The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log - Chapter 59
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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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Chapter 59
Unable to control his emotions, a whirlwind swept through, and the hat Kwon had been wearing was caught up in the wind and blown away.
In that wind, Kwon screamed again and made a huge fuss trying to cover his head.
Meanwhile, Popcon was yawning with the most comfortable expression in the world while nestled in Han Tae-ho’s arms.
It was truly chaos.
Hana, who had been watching the scene from a step away, slowly let out a sigh.
And Kang Hyeon, who was standing next to her, also removed his hand from his sword sheath and muttered lowly.
“What a mess.”
Hearing those words, Hana nodded in vigorous agreement.
“Exactly.”
Choi Kwon, who had somehow retrieved his blown-away hat and pressed it firmly on his head, was crouched in a corner of the garden with a completely sulky face.
“This doesn’t make sense… This is a violation of regulations… I need to record this… Everything needs to be recorded…”
His muttering scattered futilely over the dirt.
The sight of him hugging his knees while wearing his hat pulled down low looked somewhat pitiful.
Hana glanced at that sight and scratched her head.
There were stories she had heard and things she had seen while spending time together.
Because of that, she now knew to some extent how much Choi Kwon valued principles and rules.
Honestly, Choi Kwon’s words were correct.
To Hunters, monsters were dangerous elements and targets to be eliminated.
But they had been petting that ‘dangerous element’ because it was cute all this time, so it wasn’t strange that he was shocked like this.
Hana looked down at Popcon, who was stretching his short hind legs at her feet.
“Kyang.”
Popcon shook his body once and then flopped down, showing his belly.
Hana unconsciously stroked that fluffy belly once.
Around Popcon, Haechan, Tae-gyeom, and Han Tae-ho were already gathered sitting close together.
“L-look. His belly is soft.”
“It would look cool when his mane grows back, right?”
“If we just take good care of his fur, this would be amazing.”
The three people surrounded Popcon and continuously poured out exclamations of admiration.
Hana smiled bitterly watching that scene.
‘These people are the unusual ones.’
If they were typical Hunters, a reaction like Choi Kwon’s would be correct.
In this situation, having “cute” as the first impression was what was strange.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand Choi Kwon.
But could she really classify Popcon, who had been laughing together, eating together, and running around the garden with them, as a dangerous element and cast him out now?
The answer was already decided.
She would need to take measures to prevent scenes like earlier from popping up without warning, but there would be no casting Popcon out.
But the problem was that she couldn’t just leave the sulking Choi Kwon alone either.
“Haah…”
Her head became complicated and a sigh naturally escaped.
Clearly, when she had opened her eyes in the hospital and F-rank appeared on her status window, she thought she would spend peaceful days just digging in the dirt.
Starting with the Vice-Chairman, why did all these various incidents keep happening?
‘I really hate headache-inducing things.’
Hana’s lips protruded pointedly.
That’s when it happened.
A rice seed that had been half-buried in a pot placed in one corner of the garden trembled slightly.
It was one of those that had ripened red after steadily receiving Kang Hyeon’s energy.
The red shell of the rice seed, which had been shaking more and more violently as if vibrating, suddenly cracked with a pop.
Then a light green sprout poked its head out from inside.
The rice seeds planted next to it also made cheerful popping sounds as their shells cracked and sprouts bloomed.
The subtle heat flowing from the rice seeds warmed the surrounding air and created a warm breeze.
【SYSTEM】
【’Fire Resistance Rice Seed🌾’ Germination】
Hana’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
The warm energy spreading from the cracked rice seeds was seeping all the way to the feet of Choi Kwon, who was sulking and crouched down.
Hana’s eyes, which had been looking at Choi Kwon’s back, flashed.
‘This is it.’
Hana quickly ran to Choi Kwon with the newly sprouted rice seed.
“Kwon!”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m really serious right now—”
Before Choi Kwon could finish speaking, Hana pushed the sprouted rice seed into his mouth.
“Hey, what is this! I won’t eat it! Can’t you see I’m being serious right now?”
Choi Kwon kept his mouth tightly shut and shook his head vigorously.
But that resistance didn’t last long.
“This is a rice seed!”
“Huh? A rice seed?”
The rare crop with the fire resistance option he had been longing for so much.
To Choi Kwon, whose self-esteem had been fading along with his hair lately, the single word ‘rice seed’ was like sweet rain during a drought.
“Really that rice seed?”
“Yes. It just germinated.”
Choi Kwon no longer refused.
No, rather, he quickly brushed off even the rice seed grain stuck to Hana’s hand and swallowed it.
However.
Nothing happened.
“…”
‘Why is this happening?’
Hana looked at Choi Kwon with anxious eyes.
Choi Kwon breathed out spicy breaths with a face mixed with expectation and suspicion.
“Ahhh! It’s spicy!”
And a few seconds later.
A subtle wriggling began under his knit hat, and soon red hair began to show itself.
One strand, then another.
Like sprouts emerging from seeds, hair began to grow rapidly under his hat.
“Uhhhhhh?”
When Choi Kwon hurriedly took off and threw away his hat, lustrous red hair that had become full flowed down softly.
Feeling the sensation of hair swaying on his shoulders for the first time in a long while, Choi Kwon covered his mouth.
He seemed quite moved.
“It’s, it’s back. Crazy! My hair has really come back!”
It was an intense reaction that made you wonder if this was the same person who had been sulking just moments before.
Choi Kwon repeatedly touched his hair with both hands, tied it up once, then let it down again.
Hana quietly leaned toward Choi Kwon.
Lowering her voice, she whispered as if making a very secret proposal.
“I’ll give you more rice seeds than we originally agreed on. So please just overlook Popcon this one time. Okay?”
Choi Kwon’s eyebrows twitched.
With his hair already returned, his principles were already half-collapsed.
He cleared his throat unnecessarily, then swept back his flowing hair.
“Ahem. Well, if my benefactor pleads this much. I’m also soft-hearted, you see.”
And he quickly added.
“It’s absolutely not because of the rice seeds, so don’t misunderstand!”
Anyone could see it was because of the rice seeds.
But Hana didn’t bother to point that out and smiled kindly with a ‘well, of course’ attitude.
“What’s with that smile? Hey benefactor, don’t smile like that. You look really scheming.”
“….”
Geez, really. Even smiling gets criticized.
Hana muttered quietly with just her lips.
Meanwhile, Popcon had approached and was rubbing its head against Choi Kwon’s leg.
Choi Kwon glanced down at this sight and shoved his hands, which were itching to pet Popcon, into his pants pockets.
“Well… it is cute, that’s true. If it’s a non-combat type bound monster, keeping it as an observation subject wouldn’t be bad either. Hmph!”
“Kwong!”
As if understanding what Choi Kwon was saying, Popcon wagged its tail vigorously.
Hana chuckled at the sight.
This was quite a successful result.
After somehow succeeding in winning over Choi Kwon, the tension that had been flowing over the garden relaxed a little.
But that peace didn’t last long either.
As expected, maybe it got sick from swallowing something strange.
Popcon, who had been acting cute at Choi Kwon’s feet, started whimpering.
“Kku… kwong.”
Along with groaning sounds, Popcon’s belly began to swell.
“Oh, wait!”
Recognizing the situation she’d seen before, Hana quickly stepped back.
“Everyone please step back a little.”
As soon as those words ended, Popcon’s body puffed up.
And the next moment.
Pop!
Corn kernels scattered into the air.
Then small flames shot out from Popcon’s mouth, and the corn kernels scattered in the air popped like white flower buds.
Choi Kwon muttered blankly at the sight of Popcon’s popcorn bouncing around in the air.
“…Is this really safe?”
But the real problem came next.
Because a system window cheerfully appeared in the falling white popcorn rain.
【SYSTEM】
【The entity ‘Sweet Corn Sprout’ has consumed an artificial gate core and awakened a new ability.】
【Artificial Gate Core Energy Detection Lv.1】
【Can detect energy left by activated artificial gate cores or nearby artificial gate cores.】
At the same time, Popcon sniffed at the air.
“Kkak! Kkak!”
And as if finding something, it approached Hana and tugged at her clothes.
Then a system window appeared before Hana’s eyes.
【’Sweet Corn Sprout’ has detected residual energy from an activated artificial gate core in the direction of ‘Korean Hunter Association Headquarters’.】
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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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