[ Q&A(1) ]
“Hmm, I think I should only ensure Awakening for those with C-rank—no, B-rank or higher skills—and just give advice to the others. I was planning to hire people to help with that… Actually, if there are that many people, shouldn’t the Association handle it? I’ll just send them the data like, ‘Hey, there are some optimized initial skills here,’ and let them deal with it. I only know the skill names anyway.”
Why do I have to do everything? I’m not doing it. If I only help out the B-rank or higher, the Association might grumble, but they can count it as my labor cost.
“Let someone else handle it, someone else.”
“You’re pretty assertive for a guy.”
“Who in their right mind wants to take on extra work?”
Yerim exaggeratedly widened her eyes.
“The person right in front of me. That’s why the Guild Leader’s giving you the cold shoulder.”
“…Yuhyun? Is he still mad?”
“He’s in a really bad mood. Honestly, I get that the Guild Leader is worried about you, but it’s over the top. Even if you pile on a couple more skills, nothing’s really going to change. It’s like turning a gold nugget that everyone wants into a bigger gold nugget—it’s still something everyone wants.”
She had a point. Whether people know I can predict Awakening grades and skills or not, those who want to mess with me won’t change.
“Yeah, he’s overdoing it, but I still need to calm him down. We’re supposed to go into a dungeon together.”
“Hey, why not take this chance to set things straight? Tell him to tone down the interference. And then come over to me!”
…What do you mean, ‘come over’? You’re part of Haeyeon too.
“You can go into dungeons with me! I can clear low-level dungeons on my own now!”
Yerim said confidently. She did mention she’s almost at level 30. Maybe I should go with her if Yuhyun’s too busy.
“Do you have time?”
“I’m an S-rank Hunter, remember? I make my own schedule! Just say the word.”
“Hey, you need to think about the other Hunters you’re working with. Just because you’re S-rank doesn’t mean you should start acting like that.”
“I’ll give them a heads-up. When are we going in?”
“Hmm… Hold on. Let me check with Yuhyun.”
I sent Yuhyun a text, saying if he’s busy, I’d go into the dungeon with Yerim instead. The reply came quickly. He hadn’t answered my calls for the past few days, but now this?
[No need. I’ve set aside the time.]
“He says he’s coming.”
“Knew it!”
Yerim made a face like the wind had been taken out of her sails.
“Go with me next time!”
“Alright, next time.”
“And let’s go somewhere scenic, with a packed lunch!”
Are we going on a picnic? Well, for low-level dungeons, it might as well be one.
After being soaked in mana potion and exhausting myself all afternoon, I finally found two people with B-rank special skills. Since the official Awakening attempts would start after the construction was done, the Hunter waiting outside just took down their contact information and names.
I need to gather at least a dozen people in the next two weeks. Hopefully, tomorrow will be as productive as today.
*
‘Tomorrow’s supposed to be at a boulevard, right?’
Renting a prime first-floor location is no easy feat. Money can buy almost anything, but still.
“Peace, Chirp, were you good while I was gone?”
I wanted to take them both with me, but the law doesn’t allow it yet. It’s not like I’m going alone—there are A-rank Hunters with me—so why not? I’ll have to nudge the Association to get them to do their job.
“You’re back?”
As I was feeding the kids, Myungwoo suddenly popped out of thin air. Like yesterday, he looked terrible.
He’s going to run himself into the ground at this rate.
“Why don’t you take it easy? It’s not like you’re in a rush.”
Despite looking like he was on the brink of exhaustion, Myungwoo flashed a wide grin.
“I want to make at least an A-rank item before the construction is done. S-rank is the goal.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“It’s worth the effort. It’s a lot better than when the future seemed bleak. Back then, I wasn’t really living. This is what it means to live.”
That is living. Hearing him say that, I couldn’t argue anymore. I should at least make sure he takes the tonics Kim Seonghan sent over.
After wearing out the Promising Talent skill, I found three more people with B-rank special skills. There was also one with B-rank stats who could be a combat Hunter. We could have found more if it hadn’t rained halfway through. I hadn’t accounted for the weather as a variable.
‘Busy areas are fine, but maybe it would be better to go to places that have groups, like at companies or schools, to reduce overlapping checks.’
Once I present the results of the special skill Awakenings, I’ll have to formally negotiate with the Hunter Association and the government to do a nationwide tour… limited to once or twice a week. I’m not taking on more work than that. No more.
“Peace, we’re going into a dungeon today.”
-Grrr
I said as I stroked Peace’s neck.
“It’s where you originally lived. Do you remember? …Though it probably wasn’t a good experience.”
From Peace’s perspective, humans killed his family and kidnapped him. …Can Yuhyun and he ever get along, I wonder.
“It’s not like we can stop dungeon raids. There was even a group advocating for monster rights later on.”
They argued that since dungeons were a natural occurrence, there should be protected areas for monsters outside the dungeons. Ridiculous. Do they think monsters will stay peacefully within the designated zones? We could at least try to coexist if we could communicate with them. But monsters attack humans on sight.
“Still, my brother’s not a bad guy… Though you probably see him as the ultimate villain. I’ll make sure he treats you well.”
I held Peace close and patted him. I hoped he didn’t remember the dungeon. He didn’t act hostile toward Yuhyun, so maybe he had forgotten.
-Chirp!
As I held Peace, Chirp started circling my feet as if asking to be picked up too.
“You can’t come. It’s a D-rank dungeon, too dangerous.”
-Chirp?
“No.”
I said it firmly, and Chirp seemed to understand, looking dejected. He’s been showing more varied expressions lately. He’s also started showing interest in things other than food.
“Stay here and be good.”
-Chirp chirp
I put Chirp in his basket and headed outside with Peace.
[I’ll be waiting in the parking lot.]
I texted Yuhyun and started walking. The Hunter standing by the elevator smiled and greeted me.
“Are you heading down now?”
“Yes, I’m going to wait in the parking lot.”
Without so much as lifting a finger, they held the elevator and pressed the button for me. I shouldn’t get too used to this, but everyone’s overly polite.
When I reached the parking lot, I saw Yuhyun waiting. His expression was stiff. He looked kind of sulky.
“Take care.”
The Hunter who had come down with me backed off, sensing the mood.
“Lighten up. Are you going to advertise that you’re mad at me?”
“I’m not mad.”
“Then what?”
“…Do I even have the right to be mad?”
He turned away abruptly. What the hell is he talking about? Is this a late-onset rebellious phase?
“If something’s bothering you, talk to me about it.”
“Like you’d actually tell me the truth.”
Ouch. I couldn’t argue with that. But I don’t think he’d believe me even if I did.
“And you don’t tell me everything either. Keeping your mouth shut in the name of protection isn’t much different.”
“I told you, I’m not mad. I’m just upset with myself, so don’t worry about it.”
Sure, like I’m not going to worry. Yuhyun opened the backseat door for me. No one else was around, which was probably for the best given the current atmosphere.
“How long are you going to stay upset?”
“I’m still figuring out what to do about you. Honestly, I know I’m not capable of handling you. I admit that. I also know that meddling in your business is overstepping my bounds.”
Yuhyun said as he got into the driver’s seat. Hearing him talk like that made me feel strange. I was never anything special compared to my brother.
“…You don’t have to put it like that. We’re brothers. No matter the circumstances, it’s okay to worry about each other.”
“But it’s true. I should admit that you’re out of my hands, but I don’t want to, so I’m acting like this. Don’t worry about it.”
He cut me off and started the car.
I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell him it’s okay to keep meddling, but I don’t like just accepting it either. And that talk about not being capable…
…What’s so wrong about a younger brother worrying about his older brother? And vice versa. Sure, in my case, it’s like a cat worrying about a tiger. But it’s not impossible.
We reached the dungeon quickly since it wasn’t far. It was a hybrid environment of beach and forest under Haeyeon’s management. The regular monsters appeared in the forest, while the boss monster showed up on the beach.
-Growl!
As soon as a monster appeared, Peace leaped from my arms. The monster, an Olgor that looked like a mix between a monkey and a cat, bared its teeth at Peace.
“Is there ever a time when monsters get along, like with the Tooth Moles?”
“Usually not, if they’re from different species. In high-level dungeons where different species of similar rank appear together, we often force the monster groups to fight each other.”
“I see. You know a lot.”
I nodded and glanced at Yuhyun, trying to gauge his mood. I should take this chance to have a proper conversation with him.
[Ready to talk!]
Right, a conversation. Wait, hold on—
Just as the message window popped up, the surroundings went dark. Then, one by one, tiny lights like fireflies began to appear.
“…Yuhyun?”
I couldn’t see him or Peace. Was I in a completely different space?
‘I can’t see anything.’
The lights floated around, but that was it. There was nothing else—just blackness.
“Hey?”
If you’re going to drag me here, at least say something.
As if in response, the lights gathered in front of me, forming a rectangular window. A Hangul keyboard appeared. It looked like a giant smartphone screen.
Deer: Hi, darling!
Tree: Nice to see you! How have you been?
Newbie: Hello!!
Wolf: Hi, sweetie!
Droplet: Can you see this? You can, right? I hope it’s showing up correctly.
Text appeared in the window, line after line. Is this… chat? A chat window?
‘There are five of them.’
I hesitated for a moment before placing my hands on the keyboard.
Honey: Hello.
…What’s with this nickname? Can I change it? Is there a settings menu for this chat?
Deer: Ooooh, our cutie! You made it here safely! Blow me a kiss of welcome~.
Wolf: You must have a lot of questions, right? Ask us anything!
Droplet: Well, not anything! Sorry, Honey. Ignore those two. They’re just butting in. The Newbie will block them soon. I’ll start with the precautions.
At least one of them seems normal.
Droplet: There’s a limit to the information we can provide. The connection between your side and ours is narrow. Normally, it’s completely closed off. We’ve forced the passage open right now, so if the information exceeds a certain amount, the connection will break.
Honey: Does small talk count as information? Can I use my real name instead of this nickname?
Droplet: Small talk is fine. Names are considered information, so no. More importantly, we need to keep Honey’s identity hidden for now.
Honey: From what?
Deer: From the one who must not be named! ^▽^
What is this, Voldemort?
Droplet: The block hasn’t worked yet, I see. But Deer isn’t entirely wrong. Names carry a lot of information. If we talk about it too much, the other side will catch on.
Honey: Is it related to the dungeons?
Droplet: Exactly! The increasing number and strength of dungeons are an act of expanding influence. But don’t worry. You only have to do one thing, Honey.
Honey: You mean raising the S-ranks, right?
That was the only thing they had directly asked of me.
Tree: Correct again! Specifically, you just need to apply the keyword and gather exactly 50 people.
Droplet: It’s okay if you gather more.
Newbie: Once you’ve done that, leave the rest to us!
Droplet: We can’t explain everything in detail, but trust us. Just fill up your skill window with 50 people. That’s all you need to do.
Is 50 really enough? Then again, if I apply the keyword and keep boosting their growth, they’ll end up much stronger than the original S-ranks. Some might even reach SS-rank with enough growth.
Honey: Can’t you change the keyword to something easier?
Something like the old “Hang in there.”
Droplet: We don’t set the keyword. We check your skills and then name and describe them accordingly.
Deer: I named the “Perfect Nurturer” title skill! Isn’t it perfect?
So, you’re the culprit.
Honey: No, not at all. Then can you at least give me more detailed descriptions?
Droplet: Well, Honey, there are two reasons for that. First, we don’t fully understand people’s skills or abilities either. It’s like discovering a new rabbit, examining it, and deciding, “It has long ears, hops around, eats grass, let’s call it a rabbit.” That’s about it. We don’t have the ability or time to investigate further.
Tree: Fortunately, there’s already a lot of existing data, so we manage the skill windows as best as we can. But your case, Honey, is a real exception.
Droplet: Yes, the “Perfect Nurturer” title is a first.
Deer: It’s really □□□□□!
Wolf: □□□□□□□□□!!
Droplet: Get those two out of here right now!
[Sorry for the temporary disruption in chat.]
Droplet is really going through it, huh?
–TL Notes–
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