A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 37

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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 37: Baek Kyul (2)

 

“Do you live here?”

 

I looked at Baek Kyul with a somewhat bewildered expression.

He walked silently through the corridor, not seeming to think much of it.

 

“Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s not that, but.”

 

An old corridor-style apartment. The paint was cracked, and beyond the worn walls that came up to about waist height, a dim landscape was visible.

Having spent my childhood in a shaman house that looked ready to collapse at any moment, I wasn’t particularly moved, but considering Baek Kyul’s profession as an A-rank Hunter, it was quite an awkward space.

 

“Come in.”

 

Baek Kyul casually entered the password and guided me inside.

Click. I followed him while glancing around the interior.

The inside was an ordinary family home. So much so that the disconnect was jarring for the home of an Eden-affiliated Hunter who was supposedly so socially admired.

A single sofa and television. The house, furnished with modest furniture, somehow felt only lonely.

 

“Excuse me… Are there any adults here?”

“…Yeah.”

 

Baek Kyul answered hesitantly. Then he asked back briefly.

 

“It’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”

“Well. It is a bit puzzling.”

 

The stories about hunters that the mass media went on about focused more on their wealthy lives in reality than their fierce battles.

How much their annual salary was, where they lived, which building they recently bought.

Digging into hunters’ glamorous lives and producing sensational articles was the job of today’s press. At the center of that were the high-ranking hunters belonging to large guilds.

In short, Baek Kyul should originally be someone very far from ordinary.

Well…

 

‘I had my suspicions though.’

 

A young child jumping into society is not a good sign.

I know well because I’ve experienced it. The fact that Baek Kyul was not only active as an Eden-affiliated Hunter but also going to hospitals and even lower dungeons meant his life was flowing in some strange direction.

I looked at the photo hanging on the wall.

 

Young Baek Kyul with black hair, and a couple who appeared to be family. An elderly woman standing beside them.

 

“Hah. There’s quite a bit of debt.”

 

Baek Kyul suddenly muttered in an irritated tone.

…Debt?

 

“Hey, don’t tell me the favor you want is something like co-signing for debt?”

“Would I?”

 

When I asked with a ‘surely not’ feeling, Baek Kyul frowned deeply.

Well, that’s a relief if not…

 

“Then what is it?”

“…Write one for me.”

“What did you say?”

“A talisman… please write me a talisman.”

 

What kind of what?

As I just blinked, a faint voice was heard from somewhere.

 

“…Did Kyul come?”

 

Ah, I thought it was a ghost.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that kind of thing.

 

“Yeah. Grandmother. I’m here.”

 

Baek Kyul guided me to a room. On the bed there lay the grandmother I had seen in the photo earlier.

I entered the room with a somewhat flustered expression. Baek Kyul went close to the bed and bent his upper body.

 

“How are you feeling?”

“….”

 

Her complexion didn’t look good. She barely managed to answer while nodding her head.

Baek Kyul pulled up the blanket to cover her with a bitter expression.

 

“Behind you is…”

“Yeah. Just some uncle I know.”

 

Hey.

I bit down hard on my teeth at the shocking word. What am I hearing at the prime age of twenty.

 

“Did aunt come by earlier?”

“She did. Kyul, did you come from work?”

“Yeah.”

“Please be careful…”

 

Well, it’s work that’s almost like being driven to death. I watched that scene for a moment.

What would it feel like to have to let your grandchild go to places full of dangerous things because of money.

 

“Sir.”

“Ah… Yeah.”

 

I approached closer at Baek Kyul’s gesture. I tried to greet her, but grandmother seemed to lack energy, lying with her eyes closed and frowning.

Baek Kyul added a brief explanation.

 

“She’s getting on in years so her health isn’t good. She doesn’t like hospitals so she stays at home…”

“….”

“Just something like a health talisman would be fine. Everyone used to use those kinds of things a lot in the old days. I saw you giving one to Nam Jae-yoon earlier too.”

“When did you see that?”

 

I scratched the back of my head and let out a small sigh. I understood what he was talking about. But…

 

“It might not have any effect.”

 

This was an era where spiritual power had all but disappeared. The talisman I gave to Nam Jae-yoon was also just written to prevent any unforeseen incidents, not because I expected any great effect from it.

However, Baek Kyul spoke in a monotone voice.

 

“I’m not expecting anything special.”

“…”

“Just…”

 

Baek Kyul clasped his wrinkled hands together. Then he hesitated for a moment.

 

“Hope that this situation might get better someday.”

“…”

“That would be enough.”

 

I had no choice but to take out yellow paper from inside my jacket.

 

“You carry that around?”

“It’s a habit.”

“That’s an interesting habit…”

“In the past, evil spirits could often be seen even on roadsides. I sometimes used it when practicing exorcism.”

 

I spoke while writing the talisman with the red colored pencil I received from Baek Kyul. It was an unavoidable choice since I didn’t have mirror cinnabar or animal blood.

 

‘I wonder if this will really be okay. He asked me to write it, so I’m writing it.’

 

Anyway, it felt refreshing to write talismans twice after such a long time.

 

“How long has she been sick? What’s the diagnosis?”

 

Grandmother had now fallen asleep. I asked in a quiet voice.

 

“About 4 years. They don’t know the cause. They say it’s related to dungeons… The hospital says there’s nothing they can do.”

“…?”

“The details are, well.”

“Oh… I see.”

 

Related to dungeons. I expressed puzzlement at the vague explanation but didn’t probe further.

I wasn’t a pharmacist, so I didn’t need to know the exact diagnosis.

I just finished the last stroke of the talisman and stood up.

 

“It’s done. Don’t expect too much effect…”

 

There had never been a day when I missed the lost spiritual power as much as today. I said as I approached the head of the bed.

 

“When you throw it away, make sure to burn it…”

 

Huh?

Wait, wait a minute.

 

“What is this…”

 

Whoooosh—!

 

The moment I stuck the talisman to the wall, a strange reaction occurred.

A sudden golden energy filled the room. I raised my arm with a flustered face to block the flashing light.

 

‘Ugh, it’s blinding. What is this?’

 

I squinted and barely managed to look ahead, but the light didn’t disappear.

 

“Ugh. Grandmother!”

 

Baek Kyul also checked on Grandmother’s condition with a bewildered expression.

However, nothing serious happened, and I could tell that the source of the light was the talisman I had just attached.

 

“…Hey, Baek Kyul.”

 

[Skill Unlock conditions achieved!]

 

A familiar voice. The voice that used to scold me by hitting my ear whenever I used foreign words suddenly rang out.

 

 

“This talisman. If things go well…”

 

 

I swallowed.

The description window that wasn’t yet fully complete. The skill window covered with miscellaneous symbols looked similar to how it was before I could use Divine Descent Ritual.

But this time something was different.

 

“…This might actually have an effect?”

 

Golden letters sparkled above the talisman.

 

 

I let out a small, hollow laugh.

A newly generated skill. This time… it’s talismans.

 

* * *

 

The corridor of Baek Kyul’s apartment.

I stared at the dark sky with a dazed expression. More precisely, at the skill window I had floating in that sky.

 

 

‘Is the system naturally a bit lazy?’

 

I blinked my eyes while leaning my arm against the corridor wall.

Since the detailed explanation wasn’t available yet, it was difficult to figure out what it was exactly, but I had a hunch it would definitely be useful.

 

‘Stamina preservation, huh.’

 

I wonder if using other talismans would show different effects.

Since I was hesitant to try it rashly, it seemed I’d have to keep various possibilities in mind for a while.

 

‘Please don’t consume too much mana. Please.’

 

“Hey. Take this.”

“Ah, it’s cold.”

 

I frowned at the object that touched my cheek.

When I came to my senses, Baek Kyul was pressing a plastic bottle against my face.

 

“What is it?”

“Plum syrup. Grandmother told me to give it to you.”

“Wow… Please tell her I’m grateful.”

 

I took it. The brown liquid inside seemed to be plum syrup. This stuff is delicious.

 

“What are you going to do now?”

“First, I’ll go home and wash up a bit…”

“No. Not that. I mean from now on.”

“From now on?”

 

I went “Hmm” and rested my chin on my hand.

Well. I’ll probably just keep… entering dungeons. Since I need to meet Grandfather.

While I was pondering my answer, Baek Kyul spoke quietly.

 

“It would be nice if… you joined Eden.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, with your skills! You’d probably get scouted by other guilds too, but there aren’t many places as good as Eden.”

 

Baek Kyul spoke without making eye contact with me. I just widened my eyes at the unexpected proposal.

 

“…I was just saying.”

“Ah… hahaha!”

 

I muttered “You little rascal” and ruffled Baek Kyul’s hair.

Ah, stop it! Baek Kyul blocked my hand with an annoyed expression.

Since he had taken off his hood, his soft light blue hair tickled between my fingers.

 

‘It’s like raising a little brother.’

 

Though he does have quite the temper…

 

“Alright. I’ll consider it.”

“…”

 

Then I smiled and patted his shoulder.

 

“I’m heading out.”

 

Baek Kyul just fixed his messed-up hair without any particular reaction.

I walked leisurely down the corridor with the plum syrup bottle tucked under one arm. He must be lonely too.

A guild… and Eden, huh.

 

“Hmm.”

 

‘But here’s the thing.’

 

If I join Eden.

 

‘I can’t pronounce it.’

 

I can’t say the name of my own company. This was a fatal problem.

 

* * *

 

I took a few days of rest.

 

‘Forced rest, that is.’

 

If it were up to me, I would have wanted to enter another dungeon right away, but for some reason, no suitable opportunities came up.

Excluding small dungeons like D-rank or E-rank, there wasn’t a trace of decent recruitment posts for anything above that.

 

“This is troublesome…”

 

It’s only natural for a person’s heart to become impatient when they can see the achievement rate in numbers right before their eyes. Not having a dungeon to enter was quite a frustrating problem for me.

 

For now, while waiting for recruitment posts, I decided to take care of urgent matters first.

 

“Welcome to Helena Shop… Oh, you’re here!”

 

A cheerful voice greeted me. A space filled with red. It was Helena Shop.

I recalled the difficult past days in the dungeon.

 

‘Potions… it was all for that.’

 

Sigh, I could almost cry.

 

“I’d like to commission this to be made.”

 

I nervously spread the magic stones on the counter with a clatter.

Helena, no, Kim Bok-soon watched the magic stones with cold eyes, whether she understood my feelings or not.

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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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