunjae. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
When life gets hard and exhausting, it’s not unusual to wish someone else would solve all your problems while you kick back and relax. It’s the same kind of idle fantasy where a billionaire grandfather suddenly shows up, or getting hit by a car only to find out the driver is an oil tycoon who compensates you generously. It was that kind of meaningless rambling, not something I genuinely meant.
“Meaningless words, and yet you still took care to tread lightly, Han Yujin.”
“I’m unnecessarily cautious, that’s all. As the old saying goes, better safe than sorry. There’s no harm in being careful.”
Anyway, let go already. Noah looked restless. I tried to pull away from Seong Hyunjae’s arm, but then another grating sound filled the air. This time, the explosion that followed was slightly faster. Before any debris could hit me, Noah spread his wings wide, shielding me from everything.
“…How much longer is this going to go on?”
“She reported ten shots to the Association.”
“Does that include yours? I didn’t know you used a bow.”
I glanced at the bow in his hand. It looked ordinary at first glance.
“It’s not my main weapon, but it’s versatile. The arrows I received this time seem particularly adaptable, so I came to test them as well. I hear even the young master occasionally uses a bow as a backup, depending on the dungeon.”
I hadn’t seen him fight outside of ranking matches or dungeon breaks, so I didn’t know. Should I ask Myungwoo if he has any spare arrows lying around?
It was only after repeatedly insisting that he let go that Seong Hyunjae finally released me. Noah immediately pushed his head against me and shot a glare at Seong Hyunjae.
— Yujin, I think it’d be better if you waited inside.
“It’s fine as long as I keep Grace lightly active. Besides, I need to gather people to spar with.”
The seven Hunters who had been outside on the training field had vanished without a trace. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them—no one would want to hang around when the Sesung Guild Leader was idling nearby. Clearly, today wasn’t going to go as planned.
“Chief Song, how many A-rank Hunters are currently here?”
“There are seventeen at the moment, with nine more scheduled for reservations.”
Twenty-six in total. Not enough. While it wasn’t necessary to finish everything in a single day, it would’ve been ideal.
“This place has a broadcast system, right? May I use it?”
Song Taewon gave me a look that clearly said, What nonsense are you planning now? I explained that I simply wanted to gather some people for a light sparring event with Noah as preparation for my duel with Liette. With a sigh, he guided me to the broadcasting room.
Noah, now back in human form, followed along, as did Seong Hyunjae—because apparently, he had nothing better to do. Seriously, could he not?
The staff member in the broadcasting room wasn’t an ordinary person but a mid-rank defense-type Hunter, which made sense given the purpose of this facility. Even so, he seemed overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of a group of S-rank Hunters. Stammering, he turned on the microphone.
[Attention all Hunters currently at the training facility. At 2 PM today, a light sparring event will take place at Training Ground 1. Various prizes, including A-rank equipment, are prepared, so we encourage your participation.]
An A-rank piece of equipment should be enough to draw in any A-rank Hunters who were free. Ideally, word would spread, and I’d be able to fill the quota of forty-one participants.
“An event, is it?”
As the broadcast ended, Seong Hyunjae muttered ominously.
“I can’t possibly overlook an event organized by Han Yujin without offering my assistance.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
I waved at the broadcasting staff, signaling him to turn off the mic, but the poor man was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Instead, Song Taewon stepped forward.
“Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.”
“I was merely intending to show my support, but it seems I’ve been misunderstood. Such harshness.”
No one needs your support. Please keep it to yourself.
As Seong Hyunjae stepped toward the microphone, Song Taewon’s right hand twitched slightly, and a cold glint flickered in his dark eyes. The tension between them made even Noah tense up. The unfortunate broadcasting staff, looking pale, seemed like he might faint at any moment.
“I’m fine with it, so let’s just move on, okay?”
“It seems my efforts so far haven’t been enough to win you over, Han Yujin. I’ve decided to be even more proactive from now on.”
As soon as I heard that, I knew I was doomed. He was already doing too much; what else could he possibly add? And really, this wasn’t effort—it was just him throwing tantrums. Clearly, something I’d said had gotten under his skin.
Seong Hyunjae took another step toward the mic, and Song Taewon’s gaze flicked briefly to the broadcasting equipment. He seemed to be debating whether to destroy it entirely. His foot shifted slightly, but at that moment, Seong Hyunjae glanced back at him with a sly smile.
“If you bare your teeth, don’t forget to bite.”
With that, he stepped up to the microphone without hesitation. Song Taewon ultimately didn’t move, and Seong Hyunjae, with the precision of a news anchor, spoke clearly into the mic.
[As part of this event, Sesung Guild will be sponsoring an S-rank piece of equipment: Violet Forest Ring.]
…Wait a second. S-rank equipment? He was seriously escalating this!
At that moment, my phone buzzed. It was Yuhyun. I picked up, and his voice sounded distinctly annoyed.
[Why is Sesung sponsoring an event you’re hosting instead of Haeyeon?]
“Well, that’s because Seong Hyunjae… Wait, how do you even know about this?”
[One of the Hunters at the training facility told me. Haeyeon will sponsor something too.]
He grumbled about why I hadn’t told him first. This wasn’t even my original plan! I tried to appease him, but he was adamant, and of course, Seong Hyunjae looked even more entertained by the situation. In the end, Haeyeon Guild also decided to put up an S-rank piece of equipment as a prize.
I turned to Song Taewon with a deeply apologetic expression.
“This wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry.”
“…There are no regulations against private Hunter events like this, but please consider postponing it for a few days.”
Song Taewon said, his tone weary as he glared at Seong Hyunjae. With two S-rank items on the line, it was obvious that Hunters from all over the country would flood the facility. Preparing for that kind of chaos on such short notice would be difficult.
Seong Hyunjae, unfazed, smiled brightly—enough to be irritating.
“With all the recent incidents in the Hunter community, wouldn’t it be nice to change the atmosphere with an event like this?”
Oh, sure, because you’re so well-intentioned. Song Taewon started to say something, then stopped, letting out a heavy sigh instead. I felt genuinely sorry for him.
For a moment, I considered canceling the event entirely, but if I did that, Seong Hyunjae would likely take it upon himself to run it, turning it into an even bigger mess. If that happened, the scale of the chaos would double, and I’d inevitably get dragged into it as the original organizer.
“At this rate, we might as well hold it this weekend. I’ll coordinate with the Association to provide as much support as possible. The event itself isn’t a bad idea, so don’t worry too much.”
“Thank you.”
“No, it’s my fault for not announcing it while the Sesung Guild Leader wasn’t here. I let my guard down.”
All I wanted was to gather some sparring partners for Noah, but I hadn’t expected Seong Hyunjae to interfere like this. Since things had escalated anyway, I might as well treat it as a practice run for a ranking match and prepare accordingly.
The event for high-rank Hunters featuring two S-rank pieces of equipment as prizes made it to the evening news that same day. Though the items weren’t as expensive as weapons and were considered on the lower end of S-rank gear, they were still worth billions of won. More importantly, S-rank equipment wasn’t something you could buy with money alone. Such items were typically only available at auctions, with S-rank Hunters having purchasing priority, making this a rare and unmissable opportunity for A-rank Hunters.
“I want the ring too. Its magic options are pretty good. Can’t I just join? I mean, I haven’t been a Hunter for very long, so we could pretend I’m A-rank.”
Yerim said this while gnawing on a piece of chicken.
“No. S-rank Hunters are banned from participating.”
It wasn’t just a matter of fairness; it would’ve been impossible to handle otherwise. A sparring event with S-rank Hunters would require healers of at least A-rank. In past ranking matches, even the scale of the event depended on whether the “Saint” agreed to cooperate or not. No matter how much combat-focused Hunters enjoyed fighting, no one wanted to risk their lives recklessly.
‘If I want to organize a proper ranking match, I’ll need her help.’
I should probably visit her soon. I wasn’t sure if she’d agree to help willingly, but meeting her was unavoidable at some point. Given her abilities, it might also be a good idea to share some truths about dungeons and ask for her cooperation.
“By the way, Mister, did you properly cleanse your face? That sunscreen has coverage effects, so you need to clean it off thoroughly.”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t, did you? Come here.”
Wiping her greasy hands on a tissue, Yerim grabbed me and made me stand up. Thanks to her, I gained yet another piece of knowledge I hadn’t really wanted to know.
The sparring event quickly became a hot topic among Hunters, with TV networks even competing for broadcasting rights. It seemed to be drawing interest internationally as well. The Hunter Association took the opportunity to proactively support the event, hoping to improve its tarnished image from recent controversies.
While the main tournament planning was handed over to the Association, I made sure to have input on the preliminaries. Since my original goal was for Noah to subdue forty-one high-rank Hunters, I proposed selecting high-ranking combatants with enough strength for the finals through sparring against S-rank Hunters.
Thanks to this setup, Noah easily fulfilled the skill condition and acquired Silent Wound (S).
Then, the day before the event was scheduled to take place, Liette and Kang Soyeong emerged from a dungeon.
–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/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt