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Kyung Samin seemed like he would really do it if he said he would. If his personality was also crazy when he already seemed to have tremendous drive in strange places?
[Breaking News] Hunters’ Debauchery, Is This Really Okay?
[Hunter Ranking #2 Slope Arrested, Buries Fellow Hunter in Mountain.. Citizens ‘Shocked’]
[Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree to Pass Special Hunter Investigation Act in National Assembly This Month..]
The internet news headlines that immediately came to mind would become reality. Hadn’t his own incident been covered extensively in internet newspapers too? It had even appeared on the 9 o’clock primetime news. Doun was confident that he knew better than anyone how coldly the public turned toward hunters. He had already experienced it himself.
‘Let me stop him first.’
Doun desperately tapped the forearm that was still binding his body and tried to dissuade Samin.
“No. If you do that, you’ll go to prison…!”
It was a desperate voice that clearly showed genuine worry. That made Samin even angrier. To think of exploiting and oppressing such a person. They weren’t even worth treating as fellow humans.
“Ha. I’m really going crazy.”
While feeling an uncontrollable urge to kill on one hand. Thinking that the reason Doun could still maintain his #1 ranking position despite a one-year gap was because he had endured everything alone and made it this far, his heart ached.
The guild members watching the two from a slight distance muttered.
“What are they talking about?”
“Guild master hyung is probably throwing another fit.”
“Ppomi. Let’s quickly gather the rest too. Let’s get out and hit up a company dinner.”
“Yep!”
The gathering hunter Ppomi moved energetically. To have time left over even after neatly organizing magic stones in inventory. He was so moved he could dance.
“But my phone is about to explode. Too many contacts coming in. It’s kinda scary…”
Kim Chansol muttered while caressing his heating phone. Even though he was someone thirsty for attention, this was a bit troublesome. Attention pouring in without even having time to properly digest the attention! This must be the dignity of a guild that possessed Magnetic, the all-time legend ranking #1.
“Phew…”
While gathering hunter Ppomi was swinging his skills enthusiastically to dig out magic stones buried in the floor boss’s flesh, Samin, who had barely calmed down thanks to Doun’s dissuasion, sighed.
‘On such an auspicious day, there’s no need to bring up talk about such scum…’
Having calmed his heart, he tightly hugged Doun who was trying to slip away from his embrace and murmured in his ear.
“Hyung. What did I tell you? I said you’d adapt quickly, right? Our guild members are all nice and like you. Honestly, I can’t say everyone likes you, but they’re not interested rather than disliking you.”
Doun anxiously looked around. Even though two men were hugging, the guild members were either harassing gathering hunter Ppomi who was climbing on top of the floor boss slashing away, maintaining their weapons, or looking at their phones.
‘Am I the only one conscious of it…?’
Doun took in the faces of people made up of inexplicably strange warmth one by one, then looked up at Samin.
“Was I really okay?”
“…”
Samin, who had been singing a round song about how amazing hyung was just moments ago, suddenly fell silent. Looking down quietly at eyes that wanted him to say something, he grinned and murmured.
“Lee Doun, you were really cool.”
Not hunter Magnetic, but Lee Doun. Just being called by his real name instead of his nickname made his heart swell and his nose tingle as if hearing praise for the first time in his life.
“…Yeah.”
His voice seemed to tremble a little. He didn’t want to show the sight of a grown man crying over a single compliment. Samin, who was watching his nose twitch and lips press together tightly, gently applied strength to his arms and added.
“And…”
“…”
“Thank you for listening to my unreasonable request.”
“…”
“Mm! Still, it feels good to go around the tower once, right?”
Samin changed the atmosphere by asking back in a deliberately cheerful voice and released Doun. As soon as he loosened his grip, Doun quickly pulled his body away as if he’d been waiting, which was so adorable it was infuriating.
“…Yeah.”
Still, it was a much calmer voice than before. Samin nodded as if that was enough, cracked his neck left and right making menacing bone sounds, then approached the guild member who was still swinging his sword to gather magic stones.
“Ha. This is Yeoun’s class. 45th floor new record. Keuu…!”
At Samin’s shamelessness, the guild members standing nearby began quietly harassing Samin while pretending not to notice Doun’s teary eyes.
“Ah, guild master-nim. Honestly, aren’t you embarrassed about taking 1st place in contribution by seasoning with poison gas?”
Starting with Kim Chansol who retied his slightly disheveled hair while scolding, other guild members gradually chimed in.
“That’s what I’m saying. Really don’t go around saying you’re Yeoun’s guild master. It’s embarrassing for guild members.”
Rain Work Do Hyeonwoo, who had subtly yielded more monsters to Doun while secretly pestering him to show skills and tell mana management tips, coldly spat out sharp words.
“Yes yes. I’m really sorry. Sorry for being a guild master who eats up contribution with seasoning! If that bothers you, why don’t you leave? I don’t hold back people who want to go.”
Even though it was quite an aggressive tone that made even listening Doun shrink back, Samin didn’t look hurt at all as he picked his ear. Every time he moved his pinky finger, the Kyung family heirloom ring on his finger sparkled.
“No. Hmm. Well, it’s not to the point of withdrawing.”
“Alright! Kyung Samin, who took 1st place contribution with seasoning, is treating to seasoned chicken to commemorate the new record! Raise your hands if you’ll eat! No forced participation. Only come if you want to.”
When Samin raised his hand, all the guild members nearby began raising their hands. Even Ppomi, who had been slashing to dig out magic stones, raised his sword high. The gleaming blade was quite chilling.
“Me! Ppomi participating!”
“Is human Minhyeok participating, or is cute puppy Ppomi coming?”
When Kim Chansol giggled and asked back, Ppomi Kim Minhyeok, who had driven his sword into the hard flesh, shouted loudly.
“Human Kim Minhyeok! Participating! Aaah!”
The boss’s magic stone seemed to be deeper than expected, making gathering take a long time. Watching everyone except himself raise their hands, Doun looked around nervously then quietly raised his hand.
“Me too…”
At that sight, Samin clenched his fist tightly.
‘Aaah. Fuck! Am I crazy? I’m really going crazy from how cute he is.’
He couldn’t punch the air in front of Doun, nor could he kick anything nearby. He could only tremble his body while feeling the explosive emotions as they were.
A modest company dinner was scheduled as soon as magic stone gathering finished. Thanks to that, everyone began chatting in a highly elevated mood. Samin, who had been stuck to Doun’s side like a leech, approached the guild members and whispered something, then returned to Doun and started speaking.
“Oh right. Hyung. I discussed with the other guild members, and we decided to split the magic stones half to you and half to the rest. Originally we split equally by the number of people who participated in conquest, but humanly speaking, it seemed wrong to split this equally.”
Honestly, taking 1st place in contribution was all because he wanted to look cool early on by sweeping away small monsters first with wide-range but non-lethal damage, but the real 1st place in conquest contribution was Doun. Without his amazing backup, they’d still be conquering.
“Why are you giving me half?”
But Doun just widened his eyes and asked back.
“…Did that bastard also steal your magic stones?”
Without needing to mention names or nicknames, that bastard was naturally Timer Choi Jeongwook.
“Ah, no. I mean, everyone came to help me with floors I’m behind on, so why give me half?”
“Hyung. Are you kidding? We just followed behind you from the middle.”
“Still. This isn’t right.”
Watching Doun firmly refuse, Samin sighed deeply then grabbed his shoulders and began persuading him.
“No. Everyone here wanted to go around the tower with you, so they played rock-paper-scissors among themselves and only the winners were selected to come.”
At Samin’s explanation, the guild members who had been watching from behind nodded and waved their fists. It was a gesture showing they had succeeded in fierce competition. But contrary to their feelings, Doun couldn’t easily accept that fact completely.
“No… Why should I take it? If I take this, people will curse at me again.”
Doun’s voice was very plain. No sadness or anger could be felt. It was just a calm voice that only someone who had experienced countless worst-case scenarios could make, as if all emotions had passed and eventually worn away.
But Samin had already seen it. In the taxi going home, muttering in a lonely voice with a sad face, sniffling from rising emotions while trying to cover the situation with a cold excuse.
Even if he spoke so calmly, his heart wouldn’t be like that at all.
“There are hardly any people cursing at you now. I can’t say there are absolutely none, but those kinds of crazy bastards exist everywhere anyway.”
Doun nodded and smiled awkwardly. It might be different if only Samin was there, but now other guild members were watching too. Moreover, he didn’t want to say more depressing things in front of grateful people who had taken time to help him.
“Right.”
“Just take half the magic stones. Honestly, I barely managed to bring you here to fill our guild’s lacking damage, so I need to do at least this much for my conscience to be comfortable.”
He could no longer refuse. Doun glanced at gathering hunter Ppomi who was still swinging his sword and asked.
“Then I’m really taking half?”
“Yes!”
To think he could smile like that when giving away half. Thinking so, Doun nodded then called the hunter who was busily gathering.
“Ppomi-nim!”
“…Huh? Yes! Yes! Why me? I’ll dig it out soon!”
Ppomi, who often watched Doun’s videos, turned around with wide eyes. A blue-gleaming sword was still in his hand.
“Could you come out for a moment?”
“Oh. Of course! How far back should I retreat?”
“This way.”
Doun politely pointed toward where the guild members were gathered with the tip of his staff that he had summoned instantly with blue light. As the figure that had been on top of the floor boss’s corpse higher than a hill instantly retreated, the blade-shaped decoration at the end of the long staff poured out pure white light.
Flash 閃光.
Less than ten people had acquired it, making detailed information sharing difficult. It was something that gained fame just by name as a skill Magnetic often used, and it instantly and precisely sliced the hard chunk of meat.
Magic stones of mysterious colors that had been embedded in the head, heart, and around the navel floated in the air in intact form and arrived in front of Doun as if drawn to him.
“…What just…”
It was a sight that made even Samin, who had seen Doun’s skills before the guild members here and inwardly thought he knew Magnetic’s skills better than anyone, stammer.
“I extracted the magic stones.”
“No, I get that. But you used Flash to extract magic stones…?”
His usually smooth voice stuttered. Samin covered his dazed face with his palm and rubbed it repeatedly.
“This is the most efficient way. Why?”
Samin was speechless, and the guild members standing behind had dreamy expressions. Among magic-type hunters, Magnetic was using a rare skill that fewer than ten people had acquired just to dig out boss magic stones. Just because it was efficient.
“What’s wrong?”
Doun looked around at the quiet surroundings and asked back with an anxious expression.
“No. Thanks to you, gathering finished super fast so we’re excited. Wow. We can go straight to chicken dinner.”
Samin forcibly returned to his usual self, and Doun, whose relief was evident as he thought it was nothing serious, handed the magic stones to Samin.
“Should I just give all of these to you for now?”
“Ah. No. Give them to Ppomi. The gathering person collects everything, sells when prices are good, and divides then.”
At Samin’s words, Doun carefully handed the magic stones to the gathering hunter. Ppomi politely collected the magic stones with a face that didn’t know what to do from the honor. Thinking he was too precious to sell.
Seeing him give the magic stones straight to the guild master after gathering, it seemed like in the previous Chronos Guild, that trashy guild master bastard ate everything and distributed later. Usually other guilds also had guild masters collect and distribute according to guild rules, but it didn’t seem like Timer that bastard would have distributed fairly. Samin was irritated.
Unaware of Samin’s feelings, Doun quietly approached before leaving the tower and asked.
“Where are we eating chicken today?”
Because of soft Lee Doun, his stomach was exploding, so today’s dinner absolutely had to be seasoned chicken with bones.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
