Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 125

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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 125

 

A foreign country that takes over 10 hours by one-way flight alone.

 

Field Team Na, who arrived at this place famous for healing and natural scenery, naturally had no time to look around and boarded BOND’s pre-prepared vehicle.

 

Then, after traveling by car for about 3 more hours, they finally arrived at the field site where they rarely heard a warning from team leader Moon Chae-yeong.

 

“You know today is especially dangerous, right? Let’s stay sharp and focused.”

 

Lee Seo-hyeok nodded slowly but with certainty.

 

It was the first time since becoming a hunter that he had received orders not to leave the field site until the mission was completed.

 

‘Moreover…’

 

Before boarding the plane, they had held a preliminary meeting about the field site.

 

Our team actually!

 

Lee Seo-hyeok recalled what Kang Ho-won had pleaded almost tearfully in the past.

 

-“I completely agree that work should be enjoyable, right? But the more information we have, the less fun it becomes, so unless it’s a life-threatening mission, they only tell us right before deployment… Even though she’s our team leader, she’s really like a Crazy Bastard.”

 

Comparing those words to the current situation, the conclusion leads to one thing.

 

‘Today is exactly that life-threatening mission.’

 

“I already told you, but today is especially dangerous, so I’ll tell you one more time.”

 

Everyone swallowed nervously at the team leader’s kind attitude of explaining repeatedly.

 

A request commission that came directly from the government of the mission site’s country.

 

Suspicious movements had been detected for several years at an abandoned research facility located far from even the private residences in the rural area.

 

Thirty years ago, an old man who made a fortune distributing military supplies supposedly bought the abandoned research facility to renovate it into a villa…

 

“But that wasn’t actually the case.”

 

Suspicious materials for supposedly building a new villa, visits from people who didn’t seem like construction workers.

 

Not only that, but despite being quite far away, complaints from nearby village residents never ceased.

 

-Sometimes we heard loud noises at night! It sounded like the roaring cries of wild beasts.

 

-I’ve been startled awake from sleep more than once or twice at night. Just how big are they planning to build that villa?

 

And that was due to suspicious noise issues.

 

So eventually they sent someone to check the villa, and as a result, the truth about the villa was revealed.

 

“Apparently some crazy old man brought researchers there with his own money and seems to be conducting some kind of illegal research.”

 

“Huh…”

 

Even hearing it again, it was an absurd reality.

 

“On top of that, he apparently hired Awakeners as security personnel and stationed them there. Most ordinary Awakeners can’t easily infiltrate, and if they manage to get in with difficulty, they come back as corpses. That’s why they specifically called for Seo-hyeok from Korea.”

 

Lee Seo-hyeok tensed up at the mention of his name.

 

The reason they specifically chose Field Team Na at BOND from among the numerous Korean Hunter Companies.

 

“Since they don’t know what kinds of abilities the Awakeners inside that building have or how many there are, it’s naturally safer to throw in high-grade Awakeners with Nullification Skills. After that, they can just duke it out amongst themselves.”

 

That’s right, their strategy was to deploy as many high-grade Awakeners with Nullification Skills from each country as possible and push through with a numerical close-combat assault, not just Lee Seo-hyeok alone.

 

“Is a fight with some rich foreign grandpa really supposed to be this grand…”

 

Kang Ho-won rubbed his face with a reality-stricken expression.

 

However, as always, regardless of personal sentiments, things proceeded at breakneck speed.

 

-Seo-hyeok, while you’re moving around inside the building, you can’t stop using your ability.

 

Lee Seo-hyeok nodded and responded to Moon Chae-yeong’s voice flowing through his in-ear.

 

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Feeling his ability spreading throughout his body, he quickly entered the interior of the building.

 

First, Awakeners with Nullification Skills including himself were deployed at the front.

 

Behind them, his team members and hunters separately hired by the country followed closely.

 

‘The goal of this mission is complete suppression.’

 

The difficulty of the mission was considerable.

 

In field sites where ordinary people and Awakeners were mixed together, unexpected variables always seemed to appear.

 

‘Let me get my head straight.’

 

After repeating tenacious fighting and hit-and-run tactics for a full half day, Lee Seo-hyeok was finally able to enter the deepest part of the building.

 

‘Finally.’

 

“Hey, Seo. I’m going to head this way.”

 

Robin, an American hunter who had the same Nullification Skill as him, asked while tilting his head.

 

“I’m going this way. See you later.”

 

After briefly answering in English, he quickly moved.

 

Most of the security personnel hunters outside had already been dealt with.

 

‘Now I just need to tie up the researchers.’

 

Lee Seo-hyeok chose one of the hallways that split into two branches from the center, and before long discovered a steel door blocking his path ahead.

 

When he applied force to open it slightly, a thin beam of light became visible and soon the interior was revealed.

 

“Successfully entered the building’s lowest level. First, I’ll suppress the situation then reconnect-”

 

…What is this?

 

“…!”

 

The massive underground interior space was revealed.

 

He could see researchers panicking at the sudden appearance of an outsider, letting out short screams as they fled.

 

However, there were things so shocking in front of his eyes that he couldn’t even notice such details.

 

Circular light clusters visible throughout the space.

 

“Gates?”

 

What could be seen behind them were torn monster body parts submerged in transparent liquid.

 

-Clank.

 

“…hey! Snap out of it!”

 

At that moment, someone who came out through the door across from him shouted in his direction.

 

It was Robin, who had separated from him at the crossroads just moments ago.

 

‘Are all the passages connected to this place?’

 

“Catch the researchers! If we lose them, we can’t go home!”

 

At those words, his body moved reflexively. He struck the heads and necks of the researchers trying to escape with the gun barrel he was holding, just hard enough to knock them unconscious.

 

However, his mind was completely blank.

 

Because no matter how he looked at it, this place didn’t seem like anywhere sane.

 

Lee Seo-hyeok thought as he caught the fleeing researchers.

 

This didn’t seem like a place that simply researched dungeons or monsters.

 

Strange sounds came from the hoses connected around the containers holding monster body parts.

 

“…Monster creation?”

 

Just then, a piece of paper stepped on by his shoe caught his eye.

 

Data written alongside what appeared to be sketched notes of monster body parts.

 

The documents scattered beside it also contained words that were far from ordinary.

 

‘New Humanity Creation Project’

 

‘The God We Created’

 

‘Monster Creation Success Case – Follow-up Research in Progress’

 

Gates, dungeons, monsters, and gods?

 

New humanity?

 

What on earth was this place researching?

 

However, one must never let their guard down at the field site.

 

In that brief moment of carelessness, he realized something had been stuck into his thigh.

 

“…!”

 

Looking down at the faint pain, he could see a researcher who had stuck a syringe needle into his thigh, grinning sinisterly.

 

…Lee Seo-hyeok was momentarily flustered, but quickly knocked out his opponent.

 

After confirming the researcher had collapsed to the floor, he hurriedly pulled out the syringe needle.

 

He had the illusion that a chill was spreading from his toes.

 

-Seo-hyeok, is something wrong?

 

At Choi Un-seong’s question coming through the in-ear, Lee Seo-hyeok bit his lips hard before answering.

 

“…No. Nothing’s wrong.”

 

For now, this was something to report after the situation was over.

 

‘Anyway, it’s almost all over now.’

 

If he said he’d been stabbed by an unknown syringe needle while the situation wasn’t fully resolved, the entire team might become confused.

 

‘I can’t let the work be disrupted.’

 

Lee Seo-hyeok gritted his teeth and did his best until the very end.

 

He processed the work as quickly as possible, thinking he didn’t know when or how he might collapse….

 

“Hey, good work. Seo-hyeok.”

 

“Oh~ This time, our Seo-hyeok did everything.”

 

“Alright, let’s go home now.”

 

Surprisingly, nothing happened at all?

 

Huh?

 

‘My body seems fine…?’

 

Why? Why am I perfectly fine?

 

My mind was confused, but my physical condition remained as healthy as ever.

 

Of course, even so, I dutifully reported this fact during the process of returning to the company, and as a result, I ended up being confined to the emergency center for half a day…

 

“…For now, there don’t seem to be any particular abnormal reactions in your body.”

 

“Yes… I’m perfectly fine.”

 

“Hmm, we’ll continue investigating the injection solution we recovered from the field site. Rest at home and contact us immediately if anything feels strange.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Behind Lee Seo-hyeok, who stood up nonchalantly, I could see Field Team Na lighting fires in their eyes before extinguishing them with relief.

 

“I can’t live like this. That’s why I told you not to let your guard down.”

 

“This won’t do, let’s increase Seo-hyeok’s training time.”

 

“Did you think that was some kind of flu vaccination? The Junior Member is really shortening all the seniors’ lifespans.”

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

Lee Seo-hyeok kept apologizing and had to prove his healthy physical condition to his seniors several times over… before he could finally return home.

 

Thinking of Grandmother and Grandfather who must have had a hard time watching the twins while he was away, his steps quickened.

 

And at the house he finally arrived at, Lee Seo-hyeok received passionate embraces from the twins who enthusiastically welcomed him.

 

“Hyung!!!”

 

“Older Brother!!!”

 

Since he had returned home safely, that was enough.

 

That’s what he thought…

 

***

 

A quiet weekend afternoon.

 

I’m drinking coffee with Nabi at the cafe in front of my house.

 

‘I would have died long ago if it weren’t for coffee.’

 

Of course, Nabi is already devouring her third ‘Choco Bang Bang Crepe’ that looks like it would spike your blood sugar just by looking at it.

 

“Is it delicious?”

 

“Mmm-hmm!”

 

Yeah, eat lots.

 

We went Department Store shopping from morning and even took a walk in the Park, so she probably needs the sugar.

 

I smiled lightly and picked up my Coffee cup again.

 

‘How relaxing.’

 

That’s when it happened.

 

My mobile phone started ringing.

 

The name displayed on the screen with the vibration was ‘twins’ Guardian, Lee Seo-hyeok’.

 

‘On a weekend?’

 

I did give him my personal contact information, telling him to call if he had any concerns.

 

But given Lee Seo-hyeok’s polite nature, he usually avoided contacting me on weekends as much as possible.

 

‘A message would be one thing.’

 

Without much hesitation, I answered the call right away.

 

“Hello.”

 

“…”

 

“Hello, Lee Seo-hyeok?”

 

“…Teacher? …Teacherrrrr…”

 

Huh? That’s Seo-ra’s voice though?

 

“Oh, oh. Seo-ra, it’s Teacher. Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”

 

As soon as I called her name, I could hear the sound of a young child wailing.

 

“Older Brother isn’t waking uppppp…”

 

What?

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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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