Chapter 49

< Pretend to be Weak >

Bang!

A loud noise startled me from my deep sleep. It sounded like a door being forcefully opened, or perhaps even broken.

Then, a chill warning from the Weakling’s Intuition kicked in. Strangely, it also let me sense the opponent’s level and attributes, probably because its effect was quadrupled.

The creature approaching me now is an S-rank with an SS-rank skill, and its primary attack attribute is fire.

It’s Yoo Hyun.

Yoo Reum and Kim Sung-han are with him.

As Yoo Hyun got closer, the Weakling’s Intuition grew stronger, almost as if it was screaming in my ear to run. At the same time, Fear Resistance was working to calm me down, saying it’s okay and there’s nothing to worry about.

It’s a battle between “This guy is terrifying, I’m so scared!” and “It’s just an S-rank, don’t be afraid!” Of course, the latter won. It’s an L-rank skill, after all.

‘Is this going to be a mess for a week whenever I encounter someone above A-rank? This is such a hassle.’

Can I turn off the Intuition skill? Still, it’s better to keep it on to hide my current state. It helps me quickly detect anyone above A-rank approaching.

Creak

The sound of the bars bending reached my ears, followed by a snap as they broke.

Should I pretend to wake up now? The room is too quiet, and it might seem strange if I wake up first. But my overly sensitive brother might notice that I’m pretending to sleep.

Let’s just say I took a bit less of the sedative.

“...Brother.”

A deep, heavy voice called out.

Let’s see, should I pretend to be startled? It would be a natural reaction to be scared when someone suddenly approaches, then to be surprised and relieved upon hearing my brother’s voice.

I slowly turned my head and opened my eyes slightly, still looking a bit scared.

I could see my brother’s face looking down at me. A relieved smile would be appropriate here, still a bit groggy but also happy to see him.

...This act isn’t easy.

“...Yoo Hyun, is that you...?”

“Yeah, Brother. Are you okay?”

“Uh... Yeah.”

I am a powerless and pitiful kidnapping victim. I was suddenly kidnapped and brought to an unfamiliar place and locked up. I’m only an F-rank who just awakened and have always lived a normal, uneventful life.

Naturally, I’m terrified and scared. I’m so grateful and relieved to see my brother come to rescue me that I should cling to him and cry a bit.

I put on a relieved expression, as if saying, “Thank goodness, I’m alive,” and held the small, quiet creature, Peace, who was stirring slightly as the sedative wore off. Then, I sat up.

“Ouch.”

“Brother?”

I had forgotten about my injured ankle.

Yoo Hyun’s face, which had been relaxed, quickly hardened, as if trying to reassure me. He wasn’t the only one to react.

“What was that sound? Was that your voice, sir? Did someone hurt you? Some crazy bastard!”

“Are you injured? How could they do this to such a weak person! I’ll call a healer right away.”

Yoo Reum and Kim Sung-han’s voices joined in.

Then, my brother picked me up. Wait, hold on. They’re calling a healer.

‘I can’t push him away...’

He’ll definitely notice that I seem stronger than usual.

“No, I can still walk...”

I couldn’t say “Put me down, I don’t like it” because I’m supposed to be a terrified kidnapping victim. ...How long do I have to keep this up? Can I start acting normally soon? Is it too early?

“Who did this? Who hurt you?”

Yoo Reum, who was carrying me, kept asking angrily as she walked beside us. The guy who did this is already dead.

“...I can’t remember clearly.”

Maybe it’s because I just woke up, but my memory is a bit fuzzy. What was the guy’s face? What was his name? Kim something.

“A little? His age, or his height—”

“Hunter Park Yoo-reum.”

Yoo Hyun said sternly.

“Those questions should be asked after he’s calmed down.”

“Ah... I’m sorry.”

Yoo Reum bowed her head dejectedly. I can’t say it’s okay.

Outside the door, I saw a healer that Kim Sung-han had brought. He was a Westerner, and his skill level indicated he wasn’t from the Hae-yeon Guild. Maybe he was sent from another guild. If he’s an A-rank healer, he’s probably from Seo-seong or Breaker, but I can’t remember.

Regardless, Hae-yeon needs to get a healer. Maybe I should go on a nationwide tour to find one.

The healer fixed my ankle and removed the sedative’s effects. However, my brother still wouldn’t put me down. An A-rank healer could have fixed a broken bone in one go, so let me go.

“Now, put me—”

“I’ll take you home first. Hunter Park Yoo-reum, please investigate this place. I trust you know what to be cautious about.”

“Yes, I’ll handle it properly.”

He’s planning to leave a corpse. Telling her to be cautious probably means not to reveal her skill. I thought she should use that skill a bit later, but it’s too useful to keep hidden.

I couldn’t touch the ground until I was placed in the back seat of the car. As I settled in, Peace made a small sound and snuggled into my arms, looking very listless.

“There, there. You must have been scared, but it’s okay now.”

Even if he’s a dungeon boss monster, he’s still a baby, a baby.

Yoo Hyun got in the passenger seat, and the car started. Come to think of it, where are we? Outside of Seoul?

“Let’s go to the hospital first. We’ll get a full health check-up while we’re at it.”

Yoo Hyun said, pulling out his phone. Why is he saying such a troublesome thing? The healer already treated me!

“I’m only hurt on my ankle.”

I might have some bruises on my stomach. Some of my hair was pulled out. My shoulder and back were hurt when I was thrown... There’s a lot. I rolled more than I thought.

“And right now, I want to go home...”

I said in a weak voice. I absolutely can’t go to the hospital. If I get a health check-up now, it’ll be a mess. My stats have all increased, and my durability is different. They’ll notice that I’m not an F-rank when they see that needles don’t even pierce my skin.

“Can’t we just go home and rest? I don’t want to meet any more strangers today, and if I have to get examined, they’ll probably use anesthesia... I don’t want to think about that for a while.”

I hate hospitals even without the trauma of being kidnapped. At the very least, I can’t go for a week. Yoo Hyun put his phone away.

“Sorry. I was being thoughtless. Let’s go home. Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Thank goodness. I won’t have to hear about getting a health check-up for a while. I changed the subject with a sigh of relief.

“Still, you found me faster than I expected. The guy who kidnapped me said you wouldn’t know until it was too late.”

“The guild leader of MKC gave us a tip.”

“The guild leader of MKC? Was he involved?”

“He wasn’t behind it, but it was due to negligence. They sent someone who wasn’t supposed to. There were some issues with the internal command structure of MKC... It’s hard to explain here, but the people sent by other guilds were different.”

That’s true. They were different in rank, and most importantly, they didn’t care about Ki-seung-soo.

“I just thought MKC was trying to save on manpower. They’re not in good shape.”

They were supposed to last three more years. Is this going to make them collapse faster than in the original timeline?

“It’ll be fine from now on. MKC will be excluded for a while, and the guild leaders of other guilds have agreed to personally provide visitor information.”

“The guild leaders? Aren’t they busy? They have to enter dungeons too.”

“There’s no choice. As long as there’s a risk of information changing, this is the most reliable method. Of course, among the other three, there’s no guild leader who can’t properly manage their direct hunters like MKC, but just in case.”

Now, my safety should be secure. Well, I can’t be 100% sure. Nothing is perfect in this world.

“Even if you’re careful, there’s no guarantee a guild member won’t betray you.”

How can you know what’s in someone’s heart? Yoo Hyun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Well, direct guild members are a bit different. If they’ve raided high-level dungeons with the guild leader, it’s safe to assume they won’t betray. It’s like... comradery.”

“Is that so?”

Comradery? In lower-level hunter teams, there was no such thing, even if you wanted it. Of course, there were good people, but they all died quickly.

There were some fixed lower-level teams bonded by trust and friendship, but they rarely lasted long. When one of them died, the shock was too much to bear, and the team would fall apart. Or, if they started doing well, other hunters would envy them and attack them.

But in high-level dungeon raid teams, where such incidents were rare, strong comradery could form and continue.

‘Still, to believe in comradery and think there’s no risk of betrayal. Is he still too young?’

Is it okay for the Hae-yeon guild leader? I know he has a bright future, but I’m a bit worried. The flaw in MKC that didn’t exist before appeared because of me, so other things could change too.

“Still, are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Not really, um... You seem a bit different from usual.”

His meaningful words made my heart skip a beat. Did he notice my stat changes? I was being careful. But his next words were unexpected.

“There’s a smell like reptiles...”

“...What?”

“No, it’s not that you smell... Did you get cursed or poisoned?”

...He’s so sensitive. Can he sense the skill I got from the dark-skinned guy? I shook my head, using the weak lizard skill.

“I would have noticed if I was cursed. The healer didn’t say anything.”

“Well, a healer might not notice a curse. Just in case, here.”

He took off a bracelet from his wrist, grabbed my wrist, and put it on me. No, that’s not necessary. Then, he almost put his nose to my hand to smell it.

“It’s definitely weaker than before.”

“...Is it?”

It’s a good thing the weak lizard skill worked. S-rank is really troublesome.

“Can you sense something like that at S-rank?”

I asked, trying to pull my hand away without using much force.

“Maybe a little right after the skill is used? The level of scent I sensed from you suggests you might have it, but I’m not sure.”

Wow, you can really tell all that. You’re amazing. Be careful, be very careful. But I have many other skills, and he can’t sense them.

‘If he had, he would have asked already.’

The skill from the dark-skinned guy seems to only detect poison and curses, and maybe only certain types of attacks.

“Here, take it back. If I was cursed, it would have worked.”

I took off the bracelet and offered it to him. You don’t know, but I have L-rank curse resistance. Keep the Hae-ju item for yourself.

“Didn’t they take your Hae-ju detox item? I’ll get you a better one soon.”

Yoo Hyun said, taking the bracelet. Well, I still have it in my inventory. Maybe I should pretend it was taken and give it to Myeong-woo. Speaking of which, I wonder if he’s worried about me.

“I need mana-boosting equipment more. They took my earring too.”

I have plenty of mana now, but it will run out in a week.

“The only one I have is a percentage increase. Do you want it?”

“I don’t need to use a skill right away, so it’s okay.”

It’s a bit embarrassing to keep getting things from my brother. We’re family, but even as business partners, I should be able to get things from him. But if I’m going to take advantage of him, it’s better to do it with other guilds, especially MKC, which needs to compensate me.

We arrived at the Hae-yeon guild when it was already dark.

“It’s safer to be at home than in the dorm.”

Yoo Hyun said, pressing the elevator button. It might be safer, but I have a bad feeling that if I go in now, I won’t be able to come out again.

“Let’s go. You need to get back anyway. I’d rather be with someone, even an F-rank, than be alone.”

“I don’t have to—”

“Please go, guild leader. I can go from here.”

“Still...”

“Finding and dealing with the culprit quickly will make me feel better too.”

Did I pretend to be too weak? Stop clinging and get back to work.

He finally left after taking me to the dorm room door. I hope this is the end and he won’t be more of a nuisance in the future.

“Peace, we’re finally home.”

Let’s go to bed early today. Maybe we can sleep together.

I coaxed the listless Peace and opened the door, then the inner door.

“...Eun-jin.”

I saw Yoo Myeong-woo with a pained expression.

< Pretend to be Weak > End

ⓒ Geun-seo