[ My Little Brother… (1) ]
“Of course, there’s no reason for you to meet them. You can refuse if you want.”
Yuhyun said firmly. It wasn’t that there was no reason for me to meet them, but rather, he didn’t want me to.
Seriously, this kid… Normally, I don’t know how he acts, but in front of me, he completely loses his authority as the guild leader. Even if he didn’t want to meet them, he should be persuading me. Yet, here he is, saying there’s no need.
“If I say I don’t want to, they won’t come, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Hey, what do you think the public would think if the three major guild leaders made a grand appearance at Haeyeon? Naturally, they’d assume Haeyeon is in control. And yet, you’re saying there’s no reason for me to meet them? Shouldn’t you be saying, ‘Please, just show your face once, Hyung?’”
Of course, I don’t want to meet them. It’s a hassle. But hearing this nonsense from a guild leader made it impossible for me to let it go.
…No way, did he say I can refuse on purpose, hoping I would say yes? My little brother couldn’t possibly be that cunning.
“Don’t do it—”
“From now on, stop saying ‘don’t do it’ in front of me.”
Yuhyun clamped his mouth shut, only to open it again shortly after.
“But—”
“No ‘but’s, no ‘however’s, no attaching negative conjunctions to the start of your sentences.”
My little brother looked sulky. How on earth did this kid coldly ignore me for years? The image of that sharp, successful man from five years later is still vivid in my mind, so sometimes, this immature 20-year-old feels a bit unfamiliar.
Not to mention, my memories span 30 years, making me nearly a decade older than this kid. Five years is already a significant gap, but ten? When I was an adult, Yuhyun was just a little elementary school kid.
He really is young.
“What’s the big deal about showing your face once? It’s not like the whole country won’t see your face soon enough anyway.”
“…Doesn’t it feel burdensome? They’re not exactly easy people to deal with.”
“I’m not burdened, just a little annoyed. Still, they’re customers. As a salesman who’s hit the jackpot, I should present the product, right?”
Considering the massive investment they’re putting in, it’s understandable they’d want to check things with their own eyes. If I were in their shoes, I’d be uneasy relying solely on video footage too. Especially since the best mounts I’m raising could become perfect partners for those top-tier S-Classes. It’s no wonder they’re eager.
“If you’re okay with it, I won’t stop you. But they’ll probably bring along an appraiser for awakened abilities.”
“An appraiser? What rank are they?”
“A-Class.”
An appraisal skill allows someone to see another’s stats or skills, but only up to one rank below their own. An A-Class skill wouldn’t be a problem… except, damn it. I told them I had C-Class skills.
“Uh, Yuhyun? It might be a problem if they find out my skill is C-Class.”
“It’s fine. They know an Awakening Center is opening soon, so they won’t care too much about a skill that awakens non-awakened people. Plus, didn’t I already tell you? They can only check the rank once a month. That shouldn’t draw too much attention.”
The real issue is that I don’t have that skill, though.
“Still, it bothers me. Don’t you have an item that can hide a skill? It should be easy to conceal a C-Class one, right?”
“Nope, it’s risky. Even if they can’t appraise your Beast Tamer skill, they’ll figure things out by looking at your other skills. That’s why they’re bringing an appraiser. You have two E-Class skills, one C-Class skill as your initial skills, and then you gained Beast Tamer at level 10, right? If you have anything extra, or if you’re missing something, they’ll get suspicious.”
“Did you tell them about the C-Class skill?”
“I haven’t mentioned it yet, but if you use an item, the appraiser might catch on… Hyung.”
Yuhyun looked me straight in the eyes.
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“Well…”
Damn. I guess there’s no choice. I was planning to say my skill upgraded due to growth if I got caught, but I didn’t think I’d run into an A-Class appraiser so soon.
There’s no way I can explain away my C-Class skill suddenly becoming A-Class.
“Actually, that skill… is A-Class.”
I decided to come clean. Appraisal skills max out at A-Class even five years in the future, so I shouldn’t get caught.
“Hyung!”
Yuhyun shouted in frustration. What? Other people hide their skills too.
“A-Class? That’s completely different!”
“No, the effect is about the same.”
“‘About the same?’”
“…I can predict the exact Awakening rank, even the initial skill. No limits on how often I can use it.”
I left out the part about Optimized Awakening. My brother let out a heavy sigh, looking at me with an expression of mixed frustration and disbelief.
“So, was it that you didn’t trust me, or…?”
“I trusted that you’d overreact and worry too much. If I’d said, ‘Hey, I’ve got an A-Class skill~,’ you would’ve locked me up for three years, right?”
“…You didn’t not trust me?”
“If I didn’t trust you, I would’ve already run away.”
If Yuhyun had been his usual calm and collected self, I wouldn’t have hidden it. It was because he was acting a bit off that I didn’t tell him.
“I trust you. I know my little brother would risk his life for me.”
After all I’ve seen and experienced, how could I not trust him?
At my words, Yuhyun looked a bit embarrassed.
“…I didn’t think you’d trust me that much.”
Honestly, I didn’t either. At least, not until he did something really stupid.
Thinking about it made me feel a bit guilty. It’s not like he didn’t try to hide things from me in the past, even if it was in his own clumsy way. I suppose I should treat him better, considering he’s saved my life.
“Well, since it’s A-Class, it shouldn’t get detected this time. Even though predicting exact Awakening ranks without limits is an impressive skill, it doesn’t seem like you’ve brought in any top-tier Awakened besides Park Yerim, so they’ll probably assume it’s rare.”
Yuhyun, now calmer, spoke again.
“That’s right. I’ve used it a few times, but I haven’t seen any S-Class stats, or even A-Class ones. There were a few B-Class, though.”
“Were their initial skills nothing special?”
“Just typical attack and defense skills. Want me to tell you? I can’t awaken them for you, though, because of the 30-day cooldown.”
“Nah. Unless it’s a healer or a rare special skill, I don’t really need a B-Class.”
Yeah, yeah, you’re so great.
“I’ll let you know if I find a good A-Class.”
“Thanks. Just don’t make it obvious. Being able to predict A-Class or higher Awakened and check their skills is a huge advantage when it comes to securing top-tier hunters. If you could only use it once a month like you originally said, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but with no limit, that’s a different story.”
“Even if I find them, it’s not like I’ll secure 100% of them.”
“Of course, but just having the opportunity is valuable. Plus, if things go south, some people might try to get rid of them before they even awaken. I’m not saying I would, but there are definitely people out there who would.”
It’s harsh, but true.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it quiet and only tell you.”
“Good. You’re not hiding anything else, right?”
“Nope.”
Well, there’s a lot I’m hiding, but who’s counting? I have two titles, and the skills that come with them amount to eight in total.
The lowest of them is S-Class. Unless an SS-Class appraisal skill user shows up, there’s no way I’ll get caught. And there’s no S-Class, let alone an SS-Class, around here.
“You’re really not hiding anything else?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing more. It’s not like I’m secretly hiding anything. S-Class hunters only get about four initial skills at most, right? What more could I be hiding?”
Maybe if I had time-traveled or something. At my words, Yuhyun nodded.
“Alright. I won’t ask how you’ve been predicting dungeon appearances so accurately.”
…You say you won’t ask, but why are you giving me that look?
Without saying another word, my brother left, sulking. Well, good riddance.
A custom luxury car, painted in deep, dark tones, was making its way toward Haeyeon’s guild parking lot. It wasn’t the only vehicle.
I turned away from the window and looked at Seok Gimyeong. At my feet, Peace, who had been lying down, perked his ears up.
“Other than Hanshin Guild being added, there are no major changes.”
He informed me. Hanshin was a guild at a similar level to Haeyeon, with its leader being an S-Class as well. But with Yerim here and now me, the gap would soon widen.
So now, all the S-Class guild leaders in the country were gathering, except for one who was overseas. Quite a glamorous scene.
“There shouldn’t be any issues.”
Seok Gimyeong continued, trying to reassure me.
“Try to keep your answers brief. If you talk too much, you might end up giving away unnecessary information.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to spout any nonsense.”
I do value my life, after all.
“They may be intimidating people to face, but don’t let yourself get too tense. If you feel too anxious, would you like to take a sedative?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I wasn’t nervous or anxious at all. In fact, I was so relaxed that it was almost concerning.
That said, turning off my fear resistance would be a stupid move, so I’d better force myself to stay on guard. Every person I’m about to meet, except for my little brother, is dangerous and crazy. Then again, even my little brother can’t exactly be called normal.
It’s not like many hunters who frequent dungeons are in their right mind anyway. After a while, PTSD becomes a standard trait.
“I’m more worried about Peace than myself.”
The young Flame-Horned Lion wagged his tail the moment our eyes met. I really don’t want to bring him along.
“There’s no way they’d try to harm Peace just to keep Haeyeon in check, right?”
After all, Peace was the most promising top-tier mount. To other guild leaders, he might be an eyesore.
“They’re not dumb enough to pull something that stupid.”
True, but if by any chance they did, I’d crush their guild to dust, no matter the cost. I’ve got plenty of cards to play.
“Peace, come here.”
I scooped Peace up to get ready to head out. He seemed heavier than a few days ago. Maybe being cooped up in the house had made him gain weight.
Today’s visitors included guild leaders from the top three guilds, plus one more, making it four in total. And on top of that, the head of the Hunter Association was here too. All of them were S-Class hunters, except for the Association head.
‘This’ll be my first time meeting them in person.’
These were all people I’d only ever seen on TV before. The fact that they were all gathering here just to meet me was kind of surreal.
To be honest, I felt like being a little arrogant. These people, who were destined to live as kings for the rest of their lives, no, as super-kings… Maybe I should throw my weight around a bit. ‘If you want the best mount, you’d better stay on my good side, super-kings.’
Of course, that’s not the smart thing to do. I’ll keep playing nice until I’ve secured my position.
I went through a security check before meeting the super-kings. Even though my F-rank stats wouldn’t even let me take on a C-Class, they still thoroughly scanned everything. Naturally, my inventory was sealed too. Well, not really sealed, but that’s what they thought.
“From here, you’ll need to go in alone.”
So, no one else is allowed in, huh? As if anyone would dare mess with the people gathered in there.
“Peace, be good. No growling or anything like that.”
— Kyaang
Does he even understand what I’m saying?
As I walked down the long corridor, a large door came into view. Without hesitation, I opened it and stepped inside.
Immediately, several gazes locked onto me. Well, it seemed they’d already noticed me even before I opened the door.
Then, why didn’t they open the door for me? Do they think it’s easy to open a heavy door with one hand while holding a ten-kilogram cub? You inconsiderate bastards.
“Hello.”
Still, I smiled. Flashing a grin.
The meeting room was heavy and imposing in design, but looking at the faces turned toward me, it felt more like I was visiting some entertainment agency.
If you took out the white-haired head of the Hunter Association, everyone else had the kind of chiseled features and youthful appearance you’d expect to see on TV.
The oldest among them was the Sesung Guild Leader, in his late thirties. The rest were all in their twenties, and of course, Yuhyun, the youngest, was only twenty. Surrounded by these youthful people, I felt even greener.
‘Four S-Class hunters, huh.’
Trying to stick all of them into one room feels almost impossible.
“Dear valued customers, it’s an honor to meet you all.”
I decided to set the stage a little. You never know—what if, by calling them ‘customers’ often enough, I eventually reel them in? My skills might not work on a group, but saying “I love you” a few thousand times doesn’t wear out my tongue, so why not give it a try?
“If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”
I will lovingly answer all your inquiries with utmost sincerity. Of course, there will be more sincerity than truth in my answers.
At my words, Yuhyun frowned slightly, and the Breaker Guild Leader gestured toward a man standing to the side.
“Let’s start with a skill appraisal.”
Sure, go ahead, take your shot.
–TL Notes–
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