Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 90
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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 090
After taking the bus from Happy Orchard and traveling for about another hour, we entered the downtown area of a village in some Provincial Area.
The Bus passed through the Residential Area and entered an Alley lined with Shopping District stores, stopping in front of a Fish Shop among them.
“A Fish Shop?”
“Are we having sashimi for lunch?”
“Ah~ I can’t eat sashimi though…”
The conversation mixed with questions and complaints continued even after getting off the Bus, but finally died down the moment the Guide grabbed the Microphone.
“Everyone, when you think of ‘Hunter,’ what comes to mind first?”
“Money!”
“Hundred-million won salary!”
“…Popularity?”
Hmm, as someone who’s seen field site Hunters up close relatively often…
“Black company workers, recommend changing jobs, hearts of steel.”
Those are the only keywords that come to mind.
“People who go to work with god knows what kind of mentality.”
Sa-gwa too.
Of course, there are some purely innocent answers too.
“Cool people, my Hyung…!”
Like Seo-ro.
Anyway, seeing how extensively they’re laying the groundwork, this experience is going to be pretty intense, isn’t it?
Sure enough, they announced something shocking.
“Haha! That’s right, you’re all correct. But when it comes to Hunters, you can’t leave out ‘Dungeon exploration.’ So today we’re eating lunch in a Dungeon!”
Eating what?
Where?
But the place the Guide is pointing to is still that old Fish Shop sign.
In the midst of this series of absurdities, a participant who appeared to be a High School Student raised their hand.
“By any chance, is there a Dungeon inside the Fish Shop?”
The Male Student with Glasses asked quite perceptively, but does that even make sense…
“Ooh? That’s perceptive! Correct! Dungeons originally appear without regard to location. There’s an F-rank Dungeon inside this Fish Shop!”
What did he say.
However, the Guide continues speaking regardless of whether the participants are surprised or not.
“BOND has specially! provided the location for us. Huh? You don’t need to worry! The dangerous Monsters inside the Dungeon have been removed in advance, and most importantly, for our guide and participant protection, BOND has assigned us a real Hunter! Come on out, Hunter!”
With unilateral cheering, the Fish Shop door opens.
Through that open door, one long leg lazily emerged outside. Looking at the person’s appearance gradually revealed under the sunlight…
I unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.
Wow.
A delicate appearance that didn’t suit a field site Hunter, plus bright hair like an idol.
He was someone who couldn’t help but stand out.
However, the clothes this man was wearing were definitely the work clothes worn by BOND field site Hunters.
While everyone was flustered by the appearance of this unexpectedly flashy man.
“Hunter Bae Je-il, please take good care of the Dungeon guide today!”
“Ah, yes… Well.”
Huh?
That’s a familiar voice.
“Even though they say the dangerous Monsters have been removed, if you run wild alone… You know? I don’t know either.”
That strangely half-hearted tone, and that thick, low voice.
Ah.
I know this person.
That, Lee Seo-hyeok’s friend I met in that Underground Dungeon!
That friend who grabbed my shoulder in the underground corridor.
…What did Kang Ho-won say again, that he was Lee Seo-hyeok’s only friend in the company.
Just as I was searching through my memories.
Bae Je-il slightly raised his hand and waved it toward us.
“Yo.”
“Hello, hyung.”
As expected, he knows Seo-ro too.
“First, everyone come inside… Lunch is bibimbap lunch boxes, and there’s one for me too, right?”
“Ah, yes yes, of course~”
Following Hunter Bae Je-il who led us with an endlessly casual attitude, we entered the old fish shop.
The inside of the shop looked empty and desolate with all the desks, chairs, and miscellaneous tableware completely removed.
However, occupying that vacant space was a circular cluster of light showing off its brilliant colors.
A gate.
Following Bae Je-il’s gesture, people crossed through it while looking bewildered.
And what we encountered was…
“The, the ocean?”
“Is it a castle? Wow…”
“This is crazy. Hey, photos, photos!”
The interior of a castle half-submerged in water.
Broken and worn, but its unique mysterious atmosphere was overwhelming.
But it was too early to be surprised. Beyond the glass windows inside the castle was a perfect underwater scene.
A whale’s fin could be seen passing by outside the glass windows…
“…I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Admiration came out naturally.
“This is a bit different from last year. Last year we went to a dungeon where fields were the main feature.”
“Did you also wander around like tourists in the dungeon and eat lunch like this back then? …This is okay, right?”
“Probably… For several years now, there’s been a crazy trend of proposals to use low-risk dungeons for civilian tourism. BOND, obsessed with money, is leading the charge.”
Wow, BOND is really crazy about money.
Of all things, using dungeons as civilian tourist destinations?
…Then, isn’t this some kind of test disguised as a free experience.
Just how many interests are entangled in this shabby camp?
However, unfortunately, I couldn’t dwell on this thought for long.
[ It’s the ocean! Let’s hurry and find my legs and have fun! ]
Because Nabi’s urging and cheering could be heard in real time.
…I must find Nabi’s legs today without fail.
That means I must definitely win MVP at this camp.
At the orchard, I searched for peaches with burning determination from a purely ‘consumer’ perspective, and the results were good.
‘Let me stay focused this time too.’
Clap clap. The guide clapped to get attention, then handed over the microphone.
The one who received the microphone was Hunter Bae Je-il.
“Um… We’ll take a look around first. They told me to give quizzes…? in between. General knowledge quizzes and… also, ah yes yes, how annoying. Anyway, they want me to give quizzes related to hunters… Just answer them somehow.”
“Je-il hyung finds everything annoying. When he comes to play at our house, he just sleeps all the time.”
Before I could nod at Seo-ro’s additional explanation.
“Yes, then the first quiz… Have all the dangerous monsters in this dungeon actually been eliminated?”
This crazy guy.
‘What kind of question is that!’
Nevertheless, I raised my hand high.
***
“What color is a hippo’s sweat?”
Lee Seo-ro raised his hand high and shouted.
“Correct! Transparent color!”
Since I had suffered a crushing defeat on a similar quiz question last year, I made thorough preparations this time.
I looked up books, watched children’s science and history programs, and… anyway, human sweat is transparent!
“Wrong!”
No way!
“The correct answer is red.”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
Again! Again! It’s Teacher Na Hwi-yeon.
Whenever Teacher raised his hand, the correct answers never stopped coming. He never got a single one wrong.
Lee Seo-ro’s shoulders trembled with frustration.
…But it’s not over until it’s over.
There’s still one left.
Although Teacher Na Hwi-yeon was far ahead in points, Lee Seo-ro knew Bae Je-il’s quiz style well.
‘That hyung always comes to our house to hang out, but he’s too lazy to play with us so he just gives us quizzes!’
And he always does this at the end…
“The last quiz… let’s make it exciting with 50 points.”
He put out a score that could flip the entire game.
“…!”
“What? Then I just need to win this one round?”
Lee Seo-ro looked at Na Hwi-yeon.
‘He’s flustered!’
Just the fact that his opponent was flustered was already a big gain. I need to quickly answer correctly while I have this chance!
As Seo-ro was internally celebrating, the quiz soon came down.
“Among the dungeons in BOND Underground, what grade do the dangerous level dungeons start from?”
…What?
I’m just a child, how would I know that!
It felt like the sky was falling. While Lee Seo-ro was shaking his head in endless despair.
A calm, composed voice came from beside him without any wavering.
“The correct answer is A-grade.”
“…Are you from our company?”
“No. I guessed.”
“…That’s correct.”
Nooooooooooo!
Lee Seo-ro collapsed to his knees in frustration.
‘This can’t be.’
How… how did I lose again?
Following the peach picking, I also lost in the quiz competition held in the dungeon.
And Teacher Na Hwi-yeon came in first place again this time.
Lee Seo-ro didn’t even know if the bibimbap lunch box was going into his mouth or his nose. He could only repeatedly recall the images of ‘Na Hwi-yeon coolly picking peaches’ and ‘Na Hwi-yeon answering quiz questions effortlessly’.
…The more he thought about it, the deeper his sense of defeat became, but he couldn’t stop.
After finishing lunch and before getting on the bus, Na Hwi-yeon lifted up Lee Seo-ro who was sitting slumped on the ground and said.
“Seo-ro, we have to go now… Hm? Are you looking at ants or something?”
Lee Seo-ro fell asleep in Na Hwi-yeon’s arms while endlessly criticizing his own small body.
And when he opened his eyes again.
It was late afternoon after sunset, and they had arrived at the campground.
“Oh, Seo-ro woke up? Good timing, they’re starting the cooking competition now.”
“…Cooking competition?”
“Yeah, they’re holding a competition with teams of three to pick the most delicious team. Sounds fun, right?”
Lee Seo-ro was dazed from sleep for a moment, but soon realized one fact and was horrified.
No way!
If that happens, his chance to become MVP would completely disappear!
Last year, they definitely had a courage test at the end!
…It was about bringing back a strange monster photo from an abandoned house in the mountain, and Lee Seo-ro had boldly completed the mission alone in the shortest time.
And he had successfully won the MVP!
But now, teams of three!
“If you win this cooking contest too, Teacher, you’ll be confirmed as MVP.”
Kang Sa-gwa’s words struck Lee Seo-ro’s ears like a bolt from the blue.
“….”
Lee Seo-ro staggered as he got up from his seat.
“Seo-ro, where are you going?”
“…I want to go to the restroom.”
“Really? Then let’s go together with Teacher.”
“…N-no. I want to go with Sa-gwa Teacher.”
Right now, he didn’t want to see Na Hwi-yeon Teacher’s face.
“….”
When Na Hwi-yeon and Kang Sa-gwa remained silent, Lee Seo-ro got up from his seat to go alone.
Lee Seo-ro began walking aimlessly without even knowing where the restroom was.
Meanwhile, Kang Sa-gwa chased after the child instead of Hwiyeon, who had been suddenly rejected by Seo-ro.
“Seo-ro, Seo-ro! Let’s go together with Teacher.”
Kang Sa-gwa barely caught up to Lee Seo-ro and was walking while holding his hand…
Suddenly, the child who had been walking well stopped in his tracks with his head hung low. Then he muttered in a voice tinged with tears.
“I… lost.”
“…Uh… well, it’s okay. These things happen sometimes.”
“No. Na Hwi-yeon Teacher has a lower grade than me and his ability isn’t that great either! It’s strange that I lost!”
“…That’s true, but.”
“But, but how did I… lose?”
“S-Seo-ro.”
“I’m going to become a Hunter! But I can’t lose to a civilian!”
You’re also a civilian right now…
No, and how do you even know words like that.
Kang Sa-gwa wanted to squeeze her eyes shut.
Throughout the schedule, he had looked anxious, but she never expected him to explode like this.
Kang Sa-gwa, who had experience participating in camp with Seo-ro last year, had somewhat anticipated that this kind of situation might occur.
‘Seo-ro has an incredibly strong competitive spirit.’
The MVP that he had fiercely protected for two consecutive years with burning determination was futilely stolen by his own supervising teacher, so she could understand his feelings…
‘This is why I asked Teacher about it.’
Actually, Kang Sa-gwa had subtly explained Seo-ro’s condition to Na Hwi-yeon, who was on a correct answer streak during the quiz show in the dungeon, and made a request.
And knowing Na Hwi-yeon’s character and usual conduct, she had extremely expected a certain answer.
Something like a natural affirmation.
However.
With what sounded like a manga protagonist’s famous line that Park I-deun might say, he had firmly rejected her request.
‘No! Then what am I supposed to do!’
Kang Sa-gwa broke out in a cold sweat and desperately opened her mouth to console Lee Seo-ro, who was almost on the verge of tears.
“Seo-ro, how about we enter the cooking contest with just the two of us, excluding Hwiyeon Teacher? Teacher is good at cooking. I’ll make you win first place.”
“…That won’t do.”
Why!
“…The world of competition is cold. If I win first place with Teacher’s help, then it’s not really mine.”
Isn’t she that teacher’s disciple?
She was now so drained of energy that she just wanted to go home.
This must be what it feels like to be a shrimp caught in a whale fight, she thought, wanting to cry at that moment.
She saw several people rushing out from the nearby staff tent.
Seeing this, Kang Sa-gwa instinctively picked up the child and hid in a nearby empty tent.
The atmosphere seemed ominous, so she hid almost by instinct…
Just as she wondered if she had hidden for no reason, she heard multiple voices from outside.
“You switched out that MVP prize, right?”
“Ah, of course. I took it out separately and put it somewhere else~!”
“Good, good. Just put some F-grade supply items in an identical carrier and make excuses.”
“Wow~ By the way, isn’t this creative economy? Reselling the prizes provided by BOND. Pretty profitable~”
“Let’s hide the real one separately, then take it for ourselves after the event is over.”
“Oh my~ You’re so quick to catch on.”
What is all this about?
Clearly, the voices she was hearing and the people she glimpsed were camp staff members.
But… the content of their conversation was exactly.
‘They’re saying they’ll secretly pocket the MVP prize among themselves.’
Having inadvertently learned about the hunter camp staff’s behind-the-scenes scheming, Kang Sa-gwa sighed and held her forehead.
On top of everything else, she now felt sorry for herself for learning about circumstances she didn’t want to know.
‘What is this now!’
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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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