< Cracked Magic Stone (2) >
I took out the cracked magic stone from my inventory. As if he had felt something, Peace growled softly and showed wariness. Chirpie also stared with its eyes round. Though its eyes were always round.
“Is that… a magic stone?”
Yoohyun said, frowning slightly. With him being uncomfortable like Peace, I thought that there was something like bad energy spilling out from the cracked magic stone that I couldn’t feel.
“It’s the magic stone of the guy you contracted with.”
“……What?”
The bitter expression quickly contorted. It seemed like he was shocked and it also seemed like he was angry. Seeing how he was grinding his teeth, it must be the latter.
“Why does hyung have that? Does that mean you faced a guy who could make a L-Rank curse contract… s.h.i.t!”
“Should I say I faced him? Calm down and listen.”
“Sung Hyunjae, that d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d, couldn’t properly protect you and still-!”
He growled like he would go barging into Seseong Guild right away, but he didn’t actually storm out. Instead, he turned to look at me with eyes full of worry and uneasiness mixed together.
“…Did you really only get hurt in the leg? Tell me truthfully, hyung.”
Yoohyun said, grabbing my wrist. At the interrogation asking if I didn’t get caught in a curse or other skills, I replied that I was okay. Since it was true that only my leg was hurt for my real body.
As I pacified my brother, I told him about what had happened. I omitted the random kidnapping case, and explained that after we beat back MKC and Soodam attacking, I released Sung Hyunjae’s contract, when a dragon human type appeared.
“The curse and poison dragon king’s owner used a mind-related skill and I was caught, but the system manufacturers appeared and saved me. Laying a hand on me was a type of violation of rules, so they killed that lizard owner and gave the magic stone to me.”
It was also true that they saved me. I continued, looking back at the still hardened face.
“It was almost a little dangerous, but thanks to that, the lizard b.a.s.t.a.r.d was caught. It’s something good. Loosen up your expression a bit.”
“A little?”
“It wasn’t my real body, and the system side came immediately. I said that side pays a lot of attention, didn’t I?”
Just in case, I should get Water Droplet and Newcomer to keep quiet when I meet them.
“And it already ended well without any particular trouble. Besides that, you know that our world won’t hold out for long, right?”
“…I heard more or less.”
“And you should’ve heard that if you’re in the high range of S-Ranks, there’s a method for escaping.”
“I did hear, but it doesn’t really concern me, so I don’t really remember.”
Don’t make me laugh. I’m well informed of your record. Was there any reason a guy with a good head would forget that kind of important content?
“What ‘can’t remember’! You should’ve pretended to cooperate just in case, like Sung Hyunjae – why would you just thoughtlessly refuse?”
Yoohyun stared at me a little sulkily.
“If I was going to accept that, I wouldn’t have avoided hyung in the first place. And there would’ve been no reason to avoid you either.”
“Still, if it was you alone, you could be safe.”
At that time, too, if he hadn’t taken care of me. Unconsciously, I clenched my teeth. My insides hurt a little.
“…Even if it wasn’t for hyung, they were unpleasant guys. There wouldn’t have been any need to keep on collaborating with them.”
“They did have a lot to say and were stupid, too. They definitely wouldn’t have been guys you should a.s.sociate with for a long time.”
Smiling lightly, I continued.
“Thanks to that, I was able to learn the way to save the world. No, it’s not completely saving, and if we manage and endure the dungeons well, apparently it’ll be safe for about a hundred years.”
“A hundred years?”
“Yeah. Though the level of difficulty for dungeons will go up more, so it won’t be easy to endure. Still, if we bear with it for about five years, peace will come for a hundred years~. I don’t know what’ll happen after a hundred years, but would I be alive then?”
But Yoohyun would be alive, and he would be able to leave this world. I just had to build things up so it would happen.
And well, somehow our world’s people could endure again a hundred years later. Since there would already be experience and information stacked up.
“That guy spoke like the likelihood was low, but we just have to hold out?”
“Yeah. Definitely. The lizard owner, who was an obstacle, was disposed of, and the system manufacturers said they would help, so it won’t be that hard. Above all, there are kiseungsu. I’ll raise the monsters well, and Myeongwoo will make weapons, too. Special skill apt.i.tude people will be found, and you heard about Suk Hayan, right? When the research results come out from her team, it’ll be a huge help for managing dungeons.”
Even when I heard it, my voice was light and bright.
“We just have to suffer for exactly five years. Then, to be content, what should we do? Is there something you want to do?”
The set of his eyes that had been stiff throughout, finally softened.
“Hm, what about hyung?”
“Me? I wonder.”
I thought of the white tree and the white bird.
“Should I go on a trip? Since I haven’t gone, other than on a school trip.”
“That would also be good.”
I looked at my smiling younger brother’s face. Right now, I should only think of the matters here. There was a lot to do. They were piled up.
“Name your elemental. You didn’t yet, right?”
The fire lizard was wandering around Yoohyun’s shoulder. It was still a young elemental, but it was the purest flame that had been born from an egg. Thanks to the lizard owner guy being a sorcerer from a world without the system, he knew a considerable amount about elementals, too.
The hatching condition was good, and its compatibility with Yoohyun was good enough that they immediately contracted. If he could break out of the mold of the system, he would be able to become stronger much faster than before the regression.
“Don’t just randomly name it and give it some thought, and ask its opinion, too.”
“Do I have to go that far?”
“Hey, do you know how precious it is? It’ll be a big help from now on, so raise it well.”
“I’m already feeding it well. And in the equipment storage room, there was a time when it ate up several billions of won worth in one breath, while I wasn’t looking.”
…It seemed like it had swallowed several high rank equipment or something. High rank magic stones would rather be better; to think that they were items. It was a dangerous fire lizard. Just then, I received a text on my phone. When I checked it, it was Suk Simyeong.
[I will be grateful if you would ask Guild Leader if he could answer his phone.]
“Team Head[1] Suk is asking you to answer your phone.”
Though there wasn’t a single vibration sound. Did he just turn it off? At my words, Yoohyun annoyedly took out his cell phone and made a call. Hearing it more or less, it seemed like a complaint had come in because of sweeping away the A-Rank dungeon building and the surroundings. On top of that, since he turned around and came back after making that mess, it seemed like there was talk about this and that.
“Go over for a moment.”
“It’s okay.”
“At least for the peace 5 years later, don’t make pointless enemies. It’ll require a lot of people’s help, so if possible, you should be amicable. It’s not that hard showing your face once.”
He had an expression saying he really didn’t want to, but he stood up from his seat. Looking at that, I wondered if it wouldn’t suit Yoohyun’s disposition to move around alone, like Riette. If it wasn’t for me, he might have done so. I really did drag him down in various ways.
Yoohyun left, and I placed Peace and Chirpie onto the sofa and stood up. Those two followed right behind me as I walked toward the bathroom. When I closed the door so they couldn’t come in, I heard displeased whining and chirping.
“Wait for a bit.”
I reasoned with them, and stood in front of the sink. The cracked magic stone, and one more thing. I took out another magic stone from my inventory. It was the SS-Rank magic stone that came out from the dragon human type.
The curse and poison dragon king’s owner. Diarma combined magic stones with magic stones, and made new curse and poison dragons. I saw his skills, so I knew the method. Though I didn’t know if I could use it.
‘The foundation isn’t bad.’
Dragon Slayer and Perfect Caregiver. If I broke free from the skill effects that the system told me, and just thought of those characteristics, it was appropriate for raising dragon types.
‘Suppression power that can oppress even while carrying a curse and poison dragon type’s magic stone. A strength that can cause growth. And lastly, the combination… should be possible through the Teacher skill.’
It was a skill that could connect each of the other two. I had these three, so you could see it as having the innate talent for it.
Wouldn’t I be able to fill up the lacking parts with Diarma’s magic stone? Like how Diarma also received help from a teacher of the same species when he was young.
‘Let’s make the center the dragon human type’s magic stone.’
The to-be-born dragon type’s abilities would differ according to the average of magic stones and the sorcerer’s competence. So there wasn’t a difference which one I used as the main one, but I didn’t want to combine them prioritizing that Diarma guy. It was simply an already dead magic stone, but the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who laid a hand on my younger brother should be used as a piece of material.
The closer the region that would carry the magic stones were to the heart, the better the effect was. I loosened and pushed away my shirt, and took out a short knife. The body reflected in the mirror was smooth without a single scar. Since I could get potions and healing skills at any time after the regression. But the wound that would be made would be impossible to heal. Even with that rank, that Diarma guy was covered in scars.
I lightly pierced above where my heart was beating. When I touched the cracked magic stone to the wound, it absorbed the blood as it spread the wound open and went inside. There wasn’t much pain. Maybe he had smelled the blood, because I heard Peace scratching the door.
“It’s okay, Peace.”
It was still smooth sailing for now. I tried to recall Diarma’s memories, and moved my mana. Using up several bottles of mana potions, I pressed the white magic stone on top of the black, spread out wound. The white magic stone swallowed the black magic stone as if enveloping it. Then, the wound closed and a small scar was left.
I let out a thin sigh. First of all, it was a success. Though I didn’t know what kind of dragon type would be born. Suddenly, I took out a gla.s.s bottle from my inventory. The red magic stone tumbling in the bottle softly made tapping sounds.
“Hi, Blackie.”
If it’s safely born, I’ll bring you out soon, too.
-Kkoooong
As soon as I cleanly cleared things away and opened the bathroom door, Peace stuck onto me. Maybe low-stat Chirpie hadn’t smelled the blood, because it seemed puzzled.
“I said it’s okay. It wasn’t anything. Chirpie, you come here, too.”
I held them two and returned to the living room sofa again.
I told Yoohyun that it wouldn’t be that hard holding out, but it naturally wasn’t the truth. 50 S-Ranks wasn’t going to cut it. Since the important thing was the quality, instead of the number.
At that, what was lucky was that I had the ability to raise Hunters. Adding onto that, now I got a kid for some time. So there would probably be enough of a possibility.
‘Why would the immoral people have told me to just gather, not raise, 50?’
Thinking it odd, I opened my status window. They had touched it at some point, because the arrows and the trifling words like ‘good luck’ had disappeared. Among my skills, I checked the Last Repayment skill.
[Last Repayment(L) – Upon the death of a keyword-influenced target, receive all the skills and abilities of the target with twice the effect
Duration time: 7 days
※Overlap impossible]
Doubled, and doubled again because it was a curse and poison dragon type. I stroked the wound under my clothes. It was a method I still didn’t particularly want to use. But I needed at least one last measure. A measure to protect my younger brother, and to go find him.
“Starting from tomorrow, I’ll get even busier, so let’s rest for one day today.”
I hugged Peace and Chirpie and stretched out on the sofa.
I couldn’t return to the rearing facility until the evening the next day, too. Because of settling the matters of MKC and Soodam, I was held up for the entire day.
Two S-Rank Hunters had conspired to murder another S-Rank Hunter.
Obviously, it wasn’t a normal matter. It wasn’t spread publicly yet, but it was an incident that would be enough for the 9 o’clock news to be noisy about for days and days. Thanks to that, Song Taewon had a weary face throughout, despite being an S-Rank Hunter. It seemed like there was no helping mental fatigue.
They had met up with and talked to Sung Hyunjae yesterday, so today was my turn. I excluded the things about Sung Hyunjae’s contract and the filial duty addicts, and explained similarly to what I told Yoohyun yesterday. For Riette’s case, it was handled as her having been employed by MKC, and then stopping when she learned the truth.
“Soodam will probably bear responsibility for the most of the charge, as the mastermind.”
Song Taewon said, mixed with a sigh.
“MKC still has st.u.r.dy backing left, so even though they will suffer a blow, they probably will not collapse.”
“They certainly live comfortably. Will the Seseong Guild Leader just let it pa.s.s?”
When Sung Hyunjae came up, Song Taewon’s expression became darker. It seemed like he had been quite hara.s.sed.
“Would something like that happen? He will probably wage war in secret for a long time. He was already provoking MKC over Han Yoojin-ssi’s kidnapping affair, and he caught another big affair……”
The sigh was beyond being heavy, to being earth-shaking. I stared at Song Taewon being like that, and then spoke lightly.
“The a.s.sociation side is probably also on the stance of letting it pa.s.s, right?”
“Yes. As they are not pleased over the balance of the giant guilds collapsing. They wish for the continued rivalry.”
“Even so, to think that they would close their eyes to undeniable criminal actions. And there is nothing to be done about the confidence in the a.s.sociation falling, as Hunters.”
“……For that point, I also do not have anything to say, except for an apology.”
The heavy voice was burningly bitter. It was definitely unfavorable in various ways to just leave the current a.s.sociation alone. They would probably keep on dragging people down in the situation where Hunters were getting stronger and had to combine their strength.
‘If Sung Hyunjae had chosen the path to block dungeons and endure before the regression, it might’ve been right that he was the one who killed Song Taewon.’
It would’ve been a waste of an S-Rank Hunter, but it would’ve been more favorable instead to tear down the a.s.sociation, with Haeyeon occupying Korea and making it into a community prioritizing Hunters. He probably had tried giving the backstory and persuading, but did it not get through? Or was there a different reason?
“Truthfully, it is also not trustworthy that the a.s.sociation Head is an Unawakened Person. If Chief Song Taewon was the a.s.sociation Head instead, I think it would’ve been reliable.”
At the words mixed with laughter, a crease formed between Song Taewon’s brows. He didn’t answer and let is pa.s.s in favor of the details of the compensation.
With the chilly response, I had a hunch that it wouldn’t be that easy to draw him in.
And when I returned home, Myeongwoo was collapsed on the living room floor.
[1] ok this is all abt nuance so tl;dr but anyways, I previously tl’d this as ‘Department Head’ bc the concept of ‘team leader’ (the lit. def of the word used, with ‘team’ being in eng transliterated) seemed different to me in eng vs krn, esp since krn also uses ‘team’ for ‘department’ (ex: human resources department, public relations department, etc.). I haven’t heard ‘team leader’ used much formally in eng, so idk if this is right, but it seems to be something like a project leader; the eng t.i.tle seems smaller scale and less versatile compared to how this word is used in krn (which I’ve seen tl’d from anything to project/team leader to manager to department chief), and anyways for this particularly context, ssm is the head of the human resources department (hence my prev tl). BUT technically, there is a krn word for ‘department head’, so after some thought, I compromised with ‘team head’, since ‘head’ sounds more formal than ‘leader’.