Chapter 91

< Custom Mount (?) >

The teacher skill was deactivated, and I looked around.

The floor was sunken and cracked as if a meteor had fallen, and a hole had been cleanly punched through the collapsed wall. It was truly an impressive sight. How long had it been since the commotion started in the rooftop garden? At this rate, the building repair costs will drain all our money.

The small golden dragon was crouched where the wall had broken, its eyes rolling as if unsure what to do.

"Using a skill to block it, isn't that a bit much?"

Yuhyun approached with a face full of complaints.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the one who caused the damage was that guy, right? Besides, hyung, didn't you quite value the hunter Park Yerim?"

"I told him not to kill Yerim because she was hurt. I didn't say not to hit people."

After all, I'm the one who reaped what I sowed.

"And who would welcome a family member trying to kill someone? Normally, people would be terrified. They'd start by shouting, 'Don't fight with bare fists!'"

That's what a normal person would do. Even if I had awakened, I didn't get much of a mental stat boost, being a stat F. I was protected like a precious treasure in the dungeon, and money was all I had. It's a normal reaction to be horrified at the thought of someone being killed right in front of you.

Yuhyun's expression changed to one of realization at my words.

"Sorry. Just because you're not scared doesn't mean it's okay. I forgot because you seem so used to being a hunter."

"Well, I'm not at the level of a non-awakened person. I did act in a way that made you forget."

Thinking about it, among the senior hunters, only Song Tae-won noticed that I was a bit strange. Or rather, he was the only one who noticed and paid attention. Seong Hyun-je doesn't seem to care, and Moon Hyun-a would probably just think it's good to be fearless.

Yuhyun and Yerim are still too young to notice such details.

"Anyway, I think this is enough. Don't you agree?"

Yerim was burned, her wings torn, and she had taken a lot of hits. Yuhyun nodded reluctantly.

"Unless you can be sure he won't try to harm you again."

"Today was the opposite, right?"

"That's also strange."

"Mr. Noah saw you and thought of his sister."

Thinking I was Riet and attacking me, without the keyword effect, it was honestly just a crazy guy, making it hard to explain. But with the added context of our relationship, it became somewhat explainable.

I also mentioned that Noah was originally an A-rank hunter and how much he had been terrified just by hearing Riet's voice. It felt a bit awkward to lay out all the painful details in front of the person involved, so I took off the translation item. Noah also had a translation item, but it seemed to have fallen off in his dragon form, as he couldn't understand.

"So, I think he might have seen himself as weak. He was probably also anxious because he had failed his sister's request."

"Attacking me is welcome, so I don't mind."

Yuhyun shrugged. It's not something to welcome. In the dungeon, and even among S-rankers, it might be due to unfulfilled desires. I wonder if they would cause trouble if the ranking battles didn't start soon.

"Anyway, considering the circumstances and the fact that you're about the same age, it's natural to be concerned. After all, you're like a mistreated child. I won't tell you to be nice, but don't provoke him like you did earlier."

I put the translation item back on and turned to Noah.

"Mr. Noah."

The dragon's head, which had been drooping, moved slightly, and his eyes blinked.

"First of all, Yuhyun is not Riet. He has never treated me badly."

-Grumble

He mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Try to form words. Think of it like using a skill."

When using full-body transformation, one can't normally speak. Noah hesitated but then tried again.

-I am weak... after all...

His voice was completely dejected. I wanted to go over and stroke his head.

"You're not weak at all. What's weak about an S-rank hunter? I'm only a stat F. You're incomparably stronger than me."

As soon as I finished speaking, his silvery gray eyes welled up, and tears began to roll down.

Huh, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?

"Mr. Noah?"

I almost approached him but managed to stop myself. This won't do.

-So, I'm even weaker. Han Yujin, you seem fine... Even if someone is much weaker than me, it's not a problem. I must be wrong, as my sister said.

"No, no! You're not wrong! Riet is the one who's wrong!"

Just because Yuhyun and I get along well doesn't mean every S-rank hunter and their weaker family members are fine.

"People are all different. Even in a normal family, relationships can be good or bad. They can also change from good to bad or bad to good."

We've had conflicts too. Just a moment ago, I was grumbling about how he wouldn't listen.

"Such relationships can be the fault of one person or both. But from what I see, the problem lies with Riet. I don't know everything about your relationship, but I can feel it clearly. Riet doesn't listen to you. Her opinions come first, and her thoughts are absolute. How can you deal with someone who is not only deaf to you but also much stronger?"

It's like she's saying, "Follow me because I'm strong and I'm right, and I'm your protector." Whether it's water, fire, or a thorny path, you have to follow.

"So, you're not weak. You're quite the opposite. You've been strong and resilient. You didn't give up and even formed your own guild. You even wanted to help me. It would have been easier to just give up, but you didn't. You are strong enough. You've really been resilient."

-...Han Yujin.

Stop crying. Why won't you calm down?

-If you come closer, will it be okay...?

I looked at Yuhyun at his pleading words.

"Use that skill again. By the way, what's its name?"

"Teacher."

I cut off the first part. A fierce teacher of the chick class, how ridiculous. It was fierce just a moment ago.

I used the skill again on Noah and Yuhyun. Noah accepted it without any resistance. After connecting Noah's senses to Yuhyun, I approached the crouching dragon.

From a distance, it looked smaller up close. Its total length was about 5 meters. The body wasn't that large. The scales were dense and smooth, with a golden hue, but they turned almost white when the light dimmed. A beautiful, sleek dragon.

Judging by the size of its wings and the shape of its body, it would be quite fast once it got used to flying. It's unusual for a cursed poison dragon to have wings. With S-rank poison skills and the ability to spread poison, it would be a great mount... no, a great person for a hunter with high poison resistance.

'Healing skills and stat lending seem like support, but there might be other support skills too.'

Even though he's a person, he really feels like a great mount. Being S-rank and having full-body transformation, he must be very sturdy.

However, among the people I know, only Riet has high poison resistance. There are definitely none in the country, and there might be some abroad. Yuhyun, who had his poisoned wound cut out, probably couldn't be protected by a normal item. Besides, he's a person.

-Do you really think that, Han Yujin...?

The tears had mostly stopped, but with each blink, the moisture in his eyes formed droplets that rolled down. On his shimmering scales, they looked like jewels. He's really, unnecessarily beautiful.

"Of course. I think anyone who cares for others is not weak."

-Even though your sister is still scary?

"If I were in your position, I would be scared too. And I can assure you that there are many people who are afraid of Riet. No doubt about it."

There must be at least a hundred people around the world.

Noah, who had been looking at me, leaned his head forward slightly. He reached out his hand, looking at Peace, who was standing on the opposite side of Yuhyun, who was standing next to him, with a visibly bad mood.

I expected the scales to be cold, but they were surprisingly warm. They were much harder than a young comet's. I wonder if the Dragon Rider skill would apply if Kang So-young rode Noah.

-I want to stay by your side until my sister is no longer scary.

"No."

Yuhyun said firmly. Noah's wings, which had been slightly raised, drooped again.

"Why not? It's fine, right? After all, he's an S-rank hunter. I'd prefer if he stayed on the side of the building. We need to get compensation, so I'll ask him to guard the place for free. What do you think, Mr. Noah?"

-That's fine.

Yuhyun didn't object to the building side. I was grateful since I wanted to bring in an S-rank monster or hunter somehow.

"Mr. Noah, can your healing skill be used on others?"

-Yes. It's B-rank.

"Really? That's amazing."

-I don't have any other healer skills.

"Even just basic healing is great! Especially from an S-rank hunter. It's perfect for emergencies since you don't need to protect yourself."

"Would you mind sharing other skills if it's okay? Of course, you don't have to. Skills are usually kept secret."

-Well...

Noah looked at Yuhyun.

"Yuhyun, can you take off the translation item for a moment?"

This way, I can understand, but Noah can't. Yuhyun took off the item obediently, and Noah spoke again.

-Most are support skills. Before I got the poison and transformation from the Diode Balshesis twin title, I didn't have proper attack skills, so I couldn't grow my guild much. It was insufficient for S-rank dungeon raids...

It makes sense. With S-rank support, it would be hard to gather good A-rank hunters. The guild would be small for an S-rank hunter leader.

Noah surprisingly opened up about his skills. I was a bit worried if it was okay, but my ears perked up at the stat lending skill description.

It can lend up to half of a designated stat.

"Really, half?"

-Yes. It's also possible to borrow, but the other party must agree. The duration is 30 minutes, and it can be used once a day.

30 minutes isn't long, but it's half of an S-rank hunter's stats. As a support, mental stats are usually high. Even if I wore all the S-rank stat increase items I could, I wouldn't reach half of Noah's stats. This would be great for other hunters, but it's a real jackpot for me.

Noah is using the skill on me, so I won't get the double effect from the Lauchitas' nemesis skill, which is a bit disappointing.

'...Wait, does the double effect apply to shared skills too?'

If so, the veteran F-rank attack skill enhancement would be quadrupled... Well, this is a title. Still, I want to try it just in case. If an S-rank poison skill is quadrupled, even a 1st-grade dragon would melt without poison resistance. Shared skills are definitely doubled, right? Can two be shared simultaneously, or is the cooldown halved?

This makes my heart race a bit. It's hard to use, but if our skills are maxed out at 200%... It would be quadrupled if it were a multiplier. My child's growth rate would also be doubled.

The same would apply to Riet, but I have no intention of applying keywords to her.

'Wait, the poison skill doesn't affect me, so he could turn into a dragon and burn me with poison. If the attack skill is doubled, even S-rank flying monsters couldn't approach, let alone A-rank... Not that I'm planning to enter an S-rank dungeon...'

But I just thought of a really good way to use the skill. If this works, it would be a real jackpot. Anyway, really.

"Mr. Noah, you're the best."

-...Yes?

Noah looked surprised and flicked the tip of his tail.

-If I'm that... useful...

"No, I really like everything about you."

-And there's one S-rank attack skill. It doubles the pain from my injuries and transfers it to the opponent.

"..."

That... is a silent scream skill, right? I thought the skill name was fierce, but the effect seems abnormal too.

"You didn't use it earlier, right?"

-Oh, it doesn't work on humans because they don't have wings. The body part must be the same. It's limited in use, so it's a waste on minor injuries. Instead, I know it's impossible to defend against.

...Yuhyun, you were in danger. But if the scream skill is doubled, it would be quadrupled. The problem is that Noah has to be injured, but it's quite powerful. If I join a dungeon raid as support with Noah... I'm not in a position to clear dungeons, but I'd like to try it once.

Anyway, I praised him again, but Yuhyun looked at me disapprovingly.

"Is that person's skill really that good?"

"It is, but are you jealous? No matter how good, you're the best."

Yuhyun was satisfied, but Noah became gloomy. At least Peace couldn't understand what was said, which was fortunate.

< Custom Mount (?) > End

ⓒ Geunseo