Chapter 82

< Thorn-Winged Dark Dragon >

“What on earth happened?”

Yerim asked, looking at the room that looked as if a typhoon had swept through it.

“Nothing much.”

“A nothing much that leaves a crack in the wall? I’m pretty sure these walls are special.”

“Since I’m fine, it’s nothing much. Piyak, come here.”

- Piyak!

Yesterday’s incident was handled appropriately. I couldn’t just say, “An SS-grade Demon King appeared but disappeared.” So far, only I and Kim Sung-han know about the Goblin King.

“Still, Uncle, your face doesn’t look good. You look tired.”

“This is just from not sleeping well...”

I thought he wouldn’t look tired after sleeping for two days, but it seems a single sleepless night is enough to show. Really, an S-grade dungeon would take a while. Since it’s just the two of us, it would take at least ten days.

“...Having a younger brother is really...”

“Sigh, what’s wrong with our Uncle being stressed? Do you want to have a drink later tonight?”

“Alcohol is... Yerim?!”

What did I just hear? I looked at Yerim in confusion, and she smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Alcohol is just like water. As long as I don’t drink something extremely strong, I won’t get drunk.”

“Why are you drinking, whether you get drunk or not! You’re a juvenile delinquent!”

“I do fly pretty well~.”

That’s not the point... I covered my face, and Yerim patted my arm, giggling.

“I just tried it out of curiosity. It didn’t taste good.”

It’s understandable to be curious about the taste of alcohol, but Yerim, really. Still, as her guardian, I feel like I haven’t been paying enough attention.

“Still, wait until you’re an adult. And of course, for other things too. Try not to smoke even when you’re an adult. How’s your studying going?”

“Uh...”

Yerim froze. Freezing someone with just a word, S-grade indeed.

“You must have missed a lot of classes while going to dungeons. You need to work hard to catch up, right? And you were at the hospital all day yesterday and came here this morning too.”

“Well, Uncle is more important! It’s fine, I’ve already talked to the teacher and they said it’s okay...”

Even if I’m an upper-class hunter’s tutor, I’m still a low-class hunter or a regular person who gets hazard pay. How can I refuse when an S-grade says they want to rest?

“I have someone to pick me up today. I’ll also get a tour of the breeding facility from them.”

“Who is it?”

“The Director of Awakened Being Management.”

Yerim tilted her head. She probably doesn’t know him.

“He’s part of the Ministry of Administrative and Safety Affairs and is an S-grade hunter, Song Tae-won, who made it possible for the Hunter Association to manage S-grade dungeons. He’s the only S-grade hunter in the country not affiliated with a guild. We couldn’t meet due to scheduling conflicts, but he contacted me to meet and give a tour.”

Song Tae-won is an awakened being who used to be a police officer. Despite being an S-grade, he remains a civil servant. He could aim for a high position in the civil service, but he doesn’t seem to have that ambition.

The Hunter Association’s ability to hold its ground against large guilds is largely due to Song Tae-won.

“Take this opportunity to meet him. He’s the first one to respond if an S-grade hunter breaks the law.”

Yerim and I went down to the hospital parking lot. It was quiet, probably because it’s a dedicated hunter area. Hunters rarely visit hospitals because healers can treat injuries and they don’t get sick easily. F-grade hunters, who are only slightly better than regular people, would go to regular hospitals rather than here where medical insurance doesn’t apply.

“He hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Yeah, let’s go to the external parking lot and wait there.”

We went outside and sat on a bench near a flower bed. After a while, an old, red compact car rolled in. Yerim’s face showed shock.

“Uncle, that... Is that an S-grade hunter’s car... Am I sensing it wrong?”

“He’s always like that.”

I said as I stood up. I had heard the rumors, but seeing it in person was a bit surprising.

The short car parked perfectly in the space. The man getting out was large, unlike the car. He was neatly dressed and had a face that could be a protagonist in a serious action movie. He closed the car door carefully, as if it might break.

“...Why is he like that?”

“He’s a civil servant.”

“But there are many well-off civil servants, and he’s an S-grade hunter...”

Yerim muttered, looking like she had seen something she shouldn’t. It’s a bit hard to understand. I know he doesn’t take income as a hunter, but his salary as a high-ranking official shouldn’t be low.

S-grade civil servant, Song Tae-won, gave a light nod. As I bowed in response, a fancy, large sedan slipped into the parking lot. It didn’t slow down as it turned and,

Bang!

crashed into the back of the compact car. The poor compact car was half-destroyed, but the sedan only had a few scratches. Yerim muttered,

“Nice.”

Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.

The person getting out of the sedan was none other than Seong Hyun-je. That lunatic greeted Song Tae-won with a raised hand, holding what looked like a business card.

“Send the repair bill to me. Or do you want to give me the car keys? With that size, you might unconsciously press the accelerator. It wasn’t intentional.”

“This time, I’m on the side of the Seongseong Guild leader.”

Yerim whispered. So what if he drives a compact car. As a former ordinary citizen, I’m on Song Tae-won’s side.

“Accepting gifts over a certain amount is illegal.”

Song Tae-won said calmly, but his eyes weren’t kind when looking at Seong Hyun-je. He’s always at odds with large guild leaders, seeing them as tax-evading organizations due to their legal tax exemptions.

Guild leaders, who have special investigative powers over hunters, also find S-grade hunters annoying. Seong Hyun-je, being who he is, can make such crazy provocations, but even a large guild leader would have to back down in front of Song Tae-won.

“Anyway, what are you doing here? I was supposed to guide Han Yujin.”

“I came to pick up the father.”

Seong Hyun-je looked at me.

“The Thorn-Winged Dark Dragon dungeon was cleared this morning.”

He looks happy, so he must have successfully captured the baby dragon.

Since Song Tae-won’s car was out of commission, we ended up going to the Seongseong Guild. Song Tae-won was reluctant, but without a car and on the way to the breeding facility, and with the breeding contract in place, he couldn’t stop us.

On the way, Seong Hyun-je mocked me for being treated like a VIP in a paper-thin car, and Yerim chimed in. Song Tae-won, listening silently like a stone Buddha, apologized to me for not thinking ahead and promised to rent a car next time, making me feel even more guilty.

Yerim seems to get along well with Seong Hyun-je, which is a bit worrying...

“Hello, Han Yujin!”

Hunter Kang So-young greeted me with a radiant smile, then quickly turned worried.

“Are you okay? I should have come myself, but it’s Director Song Tae-won.”

“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

I thought he could have come himself, but then the poor compact car would have been safe... I’m not sure. With his skills, Kang So-young probably steps on the gas a lot too.

“Please come this way!”

Kang So-young led us to a cage. Inside, a small, black creature was curled up in a soft nest, sleeping.

[3rd Tier Dragon Species ? Thorn-Winged Dark Dragon (Juvenile)

Current Stat Level D

Potential Stat Level A~S

Initial Skills

Acid Breath (S) - Acquired upon growth

Thorn Armor (A) - Acquired upon growth

High-Speed Flight (A) - Acquired upon growth

Poison Scales (A) - Acquired upon growth

※Cannot grow without the help of an adult]

This one has the same growth conditions as the Flame Unicorn. I handed Piyak to Yerim and approached. They said it was just hatched and caught, so it’s really a newborn. It’s so small, about the size of a puppy. That’s probably why its stats are D-level, unlike Pius and Blue.

It doesn’t have thorns yet, and its scales look soft rather than hard. Its round belly rises and falls slightly, and its tail occasionally twitches. It has a thin neck with a silver ring-like necklace.

“Isn’t it really cute? Isn’t it?”

Kang So-young whispered. It is cute. Most young creatures are cute.

“It’s called Comet.”

“Is it female?”

“Does it matter?”

She doesn’t know.

“You’ll be able to tell when it grows. Females have larger wings and stronger poison, while males have longer thorns compared to their wings.”

Would a female be better for a mount?

Kang So-young took out the owner’s mark, held it tightly in both hands, and looked at me with pleading eyes. From behind, Yerim muttered that So-young is really putting on a show.

“Please take good care of our Comet. I’ll visit often. I’ll come every day when I’m not on a dungeon mission. Please contact me if anything happens, and let me know if you need anything.”

“I’ll take good care of it.”

I took the mark and put it in my inventory, then opened the cage. The juvenile didn’t show any signs of waking up.

“Is it okay that its stat level is higher than mine?”

“It’s fine.”

It might just bite a little. With an A-level and three S-levels nearby, they’ll help before anything serious happens.

I reached out and stroked its small, horned head. It felt slightly cool and smooth. I gently picked it up with both hands, and it wagged its tail and opened its eyes.

Its eyes were a dark, metallic gray with a hint of silver. It blinked,

- Poo

and yawned, showing a red tongue but no teeth yet. It looked up at me, flapped its wings once, and curled up on my palm. It fit perfectly in my two palms, with its tail and wings slightly sticking out.

To think it will grow to a size where I can ride it. It’s amazing.

“It’s sleeping again. So cute, our Comet.”

Kang So-young was so excited that her heart was racing. I can somewhat agree. It is cute.

Kang So-young followed us to the breeding facility, wanting to see where Comet would live. I wanted Seong Hyun-je to leave, but he had no intention of doing so. He said he had to take responsibility since other guild leaders were on dungeon missions. I get it for MKC, but why is Han Shin not here?

Kang So-young left on her motorcycle first. Yerim said she has a lot of speeding tickets. As an A-grade combat hunter, she probably won’t cause accidents, but she should follow the law.

When I asked why they seemed so close, Yerim said they had gone out a few times with Moon Hyun-a. They even went to an escape room.

“We set the record!”

Impressive.

The breeding facility we finally arrived at was a large, round building, as I had seen in the blueprint. With its high ceiling, it looked like a large indoor gym.

A-grade hunters were stationed at both the entrance connected to the building and the main entrance. They were from Hyeon and Seongseong. There were also two more A-grade hunters and about a dozen B-grade hunters on guard.

Using so many mid-to-high-level hunters to guard someone else’s building seemed a bit much, but there were many volunteers due to the effect of Myung-woo. It was known that Myung-woo would also be here.

Most of this explanation came from Seong Hyun-je, not Song Tae-won. Seong Hyun-je’s skill in cutting off Song Tae-won’s words and taking over the conversation was so subtle that it made me feel annoyed. If it were Yoo Hyun or Moon Hyun-a, there would already be a big fight.

But Song Tae-won seemed like someone who had spent ten years in the mountains cultivating. His eyes were fierce, though.

‘Was it really Seong Hyun-je who killed Song Tae-won?’

It’s a baseless rumor, and the official announcement was that he died during a dungeon mission.

- Squeal! Squeal!

Inside the building, a spacious lobby opened up. Blue was already there, flapping around. With the high ceiling, it was flying more freely than at home.

Indeed, a wide space is better for raising a child. There’s less chance of breaking things.

- Squeal!

Blue flew over to me as soon as it saw me. I wanted to hug it, but I had the juvenile in one arm.

“Blue, wait a moment.”

- Squeal?

“Kang So-young, you can either safely introduce the juvenile using an item like with Piyak, or try to make it bond with Blue without an item. But it might get hurt without an item.”

Ultimately, their stat levels will be similar, but Blue is stronger now. Kang So-young looked at Blue and the juvenile.

“Blue is C-level, right? That should be fine. The necklace boosts health, so their health levels should be similar. I can stop them if it looks like it will get hurt.”

If that’s the case. I gently woke the sleeping juvenile and showed it to Blue.

“Blue, this is your new sibling. It was just born, so don’t be rough.”

- Squeal

Blue tilted its head and flew up to my chest. The juvenile, startled, raised its head and spread its wings.

- Squeak! Squeak!

- Squeal!

Blue let out a loud cry, opened its beak, and bit the juvenile’s wing,

- Flick!

and threw it. The juvenile, with its large wings, flapped weakly and landed on the ground, looking indignant. Blue looked at it proudly.

- Squeal!

It puffed out its chest and called out proudly, then stopped attacking.

Hmm, I don’t know much, but it seems to have accepted it?

< Thorn-Winged Dark Dragon > End

ⓒ Geunseo