Chapter 35
< Repetitive Work Specialization >
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I was frozen for a short while, and then I urgently went to the next page of the skill window .
[(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Standby)(Yoo Myeongwoo-F)(Kim Sunghan-A)(Peace-C)
Skill growth targets – Bak Yerim, Yoo Myeongwoo]
……Peace? Wait, really our Peace? Even though a window about being influenced never came up?
‘Explain a little . Please explain a little . Give an explanation . If you just give a detailed usage instruction manual, really, no matter what I have to do, I’ll fill it with S-Ranks like you want, so please kindly explain a little . ’
But a thick usage instruction manual didn’t descend from the sky with light and the background music of trumpets . This crappy system .
Let’s just think it over calmly and in earnest .
If it wasn’t a system error .
The title was Perfect Caregiver, the skill’s name was My Brat is the Best, and the keyword to influence was ‘I love you’ .
Until now, I had thought that the keyword was something that was applied in one blow after paying a lot of lip service .
But if I were really a proper caregiver, it was only right to consistently express my love towards my brats . Not just once .
‘…Could it be that, me continuously telling Peace that I loved him was the proper way to use it, something like that?’
There was no way for me to know which way was the right one . But thinking of the caregiver title, it seemed like steadily heaping affection and influencing them was the answer .
At any rate, the end justifies the means[1] .
‘Still, with this, it’s definitely possible to raise monsters now . ’
I was worrying about what I should do if the keyword happened to not be applied to Peace, but I was relieved of a big worry . And I could probably substitute the system’s crazy demand with monsters .
Of course, filling it with 50 S-Rank monsters wasn’t an easy task either . First, I had to have them to raise them . It was extremely rare for S-Rank dungeons’ middle bosses or boss monsters to come with a baby . And since I had to capture them alive, the level of difficulty in obtaining them was atrocious .
‘Even if people caught one with good luck, if they confirm that it is impossible to grow, then they probably would kill it . Even up to 5 years from now, there were barely any cases of raising monsters to adulthood . ’
It wasn’t that there weren’t any at all . In those cases, it probably was that the conditions happened to be met . They were all low rank monsters, so it was highly likely that the growth conditions were easy .
‘Unless some guy pops up suddenly out of nowhere with a monster-rearing special skill, probably only I would be able to raise high rank familiars[2] . ’
I should try to negotiate with the giant guilds with this . If you would guarantee my safety, I will impartially raise one at a time . Of course, I would receive the reward separately .
It would be better that way than being monopolized by one place, so mediating wouldn’t be difficult . Then Yoohyun would definitely be able to worry less .
Of course there would probably be a lot of salivating bastards going ‘come~ there’s a little F-Rank with a money-making skill rolling around’, but I wouldn’t need to concern myself with the small fries . I would just need to be a little careful until I got my exclusive use magic beasts .
Would they go so far as to go into the Haeyeon Guild building and try to kidnap me?
Thanks to Peace, I arrived at the guild in a good mood .
First of all, there were a total of 48 standby slots . No matter what kind of crazy guy who made the system was, they wouldn’t expect me to fill them in a few days . In the first place, why did I have to do it? I refuse until you tell me the reason, it’s a strike .
“Hey, Yoojin . ”
I was about to quickly go up and give Peace a kiss or something, when Yoo Myeongwoo started talking to me with a face like he was going to die and a voice that was dying away . Why was this guy like this again?
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“The first dungeon was pretty brutal, right? This was a special case, so don’t worry, and let’s hurry up and return the equipment and go up to rest . ”
You had to rest well today and start the physical labor tomorrow . And sell the magic stones to buy bladed tools . Instead of new ones, would older ones be better? Should I search a junk shop?
“No, I’m… definitely not a guy who can do this I think . ”
Said the guy who would get an SS-Rank skill after suffering for a little bit . It was something that would make the entire country’s millions of FF-Ranks throw rocks .
“In the end, I didn’t even get… a skill with 10 levels……”
“There’s really nothing to worry about . They said cases when they appear late are common . Hey, I didn’t get a skill with 10 levels either . ”
“Huh? You too?”
“That’s right . My level went up when Yoohyun was catching the bird bastard . But I didn’t get anything . ”
Even with the consolation that we were both in the same boat, Myeongwoo didn’t regain his energy, unlike normal .
“Still, you’re completely different from a guy like me . Your dongsaeng, he seemed really happy . If you’re someone who can give that kind of advice, something like your class[3] must be somehow good? You’re really special . ”
His look when he said so was gloomy like he would crawl into a hole[4] . It seemed like his state was a little more severe than normal . What should I do? Should I give him alcohol to drink?
“First let’s go up and talk, go up . ”
“No, I think it’s only right for me to start to leave . They said there’s only theory left for the novice training too . I should probably be able to continue that at the Association . No, I don’t think there’s any need for me to take that either . I don’t really think I can do something like a dungeon attack . I’m sorry I made you waste time on someone like me . Still, I was really thankful . I won’t be able to forget you for the rest of my life . ”
Yoo Myeongwoo mumbled like he was saying his will or something . It wasn’t a little, but a lot more severe . If I sent him away like this, it seemed, from his face, like he would try to commit suicide again .
Was it because he was forced to interact with S-Ranks? It seemed like I was one of the causes too .
Even if I said ‘actually you have the aptitude to get an SS-Rank production skill!’ he wouldn’t be convinced . It wasn’t something you could believe normally, so if I said it now it might have the opposite effect instead .
And anyways, revealing the skill – Myeongwoo was a great guy but I didn’t have enough confidence in him to do that . Something that I hadn’t even told in detail to my younger brother .
“If you think that way, then I can’t really do anything about it . ”
I gave a big sigh and continued speaking .
“I don’t intend to force you to stay . It’s just… I got really good information, but now I don’t have a use for it so it’s a little regretful . ”
I really did have a really good piece of information . An amazing one .
“…Information?”
“Yeah . It’s information that would really help you a lot . But seeing how you’re having a hard time… I would feel sorry making you suffer more . It’s regretful, but if you don’t want to, I won’t force you . They say you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink . [5]”
Sighing deeply, I searched Yoo Myeongwoo’s gaze .
“Before you go, do you want to hear about it just once? It’s really precious information . So…”
I lowered my voice and said as if whispering .
“You know Suk Hayan-ssi, right? The young lady who was in charge of the theory class a few days ago . She’s a genius who received a license to be a professor at that young age, and she’s pretty deep into studies about Awakened People . And her family is influential so she has a lot of all sorts of important information . ”
“R-really? That person?”
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“Yeah . Normally, I can’t tell others, but I got something specially . You can’t ever tell anyone that you heard this from someone, okay? Only you can know . ”
Myeongwoo immediately nodded his head . Only to you specially, only you know . It was a magic phrase that hooked in people .
“You know weapon-related assistance skills . Like your Whetstone . ”
“Yeah… what about it?”
“There’s a training drill to make Awakened People who have those kinds of skills get a really great, special skill . ”
“A training drill… to get a special skill?”
“That’s right . Of course, it’s not easy . Still, if you diligently, quickly finish the drill, according to your luck, you could get a really great skill . ”
“I don’t really have much luck…”
“What do you mean you don’t? Hey, just hearing about this is great luck . And it’s guaranteed to be at least a C-Rank . If you have a C-Rank assistance skill, you know there’s a~bsolutely no obstacle to living well, right?”
Saying SS-Rank would seem like too much of a scam, so around C-Rank seemed to be sufficient .
“……Really?”
The light returned to the eyes of Myeongwoo, who had seemed like a dead frozen pollack . Then, then . It’s real, right? Believe just in me .
“It’s just that it’s pretty hard…”
“How hard is it?”
“You know bladed tools, right? Like knives or scissors . You have to sharpen them . Exactly ten thousand of them . ”
Yoo Myeongwoo’s mouth dropped open .
“Te-ten thousand…?”
“Yeah . It’s definitely hard, right? I don’t want to see you suffer either…”
“You just have to do ten thousand? Really?!”
Myeongwoo yelled as if cheering . The light in his eyes hadn’t just revived but was on fire . What, do you happen to like physical labor?
“…That’s right . Though rather than ‘just’, it’s quite a lot . ”
“No, it’s not that much . If I sharpen a hundred each day, I’ll finish in exactly one hundred days!”
“A hundred each…?”
In just a hundred days? To finish that fast, even if you said one took ten minutes, that was 6 in one hour and you had to work for seventeen hours, and eat and sleep in the remaining seven hours…
“……Do it slowly, slowly . ”
It was good to be passionate, but first you had to be alive to use the SS-Rank skill .
“Slowly? Should I do fifty each? But then it’ll take long… Troubling you[6] for that long is a bit……”
“It’s okay . Your food is tasty . ”
It was true . And as time went on, he became even more capable so it was to the extent of anticipation . Did he have any cooking related skills?
“So, don’t worry . Instead of me, it would probably be harder on you? Shutting yourself in somewhere and only sharpening knives all day wouldn’t be easy . ”
“Don’t worry . There was a time when I was young when I was engrossed in making a model of the Battle of Hansan[7] . I won a prize with it too . I have confidence in doing repetitive work all day in a house corner!”
Is that so . Was this nature also related to skill aptitude? It might be that he would roll out equipment like a factory after he gets Forge .
“Ah, I’ll take and put away the equipment . Yoojin, you go up first and rest . ”
I was about to say it was okay but then I just gave him the equipment . If these little things were helpful, he would probably feel less burdened .
Really, being too kindhearted was a problem .
Then again, if he was someone who gobbled up anything given and didn’t know to be thankful, I would have thrown him away first . Since, if he betrayed me after getting the SS-Rank skill, it would be worse than not having one . And the keyword influence effect would be useless if there wasn’t a caregiver model .
It was because Yoo Myeongwoo was a trustable character that I was able to grab onto him to this extent .
“Yoojin, seriously, thank you . I’ll work hard and pay it all back to you . Definitely . ”
Myeongwoo said, before he turned . If you’re that thankful, just make me a good piece of equipment later or something .
I figured out the matter of Myeongwoo and went towards the dorm floor with light footsteps . Now I really only needed to wait and then just take the harvest . Everything was mostly done, hooray .
Time to play~ I’m going to slack off a lot~ . The house was big and the days would get hot and I would turn the A/C on full and roll around all day with Peace . I was going to stop caring about the weirdly changed status window and such .
If you want to make me work, please descend[8] down directly, person who made the system . Definitely with the instruction manual .
Cheerfully[9], I opened the door . The ‘click’ noise was so heartwarming . I should cursorily get through the remaining theory class and then become one with the sofa . Thanks to my dear dongsaeng-nim, I packed a ton of magic stones and wouldn’t have to worry about money . Should I buy some more stocks? Or should I pick out a car? Right, I should get my driver’s license first .
As soon as I entered, a bright light shone on the entrance . Across from the shoe rack, the smiling face of a man was reflected on the full-length mirror .
I didn’t know who it was[10] but his expression looked quite good . It seems to be a face of one who would play and live well .
But, behind him, there was another person wearing mourning clothe…
Something clammy suddenly grabbed my ankle . Then, it pulled firmly . Ack, wait, that’s a foul-!
Bam!
I barely dodged to the side to avoid hitting my head against the steel frame of the inner door and fell .
Fuck, Dokkaebi, this bastard, I told you to scare me, not to make an assassination attempt . I’m weak . Really weak . Don’t take an F-Rank’s weakness lightly .
“Ughhh, my hip… knee… arm…”
I only defended my head and hit everything else . It seemed like I would become one with the bed instead of the sofa .
“I didn’t think you would fall down that easily!”
“…Apologize first . ”
“Sorry!”
A good child who listens well gets 1 point . When I tried to stand up, staggering, a hand stretched out from behind me and supported me . Ughh, my entire body was stiff . To think I would go around a dungeon unharmed and then get injured at my house entrance . Did I have luck or not? Did I have a pain relief patch at home?
When I turned around, I saw the mask-wearing Dokkaebi crying . They wouldn’t have come here wearing it from the start, so did they put it on in the meantime?
Looking at that unfunny appearance, I lost the intention to get mad too .
“You came later than I had thought?”
At my words, the Dokkaebi’s two shoulders drooped down .
“……I got scolded . ”
“You got scolded?”
“I got scolded a lot! I got nagged at for two days for signing a contract as I please!”
Well . It seemed like Subordinates 1 and 2 were close to being guardians . Just how old were they? Since they didn’t say anything about the contract being invalid, they were probably at least over fully 14 years . Just looking at their height, they were an adult, but were they immature mentally?
“Still, I talked big that it’d be okay because I could win! It wasn’t scary?”
“Rather than being scary, I was about to go on the road to the underworld . ”
“Usually the moment when you get home is the most careless moment…”
The Dokkaebi said sullenly . I was certainly careless . Still, putting aside the resistance skill, even if I thought of it objectively, the time at the classroom seemed scarier . Was it because of Suk Hayan? The screaming had a big impact . Sound really was important .
“There’s still chances left, so hang in there . ”
Of course, I had no intention of losing on purpose though .
“Yeah! I’ll work hard!”
“And go to a drugstore and buy a pain relief patch . ”
“P-pain relief patch?”
“Quickly . Right now . One that works well . ”
Saying ‘okay’, the Dokkaebi suddenly disappeared . It sure was comfortable . Did you hear, person who made the system? Teleportation for me too, please .
[1] lit . sth like ‘even if you go sideways/diagonally, you just have to get to Seoul, that’s it’ . It also means ‘no matter what path you take, you just have to get to your goal’, which I personally feel has a slightly different connotation than ‘the end justifies the means’ and suits this context better, but ‘the ends justifies the means’ is a lot smoother/flows better… rolls off the tongue nicer??
[2] So I tried looking up 기승수 again and found nothing useful . All I’m (99%) certain about is that 수 definitely has to be ‘beast’ . I’m also 90% sure that 기 is 技(talent, aptitude)/伎(talent, skill) . 승 could be 承(connect, inherit??, support) or possibly even 乘(ride) . Whatever it is, I’m keeping ‘familiar’ even if it ends up not exactly being a familiar bc at this point it seems to be a pet/combat-support monster, and you can possibly stretch the definition of familiar to that I guess . It’s a made-up word so to tl, I’d have to use the exact word, make up a new word, or twist similar existing ones to fit it anyways, so…
[3] he uses a word that means ‘rank, class, grade,’ that had been sometimes used interchangeably with the ‘rank’ in stuff like ‘s-rank’, but I didn’t think he was talking about that kind of rank bc then the sentence doesn’t make sense, but idk
[4] lit . ‘dig a hole and go inside’ but I think this is what it means
[5] lit . ‘if one doesn’t even want to be a pyeongyang mayor, then that’s that’ where pyeongyang (as in the current capital of n . k . ) used to be a major city in joseon (what kr was called bf the war & division) so being assigned as the official/mayor of there by the king was a rly good position but if u don’t want to do sth that’s good for you, then there’s nothing anybody can do abt it .
[6] this is that ‘owe you’ phrase that you can use to mean to stay over at someone’s house, from ch . 23 (see footnote [1]), which I just realized has a similar eng equiv with ‘trouble you’
[7] it’s actually the ‘great victory [of/at] hansan’ in krn but apparently it’s officially called this in eng . It’s a famous naval battle by a really famous admiral (Yi Sun-Shin) in krn history against the jpn .
[8] this is a word that specifically means ‘a god comes down to the mortal world’
[9] lit . ‘looloolala’ which is analogous to eng ‘lalala’ (as in like singing) and used to signal being cheerful or excited, but using it that way sounded weird in eng
[10] he’s probably being… well not sarcastic, but funny, bc he’s talking about himself . This and the following sentence are in honorific speech to further highlight that .