[ The Demon King’s Spinning Wheel (1) ]
I wanted to rush out immediately. But, with the advice to rest just one more day, I agreed to postpone my discharge until tomorrow.
Chirp Chirp
Chirp clutched a puzzle piece in its tiny beak and waddled over to place it in the right spot. As soon as the picture of the rabbit on the right side of the puzzle was completed, Chirp stared at it, almost as if in awe of its own masterpiece. Of course, I was just as impressed.
“Our Chirp is a genius after all.”
“Any baby could do that. It’s only a 100-piece puzzle.”
Yerim, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed, made a dismissive comment.
“Only? Chirp’s still young, you know? This puzzle is for ages five and up.”
I swear, Chirp’s got a sharp brain. …Well, sometimes. Honestly, Chirp can be a bit all over the place. Sometimes he’s calm, smart, and doesn’t even fuss over food, but then there are other times when he bumps into windows like he can’t see them, and throws a fit for food.
‘Maybe he has a split personality… or split instincts?’
There’s Smart Chirp and… Dumb… Glutton Chirp.
It’s a plausible theory. There are monsters with more than one head, each with different personalities. Like that Lautitars with three heads, each casting a different curse and poison, making them even more annoying to deal with.
‘There’s even a species of bird monster that grows two heads as it matures.’
Honestly, even if our Chirp grew two heads, he’d still be cute. Hmm.
“Chirp, you don’t have to grow up, you know. Daddy can take care of you.”
Chirp!
You don’t have to get bigger. Who says you need to grow? Besides, I don’t even know what the growth conditions are, nor do you have any usable skills. Let’s just live like this.
I stroked Chirp and glanced at the status window I’d left open. Specifically, it was the skill window for My Kid Is The Best. Han Yuhyun—S, Peace—S. No changes for either of them.
That means they’re safe, but seeing Han Yuhyun’s name made my anger bubble up again.
“Han Yuhyun, that bastard.”
“If the Guild Leader’s a bastard, wouldn’t that make you… Uh, never mind.”
Yerim waved her hand in a calming gesture, trying to ease the tension.
“I’ve told you this a dozen times, but nothing’s going to happen. They brought two Gate Stones, so if things really go south, they’ll come right back out.”
I know that. But it still pisses me off. There’s a limit to the whole “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” thing. No matter how strong he is as an S-class hunter, he’s not immortal, so why the hell would he willingly throw himself into danger? He overturned all the careful planning we did and charged into a dungeon like an idiot. Ugh, seriously.
“That insane bastard, Han Yuhyun.”
“Mister, take a deep breath. Breathe in—whooo. In—whooo.”
I didn’t think I was that worked up, but I followed her advice anyway. A long breath in, a long breath out. It helped. A little.
“By the way, Yerim, your phone’s been ringing for a while. Aren’t you going to pick it up?”
I pointed to her phone on the table, which had been lighting up for a while now.
“It’s fine. It’s just the Association.”
“Shouldn’t you answer, then?”
“Nope. They’re just bothering me because I’m the easiest to hassle. This time, an A-class dungeon shot up to S-class, so of course the Association’s flipping out. But since I’m one of the few who came out, and Kim Seonghan barely participated in the fight, they’re pestering me for details. It’s annoying.”
Now that she mentioned it, the Association must be pretty stressed out. A dungeon’s difficulty suddenly spiking means they can’t guarantee the hunters’ safety.
“They haven’t made any announcements yet, have they?”
“They probably want to keep everyone quiet. If it were mid to lower-level hunters involved, they’d be trying to bury it—literally. But they can’t do that with S-class hunters, so their hands are tied.”
Would they really go that far?
“Oh, right. What did you get as a reward, Mister?”
Yerim’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“I got the SS-class Earrings of the Mermaid Queen of Changlang. Look, see?”
The elegant blue gem earring hanging from her ear swayed as she tilted her head.
SS-class gear? That’s some good loot. When you take down a first-class SS-ranked monster, there’s a high chance of getting SS-class items, but it’s not guaranteed. Sometimes you’d get special items, materials, or consumables instead.
“It boosts magic and mental stats, lets you move freely underwater, and increases water and ice elemental skill effectiveness by 30% in water!”
“That’s awesome! You’re going to be unstoppable in underwater dungeons.”
“Right? Water dungeons aren’t very popular, but I’ll sweep them all. I’ll be debt-free in no time!”
She laughed brightly, clearly pleased with herself. With a 30% boost to ice element skills underwater, she’d better focus on upgrading her cold resistance soon. Add in some buffs and enhancements, and she’d need to be at least S-class to handle it.
After giving her some pointers, I asked,
“Did you hear what the others got?”
“Of course, they didn’t tell me much. But I’m sure Hyunah’s grinning because she got something good. As for the Sesung Guild Leader, who knows? And our guild leader was already pissed off, so no clue there. Seonghan got a Gate Stone, though. He was pretty happy about it, considering he didn’t do much. Peace probably didn’t get anything, right?”
“Probably?”
I wasn’t sure. He had skills, so it seemed like the system acknowledged him, but I didn’t think he had an inventory.
“Mister, hurry up and check yours!”
With Yerim’s urging, I opened my inventory. I hadn’t organized it in a while, so it was a mess. Inventory space is limited, so I should probably tidy it up at some point.
As I scrolled through the list, an unfamiliar item name caught my eye.
[The Old Spinning Wheel of the Nameless Demon King]
What’s this? The fact that it had “Demon King” in the name meant it had to be a high-level item. I pulled it out of my inventory.
“…What’s that?”
“It looks like… the wheel from a spinning wheel?”
It really was just a spinning wheel’s wooden wheel. It wasn’t even that big, maybe the size of a person’s head, and it looked like it was made from some old, ordinary wood.
“The description says… it’s the wheel from an old spinning wheel once used by a Demon King, SS-class. That’s it.”
“A Demon King with such a peaceful hobby?”
Exactly. How am I supposed to use this? Is it a crafting material? Should I make a spinning wheel? Can I spin straw into gold with it or something?
‘I had the double reward effect too. Shouldn’t something better have dropped? Maybe my contribution was too low?’
It seemed like the double reward effect didn’t necessarily mean getting two items. Sometimes, it might just upgrade the item quality, like getting an SS-class item instead of an S-class one.
I decided to show it to Myungwoo later and shoved it back into my inventory.
Myungwoo headed back to the forge, and Kim Seonghan returned to Haeyeon Guild. With their guild leader having recklessly thrown himself into a dungeon, Haeyeon must’ve been in chaos… Damn it, deep breaths, deep breaths.
Just then, Yerim’s face stiffened. She glanced toward the door, frowning.
“Here comes the crazy bastard.”
It couldn’t be Yuhyun already, right? Then a knock sounded at the door. Before I could say anything, the door opened, and in walked Seong Hyunjae.
He gave Yerim a warm look, at least on the surface.
“Your instincts are sharp.”
“It’s only been a day. How could I forget?”
Yerim stood up and gave him a polite nod. She was all proper and respectful… but I got the feeling she’d called him a bastard earlier knowing he’d hear it. Yerim, let’s be a little more careful with what we say… or did you pick that up from Moon Hyunah?
“How’s your health?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for coming to check on me.”
I forced a smile, though I wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him. What could I do? Seong Hyunjae always put on that gentle, kind expression, even when he’d rejected my skill.
“I heard about Han Yuhyun. I heard sweets help with stress.”
He held out a shopping bag. Food? Yerim took it and placed it on the table.
“There’s a 15-day cooldown for sharing the same skill, if I remember correctly.”
As soon as the small talk ended, he went straight to the skill sharing. Naturally, after experiencing the attack skill doubling firsthand, he’d be curious. But it’s not something I can just hand out. Sorry, not happening.
“Yes. It’s not particularly useful in most situations. There are only a few skills I can share, and while the double attack skill effect is great, I’m, as you know, a bit of a weakling. Unless I have a special item like the bracelet from last time, it’s hard to use in close combat. S-class dungeons are out of the question too.”
The only reason I’d used it last time was for Kim Seonghan’s growth. But without a similar reason, I’d have no reason to inefficiently clear a dungeon with a bunch of S-class hunters.
Unless there’s another dungeon break, I won’t need to use it again.
“That’s true.”
Seong Hyunjae nodded in agreement, but something about it made me uneasy.
“Still, once an item like that has been created, who’s to say there won’t be another? We might see a dungeon item with similar effects. I look forward to that day.”
He’s already counting his chickens before they hatch. His satisfied smile was so irritating that I couldn’t help but fire back.
“I don’t think you’ll need to be looking forward to anything, Guild Leader. After all, I’m surrounded by S-class hunters. There’s even one right here.”
Yuhyun and Yerim are both right next to me. With powerful attack skills like theirs at home, why would I waste it on some guy next door?
Yerim, who had been scowling earlier, grinned widely at my words. Meanwhile, Seong Hyunjae openly looked disappointed. What right did he have to be disappointed? It’s not like he’d get anything even if he acted hurt.
“I’m hurt. I thought we’d grown quite close.”
What an absurd thing to say with such a straight face. Where’s your conscience?
“…There’s no reason for us to be close. What have you done to make us close?”
“We’ve been through a lot together.”
“Let’s keep work and personal matters separate.”
“Didn’t you receive something from me personally?”
I almost threw the earring at him but stopped myself. That’d be a waste. I might as well put it to good use. Instead, I smiled.
“Thanks to a certain friend, S-class items don’t impress me anymore. But if you’re willing to part with the SS-class [Wings of the Fire Dragon, Silekia], I might just tell you I love you, Seong Hyunjae. I tried on your coat, and it was amazing.”
“An expensive love, I see.”
“Not really. It’s cheap. Should I give you a sample? I love you, Seong Hyunjae.”
After all, I’d grown an A-class stat into an S-class. That’s quite a deal.
So, what’s your next move? You can’t actually give me the [Wings of the Fire Dragon, Silekia]. I smiled smugly up at him, but he only shrugged.
“You’re right. It’s not that expensive. Unless words are all you have.”
…Wait, don’t take that coat out of your inventory!
“I was joking, obviously!”
“Yeah, it was a joke!”
Yerim quickly chimed in, glaring at Seong Hyunjae.
“The patient needs to rest, Guild Leader. Please leave.”
Seong Hyunjae, clearly amused, smiled and told me to take care before leaving without protest.
Damn it, I’m seriously considering not using the keyword on him anymore. Even though his promise of the [Wings of the Fire Dragon, Silekia] was probably empty, this whole thing is bad for my mental health. Besides, the keyword likely wouldn’t work on him anyway.
“Mister! You can’t be swayed by a little item like that!”
As soon as the door closed, Yerim shouted. At the same time, she took off her earring, which made her words seem a bit contradictory. Yerim, your words and actions don’t match.
“I’ve got an SS-class item too!”
Her face was all puffed up, sulking. She was so happy about getting that earring, but she was offering it to me now? She’s too cute.
“No need for that. I like you a hundred times more than that guy anyway.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
It’s not even a comparison. I answered with all the sincerity I could muster, and she flashed a bright smile. Of course, she slyly slipped the earring back into her ear right after. As expected of my Yerim.
In the hospital parking lot, Seong Hyunjae climbed into his car and pulled out his phone. After a few rings, someone picked up.
[Whoa, old man. What’s up?]
A lively female voice greeted him. Without wasting any time, Seong Hyunjae got straight to the point.
“Get ready to come to Korea.”
[Already? That’s earlier than planned.]
“Contact Noah too. Tell him to enter the country as the Ark Guild Leader, not as a Sesung member.”
[Huh? Him too? That’s weird. I thought you were going to hand things over to Haeyeon and step away?]
“The plan’s changed.”
The voice on the other end sounded puzzled.
[I thought you liked Haeyeon’s Guild Leader. Did he do something to piss you off?]
“No, the young master is still as cute as ever. Even more so with all the poison in him. But the one responsible for that poison is… a bit of a problem.”
His cold gaze shifted toward the window. The call ended, and Seong Hyunjae lowered his phone, his thoughts drifting back three years.
When he had just awakened, he’d been approached by those self-proclaimed “filial piety fanatics.”
Filial piety, huh? What a joke.
Their ridiculous title aside, the information they gave him had been accurate.
So, it was time to change the plan.
It was late at night. Chirp was fast asleep, curled up on a pillow. Yerim had returned to the dormitory. I’d sent Myungwoo home too, despite his protests, leaving only Kim Seonghan to stay in the hospital’s guardian room.
Out of habit, I checked the cursed name in my status window before pressing the TV remote. There wasn’t much to watch. Hunter-related shows were still buzzing with stories about Myungwoo.
Then it happened.
“Hey, Boss! You’re awake!”
It was Goblin. Her wide grin was actually kind of nice to see, so I smiled back.
Looks like it’s time to apply the keyword to her soon.
–TL Notes–
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