[ Thornwing Rock Dragon ]
“What in the world happened here?”
Yerim asked, looking around the hospital room that now resembled the aftermath of a typhoon.
“Nothing major.”
“Nothing major? But the wall has cracks in it! Isn’t this supposed to be a reinforced wall?”
“Well, I’m fine, so it’s no big deal. Chirp, come here.”
-Chirp!
I brushed off the events from yesterday as best I could. How could I explain that an SS-rank Demon King had appeared and then disappeared? So for now, only Kim Seonghan and I knew the truth about the Goblin King.
“If that’s the case, then why does Mister look like he hasn’t slept in days? You look exhausted.”
“That’s just because I didn’t… sleep well.”
I had already slept for two full days, so I didn’t think missing a night of sleep would show that much. Ugh, this S-rank dungeon is going to take forever. With just the two of us, we’ll need at least ten days.
“…That good-for-nothing little brother of mine…”
“Aww, our poor Mister is stressed. Want to grab a drink later?”
“Drink? What? Yerim?!”
Did I hear that right? I stared at her in shock, wondering if my ears were playing tricks on me, but she just smiled casually.
“Doesn’t really matter if it’s alcohol or water. With our stats, unless you drink something super strong, you won’t even get tipsy.”
“It doesn’t matter if you get drunk or not! Why are you even drinking, you little delinquent?!”
“I am pretty good at flying around, aren’t I?”
That’s not the kind of “flying” I meant… I covered my face with my hand, and Yerim giggled as she patted my arm.
“I just had a little taste out of curiosity. It didn’t even taste good.”
I mean, I get that she might have been curious about what alcohol tastes like, but still. I’m her guardian, yet I haven’t been paying enough attention to this kid, have I?
“But you’re going to wait until you’re an adult to do anything else, right? No more drinking until then. And definitely no smoking, even when you’re grown. Also, how’s school going these days?”
“Uh…”
Yerim froze. To think that a single question could immobilize an S-rank so easily—words really are stronger than skills sometimes.
“You’ve probably missed a lot of lessons because of all the dungeon work. If you want to catch up, you’re going to have to put in the effort. But yesterday you were here all day, and today you’ve been here since morning too.”
“W-Well, Mister is more important, right? It’s fine, I already talked to my teacher, and they said it’s okay…”
Yeah, right. Whether it’s a low-ranking Hunter tutor or a regular civilian, who’s going to refuse an S-rank’s request for a break?
“Someone’s coming to pick me up today. They’re going to give me a tour of the new breeding facility too.”
“Who?”
“The head of the Awakener Management Office.”
Yerim tilted her head in confusion, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
“He’s with the Ministry of Interior and Safety. He’s also the S-rank Hunter who made it possible for the Hunter Association to manage S-rank dungeons—Song Taewon. He’s the only S-rank in the country who isn’t part of a guild but works directly for the government. We haven’t been able to meet yet because of conflicting schedules, but he called to arrange a meeting today.”
Song Taewon was an Awakened who used to be a police officer. Despite being an S-rank, he remained a civil servant, which was quite unusual. He could’ve pursued a high-ranking position, but he wasn’t the type to chase after power or wealth.
The fact that the Hunter Association managed to hold its own against the massive guilds was largely thanks to Song Taewon’s influence.
“You should meet him too. If an S-rank Hunter ever breaks the law, he’s the one who’ll come after them first.”
Yerim and I made our way down to the hospital parking lot. Since this was the Hunter-exclusive wing, it was pretty quiet. Hunters rarely needed to visit hospitals since they had Healers for injuries and didn’t get sick easily. Low-ranking Hunters with F-rank stats would rather go to a regular hospital since this place wasn’t covered by their insurance.
“Looks like he’s not here yet.”
“Yeah. Maybe we should wait outside near the public parking area.”
We stepped outside and sat on a bench by the flower beds. After a while, a beat-up red compact car rolled into the lot. Yerim’s face contorted in disbelief as she watched the car approach.
“M-Mister, I think… an S-rank Hunter might be in that car… Am I sensing things wrong?”
“That’s just how he is.”
I stood up and spoke. I’d heard stories, but seeing it in person was something else.
The tiny car stopped precisely within the parking lines. The man who stepped out of it was much too large for the compact car. He straightened his immaculate clothes with a face that looked like it belonged in a serious action movie, carefully closing the door as if afraid it might break.
“…What’s with him?”
“He’s a civil servant.”
“I mean, sure, but even civil servants can be well-off. And he’s an S-rank Hunter…”
Yerim muttered, still looking like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was odd, I’ll admit. Even though I knew he didn’t accept earnings as a Hunter, his salary as a high-ranking public official couldn’t be that low.
Song Taewon, the S-rank civil servant, gave us a polite nod. Just as we returned the gesture, a sleek luxury sedan glided into the parking lot. Without even slowing down, it swerved and—
Bam!
—slammed right into the back of the compact car. The poor little car was half-destroyed, while the sedan only suffered a minor scratch. Yerim muttered under her breath.
“Nice.”
I pretended not to hear that.
The driver of the sedan stepped out—it was none other than Seong Hyunjae. That lunatic casually raised one hand in greeting toward Song Taewon, holding what looked like a business card between his fingers.
“Send the repair bill to this address. Or would you prefer the car keys? It’s hard to resist stepping on the gas when I see someone so large squeezing into such a tiny car. It wasn’t intentional.”
“I’m siding with the Sesung Guild Leader this time…”
Yerim whispered beside me. What’s so wrong about driving a compact car? As someone who was once a regular citizen, I was firmly in Song Taewon’s camp.
“Accepting anything beyond a certain monetary value is against the law.”
Song Taewon’s voice was flat, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at Seong Hyunjae. The two had always been on bad terms. In fact, Song Taewon had little patience for the major guilds, which he regarded as little more than tax evasion organizations benefiting from their Hunter status.
Of course, the guild leaders weren’t fond of Song Taewon either, especially since he, as an S-rank Hunter, had the authority to conduct investigations on Hunters. Seong Hyunjae, though, had enough clout to pull off this kind of reckless provocation. Other guild leaders would’ve stepped back immediately in front of Song Taewon.
“By the way, what brings you here? I was supposed to handle Han Yujin’s tour, wasn’t I?”
“I’m here to pick up the kid’s dad.”
Seong Hyunjae turned to me with a grin.
“This morning, we finished the Thornwing Rock Dragon dungeon raid.”
From his good mood, I could tell they’d succeeded in capturing the young dragon.
Since Song Taewon’s car was now out of commission, we ended up making a detour to the Sesung Guild. Song Taewon wasn’t happy about it, but without a car, and since it was on the way, there wasn’t much he could do. The fact that Sesung had a contract with me for monster breeding didn’t help his argument either.
On the way, Seong Hyunjae kept throwing jabs about how Song Taewon had planned to chauffeur me around in his “paper-thin car,” and Yerim joined in the teasing. Through it all, Song Taewon remained stoic, like a monk who had spent the past ten years in the mountains. Only his eyes hinted at the storm brewing inside him.
I started feeling guilty when he eventually turned to me and apologized, saying he should’ve thought ahead and rented a car. Yerim, who was hitting it off a little too well with Seong Hyunjae, was starting to worry me…
“Hello, Han Yujin!”
Hunter Kang Soyeong greeted me with a radiant smile that practically lit up the room. She seemed overjoyed to see me but quickly shifted to a concerned expression.
“Are you feeling better? I should’ve come to visit, but since it was Chief Song Taewon, I didn’t want to intrude.”
“I’m fine, really.”
She could’ve come. It’s not like Song Taewon was someone difficult to talk to. And then maybe that poor compact car would’ve survived… though, I wasn’t too sure about that either. Kang Soyeong probably would’ve floored it too, given her skills.
“This way, please!”
Kang Soyeong led us to the breeding facility, where our newest addition awaited. Inside a soft, cozy nest lay a small, black creature curled up in a tight ball, fast asleep.
[Grade 3 Dragon Species ? Thornwing Rock Dragon (Infant)
Current Stat Rank: D
Growth Potential Stat Rank: A~S
Initial Optimization Skills:
— Acid Breath (S) (Unlocked upon growth)
— Thorn Armor (A) (Unlocked upon growth)
— High-Speed Flight (A) (Unlocked upon growth)
— Poisonous Scales (A) (Unlocked upon growth)
※Unable to grow without adult assistance.]
Just like the Flame Horned Lion, this one also had special growth conditions. I handed Chirp to Yerim and approached the nest. They had waited for the egg to hatch before capturing it, so it was just newly born. It was so tiny, no bigger than a puppy. Maybe that’s why its current stats were only D-rank, unlike Peace or Blue.
Its spikes hadn’t developed yet, probably because it was still so young. Its scales didn’t look hard either, more like soft, flexible skin. Its round belly rose and fell as it slept, occasionally twitching its little tail. Around its slender neck was a silver collar, almost like a ring.
“Isn’t it just the cutest thing? Right? Right?”
Kang Soyeong whispered excitedly. It was cute, I’ll admit. Baby creatures are generally always cute, but this one was especially so.
“I named her Comet.”
“Is it female?”
“Does it matter?”
So she didn’t know.
“We’ll know once she grows. Females have larger wings and stronger poison, while males have longer thorns compared to their wings.”
Would a female be better for use as a mount?
Kang Soyeong pulled out the ownership certificate and held it out with both hands, giving me a hopeful look. I could hear Yerim in the background whispering, “Wow, she’s really good at playing coy.”
“Please take good care of our Comet. I’ll come visit often. If I’m not on a dungeon raid, I’ll stop by every day. And don’t hesitate to contact me if anything happens or if you need anything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”
I accepted the certificate and put it into my inventory. Then I opened the enclosure. The baby dragon still showed no signs of waking.
“Her stat rank is higher than yours, Han Yujin. Will that be okay?”
“It’s fine.”
At worst, I might get a small bite or two. But I had an A-rank right next to me, and three S-ranks in the background, ready to help if anything went wrong.
I reached out and gently stroked the little dragon’s head, where tiny horns were just starting to form. Her skin was cool and smooth. Carefully, I scooped her up in both hands. Her tail swayed gently, and then her eyes fluttered open.
They were a dark, metallic gray, streaked with silver. She blinked a few times and then—
-Fwoooo
—snorted softly, letting out a little breath through her nose. She opened her mouth wide for a sleepy yawn. Her red tongue flickered for a moment, but there weren’t any teeth yet. She looked up at me once, fluttered her tiny wings, and then curled back up in my hands. She fit perfectly in my palms, with just her tail and wings sticking out a bit.
It’s hard to believe something so small could grow big enough to ride. It’s almost unbelievable.
“She fell back asleep. Isn’t she just the cutest, our Comet?”
Kang Soyeong was practically swooning, saying Comet was so adorable it made her heart flutter. I had to agree. She was cute.
On the way to the breeding facility, Kang Soyeong decided to tag along. She wanted to see where Comet would be staying. Honestly, I was hoping Seong Hyunjae would make his exit by now, but he showed no signs of leaving. He insisted that since the leaders of both Haeyeon and Breaker were busy with dungeon raids, it was his responsibility to stay and watch over me.
As we traveled, Kang Soyeong zoomed off on her motorcycle. Yerim told me she had a whole stack of speeding tickets waiting for her. Even though she was an A-rank combat Hunter and unlikely to cause any accidents, she really should follow the law.
Apparently, Kang Soyeong and Yerim had become good friends. They had even hung out with Moon Hyunah a few times, going to escape rooms and such.
“We set the fastest record!”
Yeah, right. They probably broke everything.
Finally, we arrived at the breeding facility, which was a large, dome-like building that looked just like the model I had seen earlier. With its high ceiling, it resembled an indoor sports stadium.
Both the entrance to the building and the one connected to the main complex were guarded by A-rank Hunters. Some were from Haeyeon, and others from Sesung. There were also two additional A-rank Hunters and around a dozen B-rank Hunters stationed as guards.
It seemed excessive to use so many mid-to-high-ranking Hunters just to guard someone else’s building, but apparently, the “Myungwoo Effect” had drawn in plenty of volunteers. Word had already spread that the famous blacksmith would be coming here.
Most of this explanation didn’t come from Song Taewon, but from Seong Hyunjae, who was skillfully monopolizing the conversation to the point where even I was getting a little annoyed. If Han Yuhyun or Moon Hyunah had been here instead of Song Taewon, there probably would’ve been a full-blown fight by now.
But Song Taewon remained calm, like someone who had spent ten years training in a monastery. His eyes were still sharp, though.
‘Was it really Seong Hyunjae who killed Song Taewon?’
There’s no way they could be called friends, but their relationship didn’t seem bad enough to warrant murder. Not that the rumor was ever confirmed. The official story was that Song Taewon had died while raiding a dungeon.
-Kyaa! Kyaa!
As soon as we entered the facility’s spacious lobby, Blue was flapping around excitedly. With the high ceiling, she had plenty of space to fly, unlike at home.
Big open spaces really are the best for raising kids. Less chance of breaking things too.
-Kyuuuuu!
Spotting me, Blue swooped down at top speed. I wanted to catch her in a hug, but my hands were full with the baby dragon.
“Blue, wait a second.”
-Kyuuu?
“Hunter Kang, we can either use an item like with Chirp for safety, or try letting them bond naturally without one. Without the item, there’s a chance she might get hurt. What do you think?”
Blue’s stats were higher than Comet’s for now. At my words, Kang Soyeong alternated glances between Blue and Comet.
“Blue’s a C-rank, right? In that case, it should be fine. That necklace boosts Comet’s health stat, so she should be about even in that regard. If things get too rough, we can intervene.”
Alright then. I gently woke Comet and showed her to Blue.
“Blue, this is your new little sister. She just hatched, so be gentle with her.”
-Kyaa.
Blue tilted her head, then flapped up to my chest. Startled, Comet lifted her head and spread her wings.
-Kack! Kack!
-Kyuuu!
With a loud cry, Blue opened her beak wide and promptly bit down on one of Comet’s wings.
Flick—
Blue casually tossed her aside. Comet flailed her oversized wings and managed to land on the floor, looking up at us with an indignant squawk. Blue, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased with herself.
-Kyuuu!
She puffed out her chest proudly but didn’t attack again.
Well, I’m not sure, but it looks like Blue’s accepted her.
–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