Chapter 52

< Squeak (1) >

It was hard to resist the urge to turn around and look. It felt as if I was a character in a horror movie, pretending not to hear the creaking footsteps approaching from behind.

'The lizard on the wall kept writing.'

Just in case, I had been using it weakly since before we arrived at the Se Sung Guild. Even Yoo Hyun, who knew me well, could only faintly sense it, so even if Sung Hyun Jae was as great as they said, he wouldn't easily notice. Surely he wouldn't have to stick his nose into my body and sniff like my little brother.

“A, Guild Master!”

Only when Kang So Young finally noticed and turned around could I turn around too. The man, who was approaching his forties but looked much younger, was dressed very casually. He had rolled up his shirt sleeves and wasn't wearing a tie. He looked so relaxed that it would be hard to say, "Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule."

“You look healthy, that’s a relief. I was really worried.”

Wow, his expression and tone were so kindly that if I had been a bit more naive, I might have believed it and been moved.

“To come out and check on me like this, I feel quite embarrassed.”

I softened my inner desire for him to just disappear because it was burdensome. Sung Hyun Jae smiled at my words. S-rank people are all like that, but he really is handsome. What a bunch of pretty boys.

“Could I have come all this way and not come out? Most importantly, Han Yoo Jin is my child—.”

“Thank you so much for your concern!”

Shit, Moon Hyun, really, really! Do I have to live hearing this kind of talk! I’ll give you a good payback. Damn, just wait and see. If I don’t repay this, I’m not human.

At that moment, Peace, who had heard me shout, rushed over. Then he stared intently at the newly appeared person.

*Hiss*

Feeling some unease, he pressed his body against my leg. Seeing this, Kang So Young said it was okay and pointed at Sung Hyun Jae.

“Don’t worry, Peace. This is our Guild Master. He’s not dangerous... um, scary, no, I mean... nice... no...”

...This girl can’t lie.

“He’s a good person!”

As a Guild Master, he is a good person, I guess. If Peace could understand human speech, he might have taken a few steps back. But since he can’t, he just tilted his head in confusion.

“It’s okay. He’s on our side now. So you can go play.”

“Indeed, I plan to be in the future as well.”

Sung Hyun Jae said with a smile in response to my words. What do you mean, "in the future as well"... Could Hae Yeon and Se Sung have joined hands? Yoo Hyun’s attitude was a bit strange today. Even though he’s young and full of energy, he’s the Guild Master, so it’s natural that he wasn’t just influenced by Kang So Young. Did they have some kind of negotiation behind the scenes?

“Just hearing that is reassuring.”

“You sound like you don’t trust me.”

“I’ve lived a tough life, you know.”

Even excluding the five years before the regression, my life wasn’t peaceful. There were plenty of people who coveted the little bit of inheritance left to me by my parents. The world is really tough.

“Han Yoo Hyun, while protecting is good, he should also give proper information.”

Sung Hyun Jae clicked his tongue and shook his head. I felt a bit indignant that he was badmouthing Yoo Hyun, but I held back when he mentioned information.

Indeed, Yoo Hyun didn’t tell me anything. Even though I was the one kidnapped, I didn’t know how the aftermath was being handled. When I asked, he would just say, "Don’t worry, I’m handling it," and brush it off.

If I hadn’t regressed and only gained the monster breeding skill, my little brother would have handled all the negotiations, and I would have been cluelessly trapped without any understanding of the situation. Thinking about it now, it gives me chills.

“My little brother can be a bit... frustrating.”

“He wasn’t like that before.”

...Should I have another drink with my little brother? I get tackled all the time. Both of us need a sincere conversation.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to sit and talk for a while?”

Sung Hyun Jae said, looking at my hesitant expression.

What should I do?

I don’t plan to keep pretending I know nothing. Even if my goal is to be a peaceful landlord, I need to make the minimum effort to protect what I have.

However, since I’m currently staying in the Hae Yeon Guild, where my little brother’s eyes and ears are everywhere, I can’t do anything reckless. Luring in the future information merchant Do Ha Min isn’t hard, but it’s something to do after I’ve built my nest.

I haven’t even started building, let alone demolishing, so I might as well listen to a bit of what the Se Sung Guild Master has to say.

“Yes, that would be good.”

I nodded with a smile that said, “I don’t know anything.”

We moved to a table under a pergola in the park. Kang So Young left to bring snacks. Peace, who didn’t seem to trust Sung Hyun Jae, climbed onto my lap instead of playing. However, he didn’t cling to me as much as before, probably because the walk had a good effect.

“Han Yoo Hyun’s recent actions are hard to understand.”

Sung Hyun Jae said in his usual calm tone. The keyword effect had slightly dulled the flavor, but it wasn’t too bad. Today, he let me go out, and it seems to be getting better.

“Before gaining the monster breeding skill, I might not have understood, but now Han Yoo Jin has the power to build and grow his own force. If he establishes himself properly, he could become bigger than most large guilds. In fact, he already has a foundation from the previous negotiation.”

Wow, you’re really overestimating me. It’s true that if I put my mind to it, I could do it.

“But I don’t have such big ambitions. As I mentioned before, the demand for riding beasts will gradually decrease.”

Sung Hyun Jae laughed softly at my words.

“Do you really think so?”

“...Of course, right? Unless someone uses high-grade riding beasts as disposable items.”

“Of course, no one would do that. However, high-grade and top-grade riding beasts have power comparable to A-rank and S-rank hunters. They can be used not just as riding beasts, but as team members or even as a monster army.”

That’s true, but...

“Monster breeding is only allowed within a controllable range. Even Se Sung would find it hard to own more than a few top-grade riding beasts.”

Taming isn’t a skill that controls monsters like puppets or robots. Even Peace, who has my owner’s mark, can throw tantrums and act unpredictably.

Tamed monsters don’t harm their owners and follow them as the leader of the pack. That’s about it. If they could be perfectly controlled and used, tamers would be seen as hunters leading monster groups in dungeon raids, not as special occupations that breed and distribute monsters.

Therefore, whether it’s regular monsters or tamed monsters, guilds or organizations can only own a number they can control in case of emergencies.

“Not now, but what about the future?”

Sung Hyun Jae continued with a meaningful smile.

“Han Yoo Jin, laws exist because there is a country and society.”

“Of course.”

“Since the first dungeon appeared until today, the number and difficulty of dungeons have been increasing. We still have enough capacity to manage all dungeons with room to spare. When the Awakening Center opens, it will become even easier. But how long will this ease last? Personally, I think it will be at most five years. By then, many things will change.”

...That’s a precise prediction. Of course, even in the five years I know, the monster breeding restriction law remained the same. But thinking about it, there was no reason for the law to change. After all, top-grade riding beasts didn’t exist.

The highest-ranked tamer skill was A-rank, so high-grade riding beasts were rare. They had to be created by taming and growing B-rank or lower monsters, which was partly a matter of luck since not all monsters could grow beyond their rank.

“...So, in the future, dungeons might be attempted using only monsters?”

“Not entirely, but they will be mixed in. As a kind of non-human hunter. And you will be the only person who can consistently and stably raise S-rank and A-rank hunters.”

I had a foreboding that I might never be able to retire. Why didn’t I think the law might change? Isn’t it unsettling to have monsters swarming outside the dungeons? Of course, it’s better than high-level dungeons popping up, but...

“What a burden.”

“You have time, so you can take it slowly. Most importantly, as long as no one with a similar skill appears, your value will be higher than S-rank hunters. You don’t need to cower. You can act more freely.”

“You mean I can act freely?”

“Yes. Even if you act a bit tyrannically, what can they do? It’s an irreplaceable ability.”

Sung Hyun Jae winked mischievously.

“You can do whatever you want. Even if it’s not a guild you’ve negotiated with, if it’s a guild capable of owning high-grade riding beasts, you can contact them and make all sorts of demands, and they won’t be able to say a word. Not just domestically, but internationally. Overseas guilds are lining up to even just talk to you. Want me to give you a contact? Do you want to call them?”

“...No, that’s a bit...”

Contact any guild and make demands? What is this? It’s a level of tyranny I couldn’t imagine. As expected, those who have experienced tyranny know how to do it well. I’m just satisfied with having one building.

“Your current position is that high. If you show a bit of fatigue with a top-grade monster by your side, guild masters will immediately contact you asking if you need anything.”

No, that’s a bit... This uncle also has a bad personality. Why is he encouraging me to do various tyrannical things? Is it because the negotiation included a clause about sincere breeding, so he’s treating it as someone else’s business?

“Han Yoo Hyun must know this, yet he’s still trying to protect you like a mother bird. It’s not like him.”

Sung Hyun Jae said, admitting he didn’t understand this part. It’s because of the keyword... Since the breeder is the same person, it’s applied doubly.

“It’s also because my stat level is so low. Even if I’m in a position to act tyrannically, I could lose my head at any moment if some crazy person attacks.”

“That can be solved by having a top-grade monster by your side. In fact, there’s an opinion that Hae Yeon’s second top-grade monster should be used for your protection.”

“Is that so?”

“Didn’t he tell you? MKC, which is responsible for the kidnapping, will cover the cost.”

It’s a good deal for me, but Yoo Hyun, you really left out the main person. He might tell me when it’s confirmed, but it would have been better to give me a heads-up.

“This might be similar to what Moon Hyun did.”

Sung Hyun Jae shrugged, looking at my expression. He must have known because Moon Hyun told him, even though I had blocked the sound with my skill.

“No, it’s a bit different. I also feel that my little brother’s actions are excessive. But he’s worried about me, and once I leave Hae Yeon, he won’t be able to interfere, so I’ve been turning a blind eye.”

“I recommend having a proper talk.”

“Yes, I will.”

While we were talking about various things, Kang So Young returned with snacks. They looked high-quality and delicious, but they were a bit inferior to what Myung Woo made. Thinking about getting busy with the blacksmithing skill makes me feel depressed again.

“This is a small token of my appreciation.”

Sung Hyun Jae handed me a small jewelry box with a certificate.

“From what So Young told me, I’ll be in your debt soon, so consider this a token of my gratitude.”

Is this a bribe? The certificate shows it’s an S-rank item. It increases mana essence and has a B-rank defensive skill effect. Wow. Even though it’s B-rank, it’s a skill effect item, which is extremely rare. When I opened the jewelry box, I saw an earring similar to the black fairy’s earring I had lost, but with a red gem.

“This is a bit much.”

“It’s only effective if it’s a burden. And this.”

Then he took out a large wing bone from his inventory. It was a dried dragon wing bone with some flesh still attached, and Peace perked up his ears.

“Most high-grade carnivorous monsters like dragon bones.”

I hadn’t heard that before. Without hesitation, Peace bit into the dragon wing bone. Seeing him pull it with his front paws, it seemed he really liked it.

...Uncle Sung Hyun Jae might be a good person after all.

Early in the morning, I received a message that I had successfully purchased the exclusive entry permit for an F-rank dungeon, which was a 20-minute taxi ride from the Hae Yeon Guild building.

It was the dungeon I had applied for two nights ago. Since it’s rare for someone to pay extra for an exclusive bid on a low-value F-rank dungeon, there was no competition.

As soon as I received the message confirming the purchase of the exclusive entry permit, I contacted Yoo Hyun and told him I wouldn’t go out today and would rest at home. I told him I had a slight cold and would take medicine and sleep, and he insisted on coming over, which I had to discourage. I also asked him to keep it a secret so others wouldn’t bother me.

“When did I buy this?”

While looking for something to cover my face, I found a UV-blocking hat. It covered everything except my eyes, so it seemed I wouldn’t be recognized. Why did I buy it? Was it because the sun was particularly harsh last summer? Or did I have a reason to cover my face?

It’s a bit early, but it’s early summer, so it shouldn’t look too strange to wear it.

I had the gate stone in my inventory and enough equipment. Although it only increases essence, I have plenty of potions and don’t need to bring emergency rations. Even if I don’t come out and clear the dungeon, it should take no more than an hour with my current level.

‘It was a forest environment.’

According to the dungeon bid page, the inside of the dungeon is a small forest, and the monsters that appear are moss monkeys. They can be a bit tricky without a ranged attack skill, but with a 4-meter tentacle, I can take them out quickly. The boss monster is a giant turtle in a pond at the end of the forest.

The agile monkeys that climb trees and the well-defended turtles make it a high-difficulty F-rank dungeon. That’s why there’s a warning that it’s recommended for teams of E-rank or higher.

If I have time, I might clear it. If I monopolize it, I can make a profit beyond the cost of the exclusive entry permit.

*Growl*

After putting on the hat and coming out to the living room, Peace, who had been gnawing on the dragon wing bone I received yesterday, came running with a growl. I stroked around his horn and soothed him.

“I’ll be back soon, so watch the house. It won’t take long.”

*Hiss*

“Feel free to break some furniture.”

Myung Woo won’t be back until evening, but just in case, I told Peace I would let him out in the living room to take a nap. If I’m sleeping and can’t answer, I asked him to wait and not come in. Peace is good, but it’s a bit risky to leave him with F-rank stats.

“I’ll be back.”

I was worried he might try to follow, but fortunately, Peace sat down and looked at me without crossing the threshold. He’s so good.

Now, I just need to get out safely.

< Squeak (1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo