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— Kyaaa!
Wings, now tinged with gold, spread wide, shimmering softly under the sunlight. The delicate feathers gleamed with a faint, radiant light.
Thanks to the My Kid Is The Best skill and three days of relentless training, Blue had grown more than twice her original size. Of course, the one who nearly died over the past three days wasn’t Blue—it was me. The little griffon was just a bit sleepy but otherwise thrilled the whole time.
And there was one more thing.
— Grrrr
When the adolescent-sized Peace bared his fangs, Blue flinched and folded her wings. She kept glancing nervously at him.
“Okay, that’s enough, Peace.”
I gently scratched Peace’s neck, but he still looked upset.
Peace had already been in a foul mood because of Comet, and seeing me working nonstop to train Blue had pushed him over the edge. Then Blue, excited by her newfound size, had challenged Peace.
The result? Blue got pounded like dust in the rain. But at least Peace didn’t use his claws or teeth, so I didn’t intervene—he just swatted her around a bit.
“Shall we start, Noah?”
“Yes.”
Noah, who had been staring at Chirp perched on my head, nodded.
Despite me being too busy to look after him properly, Noah had quickly adjusted to life here. A lot of that was thanks to Seok Hayan’s team. Even though the entire team was made up of non-Awakened, they didn’t seem to be wary of Noah. To be precise, their curiosity about an S-class Hunter with a full transformation skill outweighed their fear.
They greeted Noah with excitement, making him feel flustered at first. And since Noah was much younger than the team’s average age, they helped him out a lot—inviting him to meals and assisting with everyday shopping. Over the past few days, they’d grown pretty close.
A few steps back, Noah transformed into his dragon form. Seeing him under the sun made his beauty all the more striking. A golden dragon descending into the garden—it felt surreal.
“Is it possible for you to shrink your body a bit?”
I knew he could do it to some extent. At my request, Noah hesitated briefly, then shrank down. Aside from his long neck and tail, his body was now just slightly larger than his human form.
“Well done.”
As I thought, it worked. His original size probably matched that of the real Dio Valsesis, but for a top-tier Venom and Curse Dragon, he was definitely on the smaller side.
“You can see Blue, right?”
— Kyau!
Upon hearing her name, Blue puffed out her chest and chirped excitedly.
“She’s not a dragon, but her flying technique is pretty similar. Like you, she’s a four-legged creature with wings. Since she’s a skilled flyer, you’ll be able to learn a lot just by observing her. Go ahead, Blue.”
With a wave, I signaled Blue to take flight, and she immediately soared into the air. Noah followed close behind.
— Kyau! Kyakya!
As the young dragon clumsily tried to keep up, Blue, clearly excited, began performing aerial acrobatics. She folded her wings to dive straight down, came to a sudden stop, then shot back up, flipping in the air before spiraling gracefully in a series of tight loops. Noah, looking flustered, beat his wings rapidly, trying to mimic her movements.
There’s no need to follow her stunts—you can’t do that yet.
“Blue, slow down!”
Even though he’s older and bigger than you, Noah’s still a beginner at flying. It’s not something you can just imitate from watching…
‘Should I try the Terrifying Chick Class Teacher skill?’
If I shared Blue’s flying instincts with Noah, he’d pick up the techniques much faster. Aiming at both of them, I activated the Teacher skill and one-sidedly transferred Blue’s flying sensations to Noah. He glanced down at me before flapping his wings more confidently. His movements had clearly improved.
‘I didn’t know I could use it like this.’
Aside from that bit at the beginning of the skill’s name thanks to Deer, the skill name fits perfectly. This could be useful for training other Hunters too. Maybe I should ask Yuhyun to link with Yerim and try a dungeon run together.
Watching the two glittering figures fly against the sky made me wonder if I should invest in some sunglasses next time. The glare was a bit much.
When I closed my eyes, Noah and Blue’s shared senses flowed toward me. I could feel the rush of wind against them, and though I felt a bit dizzy, it was a pleasant sensation. The unfamiliar movement of body parts I didn’t have felt strange, but it was bearable.
‘This skill really requires mental fortitude.’
I suppose I’ll get used to splitting my senses if I use it often enough.
At that moment, a message came in. I opened my eyes to check—it was from the security office.
[Sesung Guild Leader and Hunter Kang Soyeong have arrived.]
Kang Soyeong comes almost daily to visit Comet, but what’s Seong Hyunjae doing here? He’s supposed to be busy recruiting that S-class Hunter and setting up a new team—he should stay busy with that instead of coming all the way here.
“Chirp, come here.”
— Piyak!
Chirp fluttered down from my head, and I cradled him in my arms. Peace glanced over at me as if to ask what was going on.
“We have guests.”
Should I go downstairs, or just wait here? I really don’t feel like greeting them. Soon enough, Seong Hyunjae appeared on the rooftop garden. Kang Soyeong must’ve gone straight to Comet in the breeding facility since I didn’t see her. Noah, who was practicing sharp turns, came to a hover and eyed Seong Hyunjae warily. His wing movements had gotten a lot better.
“You’re busy enough as it is, so why not just call? And what’s with the… flower basket?”
Seong Hyunjae was holding an enormous basket of expensive-looking flowers, mostly carnations.
“Soyeong asked me to congratulate you on Blue’s growth.”
“Oh, um, thank you.”
So it was from Kang Soyeong. I was wondering what it was for. As I accepted the flower basket, Chirp hopped into it, sniffing the flowers and letting out a tiny sneeze at the strong scent.
“It seems Noah has grown quite fond of you, Han Yujin.”
No sooner had Seong Hyunjae said that than Noah dived down toward us. The gust of wind knocked me slightly off balance, and Noah quickly positioned himself behind me, extending a forepaw to steady me. Then, he bared his teeth at Seong Hyunjae, lowering his head defensively.
— Don’t get Han Yujin involved.
Peace immediately pressed closer to my side. Chirp chirped in alarm from the flower basket, but it had no effect. Meanwhile, Blue, still hovering above, looked down, seemingly confused by all the commotion. Yeah, me too—what’s going on?
“You should’ve said that before running off on your own. Still, if you’d like to discuss things privately, I’m open to it. What do you think, Han Yujin?”
“Let’s talk here.”
Noah growled, while Seong Hyunjae smirked.
— There’s no need.
“No, I want to keep Noah safe. Whatever the cost, it’s my responsibility, so don’t worry too much about it.”
Where would I find another S-class Hunter like Noah? It’s not like I’m trying to protect myself; it’s more about keeping the people renting from me safe. Yuhyun and Yerim wouldn’t like it if I just let someone like that go. If it’s a manageable problem, I’ll gladly shoulder the burden.
“So, what’s this about?”
I stroked Noah’s head as he peered over my shoulder, and Seong Hyunjae finally spoke.
“Let’s say I’m here to collect on an investment from a debtor who skipped town.”
Great, another debtor on top of Yerim.
— I didn’t run away. I kept my promises.
Noah grumbled, sounding a bit sulky.
“I appreciate that you’ve been sticking close to Han Yujin and not causing trouble, but as it stands, it’s hard for me to recover what I’m owed.”
“Just get to the point—what do you want?”
There’s no need to beat around the bush. At my straightforwardness, Seong Hyunjae sighed lightly.
“You’re still cold only toward me. I’m trying to resolve this through discussion because it’s you, Han Yujin.”
“What would you have done if it were someone else?”
“Well, we wouldn’t be having a chat on this sunny rooftop, that’s for sure.”
Chat, my foot.
“Noah wanted to get away from Liette, and as a support-type S-class Hunter, he seemed worth cultivating, so I agreed to the deal.”
Seong Hyunjae briefly explained his arrangement with Noah. It sounded like he had played a big role in helping Noah leave Liette and form his own guild. No wonder Noah had been able to disband his guild so easily.
Though Seong Hyunjae left out the details, he claimed to have provided significant compensation as well. Noah didn’t deny it.
In any case, it sounded like Noah owed him quite a bit.
“I had just gotten him settled and useful, and then, in one night, everything I’d built crumbled. Worse yet, the remaining pieces got snatched away to someone else’s backyard. I couldn’t sleep out of sheer frustration.”
“Uh-huh.”
It was a bit dramatic, but I could see why he was upset. It’s not like he could’ve predicted this without being some sort of oracle.
— But I’m still an S-class Hunter. I can pay back what I owe.
“I’m sorry, but right now, you’re not very appealing to me. You don’t have a guild, your transformation skill is exposed, and now your relationship with me is known to Han Yujin. At best, I’d use you for dungeon support, but Sesung has plenty of dungeon Hunters.”
Seong Hyunjae’s words were cold. It seemed his plan was to keep Noah in a guild separate from him for personal use. Now, he’s the one who exposed the relationship but still has the nerve to complain. How petty.
“However, to Han Yujin, Noah could still be useful. As a guard dog for the house, or as a mount, given his high poison resistance.”
“He’s a person, you know.”
“In dungeons with few or no flying monsters, he could easily help clear A-class, even low-tier S-class, ones.”
“I’m not planning to go in, though.”
It’s not that I’m not curious about visiting, but what would I even do there? Sightseeing? Maybe later, but right now, there are no dungeons so dangerous that I’d need to step in personally.
“Well then, I’ll graciously step aside despite the regret. I don’t often make such concessions.”
“By stepping aside, you mean you’re just going to let it go?”
“That would be too much, don’t you think?”
He smiled cheerfully. So much for “gracious.” I sighed and spoke up.
“I doubt I can do much for you either, Guild Leader. The monster breeding contract’s already in place, and you don’t need regular Hunters, so what more could I offer?”
It’s not like I can do much besides raising mounts and finding promising non-Awakened individuals. Of course, finding someone with a rare special skill would be helpful, but that’s no easy task.
“You’re too modest. How about this: when I need your help, you lend a hand. Three times seems fair?”
“That’s too vague. Let’s write up a contract with clear conditions.”
At the mention of a contract, Seong Hyunjae smiled thinly, his eyes narrowing.
“No need for that. I trust you, Han Yujin.”
“…Really? You’re not going to write it down? Don’t blame me if I play dumb later.”
“Then my heart would be broken.”
This is a bit unsettling. While a simple promise with no contract benefits me, I don’t intend to outright ignore it. Knowing him, there’s no way Seong Hyunjae would let something like that slide with just a broken heart.
“I’ll reject any requests that are beyond my ability or would harm those around me.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of causing you any harm. In fact, no one cares for you more than I do, Han Yujin.”
…He’s seriously good at spouting nonsense with a straight face. Who does he think he is? Yuhyun or Yerim, maybe. Not to mention Peace, Chirp, Myungwoo, and even Seonghan, who’s always looking out for my health—what’s he so confident about?
“Oh, and you mentioned that the cooldown for sharing the same skill is 15 days? Not long now.”
“Yes. But without that bracelet, it won’t be of much use.”
“Is that so? Well, if Yu Myungwoo manages to create something similar, do let me know.”
I nodded, and after a brief pause to study my expression, he finally turned to leave.
‘…The cooldown’s already over, though.’
After sharing a skill with Noah, the cooldown had been cut in half thanks to the double-effect from the skill sharing. What’s more, the shortened cooldown applied to other targets too. The only downside was that the shared skill didn’t get a double-effect boost.
So now, I can share a skill once every 7.5 days.
‘Maybe Myungwoo can craft something like that bracelet again.’
I’ll ask him when I see him tonight. I’m also curious about what he’s been working on lately. He’s been calling it a secret for days now.
–TL Notes–
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