[ Customized Mount (?) ]
I deactivated the Teacher skill and glanced around.
The ground was caved in and cracked as if a meteor had fallen, and the walls had collapsed, leaving gaping holes. It was a sight that left me speechless. How long had it been since the mess on the rooftop garden? At this rate, I’d be spending every penny on building repairs.
A small golden dragon was curled up in the spot where the wall had been broken, eyes darting around as if unsure what to do.
“You even used a skill to block it—aren’t you going a little overboard?”
Yuhyun walked over, his face clearly irritated.
“Overboard? Hardly.”
“Come on. He’s the one who attacked first. And don’t you care a lot about Hunter Park Yerim?”
“I told you not to kill him because Yerim got hurt, I didn’t say not to hit him.”
After all, it was kind of my own fault in a way.
“And no one would be happy to see their family going on a rampage threatening to kill someone. Most people would freak out. Even if it was a simple fistfight, they’d be screaming to stop it.”
That’s how normal people would react. And even though I’m technically an Awakened, I only have an F-rank mental stat boost, and my time spent in dungeons was basically as sheltered as a precious heirloom. Reacting in horror to the idea of killing someone right in front of me would be the most natural response.
At my words, Yuhyun made an ‘oh’ face, realizing his mistake.
“…Sorry. Just because you’re not scared doesn’t mean it’s okay. I got too used to you being around Hunters, so I kind of forgot.”
“I mean, I’m not exactly on the same level as a regular civilian. And, yeah, I’ve acted in ways that could make you forget.”
Come to think of it, the only high-ranking Hunter who seemed to notice something was off about me was Song Taewon. Or, to be precise, he noticed and cared enough to do something about it. I don’t think Seong Hyunjae doesn’t notice, but he probably doesn’t care. Moon Hyunah would likely just say, ‘It’s good you’re not afraid,’ and move on.
Yuhyun and Yerim are still too young to pick up on those details.
“Anyway, I think you’ve done enough here. Don’t you think so?”
The dragon had burn marks, his wings were torn, and he had taken quite a beating. Reluctantly, Yuhyun nodded in agreement.
“As long as you’re sure he won’t try to hurt you again.”
“Today, he was trying to do the opposite, though.”
“That’s what I don’t get.”
“Noah saw you and thought of his sister, Liette.”
Honestly, attacking me while mistaking me for Liette was something that would have made me think he was just crazy without the keyword effect to explain it. But with the added context of his relationship with Yuhyun, I could kind of see the logic.
I explained how Noah had been an A-rank Hunter originally and how terrified he was just from hearing Liette’s voice. I took off the translation item since I didn’t want to bring up sensitive personal details in front of him. Noah had his own translation item, but now that he was in dragon form, it seemed to have come off, so he didn’t seem to understand what I was saying.
“I think, when he heard I was weak, he started comparing me to himself. And on top of that, he was already anxious about messing up his sister’s request.”
“I don’t care if he attacks me. Doesn’t bother me.”
Yuhyun shrugged his shoulders. You think that’s something to welcome? S-class Hunters and monsters alike probably suffer from pent-up frustrations. If they don’t hurry up and introduce ranking matches, these guys are going to cause some real trouble.
“Anyway, he’s got his own reasons, and since he’s around the same age as you, it’s natural for him to care. If you think about it, he’s like a kid who’s been abused. I’m not saying you need to treat him kindly, but don’t provoke him like you did earlier.”
I put the translation item back on and looked at Noah.
“Noah.”
The dragon’s head, which had been drooping, moved slightly, and he blinked at me.
“For one, Yuhyun is not like Liette. He’s never treated me badly.”
— Grrrr…
He mumbled something, but I couldn’t understand.
“Try thinking of it like creating speech, like how you’d use a skill.”
When fully transformed, you can’t speak like a regular person. Noah hesitated, then let out another sound.
— I’m still weak…
His voice was utterly deflated. I suddenly wanted to go over and pat his head.
“What do you mean weak? You’re not weak at all. You’re an S-class Hunter. I’m only F-rank. You’re way stronger than me.”
As soon as I said that, his large, silver-gray eyes welled up with tears. Then, they began rolling down his face, drop by sorrowful drop.
Oh no. Why is he crying? Did I say something wrong?
“Noah?”
I almost stepped forward instinctively but managed to hold myself back. That wouldn’t be a good idea.
— That’s why I’m even weaker. Han Yujin, you… you’re fine, even though you’re much weaker than me… But me… my sister was right, I must be the one who’s wrong.
“No, that’s not true! Liette’s the one who’s wrong!”
Even if Yuhyun and I get along, that doesn’t mean every S-class Hunter with weaker family members will have a perfect relationship.
“Every person is different. Whether it’s a Hunter or just a regular family, relationships can be good or bad, even within the same environment. And just because things are good, it doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. Or if things are bad, they could improve.”
It’s not like we never had conflicts. Just earlier, I was grumbling about how he doesn’t listen.
“And sometimes, the problem is with one person, or it could be both. But from what I can see, the issue isn’t you, Noah—it’s Liette. I may not know everything about your relationship, but one thing’s for sure: Liette doesn’t listen to you. Her opinions come first, and her thoughts are absolute. When someone plugs their ears like that, and they’re so much stronger on top of it, how are you supposed to deal with that?”
She acts like, ‘I’m stronger, I’m better, and I’m your guardian, so you have no choice but to follow me,’ no matter if it’s through fire, water, or a field of thorns.
“So Noah, you’re not weak. Quite the opposite, you’ve been holding up really well. You didn’t give up, even built your own guild, and you wanted to help me too. You could have just let it all go, but you didn’t. You’re plenty strong. You’ve done really well.”
— …Han Yujin.
Stop crying already. Why isn’t comforting him working?
— Can you… stay by my side… just for a little while…?
I glanced over at Yuhyun.
“…Use that skill again. What was it called?”
“Teacher.”
I cut out the bad part—Terrifying Chick Class.
I used the skill again on both Noah and Yuhyun. Noah accepted it without any resistance, just like before. After linking their senses, I approached the curled-up dragon.
He actually looked smaller up close. His total length was probably about five meters. His body wasn’t that large. The dense, smooth scales gleamed gold, but when the light dimmed, they looked almost white. He really was a pretty dragon with a sleek body.
Judging by his wing size and shape, he should be able to fly pretty fast once he gets used to it. Most Venom and Curse Dragonkin don’t have wings, so that’s unusual. Add in S-class poison skills and the ability to spread toxic fumes, and he’d make a fantastic mount for any Hunter with strong poison resistance… Not that he’s a mount, of course.
‘He’s probably got healing skills and stat-lending as his support skills. I wonder if there are other support abilities.’
Even though he’s a person, he still feels like an amazing mount to me. He’s originally an S-class and now fully transformed into a dragon, so he must be pretty durable too.
The only Hunter I know with high poison resistance is Liette. There’s no one like that in Korea, though there must be someone overseas. Even Yuhyun had to cut off his poisoned wound, so regular items probably wouldn’t cut it. But again, he’s still a person.
— Han Yujin, do you really think so…?
His tears had mostly stopped, but when he blinked, the moisture still clung to his eyes, forming droplets that fell and sparkled like little jewels on his shiny scales. So unnecessarily beautiful, really.
“Of course. I really mean it. No one who cares about others is weak.”
— Even though I’m still afraid of my sister…?
“If I were in your shoes, I’d be scared too. And I bet there are tons of people out there who are afraid of Liette. I’m certain of it.”
There are probably at least a hundred of them spread across the world.
Noah stared at me for a moment, then slowly leaned his head forward. I reached out, carefully avoiding Peace’s watchful eyes, who had taken up a defensive stance beside me.
I thought he’d feel cold since he’s a reptile, but surprisingly, his scales were warm. They were also much harder than young Comet’s. I wonder if Kang Soyeong could use her Dragon Rider skill with Noah.
— I want to stay by your side… until I’m no longer afraid of her.
“No.”
Yuhyun cut him off sharply. Noah’s wings, which had slightly lifted, drooped again.
“What? Wouldn’t it be fine? He’s an S-class Hunter, after all. Maybe not here, but we could set him up in the building next door. We’ll need him to compensate for the damage, so he could at least provide free security. How about it, Noah?”
— I’d like that.
Yuhyun didn’t object any further, especially with Noah staying next door. We’d been wanting to secure either an S-class monster or Hunter anyway, so having one voluntarily come to us was a win for me.
“Noah, can your healing skill be used on other people?”
— Yes, it’s B-rank.
“Really? That’s amazing.”
— I don’t have any other healer-type skills, though.
“That’s more than enough!”
Even basic healing is incredibly valuable. And he’s an S-class Hunter, so he doesn’t even need to hold back. That’s top-tier emergency backup.
“If it’s alright with you, could you tell me about your other skills? Of course, you don’t have to. It’s normal to keep them secret.”
— Well…
Noah glanced at Yuhyun, seeking approval.
“Yuhyun, could you take off your translation item for a moment?”
He’d still understand me, but he wouldn’t be able to follow what Noah says. Yuhyun obediently took off the item, and Noah began to speak again.
— Most of my skills are support-based. Before I gained poison and full transformation through the title Dio Valsesis’s Twin, I didn’t have any proper attack skills, so I couldn’t really grow my guild. I wasn’t strong enough to tackle S-class dungeons…
Well, if he’s an S-class support type, it would’ve been hard to gather A-rank Hunters. His guild was probably small for having an S-class leader.
Noah spoke so openly about his skills that I almost found it surprising. Is this really okay? But my ears perked up when he mentioned his stat-lending skill.
Apparently, he could lend out half of his chosen stat.
“Really? Half?”
— Yes. I can also borrow stats, but only with the other party’s consent. It lasts for 30 minutes and can be used once a day.
Thirty minutes isn’t that long, but half of an S-class Hunter’s stats? That’s huge. And as a support type, his mental stat is probably quite high. Even if I stacked all the best stat-boosting items, I couldn’t even come close to half of Noah’s stat. This is a jackpot for me.
Though it’s a shame I won’t get the double effect from the Lautitars’ Natural Enemy skill since it’s Noah using the skill on me.
‘…Wait, would the bonus apply to shared skill titles as well?’
If so, my Veteran F-rank attack skill would be quadrupled… Oh, right, that’s a title, not a skill. But still, I’d love to try it out. If his S-class poison skills were quadrupled, even a tier-1 dragon species without poison resistance would melt. Could I even double up on shared skills, or would the cooldown just be halved?
This is starting to get exciting. It might be hard to pull off, but with My Kid Is The Best and that max 200% stat bonus… If only that scaled up, it’d quadruple too, which would’ve been crazy. But still, even my nurturing speed doubles.
Liette could probably benefit too, but there’s no way I’m using any keyword effects on her.
‘Wait a second. Since poison skills don’t work on me, could Noah transform into a dragon and fly with me on his back? With the attack skills doubled, A-rank, maybe even S-rank flying monsters wouldn’t stand a chance. Not that I’m planning to clear S-class dungeons or anything…’
Well, I’m not, but… I just thought of an incredible use for his skills. If it works, it’d be amazing. Really amazing.
“Noah, you’re seriously the best.”
— …Huh?
Noah seemed taken aback, his tail swaying slightly.
— I’m not really that useful…
“No, everything about you is great.”
— And, um, I do have one S-class attack skill aside from the title ones. It’s a skill that doubles the pain from my own wounds and transfers it to the enemy.
“…What?”
That… sounds like the Silent Scream skill. I thought the skill name was a bit ominous, but the effect sounds even worse.
“You didn’t use it earlier, though, right?”
— Oh, no. It wouldn’t have worked on a human without wings. The wound has to be in the same place. Plus, it has limited uses, so I didn’t want to waste it on smaller injuries. Also, as far as I know, it can’t be defended against.
…Yuhyun, you were more in danger than you realized. And with the scream skill doubled through sharing, it’d quadruple. Though Noah would need to get hurt for that, it’s still terrifying. If I joined a dungeon raid with Noah as support… Not that I’m in the dungeon-clearing business, but I’d like to try it once.
I kept showering Noah with compliments, and Yuhyun looked at me with increasing dissatisfaction.
“Are his skills really that good?”
“They’re great. Are you jealous? No matter how good they are, you’ll always be the best.”
Yuhyun was satisfied. Noah, on the other hand, looked a little gloomy again. This is tricky. At least Peace can’t understand the conversation, or I’d be in trouble.
–TL Notes–
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