It was unfair. So incredibly unfair.
“I’m just normal, right?”
Then why is everyone—except my younger brother—telling not to na things? Isn’t it totally normal to na pets based on their eye or fur color? Like if the fur is black, call them Choco or sothing. ...Black does sound a bit lazy, though. Should’ve gone with Choco and Cream instead of Black and White.
Anyway, so of the nas I showed Seok Gimyeong had made it into the Monster Mounts Breeding Facility naming contest. I rembered Seok Gimyeong’s face—starting with a warm and generous smile that gradually beca uncontrollably strained. His eyes clearly said I had no sense.
“Look at this, this one. It’s exactly the sa as the na I ca up with, and it even got recomnded.”
And it wasn’t just one or two people. Doesn’t that an I did a good job? Maybe Seok Gimyeong still held a grudge against . He didn’t seem like it, though. Park Hayul, who was looking at the laptop with , made a strange expression.
“Uh, hyung. Recomndations aren’t necessarily ant in the way you think...”
“Hm? Then what?”
“...The final decision is made by the Haeyeon Guild anyway, right?”
“Hey, I’m the breeding facility director, okay?”
“You’re choosing the na?!”
“Not exactly, but my opinion will be reflected a lot.”
When I said I couldn’t be left out of naming my own facility, Seok Gimyeong hesitated seriously before asking to pick out so finalists. As many as possible. Then they would narrow it down and make the final choice. I started to suspect they were just going to keep making pick new ones until sothing they liked showed up... I should’ve limited it to a maximum of three rounds of re-selection.
“Why can’t I even na my own business the way I want.”
Grumbling, I looked back at the contest page.
Naturally, the request to hand over a laptop with internet access so I could work had been rejected. But since they planned to use as bait anyway, there wasn’t much reason to completely cut off outside communication. In fact, it’d be better to let so unofficial contacts know I’m here~ so they’d co looking.
It’s not that hard to change a network address. You can reroute it however you want. I won’t even lift a finger to the keyboard. Should I just tie myself up? After that convincing, I managed to get a laptop.
“Han○Deli? That kind of sticks weirdly well.”
“I feel oddly familiar with it, too.”
“Still, we should probably use Korean. And anything starting with H should be excluded, since it overlaps with Haeyeon.”
When Seok Gimyeong suggested going with an H initial and matching H&H, Team Leader Kim Hayun quickly cut him off with advice. For the sake of keeping the facility independent, we should avoid any duplication with major guilds. So S and B are also out.
...I kinda like H, though. Maybe I’ll sneak one or two into the candidate list. Since I couldn’t touch the laptop myself, Park Hayul helped log into the email for .
“The numbers after the password—is that Haeyeon Guild Leader’s birthday?”
“Well, it’s just a habit. The letters in front are always different, and I’ll change them regularly anyway. But how do you know Yuhyun’s birthday?”
“It’s easy to rember. There was even a birthday ad last year. But the party was held on Christmas Eve.”
“Oh, yeah.”
A mory of my younger brother appearing in a dream ca to mind.
“...It’ll probably be on the Eve again this year.”
I wanted my brother to spend ti with others, but Yuhyun wouldn’t want that. So this year, I was planning to let us spend it just the two of us, like the old days. Because that’s what he’d like best. I’d even offered bonuses for anyone working part-ti on both the 24th and 25th, but every year on the 25th, I made sure to keep that day completely free to be with him.
He often brought back birthday gifts from school, so I once asked if he wanted to invite friends. But he just shook his head and smiled, saying he only wanted to be with . That smile still lingered in my mory. I’d been apart from that little brother for years.
‘So more than any gift, he’d want to spend ti with just .’
Throw a big party the night before, then the mont midnight strikes, keep the whole day empty. It’s been a while since I made seaweed soup—maybe I should practice. So sweet rice too. Thinking of Yuhyun’s happy face made my own lips curl into a pleased smile.
“Hyung, you really seem to love Haeyeon’s Guild Leader.”
While sending an email to Seok Gimyeong, Park Hayul comnted.
“He’s my little brother. So kind, too. And smart. If the dungeon hadn’t happened, he would’ve gone to d school. He never even went to cram school but still never lost first place. A nearby academy even ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ offered to let him attend for free.”
But Yuhyun turned it down, saying he needed to be ho waiting for and would rather do part-ti work during cram school hours. Part-ti job, my foot. But then the dungeon happened, and that damned awakening...
‘Yerim too, originally I was going to let her take it slow with dungeon raids.’
This world isn’t safe, so awakening, leveling up, and getting equipped is necessary. And I can’t stop her if she wants to beco stronger. Life matters more than age, so helping her grow is the right thing... but still, it sotis gets complicated inside.
Yerim was having fun with it, but that’s not all there is to it, right? And in China, she’d be facing not monsters, but people. Still, telling her not to go might make her feel left out.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this from the start. Getting kidnapped. Or no—am I the one doing the kidnapping?
“...Hey, Hayul. Are you pretending to be dazed on purpose?”
I said, watching Park Hayul close the laptop. With Fear Resistance activated, it was impossible to stay on guard around this oblivious kid. Logically, he should be able to resist soone with a dangerous skill, but his silly face and helpless, loose attitude were the real problem.
“Oh, hyung. Did you figure out the condition for my skill?”
“Yeah, roughly.”
“That’s amazing!”
Park Hayul marveled with pure admiration. Not sure if it was truly pure, but why the hell was he admiring —here of all places. If your skill condition’s been exposed, you should be more on edge. And yet he kept grinning like that.
“But you’re just like I expected, hyung.”
“Huh?”
“I figured you’d be. Well, not exactly, but she said since you’re totally chill even around S-Ranks, my skill wouldn’t work properly on you.”
She? Is it that noona again? Who the hell is she? Putting on a deliberately pitiful face, I said to Park Hayul,
“Just like you said, even knowing the condition, I couldn’t escape it. So, Hayul, cut so slack, will you? Look at the state I’m in.”
I tapped my thigh, and Park Hayul looked like he was going to cry from guilt.
“Should I tell General Cho Hwawoon not to push you and just let you go with the flow? Then it’ll be fine—”
“No! No, I refuse!”
Are you out of your mind?! I’d rather have my other leg broken than obey him! If it weren’t for Fear Resistance, I’d have gotten chills down my spine from that suggestion. This kid might seriously be a bit dumb.
“So how long are you planning to leave like this?”
“Well, you seem to know most of what’s going on now, and since it’s hard for you to break out of my skill anyway...”
Park Hayul leaned in and whispered into my ear.
“They say there’s sothing dangerous in the Chinese military.”
Yun Yun?
“So I think they want to bring in Korean Hunters to weaken the military and take out the Sesung Guild Leader too.”
It seed Park Hayul’s side was aligned with the Murim Alliance—or so other group targeting China. Wait, didn’t the kids say they tead up with the Murim Alliance? They’re not pulling any crazy stunts, are they?
“...Why the Sesung Guild Leader?”
“Well, with him it’s more like resentnt? Or maybe love-hate? Not him, though—other people.”
Uh, well. I don’t really have anything to say about that.
“There’s that many people who hold grudges?”
“I told you. A lot of people were discarded. Cut off clean in an instant—it makes them feel worthless. Even when they try to regain attention, nothing works.”
“...Strictly speaking, that’s not really Seong Hyunjae’s fault.”
“Still, it’s enough to drive you mad. Since the Sesung Guild Leader still seems perfect, it makes it even harder. They start to think being abandoned was their fault. You be careful too, hyung. Average’s about a month—three months tops. Only Director Song is the exception.”
Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that a million tis. But why is Chief Song Taewon the only exception? Even if he’s unusual for an S-Rank, eventually people should get sick of him too.
‘So that noona’s side is aiming for a windfall. It looks like Murim Alliance on the surface, but...’
If the Murim Alliance, whose power is lacking compared to the military, is targeting Seong Hyunjae out of personal grudges, that’s suspicious. Since he’s bound to return to Korea anyway, it’d make way more sense to cooperate and strike a bigger blow to the military. So it’s highly likely this is another external force unrelated to China.
Arica, maybe? Like the CIA or FBI? I don’t really know how the U.S. Hunter system works. Or maybe the EU. If it’s personal revenge, it could be a private guild or a multinational guild alliance. ...A guild alliance sounds pretty plausible. Damn that partner guy—I should interrogate him on how many places he’s abandoned in.
“But aren’t people suspicious of you, going around telling everything like this?”
“? I can’t fight at all!”
Park Hayul said cheerfully.
“I’ve got high stats but I’m completely useless. I even signed a contract not to use my skill without permission from anyone affiliated with the military. There’s other stuff too.”
A low chuckle brushed my ear.
“If it becos clear you really can’t break out of my skill, I’ll tell you everything in detail.”
“Oh... okay.”
“You’ll co with when this is all over, right?”
“I have to go ho.”
“No. You’re coming with .”
I followed you and ended up with a broken leg, rolled all over the ground, and got a hole punched through my hand, you little... As my face grew increasingly sour, Park Hayul grabbed the laptop and quietly slipped away. If not for his skill, I would’ve smacked him. No—two or three tis, even. Even if it only hurt my hand in the end.
‘Is he seriously acting, or not?’
What a weird and confusing guy. Clicking my tongue, I got up from my seat. As if it had been waiting, the blue dragon rose with . Its two wings stretched wide, wrapping around to shield .
“Isn’t it uncomfortable being stuck like that?”
– Grrr.
“No matter what happens next, you’ll just have to stand there and watch.”
Fortunately, the water dragon had grown! Nothing happened afterward, though. I gently patted its lowered head. And then, between its two front legs, a faint figure appeared before . A goblin. Hidden behind the wings and out of the guards’ line of sight, the goblin waved a piece of paper.
[Hyung.]
I recognized the handwriting imdiately. Just that single word brought a smile to my face. So he’s already this close. I quickly pulled out a pen and wrote on the back of the paper.
[Getting ready. Wait. What about Lamb Daddy’s side?]
Since the goblin might drop the paper while getting distracted, I kept the ssage as short as possible.
“You’re such a good kid! You listen so well to requests. The prettiest thing in the whole world! If we were outside, I’d buy you everything you wanted to eat. Seriously, you’re the best, the absolute best!”
As I made a big fuss pretending to praise the dragon, the goblin grinned silently, eyes round and wide with laughter. Its shoulder—or what I assud was its shoulder—wobbled up and down like it was dancing.
“Keep taking care of , okay? There’s no one like you. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be trapped helplessly in that tiny room. Thank you. I love you!”
The goblin bead, then vanished with the paper in hand. I wondered if the baby water dragon had also gone to the kids. The cookie effect had long worn off, so maybe it hadn’t been able to move. Hopefully they were feeding it well.
“Hey, Mr. Dragon, you’re not hungry, are you? Should I ask them to get you sothing to eat? You must be feeling cramped, but you’re still behaving so well.”
After the goblin disappeared, I kept petting the dragon’s wing joint and praising it so no one would get suspicious. I did this several tis a day, so the guards just stared blankly by now. Still, the blue dragon always got shy. You’d think it would be used to it by now.
‘The best plan is to blow up the island, escape on the dragon, rendezvous with the kids and my partner, and then find Yun Yun.’
The problem was I couldn’t last long with Fear Resistance turned off. Worst case, I might end up ruining the escape by crawling right back into captivity and ssing up the kids’ efforts.
‘Should I just turn off Fear Resistance and Poison Resistance and take a sleeping pill.’
Would they be okay without ? ...What if they weren’t. I felt anxious at the thought of giving up not just my offensive skills but the doubled stat boost too. I figured Yun Yun was their insurance, but there was always the chance she wasn’t.
‘...Maybe I really should try applying a keyword to Hwang Rim.’
It was a bit risky, but if it worked, I might learn not just Yun Yun’s location but also Hwawoon’s secret weapon. He didn’t seem like the kind to hold a grudge against his own guardian, so it might be fine.
Just then, a tone rang out from the radio one of the guards was holding. After receiving the order, the guard turned to and said,
“Co with us. Leave the wyvern here.”
What now? I soothed the anxious dragon and started walking with the soldiers. Once I was carried up the stairs and stepped outside, I heard the sound of helicopter rotors. Soldiers were unloading a huge cage from the chopper.
– Kyarruk!
That sound... No way. Hwang Rim, who had already co outside, approached .
“You said you could raise multiple at once, right? They said you had results, so looks like they went and brought in all the baby monsters.”
...Uh, adding more to my workload here is kind of a problem.
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