#188
“It’s been convenient until now, but it’s a shame. It was really nice how he would fill in whenever we had gaps.”
“That’s right. Unlike other rude hunters, he would listen well if we just pretended to be a little upset.”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s expression gradually hardened. With those few sentences, he clearly understood how the Gate Management Office operated. They also resolved the questions he had earlier.
He had wondered why they were pushing newly awakened hunters to make advances, but apparently this had been happening numerous times before.
Contrary to what Yoon Pa-ran had said, the civil servants at the Gate Management Office didn’t avoid him. Rather, they had keenly recognized his soft nature and had been eagerly assigning him difficult and unpleasant tasks.
To think he hadn’t noticed this sooner.
“…”
The presence of the people gradually faded away.
However, Dan Joo-hyuk couldn’t move for a while, surrendering to the familiar sensation of regret consuming him.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day.
Dan Joo-hyuk followed Yoon Pa-ran to the gate. Minister Byeon said he would discipline the civil servants who had tampered with the roster at will, but still questioned whether Dan Joo-hyuk needed to go to the gate as well. This was because the assigned gate was merely D-rank.
Of course, that was all careless nonsense, so he simply ignored it. As if he knew what might happen to Yoon Pa-ran.
“Hunter Yoon Pa-ran! You’ve arrived.”
When they arrived at the gate site with Yoon Pa-ran, many people were already waiting in front. The diligent Yoon Pa-ran moved as usual, but everyone else had gathered unnecessarily early.
Even that displeased Dan Joo-hyuk.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk is coming along too.”
Among them were people from the Fish Cutlet Guild. The guild master, who had greeted Yoon Pa-ran warmly, awkwardly addressed Dan Joo-hyuk as well.
Naturally, Dan Joo-hyuk ignored him.
“…”
He was in a rather irritable state right now. Though he had made an effort to act normally when picking up Yoon Pa-ran this morning, he had been on edge since yesterday.
He deliberately tried to ignore any unfamiliar faces among the hunters. He didn’t want to feel the syndrome’s sensations with Yoon Pa-ran beside him.
“Well then, I’ll go prepare!”
The people from the Fish Cutlet Guild tactfully disappeared from Dan Joo-hyuk’s side.
Yoon Pa-ran was immediately surrounded by civil servants upon arrival. They could be heard enthusiastically briefing him about the current gate.
Standing diagonally behind them, Dan Joo-hyuk calmly surveyed the surroundings.
He was keeping the wavelengths emanating from himself somewhat subdued compared to usual. It was a stifling behavior, but with his awareness of Yoon Pa-ran, this felt more comfortable.
The civil servants, conscious of Dan Joo-hyuk, occasionally glanced in his direction. Though they were visibly uncomfortable due to what he had done at the Gate Management Office yesterday, they didn’t give up on talking to Yoon Pa-ran.
“So we’ve put together a list of equipment that might be helpful for Hunter Yoon Pa-ran. Please take a look.”
“Of course, consumables not on the list will be provided to Hunter Yoon Pa-ran without limit.”
“Uh… Thank you.”
They had gone beyond being kind to the point of becoming servile. They seemed desperate, as if Yoon Pa-ran might leave Korea for another country at any moment.
It should certainly be a positive change, but Dan Joo-hyuk found their behavior disgusting.
Still, there shouldn’t be any more of the dirty tricks he had confirmed yesterday. It was probably influenced by Dan Joo-hyuk’s upheaval, but high-ranking officials like Minister Byeon also seemed to take seriously what the Gate Management Office had been doing to Yoon Pa-ran.
“…”
Yes, everything had been properly resolved. However, Dan Joo-hyuk was irritated by the civil servants’ attitude, which had become infinitely favorable toward Yoon Pa-ran.
“Thank you, Hunter Yoon Pa-ran. You’re really kind…!”
Was it because of the civil servants who were blushing at Yoon Pa-ran’s face, even while Dan Joo-hyuk was glaring coldly from behind?
“Hunter Yoon Pa-ran’s equipment, it must be high-grade, right?”
“I thought he was just wearing something that suited him, but now it seems like pretty high-tier equipment.”
“Well, he does have a fairly good-looking face.”
Or was it because other hunter guys were also looking at Yoon Pa-ran with even more sinister eyes?
“…”
Dan Joo-hyuk looked around with a cold gaze. Everyone gathered in front of the gate was staring at Yoon Pa-ran. Yet he himself was completely oblivious to it.
Yoon Pa-ran had always had a face that attracted attention. And now that his true value had been revealed, he was receiving even more explosive interest.
Realizing this, Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Is everyone properly prepared?”
Having finished listening to the civil servant’s explanation, Yoon Pa-ran now approached the people from the Fish Cutlet Guild. His expression was brightly relaxed, as if he felt some sort of familiarity with them.
Seeing that innocent face without a hint of wariness, Dan Joo-hyuk now felt simply overwhelmed.
“Yes!”
“Come on, it’s just a D-rank gate with Hunter Yoon Pa-ran here, what is there to worry about?”
Since resolving the Great Gate incident, the people from the Fish Cutlet Guild had been acting excessively friendly with Yoon Pa-ran.
They contacted him frequently even when he was with Dan Joo-hyuk, and spoke to him casually like this.
“Hey, you idiot. Our role is to escort Hunter Yoon Pa-ran, who are you trying to impress?”
“Ow, that hurts! I mean, with Hunter Dan Joo-hyuk here, what’s the—”
“Be quiet.”
The youngest person in the Fish Cutlet Guild persistently continued speaking despite being hit on the back of the head. Dan Joo-hyuk’s sensitive perception felt other hunters exchanging glances.
“Should I try talking to him too?”
“I’ve been on raids with him before, and he’s more approachable than you’d think.”
“Really? I thought he was just difficult to deal with.”
“No, it’s just that he doesn’t tolerate if someone picks a fight with him. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hunter Yoon Pa-ran start trouble with innocent people first.”
Every single conversation was irritating beyond measure.
It was all because of the people from the Fish Cutlet Guild. The sight of them speaking familiarly to Yoon Pa-ran was serving as a catalyst for the others who hovered around him.
Unable to tolerate the developing atmosphere, Dan Joo-hyuk finally approached Yoon Pa-ran with a fierce smile.
“Yoon Pa-ran.”
“Yeah?”
“Come here.”
“Hmm? Okay.”
He abruptly pulled Yoon Pa-ran away from the numerous gazes. He didn’t explain why, but Yoon Pa-ran followed him with his characteristically gentle demeanor.
At that trusting behavior, Dan Joo-hyuk could finally breathe.
“When I interrogated that guy yesterday…”
“Didn’t you send me all the documents?”
“There’s something I wanted to tell you directly.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“I just thought of it now.”
In reality, there was nothing of the sort, but Dan Joo-hyuk pretended it was important and spoke at length.
However, he knew that hiding Yoon Pa-ran from the gazes of others like this was nothing more than a temporary measure.
While acting naturally so as not to reveal this ugly emotion, Dan Joo-hyuk’s insides continued to fester.
❖ ❖ ❖
The gate raid proceeded smoothly.
In fact, it would have been problematic if it hadn’t been smooth. It was just a D-rank gate after all, and even without Dan Joo-hyuk’s participation, there were many hunters present. This was to ensure they could bring out all the safe zone statues, which were considerable in weight and volume.
Perhaps that was why the relaxed atmosphere continued throughout the raid. Especially around the time they headed to the second safe zone, the completely relaxed hunters kept engaging Yoon Pa-ran in friendly conversation.
“Can you keep creating these safe zones?”
“Probably. It doesn’t seem like there’s a limit to the maximum number that can be created.”
Yoon Pa-ran’s skill was set to evolve to the next level after just a few more uses.
After the Great Gate, the rate of gate occurrences had drastically decreased. So the process of bringing statues out to the real world and collecting them took a bit longer than expected.
There was also one minor problem, but he planned to resolve it soon.
Anyway, the day when Yoon Pa-ran would no longer need that equipment item was not far off. He could continue using it since the item’s performance was good, but Yoon Pa-ran wouldn’t need to enter gates in the future anyway.
It meant one pretext connecting Yoon Pa-ran and himself would disappear. Even as he thought this, Dan Joo-hyuk kept ruminating on the opposite regret.
Though it could no longer be used as a pretext, he should have given that item without attaching any reason. After all, it was an item for Yoon Pa-ran, and he should have found a way to give it to him regardless.
“Are these statues really necessary?”
“Yeah. It seems like the number of statues might be an issue in the future, since many gates have already closed.”
“Damn. I should have mined more.”
“Who knew this would be needed? It’s been quite a while since anyone but eccentric rich folks looked for them.”
The Fish Cutlet Guild members kept chattering around Yoon Pa-ran. Everyone in the raid party was listening to Yoon Pa-ran’s diligent answers to their questions.
At that moment, Kwak Jung-min, who had been most actively engaging in conversation, suddenly muttered.
And it was a rather cult-like remark at that.
“Statues, huh… Indeed, this must be the protection of the Sacred God.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
