Chapter 50

< A Date (1) >

“Uh... um.”

Her eyes are red, as if she had been crying all along. Her complexion is pale, and she looks weak, like a paper doll that has been fished out of water and left to dry.

This guy looks more serious than I do, even though I was the one who was kidnapped.

“...Are you okay?”

I should be the one hearing if I’m okay, but...

As soon as I finish speaking, Myeong-woo starts shedding tears like chicken droppings. Is it time for a hug now? Well, he seems to have worried a lot, so I should calmly accept it. I’ve gotten a lot from him, after all.

But Myeong-woo only cries silently and doesn’t come closer to me. Why is he doing this? Was the shock too much? Shouldn’t he be the one going to the hospital, not me?

“...I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

I don’t know what to do, so at least say something. Should I put down my pride and hug him first to comfort him? I’m the victim here.

“...I couldn’t do anything.”

Finally, Myeong-woo speaks.

“I, really... couldn’t do... anything...”

His voice, forced out, is stained with guilt.

I can understand. He must have been stuck in his room while the person he helped was in danger.

But.

“It’s not your fault. You were trapped and couldn’t do anything.”

Myeong-woo is not even a guild member or a regular employee. He stays here in a form of employment I hired him for. So, when sensitive issues arise within the guild, like this one, he naturally had his actions restricted.

Actually, it would be fortunate if it just ended with house arrest. He could have been suspected and investigated.

“You’re an outsider, so if you had interfered, it might have made things worse. So don’t worry about it.”

“But I...”

He swallows his words, bites his lips, and wipes away his tears. The boy lifts his head, which he had lowered, and smiles.

“Sorry. I’m being a bother when you must be tired. Come in.”

“No, it’s fine...”

I’m more concerned about your reaction. What’s going on? If you had clung to me and cried, I would have just let it go, thinking it was normal. But the atmosphere feels like you’ve already sorted things out, drawn a conclusion, and made up your mind, which is unsettling.

“I’m really fine. Besides, the guilds that contracted to protect me should have handled this problem.”

I take off my shoes and step inside, repeating myself. Myeong-woo nods half-heartedly and asks if I want to eat something simple. I was thinking of going to bed early, but since I didn’t have lunch or dinner, it would be good to eat something. Piece needs to eat dinner too.

*Gurgle*

Piece jumps onto the bed and turns in circles. She seems to be in a better mood after eating.

“You shouldn’t jump on the bed without washing your feet. Come here.”

I pick up Piece and head to the bathroom attached to the bedroom. She whines and acts pitiful.

“You went outside, so you need to wash. You weren’t clean inside either.”

*Purr*

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just take a quick shower.”

Maybe because she’s a feline with a fire attribute, she really hates bathing. After soothing her, showering, drying, and fluffing her fur, my stats increased, but I feel exhausted. It’s more of a mental strain, but if I keep taking care of five of them, I might die of overwork.

“Let’s go to bed now.”

I turn off the lights, lie down on the bed, and close my eyes, but they open again after a short while. In the dim light, I see Piece curled up next to me. Her red fur and the golden strands mixed in stand out more than usual. My night vision has improved.

Looking at her, I take out a glass bottle from my inventory. The red stone inside emits a faint light.

‘Still, everyone is S-rank or S-rank candidates.’

Myeong-woo is F-rank, but he doesn’t need to go into dungeons, so he’ll be safe. Once he gets a skill, he’ll be almost as protected as I am.

There’s no need to worry much about the other four. No S-rank hunter has died during dungeon exploration in the five years after the difficulty increased, except for one person—two if you count Yoo-hyun. In any case, it means they won’t die unless they do something really stupid.

The death rate for A-rank hunters is also very low. Lower-ranked hunters die in large numbers because there are so many of them, and surprisingly, the death rate for B-rank hunters is higher than for C-rank hunters. This is because B-rank hunters start to explore higher-level dungeons.

‘For my mental health, it’s better to apply keywords only to S-rank or at least A-rank hunters.’

Senior tamers are rare and will take good care of them.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to turn off poison resistance and rely on modern medicine. When I was drinking heavily before the regression, some people suddenly appeared, took me to a hospital, and treated me for alcoholism, and they did a good job.

‘...Could that have been Yoo-hyun’s doing?’

At the time, I wasn’t in my right mind and didn’t think much of it, but it was strange that they broke in after I had been drunk for only a week. The facility and counseling were of very high quality. The counselor even gave me a business card and said to call anytime if I needed help. I wonder if that person is still working.

In any case, I hope the final gratitude skill won’t activate again. It’s too valuable to end after just seven days.

I put the glass bottle back in my inventory and close my eyes again.

The next day, I stayed inside the house all day. Piece didn’t really want to go out, and Myeong-woo didn’t go to sharpen his sword but made snacks for me. I didn’t know he had a talent for baking. I had to struggle to stop myself from blurting out that I wanted to live with him forever.

In the afternoon, Yoo-hyun visited with a locksmith. They searched the entire building but couldn’t find the key to the inventory seal bracelet.

Of course, I have it. I should have left it somewhere, but I forgot and brought it with me.

“Also, Hunter Park Ye-rim has been cursed with a stat reduction for breaking the contract.”

Yoo-hyun sounded flustered as he fiddled with the wrist where the bracelet had been.

“What? Contract violation?”

Well, it was a contract to protect me, so it could be considered a violation.

From what I heard, the curse was cast not immediately after the kidnapping but a bit later. Probably when I was being beaten up. The vague condition of protection seems to have been interpreted as a standard for when a certain level of violence is inflicted on the protected person. When I was kidnapped, I was just grabbed, and the fainting was due to mana depletion.

“I just need to contact the association and tell them it wasn’t a contract violation, and the curse can be lifted by the owner of the curse skill. The problem is that Hunter Park Ye-rim is refusing.”

“Why?”

“She admits to breaking the contract and is willing to pay the price.”

Ye-rim, you really are stubborn.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks. She listens to you well.”

Not that well, but...

“Ah, wait.”

I stop Yoo-hyun as he’s about to leave. He turns to look at me.

“So, about the gate stone. Do you have any spare ones?”

They were rare even five years later and are even more so now, so asking for one makes me feel embarrassed. But I really need one.

My current state is close to an A-rank combat hunter, meaning I can explore lower-level dungeons alone.

Of course, the real goal isn’t to explore the dungeon but to contact the system creator.

Using the wall lizard to the fullest, it shouldn’t be hard to sneak out. Buying an F-rank dungeon exclusive entry pass ensures secrecy.

The problem is that there might be a system error, causing monsters of a different rank to appear.

‘I can contact the system creator in front of the dungeon entrance and use the wall lizard to escape if something happens, but I don’t know if they’ll contact me before the entrance closes.’

I want to have a gate stone as a precaution against any possible danger. If it doesn’t work, I can wait until the entrance closes and then leave, but that would be a waste of money and opportunity. The final gratitude effect only has six days left.

“Why? Are you planning to enter a dungeon?”

My brother immediately frowns.

“No, I can’t avoid entering it completely. I want to go in occasionally and level up to around 30. Maybe I’ll get a defensive skill.”

Of course, I don’t have any. What’s my aptitude, anyway? Just a plain, ordinary A.

“But considering what happened this time and the last time with the strange bird, I’m feeling uneasy. I know it’s valuable, but...”

The more I talk, the more pathetic I feel. Maybe I should just do a few exclusive bids and go in and out. If I do an exclusive bid and don’t explore, will there be a penalty? I’ve never done that, so I don’t remember.

“...It’s not bad to level up to 30. You have an S-rank 10-level skill and an A-rank initial skill, so the chance of getting a high-level skill is high.”

Yoo-hyun nods reluctantly.

“In that case, I’ll choose the team for the dungeon exploration. Is that okay?”

“Of course, I need your help. I can’t explore an F-rank dungeon alone.”

I joke, and Yoo-hyun takes out a gate stone. My conscience pricks, but I won’t do anything reckless when I’m F-rank.

“Do you have a spare?”

If this is the only one, it’s better not to take it.

“I do. It’s something I shouldn’t need to use, but if I use a gate stone, it means I’ve lost most of the main exploration team. It’s better than me dying, but it would be a disaster for the guild.”

He says it casually, but it’s a serious matter. He’s right; it’s better not to use it. I nod in agreement and put the gate stone in my inventory.

I need to find an F-rank dungeon that’s as close as possible and allows exclusive bidding.

“Piece, we’re going out today, okay?”

Usually, she would nag to go out first, but today, she doesn’t seem to want to go out at all. She must be feeling the aftereffects even though she was asleep and didn’t know what was happening.

I can’t leave her like this, so I pick her up and go outside. It would be better to go outdoors instead of the underground training room.

I soothe the discontented Piece, who wags her tail, and head towards the elevator. The person who will protect me today is...

‘Hmm? That face...’

It’s a familiar face. A beautiful woman with bright blonde hair and deep blue eyes, almost navy, like a fairy. She smiles at me.

“Hello! I’m Kang So-young from Se-seong!”

Kang So-young, an A-rank hunter from Se-seong. She’s not Korean by birth but was recruited by the Se-seong guild leader and has Korean citizenship. Dual citizenship is allowed for B-rank hunters and above.

She’s a hunter with such outstanding talent that the guild leader brought her over personally. She’s 19 years old...

‘She had a scandal with Yoo-hyun.’

They weren’t officially dating, but the rumors were widespread. She could become my sister-in-law.

She’s even prettier in person. She’s cute with a youthful look and a bright, loving expression.

“Hello, I’m Han Yoo-jin. Please take care of me today.”

“I’m the one who should say that!”

Yes, she’s cute. She seems to have a good personality. Her cheerful voice makes me smile.

“This is Piece. She’s even cuter in person!”

Kang So-young says in a lively tone. Our Piece is indeed cute. She’s a good girl.

“Are we going to the training room?”

“Yes.”

She presses the elevator button and gives me a sparkling look. It’s like a fan looking at a celebrity, which makes me a bit embarrassed.

“I was really surprised when I heard the news. I’m so relieved you’re safe.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“I mean it. Really. You’re my only hope.”

“Hope?”

What kind of hope? Kang So-young nods vigorously as she gets into the elevator.

“Actually, I have an SS-rank skill.”

She whispers softly. An SS-rank skill? I haven’t heard that she has one. I want to see her leaf skill, but she’s staring at me intently, so I’ll have to try it later.

“Can you tell me what it is if it’s okay?”

“Well... you’ll find out eventually.”

Her voice gets even softer. Then she whispers,

“I’m a Dragon Rider.”

Ah... I can see why I’m her hope. Really.

The most difficult monsters to tame are dragons. As an A-rank hunter, it would have been extremely difficult for Kang So-young to obtain a dragon mount suitable for her rank. Dragon mounts are hard to get, so she couldn’t use them for consumption and had to consider the SS-rank skill as non-existent.

“You must have been through a lot.”

Kang So-young nods with a heartfelt expression.

“Yes. I can’t explain in detail, but this is a really, really good skill. If I had a dragon mount suitable for my rank... But how do I get a dragon mount, especially a high-level one...”

She starts to tear up. For an offensive hunter to be unable to use an SS-rank skill, she must have been very frustrated.

“Even getting a baby dragon would be hard.”

Even if I can raise a mount, I can’t create one out of nothing. I need a high-level dragon’s egg to raise it.

“Don’t worry! There’s an S-rank dungeon under Se-seong’s jurisdiction where dragon nests sometimes appear. The problem is that they only appear as eggs, and it’s impossible to hatch them, but this time, I’m preparing thoroughly to wait until they hatch naturally.”

“...You must have been through a lot.”

“But if I succeed, I can get the best baby monster. It’s worth the effort.”

Indeed, it’s a dragon. If I can get it, it will be the best mount. Combined with Kang So-young’s impressive SS-rank skill...

I want to introduce her to my brother. He probably knows her face. It would be nice to meet sooner than before the regression. Even if they weren’t officially dating, they had mutual feelings, so the rumors spread.

We arrive at the training room in a warm atmosphere. But Piece doesn’t want to get down from my arms. When I let go, she climbs up to my shoulder and clings to me.

“Oh...”

“Piece must have been deeply affected by the kidnapping...”

Kang So-young says with a worried expression.

“She was asleep the whole time, but she must have sensed something. I wish I could cheer her up, but we can’t go outside.”

“Why don’t we go to our guild building? We have a rooftop garden. It’s spacious and well-maintained!”

“A rooftop garden?”

It’s tempting, but the problem is that Yoo-hyun won’t let me go out.

“It’s a bit difficult to go out right now because of the kidnapping incident.”

Kang So-young confidently puffs out her chest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll add more people to protect you perfectly. Besides, the guild leader is here. It’s the safest place!”

Hmm, I suddenly don’t want to go.

< A Date (1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo