[ Venom and Curse Dragon of the Night (2) ]
Whether she was using a stealth-type skill or not, I couldn’t quite make out her appearance. But the silhouette was unmistakably human. She had even spoken.
An S-rank hunter with stealth skills?
I had no memory of her.
Keeping my eyes on the silhouette lying on the ground, I approached the basket where Chirp was nestled. Chirp was fast asleep, completely unaware of the situation. Just as I picked him up, the silhouette sprang to her feet.
“Whoa, thrilling. Darling, what was that? My curse resistance is S-rank, but it only released after I put on my resistance gear.”
A woman’s voice. S-rank curse resistance, huh? As much as I hate to say it, she’s a monster.
According to Weakling’s Instinct, her stats were S-rank, she had S-rank poison and curse skills, an SS-rank melee attack skill, and even an SSS-rank title… What the hell is this? I’ve never heard of a hunter like her. And what kind of title has three S’s?
Of course, it could be like my L-rank title, which doesn’t give any offensive power, but that didn’t seem likely. Because…
[Awakened ? Liette
Current stat rank: S
Max possible stat rank: S
Optimized Initial Skills
Severance of Eternity (SS) Acquired
Path of the Sword (S) Acquired
Radiant Aura (S) Acquired
Flowing Cloud (A) Acquired]
Severance, sword, aura. None of those skills had anything to do with curses or poison. Which meant her poison and curse skills likely came from the SSS-rank title.
“What are you staring at, sweetheart?”
…Her speech is, uh. And her name, too. Is she Western?
‘Stats aside, her skills are no joke. If there were a ranking system right now, she’d be at the top.’
Close-combat specialization with an SSS-rank curse and poison title. She probably has a stealth skill, too. Given that the Lautitars’ Natural Enemy skill was triggered, her SSS-rank title must have something to do with Venom and Curse Dragons. Dio Valsesis, wasn’t it? Never heard of the monster, but the name alone screams trouble.
“Hey, darling? Are you frozen in shock? Gonna respond any time soon?”
“If you had business with me, you should have called first and made an appointment during the day, Miss Liette.”
“Oh?”
Right after her surprised exclamation, the blurry silhouette became clear. A radiant smile bloomed on the face of the woman who revealed herself from the shadows. Her short black hair was cropped for easy movement, and her eyes were a striking shade of gold.
Golden eyes. Some high-ranking hunters’ appearances changed depending on their skills or attributes, but those eyes had an almost metallic sheen that seemed too unnatural for a human.
“How’d you know my name? And aren’t your stats F-rank, with no attack skills?”
She didn’t look Asian, but she spoke fluent Korean. It was probably thanks to the item hanging around her neck—a translation tool that occasionally dropped from S-rank dungeons.
“A hunter should always keep a few secrets up their sleeve.”
“A few secrets? You’re hiding more than just a couple. That skill you used earlier, it’s at least SS-rank, right? Plus, it seems like you have a skill that lets you read your opponent’s information. You were really focused on reading something, weren’t you?”
So, using Promising Talent in front of an S-rank hunter is a dead giveaway, huh? I placed Chirp back in his basket and gave her a gentle smile.
“It was my ace in the hole. I was pretty disappointed when it didn’t work.”
“The only problem was that I was a bad match for you. That skill completely neutralized my S-rank curse resistance—impressive.”
The Lautitars’ Natural Enemy skill had doubled the curse’s effect. I couldn’t even imagine how many times it had multiplied.
“So, can I assume you don’t have any hostile intentions?”
Chirp was right next to me, and Peace and Myungwoo were nearby as well. Avoiding a fight would be ideal. And with her level of skills, even if Yuhyun came, I wasn’t sure we’d win. Close combat expertise with S-rank poison and curse… She was lethal.
Luckily, it didn’t seem like she wanted to fight.
“Of course not. Besides, we’re a terrible match for each other. Did you notice that the moment I broke free from your curse, I tried to hit you with my own curse skill?”
I hadn’t noticed. It must’ve been too insignificant to affect me with my high resistance.
“My curse resistance is pretty high.”
I shrugged like it was no big deal. Liette raised her hands in response.
“My curse skill is condition-based, so it’s not that useful in combat. But it didn’t work at all—how frustrating.”
Most hunters’ curse skills are conditional. Things like sealing inventories or contract enforcement are common. Simple curse attacks, like Gamdung’s Thorn Trap, were usually found in monsters. Wait a second—was this about…?
“…Are you here because I broke that contract?”
“Bingo! You did that, huh?”
You came all the way here just for that? I stared at her, dumbfounded, and Liette quickly added an explanation.
“Well, that’s not the only reason. I also came to ask a favor. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to be the one who broke the contract. I was just going to ask around and see if you knew anything. But after seeing your skills… it was a trap set for MKC, wasn’t it?”
It wasn’t. But I put on a face that said, “Who knows, maybe.”
“That’s the rumor going around?”
“They’re saying Sesung and Haeyeon teamed up to set the trap. Anyway, are we just going to keep standing here?”
Liette sauntered over to the bed and casually lifted one long leg to sit on the edge. Hey, you.
“Take your shoes off.”
“Oh, right.”
She obediently kicked off her boots. Her socks had little cat patterns on them.
“Cute, huh? I bought them at Dongdaemun.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“Darling, you’re so dry. This is the part where you’re supposed to get on the bed.”
She lay down sideways and waved me over. The moonlight—or rather, the distant glow of the building across from mine—gave the room a pleasant atmosphere. Still, I had zero interest in sharing a bed with an unfamiliar S-rank hunter, especially one with SS-rank close-range cutting skills.
After hesitating for a moment, I walked over to the bed. I didn’t lie down, though—I just sat on the other side.
“Usually, breaking an illegal contract isn’t something to fuss over.”
There’s a reason it’s illegal, after all. Sometimes the other party has curse resistance or anti-curse items. Why go through the trouble to confirm the cancellation?
Liette gave me an awkward smile.
“It’s because the business just started.”
“Just started?”
“Yeah. The shop’s only been open for a little while. Of course I’m going to pay attention. I only got the curse skill ten days ago.”
Ten days? That’s it?
“Mind telling me how you got it?”
“Darling, you’re asking so many questions. You’re not even coming closer.”
“Since you’ve learned my secret, let’s agree to keep quiet about each other’s business.”
“Secret? You mean your stats and skills? The Haeyeon and Sesung guild masters already know about those, don’t they?”
“They don’t.”
Her large golden eyes blinked in surprise.
“They don’t? Seriously? That’s unexpected.”
“I’d say that’s enough of a trade, don’t you?”
Even if my “cards” were only half-true, once she knew I had some kind of special skill, it wouldn’t take long for her to figure out I had something unique. So, I wasn’t offering too little.
“Hmm…”
“Also, I know your skills came from a title.”
“Wow, you can even check my status? That’s harsh. Fine, I got the title from defeating an S-rank dungeon boss monster.”
“Dio Valsesis?”
“If you already knew, why’d you ask?”
Liette pouted.
“The SSS-rank title Dio Valsesis’s Twin. You can only get it by defeating the twin dragons Dio and Valsesis with a sibling. My younger brother is an S-rank hunter, too.”
Of course, it had difficult conditions for such a high-level title.
“Can you tell me which dungeon it was?”
“It was an illegal dungeon in China, but…”
Liette frowned a bit before continuing.
“You won’t believe me, but it disappeared after we cleared it.”
“Disappeared?”
“…Why aren’t you surprised? I’m not lying.”
“I believe you.”
The twin Venom and Curse Dragons, Dio and Valsesis. There’s no way information about a dungeon with such bosses wouldn’t have come out in five years. So, obviously…
It was a dungeon that should have appeared five years later.
The system admins must’ve erased it after they cleared it.
‘That’s why there was no information about this amazing hunter.’
I had heard about a female close-combat hunter before, though the name was different. Many hunters don’t use their real names, so it had to be her. S-rank hunters aren’t that common, and with her type of skills and gender matching, there was no doubt.
In other words, in the original timeline, Liette hadn’t obtained the Dio Valsesis’s Twin title. The dungeon hadn’t appeared yet.
…I wonder if there were any other cases like this.
“Really? You believe me?”
Liette crept toward me. She was quite the beauty up close. For a moment, I was captivated by her face, and before I realized it, her arm was wrapped around my waist.
“Darling, you’re a little strange.”
“…What do you mean?”
She pulled me closer, her arm tightening around my waist, and leaned in to sniff my shoulder.
“…Are you a dragonkin too?”
“I’m human.”
“But there’s something about you… like kin? No, more like… someone who could easily take down Dio Valsesis… A powerful presence?”
…Was it because of Gamdung’s skill? No, it’s probably the Lautitars’ Natural Enemy or Dragon Slayer title effects. Even Gamdung was terrified of me, so it’s no surprise Liette was picking up on something odd.
“You’re kind of exciting.”
“…What?”
“You smell nice. Do you use cologne?”
I did use a lot of body wash. But that’s not the point—she’s way too close.
“Can you back off a bit?”
“Are you really twenty-five? You’re so cold.”
“I know who to pick my battles with. Now, let’s get to the point.”
I’d gotten all the information I needed, and it was time for her to leave. Liette pouted and pulled her arm away, flopping onto the bed.
“You’re no fun. I thought you were cute when I saw you on TV. By the way, why hasn’t your face changed? Your stats are pretty high. You look fine as is, but if you’ve got high stats, shouldn’t your appearance be enhanced?”
“I didn’t get any enhancement.”
This is how I’ve always looked.
“Right, you said you only awakened recently. Anyway, I came to ask you to take care of a monster for me.”
“If that’s all, just call me during the day. I’m sure you can get my number.”
I’ve been getting spammed by all sorts of numbers, so there’s no way an S-rank hunter couldn’t find mine. Liette’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“You’re pretending not to know? All the guilds are keeping tabs on you, darling. Especially your brother, he’s been warning everyone not to try contacting you personally.”
So Yuhyun’s been going around doing that, huh?
“But it’s fine for you to come here in person?”
She grinned mischievously.
“As long as I don’t get caught, right? You saw my skills. I didn’t plan on showing my face. I had no idea you’d be able to read an S-rank hunter’s status. I was going to sneak in, check your reaction, and slowly reel you in.”
I guess sneaking in is safer than making a traceable phone call when you have stealth skills.
“So, you want me to take care of your baby monster?”
“Exactly. If I hand it over openly, everyone will know I’m involved with you. Can’t you create some kind of indirect channel? I’m not the only one desperate here.”
She tried to act cute with a pleading face. An indirect channel, huh.
“Do you use SNS?”
“Huh?”
“I’ll make one soon. A lot of guilds and hunters use it, so I’ll follow you first and contact you there. Once my SNS is up, post something related, and we’ll keep in touch that way. Give me your ID now.”
“Oh, I haven’t managed my account in forever. Here’s my ID.”
She pulled out some parchment and a pen from her inventory, scribbled down her ID, then tore the paper and handed it to me.
“Thanks, love you~.”
Hearing her casually say “love you” made me briefly consider whether I should use Keyword Application on her. With the two-fold effect, it would probably work with just a few words. Even Gamdung understood me quickly, so if she’s someone who can comprehend affection, the application should work fast. Should I do it? It would fill one of the S-rank slots, and I could throw some growth buffs her way from time to time. But… would that be giving too much?
Maybe I should check if the keyword would even take effect.
“Do you have anyone you’d consider a caretaker? Like someone who raised you?”
“Huh? No, none. I raised my brother, actually. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you raised your brother too?”
“Yeah, sort of…”
I did raise him. But in the end, I guess…
“He ended up awakening on his own and doing his own thing.”
All at once. College exams, graduation, heading off to university—that was when I thought my job would be done.
Oh, right. I remember now. The savings account I’d set aside for tuition. I never had a chance to use it, so it just sat there. I ended up cashing it out before I met the Awakening Broker. No wonder my bank account was a bit fuller than I expected.
“Darling?”
I suddenly felt drained and laid down on the bed.
“If you’re done, please go. I need to sleep.”
“Are you seriously going to just sleep?”
“Yes. Good night.”
I closed my eyes. I could hear Liette hovering over me, watching.
“Han Yujin, I’ll visit you again.”
“No, thanks.”
I felt a light, feathery touch on my forehead. The sound of boots being slipped on and the door closing soon followed. Finally, Weakling’s Instinct went quiet.
Silence.
I opened my eyes again.
‘…So the system admins really are working.’
Not only were they preventing progression, but they also deleted a dungeon that had popped up too soon. Even though it had already been cleared. That must have been the first time it had appeared, so I wonder what rewards she got. I should have asked about that, too.
‘The rewards would’ve increased with the dungeon’s difficulty over the five years. Then again, compared to that title, most rare items probably wouldn’t be as impressive.’
Dio Valsesis’s Twin. An SSS-rank title, which means it hadn’t even been seen in the five years that followed. Not as far as I knew, anyway.
She mentioned she was practically half-dragon, so it’s likely that her title passed on some of Dio Valsesis’s powers. And since it’s a twin title, her brother must have gotten the same reward.
‘If they took down the boss on their own, in an illegal dungeon, they’re probably not affiliated with a guild. With two S-ranks, they’d still be more than capable enough to handle things alone. Liette is a close-combat type, so maybe her brother is a support or healer? No, if he were an S-rank healer, I would’ve heard about him by now. He’s probably a support type.’
Or maybe long-range or magic-based.
Either way, both of them were at an unmeasurable level. Letting them roam free would be too risky, not to mention a waste.
The only reason Liette was even asking me for help was because she needed something from me. But I wasn’t sure how long that would last.
‘And Keyword Application won’t work on Liette.’
She’s related to a Venom and Curse dragon, so it should apply easily, but she said she had no one she thought of as a caretaker. Which means I’ll have to go after the brother.
Considering who his sister is, I can guess what his personality will be like. At the very least, he’ll probably listen to his sister.
Since he’s also a Venom and Curse dragon type, Keyword Application should work quickly.
‘I’ll have to ask Liette to introduce me to him.’
Now, what should I use for my SNS profile picture? Peace or Chirp?
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. 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