A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 53
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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 53: Dragon Island (8)
He said he’d kill me?
Lee Cheong-ryu was still staring into the air.
It didn’t seem like he had noticed Spirit Form, and it looked like he had just closed the gate with rough timing.
Still, it was certainly impressive reaction speed.
“What am I supposed to become?”
I found myself asking back without realizing it.
He answered while facing a completely different direction.
“A proud member of Blue Dragon!”
He said he’d kill me…
Feeling exactly like I had become a ghost, I spoke toward the back of Lee Cheong-ryu’s head.
“Are you really not going to kill me?”
“Me? Who? Such talent?”
“….”
“Ah, don’t worry, don’t worry. It was just a kind of test. Relax. Absolutely nothing will happen.”
Lee Cheong-ryu said this while raising both arms. His smile had also calmed down a bit.
“…I’m over here though.”
“Ah, you’re over there?”
When I finally released Spirit Form, Lee Cheong-ryu turned around at last. His navy blue eyes that met mine sparkled.
“I knew my eyes weren’t wrong. From the moment I first saw you, I thought there was something different!”
“You said you’d kill me without leaving any evidence.”
“I never said anything that extreme, did I?”
It was roughly similar. Whenever he had been throwing around those murderous words, Lee Cheong-ryu now seemed very excited.
Lee Cheong-ryu grabbed and shook my hand while I was still on Mountain Lord’s back.
“Blue Dragon has great benefits. There are even long vacations every season. The magic stone distribution ratio is much higher than other guilds too? You’d be losing out if you miss this?”
‘This is somewhat tempting?’
“You think that’s all? Daily customized training, plus one-on-one feedback from the Guild Leader! This is a better choice than most academies.”
‘Hmm. This doesn’t seem right.’
It reminded me of someone from Helena Shop who had been passionately selling products with that kind of tone.
I came down from Mountain Lord’s back with a coldly sobered expression.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“It’s better than saying I’ll kill you.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Listen.”
Lee Cheong-ryu had somehow taken on a deliberately serious expression.
“This isn’t easy work.”
Then he pointed at the dead dragon.
“You said B-rank at first, right. Honestly, I didn’t believe it. That scrawny thing looked like it wasn’t even E-rank to anyone.”
“….”
“But now…”
Lee Cheong-ryu grinned and looked back and forth between Mountain Lord and me.
“I can’t even get a clue about what the hell you do.”
“….”
“I like people like that. Guys who aren’t trapped by their rank and can achieve beyond that.”
He seemed genuinely pleased. Somehow, for some reason.
‘The feeling… isn’t bad.’
I tried to cool my head calmly. It wasn’t easy to stay composed in a dungeon that could collapse at any moment, but when I calmed my mind a bit, there was a fact I could finally see.
‘If he really intended to kill me, he would have killed me in a few seconds.’
He never had any intention of killing me from the start.
He was just testing me. What kind of ability I had and how far I could go as a person.
‘Not being trapped by rank and achieving beyond that… huh.’
I looked up at the dungeon’s sky that was cracking as if it would shatter.
‘Am I different from before?’
Certainly…
“So, what will you do? You’ll join after all, right? I’ll arrange the contract conditions however you want. I can even prepare a place to keep that tiger!”
“What?”
“With this size, it seems like we’d almost need to buy a whole zoo. I guess we’d need a caretaker too?”
“No, no. That’s not necessary.”
I waved my hands in refusal. I could see Mountain Lord’s gaze changing in real time.
| What are you saying? |
“…It’s nothing important. Shouldn’t you be going back now?”
| You know what that guy will do until we get out of here. |
“You’ll only spout more nonsense….”
The Mountain Lord paid no heed. He simply shrank his size and climbed onto my head. He was fluffy.
Sigh. I don’t know what the exact identity of this flower is, but it should be fine for now.
The Mountain Lord in his reduced form doesn’t consume that much mana either.
“Let’s go in, huh? Come here, Blue Dragon.”
“Let’s go outside and talk first.”
I blocked Lee Cheong-ryu’s face and sighed.
Kurrrrrung.
The dungeon began to collapse. There was no time to dawdle.
But we had to take what we needed. Lee Cheong-ryu opened a gate and sent the dragon’s corpse somewhere.
I quickly plucked the remaining Wave Tale Flowers and stuffed them into my sleeve.
“Is it really okay to take all of this?”
“I don’t know what that is. What’s the point of taking something when I don’t even know what it’s used for?”
To put it nicely, she was indeed a straightforward person.
“Think of it as a debt. If you follow that debt and join Blue Dragon, I’d be even more grateful.”
…What a cunning person. Woo Dong-ho was right.
“But what’s that over there?”
“Hmm? Ah, I guess those are things the dragon collected.”
In one corner of the cave, fancy items were piled up in heaps. Though they weren’t clearly visible due to dust and stone powder, they looked quite expensive.
“It’s a dragon’s nest after all. It collected quite a lot. I’ll have to move those too. Need to add them to the operating funds.”
“Ah….”
“Want to take a few yourself?”
“Me?”
“Of course. You’re the one who killed the boss. You helped a lot too, and it’s also a bribe to get you to join Blue Dragon-.”
“…Then I’ll just take a few. Minus the bribe part.”
I approached the treasure pile and picked up a couple of small items.
I felt like if I got greedy here, I’d inevitably be dragged into Blue Dragon.
‘Hmm….’
But there was one thing that caught my eye.
I carefully picked up that accessory. It’s pretty.
* * *
“Guild Leader!”
“Is it over? What about the boss monster?”
When we came out to the seaside, the Azure Dragon Guild members waved their hands. Everyone had injuries here and there, but fortunately, no one seemed seriously hurt.
Lee Cheong-ryu greeted them cheerfully and said.
“It’s dead. It’ll collapse soon, so let’s get out quickly.”
“As expected of the Guild Leader. You’re really fast….”
“Sometimes she’s annoying, but seeing things like this, we can’t say anything.”
They shrugged as if they expected as much. I had no intention of stirring up trouble either.
How could I say that a B-rank Hunter killed an A-rank boss? It was better to let it be quietly buried.
Yeon Ho-jung, who had been receiving healing in the corner, approached me.
“Where were you? I didn’t expect you to come with the Guild Leader.”
“I got lost for a moment. Fortunately, I found my way back.”
“Lost? That could have been dangerous.”
I made an awkward expression. Though I got lost on purpose.
“Um, Ms. Yeon Ho-jung.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“…This.”
I carefully handed something to Yeon Ho-jung.
A necklace with a black gemstone embedded in it. It was an accessory I had brought from the dragon’s nest earlier.
Yeon Ho-jung received the necklace with a surprised face.
“Gasp, what’s all this….”
“No, it’s not for you, Ms. Yeon Ho-jung.”
“…What?”
I hesitated and looked toward Kim Se-min.
“Please give it to Ms. Kim Se-min.”
“…Mr. Eun Hae-dam. That’s not a preference, that’s a crime.”
What kind of crazy talk is this? I frantically waved my hands in denial.
“It’s not like that! Just tell her I’m cheering for her search, and she’ll understand.”
“Ah.”
As expected. Yeon Ho-jung seemed to know about Kim Se-min’s situation too. She nodded weakly.
Her eyes looked somewhat pitiful. Yeon Ho-jung caressed the black gemstone.
“Alright everyone. Make sure you have all your equipment.”
Lee Cheong-ryu lined up the guild members and stood at the very front.
Though many things had happened, everything was concluded without tragedy.
No one had died.
‘In that sense, it really is an attractive guild.’
I expressed my admiration and raised my head.
Before my eyes was the gate that Lee Cheong-ryu had created. The dark blue gate rippled as if dancing.
‘We don’t have to go back through the gate we entered from. How convenient.’
“Blue Dragon, everyone worked hard. Today’s training ends here.”
“Yes!”
All guild members responded vigorously to Lee Cheong-ryu’s words.
“When you get to headquarters, I hope you all rest well.”
“Yes!”
“Ground training resuming tomorrow is mandatory attendance.”
“Yes…”
…I really need to think more about joining Blue Dragon.
I took my steps behind Kim Se-min, who was the last to cross the gate.
Splash.
The sound of waves from the dungeon lingered in my ears.
* * *
“Wow. I’m exhausted.”
“I feel like I did a lifetime’s worth of training today.”
“I’m going to collapse as soon as I get to the accommodation…”
“Should we ask the Guild Leader for express accommodation service?”
The place where Lee Cheong-ryu’s gate opened was the beach where we had first entered the dungeon. Several Association people in black suits were standing around.
One of them spotted the conquest team and approached Lee Cheong-ryu.
“Hello. I’m from the Association’s Gate Management Department. I’m in charge of Busan. Has the subjugation been completed?”
“Yeah. As you can see.”
Lee Cheong-ryu nodded his chin. The gate they had originally entered through was slowly disappearing.
The Association staff wrote something down on the paper he was holding.
“…Yes. Confirmation complete. The duration was 91 hours and 32 minutes. We’ll request a detailed report on activities within the dungeon through a report later.”
“Yes, yes.”
Lee Cheong-ryu waved his hand in casual agreement. Then the Association staff left his presence as if he had been waiting for that.
Yeon Ho-jung moved her stiff body and muttered.
“Damn. Another report.”
“The Association is thorough about these things too.”
“They have to do at least this much. Otherwise, all the guilds would become lawless zones. …Though I’m not sure if it’s effective.”
She continued speaking in a monotone.
“Setting up one Association and telling them to manage crazy humans doesn’t make sense in the first place.”
“That’s true…”
It really was. Just look at Lee Cheong-ryu right now…
“Want to come? Want to come to Blue Dragon? Let’s go! I’ll show you around!”
I really wanted to avoid this. I deliberately turned my back.
“Hmm?”
But I could see someone approaching from afar. Black suit and large build.
It was Kang Hyun-cheol.
It seemed like he had come to pick me up.
‘Perfect. I need to go to the accommodation quickly and get some sleep.’
Thinking that, I was massaging my tired shoulders when…
“Hunter Eun Hae-dam.”
“…?”
Something was strange. Kang Hyun-cheol’s expression was different from before. If last time he was an office worker worn down by fatigue, now he was completely expressionless…
“Have you finished the request?”
“? Ah. Yes.”
He put his hands behind his back and looked down at me. A B-rank combat Hunter. He was much taller and bigger than me. Kang Hyun-cheol spoke in an intimidating voice.
“Then you must have brought ‘that’ out as well.”
If he meant the Wave Tale Flowers, I had several in my sleeve.
‘…But how does Kang Hyun-cheol know about this?’
I stopped my hand that was about to reach for my sleeve, puzzled by the sudden doubt. Kang Hyun-cheol urged me.
“Please give it to me. I’ll deliver it to the Association President.”
“You’re going to deliver it, Kang Hyun-cheol?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
“There were separate instructions. He said it was urgent.”
There were many watching eyes. The Blue Dragon Hunters were looking this way with curious gazes. Too much attention was focused here.
‘The Association President said he would keep this matter strictly confidential.’
I furrowed my brow.
“No. It’s fine. Since this is a job I took on, I should finish it myself.”
Then I declined the offer. I had a bad feeling about this.
I hid my sleeve behind my back.
“This isn’t a good place for this.”
“…Just hand it over.”
Kang Hyun-cheol didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.
This was strange.
“No. I really can’t give it to you right now…”
Click.
“You’d better hand it over.”
I heard the menacing sound of metal.
And then.
Very quietly.
A gun muzzle was pressed against my abdomen.
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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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