A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 145

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 145: Year-End Party (3)

 

“I felt the Gate closing, so I came to check. Arrived just in time, didn’t I?”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu said to me with a sly smile. Then he looked around at the Blue Dragon Hunters and clicked his tongue.

 

“You guys. Stop moving around in packs. You already don’t look friendly, and this makes you look even more menacing.”

 

“Hah, menacing… We’re not that bad!”

 

“Oh, want me to make you look even more menacing? Should we go out and have a training session?”

 

Apparently not wanting to train at a party, the Blue Dragon Hunters hurriedly left the area.

 

‘That was just a roundabout way of telling them to get lost.’

 

I was starting to understand Lee Cheong-ryu’s two-faced way of speaking.

 

“Explain it so I can understand, Lee Cheong-ryu. Blue Dragon’s customer? What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Once the watching eyes disappeared, Yu-kyung’s expression hardened. It seemed like she was actually the more menacing one here.

 

“S-Sister. Let go of your sword…!”

 

Choi Yu-il was sweating profusely trying to mediate between Lee Cheong-ryu and Choi Yu-kyung.

 

However, Yu-kyung’s expression showed no signs of softening as she fingered the Paradise Blade at her waist.

 

“Haha. Exactly what I said. Was there any part of what I just said that needed explanation?”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu also didn’t seem inclined to stop his provocation.

 

“…Hae-dam. You tell me. What happened? How did you get caught up with that crazy bird… no. That lunatic?”

 

‘Is there really that big a difference between those two words?’

 

They’re both insults anyway…

 

Yu-kyung continued.

 

“Right. I was a step too late. If I’d known you’d get caught up with something like that, I would have sent an invitation first.”

 

“Haha. You should have been quicker then.”

 

I cleared my throat to escape from this childish clash of titans.

 

“Both of you, please calm down. Whether I came as someone’s customer or not, what’s so important about causing this commotion?”

 

“It is important!”

 

“Hmm, it is important.”

 

Ah, yes….

 

“Come out. I’ll explain.”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

I stood in the spot where Choi Yu-il had been. Then I rummaged inside the sleeve of my durumagi.

 

“It’s true that I came as a customer of Blue Dragon, but to be precise, I’m not ‘exclusively’ Blue Dragon’s customer.”

 

This was the method I had thought of after receiving Lee Cheong-ryu’s phone call.

 

Snap.

 

Two pieces of paper came out from inside my sleeve.

 

One was a dark blue ticket with Chinese characters written on it, and the other was a white ticket decorated with gold foil.

 

“I received an invitation from Eden too.”

 

Seeing the familiar Eden invitation in my hand, Yu-kyung seemed surprised.

 

“…?”

 

Not only her, but Lee Cheong-ryu also furrowed his brow.

 

“You’re curious how this happened, right? It’s simple. Choi Yu-il gave it to me.”

 

“…!”

 

“Right?”

 

When I asked Choi Yu-il, he hurriedly nodded his head.

 

“Y-yes, that’s right. I don’t really have anyone to give it to anyway…. Since Hae-dam asked me, I handed over my invitation.”

 

It was a plan that was possible because Choi Yu-il was a guy who had no friends other than me.

 

When I casually asked him over the phone, he readily gave it to me.

 

“…Haha.”

 

I could see Lee Cheong-ryu forcing the corners of his mouth upward. I spoke with a triumphant expression.

 

“We’re friends.”

 

“….”

 

“Very old friends.”

 

Choi Yu-il seemed to have a somewhat moved expression, but I’ll leave that aside for now.

 

‘Do you think I’d willingly walk into the mouth of a Four Guardian Deity (*The so-called Four Directional Gods who govern the four directions of east, west, south, and north. In this text, it refers to Blue Dragon)?’

 

Absolutely not. In situations like this, you should maintain neutrality as much as possible.

 

“Hmm. So that’s how it is…”

 

Finally, Yu-kyung took her hand off the Paradise Blade. I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

 

“Well then. I understand. Sorry for suddenly causing a commotion.”

 

“No, it’s fine. It was a situation that could be misunderstood.”

 

Then Yu-kyung patted my shoulder with the kind smile she always showed me.

 

‘The expression of parents who found out the scene of misconduct was just a misunderstanding…’

 

Fortunately, it seemed like we’d gotten past one hurdle.

 

“It was my mistake not mentioning that I received a double invitation. But since it’s an unofficial event anyway, it shouldn’t matter much, right?”

 

“Of course! Besides, you’re someone who helped Blue Dragon anyway. I have no right to say anything just because you received one more invitation.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu had regained his usual composure.

 

Running his fingers through his blue hair that was neatly swept to one side, he picked up wine from a table placed nearby.

 

Yu-kyung patted my shoulder and said.

 

“Have fun. Make some other Hunter friends too. If you only hang out with him, you’ll become weird too?”

 

“Yes, I should.”

 

“We’ll go meet some more faces we need to see. See you later—”

 

Then Yu-kyung waved her hand. Choi Yu-il also greeted me before following her out.

 

“Aren’t you busy?”

 

After the siblings left, I asked while watching Lee Cheong-ryu finish his entire glass of wine.

 

“I’m always busy. I should get going too. I have things to prepare.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu glanced at Eden’s invitation and grumbled so quietly that an ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed.

 

Well, I was someone whose job it was to notice such things first. I secretly laughed to myself.

 

‘I thought this round would be a draw. Since Lee Cheong-ryu’s plan got disrupted, is this Blue Dragon’s first loss?’

 

From a spectator’s perspective, it was quite an entertaining fight.

 

* * *

 

I held a champagne glass in one hand and looked around the surroundings. Bitter Western alcohol wasn’t to my taste, so after trying various things, I finally found a sweet variety.

 

‘It would be nice to greet people I haven’t seen in a while.’

 

However, there were too many people, so I couldn’t see faces clearly.

 

As expected of a large guild, even though only hunters with considerable experience had gathered, the numbers were quite substantial.

 

“Huh?”

 

And then, someone who didn’t need a face for recognition came into my view.

 

Flutter.

 

Red wings moved.

 

“It’s Hong I-jo.”

 

Hong I-jo was wearing a black turtleneck and a black suit.

 

I used his wings as a landmark and moved my steps.

 

‘I think it’s been a while since I’ve seen him.’

 

The last time I saw him was at the illegal auction house before going to Japan. That was still a memorable incident.

 

“Hello.”

 

“…”

 

When I walked around his wings and stood in front of him to greet him, Hong I-jo blinked his eyes.

 

‘…He doesn’t not remember me, does he?’

 

No words came from him for quite a while. I knew his reactions were slow, so I waited patiently.

 

Eventually, Hong I-jo’s mouth opened.

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

“…”

 

“Since we met.”

 

At the same time, a faint joy appeared on Hong I-jo’s face.

 

“That’s right. Have you been well?”

 

After only seeing S-ranks growling at each other, witnessing his pure reaction felt like it was purifying my soul.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“….”

 

“Thanks to you.”

 

He still seemed to think that the 2nd Unit’s return was entirely thanks to me.

 

I chuckled softly and lightly clinked glasses with him.

 

“I’ve been doing well thanks to you too. I put the item you bought for me back then to good use. Though I still haven’t received payment for the item I sold.”

 

“…Slow.”

 

“Exactly. It’s frustrating me to death.”

 

“Should I… remind them?”

 

When I mentioned the 8 billion I still hadn’t received from that auction house, Hong I-jo made an offer.

 

‘A reminder, huh.’

 

Somehow, I had a feeling his method wouldn’t be entirely peaceful.

 

“…Could I ask you to do that?”

 

“Anything.”

 

But it was a whole 8 billion after all. Though I didn’t say it, lately I’d been losing sleep over it.

 

“Please do it as gently as possible. Violence is bad, after all.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After putting just one safety measure in place, I casually made the request to Hong I-jo.

 

‘Will I finally be able to get it?’

 

Life really is about connections, it seems. Feeling reassured, I sipped my champagne again.

 

‘Hmm. It looks like he has something more he wants to say.’

 

Hong I-jo opened his mouth and closed it again several times.

 

However, no matter how long I waited, he only frowned and couldn’t bring himself to say whatever was on his mind.

 

“Ah! Guild Leader! So this is where you were!”

 

Just then, a commentator appeared. It was Wi Seo-jin in a black dress.

 

“How did you get all the way here in the short time I was away…? You didn’t fly around inside the party hall, did you?!”

 

“No.”

 

“Thank goodness…”

 

She let out a sigh of relief at Hong I-jo’s answer.

 

“Oh? Hunter Eun Hae-dam, you’re here too? It’s been a while!”

 

“Hello. How have you been?”

 

Wi Seo-jin belatedly noticed me hidden behind the wings and showed a surprised expression. Then she smiled brightly and expressed her joy.

 

“Thanks to you, we’ve been doing really well! Red Dog’s power has recovered a lot too. It feels like we’re gradually returning to the old Red Dog. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to the new guild rankings?”

 

“I heard they’re announcing it today. Is that right?”

 

“Yes, that’s right!”

 

When I showed an interested expression, Wi Seo-jin kindly continued her explanation.

 

After having a conversation with Hong I-jo, her chatter felt very welcome.

 

“Guild rankings are usually announced around the first quarter of the following year after data compilation is finished. Today’s is an unofficial ranking that we announce among ourselves beforehand. But there’s rarely any change, so it’s quite reliable.”

 

“Ah, I see. No wonder everyone was so passionate about that topic.”

 

“That’s usually the case. Guild ranking first place isn’t just about honor—there are various benefits. We’ve received them a few times before, and they’re quite substantial.”

 

Wi Seo-jin was subtly bragging when she cleared her throat and asked me.

 

“Come to think of it, have you decided on a guild to join? Since you’re here, I thought you might have already joined one…”

 

“No. I just came today as an invited guest. I’m not affiliated with anywhere yet.”

 

“Ah…!”

 

After hearing my answer, she glanced at Hong I-jo.

 

‘What does that mean?’

 

Hong I-jo replaced conversation with a single blink. Wi Seo-jin, having received some mysterious instruction(?), turned her head toward me.

 

“Then please consider our Red Dog too.”

 

Wi Seo-jin covered her mouth with her palm and whispered.

 

“Whatever the conditions, we can generously accommodate them.”

 

Whether that was what Hong I-jo wanted to say, the Red Wings man nodded as if satisfied.

 

“…Thank you for even saying that.”

 

“I’m not just being polite!”

 

I only smiled politely. If Blue Dragon, Eden, and even Red Dog joined the fight, that would really be troublesome.

 

I couldn’t stop their business activities entirely… but anyway, today was impossible.

 

Click.

 

At that moment, all the lights in the party hall went out.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

“Ah, it must be time already.”

 

Seeing that Wi Seo-jin wasn’t disturbed, it seemed to be a scheduled procedure.

 

Click.

 

Not long after, lights came back on in the center of the party hall.

 

“It’s a beautiful night, everyone.”

 

Under the lights stood Lee Cheong-ryu with his blue hair.

 

‘What kind of line is that…?’

 

I suppressed the urge to gag and listened to his continuing words.

 

“Thank you so much for coming to today’s event. Since this is the first event Blue Dragon has hosted, I was quite nervous too. Hmm, let me see. It looks like there weren’t any particular problems? That’s a relief.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu held the microphone and proceeded skillfully.

 

“I was worried someone might not be able to control their overflowing power and break a glass or something, so we used all specially made glass.”

 

Laughter from the hunters could be heard. Lee Cheong-ryu skillfully lightened the mood and adjusted his grip on the microphone.

 

“As you know, today is an exchange meeting where Korea’s large guilds gather to share old greetings with each other. Whether it’s confidential information or casual updates, share everything here tonight before you leave. That’s what this gathering is for.”

 

Lee Cheong-ryu’s characteristic smooth talking style suited the event hosting.

 

His face sparkling under the lights was enough to make the various female hunters watching him clear their throats awkwardly.

 

‘If they knew what kind of person he really is, they couldn’t act like that…’

 

She’s probably around my grandfather’s granddaughter’s age. I clicked my tongue.

 

“Ah, before we begin in earnest, there are some people I’d like to introduce first.”

 

As Lee Cheong-ryu waved his hand, the lighting that had been illuminating him moved.

 

“Though they’re not affiliated with the Five Great Guilds, these are special guests who came with invitations that were distributed to each guild. Now, would you please greet each other?”

 

Click.

 

And the first spotlight stopped above me.

 

‘…Huh? Me?’

 

This was an unexpected spotlight.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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