Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 85

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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 085

 

Pitch black where nothing can be seen.

 

In that darkness, flames bloom.

 

Kang Ho-won held up a lit lighter and slowly crouched down in front of me.

 

Burning hair behind the burning flames.

 

I watched that sight as if entranced, then furrowed my brow.

 

“…What the hell are you doing?”

 

My brain, unable to follow the situation, still stutters. These words were almost instinctively spat out.

 

 

Even for me, such a sudden change of attitude is bewildering.

 

We were getting along fine together, and then he suddenly throws me into this hallway?

 

However, the other party shrugged his shoulders and replied like this.

 

“As you can see, as you heard.”

 

“A serious conversation… Is it really necessary to do it in this kind of atmosphere?”

 

I swallowed.

 

My brain, my brain isn’t working well.

 

Why is this guy who was so kind suddenly acting like this!

 

“Teacher, I don’t want to do this either.”

 

“Then don’t do it.”

 

“No, I can’t do that. You can’t put back spilled water, can you?”

 

Is he really going to kill me?

 

‘He’s sitting there talking like he’s announcing a murder…’

 

I barely managed to suppress the hollow laugh that was about to burst out and said.

 

“If Kang Ho-won had just said he wanted a serious conversation at a cafe near the company or even at the kindergarten, I would have agreed a hundred times over.”

 

I would have done it if you wanted it, without locking me in this underground place where I can’t see anything!

 

Kang Ho-won, who had been quietly listening to my words, nodded his head exaggeratedly.

 

Right! Even now, let’s go out and…

 

“I think I chose my words poorly. Um… What I wanted to do with you, Teacher, is closer to ‘interrogation’ than ‘conversation.'”

 

What?

 

“Teacher, my heart aches too. It’s been a while since I’ve interrogated a civilian, so it’s quite uncomfortable. So I brought a special interrogation method… This is a kind of truth serum currently being sold by BOND.”

 

What is this crazy bastard saying?

 

Interrogation? Truth serum?

 

“I don’t know which Awakener’s frequency they extracted to make this, but the effect is amazing. And there are no side effects.”

 

Thumbs down. You crazy bastard.

 

“So… you want me to eat that? Me?”

 

“As expected, you’re smart. Yes, just take it and faithfully answer the questions I ask, and after that I’ll teleport you straight home.”

 

Kang Ho-won began promoting the truth serum to me like a home shopping show host.

 

“Speaking of this truth serum, you can see the effects immediately after ingestion. It determines whether the words spoken by the user are true or false, allowing only true statements to be voiced. False statements are muted. There’s nothing better for filtering out the nonsense of lying criminals! And most importantly, there are absolutely no side effects! I guarantee it. As a service, I’ll provide safe bullet transport home and keep today’s events forever secret. How… about it?”

 

“I refuse.”

 

I’m not buying it.

 

‘Truth serum? Why should I take that?’

 

“Oh come on~ This is a perfectly good deal.”

 

However, whether he heard my words or not, he was approaching me with his other hand that wasn’t holding the lighter, pushing forward what he had been promoting as a truth serum.

 

‘I said I won’t take it!’

 

I tried to somehow avoid his grasp, but as a mere civilian, I couldn’t evade the movements of an experienced Field Team hunter.

 

In the brief moment I blinked, I was lying face down with my head buried in the floor.

 

“…!”

 

Kang Ho-won’s voice echoes from above my head as he lets out a light sigh.

 

“I do all sorts of things because of the Team Leader. All sorts of things.”

 

His rough hand grabs my jaw and brings the truth serum to my lips.

 

“…Mmph!”

 

“Teacher, let’s go easy~ Easy~ If you’re proven innocent later, you can even hit me.”

 

“…Mmmph!”

 

“You’re resisting quite fiercely? You’ll dislocate your jaw at this rate. Be care—!”

 

Whoa, the Truth Serum briefly touched my tongue!

 

Chills ran down my spine.

 

‘Is there really a need to resist this much?’ I thought momentarily, but quickly dismissed it.

 

Of course there is, damn it.

 

Yeah, I’ll admit it. There’s too much I’m guilty of!

 

‘Damn, I should have brought Nabi with me.’

 

The problem was that she was fighting Ellumis to the death, so in all the chaos I left her at the kindergarten. Of course, if I had brought Nabi, that would have been catastrophic in a different way…!

 

“Mmph!! Gah!!”

 

Now the Truth Serum was close enough to touch my teeth. I gritted my teeth and held out as much as possible.

 

From what I could tell, this couldn’t go on much longer either.

 

‘Kang Ho-won is going easy on me right now.’

 

I could feel it as the force gripping my jaw gradually began to strengthen.

 

I didn’t know what Kang Ho-won would ask me, but at this rate, all the secrets I’d been hiding would be exposed and I might end up having to beg for mercy.

 

‘The problem is whether he’s the type to listen even if I beg.’

 

No, absolutely not.

 

‘Look at his decisiveness. Someone who tries to coax information out gently is less scary.’

 

This type is the most frightening.

 

‘A person with firm convictions.’

 

These types of people act without looking back once their mind is made up.

 

…Now I have no choice either.

 

I felt the rough texture of the Truth Serum caught between my teeth, then spat it out forcefully.

 

And just before Kang Ho-won’s spare Truth Serum that he had prepared was forcibly inserted into my mouth again.

 

 

Yes!!

 

 

…I opened my throat and shouted!

 

“Stop!!”

 

 

In an instant, Kang Ho-won’s movement stopped. I seized that opportunity, twisted my body and kicked his stomach to secure some space.

 

Without stopping, I continued shouting in succession.

 

“Get far away! Put down everything in your hands and raise both hands above your head! Kneel! Stay still like that!!”

 

 

“Huff huff… Huff.”

 

Following my commands, Kang Ho-won acted precisely like a soulless doll.

 

“…”

 

My eyes, now adapted to the darkness, accurately perceived the surroundings.

 

I confirmed Kang Ho-won… kneeling with both hands raised at a relatively distant spot.

 

…I let out a labored breath.

 

“Phew… Hah…”

 

My hands were all trembling and coughs burst out.

 

Desperately calling up the Status Window while resisting had been a wise choice.

 

 

Due to my weakened legs, I slowly stood up while pressing my palm against the Wall. Kang Ho-won’s breathing, which seemed confused, filled the quiet silence.

 

I roughly wiped my torn lips with my hand while speaking, still resisting the Truth Serum that had been forced in.

 

“This crazy bastard.”

 

The tables had turned.

 

***

 

An answer comes back from the darkness.

 

However, it comes with laughter that sounds slightly off-pitch.

 

“Wow… Hahahaha! Wow, you even have this kind of ability?”

 

I don’t know what’s so funny about it, but I brushed the dust off my body and picked up the items that had fallen to the floor.

 

‘Truth serum and this…. That bastard’s lighter.’

 

Then I swept back my disheveled hair and opened the lighter lid. When I flicked the ignition wheel down hard, it lit up.

 

Relying on the small flame to perceive my surroundings, I slowly approached Kang Ho-won and crouched down.

 

My knees are killing me.

 

Then sharp eyes met mine head-on.

 

“Hey, I’ll just give you ten million won.”

 

I completely threw away formal speech and courtesy. Since his words weren’t kind, why the hell should mine be?

 

This is separate from the fact that I can now control that bastard.

 

“I told you I don’t need money.”

 

“Yeah, but the ‘conditions’ you set didn’t include this kind of crazy shit either.”

 

“…That’s true.”

 

That’s true? Do you want to get hit?

 

I caught my breath, feeling my chest tighten with anger. However, Kang Ho-won didn’t stop talking, as if he wanted to keep getting on my nerves.

 

“Look at this. You claim to be a Tamer but you use all these other abilities too, it’s way too suspicious…. Our team leader might be careless, but I’m not.”

 

“….”

 

“No matter how I thought about it, you were spouting complete nonsense during the interview, so I secretly looked into it just in case, and there were suspicious aspects everywhere.”

 

Ah.

 

So that was the root of the problem.

 

‘I wondered how it got glossed over so easily.’

 

During the situation investigation interview conducted in front of all of Field Team Na, Kang Ho-won was the only one who questioned my background.

 

‘Now that I think about it, it was complete nonsense.’

 

 

It would have been stranger if they let it slide after I said that.

 

I crossed my arms.

 

Even so….

 

“No matter how suspicious I might seem, was it necessary to go this far?”

 

Was Kang Ho-won’s status abnormality ‘severe paranoia’?

 

It perfectly matches his behavior though.

 

“…Because you’re particularly often involved with our team members.”

 

“It’s natural that we run into each other often since your team’s youngest is the guardian of a kindergarten child I’m in charge of.”

 

“Even before that, your involvement with our team leader was suspicious.”

 

“If you’re talking about the amusement park dungeon incident, I explained that during the interview.”

 

“That explanation sucked, which is why this is happening now, isn’t it?”

 

He won’t back down on a single word.

 

I let out a sigh. I don’t intend to just keep arguing like this.

 

It seems like he’s already treating me like some kind of ‘high-risk monster.’

 

At this point…. Getting out of here through normal conversation seems impossible.

 

I think we need to settle this.

 

“If you’re thinking of teleporting out of here, give it up. You only have suspicions without evidence, which is why you’re doing this behind the scenes. The day someone else discovers me here in this state like this…. Wouldn’t that be more troublesome for you?”

 

If he had evidence, I would already be locked up in a real interrogation room getting thoroughly grilled by that bastard.

 

‘And I’m not a criminal.’

 

If it became known that he treated me, an ordinary citizen, like this just because I seemed suspicious, Kang Ho-won wouldn’t be able to avoid criticism either.

 

Whether he understood what I meant, Kang Ho-won smiled coldly and answered.

 

“…I wasn’t not thinking about that. But you’re really quick on the uptake.”

 

Ugh…. This is infuriating.

 

I sat down right there on the floor and did the dad legs pose.

 

Then I looked at Kang Ho-won, who was holding his hands up like a hostage, and spoke with a sigh.

 

“What on earth are you so curious about?”

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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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