Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 107

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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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Episode 107

 

After a long journey, Lee Gyeon, the Field Team Ga leader of BOND, got out of the car and indifferently surveyed the surroundings.

 

Following behind him, the team members also got out.

 

Though they weren’t making it obvious out of consideration for his mood, he wasn’t unaware that his team members were subtly excited right now.

 

“Wow… The accommodation is really nice, isn’t it? What a stroke of luck.”

 

“Compared to sleeping on Dungeon floors, this place is a palace.”

 

Lee Gyeon’s eyes turned forward.

 

A provincial hotel with a beautiful garden.

 

The accommodation provided by BOND for this provincial business trip was quite grand this time.

 

‘Though that’s probably because this is the only accommodation in the area.’

 

Moreover, the reason for coming on this business trip was also quite different from usual.

 

It wasn’t a commission, nor was it Dungeon exploration.

 

Joint investigation with the Police.

 

After CEO Baek Cheonhyeong took office, it seemed like he was following that ‘Mugang’ and working on image renewal, even volunteering for unprofitable joint investigations like this.

 

Wasn’t ‘they’ll do anything for money’ the public’s current view of BOND?

 

In many ways, BOND didn’t suit this kind of work that was close to ‘volunteer service.’

 

And that went without saying for Field Team Ga, which boasted BOND’s highest performance rate.

 

However, contrary to the obvious facts, Team Ga’s leader didn’t refuse this joint investigation.

 

The reason was simple.

 

‘It’s good work.’

 

The reason he was obsessed with performance was only because performance was both power and no different from a shield to protect his team.

 

If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason to discuss performance, and if the company’s way of operating wasn’t worse than a neighborhood corner store…

 

‘Enough with worries I can’t solve right now…’

 

Cutting off his train of thought as if accustomed to it, he spoke to his team members who were busy admiring the hotel.

 

“Unpack your luggage, form pairs of two, and start the door-to-door investigation. If you discover anything unusual, contact me through your watch. That’s all.”

 

After that, Lee Gyeon unpacked in his room and went outside the hotel alone.

 

While he had paired up his team members in groups of two, he himself was acting alone.

 

‘This is more comfortable.’

 

Walking along a road with wide rice fields spread out on both sides, he thought.

 

What our team needs to do here is clear.

 

Namely, searching for missing persons.

 

According to information provided by the detective in charge, over 30 people had gone missing in this small countryside village in the past year alone.

 

‘And all the missing people were children…’

 

The fact that only children under 12 years old had gone missing, regardless of whether they were outsiders or locals… naturally brought kidnapping to mind.

 

Lee Gyeon used his long legs to quickly reach his destination and stopped.

 

‘But…’

 

There were troubling aspects to consider it a simple kidnapping case.

 

‘The testimonies saying they disappeared the moment eyes were taken off them…’

 

Testimonies from the missing children’s guardians that there were no traces of anyone approaching.

 

And, most importantly.

 

He looked up at the dense forest before him.

 

The most specifically mentioned last known location of the missing children.

 

This place, ‘Myoryeong Forest.’

 

He had heard that several searches for missing persons had been conducted in this Myoryeong Forest at the edge of Myoryeong Village, but no significant discoveries were made each time.

 

‘They couldn’t find even the slightest trace.’

 

Considering that not even bodies presumed to be the missing persons had been found so far…

 

Lee Gyeon was certain.

 

As he got closer to Myoryeong Forest, the watch on his wrist blinked at a frightening speed.

 

At the same time, the app equipped with the ‘Dungeon Detection’ function automatically turned on.

 

On the blank white screen, a round yellow sticker appeared in the center along with an ominous warning message.

 

( Warning )

*A new dungeon’s frequency has been detected nearby.

 

“…!”

 

‘As expected, this wasn’t an ordinary disappearance.’

 

About 2 months before the police requested joint investigation, a report had come in advance from BOND’s branch office, located about an hour away from ‘Myoryeong Village’, stating that a new ‘dungeon’s’ frequency had been detected in this vicinity.

 

Along with the additional note that they couldn’t be certain because the detected frequency was inconsistent.

 

‘Could it be that Representative Baek Cheonhyeong calculated even this when he sent me?’

 

Since this time it wasn’t the Assignment Team but the representative who gave direct orders, his suspicion was close to certainty.

 

If that’s the case….

 

‘All the more reason I have to go.’

 

If it’s something related to a dungeon, then it’s originally something that they, as hunters, should handle.

 

Lee Gyeon entered the forest without hesitation.

 

‘As soon as I find the gate, I’ll contact my team members.’

 

Probably, there would be a gate in this forest, and inside the dungeon within that gate would be the missing children.

 

…And that judgment was accurate.

 

When he had reached about halfway through the forest, Lee Gyeon finally discovered the gate.

 

However, he didn’t approach the gate directly.

 

He intended to assess the situation and proceed with exploration together with his team members, but….

 

‘Who is that person?’

 

Because he could see a suspicious man in front of the gate, dressed like he was obviously on vacation, pacing around.

 

‘Who could it be?’

 

After narrowing his eyes and intensely observing the other person, Lee Gyeon finally figured out their identity…. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe reality.

 

“Ocean Kindergarten Teacher…?”

 

Why is Teacher here?

 

***

 

I frowned at the familiar thing before my eyes.

 

…Are you kidding me.

 

There’s someone who discovers a gate even while on vacation?

 

That’s me.

 

I looked down at my mobile phone screen with resentment.

 

‘She’s really here.’

 

On the screen was a location tracking app called .

 

An icon with Nabi’s face photo on it pointed to one spot on the map, blinking incessantly.

 

…That’s right.

 

In the brief moment I closed my eyes, Nabi had disappeared.

 

At first I frantically searched around in panic…. But who am I?

 

Let me say it again, my main job is kindergarten teacher.

 

‘Of course, I have nothing to say as someone who lost a child, but….’

 

Anyway, I had prepared for this kind of situation that could happen at any time.

 

‘I had sewn and planted a location tracker in the White Dog Doll attached to Nabi’s pants hem in advance.’

 

After chasing Nabi’s real-time moving location like that, I came to face this truth I wanted to ignore.

 

‘This is driving me crazy….’

 

No matter how I think about it, it seems like Nabi went inside this gate.

 

For a moment, I thought ‘Should I call for people?’, but I quickly gave up and withdrew the idea.

 

‘Never mind….’

 

With a gate this openly visible, people surely wouldn’t have left it alone without knowing about it.

 

And…. If I carelessly called people, the unfortunate situation of me not being able to enter the dungeon might occur.

 

‘Even if we went in together, rather than risk Nabi being caught rampaging inside the dungeon….’

 

Even at this point, I hadn’t thought that the missing person flyer I saw at the supermarket would be related to the dungeon.

 

And, to be honest.

 

Over the past few months, having gone through all sorts of hardships… I think I’ve developed a serious case of safety insensitivity.

 

‘Let me just quickly go in alone, find Nabi, and come out.’

 

I made that insane choice as if it were nothing.

 

***

 

Inside the dungeon I had entered.

 

I naturally recalled the dungeons I had entered so far.

 

The BOND Underground Dungeon where I discovered Nabi, the F-rank underground dungeon called ‘Elumis’ Sanctuary’, and even the underwater dungeon inside the fish shop I visited during the Hunter Camp.

 

The interiors of those dungeons were all equally overwhelming landscapes.

 

‘How should I put it… vast and magnificent, I suppose…’

 

It was similar to facing a museum that would take at least 3 nights and 4 days to fully explore.

 

But this place…

 

In comparison, it’s charming.

 

No, well… that doesn’t mean it’s small. It’s spacious, it is spacious but…

 

“It’s like some child’s room…”

 

A dungeon decorated like a child’s room.

 

Centered around a wooden bed in the middle, miscellaneous items surrounded it.

 

A globe, fairy tale books, airplane models, dolls, a xylophone, toy cars, empty bottles filled with glass marbles…

 

It seemed like a careful collection of things everyone wanted to have in their childhood.

 

‘Strangely, all the objects seem to have traces of daily life on them.’

 

However… even with this rather cute(?) interior of the dungeon, I couldn’t remain calm.

 

They were big.

 

Those things were excessively gigantic.

 

To the point where my earlier impression of it being ‘charming’ was embarrassing.

 

The globe placed beside me, the deer-shaped doll, and the numerous planet-shaped mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

 

I looked down at the round bottom of the globe I was standing on.

 

My entire body was clearly reflected on the metal stand of the globe…

 

I raised my head as it was.

 

A completely gigantic world.

 

It was overwhelming enough to make my heart race, but it also made me feel equally diminished.

 

‘I don’t know if I’ve become smaller or if this is a gigantic world.’

 

For now, since there could be monsters, I decided to move carefully while quietly suppressing my footsteps.

 

‘Wow, the crayons are thicker than my torso.’

 

I struggled desperately, climbing over and stepping on the miscellaneous items scattered on the floor.

 

After passing the world map spread on the floor and crossing over the xylophone… I was finally able to reach it.

 

The dark gap under the bed.

 

That gap was incredibly wide.

 

Wide enough for another world to exist.

 

I stood before it as if enchanted.

 

An alley with colorful light bulbs hanging down.

 

Along that alley, brightly lit shops lined up in rows.

 

The alley, made up of shops that all gave off a cozy and warm feeling, was filled with pleasant music box sounds and the smell of freshly baked bread.

 

I shifted my gaze and scanned the sign of a shop near the entrance.

 

《 Car Toy Repair Shop 》

 

And the sign next to it as well.

 

《 Jelly Prince Chocolate Princess 》

 

“…”

 

Here and there.

 

‘They’re all shops that would make children go crazy, aren’t they?’

 

For Nabi, who loves snacks and playing, this place was no different from paradise.

 

In my perplexity, I roughly ran one hand through my hair.

 

‘No matter how I think about it, it should be here somewhere…’

 

I followed the endless alley with my eyes and let out a sigh.

 

‘I guess I’ll have to go in after all?’

 

Before that…

 

“Status-“

 

First, let me check if ‘Nabi’ shows up in the Status Window…

 

“Is your condition abnormal?”

 

“…!”

 

I almost bit my tongue right then and there.

 

Just now, I think I heard a human voice…?

 

At the human voice coming from behind me, I suppressed my heart that felt like it would jump out of my chest and slowly turned around.

 

And there, when I turned around…

 

“…Team Leader Lee Gyeon? Why are you here…?”

 

Lee Gyeon, the Field Team Ga leader, was looking at me while holding a large wooden pencil in one hand.

 

He asks with unusually widened eyes.

 

“Teacher Na Hwi-yeon… What kind of place is this?”

—————
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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