Chapter 25

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"Installation is complete."

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Finally, we have completed the new home for Peace. I looked at Peace's new home with a sense of pride.

With its clean glass walls, air purification and heating/cooling facilities, and a wooden shelter, it looked more like a luxurious smoking room than an animal enclosure. Taking up almost half of the living room, it was quite spacious. With this, Peace shouldn't feel cramped even when alone.

Not only the enclosure, but we also replaced the front door with a sturdy one. The living room's large window was initially made of special glass, so it should be fine.

As soon as the preparations were complete, I went straight to Yoo Hyun's greenhouse to bring Peace back. When I placed Peace in the living room, it was initially awkward in the unfamiliar environment, but soon began to explore, twitching its nose.

"Don't chew on the electrical wires."

There weren't many exposed wires since the wiring was done neatly.

"Don't bite the guy who's coming over later."

Yoo Myung-woo went to his house to get his things. Although Peace is only the size of a cat, it has C-level stats, while Yoo Myung-woo is at F-level. If they fought, Yoo Myung-woo would be knocked out immediately. I need to be careful not to leave them alone in the same space.

-Grrr!

After inspecting the living room and kitchen, Peace seemed satisfied and came to my feet, flopping over. When I picked it up, it clung to me as if it had been waiting for this.

"Our Peace, how can you be so cute?"

How will I ever be able to starve this thing? On the other hand, I can't stop its growth. ...Maybe I should teach it Korean.

Holding Peace, I went to the sofa and sat down, turning on the TV. Light flooded the large wall-mounted television, and a special broadcast began. The background was the Hunter Association.

A reporter was loudly talking about a new S-rank Awakened in Korea.

"Looks like Yoo Yerim went to register as an Awakened."

It's only noon, but she went early. Soon, the camera zoomed in on a car entering the association's parking lot. The car stopped, and A-rank Hunter Kim Ji-yeon of Hae-yeon Guild got out of the driver's seat. Then, Yoo Yerim appeared in the camera.

"She looked so gloomy when I told her I wasn't going, but she looks great now."

Or maybe she just looks good on screen. Her confident expression was very pleasing to see.

The camera followed her persistently as she entered the association building and headed to the advanced testing room. Yoo Yerim's attitude during the pre-test interview was not just natural but even seemed skilled. She's doing well.

"Peace, look at this. It's Yoo Yerim. You'll be seeing her a lot from now on."

I held Peace's front paws and shook them. A sister to get along with... Wait, is she a sister?

'...What is Peace's gender?'

I hadn't checked if it was male or female. I hadn't heard from Yoo Hyun either. Looking at Peace's face, I saw two round, golden eyes staring back at me. So cute.

I couldn't tell from its appearance.

"Hmm... Should I check?"

I could tell by flipping it over.

"Peace, be good~. Just lie down for a moment."

I put it on the sofa and gently flipped it over. Peace, thinking it was playtime, didn't resist and wagged its tail. Let's see, this is the anus... Hmm... Ah...

"......It's not there."

Neither is present. What is this? Is it a storage type? Do mammals have storage types? Of course, since it's a monster, I can't rely on common sense.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Whether male or female, as long as it grows up strong, that's all that matters. Its small front paws gently bit my hand without hurting. I scratched its fluffy neck and then got up.

Now, it's time to start preparing for my retirement fund.

-Clack

As I moved to the room, Peace whined and quickly followed. I had no choice but to pick it up and turn on the computer.

This morning, I went to the bank, cleaned up my account, and opened a new stock account. I'll leave about ten million won for immediate use and invest the rest. I plan to buy the pharmaceutical stock that will skyrocket in two months and then use the profits to invest in other surefire opportunities.

Since the future isn't guaranteed to be exactly the same, I need to diversify my investments.

'Will the hair loss medication be properly developed?'

It's only two months away, so it's unlikely to change.

After transferring the money, I browsed the portal site. There's a commotion everywhere about the new S-rank. Some scumbags are even writing novels about Yoo Yerim's deceased parents. What a lunatic. I immediately downloaded the PDF and reported it to Hae-yeon Guild's PR team.

-Grrr

After a while of just moving the mouse, Peace started to act up. As soon as I said I understood and took my hand off the mouse,

Crack!

Its small front paws flattened the mouse like a cockroach. ...Our Peace must have been very bored.

"Even if you're bored, you can't break things. Dad will be poor for a while."

Living expenses are zero, and three hundred thousand won a month isn't a small amount, but I need to save just in case. It's a significant amount that could be halved by a single dungeon run. Even then, it's only enough to enter a low-level dungeon. There are plenty of other expenses that could come up.

"Even if you're bored, don't break the mouse. The computer and phone are expensive, and it's not cheap to replace them."

-Grrr

Peace quickly acted cute in response to my scolding. It wagged its tail playfully and pawed at my hand. Seeing this, I wondered if it would understand if I told it I love it. I hope I can apply the keyword successfully and raise it without starving it.

I went to the kitchen to feed Peace and then had lunch. Despite never having cooked before, Yoo Myung-woo had made some decent side dishes. Maybe he has a natural talent. In a month or two, he might become quite skilled.

"Park Yerim's initial skills are three, one of which is reportedly SS-rank."

The small TV in the kitchen was also broadcasting about Yerim. The subtitle read, "The 8th S-rank Combat Hunter is born." This put Korea on par with China, which had the highest number of S-ranks per area, and the broadcast emphasized the safety of the citizens.

At that time, China had nine S-ranks, and Japan had five. However, China had many S-ranks who were not registered and whose identities were hidden. Who would want to be held hostage by the government with their family as leverage?

As a result, S-ranks and even A-rank hunters began to flee overseas, and four years later, China lost its ability to manage high-level dungeons.

'Wait, since they're going to flee anyway, should I try to recruit some hunters from China?'

With the awakening center opening in six months, I don't need to awaken them myself. Even if a combat hunter awakens at the center without using a seed skill, they should be close to optimal. If I can bring future A to S-rank combat hunters and their families to Korea, my job is done.

'In six months, my pockets will be deep enough to smuggle a few people, and the rest of the procedures will be handled by the government or guilds once they awaken at A-rank or higher.'

There was definitely an A-rank healer. Putting them in Hae-yeon would be perfect. The rest can be divided by the government and guilds.

'Since they won't be using skills, it's just helping hardworking people, right?'

I don't need to do it myself; hiring a few brokers would be enough. Other countries did the same to poach Chinese hunters. Later, the surveillance became so strict that it turned into real bloodshed.

'Indeed, it's a brutal world.'

Considering that risking your life to enter dungeons is the norm, it's understandable. However, a full-scale war is still three years away. When the number of dungeons increases, monsters like Rauchitas appear, and there are not enough high-level hunters, things will get really brutal.

Korea was relatively peaceful compared to other countries, but...

If I travel the world and discover one S-rank per month, and raise A to B-rank hunters who haven't optimized their awakenings...

Then the future could change in a very positive direction.

'...But do I really need to worry about other countries? Let's just add a few more to Korea.'

What am I thinking? The competent people will handle it. It was just a bit harder to live five years later, but it wasn't a complete disaster.

I put Peace on my shoulder and cleared the table. There's nothing to do, and it feels like a weekend even though it's Monday. I hope it stays like this.

Then, I received a text message on my phone. It was from Kim Sung-han.

[New hunter training starts tomorrow, so if it's okay, I'd like to have a drink today.]

The first day is theory, but practical training starts the next day, so drinking the night before might not be a good idea. I have over four years of field experience, but I can't reveal that.

'Should I use the keyword?'

I'll decide after having a little drink. If it feels right, I'll say it; if not, I won't.

[Sure. Please contact me in the evening. If possible, I'd prefer a casual place.]

There might be people who recognize me, so it would be annoying for Kim Sung-han, but I don't want to go somewhere stuffy where I have to wear a tie. It wouldn't be the right atmosphere for using the keyword.

In a noisy place, saying "I love you" would be drowned out quickly.

[Understood.]

I soon received a reply. Come to think of it, I don't have a Hunter Talk yet. It's a hunter-exclusive messenger app, originally called H-Talk, but everyone calls it Hunter Talk. Low-level hunters without a fixed party often use it to form parties for dungeon runs. I won't need it anymore, but I should buy some Hunter Talk stocks. Where was it made again?

Yoo Myung-woo came back, and there was a brief commotion, but our smart Peace quickly distinguished between what it could eat and what it couldn't, without leaving a single mark on Yoo Myung-woo.

...Actually, it left one mark. But it didn't break the skin, so it's still impressive.

Our child is a genius, it seems.

Later, when Yoo Yerim came back, there was a bit of trouble. "Cats are so cute!" echoed about thirty times, and Peace scratched my shoulder in frustration. Poor Peace.

After sending Yoo Yerim back to her place, I prepared a soft bed for the stressed Peace, and then Kim Sung-han called.

"I'm going out, so don't let Yoo Yerim in, and don't open the door to Peace."

Yoo Myung-woo's face turned pale.

"I, I...?"

"She can understand you. Don't be too scared."

You'll have to deal with many S-ranks in the future, so get used to it. You'll be the boss, so don't be afraid.

I patted Yoo Myung-woo's slumped shoulders and went down to the parking lot where Kim Sung-han was waiting.

We arrived at a bustling street not far from Hae-yeon Guild.

"Here?"

I looked at the flashy sign of the bar Kim Sung-han led me to, a bit flustered. This place is too... too young... for early to mid-20s... college students, right? College students are coming and going. What do they think of me...

...What do they think? I'm in my mid-20s, right? I keep forgetting my age.

But I used to drink soju with factory workers in my early 20s. This is my first time in such a lively and vibrant place. Damn, look at the lighting. It's colorful. What's with the "hunting" on the banner? Is this a club? The music leaking out sounds a bit... suggestive...

No matter how I look at it, this isn't right. The atmosphere is off.

"I don't know much about such places, so I got a recommendation from another hunter."

Kim Sung-han said. Recommendation... recommendation... It seems popular.

"Who recommended it?"

"B-rank hunter Kim Min-woo. He's a college student, three years younger than Han Yoo-jin. He said this place is appropriately hot and casual in this area."

No, that "casual" is casual by student standards...

"Min-woo, a student... He must be busy with studies and hunting, yet he knows all the hot spots."

"He would have been expelled if he wasn't a hunter."

Kim Min-woo must have partied a lot. Even as a guild-affiliated B-rank hunter, which is considered employed, he was at risk of being expelled, so he probably didn't go to school at all.

Come to think of it, Yoo Hyun also had a zero attendance rate despite entering through a special admission program. Yoo Yerim no longer needs to go to school.

C-rank and above minor Awakened are transferred to an Awakened specialist school or receive home education for safety. It's dangerous to put stormy super-teens with superpowers in the same place as vulnerable peers.

"Let's go in."

Kim Sung-han said casually. I may look in my 20s, but you're in your 30s, right? Your stern appearance and heavy build make you look even older. Don't you feel awkward? You look more like an uncle looking for a runaway nephew.

You're even wearing sunglasses to hide your face, which makes you look like a debt collector...

Look, the kids passing by are glancing at you nervously.

"Aren't you coming in?"

He turned to me, hesitating. What should I do? Actually, I'm fine. I'm in my 20s, after all. It's just awkward. If I had gone to a normal college, I would have been coming to places like this.

"Let's go."

I swallowed and moved forward. I should try this place once. Since I've regressed, I might as well enjoy my youth...

< OFF(1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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