Chapter 80

< The Demon King's Spinning Wheel (1) >

I wanted to rush out right away, but I postponed my discharge until tomorrow at the insistence of those around me, who advised me to rest for one more day, just in case.

- *Piyak Piyak*

A small beak tightly held a puzzle piece and walked with a waddle to place it in the right spot. As the rabbit picture on the right side of the puzzle was completed, Piyak looked at his work with a sense of awe. Of course, I was moved too.

“Looks like our Piyak is a genius.”

“The picture puzzle, anyone can solve it. It’s just a 100-piece one.”

Yerim, sitting in the chair next to the bed, said indifferently.

“Just a 100-piece! Piyak is still young, you know? This is recommended for ages 5 and up.”

Piyak seems to be smart... sometimes. He does some silly things, but he’s generally inconsistent. Sometimes he’s well-behaved and smart, and doesn’t even show interest in food, but other times he bumps into glass and makes a fuss for food.

‘Maybe he has a split personality, or even multiple personalities.’

Smart Piyak and... stupid... or rather, gluttonous Piyak.

It was a plausible story. There are monsters with more than one head, each with its own personality. Rauchitas, for example, has three heads, each with a different curse skill, making it even more difficult to handle.

‘There was also a new monster that started out ordinary but grew to have two heads as it matured.’

Honestly, he’s not cute... no, even with two heads, our Piyak would still be adorable. Hmm.

“Piyak, you don’t necessarily have to grow. Can’t your dad raise you just as you are?”

*Piyak!*

You don’t have to grow. Do you really need to grow up? Besides, we don’t know the growth conditions, and your skills don’t work, so let’s just stay like this.

While petting Piyak, I looked at the status window next to me. Specifically, the window for the "My Baby" skill. (Han Yuhwan-S), (Peace-S). No changes.

It means they’re safe, but seeing Han Yuhwan’s name made me feel angry again.

“Han Yuhwan, you bastard.”

“If the guild leader is a bastard, then his brother is... no, that’s not true.”

Yerim fanned her hand as if to calm me down.

“It’s fine. Nothing will happen. He took two gate stones, so if things get really bad, he’ll come back.”

I know. I know, but it still makes me angry. They say you should seek out hardship when you’re young, but there’s a limit. Damn it, even if he’s an S-rank Hunter, he’s not immortal. Why is he courting danger? He’s overturning all the preparations we made for a safe raid and crawling in there, it’s ridiculous.

“Han Yuhwan, that crazy bastard.”

“Uncle, take a deep breath. Deeply, *huff* - *huff* -.”

I thought it wasn’t that bad, but I still took a deep breath and let it out. It helped a little.

“Yerim, do you need to answer the phone?”

I asked, looking at the phone on the table that was flashing.

“It’s fine. It’s the Association, the Association.”

“Shouldn’t you answer it?”

“No. They think I’m the easiest to bully. This time, the A-rank dungeon jumped to S-rank, so the Association is in an uproar. But apart from the guild leader who went in and the guild members who didn’t fully participate in the battle, I’m the easiest to bully, so they’re pestering me for details. It’s annoying.”

Now that I think about it, the Association must be having a headache too. A sudden jump in dungeon rank means they can’t guarantee the safety of the Hunters.

“Has there been any official announcement yet?”

“They want to sew the mouths of those who know shut, but they can’t because the S-rank Hunters are involved. If it were mid- or low-rank Hunters, they might have buried them in the back mountain.”

Surely they wouldn’t go that far.

“By the way, what reward did you get, Uncle?”

Yerim asked, her eyes shining.

“I got an SS-rank earring from the Mermaid Queen of the Azure Wave. This one, this one.”

The elegant blue gem earring hanging from my ear jingled as I nodded.

An SS-rank item, that’s a good one. While there’s a high chance of getting an SS-rank item from a 1st-rank or SS-rank monster, it’s not 100%. It could be a special item, material, or consumable.

“It has a skill that grants freedom of movement in water, and a 30% increase in the effectiveness of water and ice attribute skills in water!”

“Amazing! No Hunter will be able to catch up to you underwater!”

“Right? Dungeons that require underwater combat aren’t very popular, so I plan to sweep them all. I’ll pay off my debts quickly!”

She grinned, delighted. A 30% increase in ice skill effectiveness underwater means I need to raise my cold resistance soon. With buffs and enhancements, it should reach S-rank.

After giving Yerim some advice, I asked,

“Have you heard what the others got?”

“They won’t tell me easily. Hyun-a probably got something good, judging by her excited expression. I have no idea about the guild leader of Se-seong, and our guild leader is already angry, so I don’t know. Seong-han got a gate stone. He was happy about it, even though he didn’t do much. Peace didn’t get anything, right?”

“Probably?”

I’m not sure. The skill is there, so the system applies, but it seems there’s no inventory.

“Uncle, check yours too!”

Urged by her, I opened the inventory list. It had been a while since I organized it, so it was a mess. Inventories have limits, so I should organize it.

As I scrolled down, an unfamiliar item name caught my eye.

[Unnamed Demon King’s Old Spinning Wheel]

What is this? The "Demon King" part suggests it’s a high-grade item. I took it out of the inventory to look at it.

“...What is that?”

“It looks like the wheel part of a spinning wheel.”

It’s a real spinning wheel. A small, old wheel made of ordinary wood, smaller than a human head.

“The description says... it’s the wheel of a spinning wheel used by an old Demon King, SS-rank. That’s all it says.”

“Looks like the Demon King had a peaceful hobby.”

Indeed. But how do you use this? Is it a material? Are you supposed to make a spinning wheel? Does it turn straw into gold or something?

‘We got double the reward for the raid, so I hoped for something better. Maybe it’s because my contribution was too low.’

The double reward doesn’t necessarily mean getting two items. It seems to apply in a way that an S-rank item becomes an SS-rank item.

I decided to show it to Myung-woo later and put it back in the inventory.

Myung-woo went to the forge as usual, and Kim Seong-han returned to the Hae-yeon guild. The guild leader, who jumped into the dungeon alone, must have caused quite a stir in Hae-yeon... Damn, deep breath, deep breath.

Then Yerim’s expression hardened. She frowned and looked towards the door.

“The crazy guy is here.”

It can’t be Yuhwan already. Soon, a knock was heard. The door opened before I could give permission, and Seong-hyun-je entered.

He gave Yerim a warm look, at least on the surface.

“You have good instincts.”

“How long do you think I’ll forget?”

Yerim stood up and gave a light bow. She was polite, but... she must have known Seong-hyun-je would hear her call him a crazy guy. Yerim, be a bit more careful with your words... did you pick that up from Moon-hyeon?

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for coming.”

I smiled, even though I didn’t particularly want to see him. What can I do? Seong-hyun-je’s expression is always so kind and gentle. Even when he rejected my skill, he had that same face.

“I heard about Han Yuhwan. They say sweets are good when you’re stressed.”

He handed me a shopping bag. I was about to eat, but Yerim took it and put it on the table.

“You said the sharing of the same skill has a 15-day waiting period.”

He immediately brought up the skill sharing after a brief greeting. I guess it’s understandable since he experienced the double effect of attack skills, but it’s not something you can use easily. It’s useless to be interested if you can’t use it.

“Yes, it’s not very practical. There are few shareable skills, and while the double effect on attack skills is good, as you know, I’m a water body. Without a special item like the bracelet from last time, it’s hard to use in close combat. And it’s too much for S-rank dungeons.”

Last time, there was a purpose in Seong-han’s growth. But there’s no need to drag a bunch of S-rank Hunters for an inefficient raid without a reason.

After Honey, there won’t be much use for it except during dungeon breaks.

“That’s true.”

Seong-hyun-je nodded in agreement, but something still felt off.

“But once an item is created, it can happen again. Similar dungeon items with similar effects might appear. I’m looking forward to that.”

He’s already drinking the soup before the rice is cooked. His smiling eyes were annoying, and I couldn’t help but say something sharp.

“You don’t need to look forward to it, Seong-hyun-je. There are S-rank Hunters around me. One is right next to me.”

Yuhwan and Yerim are here. Why would I give it to the neighbor’s uncle when I have two powerful Hunters at home?

Yerim, who had a stiff expression, smiled. In contrast, Seong-hyun-je looked disappointed. But why is he disappointed? It’s probably just an act.

“I’m disappointed. I thought we had become quite close.”

He’s a pro at fake sincerity. Where did he sell his conscience?

“...There’s no reason for us to be close. Why would we be close?”

“We’ve been involved in a lot of things.”

“Let’s keep work and personal life separate.”

“Didn’t you receive something personally?”

I almost threw the earring at him but held back. It would only hurt me, and I should use what I received well. Instead, I smiled.

“Thanks to a good friend, I’m no longer impressed by S-rank items. But if you give me something like the wings of the SS-rank Fire Dragon Silicia, I might say I love you, Seong-hyun-je. That coat looked really good on you.”

“Expensive love, huh?”

“Not at all, it’s cheap. Want a sample? I love you, Seong-hyun-je.”

The keyword that grows a stat from A-rank to S-rank. It’s really cheap.

Now what? I can’t really give it to him. I smiled up at him, and he shrugged.

“Indeed. It’s not that expensive. Unless it’s more than just words.”

...Wait, don’t take the coat out of your inventory!

“Of course, it’s a joke!”

“Right, it’s a joke!”

Yerim quickly chimed in. Then she glared at Seong-hyun-je.

“The patient must be tired, so please leave now, Seong-hyun-je.”

Seong-hyun-je smiled as if we were amusing and left after telling us to take care.

Damn, I should stop applying keywords to that guy. Even if giving the wings of Silicia was a joke, it’s bad for mental health. Besides, the keyword effect probably won’t work.

“Uncle! Don’t fall for just an item!”

As soon as the door closed, Yerim shrieked. Why is she taking off the earring? Her words and actions don’t match, Yerim.

“I have an SS-rank item too!”

She held out the earring to me, her cheeks puffed up. She was so excited about getting a good item, but she’s giving it to me. She’s so cute.

“You don’t have to give it to me. I like you a hundred times more than that guy.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

There’s no comparison. I smiled warmly, and she didn’t forget to put the earring back on. Our Yerim.

--------------------

Seong-hyun-je got into his car in the hospital parking lot and took out his phone. After a short ring, the call was answered.

[Wow, Mr. What’s up?]

It was a lively woman’s voice. Seong-hyun-je got straight to the point without much explanation.

“Prepare to come to Korea.”

[Already? That’s earlier than planned.]

“The plan has changed. Contact Noah and tell him to enter as the guild leader of Ark, not as part of Se-seong.”

[What? Him too? That’s strange. Weren’t you going to hand over Korea to Hae-yeon and leave?]

“The plan has changed.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was filled with curiosity.

[I thought you found the Hae-yeon guild leader quite cute. Did he do something to annoy you?]

“No, the young master is still cute. He’s even cuter now that he’s full of poison. But the one who made him poisonous is a bit of a problem.”

He cast a cold glance out the window. The call ended. Seong-hyun-je put away his phone and recalled an event from three years ago.

The self-proclaimed filial piety addicts who approached him right after he awakened.

‘Filial piety, what a joke.’

It was a playful title, but the information they provided was accurate.

So he had no choice but to change his plan.

-----------------------

It was quite late. Piyak was asleep, occupying one pillow. Yerim had returned to the dormitory. I sent Myung-woo back even though he wanted to stay, and only Kim Seong-han remained in the patient’s room.

I habitually checked the damn name in the status window and pressed the TV remote. There was nothing interesting. Hunter-related programs were still buzzing about Myung-woo.

Then,

“Leader Kim, you’re awake!”

It was a goblin. His wide smile was quite welcome, and I smiled back.

It’s about time to apply a keyword to this guy.

< The Demon King's Spinning Wheel (1) > End

ⓒ Geun-seo