------------------
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
------------------
Chapter 27: Grant Mercy, Let Me Join His Side at Once! (6)
"Did you do well? Or did you do wrong?"
"I-I did wrong..."
“-A naughty little rascal needs punishment. I've just seen a disciplinary method called 'Wonsan Bombardment' online…”
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting."
Ignoring Mulhoe's antics, Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes.
Even if there was no ill intent, she was still a pure child, so proper education was necessary.
Ingesting spirit stones recklessly wasn't good even for a spirit.
The pouch that held the spirit stones definitely wasn't bulging, yet the way she pulled something the size of her palm out of it without resistance made it feel like the pouch defied the laws of physics.
It's absurd that a spirit would pilfer something like that, but Areum wasn't your average spirit.
Her face, filled with the grief of a citizen who lost their homeland, clearly showed just how badly she wanted those spirit stones.
"Heuhh..."
Drooling, her desire to eat it was more than obvious, and Yeonwoo, finding her too pitiful, had no choice but to hand her another spirit stone.
"Just eat a little."
"Yay! I love you, oppa!"
Squealing and hopping with joy, she quickly stretched out her hand and bit directly into the spirit stone Yeonwoo was holding.
He worried her teeth might shatter, since it was basically a rock, but perhaps because she was an earth spirit, it cut cleanly as if she were biting into tofu.
“-H-Half of it…”
Mulhoe, watching from the side, muttered in alarm.
She did eat quite a bit in one bite, but she had found two beyond expectations.
It wouldn't be right not to give her a reward.
Yeonwoo lightly waved his hand to show it was fine and continued to watch Areum.
"Heu...heuaaa..."
Apparently overjoyed, Areum slumped down with a blissful expression.
Like her nickname 'Catnip', she looked like she was melting from sheer delight.
Her flushed face and unfocused eyes made her reaction all the more vivid, being a humanoid spirit.
She was still not used to it, but if she consumed it a few more times, she'd probably build some resistance.
"Did you kill the monsters inside the field?"
"Hehehehehe... Monsters?"
"Hmm... Like puppies or dwarves."
"Hmm... I saw them! They were trying to bite, so I bashed 'em!"
"..."
'It wasn’t bashing, it was burying alive...'
He knew it already, but hearing it directly brought a strange feeling.
“-Are spirit stones usually like this?”
"Think of it like catnip for cats. Not everyone likes them, but they're definitely a favored item. You could say their primary use is short-term doping effects or affinity-building."
“-No way a spirit wouldn't have known that until now…”
"Because I'm here, Areum can sense it. Spirits instinctively prefer to contract with high-level Spirit Masters because they can find more spirit stones that way."
There seemed to be more to the explanation, but Yeonwoo shut his mouth, not wanting to bother with a complicated lecture.
And Mulhoe, rather than digging deeper, seemed more interested in what was coming next.
“-So what will you do now?”
"Since it ended sooner than I expected, let's look around a bit. If there are spirit stones outside too, I could collect them without getting involved in any annoying business."
However, it didn’t take long for Yeonwoo to realize that collecting spirit stones outside the mist was not as easy as he thought.
***
"What do you mean there's no record?!"
Bang!
Sung Jihee slammed the table and shouted at the man sitting across from her.
Normally mild-mannered, her agitation was understandable given how absurd the man's statement had been.
"I'm telling you, there isn't. Did you dream it or something?"
"There's no way! I even bought him clothes myself and received his Hunter Code... And if it weren’t for him, I would’ve actually died."
"Well, I'm telling you, there's no Hunter named Yeonwoo. That Hunter Code you gave me? It doesn’t exist either."
"No way..."
Staggering back, she looked visibly shaken, and the man grinned mischievously.
"Jihee. I get that you’re smitten, but before being your brother, I’m the guildmaster. This is a big guild, and I'd appreciate it if you saved the drama for home."
"I-It’s not like that..."
Witnessing someone get murdered in front of her, it's natural she'd want to lean on someone.
Even if she was a Hunter with high resistance to trauma, she was still young.
Thinking her bowed head looked adorable, the man reached out to pat her head, but she startled and ran off.
"Good grief."
Watching her flee with a dry chuckle, Seong Jigeon let out a deep sigh the moment the door closed behind her.
He slumped into his chair and rubbed his face, his expression twisted in frustration.
"Hoo... This is a mess..."
What did he know that made him look so concerned?
"That Hunter Code doesn’t exist. It's fake. Maybe even the name Park Yeonwoo is fake too. Maybe I'm overthinking it."
There were a few Hunters named Park Yeonwoo, but the code Jihee had given him wasn’t a valid one.
As someone with influence in the Hunter Association due to their C-rank Hunters, Seong Jigeon definitely had the power to investigate thoroughly for his sister’s sake.
In the end, the incredibly handsome hunter Jihee had bragged about simply didn’t exist.
At least, not among those named Park Yeonwoo.
Even with the growing number of Hunters, they were still a tiny fraction of the Korean population.
There were maybe around 10 Hunters with the name Park Yeonwoo on record.
Even if the monsters were just weak kobolds classified as E-rank, clearing that place alone would require at least a D-rank Hunter.
Even a D-rank wouldn't come out of it unscathed.
Without a healer, it was almost impossible to enter a dungeon solo unless you were at least two ranks higher.
It's not recommended, but it's technically allowed.
From B-rank and above, the difference is truly staggering, but whether that’s truth or just rumor is unclear.
Out of the 11 Hunters named Park Yeonwoo he investigated, four had died in accidents.
Six were F-rank, and only one was E-rank.
Even if it’s a weak monster, soloing one of equal rank is almost impossible and extremely dangerous.
"Why was he even in that field to begin with?"
That was the first question.
Who the hell was he, and what was he doing in a dungeon others had entered with the intent to clear?
The reservation system means unrelated individuals usually can’t get into the field.
No one in their right mind would enter a dungeon with nothing to gain unless they were suicidal.
That meant he, as a Hunter, had intervened for some reason, but it was impossible to guess what that reason was.
Jihee said he had some circumstances, but who knew what they were?
Following that trail of suspicion would only lead to an endless pit.
Especially since Jihee was a bit naive and timid, too innocent for her own good.
"The possibility is..."
He muttered quietly, spinning the pen on his desk before slamming it down with a soft click.
"...that he's an undercover operative investigating fields and dungeons."
There were rumors.
That the state had secret agents who were high-level Hunters, infiltrating dungeons with strange anomalies to investigate.
Just rumors, but after this, it didn’t seem too far-fetched.
If that were true, everything made sense.
Why he was in the anomalous field, why he hid his identity, and why it didn’t matter if he cleared the field or not.
Now, the C-rank Hunters had swooped in and cleared the place because of the Troll, but no one had found out the real cause of the anomaly.
"The real question is how the Association even detected the anomaly in that field...Maybe there’s a method they haven’t disclosed."
No matter how much he thought it over, there was no definitive answer.
Even if he could dig up information, it would only be to the extent of his capabilities.
The Hunter Associations around the world were filled with secrets.
They’d had their share of ups and downs since the beginning.
There were rotten parts and shadowy corners.
Getting involved in something messy without knowing the full picture could land you in trouble with no one to complain to.
That’s what worried Seong Jigeon.
Not the man’s identity or his lies, but the possibility of Jihee getting entangled with a complete unknown and facing unforeseen complications.
He himself might be fine, but his beloved sister had nearly died just recently.
"And..."
There was one final, worst-case hypothesis he absolutely didn’t want to consider.
If he ever met that man again, this was the one thing Seong Jigeon would make sure of.
"What if he entered and did something that caused the anomaly in the field... Damn, I hope not..."
He chuckled bitterly at the thought, but the unease in his heart wouldn’t go away.
That’s how conspiracy theories work.
No matter how much was known about monsters and Hunters, there were still too many unknowns.
That uncertainty gave him a headache.
Letting out a short sigh, he pressed the intercom button on his desk.
"It’s me. Keep looking into that thing I mentioned before."
‘At the very least, I have to keep investigating. This involves Jihee, after all.’
------------------
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
------------------
