Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 148

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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 148

 

“Well, since you seem to understand, I’ll stop here.”

 

I leaned back against the seat with a light smile.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong sitting across from me looked visibly exhausted.

 

‘At least he’s not cursing me with his eyes anymore.’

 

Having completely lost his fighting spirit, he looked like someone trying to regain his composure by sipping the tea placed on the table.

 

‘Hey, I went easy on you with this much.’

 

Since he’s an Awakener with stamina, and considering he’d only be sitting comfortably while traveling, I was really planning to nag him for the entire two days…

 

‘But if I went further, it might have been taken as provocation in a different sense.’

 

Most importantly, he seemed to be reflecting on his actions… So I stopped around here.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong maintained an expressionless face throughout, so it wasn’t obvious that he was listening well.

 

However, when I emphasized something as important, his quietly turning head or his focused gaze let me know he was paying attention.

 

I ate the complimentary snacks for first-class passengers placed on the table and said.

 

“What was the rule I told you?”

 

“…Get permission before acting. If permission isn’t granted, wait indefinitely… How many times are you going to ask this?”

 

“Now you’ve memorized it perfectly.”

 

Satisfying.

 

Just in case, I had decided on every single line and action he should do first when meeting Cheonji, so at least I don’t need to worry about this aspect.

 

‘…I don’t need to worry, right?’

 

The train continued moving.

 

The remaining day was spent having occasional casual conversations with Baek Cheonhyeong, or sleeping, or just eating.

 

Passing through the blue forest path with humid air, racing through autumn-scented ripe rice fields…

 

“It’s snowing again.”

 

We entered a village where snow was falling.

 

Morning sunlight reflected off the white fields covered in snow, sparkling.

 

I felt like I had returned to that village from when we entered the Dungeon.

 

‘But that’s not the place.’

 

Then, soon the train met darkness.

 

We had entered a long tunnel.

 

Outside the tightly closed windows, nothing was visible except pitch-black darkness.

 

The surrounding noise was also blocked, making the minor sounds inside the train seem a bit louder.

 

Steady breathing.

 

Someone’s coughing.

 

The sound of chewing snacks.

 

And the sound that could be heard… A ship’s horn.

 

The darkness disappeared. The train broke through the tunnel.

 

And in that place, instead of the snow-covered white village, there was a port city.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

I was momentarily speechless.

 

‘Just moments before, it was a snowy village.’

 

The completely different ecosystem from outside never gets familiar.

 

Without realizing it, I was half-dazed looking outside when…

 

-Dear passengers, our train has arrived at Terminal Station. Please check for any forgotten luggage and disembark.

 

-We have arrived at ”. We wish you a pleasant journey.

 

Hearing the announcement echoing in the hallway, I hurriedly grabbed my bag.

 

We got off at Terminal Station.

 

‘The smell of the ocean.’

 

As soon as we got off at the station, along with the salty smell, sea breeze swept through my hair.

 

I looked around, searching for a sign pointing to ‘Fairy Village’.

 

‘Surely, there should be a sign visible right after getting off.’

 

However, perhaps because it was Terminal Station, travelers and residents were mixed together making the street seriously crowded.

 

To the extent that it was difficult to even take a single step.

 

‘Is it festival season or something?’

 

Around the port, there were instrument marching bands reminiscent of parades, and various food stalls could be seen everywhere.

 

‘Right, in a place where trains run and there are even bandits, of course there would be festivals in a Dungeon.’

 

While resigned to this and bumping shoulders with unknown people on both sides as I walked.

 

I suddenly looked down at the vibration I felt from my jacket pocket.

 

‘Did I get a signal?’

 

“…!!”

 

The trace walkie-talkie had picked up a signal again.

 

The red arrow floating in the air rotated as if it had lost direction.

 

I hurriedly called up my Status Window.

 

-Ding

 

『 Calling official Target Subject ‘Baek Cheonji’. 』

 

『 Baek Cheonji(A) : The target’s presence has been detected nearby. 』

 

‘She wasn’t in Fairy Village! She’s somewhere around here right now!’

 

Baek Cheonhyeong noticed my unusual reaction.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

I showed him the signal caught on the trace walkie-talkie and said.

 

“I got a signal.”

 

“Let’s move quickly.”

 

Yeah, that’s right, but still.

 

‘I can’t even take a single step right now!’

 

From pedestrians eating street food while walking, to travelers who came purely to enjoy the festival atmosphere, and residents moving busily.

 

In a place crowded with people like this (though I’m not sure if that’s the right term), rashly pushing through with force might actually be dangerous.

 

While I was flustered and couldn’t figure out what to do, Baek Cheonhyeong’s monotone voice came from above.

 

“Can I use it a bit?”

 

What?

 

“What?! Use what? Your ability? What, where and how are you going to use it?”

 

“Just, clearing a path.”

 

Clearing a path?

 

No, well… Alright, I understand.

 

“As long as you don’t harm others… Yes, I give permission!”

 

“…Yes. Why am I even listening to this.”

 

Finally, with Baek Cheonhyeong’s muttering, the crowd around us began to stir left and right.

 

Then, whoosh, Baek Cheonhyeong pushed my back and said.

 

“Run.”

 

Starting with those words, the crowd on both sides began to part little by little.

 

Exactly, just enough distance for us to move through.

 

I ran straight along the path Baek Cheonhyeong had cleared.

 

“Should I keep going straight like this?”

 

The trace walkie-talkie’s direction was still straight ahead.

 

After confirming my answer with a nod, he added an explanation.

 

“Don’t worry. I just moved the mana in their bodies to push them slightly to the corners. Then their bodies follow their mana and move accordingly.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

The path we passed through quickly became crowded again with people returning to their original positions.

 

‘But is that even possible? Controlling mana by targeting specific people?’

 

I was inwardly amazed while moving my feet quickly.

 

However, now there was a different problem.

 

‘The Status Window can only confirm if Cheonji is nearby, but it can’t pinpoint exactly where he is.’

 

And on top of that.

 

This damn tracking walkie-talkie keeps changing directions in real time!

 

“To the left!”

 

A sudden change of direction began.

 

‘Could it be that Cheonji is constantly moving?’

 

Just when I was worried we might lose him right before our eyes.

 

I spotted something among the crowd.

 

“!”

 

A small figure that barely reached my thigh.

 

‘It looks like a child exactly Cheonji’s height!’

 

The wolf mask covering the hair and entire face was unfamiliar, but the body shape was similar.

 

And just then, Baek Cheonhyeong seemed to have spotted the same person I had discovered.

 

We chased after that small figure with burning eyes as it entered an alley leading somewhere.

 

“Cheonji!”

 

“Baek Cheonji!”

 

After raising our voices and chasing closely like that.

 

Harbor Square, connected to the main festival site.

 

There… we came face to face with hundreds of people wearing identical wolf masks on their heads.

 

‘Aaaahhh!!!’

 

***

 

A leisurely morning.

 

A 3-Story Cafe with a terrace overlooking the Ocean.

 

This three-story cafe was located in a prime spot with a clear view of not only the Ocean but the entire City.

 

Baek Cheonji and Jeon were sitting at the cafe, enjoying the sea breeze and a moment of leisure.

 

“Hmm~ Cheonji, we still have time before the Train departs, so drink up.”

 

Baek Cheonji sipped the strawberry milk placed in front of him and asked Jeon.

 

“But, Jeon… why do you keep touching that Clock?”

 

Jeon, who was drinking cold Coffee like Hyung, wore a relaxed smile but never let go of the round Clock in his hand.

 

A pocket watch with a gold chain.

 

Even to Baek Cheonji’s eyes, who had experience seeing various items since childhood following his Dad who loved expensive antiques, it looked like an extremely rare object.

 

‘He’s been constantly touching that Clock?’

 

Jeon smiled at Baek Cheonji’s question.

 

At that moment, Baek Cheonji felt that smile was similar to his Friend Noah’s laughter.

 

‘It’s exactly like the face Noah used to make before causing trouble.’

 

“This? I’m tinkering with it a bit because I want to stay with Cheonji a little longer.”

 

“?”

 

“It wouldn’t be fun if they found us too quickly.”

 

Jeon said this while pushing a Plate filled with various colored macarons toward him.

 

“Eat, Cheonji.”

 

“Yes…”

 

Instead of interpreting Jeon’s cryptic words, Baek Cheonji took a bite of a lemon-flavored macaron.

 

‘Hyung said I shouldn’t eat too many sweets…’

 

He wanted to somehow lift his mood that was about to turn gloomy, but it wasn’t working.

 

-“Don’t eat too many sweets. Your teeth will rot.”

 

Now he wanted to hear even that indifferent nagging.

 

“Does Hyung… want to see me?”

 

It was a lemon-flavored macaron, but somehow it tasted more like tears.

 

“Cheonji, do you remember what I told you?”

 

“…”

 

Baek Cheonji didn’t answer Jeon’s words and hung his head low.

 

A very long time ago.

 

That is, what seemed like a very long time ago to Baek Cheonji… when he was 3 years old.

 

They had existed since the child’s first memory.

 

The words that followed Baek Cheonji around like a tail.

 

-“The Chairman’s second son?”

 

-“Ah, you don’t know? Oh, that remarried new wife.”

 

-“Wow… Young Master Cheonhyeong must really hate him.”

 

When his Parents weren’t around, he couldn’t hear them, but whenever they briefly stepped away, such sounds would always fill that void from the surroundings.

 

And as Baek Cheonji grew older, he heard increasingly explicit comments.

 

No, he came to understand them.

 

-“With Eyes burning with ambition, he’s probably trying to steal the representative position.”

 

-“The rolling stone is trying to push out the embedded stone.”

 

Perhaps because he was a child, they spoke without restraint.

 

So Baek Cheonji heard this information without any filtering.

 

-“He’ll be a hindrance to his successful Hyung.”

 

I’m hindering Hyung?

 

-“The wife is different, right? The one who came later after the madam passed away.”

 

Baek Cheonji learned through other people’s mouths that his Mom was different from Hyung’s Mom.

 

‘No one ever told me such things… not even Hyung.’

 

-“Is that why Young Master Cheonhyeong works so hard? To secure the representative position and kick out that mother and child?”

 

Though he couldn’t understand all the words, two phrases were strongly embedded in Baek Cheonji’s mind.

 

Baek Cheonji and Baek Cheonhyeong have different mothers.

 

Therefore, he’s a hindrance to Hyung, and Hyung dislikes him.

 

…He didn’t want to believe it.

 

However, whenever he occasionally encountered Hyung, such thoughts inevitably grew stronger.

 

-“Hyung, I drew a picture at Kindergarten today…”

 

-“Baek Cheonji, Hyung is on a phone call.”

 

-“Ah, mm… sorry.”

 

He definitely doesn’t like me.

 

-“Hyung, today’s your day off, right? Can’t you play with me?”

 

-“…Can’t you play alone?”

 

-“No! Ah… I’ll play alone!”

 

He finds me annoying.

 

Because I’m a hindrance.

 

Because Hyung and I have different mothers… because I’m not Hyung’s real younger brother.

 

While Baek Cheonji ate his tear-stained macaron and reminisced about the past.

 

Jeon, with his downturned Eyes forming a smile, watched Cheonji with satisfaction.

 

Then he too picked up a macaron and put it in his mouth.

 

Time kept moving forward.

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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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