Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 76

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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 076

 

Lee Gyeon had experienced countless crises while working as a field hunter.

 

However, it had been a long time since he felt such a headache-inducing urge to run away as he did today.

 

Even when avoiding the avalanche of dirt that swept down the area and rescuing people, it wasn’t this bad…

 

“…”

 

For some reason, it felt the same as when doing joint missions with Field Team Na…

 

No, let’s not recall such terrible memories.

 

First, let me think about what I need to prioritize…

 

Instead of holding his head, he slightly furrowed and relaxed his brow while looking ahead.

 

In the overheated atmosphere, he could hear an argument.

 

“Someone’s hurt. Hurry up and bring that kid out!”

 

“What do you mean bring the kid out? Stop being so forceful and just wait!”

 

“I’m dying from pain, wouldn’t you be urgent if you were me? You get lost and just give me the kid!”

 

“Don’t treat the child like an object. And I’m absolutely not getting lost, you bastard!”

 

First… I need to stop them.

 

Lee Gyeon inserted his arms between the people who were about to lunge at each other and blocked them.

 

“…Please calm down. In situations like this, we should calmly follow company regulations and Dungeon safety procedures…”

 

“That guy was being threatening first!”

 

“You’re not making sense! You guys aren’t in pain right now, is that it?”

 

He resented how the situation had suddenly changed so drastically… but he quickly accepted this too.

 

‘It’s better to move my head or body than waste time on emotions.’

 

Lee Gyeon thought while stopping the people who were trying to fight by thrusting their heads and chests toward each other.

 

At what point had the situation escaped his control and started running wild…

 

About 30 minutes ago from now.

 

Multiple overlapping footsteps could be heard from deep inside the Mine.

 

He swallowed dry saliva while watching in the direction of the sound.

 

Just before the landslide, a group message was sent through the Watch to people inside the Dungeon from B Section.

 

‘Ellumis suddenly seems angry.’, ‘Strange sounds are coming from beyond B District Mine.’, ‘Request rescue immediately.’

 

But it was too late.

 

The landslide occurred before they could see the message and respond.

 

It was a situation where nothing had been properly confirmed with their own eyes.

 

‘Was it really Ellumis who caused this landslide?’

 

While suspicion and wariness accumulated layer by layer, even considering the worst-case scenario.

 

The footsteps gradually grew louder, and the identity of those walking out from deep in the Cave began to be revealed…

 

“…!”

 

A person bleeding from their head.

 

A person carried unconscious.

 

Even a person limping and barely able to stand.

 

‘Are these the survivors from B Section?’

 

He hurriedly called out to the person walking at the front.

 

It was a familiar face.

 

“Hunter from Product Development Department Emotion Team, Lee Ju-shin, is that correct?”

 

“…Yes! That’s correct.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Near B District Mine, Ellumis suddenly lost control and went on a rampage. All attempts to stop it failed… but fortunately, everyone evacuated to the Mine without any deaths and walked here… There are many injured.”

 

Lee Gyeon’s eyes turned to the injured people visible behind him.

 

‘It’s a mess.’

 

He didn’t see any injured whose lives were hanging by a thread, but their condition was still serious.

 

Because of this, there was one person who reflexively came to mind.

 

He made an effort not to look back, even consciously.

 

More precisely, behind his back… to avoid seeing the children who would be with their guardians.

 

Nam Tae-jae.

 

A-rank Healing Hunter.

 

‘It’s not a pleasant sight for children to see, but Tae-jae’s help is absolutely necessary in this situation.’

 

According to the information reported in advance, Tae-jae was the only healing hunter currently inside this dungeon.

 

…Given the circumstances, Lee Gyeon had no choice but to fall into a dilemma.

 

According to dungeon safety rules and company regulations alone, Nam Tae-jae, a healing hunter affiliated with BOND, must faithfully perform his duties when casualties occur.

 

Namely, ‘treating the injured.’

 

However, if that healing hunter is a 7-year-old child…

 

‘What if he sees the injured people while trying to heal them and ends up with trauma?’

 

Their injuries couldn’t even be compared to the minor wounds carried by those who had evacuated from A District just moments ago.

 

…Because Teacher Na Hwi-yeon had quickly covered Tae-jae’s eyes and ears, the child was unaware of the current situation.

 

“…”

 

‘Still, there’s no choice, is there.’

 

In fact, there was an even bigger problem than this.

 

‘How long has it been since we put in the rescue request, and there’s still no word.’

 

Lee Gyeon was already getting a headache from just this one fact, and now he had even more to worry about on top of everything else.

 

‘At this rate, we don’t even know when rescue will begin, and we’re basically telling the injured to just endure their pain.’

 

…Then, the best option would be to ask for understanding from the teacher and Tae-jae, and request treatment while creating a situation that’s as comfortable as possible for the child…

 

And so, just before Lee Gyeon reached a conclusion after intense deliberation.

 

Lee Ju-shin, a hunter from the Emotion Team, shouted loudly.

 

“I heard there’s a healing-type hunter here. Healing hunter! Are you here? Please hurry and help treat the injured!”

 

“…!”

 

“…”

 

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Tae-jae, who was clinging tightly to Na Hwi-yeon’s stomach, then quickly looked away.

 

Awakener Lee Ju-shin didn’t miss that quick movement of their eyes.

 

“Don’t tell me… That child is a healing Awakener?”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The silence stretched on.

 

That became the answer.

 

Lee Ju-shin looked at the injured people behind him, then nodded as if he had made up his mind.

 

“…It doesn’t matter. I’d appreciate it if you could look at the injured quickly.”

 

Saying that, he reached out toward Tae-jae without hesitation.

 

And then it began.

 

This chaotic fight.

 

“Please give us time to explain the situation to the child and get his consent.”

 

The woman who politely blocked the man’s hand spoke. She was the person who had been giving Tae-jae all the snacks from her pocket until now.

 

“…We don’t have time for that. Do you know what kind of pain those people are enduring right now? They barely managed to walk here.”

 

“I know. That they’re in pain. But does it make sense to force a child to provide treatment right now just so they can escape from their pain?”

 

“It’s not forcing! That child is doing what he should do as a healing Awakener!”

 

Then, one or two people joined the argument, and soon factions split and things became heated.

 

The fight that proceeded like this created the current mess.

 

“It hurts! I’m dying from the pain! That kid’s a healing Awakener! We want treatment, so what’s it to you people?!”

 

“You say you’re in pain but have you lost your mind too? Get a grip, Tae-jae is just a 7-year-old child. Wait and get treated when he says he’ll heal you!”

 

“Forget all that, just bring that little brat over here quickly!”

 

“Shut up, don’t curse at the child! You’d be better off just dying.”

 

In the uncontrollably changing situation, Lee Gyeon quickly reached a conclusion.

 

That he was not the right person to control the current situation.

 

‘Rather, if everyone here were Awakeners, I could just suppress them with force and be done with it.’

 

A situation where the majority are civilian researchers and miners.

 

‘It’s not like I’m good with words either, rather someone sly but more suitable like Kang Ho-won from Team Na would be better….’

 

While Lee Gyeon was racking his brain trying to come up with a decent alternative to break through the current situation.

 

“Everyone move aside, we don’t have time to wait.”

 

Hunter Lee Ju-shin finally exploded and forcibly pushed through the crowd to grab Tae-jae’s arm.

 

“…!”

 

Even the people who had been shouting at each other were flustered by Lee Ju-shin’s unexpected outburst.

 

Lee Gyeon, who had been trying to accommodate the injured somehow, was also surprised and rushed forward to stop the situation….

 

“Sit!!!”

 

-Thud!!

 

Along with a firm man’s shout, the knee of the Emotion Team hunter who had grabbed the child’s arm slammed into the floor at a terrifying speed.

 

“….”

 

In an instant, the hall became as quiet as death.

 

‘What…. What just happened.’

 

Without even the presence of mind to withdraw his reflexively extended hand, he looked back with a dazed expression at the person who had shouted the command at the hunter.

 

Teacher Na Hwi-yeon?

 

He wasn’t sure if he was seeing correctly.

 

Lee Ju-shin kneeling on the ground, completely stunned.

 

People who were equally flustered.

 

An angry…. teacher.

 

“???”

 

***

 

I’m someone who acts according to the situation.

 

As an outsider who doesn’t know the situation well and has no knowledge of company regulations or anything, I don’t act rashly.

 

…However, seeing adults fighting like dogs over a single child made me furious to the top of my head.

 

The moment I saw the man roughly grabbing Tae-jae’s arm, I completely lost it.

 

Are you insane.

 

I instinctively used my ability at an unprecedented speed.

 

When I opened the Status Window, there was only one Awakener besides Lee Gyeon and Tae-jae.

 

‘This bastard said he was an Awakener, right?’

 

Lee Ju-shin, C-rank Emotion-type Awakener.

 

 

 

 

 

“Sit!!!”

 

 

-Thud!!

 

Raising a cloud of dust, the adult man collapsed to the floor like a reed.

 

“….”

 

“Hah….”

 

My anger isn’t subsiding.

 

Looking at the man’s hand that naturally fell away as he collapsed to the ground, I examined Tae-jae’s arm.

 

‘This, crazy bastard left marks…!’

 

“Tae-jae, are you okay?”

 

My god, to grip a child’s arm hard enough to leave marks.

 

‘Is this crazy bastard in his right mind.’

 

Given the situation, who wouldn’t know that Tae-jae’s help was needed.

 

But the man’s method was clearly wrong.

 

In disaster situations like this, one needs an attitude of caring for the vulnerable.

 

No matter how much their whole bodies hurt from their injuries.

 

‘Adults…’

 

I let out a sigh and spoke to the man who was staring up at me blankly.

 

“Someone who cared so much about the pain of injured people didn’t have the mental capacity to consider the shock and confusion a child would experience?”

 

Get a grip, don’t take it out on a kid.

 

“….”

 

“I, who am not hurt, am ready to do my best to help you who are injured. But if you desperately need this child’s help right now at least… ask and get consent. Don’t ignore a child’s opinion just because they’re a child.”

 

“….”

 

“Children are also ‘people’ who think just like us. And no one here has the right to exploit this child’s ability.”

 

Don’t I need to tell them?

 

Isn’t this something adults should naturally know?

 

‘Did you all skip childhood and become adults?’

 

My head was hot, but on the other hand, knowing the seriousness of the situation, it quickly cooled down.

 

…Even without saying it, I knew they were in terrible pain, so I was thinking of asking Tae-jae.

 

‘Before I could even bring it up, a dogfight broke out… Damn.’

 

‘But if the kid says no, there’s nothing I can do.’

 

In this situation that made me sigh naturally, I forced a gentle expression and called Tae-jae.

 

“Tae-jae.”

 

“….”

 

However, there’s no answer, but the direction of his gaze is clear instead.

 

At that moment I realized.

 

While examining Tae-jae’s arm, the hand that had been covering the child’s eyes had come loose.

 

In an instant, the child’s hand that was being held slipped away.

 

“…!”

 

And Tae-jae, who had shaken off my hand, ran forward.

 

Toward the injured people who were bleeding from their wounds.

 

“Healing… I need to heal them.”

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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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