Chapter 90

< Calm Down (3) >

Since Yoo Hyun doesn't know Noah's face yet, there's a chance he might get away with it if he's lucky.

‘I shouldn’t expect beans to grow where I planted peas.’

There's no way he wouldn't notice. A foreign S-class Hunter sitting right in front of my house is like putting a name tag on him. Besides, Noah is the only foreign S-class Hunter currently in the country.

I put down the piece and quickly sent a text to Song Tae-won, then grabbed Yoo Hyun's arm. There's no contest in strength, but he obediently stops.

“Are you not going to do anything?”

“That would be rude. I should at least greet him.”

What a well-mannered kid. If it were just a simple bow, it would be fine.

“I can't just pass by without doing something while my brother was in his debt.”

...You really noticed, didn't you? Even before seeing his face, you were quick.

“By the way, Hunter Park Ye-rim is also a member of Haeyeon's guild. If he protected my brother against an S-class Hunter, he must have been injured, but that guy was fine. Tell me, brother, where was Hunter Park Ye-rim injured?”

“...His arm.”

He couldn't help but answer. Even if I don't, I can't overlook what happened to Ye-rim as the guild leader. I have no right to interfere.

I let go of his arm and sighed, making Yoo Hyun's eyes widen.

“Don’t worry. It’s not a Break Zone, so he’ll keep his limits. Besides, my brother is here, so he won’t do anything too dangerous.”

“Song Siljang said he would have to be prepared to lose an arm to deal with you.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. I was still young back then.”

He’s still young now.

“I’ve been living here for two days. The house is one thing, but there are also kids.”

Don’t laugh. Yoo Hyun's expression suddenly turned cold. Then he smiled again, but the atmosphere was different from before. Peace also approached me, growing to about the size of a human.

Turning my head, I saw Noah walking out from the lobby. His silver-gray eyes reflected a strange light under the lighting. He stopped about ten meters away and looked at us.

“Young.”

“You’re a year younger than him. You’re still a kid.”

Outwardly, there’s not much difference between the two. It’s just a year.

“I’m Han Yoo-hyun, the guild leader of Haeyeon. I heard my brother and Hunter Park Ye-rim were in your debt.”

Though he mentioned it casually, it’s still a normal greeting. Noah looked at Yoo Hyun and me alternately with a slightly dazed expression. I hope he doesn’t suddenly have a seizure.

“...Brothers?”

He mumbled softly, tilting his head as if he didn’t understand. He must know about the relationship between the guild leader and me, but he doesn’t see us as brothers. We’ve been told we look alike many times.

“His condition seems a bit strange.”

Yoo Hyun said quietly.

“He’s a pitiful kid, so try to be lenient with him.”

It’s mainly due to Liet, but my skill also played a part.

If he’s not normal, he’s even more dangerous. Song Siljang has become negligent.

“He probably has a stealth skill. It’s hard to keep him contained.”

“Anything else?”

While asking, he took a coat out of his inventory and put it on me. As expected, this guy’s clothes are big. It seems he doesn’t plan to let things pass quietly.

“...He can use a poison skill and partially transform into a dragon. The poison skill is probably S-class. Most antidotes won’t work, but it spreads slowly. Since he’s a cursed dragon, you should be cautious about curses. He seems to have a healing skill as well.”

I don’t know what the silent scream skill is. Since he didn’t use it yesterday, it’s probably not an attack skill.

“He can spread poison but doesn’t seem to have any long-range attack skills, so he’s likely specialized in support.”

If he had, I wouldn’t have survived yesterday. Noah only used close-range attacks.

“He probably has a weapon, but didn’t use it yesterday. It might be stronger than his transformed claws, or he didn’t have time to draw one. I think it’s the former.”

If he wasn’t normal, it could have been the latter. Yoo Hyun looked quite satisfied with my answer.

“You’re more detailed than I expected. I might get greedy.”

Well, if a ranking match happens, I can give advice.

“If the only thing spreading is poison, we don’t need to be as cautious.”

“Let’s talk first, let’s talk first.”

Did I spill everything? I took a deep breath and, just in case, used the Teacher skill on Yoo Hyun and Peace. If the situation gets serious, it would be better for the two of them to team up and quickly subdue Noah. It would be good if I could use it on Noah, but he would probably refuse.

Yoo Hyun walked forward, telling me to step back. The distance between them narrowed to about five steps.

“Mr. Noah Luhi?”

Noah’s gaze, which had been on me, shifted to Yoo Hyun. His dark pupils sharpened slightly but still seemed more human.

“...You’re the younger brother?”

“Yes, but—”

Why does he keep asking? Moreover, he still looked confused. Why...

‘Ah, maybe.’

Is he reflecting his situation on Yoo Hyun and me? Noah feels me through Liet, but the S-class born from the same origin as Liet is Yoo Hyun. Since they are brothers, it must be confusing.

Similar but opposite relationships. If the keyword effect didn’t exist, Noah might have reflected Liet on Yoo Hyun instead of me. We’re brothers, so it’s not a big problem.

“...Mr. Han Yoo-jin.”

Noah looked at me again, his voice slightly hoarse, and his eyes trembling. Since it’s a guild matter, I didn’t want to interfere, but this won’t do.

“Yoo Hyun, can you step back for a moment?”

Noah must feel like there are two humans similar to his sister standing in front of him. He’s already afraid because he failed Liet’s request, and this situation must be quite pressuring.

“Why?”

“Or I can step back. I think that would be better.”

“Since my brother is weak, it’s better—”

His words cut off, and Yoo Hyun moved. No, Noah moved first, but my heightened senses mixed, making it feel almost simultaneous. The five steps between them closed instantly, and sharp claws flashed under platinum scales.

Bare hands and beast claws. If they collide, the weak human hand would be torn to shreds. But Yoo Hyun’s hand slid over the scales and grabbed Noah’s wrist.

Immediately, the smell of burning flesh, and—

Bang!

Noah’s arm was bent backward, and his other hand grabbed the back of his head, slamming him to the ground. A long crack appeared on the smooth marble floor. He didn’t stop there, applying enough force to break the arm, but—

Swoosh!

Sensing a presence from behind, he quickly stepped aside. However, in that short moment, a black mark remained on Yoo Hyun’s arm. It was poison.

“I didn’t expect him to have a tail.”

He calmly pulled out a dagger and cut off the injured part in one swift motion. Since the S-class poison spreads slowly, this was the fastest and most accurate treatment, but... damn. Even seeing him treat it with a potion makes me feel bad.

Meanwhile, Noah got up. His pupils narrowed to pinpricks, and a platinum-scaled dragon’s tail swayed behind him.

“He’s half-monster, but we can’t kill him.”

“No, absolutely not. There are kids in the adjacent area. This is my house. The foundation is solid, so the floor should be fine, but be careful with the walls and ceiling.”

We’ve barely shaken hands, and there’s already a hole in the floor. If Noah dies here, I’ll have problems too. We don’t know each other well, so even if I receive his memories, I won’t be able to control the power well. He’s S-class, and because of Lauchitas, it’s doubled.

...This is really dangerous. Did I make a mistake by applying the keyword?

“Mr. Noah, calm down!”

It was close, but why did it suddenly happen? Just come in and talk.

Noah turned his head toward me, his long tail scraping the floor.

What should I do? Should I call Liet again? If Liet becomes three, will he go even more berserk?

“Let’s talk calmly. What do you want us to do?”

“I’ll try to capture him without damaging the building. He seems weaker than most S-class Hunters.”

“Please, calm down and wait a bit.”

What are you going to capture? He’s not a monster, he’s a person.

“...Mr. Han Yoo-jin, is that person not affected at all?”

Then Noah said,

“Huh? Did you attack because you felt Yoo Hyun like Liet?”

“I’ve never attacked.”

Huh?

“I was trying to approach Mr. Han Yoo-jin.”

“...Yoo Hyun?”

“With those claws, you were trying to approach my brother. I had to stop you.”

Yoo Hyun said with a face that showed he did nothing wrong. That’s true. Looking back at Noah, he slumped his shoulders.

“I didn’t intend to hurt him this time. But he seemed too dangerous. So...”

While speaking, Yoo Hyun observed Noah’s reaction.

“Mr. Han Yoo-jin, are you really okay?”

His voice was full of concern. Surprising. Did the relationship between Yoo Hyun and me affect him more than the keyword effect? Maybe he thought I was weak like him...

“Don’t worry. My brother is not a bad person—”

Yoo Hyun threw the dagger he was holding. Not at Noah, but toward the entrance.

Thud!

The dagger stopped just in front of Song Tae-won’s neck. The force was considerable, and blood seeped from the finger that touched the blade. If it were a normal person, his finger would have been cut off and his neck pierced.

“Is this enough for the favor?”

Song Tae-won calmly threw the dagger back to Yoo Hyun.

“I think it’s insufficient, but my brother wouldn’t like it.”

“I should thank Mr. Han Yoo-jin.”

...Is there something wrong with this? I called Song Tae-won, but I didn’t expect this. To calm myself, I reached out and petted Peace’s head. As always, our Peace is the best.

“Mr. Noah Luhi. This must stop.”

Song Tae-won approached Noah, who ignored him and continued to watch Yoo Hyun and me.

“You’re a strange person. Why are you worried about your brother now?”

Song Tae-won moved in the opposite direction, and Yoo Hyun approached me. Noah’s face, which seemed to have calmed down, showed signs of unease again.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

“Besides, why do you think I would harm my brother?”

Ignoring my stop, he took a step forward. Realizing it was bad, I reflexively stepped back, but—uh-oh. Noah might see it as me avoiding him.

And his hand touched my neck. It was a slow, deliberate touch, clearly provocative. The words that followed were even more so.

“Anyway, you’re so weak, you can’t do anything.”

He’s openly challenging me. Since Noah won’t harm me, he’s not worried.

“Yoo Hyun!”

“Don’t touch him!”

Grr, the shout turned into an animal’s growl. Noah’s body fully transformed, and Yoo Hyun laughed.

“Song Siljang, please evacuate the people.”

Song Tae-won stepped back with a stern expression. In that moment, Noah, now a small platinum dragon, bared his teeth.

Partial transformation is rare but not impossible. When fully transformed, he’s definitely stronger than a human. However, Noah received the Diu Balshesis title less than a month ago. Controlling a body with four legs, a tail, and wings is difficult.

Especially with wings, but indoors.

It would be better to stay in human form, but maybe he thought he couldn’t handle it. It’s clearly a strain.

“Don’t kill him, you crazy guy!”

“Watch it.”

Damn, he’s not listening at all!

Flap!

Noah spread his wings and flew up. The ceiling was high, and his body was about twice the size of a human, so he could fly, but his movements were unstable. Without a flight skill, the air would be more advantageous.

“Blue Willow Leaves.”

Green leaves filled the spacious lobby, obstructing Noah’s vision. Sensing Yoo Hyun’s approach, Noah naturally tried to dodge, but running in the air was much faster and more agile. Yoo Hyun’s use of the willow leaves had become completely proficient in a short time.

“This place is too narrow to play properly.”

With a light, mocking voice.

Crack

A long blade tore through the wing, scraping the bone.

-Screech!

The small golden dragon twisted its body and fell. Poison misted and toxic blood splattered, but flames surrounded Yoo Hyun, burning everything before it touched him.

Bang!

Marble fragments flew. Yoo Hyun’s foot stomped hard on the dragon’s head. The floor groaned and cracked again.

-Grunt!

The torn wing glowed and quickly healed. He used a healing skill. Flapping his wings and scratching the ground with his four legs, Noah retreated. However, before he could fully escape, a thick rope wrapped around the dragon’s neck and pulled him away.

Bang!

“Sorry. I broke the wall. But it’s the training room, so no one is there right now. I’m trying not to use skills, so it’s taking longer. The scales are quite tough. Shouldn’t my brother stay out of the way too?”

Noah got up amidst the rubble. He crouched, growling, looking pitiful. Even as an S-class, he was originally an A-class when he awakened as a support type, so the difference is significant.

I thought it was enough, but my brother didn’t seem to want to stop. Damn.

I quickly used the Teacher skill on Noah and connected it to Yoo Hyun. Both of them hesitated.

“Stop now.”

“Brother.”

“If you continue, I’ll only transfer the senses to Noah.”

Then Yoo Hyun would be at a clear disadvantage. Noah can sense how Yoo Hyun moves, but Yoo Hyun can’t. Of course, the strength difference is significant, so he won’t lose, but he won’t be able to handle him as easily as before.

If that happens, the damage will be greater, and my house will be destroyed. As a guild leader with a guild building next door, I need to restrain him.

“...I didn’t know you could use it that way.”

Yoo Hyun glared at me and stepped back. Phew, really. My brother is really...

< Calm Down (3) > End

ⓒ Geunseo