Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 157

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 157

 

“This is the final stop. Please get off.”

 

The body that got off bus number 700 continues straight ahead.

 

The path that seemed to have stopped being maintained years ago was hidden everywhere by overgrown trees and grass.

 

An ordinary person wouldn’t have even known that place was a road.

 

However, Na Hwi-yeon walked without hesitation, like someone with a precise destination.

 

Walking through the bushes like that, walking and walking again.

 

Finally, it appears.

 

An abandoned museum from 10 years ago.

 

Blink.

 

‘This place is… No, wait, where is this again?’

 

I hurriedly looked around.

 

An evening with the moon up.

 

All that was immediately visible was a museum covered in vines and weeds.

 

Very old and equally shabby, but… I definitely recognized it.

 

‘This is the place we used to come to for field trips in elementary school.’

 

You know those places, don’t you? Field trip courses that elementary, middle, and high school students in the area would naturally pass through.

 

This was one of those places.

 

‘I don’t know when it went under, but… it’s ruined.’

 

My dazed mind was only functioning enough to barely perceive the surroundings rather than grasp the severity of the situation.

 

Na Hwi-yeon approached the front of the museum with his consciousness half-evaporated like that.

 

Then he squeezed his body through the half-open main gate of the museum.

 

Normally, he would have been disgusted by illegal acts like trespassing, but now he was acting as if such things didn’t matter.

 

The moment his feet touched the cold, hard hallway floor, the sound of footsteps echoed through the empty space.

 

‘No one’s here.’

 

He walked straight down the long hallway. On both sides, he could see scattered giant sculptures of unknown meaning and paintings hanging on the walls.

 

‘Well, this place mainly displayed contemporary art works.’

 

Fleeting thoughts continued like a tail…

 

Blink.

 

He entered a room dark as night.

 

Blink.

 

A beam projector installed on the ceiling rotated and projected something onto the wall.

 

Blink.

 

A scene where sunlight penetrated and shone down between tall trees.

 

Below that, I was standing.

 

Blink.

 

I gradually reached out my hand to touch the sunlight.

 

More. More.

 

Blink.

 

More. More…

 

Urgent footsteps crossed the museum hallway.

 

The person who missed him by a hair’s breadth started running with increased speed due to impatience.

 

The inside of the museum was dark since only a little moonlight penetrated through the glass windows in the ceiling.

 

While relying solely on keen senses to hurry his steps.

 

Finally, he found the person he had been searching for so desperately.

 

“Huff… Huff…”

 

However, in a brief moment, the other person disappeared from sight.

 

And through a completely blocked wall at that.

 

The man stood there blankly for a moment where Na Hwi-yeon had disappeared, then picked up what seemed to be something he had dropped.

 

It was a familiar white dog doll and a mobile phone.

 

***

 

Kwon Hae-seong felt along the wall and exhaled.

 

‘What is this?’

 

Who would have thought that following Na Hwi-yeon because his behavior seemed strange would lead to witnessing such a bizarre scene.

 

‘…It’s not here.’

 

No matter how much he felt along the wall, there was no space that an adult man could easily pass through.

 

Kwon Hae-seong wiped away the cold sweat trickling down as he replayed the scene he had just witnessed.

 

‘Teacher passed through the wall and disappeared.’

 

Was such a thing possible?

 

Even in an era where there were Awakeners with all kinds of abilities… Na Hwi-yeon could freely pass through walls?

 

‘No.’

 

Na Hwi-yeon’s ability was Tamer. At least, that’s what he knew.

 

Moreover, he had received something from Na Hwi-yeon.

 

Kwon Hae-seong carefully opened his fist that hadn’t unclenched once while coming here.

 

What was inside… was a crumpled piece of paper.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

He had recommended going to the Emergency Center, but Na Hwi-yeon refused with a pale complexion.

 

However, after that, he seemed to grit his teeth for a moment, then pulled out the pen stuck in his apron and tore off a page from the notepad in his hand, scribbling something down.

 

Just as he was bewildered by his sudden action.

 

-“I’ll be leaving work now.”

 

He watched Na Hwi-yeon turn around, dropping the torn notepad page.

 

After that, Kwon Hae-seong naturally picked up that notepad page and checked the content written on it.

 

-Something’s wrong with my body. I think I need to take a day off-

 

The content of the note was completely different from his actions.

 

Even if you stood on your head to look at it, it was a strange situation.

 

Kwon Hae-seong immediately followed Na Hwi-yeon as he left work.

 

Unlike usual, he was alone, and the sight of him trying to catch a bus in front of the company was enough to feel something was off.

 

Thus, Kwon Hae-seong followed Na Hwi-yeon and managed to board the same bus, taking a seat in the back a little distance away from him.

 

‘Let me just confirm he gets home safely and then leave.’

 

However, after getting off at the final stop and looking around for just a moment, Na Hwi-yeon had disappeared.

 

Panicking like that and urgently following his traces, it was good that he spotted the back of Na Hwi-yeon’s head.

 

But what was this about a museum?

 

And suddenly passing through a wall and disappearing at that.

 

Kwon Hae-seong couldn’t come to his senses for a while due to the dreamlike development.

 

However, with years of hunter experience, he put reason before emotion and somehow managed to examine the surroundings first.

 

‘This place… Right, it’s the kind of space you’d find in museums or exhibitions.’

 

It seemed like a space created for the purpose of immersive exhibitions for visitors.

 

After a moment, there was a whirring sound of air escaping, then rattling… Even the lights disappeared.

 

‘Let’s get out of here first.’

 

Kwon Hae-seong left that room in his confused state.

 

Then he first contacted someone.

 

The first person who came to mind in such an absurd situation.

 

‘Since Teacher Hwiyeon isn’t here…’

 

“Sister.”

 

To Yu Jin-chae.

 

-Oh, yeah. Why? I just got home. Don’t tell me you haven’t left work yet?

 

“He disap… peared.”

 

-What did.

 

“Teacher Hwiyeon disappeared.”

 

-Speak properly.

 

***

 

I slept deeply.

 

So deeply that I couldn’t even remember what dreams I had.

 

Deep and sweet…

 

‘I slept like a baby.’

 

I reflexively stretched and got up.

 

‘How long did I sleep? All my muscles feel stiff.’

 

While I was at it, I pressed down my disheveled hair and looked around.

 

Something felt unfamiliar about the texture of the floor.

 

And I immediately froze at the scene before me.

 

‘Uh… where is this?’

 

“…”

 

First of all, what I was lying on seemed to be an expensive sofa.

 

And what I could see right away was a typical Living Room space decorated with white wallpaper.

 

Vases with gorgeous flowers were placed here and there without any particular pattern.

 

However, something felt strange for it to be a modern-style Living Room.

 

‘The style… looks exactly like an old Western Manor.’

 

“Where on earth is this place…?”

 

I sat properly on the sofa and tried to recall my memories.

 

Surely, the last thing I saw was… the Museum.

 

‘Right, I went to the Museum.’

 

And what did I do there?

 

I tried hitting my head and fixing it like a broken television… but it didn’t work well.

 

I couldn’t remember clearly, that is.

 

‘At this point, yeah… I should get a health checkup.’

 

This isn’t normal.

 

Whether it’s a Mana problem or a problem with my body…

 

‘Well, that’s something to think about again after I get Home.’

 

“Are you awake?”

 

I jumped up from where I was sitting.

 

Following the voice I heard, I turned my head and saw some… Man with Glasses standing there.

 

Holding up two Cups in both hands, he said.

 

“Coffee… shall we drink?”

 

“Uh… yes.”

 

I couldn’t refuse.

 

‘Having Coffee Here right now would be perfect.’

 

Perhaps because I had slept through the night for the first time in a while, my head felt light. I gauged the atmosphere and accepted the Coffee the Man offered.

 

While doing so, I discreetly observed him.

 

‘He looks somewhat older…’

 

But on the other hand, I could sense leisure and vitality from his well-combed hair and the way he carried his clothes.

 

‘He doesn’t look dangerous.’

 

“You seem to be holding onto that continuously, but you can put it down now.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The Man said while staring at my left hand that wasn’t holding the cup.

 

I unconsciously looked at my left hand too, and there was something there that wasn’t there before.

 

“Why is this…?”

 

A trace Walkie-Talkie?

 

…I thought it was broken, so I had left it abandoned on the Desk in my room.

 

‘Why is something that should be at Home in my hand?’

 

“That’s a trace Walkie-Talkie, right? Seeing that it’s identical to the one I have, it seems research stopped at the Prototype stage.”

 

“You know this Item?”

 

“Of course, I made it.”

 

I lightly rolled the trace Walkie-Talkie in my hand.

 

Come to think of it… before going to the Museum, there was a message from Manager Lee Won-woo.

 

-Manager Lee Won-woo (Won-gang Father): If it’s alright with you, we’d like to retrieve the trace Walkie-Talkie. If you don’t want that, we’d like to explain the side effects we might have missed.

 

‘He said he wanted to retrieve the trace Walkie-Talkie.’

 

My mind raced quickly.

 

The memories that had completely disappeared, and the mysterious side effects mentioned along with the trace Walkie-Talkie.

 

And I had just realized another fact.

 

Through the mouth of this unknown Man.

 

“I see you haven’t turned the dial either.”

 

That’s right… I hadn’t turned the dial.

 

“You’re supposed to immediately turn the dial to 4 once you find your target.”

 

The other person shrugged while leisurely taking a sip of Coffee.

 

‘I was out of my mind after finding Cheonji!’

 

Besides, I thought the trace Walkie-Talkie was broken!

 

‘I thought there was no point in following the instructions for an already broken Item!’

 

But… it wasn’t broken?

 

Could it be that this situation happened because I didn’t follow the instructions?

 

“But don’t worry. This Place is safe and happy.”

 

“What do you… mean by that.”

 

Why do I suddenly smell something fishy?

 

“No overwhelming work, no annoying bosses, but you can eat three meals a day and sleep well… it’s paradise on earth.”

 

“Are you by any chance from BOND’s research department?”

 

“Yes. I used to be. Now I’m a happy unemployed person.”

 

Damn.

 

Kwon Hae-seong told me not to associate with people from the research department.

 

But it was too early to get a headache Here.

 

The Man smiled and waved his hand at a silhouette entering the Indoor Area.

 

“That person is the Caretaker who recently came to this Manor.”

 

I could see someone wearing white gloves on both hands, holding garden Scissors, striding in.

 

-Ding.

 

Long golden hair reaching down to the waist swayed like waves, and finally our eyes met.

 

“…”

 

Ah.

 

The corners of the eyes curved up sharply, and soon a thin, clear voice rang out.

 

“So it was today. It’s been a while. Foolish mortal.”

 

『 Target Subject detected in the vicinity. 』

 

『 aka. Seat of Discernment 』

 

‘Why are you coming out of there?’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————