Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 80

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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 080

 

“What if I told you I know the secret of the ore here? Would you believe me?”

 

What’s with this guy?

 

BOND Dungeon Research Team member, Shin Ye-ji.

 

She momentarily lost her composure at the man’s words, but soon her rational scientific mind returned and she calmed down.

 

Shin Ye-ji looked the man up and down after he suddenly spouted something that sounded like what a cult believer would say.

 

From what she’d heard through the grapevine, he was supposedly the guardian and kindergarten teacher of that young healing Awakener.

 

She had no interest whether the mine became a marketplace or a complete mess, and had been taking a nap in the corner until the emotion-type hunter named Lee Ju-shin called for her.

 

‘I’m dying of sleepiness, what do I care who’s fighting whom?’

 

She’d only started talking to this man because he was acting like a newbie seeing ore for the first time, so explanations just naturally slipped out.

 

In short, they weren’t close enough to be having such random conversations.

 

‘From the level of his questions, he seems like a complete outsider to this field.’

 

But suddenly.

 

‘He brings up this kind of story?’

 

‘And his appearance…’

 

A yellow kindergarten bag that didn’t match his gym clothes.

 

His face looked decent enough, but he seemed completely powerless – not exactly a trustworthy type.

 

And why were the corners of his mouth turned up when his eyes were as lifeless as a dead fish?

 

‘…Is he mentally ill?’

 

Shin Ye-ji was torn. She worried about getting caught up in an uncomfortable conversation, but at the same time felt intense curiosity rising.

 

It was especially so because the topic she was currently researching happened to be ‘the causal relationship between Ellumis and the ore.’

 

And so… after intense deliberation, she finally made her choice.

 

‘So what if he’s mentally ill, let me at least hear him out.’

 

Right now, even if a passing dog barked ‘Huh? Ellumis?’ she’d prick up her ears – that’s how desperate she was.

 

A whole five years’ worth of research budget was riding on this research result!

 

She smiled gently, imitating her socially adept fellow researcher.

 

“How could someone entering the dungeon for the first time today have figured out the ore’s secret? Did you perhaps see it somewhere else?”

 

Of course, that couldn’t be possible.

 

The gate leading to the F-rank Elumis’ Sanctuary only existed in BOND’s Underground Dungeon.

 

And this man’s answer was somewhat consistent with the information she knew. However…

 

“No. I’ve never seen ore like that anywhere. But… I actually have a special skill that lets me communicate with monsters. It’s not high-grade, but…”

 

“…!”

 

The man spoke while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. It wasn’t a completely impossible story.

 

No, it was actually the most realistic among the dozens of answers she’d expected.

 

“So there really are people with that kind of skill.”

 

But even Shin Ye-ji could only speculate about this – she didn’t dare confirm it. After all, people with skills to communicate with monsters were extremely rare.

 

Someone with a skill that was known as ‘rare but existing’ was right in front of her.

 

“But why… didn’t you come forward when Team Leader Lee Gyeon was looking for someone?”

 

“I panicked. I was surprised that they were suddenly looking for someone like me. I’m… an Awakener, but I’ve lived an ordinary life my whole life, so I’m not used to this kind of environment.”

 

…Could it be true?

 

Judging by his expression and gestures, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

 

Shin Ye-ji now hid her inner urgency and licked her lips.

 

‘If it’s true… this is a huge jackpot.’

 

“I see… What’s this secret you mentioned?”

 

The most important thing here was to take advantage of the fact that the man was a civilian and easily extract information from him.

 

‘He looks pretty naive, so it shouldn’t be difficult.’

 

If she pretended not to know anything and gently coaxed answers out of him…

 

The moment she thought that, the man’s face changed.

 

The corners of his mouth that had been turned up descended downward. Conversely, his eyes came alive and… a rather shameless voice was heard.

 

“If you grant my request.”

 

What?

 

***

 

I now stood between Ellumis and the humans who had been ‘deployed to rescue us’ but were now detained by the fairies.

 

And the shaggy-haired researcher too.

 

The shaggy-haired researcher, who had successfully made a deal with me, began explaining with gleaming eyes.

 

“First, from what I’ve observed of Ellumis’s behavioral patterns during my research, the reason Ellumis is acting this way seems clear.”

 

The researcher recited word for word the complaints of Ellumis that I had told him. And the reaction of the people who heard it was generally like this:

 

“So, we’ve been using Ellumis excrement all this time?”

 

“…Oh my, they’re angry because we used up all the ore they intended as forest fertilizer.”

 

“I never could have imagined. Really.”

 

The researcher glossed over the parts with weak evidence and questionable points with his professional knowledge and seemingly specialized terminology… As a result, everyone understood and ultimately sighed.

 

“So what do we do now?”

 

But the real problem is this.

 

Finding a compromise between the two sides.

 

When the crucial question was raised, the researcher snapped his fingers and answered.

 

“Now we need to find a compromise between both sides. First, Ellumis will probably… demand a reasonable amount of ore mining.”

 

I had tactfully listened to the conversation between Ellumis and conveyed this to the researcher.

 

Only then did the people become serious and put their heads together to discuss.

 

And so, after a brief but intense exchange of opinions, the conclusion reached by the human side was…

 

“Let’s do that. We don’t want to antagonize Ellumis while suffering resource depletion.”

 

As long as Ellumis remained alive and they continued to maintain a friendly relationship, humans could also steadily obtain ore.

 

Thoroughly… the result of calculating profit versus loss.

 

I clenched my fist inconspicuously.

 

‘Good.’

 

We’ve overcome the biggest hurdle for now.

 

“But how do we convey our opinion to Ellumis?”

 

That’s right, if this problem isn’t solved, no matter how much we find a compromise, it becomes useless.

 

But who are we? We’ve been prepared for this all along.

 

I inconspicuously glanced at Tae-jae hiding behind the rock.

 

More precisely, at the one Ellumis struggling and screaming in Tae-jae’s hands.

 

-Let go of this! You small human! We’ll bury you all in this forest and use you as fertile fertilizer instead of our excrement!

 

***

 

-You rude humans who don’t know the virtue of moderation! Die!

 

Come out, whoever said this fairy was gentle. Where exactly is this gentle?

 

I sighed as I watched the Ellumis struggling in Tae-jae’s hands.

 

“Is there a particular reason for tormenting Ellumis…?”

 

Someone who had been watching all this with anxious eyes beside Tae-jae asked me in a crawling voice.

 

‘By the way, he keeps staying next to Tae-jae.’

 

Of course, that’s why I was able to move around with peace of mind.

 

But just before I could answer Lee Ju-shin’s question, Tae-jae intercepted the response.

 

“I’m not tormenting it. The fairy is smiling right now.”

 

-What? You small human, I’m not smiling right now, I’m angry!!

 

“Yeah, yeah~ I’ll treat you nicely.”

 

-Take your hands away! Face…! Don’t press on it!

 

Lee Ju-shin looked at me with a pale face after seeing this.

 

“…It’s not tormenting. I think we need to have a conversation, but this is the only method I could think of.”

 

“A conversation? With Ellumis?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I don’t plan to openly advertise in front of people that ‘I can communicate with Ellumis,’ so I have to do it this way.

 

I already made a deal with the researcher about this, and with Lee Ju-shin… it would probably be okay if he found out.

 

‘This guy is so sorry to Tae-jae that he’s ready to die from guilt.’

 

Though it felt like getting a windfall benefit, Lee Ju-shin couldn’t budge against me either.

 

He was so compliant that if I asked him to keep whatever he saw or heard here a secret, he’d readily promise to do so.

 

Just look at what happened earlier.

 

He was so busy watching mine and Tae-jae’s reactions that he couldn’t openly stop us and just stood there fidgeting.

 

“…Is there anything I can help you with?”

 

And sure enough, Lee Ju-shin nodded without a hint of doubt at my words. He even showed such a cooperative attitude.

 

However, I shook my head.

 

“No, this is already enough.”

 

Just catching Ellumis at Tae-jae’s request was already sufficient.

 

After preparing myself mentally, I first spoke to Tae-jae.

 

“Tae-jae, could you loosen your grip on the fairy a little? The fairy looks uncomfortable.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

-This big pale human seems to have some sense! Hurry up and take this small human and that cruel beast away! I’d rather fall into the River of Life and drown than experience those ignorant and brutish hands again!

 

The small human must be Tae-jae, and the cruel beast must be referring to Lee Ju-shin.

 

“More importantly, I have a proposal.”

 

-A proposal? How dare you speak of proposals! When you can’t even understand what I’m saying! I’d rather not listen at all! I’m so frustrated I could die!

 

“Could you at least listen first? I’m sure it won’t be something frustrating.”

 

-…You, can you h-hear me?! Can you hear what I’m saying?

 

“I can hear you very clearly.”

 

-Hey! Then you should have said that first! I thought I was going crazy from frustration! If there’s a human who can listen, what are those idiots doing?!

 

Ellumis got excited, shooting out small firework-like clusters of light above her head.

 

As if she had nearly died from frustration due to one-way communication, the light clusters flashed so brightly it hurt my eyes.

 

Lee Ju-shin just watched this strange communication scene between me and Ellumis with trembling pupils, not adding any words.

 

“We, meaning the humans, don’t want to be on bad terms with you either. As you wish, from now on we’ll only take a reasonable amount of… excrement. How does that sound?”

 

‘Excrement?’ Lee Ju-shin tilted his head as if he had misheard.

 

-You should have said that long ago. Everyone is already very angry.

 

“…Then is there something else you want?”

 

Ellumis slowly crossed her arms and glared at me with emerald-like eyes.

 

-You humans have already taken too much fertilizer. The fact that our sanctuary can’t maintain its former beauty is entirely your fault! At first you even brought gifts as offerings… Now there’s nothing like that! You’re noisy enough to disturb our rest every day! Just get lost! Never come back!

 

-You… you shit-crazed humans!

 

I don’t know why I got lumped in as a shit-crazed human too, but I could tell that Ellumis had been swallowing quite a bit of resentment until now.

 

Hmm… So that’s how it is.

 

“Have you given gifts to Ellumis before?”

 

At my question, Lee Ju-shin furrowed his brow as if thinking for a moment, then slowly gave his answer.

 

“Uh… Yes. In the early days, after it was determined that Ellumis wasn’t a dangerous monster, the higher-ups told us to establish as friendly a relationship as possible. As for bribes… we offered quite a lot.”

 

“What kind of bribes were they?”

 

“They changed each time, but mainly sugar cubes, unicorn feathers, pearls… Oh, we gave money too. Though she seemed to dislike money…”

 

Money? Whose idea was it to offer money to a fairy?

 

‘Give that money to me instead of the fairy.’

 

And sure enough, the fairy who had been listening to our conversation reacted as expected.

 

-Pearls… Those lustrous and beautiful white orbs are good for decoration. Unicorn feathers are perfect for use as seasoning too.

 

‘Now that I look closely, I didn’t notice from far away.’

 

Several large pearls were intertwined like a flower crown resting on Ellumis’s head.

 

‘Now I see, those were all pearls.’

 

She must be very interested in decoration.

 

…I’m gradually getting the picture. I roughly understand what kind of deal we should make.

 

“You’re interested in pearls and unicorn feathers. Then, how about… we do this?”

 

Reduce the existing ore mining amount by half, while simultaneously providing unicorn feathers and pearls every month.

 

Did I calculate the company’s profit and loss?

 

‘That’s not my concern. Why should I worry about a large corporation?’

 

And the decision is theirs to make. My only goal is to get out of here quickly.

 

First, I’ll persuade this side with momentum, and if they have any brains, they’ll accept most reasonable proposals.

 

‘The fact that they offered money as bribes for something they’re doing to make money means the ore has that much value.’

 

After a brief silence.

 

-…If it’s that much, then yes, fine. Our side has also held a meeting through consciousness sharing, and we’ve decided to accept the proposal.

 

Ellumis’s answer came more easily than expected.

 

‘Were they that greedy for the pearls?’

 

Well, it doesn’t matter. Whether they make hair ornaments or nose rings with the pearls is their business.

 

“Lee Ju-shin, please send a message to that researcher over there through your watch.”

 

“Huh? Oh… Yes! I’ll deliver it.”

 

After Lee Ju-shin sent the message as I dictated.

 

The shaggy-haired researcher briefly looked back at me. Then, after conversing with the people again.

 

“Ah! A reply came! They said they’ll do it!”

 

Finally, a dramatic agreement was reached.

 

-Now let’s make the Fairy’s Oath. The side that breaks the contract will suffer from the Fairy’s Curse for life.

 

“Sounds good.”

 

-I like your boldness! You’ll naturally know when the Fairy’s Curse manifests, so there’s no need to explain it, right? As long as your side doesn’t break the promise, nothing will happen.

 

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

 

-The oath will be between me, representing Ellumis, and you, the small human here!

 

?

 

I was hurriedly picking up my bag to stand when I turned to look at Tae-jae in surprise.

 

Before I knew it, Ellumis, held in Tae-jae’s hand, spun around while still being held and extended what appeared to be a hand toward his forehead.

 

“…!”

 

Light began emanating from the small fairy’s hand that looked like a mitten.

 

I watched as strange characters were carved above the golden light…

 

Grab.

 

I simultaneously grabbed Ellumis’s body and Lee Ju-shin’s head.

 

Thunk!

 

Then I made them face each other and pushed them together.

 

-What!

 

“….”

 

“What did you just… do…”

 

The oath was made.

 

Between Ellumis and…

 

Lee Ju-shin.

 

A geometric pattern was carved on Lee Ju-shin’s forehead before disappearing.

 

Only then did I awkwardly release Lee Ju-shin’s head that I was holding and let out a small sigh.

 

“Phew… That was startling.”

 

Tae-jae, who was dangling from my other arm, expressed small admiration.

 

“Wow… Teacher, you were really fast.”

 

Of course.

 

‘Why would Tae-jae make an oath with Ellumis?’

 

-Why did you interfere! I was planning to make it with that small human!

 

“…What is this.”

 

Ellumis was raging with anger.

 

Lee Ju-shin looked at me with an expression as if he’d been betrayed, though he didn’t understand the situation.

 

Yes, it’s true that I was so surprised that I pushed Lee Ju-shin into the oath instead of Tae-jae.

 

But.

 

“Please resolve issues between yourselves as the parties involved.”

 

‘It wasn’t really our problem to get involved in from the beginning, was it?’

 

Call me heartless, but it can’t be helped.

 

“We can go home now, right?”

 

-….

 

“….”

 

“It’s okay for us to go, right?”

 

Hurry, hurry!

 

-…Get lost. Get lost! You heartless human! Take that beast with you and get out of here!

 

“I’m not sure what it’s saying, but yes… judging by the reaction, it seems like we can go.”

 

Only then was I able to smile with relief.

 

“Farewell.”

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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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