Don’t Look for the S-Class Hunter with Retirement 5

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5

‘If someone is stronger than you, you call them hyung?’

It was a simple and barbaric way of thinking. Doun glanced sideways at the thug who was acting all friendly and standing right next to him. Sharp eyes with even sanpaku eyes. A rough face that looked like it was drawn in a picture.

“Hyung, it’s hot outside, so since you came all the way here, why don’t you come up and have some coffee before you go? Yeah?”

“No.”

“But I’d like that.”

What kind of mindset is this supposed to be? He was someone who absolutely couldn’t communicate. He thought if he threatened him face to face, he’d back off on his own. But this was just a lunatic who only said what he wanted to say.

“You, that, your name…”

Even though the name was quite unique, when he tried to say it out loud, it was strangely confusing. He thought it was something like Samin. Strangely, the only word that remained in his mind was his hunter nickname, which was similar to Slave. After hearing Doun mumbling, Samin quickly told him his name.

“It’s Kyung Samin. I’m from the Cheongju Kyung clan. My name’s really unique, right? I took my Veritas nickname from my name too. They said slope is ‘gyeongsa’ in English. So I made it with that and I like it. Hehe.”

Doun rolled his eyes at the stream of useless information.

‘Who asked?’

I’m not curious about any of that stuff at all. Doun walked silently then stopped firmly at the lobby entrance. Then the thug who had been following along also stopped.

“I won’t bother asking how you found out my number, so stop sending messages from now on. While I’m asking nicely.”

“You’re going to leave already after coming all this way? I wrote down everything I wanted to say when I met hyung?”

Samin made a tearful face. He was his role model that he’d finally met. He couldn’t send him away so futilely after only exchanging a few words. His phone’s memo was full of things he wanted to tell Magnetic when he met him and questions he wanted to ask.

“So what. That’s not my concern.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, let’s get along since hyung and I are connected like this. Hm?”

Samin subtly pressed his body against Doun. When he looked down, he could see the top of his head with a baseball cap pulled down low.

‘He’s shorter than I thought. No wonder he fit snugly in my arms when I hugged him earlier. He looked really tall in the videos… Was it because his face is small so his proportions looked good?’

Getting close, there was also a pleasant scent. What kind of perfume does he use? If I ask, would he tell me to get lost?

Samin had so many things he was curious about regarding Magnetic. From trivial things like skills he used often, to the hardest thing about being a hunter, how he felt when he became 1st ranked… And also why he’d been in hiding all this time.

‘Someone I can’t beat.’

The nickname representing the human called Kyung Samin, Slope, had risen in rankings at an unprecedented speed since towers and dungeons appeared. As a result, words like stubborn bastard and persistence freak naturally began to attach to the nickname Slope.

You could tell just by watching a few of his tower conquest videos. The boldness of charging forward looking only ahead without knowing how to give up. That was hunter Slope’s identity. However, even Slope’s endlessly rising ranking had no choice but to be blocked by an insurmountable wall.

[By Country> Leader Board: Region_Republic of Korea on Earth)]

1st┃Magnetic –

2nd┃Slope ▲1

3rd┃Doshi-tae ▼1

Since there hadn’t been a single record of entering towers or dungeons after the 44th floor clear video, he thought he could steal 1st place if he worked hard.

Conquering new floors, conquering, and conquering again.

Even though he accumulated points like a madman to the point where people around him tried to stop him, the nickname Magnetic was always shining at the top of the leaderboard.

‘What the hell. Really.’

The emotions given by one hunter whose whereabouts were as mysterious as if he’d evaporated were more complex than expected. The frustration he felt at the gap that wouldn’t narrow at all, and even the jealousy born from being frustrated about why he couldn’t become like that.

As time passed and he suddenly came to his senses, Samin realized that his feelings toward Magnetic had changed.

It was respect for someone who had achieved extraordinary accomplishments. Setting aside petty jealousy, Samin had become a fanatic who regularly rewatched Magnetic’s videos. He slyly bent his upper body to look at the bare face hidden by the cap.

It was the same pretty and cool face as in the videos, but it looked hurt somewhere.

‘I wonder where he’s hurt?’

It was when Samin’s expression became serious. Doun’s head, which had been stubbornly turned toward somewhere else, whipped around. The moment their eyes met.

“There’s no reason for me to become close with you.”

Doun cut off Samin’s words like a knife.

“Why!”

“Because I quit being a hunter.”

When had he gotten sick and tired of hunters and everything else? Besides, where would there be someone who wanted to become close with a guy who found out someone else’s phone number through obviously illegal routes and sent messages on his own?

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

At Doun’s declaration, Samin couldn’t help but widen his eyes. His already sharp-looking sanpaku eyes flashed even more frighteningly. For a moment, Doun unconsciously stepped back and added.

“Why doesn’t it make sense?”

Just listening to the conversation, it seemed like they’d maintained a friendship for quite a long time. In reality, they’d only just met less than 5 minutes ago. Doun checked if his phone was secure in his back pocket. If it fell into the stalker’s hands, things would definitely become troublesome.

“…Aw. Hyung. Don’t be like that, just talk with me a little.”

“I said I don’t want to, so why do you keep doing this?”

In the end, Samin followed Doun around until they left the lobby.

He persistently tried to talk, asking if he didn’t like coffee, saying he’d buy other juice, and if he didn’t like drinking then let’s at least talk. When Doun ignored this, Samin’s lips stuck out completely.

‘Even making that face won’t move me at all, you bastard.’

I’ve done this much, so he’ll back off on his own. It was the moment Doun was about to leave without regret. Samin grumbled with a displeased expression.

“Then why did you keep reading my messages all this time?”

“…What?”

“If you didn’t like it, you could have blocked me. If I got blocked, I was thinking of changing numbers and sending again. Anyway, if you didn’t like that, hyung could have changed your number. But when I sent messages, you checked them all and even replied to me in the end.”

This was no different from a stalker shifting responsibility to the victim. It was an absurd claim that since you also reacted, don’t you have some responsibility too?

The problem was that he couldn’t retort or tell him to stop talking nonsense and fire off skills.

“That’s…”

Doun trailed off. The hot summer air brushed past his nose. With the stifling heat and the persistent gaze looking at him, he thought.

‘Why did I keep receiving this bastard’s messages?’

The reason popped up immediately.

The truth was, he couldn’t block the lunatic who persistently sent one-sided messages because he was lonely.

Because there wasn’t a single person by his side in this wide world who asked about his well-being and gave lip service like telling him to stay cool since it was hot outside.

Because he missed personal messages that were clearly written by a person, not automatic notification messages sent by programs, with frequent typos that proved they were personally written.

He couldn’t block Samin’s number while making up pathetic excuses that it would be better to ignore him since he’d back off on his own.

Even now, he was secretly pleased by the fact that there was someone clinging to him, saying he was his fan and asking him to come to his guild.

Because he wanted to confirm with his own eyes that there were still people who truly needed him, Lee Doun was standing here now, in the height of midsummer heat.

“I won’t bother you anymore. I just need to send five messages a day, right? It’s hot out, so let’s go into the office and at least drink some water before you go.”

Even though he was annoyed and said no, Samin stuck right next to him, seeming pleased about something. Doun quietly looked up at him. Doesn’t this bastard have any shame?

“…”

“Hm? Do you really still hate it?”

“…”

“Really?”

Actually, if he wanted to blow Samin away, he could do it anytime. Even though he was a has-been hunter with reduced power, with one of Doun’s skill combinations, he could throw this rough thug who was 2nd in domestic rankings to somewhere out of sight.

“Aw, hyuuung.”

“…It’s hot, so don’t stick to me.”

Why couldn’t he do that?

“Our guild building is entirely ours. To be exact, it’s mine. Since you came, I’ll give you a tour!”

“I said I don’t want to.”

“Geez. You say you don’t want to, but hyung’s legs are coming this way?”

“…”

With his momentum somewhat deflated, Samin quickly started his sales pitch, and Doun eventually ended up entering the lobby again due to Samin’s shamelessness. Before he could even feel the cool breeze, Doun encountered the strange expression of the hunter who had asked him about his reason for visiting earlier.

What intention was contained in the hunter’s gaze that seemed to be scanning him?

“Come on. Let’s go up. There’s not much to see in the lobby.”

“…”

Samin took the elevator and pressed the button to go to the top floor. Despite Doun’s silence, he kept chattering.

“Wow. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. To think hyung came to our guild.”

“…I didn’t say I’d join.”

“Just visiting makes my heart swell up, you know?”

Why are you asking me? Doun stood next to Samin, whose true feelings were unknowable, and blinked.

‘I’m just going to drink water and leave.’

Doun’s gaze turned to the glass surrounding the outside of the elevator. It was midsummer, with blazing sunlight reflecting off the building’s exterior walls and shimmering, and heat haze rising from the asphalt.

‘Because it’s hot.’

Doun rationalized it that way. That he absolutely wasn’t longing for human warmth. Comforting himself several times over.