[ Don’t Cause Trouble ]
“Peace! You’re the best! Oh, what a cutie! Don’t you want to come to me? Huh? Huh? Should I call myself your sister?”
Moon Hyunah clung to the neck of the Flame Horned Lion like a drunken person causing a ruckus. Even though Peace shook his neck in annoyance, she didn’t budge and just laughed heartily.
Dust filled the air, making everything hazy. Around the massive toad’s corpse, piles of rubble were scattered chaotically.
Amidst this scene, Han Yuhyun and Park Yerim stared at each other awkwardly.
The two naturally avoided each other due to their conflicting natures, their instincts warning them off. But in the moment when Han Yujin’s skill was applied, that feeling of aversion completely vanished.
In its place, there was a faint sense of camaraderie and familiarity.
It should have felt uncomfortable, but they naturally accepted these feelings because the one connecting them was none other than Han Yujin.
It was a kind of trickery.
Both Han Yuhyun and Park Yerim had already grown accustomed to receiving positive emotions from Han Yujin. The subtle shift in this familiar dynamic was barely noticeable.
“…Let’s not talk about this.”
Park Yerim frowned slightly as she spoke.
Although the skill’s effect had faded, the residual emotions still lingered. The annoyance toward the other person had returned, but the pleasant sense of teamwork remained.
For Park Yerim especially, this had been the first time she had faced a powerful enemy and unleashed her full strength. She felt thrilled, excited, and exhilarated. Even now, standing over their fallen opponent, her heart was still pounding. The one she usually found irritating—Han Yuhyun—even looked somewhat pleasant to her. She hated to admit it, but that’s how she felt.
Han Yuhyun, though feeling less intense than Yerim, was in a similar situation and awkwardly nodded in agreement.
However, the person who had been affected the most wasn’t Moon Hyunah, who had perfectly synced with her superior mount, nor the two who had momentarily bonded despite their opposing natures. It was none other than Seong Hyunjae.
The back of the defeated giant toad lay completely torn open.
Despite the massive size of the wound, there was no blood. The area had been thoroughly scorched and cooked from the inside out.
It looked as if a gigantic predator, something as large as Babar itself, had taken a bite. Seong Hyunjae observed the wound before glancing down at the young man in his arms.
“Where did something like this suddenly appear from?”
He muttered curiously, as if he had stumbled upon a fascinating new species.
Seong Hyunjae had long been aware of Han Yujin’s usefulness. However, the training of mounts and the ability to discern potential awakening grades weren’t fields he needed to get directly involved in.
His interest lay not in Han Yujin himself, but in the results he produced.
As long as Haeyeon or any other guild didn’t attempt to monopolize him, maintaining a cordial relationship with Han Yujin was sufficient. Why meddle with a farmer who was already working efficiently? With contracts in place, all that was left was to enjoy the harvest.
But now, things had changed.
A command-type special skill. Normally, such a skill wouldn’t be of much use to an S-class hunter, except in exceptional cases like today.
‘But the day when it becomes crucial isn’t far off.’
Seong Hyunjae was among the first to accurately sense the rising difficulty of dungeons. He predicted that cooperation between S-class hunters would soon become a necessity.
When that time came, a command skill capable of influencing S-class hunters would be invaluable. Moreover, the fact that the skill user had low stats was an attractive feature.
No hunter welcomes direct interference from someone who poses a physical or mental threat. But Han Yujin was so weak that he wasn’t even a nuisance. His skill could easily be resisted if one strongly opposed it.
To a high-ranking hunter, Han Yujin was more of a mild convenience than a threat—a novelty that could be tolerated. It was as if he was designed to fit the role perfectly.
And then there was the matter of sharing the effect of doubled attack skills.
Seong Hyunjae’s lips curled into a smile.
‘Feeling it is completely different from hearing about it.’
Who wouldn’t be attracted to the allure of wielding overwhelming power? Especially for hunters, strength manifests results quickly and decisively. Once experienced, it’s impossible not to crave more.
Hunters, especially those at the top, had a unique target—monsters—on whom they could legally unleash their power, with massive rewards as a result.
They could wield their superhuman abilities freely, crushing and tearing their enemies apart, only to grow even stronger.
For someone who stood at the pinnacle of hunters, the sensation of having attack skills doubled was akin to a drug. It was completely different from merely knowing about it as a number. The thought of returning to his usual strength after experiencing this heightened power was enough to stir feelings of frustration, even anger.
If only this wasn’t tied to a human. If it had been a dungeon item, he would have done anything to obtain it.
“Is my brother alright?”
At that moment, Han Yuhyun and the others approached.
“There’s no injury, of course. He’s just asleep.”
“That’s a relief. Let me take him.”
Han Yuhyun extended his hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Seong Hyunjae’s brow furrowed slightly. If he handed Han Yujin over now, who knew when he’d get another chance? Han Yuhyun coddled his older brother so excessively. Even if Han Yujin said he was fine, there was no way Yuhyun would let him enter another high-level dungeon anytime soon.
‘Should I kill him?’
Not just Han Yuhyun, but the others too.
The title that doubled attack skills was still active. Even if he massacred the other S-class hunters here, the corpse of a first-class monster and its rewards would provide more than enough cover. He’d have both an excuse and evidence.
With Haeyeon out of the picture, only MKC and Hanshin would remain. MKC wouldn’t dare step up, and Hanshin could easily be crushed. The blacksmith wasn’t much of a threat yet, either.
“I asked you to hand him over.”
Sensing something was off, Han Yuhyun’s expression hardened. Park Yerim, who had been teasing Moon Hyunah about Peace, also quieted down.
Clink.
The Searcher’s Chain coiled protectively around Seong Hyunjae. Han Yuhyun’s eyes darkened into a deep crimson as he observed this.
“That’s quite a scary look. Are you planning to fight, young master?”
“You’re the one picking a fight.”
“Let’s not pretend this is sudden. I’ve been sending signals since yesterday. I was curious to see how much you’ve grown.”
“I’d love to meet your expectations, but let’s start by returning my brother.”
“No thanks.”
Seong Hyunjae smiled. The growling was cute in its own way. Tension hung thick in the air when, suddenly, Park Yerim’s dry voice cut through.
“If you two fight, Mister will end up in 50 pieces.”
Her tone was casual, like she was throwing out a random comment, but her gaze was ice-cold. Beside her, Moon Hyunah spoke up, trying to sound cheerful.
“She’s right. So, why don’t you hand Hyung over and then go at it? I’ll keep quiet and let you two have at it. I promise I won’t tattle.”
“Unnie, that lie is way too obvious. You’re hoping for a front-row seat to the fight, aren’t you? Just waiting for the leftovers.”
Yerim laughed with just her mouth, pulling out a mana potion. Moon Hyunah, too, retrieved the spear she had placed at her feet. Peace bared his fangs slightly. In the midst of this tension, Kim Seonghan arrived. After assessing the situation, he silently fixed his glare on Seong Hyunjae.
“Hm? Dear Hyunjae, why don’t you hand over the fragile glass before it shatters at the last minute?”
At Moon Hyunah’s words, Seong Hyunjae’s gaze shifted to Han Yujin, specifically to the bracelet on his wrist. The cracked, rugged bracelet had been active for more than ten minutes now.
‘Moon Hyunah’s the problem.’
The other three, including the Flame Horned Lion, wouldn’t be able to attack properly out of concern for Han Yujin’s safety. But Moon Hyunah was different. The moment she realized the double attack skill was still in effect, she’d undoubtedly target Han Yujin first.
‘If I want to use him properly in the future, I’ll need a specialized item.’
That thought cooled his head.
“There are too many eyes and mouths here for me to do anything.”
Sighing as if it were too much trouble to deal with, Seong Hyunjae handed Han Yujin over to Han Yuhyun. He then draped his coat back over his shoulders and took a final glance at the destruction he had caused before quickly turning away. Lingering on this too long would only hold him back.
“Come on, let’s wrap this up and get out of here.”
Moon Hyunah waved her hand as the tension lifted. Compared to the giant toad, the remaining monsters were mere tadpoles—there was no need to drag this out.
“I’m certain. They were targeting Han Yujin.”
The newbie looked anxious as he spoke. Next to him, Tree was in the process of restoring Dungeon G-15, the City of Black Golems. A monster from five years in the future had slipped out due to a spatial distortion. And, unfortunately, it happened when a group of S-class hunters was present, which meant a monster of equivalent danger had appeared. If they didn’t restore the situation quickly, similar incidents could occur in other dungeons.
“Do you think they’ve already figured it out? What should we do to protect our Honey?”
“Calm down. They weren’t trying to kill Han Yujin, just take him. And besides, it happened inside Honey’s world. It’s more likely someone used a spatial transfer skill.”
The newbie’s expression brightened for a moment before darkening again.
“Could it be them? The kids trying to impress their parents?”
“Who knows? It was at least an SSS-class or L-class skill, so they shouldn’t be able to interfere directly just yet. But we’ll have to check. Anyway, done!”
Black text flashed across the screen as the dungeon was restored.
“Oh! They’ve already taken down Babar! That was fast!”
“Right? I thought they’d struggle more with their current strength. Honey had a significant contribution too. Completing a dungeon this quickly with an F-class stat on the team? That’s impressive.”
Dungeon rewards and monster hunting rewards were determined based on achievement points. Usually, the system calculated this automatically, but in special cases, the managers would personally assign rewards.
Tree tapped their fingers on the screen, allocating the appropriate rewards.
“And as for Honey, regular equipment isn’t going to cut it.”
“He mentioned needing high-grade mana-enhancing equipment, didn’t he?”
“He’s got a blacksmith, doesn’t he? That’s not necessary. This would be better.”
After linking all of Han Yujin’s reward points to a special item, Tree closed the screen.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
A small, soft chirping tickled my ears. I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. Looks like I made it out of the dungeon.
Chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp!
Chirping from beside my head, Chirp fluttered around. Okay, okay, calm down. Stop hitting my face, it hurts.
“Mister!”
“Yujin!”
It was Yerim and Myungwoo. I sat up, picking up Chirp. Where am I? This room is pretty big, but there’s no window. And these clothes…? Are these hospital clothes?
I turned to see Myungwoo on the verge of tears.
“How long was I out?”
“For two days! The hospital said you’d be fine but… How could four S-class hunters fail to protect a single person?!”
Yerim averted her gaze at Myungwoo’s angry outburst. I didn’t think I’d be so exhausted that I’d sleep for two whole days. My body felt fine, though. My mind was clear, too.
Just then, Kim Seonghan walked in. When he saw me, he grinned.
“You’re awake!”
But, like Yerim, he turned away when Myungwoo glared at him.
Myungwoo really was in charge here, especially when it came to these two. Yerim and even the more experienced Kim Seonghan likely didn’t have many S-class items yet. S-class equipment was still scarce, so S-class hunters were given priority.
To get fully equipped quickly, borrowing Myungwoo’s help was the best option.
“Don’t blame them. Everything was fine until that first-class monster showed up. Even for an S-class hunter, how could they have predicted such an abnormal event? Besides, they all cooperated to take down the first-class monster.”
And I bet they finished the rest of the dungeon without much trouble, right? Surely they didn’t start bickering and fighting again.
“Where’s Blue?”
I asked while petting Chirp.
“He was too restless, so we couldn’t bring him to the hospital. He’s been a bit down since you’ve been gone, but he’s healthy and eating well.”
“Chirp wouldn’t stop crying after the second day, so we had to get special permission from the hospital and the Association to bring him here.”
Ah, my poor Chirp. You missed your dad, didn’t you?
“Is Yuhyun in a dungeon?”
“Yes.”
Yerim answered hesitantly, avoiding my gaze like she was hiding something. Why is Kim Seonghan here, then?
“Weren’t you supposed to go with him, Seonghan?”
“Ah… well…”
Kim Seonghan averted his eyes too. What’s going on?
“Where’s Peace?”
“Peace went with him, but, um…”
Yerim trailed off before finishing her sentence.
“The guild leader and Peace… went into the dungeon by themselves.”
“…Huh?”
I didn’t understand at first. So, just the two of them? Alone…? My heart sank, and a notification for my fear resistance skill appeared. Damn it, this crazy little brother of mine, seriously, he’s lost his mind.
“…An S-class dungeon?”
“Yes. Other guild members followed them in, but they all got kicked out. Apparently, the atmosphere was really tense. But they said it’s a dungeon with good elemental compatibility, so while it’ll be tough, they should be safe…”
Even so, it’s still an S-class dungeon. And since S-class hunters are required, it’s at least mid-tier. They went in with just the two of them? Poor Peace. He wouldn’t have been forced into it, but still… Even in a manageable dungeon, an S-class raid takes time. With just the two of them, they won’t even be able to rest properly.
Seriously… Yuhyun, you crazy bastard. If you had a problem, you should’ve just said it to my face.
–TL Notes–
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