Chapter 83
< Fear Resistance >
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Past the lobby, there were neatly made pens[1] spread across the rearing room on the righthand side . They were big enough to be close to rooms, rather than pens, and there were, of course air purifying and temperature adjustment installations, but also CCTV installed . Apparently, the relatively smaller pen could withstand up to standard level 10 and stat B, and the largest pen up to A .
The unicorns were also already moved to here .
There was Peace and Blue, too, on the nameplates on the pens . While I wasn’t here, they would stay here where the Hunter in charge was .
In the pen that didn’t have a owner yet, the nest from Seseong was placed and Comet was lowered on it .
-Sii shwik!
The baby dragon wrapped their long tail around my wrist and snorted at Blue who was loitering outside . There was a difference in their weight class and abilities, so it couldn’t lunge at her, but it seemed incredibly upset .
“Alright, alright . Blue can’t come in, so sleep here . ”
Then I left Blue and Chirpie to the rearing room as well . My things were still at the dorms, so I was thinking of taking them home after it was all moved in . There wasn’t a lot, but there wouldn’t be anything left while trying to move along with the kids, especially Blue .
Kang Soyoung left to go shopping, saying that she would decorate Comet’s pen . Emulate this, Han Yoohyun . Hurry up and come out and bring in a highest class pet bed into Peace’s pen at least .
“You can use the mini portal to the 2nd floor as long you have the registration key . ”
Sung Hyunjae said, taking out of his inventory and showing a card the size of a business card that was made from an S-Rank magic stone thinly cut with a code placed in it . But why was that person holding the registration key?
“There are six registration keys in total, with the four guilds, excluding MKC, having one each . The remaining two are Han Yoojin-gun’s . They were sent to Haeyeon Guild, so you just have to go and take it . ”
“Do I not have any privacy?”
Why would you divvy up and take someone else’s house keys?
“There’s another door inside, so don’t worry . ”
“If it is a normal door, it would be like a piece of paper to an S-Rank . ”
“It’s not to that extent – about a wooden plank? It was made specially in its own way . ”
There wasn’t much of a difference between things that would break after being hit . Though there was no helping it since there was no way to make sure some problem wouldn’t occur at home .
“Apparently the house’s outer walls can endure against an Rank combat Hunter for about 30 minutes . ”
“It is durable . ”
“A 3rd Rank armored dragon’s skin was used as the exterior material . There wasn’t a way to process it, so Rank Hunters had to be put to it . ”
I’m much obliged . There weren’t any dungeons within the country where 3rd rank armored dragons came out, so did they import it from overseas?
The house key was also sent to Haeyeon, so I couldn’t go inside . They certainly must’ve made it well .
Besides that, Sung Hyunjae pointlessly kindly explained the training room, maintenance room, reception room, etc . I felt sorry for Song Taewon’s whose mouth kept on being blocked, so I tried showing it in my own way, but it didn’t get through at all .
“Seseong Guild Leader . You should be busy, so I apologize for taking up so much of your time . I will hear the rest from Chief Song Taewon . ”
At the words saying to go back to your place, Sung Hyunjae’s gaze went towards me . The corners of his eyes thinly held a smile .
“The time I give to you isn’t wasteful at all, so don’t worry . ”
Fuck, beating about the bush really didn’t get through .
“It is burdensome to me, so please leave . ”
I threw a fast ball . When I did, he put on a hurt face . Crazy . ……As expected, crazy .
“You’re more heartless than you look . ”
“…We do not have a relationship where things like ‘heartless’ are relevant, do we?”
“I thought I put in quite a lot of sincerity . Besides checking the skill, I haven’t treated you badly either . Truthfully, isn’t it rarer to accept that type of skill defenselessly?”
Shortly after thinking ‘what nonsense is this’ .
‘Did Sung Hyunjae… treat me quite well……?’
Thinking back on it, besides rejecting the skill, there wasn’t a time where he had hurt me . When I had gone to Seseong too, he was amicable the whole time, and I even received Peace’s toy and the earrings . And when we went into the dungeon, he was a problem because he picked fights with other people, but he listened well to me . He also bought a present and came to visit me at the hospital, and today, he broke Song Taewon’s car, but thanks to that, we came here comfortably .
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It did seem like he was being sincere to me, like he said .
‘……It feels like I’m falling for a scam . ’
Considering how he’s an amazing giant guild leader, he was incredible genial . Even now when he had heard me openly tell to him get lost, he didn’t show at all that he was angry .
It was definitely like that, and he wasn’t wrong about the skill, and they were all truths that I had directly gone through, but why did I keep on feeling like I was being deceived?
When I was being dissatisfied, Yerim grabbed my arm .
“Ahjussi, don’t be taken in!”
What did you mean ‘taken in’ . It was super icky .
“Thinking over it, it is so . You paid much attention to me during this time . ”
I acknowledged that . I continued, to the smiling face .
“So, please show me some kindness this time as well . If you go back without much trouble, I could feel touched a little . ”
If you’re going to treat me well, treat me well to the end .
At the continuing words turning him away, Sung Hyunjae’s eyes quickly turned chilly . I am the person who is raising your place’s child, please calm down .
“It seems I have no choice . The one who falls for the other first[2], is the one who loses . ”
What was he even saying .
Sung Hyunjae gazed at Song Taewon once, and then obediently turned around . He clearly should’ve had a secret scheme, but he listened to me so well that it was uncomfortable instead .
“Yerim, you should start to go, to take the classes you skipped . ”
“How can I go, leaving ahjussi?”
“This is my house now . There’s also Hunters who are already guarding it . ”
At my words, Yerim glared at the silently standing Song Taewon .
“Even so, they’re only Ranks . If that ahjussi also leaves with me, then I’ll go . ”
Even if she was an S-Rank, Yerim wouldn’t be able to match up to him yet . He was the person who had the most combat experience against Hunters, instead of monsters, within the country . He would be able to easily subdue low-level Yerim .
“Why are you so aggressive? Even if he does something or the other, he’s a public official, so would anything happen? And he wouldn’t just drag somebody away without procedures . ”
“I do sometimes . ”
Song Taewon said unreservedly . …So he did drag people away . I didn’t know . Yerim put more strength into the hand grabbing my arm . It hurt .
“B-Rank and higher Hunters are capable of mass destruction, so immediate restraint is possible under my judgement . According to skill, it can be applicable to C-Rank and lower Hunters as well . ”
“…Ahjussi is also B-Rank, now . ”
Yerim whispered, frowning . Though I was stat F with zero attack skills .
“Truthfully, even if someone is dragged away, rather than me, Yerim, you would be first… hey hey . ”
Don’t pinch me . The adults around her were bad, so I worried that it wouldn’t be far before something happened so that I would have to visit a detention center .
“Of course, I have not come with that purpose today, so if you have not committed illegal actions, you can be relieved . ”
…There was murder, threatening, assault . Though I wouldn’t get caught . When I told Yerim to go to class again, she sent a gaze full of mistrust .
“You wouldn’t come up in the 9 o’clock news, or something, right?”
“Then send me food from outside[3] . ”
Yerim’s grumbling brought something to mind, so I took out a pen and memo sheet made from dungeon byproducts from my inventory . After writing down two phone numbers on the memo, I gave it to Yerim .
“In the unlikely case that I go missing, contact here and ask them to find me . ”
“Whose contact information is it?”
“You’ll know if you call . Don’t call pointlessly, though . ”
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It was Do Hamin’s and Yoon Yoon’s contact information .
I had changed my phone, but I had my ID card that was issued a long time ago, so if she commissioned Do Hamin, she would be able to find my location immediately . And Yoon Yoon, who had been stat B and couldn’t take others very far, was now stat S and had the ultra long distance portal skill, so an easy and safe escape was possible .
It meant that as long as I stayed alive, there wasn’t any need to worry .
When I pacified Yerim and sent her off, finally it was just Song Taewon and me . There wasn’t really any need to go around the facility more, so we went to the reception room that we had passed before .
“You have not come to actually drag me away, correct?”
I asked nonsensically, as we walked .
“No . Though I have met with your brother a while ago . ”
“……Sorry?”
“Since there were several dead people through Han Yoojin-ssi’s kidnapping case . I was a little surprised because it was the first time the Haeyeon Guild Leader accepted investigations that obediently . ”
“That… if it was the first time, does that mean there were similar situations before that?”
“It should have been about a quarterly event . ”
Quarterly… four times a year…… Yoohyun?!
With complicated feelings, I opened the reception room door . It was a luxuriously decorated room with one wall made out of glass . There was also a fairly large break room attached . Right now, there wasn’t anybody here, but soon, I should hire employees .
“I have not… heard about such things . Was there possibly a time when the problem was quite serious?”
“Seeing as there are not many things that are known publicly, it makes sense that you do not know . It is rare for things to not be serious with S-Rank Hunters, but still, it is much better lately . Since dungeon breaks barely occur . ”
Song Taewon continued speaking, smiling slightly .
“As the usage of attack skills cannot be restricted in regions where dungeon breaks have occurred, previously, I had to be resolved to lose about an arm, if my luck was bad . As you know, the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s disposition is not normal . ”
“……”
“I apologize . ”
When I hesitated, unsure of what I had to say, Song Taewon apologized .
“Ah, no . Or rather, I apologize . My brother is… it seems like he caused you much trouble . ”
Ah, shit, Yoohyun, what did you go around doing? It wasn’t a different guild or an ordinary Hunter, so why did ‘resolve to throw away an arm’ come from a public official’s mouth?
“Please do not pay too much mind . It is common for high rank Hunters to be sensitive while handling dungeons bursting, which are not even dungeon attacks . Especially if two or more S-Rank Hunters enter the same region of a break, there is no other method than to put up restriction lines and have healers on standby . Nevertheless, it was an uneasy time, so it was not known to the public . Considering that time, nowadays is really peaceful . ”
“That, Yoohyun… the Haeyeon Guild Leader also possibly……”
Song Taewon lost the calm expression he had maintained from the beginning and showed a helpless smile .
“I am becoming afraid of truthfully telling you a review of that time . You can see it as something that S-Rank Hunters who awakened initially have gone through at least once . So I was considerably worried when I heard the news that four S-Rank Hunters would go into the same dungeon . On top to that, two of them… nevermind . ”
They did pick fights with each other, but there wasn’t a big problem . I remembered Yoohyun being regretful that there was no reason for S-Rank Hunters to gather like that in a dungeon . If they originally fought with each other a lot, it must have piled up a lot, since it had been quite a long time since dungeon breaks became rare . In that time, their abilities would have changed a lot; it made sense that they were curious .
Still, it was wrong . Wait for the relatively safer ranking competitions to appear .
“Um, would you like something to drink? Should I give you coffee at least?”
Drinks were cheap, so it should be fine . Song Taewon nodded his head . When I went into the break room, I saw a large coffee machine . How did you use it… When I opened the cupboard, there was also instant coffee .
“The reason I came looking for you today, is to check Han Yoojin-ssi’s status . ”
I was ripping the instant coffee bag, when I suddenly heard the voice behind me . Why didn’t you just wait; why come in here too?
“My status?”
When I turned around, Song Taewon was looking down at me with that usual calm face .
“Yes . Han Yoojin-ssi’s stats are F . On the other hand, the ranks of your special skills are high . It means you are someone who is very easy to lay a hand on . ”
That, I also knew . That was why Yoohyun occasionally made suggestions, and I also paid attention in my own way and made my current place .
“You had a discussion with five guilds, but because of MKC, the balance has collapsed . I have heard that Hanshin is also receiving pressure in various ways . ”
Was that why there was absolutely no contact from Hanshin?
“Since apparently, they were taking Han Yoojin-ssi into an Rank dungeon in the middle of that chaos, I was suspicious . ”
Specifically, it was me taking them, though .
“Have you possibly ever received mental or physical harm?”
“…Excuse me? Well, I was tired because they kept on trying to fight . But it was about that much . ”
“You can speak comfortably . Is it not stranger for Han Yoojin-ssi to be unharmed? You may not know well, but there are skills and items that can manipulate people however one wants in the Hunters community . On top of that, the lower your stats are, the easier it is for those to be used . ”
I also knew that . And there was a time when I was about to suffer damage . But now, there was no need to worry much .
Mind types, especially brainwashing types, didn’t affect even stat F’s, if they were stable mentally . And the easiest way to make someone unstable was definitely fear . You just needed simple preparations called violence and threats .
‘But I have a fear resistance skill . ’
Not even one eyebrow twitched in front of an SS-Rank monster, so what were they going to do? So I didn’t really worry about that kind of skill or item .
“I am fine, so you do not have to worry . ”
Still, I was thankful that he did worry . At my reply, Song Taewon’s eyes became heavy and settled . It was strange, considering that it was a reaction to the words that I was alright .
And then a hand touched my neck . The hand that I couldn’t notice coming closer, wrapped around my neck and a thick thumb lightly pressed over where my pulse was .
“Chief Song?”
It was a situation I didn’t really understand, so I was a little baffled .
“Did nothing really happen to you?”
A voice one step heavier pieced my ear .
“Sorry? There was not anyth- ugh . ”
Strength was applied to the hand grabbing my neck . At the sensation of my breath being blocked, I did think that I had to do something no matter what, but there really wasn’t a method to . I wondered if I had to carry around an emergency bell or something .
Before that, there wasn’t any reason for this to happen .
“Cough, cough!”[4]
Thankfully, Song Taewon let go of me after not that long of a time passed . As the blocked breaths were spit out as coughs, I looked up at him . I mean, why- .
“Please excuse me . It seems that the one with the problem wasn’t the guild leaders, but Han Yoojin-ssi . ”
“……Sorry?”
Song Taewon opened a potion and held it out as he continued talking .
“I have observed Han Yoojin-ssi the entire time since the hospital . ”
I took the potion and took a sip . The pain in my neck settled down to a certain point . Was the reason why there wasn’t much of a reaction when Sung Hyunjae was being provoking, because he was watching me?
“I thought it could be like that, up to Hunter Bak Yerim . She is still young, and you seemed considerably close . However, Han Yoojin-ssi treated even the Seseong Guild Leader comfortably . ”
“Since we are acquaintances, in a way . ”
“It makes even less sense because it is so . You have gone into an Rank dungeon together . I know that Han Yoojin-ssi lost consciousness on the 2nd floor, after the SS-Rank monster was killed . Is it correct that you have seen the Seseong Guild Leader attack the SS-Rank monster?”
I nodded my head .
“After confirming the strength of a fiend in a different league than you, treating that person however you like, is definitely not like a normal stat F-Rank . Ordinary people get frightened even after meeting a ferocious dog barking fiercely . If the leash is released and it wanders the surroundings, there is hardly anybody who could calmly face it . Not just that, Han Yoojin-ssi couldn’t feel fear at all in other situations . ”
“Other situations?”
“Yes . Didn’t you stretch out your hand unhesitatingly at the baby dragon who had higher stats than you? Rather, Hunter Kang Soyoung was more worried . That is why I checked, risking discourtesy, but as expected, it was strange . ”
Was he talking about choking my neck? I was wondering why he was suddenly being like that, but he really didn’t have the intention to actually harm me .
“Even in a situation where your life was threatened, you were simply slightly surprised and taken aback – there was no indication that you were frightened at all . It was as if your fear was neutered . ”
He was correct .
“Even so, that is not something bad, right?”
“It is bad . ”
Song Taewon said concisely .
“Right now, it is the same as if Han Yoojin-ssi’s warning light has been turned off . It is good that you can overcome fear, but if you do not have any from the start, you will simply become reckless . It is even more so because your stats are low . If a lamb does not get frightened in front of a wolf, what could happen?”
It would probably become well prepared dinner .
“But if it knows that wolves are dangerous, then it would run away right away . ”
“That is true, but the current Han Yoojin-ssi seems like the type who would try to observe wolves, thinking this distance should be fine . It is not completely dangerous, but it is also not safe . ”
Was that so? But there were times when it was scary when the skill message window didn’t pop .
When Yoohyun and Yerim were having their battle of nerves, I trembled a little, and I was a little scared when Suk Simyeong contacted me, and I was startled when I was told to gather 50 S-Ranks, and…
…Thinking of it, lately, if it was a certain point, I just passed it over . Even when the S-Rank Hunters were growling as a group, rather than being afraid, I was annoyed . When Yoon Yoon changed into the demon king, the fear resistance skill’s message window didn’t pop up at all . Even if we knew each other, it was against an SS-Rank monster .
Compared to about a month ago, I had definitely become insensitive .
‘Am I getting dull because there is no stimulus?’
I thought that it could be dangerous if I left it like this . Should I leave the fear resistance off at least at home? Or watch a horror movie with it off .
“It seems that is accurate . I will try to be careful . Thank you for paying attention . ”
“……You are quite a difficult person . ”
At the expression of thanks, Song Taewon showed a slightly helpless smile .
“The finger marks on your neck have not even been erased completely yet . ”
“……Oh . ”
This was strange, even when I thought about it . I should be careful .
“I would like to thank Han Yoojin-ssi personally . I was also worried about the Awakening Centers, but there was nothing I could do . So, I would like even more for there to not be any problems near you . ”
He said that firstly, there were no big issues, so it was a relief . And then he took out a pen and a memo sheet from his inventory and wrote down a number .
“This is my personal contact information . If you happen to need help, please contact me any time . ”
“Thank you . ”
But what should we do about Song Taewon-ssi’s way back? He didn’t even have a car .
“Um, there should be an employee or a Hunter with a car . I will ask them to escort you back- . ”
“No thank you . I will go directly on the subway . ”
It wasn’t even a taxi, but the subway . I wanted to drive him if only I had a driver’s license . I should get one .
“Ah, I do not know if you have seen the news, but recently there are frequent terrorist attacks against Hunters . They are mainly aiming at the Hunter Association, but the rearing facility even has Yoo Myeongwoo-ssi added, so you should be careful, as you have become well known . ”
“Yes, I will . ”
The group insisting that the dungeons had to burst open didn’t terrorize Korea until a long time later . I couldn’t remember well the instances overseas, but I definitely remembered the ones within the country .
Still, there was no way for the future to be completely the same, so should I keep it in mind?
[1] just fyi I’ve been tl-ing this word as either pen or cage depending on context, bc ‘cage’ in eng (to me) brings to mind more negative connotations
[2] he doesn’t say the ‘for the other’ part, but if I left it as just ‘fall’, then it might be mistaken as like… physically falling or w/e, so I added that . He’s definitely saying ‘becoming enamored’ but it sounds better as ‘fall for sb’ which is why I tl’d it that way
[3] the word for ‘food’ used is specifically ‘food brought for an inmate from outside’, so I added the ‘from outside’ to try to get that meaning across .
[4] lit . ‘kollok, kollok’ which are coughing sounds, but eng doesn’t really have those . He’s not actually saying ‘cough’, I just meant that he’s coughing