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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 13: The Navigator and the Peculiar Spirit (2)
A face so handsome, it almost seemed selfish.
"Whoa."
"Wow..."
People passing by couldn’t help but turn and stare.
Men looked at him with faces full of inferiority, while women, as if entranced, couldn't take their eyes off him.
Even those pretending to ignore him ended up sneaking glances at his appearance.
Being the center of attention like that is undeniably uncomfortable, but he tried his best to ignore it.
"..."
Jihee, who stood right in front of Yeonwoo, was no different.
She had said she was going to report the situation to the Hunter Association, and it seemed she had just returned by the time Yeonwoo shaved and combed his hair.
Considering someone died, it shouldn't have been that quick to finish.
He wondered if there were special procedures for testimony.
He still remembered how people, who had previously looked at Yeonwoo like he was some freak, now stood dumbfounded by his transformation.
It was so memorable it made him chuckle.
"Did you wait long?"
At his words, she flinched.
Her eyes widened uncontrollably; she was clearly shocked.
"Th-that... you're really Yeonwoo?"
Yeonwoo quietly nodded to her stuttering question, and she just stood there looking completely dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Anyway, the Association didn't say much, right?"
"The... the black box about the unexpected variables has been submitted, at least..."
"Black box?"
At his question, she nodded and showed a small device clipped to her shoulder.
It was about the length of two fingers, with a small lens on the front.
"We have to wear it for missions. It stores footage of battles. There shouldn't be a problem. Your part wasn’t recorded because the lens broke when I fell."
"That’s good. I’d prefer if you could leave me out of it. Regardless of the situation or outcome, the fact that I was there even though I wasn’t part of the party might be an issue."
"I'll do that."
It was a relief.
As they talked face-to-face, it felt like her eyes were looking elsewhere.
That oddly fixed gaze was on Yeonwoo's face.
She still hadn’t recovered from the shock and couldn’t take her eyes off his face, which was flushed red.
'Damn.'
Her reaction was actually normal.
Yeonwoo wasn’t dumb; he knew full well how handsome his face was.
People might say it’s annoying, but it was the truth.
A face so outrageously, selfishly handsome.
That was Yeonwoo’s current appearance.
He used to be a generally likable guy, but after becoming a half-dragon, his body changed and so did his face.
He’d heard plenty of talk on the Rune Continent about how dragons had unmatched looks.
Now that he belonged in that category, he couldn't even laugh about it.
Even if only halfway.
His face was far from delicate.
With sharp eyes and a strong presence, his well-balanced build gave off a cold and firm impression rather than a soft one.
Put simply, he looked like a stereotypically "manly" handsome guy.
He had just brushed his hair and shaved.
But it felt like a magic show was going on, the way his image and people’s gazes completely flipped 180 degrees.
Seeing Jihee staring at him unknowingly, Yeonwoo asked innocently, as if unaware of anything:
"Do I have something on my face?"
"Ah... no! Nothing at all! I’m sorry..."
Realizing she was staring so blatantly while others watched, she became flustered and bowed repeatedly in apology.
Her surprise wasn’t hard to understand.
Who would’ve guessed the beast-like man from the mountains would turn into a literal prince?
'...The ability still works, right? It showed up, so I guess it does.'
This function, invisible to normal people, was an essential part of a Hunter’s info system.
'If the Information Access skill still works, then it means I’m back to being a Recon Hunter.'
Recon Hunters don’t usually have combat power.
Not that they can't fight, but they lack clear offensive or defensive skills, making them unsuitable for healer, dealer, or tank roles.
Still, Recon Hunters had unique skills of their own.
In Yeonwoo’s case, he had the ability to activate information about targets.
[Activate Target Info]
With his Spirit Master powers, maybe this was even more useful than offensive skills.
He barely finished that thought before he invoked the command in his head.
'Information Window.'
A skill he used often in the past.
The rank had dropped, but F-rank or E-rank made little difference.
It wasn’t a problem.
Beep.
A soft chime echoed only in Yeonwoo's ears.
Although the "Navigator" system wasn’t complete yet, there was no issue using the system itself.
Name: Sung Jihee
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Occupation: Level 2 E-Rank Hunter, Melee Type
Status Conditions: None
Current Emotions: Surprised, Embarrassed
Special Notes: Restricted due to insufficient rank.
Additional Info: Restricted due to insufficient rank.
The status window only gave a general outline.
It wasn’t clear how much Recon Hunters had developed since, but as always, the higher the rank or level, the more info you could access.
The lack of data meant either his info skill was low-ranked, or she was a higher level than him.
Satisfied with the smooth activation, Yeonwoo dismissed the window and took out a small bracelet looped around his arm, holding it out to her.
"Sorry, can I ask one more favor?"
"Huh?"
"I just came down from the mountains, so my outfit's a mess, and I don’t know my way around. I want to change clothes first. Is there a clothing store nearby?"
Catching onto his intent, she vigorously shook her head.
Then she pushed the bracelet back toward him, bowing slightly as she replied.
"Ah! Please let me handle it! I'll buy it for you as a gift!"
She spoke in a quiet, almost shrinking voice.
"Um... anywhere that sells clothes is okay, right?"
"As long as it’s something simple."
When Yeonwoo nodded as if asking why she was clarifying again, she lifted her hand and pointed in one direction.
Roday Apparel.
From his memory, it was a high-end store carrying expensive items. It must have been a well-established brand, since it still existed to this day.
"O-over there."
Seeing her unable to finish a sentence out of embarrassment, Yeonwoo made a slightly awkward expression.
He asked for something simple, yet she was taking him somewhere like that.
Rich people seen on media really did have different senses when it came to money.
'Is she maybe a silver spoon kid?'
It was a fair assumption, since he still didn’t know how rich Hunters became from Cores.
***
Inside the store, it wasn’t much different.
Yeonwoo ignored the stares directed at him and examined the fitted black suit on his body.
"You really didn’t have to go this far."
To him, it was pocket change.
But still, accepting such expensive clothes from a woman more than ten years younger than him felt a bit burdensome.
Even though he lived with Artenis for a long time and didn’t interact with many humans, he still clearly remembered what it was like being human.
And this kind of experience wasn't exactly pleasant.
More than that, he had asked for a clean outfit, not a full-on suit.
While it technically matched the request, it was clearly overkill.
Whether she knew what he was thinking or not, Jihee just kept nodding enthusiastically, as if it was no big deal.
"It’s fine! Even if it’s a bit expensive, it’s cheap compared to the cost of a life. I’ll get you some casual clothes too!"
Her voice was soft and hesitant, but Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes slightly.
The ‘casual clothes’ she mentioned also turned out to be designer brands he recognized.
'Yep, definitely a silver spoon.'
Technically, it was Jihee herself making the money as a Hunter, not her parents, but the misunderstanding only grew deeper.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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