The Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Magic Hunter Girl Decorates a Dungeon! Episode 36
Beyond the still-unclear clear conditions.
The man’s soft voice continued.
“You were born on March 6th, 20xx, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Your mother is Kim Yeonju. Your father is Shin Jeseok.”
All accurate. Iji nodded without thinking, and he broke into a serene smile, his face as delicate as porcelain.
“It’s been quite a while. I saw you when you were so tiny I wasn’t sure, but you have your father’s exact eyes. That’s how I recognized you.”
“…”
“You have your mother’s eyebrows and thick hair.”
It was the same thing the neighborhood grandmothers used to say about sisters Hyunji and Iji.
Could he really be a friend of her parents?
‘If he really is Mom and Dad’s friend, he must be a really good person!’
On the day of her parents’ funeral.
She’d heard that their friends had helped her sister a great deal.
‘Did this man come too?’
If she’d seen that face, there’s no way she’d have forgotten it.
Maximum memory activation!
…But all that came to mind were black pants and black socks.
The limit of Iji’s vision, sitting awkwardly in a corner of the funeral hall.
Still, her suspicion mostly faded.
‘Besides, this man wasn’t trying to kidnap me.’
Iji had simply walked toward the man in danger.
‘He doesn’t seem to be a villain.’
Iji gave a proper bow, lowering her head formally.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Shin Iji, a second-grader at Chamssae Elementary School.”
“Oh my, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. Call me Queiser.”
“Queiser uncle… or uncle?”
“Call me whatever feels right. What brings you here?”
“I came for counseling because I’m a student affected by a dungeon incident. I accidentally went into a dungeon before.”
“Hmm, you seem like quite the hunter to me. Was it difficult in that dungeon?”
“…No.”
Iji shook her head vigorously.
“But my sister’s worried anyway.”
“Ah. So being a hunter is a secret from your sister?”
“To be precise, I’m not a hunter—I’m an Awakener. They say hunter licenses are only given to adults.”
“But the name ‘hunter’ sounds cooler, doesn’t it?”
“Yes!”
“I think so too. I wish wonderful kids like you could get licenses too.”
Iji found herself liking this man a little. She broke into a smile.
Queiser spoke.
“You said you had a question about hunters earlier. What was it?”
“Well, hunters have weaker magical power outside dungeons, right?”
“That’s right.”
“But you’re supposed to get stronger instead…. Why am I weak?”
That’s what Eun Bankkak-i the hunter had said earlier.
The stronger the hunter, the stronger they become, she’d said.
But the EX-rank hunter Iji, who still couldn’t open a glass jar, clenched and unclenched her small fists as she spoke.
“Even my hunter rank is high, but… does my magical power hate me?”
“No. Rather, it might be for your own good.”
“For my good?”
“Imagine there’s a world-class strongman who can lift a piano with one hand. Could that person lift a piano with a wooden chopstick?”
“Um…”
In her imagination, the wooden chopstick snapped in one second. And crash! ♪
“No, I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because a wooden chopstick is weak!”
“Exactly.”
Queiser gestured to Iji’s thin arms.
“Anyone who wants to wield great power must first be able to withstand that power.”
“Oh…”
It was a cool thing to say. Even if reality wasn’t very cool about it.
“So I can’t use my power because I’m small?”
“It’s because you’re young. It’ll be fine once you grow up.”
“…”
Iji’s mouth turned into an inverted triangle. There were so many things she couldn’t do because of her age!
‘Next year I’ll be ten!’
Queiser patted Iji’s shoulder.
“Don’t be too disappointed. Before you’re a world-class strongman, you’re already a very strong hunter.”
“…Are you sure about that?”
She wasn’t confident.
Only her awakening grade was special.
She didn’t even have money for armor, so right now she was stumbling along—
That’s when Queiser spoke.
“Of course it’s true. You came to save me bravely.”
“…”
“And most importantly, you think you’re a really cool hunter yourself. Right?”
“…Yes.”
That much she couldn’t deny.
Clothes that fluttered like tropical fish fins, the Universal Communication Skill, the Ability to Call Friends…
All of it is the coolest I’ve ever seen in any hunter!
“Cool.”
“Then you’re going to become an incredibly strong hunter. I guarantee it.”
Queiser smiled broadly.
And right after that.
The corridor shook.
‘Huh?’
There was no sound. She didn’t feel vibrations.
But the pure white corridor walls trembled visibly, like shoji paper on a windy day.
Unlike the flustered Iji, Queiser spoke calmly.
“The dungeon is collapsing.”
“A… a Dungeon Break?”
“A Dungeon Break would be much louder. Some hunter outside must have discovered the dungeon.”
“Wow…!”
The excitement was brief. Iji quickly released her Transformation. She didn’t want to expose herself to more people.
“Sir, please keep my being a hunter secret!”
“Of course. Maybe it’s even better if we keep the fact that we met secret from those around us.”
“What?”
“While explaining how we happened to meet, I might accidentally add something unnecessary.”
“Ah… okay!”
“Though I must admit, I wish it could be different. It was really nice to meet you.”
“I was happy to meet you too.”
“Haha. To be honest, wasn’t your uncle a bit suspicious?”
Guilty as charged.
When Iji couldn’t answer, the man chuckled and continued.
“When you were born, your uncle sent a congratulation letter to your parents. You might find it at home—look for it sometime.”
“I’ll definitely look for it!”
If she could visually confirm that Queiser was truly her parents’ friend, it would be so wonderful.
At her sincere answer, Queiser smiled and placed his hand on Iji’s head.
A warm, gentle touch.
…Somehow it felt like she’d experienced this sensation before.
‘When was that?’
At that moment, a dungeon message appeared.
Dungeon Clear Complete!
Clear Reward Obtained
: Rainbow Butterfly Pendant (EX)
‘What? All of a sudden?’
Who came in and cleared it?
Iji looked around her surroundings.
But the mist had only grown denser, creeping up to her eyes…
“Queiser, sir…!”
Before she could finish her words, Iji’s vision slowly blurred.

* * *
“There’s a knack to the TOEIC, it seems. I’m feeling confident!”
“I’ve learned a lot too. I should give my thanks to the little one who made this wonderful place… uh, little one?”
The returned Book Dogs looked bewildered. They were probably looking for Iji, who had just vanished.
Queiser spoke with a cold face.
“It’s over. Everyone, return to where you came from.”
“Where we came from? …Ah.”
The Book Dogs began to recover their memories one by one, murmuring to themselves.
I was studying at a café, on a bus. Why am I here…?
“Think of it as a dream. In return for your cooperation, I’ll give you the luck to pass your next test.”
His voice carried an irresistible weight.
As the Book Dogs instinctively lowered their heads, one asked.
“Why did you have us attack you earlier?”
Queiser didn’t answer, merely snapping his fingers.
All the Book Dogs vanished.
Three Frozen Hot Dogs—items pilfered from the Hunter Association Shop and used to create temporary monsters—rolled across the floor.
Meanwhile, the trembling of the walls grew more severe.
Queiser smirked and murmured to himself.
“Wasting precious power. I’m leaving anyway.”
He’d obtained his target.
And he’d even gained an unexpected harvest.
“…Growing up so well. Our hope.”
The being who called himself Queiser, who was really Isa, snapped his fingers while savoring the brilliance that had filled Iji’s eyes.

* * *
About ten minutes earlier, in the Main Building Top Floor Conference Room.
The Vice Chairman proceeded with the meeting, completely ignoring Haecho, who sat by the window.
“Item seven on the agenda. An A-rank Magic Stone was discovered in a C-rank Dungeon in Yeongju City. That alone is strange, but apparently energy extraction was impossible.”
Several hunters furrowed their brows.
An A-rank Magic Stone with no extractable energy wasn’t just like a nugget locked in a vault—
“It’s like uranium in a safe, isn’t it? If it breaks, things will get very interesting.”
“For reference, it’s currently in the basement warehouse of this building.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“We’re sending it to the research institute on Monday. Our job is to tell hunters that if they find a Magic Stone that doesn’t match the dungeon’s rank, they shouldn’t mistake it for a windfall…”
Before the sentence could finish.
A red alarm began flashing on the Vice Chairman’s smartwatch.
[URGENT] B5 Special Warehouse Manager here!
“Hello, this is the Vice Chairman! What’s the situation?”
[Vice Chairman! A theft has occurred in the special warehouse!]
His mind went blank the moment he heard it.
A theft from the lowest-level special warehouse?
It was as insane as being told, “Excuse me, Vice Chairman. Your spleen has disappeared!”

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