#51
Being in America, they definitely had more personnel deployed than in Korea. The combat hunters consisted of two S-Class and five A-Class, with ten rear support hunters forming one team. They greeted Seo Yi-young with casual friendliness.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Bill Smith.”
“Hello.”
While shaking hands with the hunters and introducing himself, a loud voice came from the doorway.
“Is that Mr. Seo?”
Wondering what was happening, Seo Yi-young turned toward the voice and saw a blond man with green eyes striding toward him. He was exceptionally tall with an impressive build. Similar to Choi Do-jun, or perhaps even a bit taller. His face matched the information Seo Yi-young had reviewed on the private jet.
James A. Arthur. 25 years old. S-Class Hunter.
“Hello.”
Seo Yi-young greeted the man who approached within a step of him. He expected just a simple greeting, but he was mistaken. Suddenly, James pulled Seo Yi-young into a tight embrace.
“Mmm. I’ve only heard rumors about you, but now I get to meet you in person. Nice to meet you. I’m James.”
Frozen by the unexpected hug, Seo Yi-young finally gathered his wits enough to respond.
“N-nice to meet you.”
James released his firm embrace.
James was a traditionally handsome Westerner with deep, pronounced double eyelids. He seemed unusually sociable. Thinking it would be beneficial to become friendly with an S-Class Hunter from another country, Seo Yi-young was about to say something more when:
“Wow. You’re smaller than I expected.”
Despite the innocent brightness in his voice, Seo Yi-young’s smile froze. Though it seemed without malice, absence of malice didn’t mean everything should be taken well. Maintaining his smile, Seo Yi-young replied:
“Perhaps you’re just too big.”
“That’s right. I hear that often. I didn’t want to be this tall, though. Being this size isn’t actually all that great.”
Was he the oblivious type? James seemed to miss the barb in Seo Yi-young’s words. Dealing with this type of person was perplexing.
“Ah, I see. I’d like to tell that to my friend too.”
“Oh. You want to introduce your friend? Should we set something up after we clear this dungeon?”
But the hint wasn’t getting through. He was the my-way type, though in a different sense than Choi Do-jun.
“Jimmy. You’re making Mr. Seo uncomfortable.”
“Ouch! That hurts, Alberto!”
The man called Alberto pulled James away from Seo Yi-young. Seeing the middle-aged man’s face, Seo Yi-young quickly searched his memory.
Alberto Ranieri Jr. An S-Class Hunter and immigrant. 54 years old this year. With his graying beard, Alberto was built like a mountain. Tall with muscles bulging across his entire body, he gave off an imposingly solid impression.
“Ciao, Mr. Seo.”
“Hello.”
Seo Yi-young immediately greeted Alberto, who was smiling gently.
“By the way, did you eat on your way here? No, you probably had something inadequate. Have some more. Excuse me for a moment.”
“Pardon…?”
Would it be an exaggeration to say he sensed the aura of a Korean grandmother from this foreign stranger? A meal before entering a dungeon. This was something he’d never considered in Korea, leaving Seo Yi-young flustered as James approached him.
“It’s like Al’s ritual.”
“Ritual?”
As Seo Yi-young listened to James’ whispered explanation, his mouth formed an “Ah” as if he’d realized something.
“Is it for buffs?”
“No. Just completely normal food.”
It seemed he’d misunderstood. James leaned his upper body slightly. Thinking he was about to share a secret, Seo Yi-young also leaned in.
“Al used to be a chef. Until the First Dungeon appeared.”
First Dungeon.
A term commemorating when dungeons first appeared in America. He’d heard they built a memorial park in New York, where the most casualties occurred, and held annual memorial services. This contrasted with Korea, where proposals for such parks were shut down due to complaints about property values. Seo Yi-young understood what James was implying and nodded slightly.
Alberto had been a famous chef. What triggered his awakening was when his entire family was killed by monsters on the day the first dungeon appeared. That must be what James was trying to tell him.
As a chef, Alberto would have often prepared food for his family. For someone like him, serving meals to hunters before entering a dungeon was likely a personal ritual. If that was the case, there was no reason to decline. Even with a full stomach, he’d have to eat.
“Once we’re inside the dungeon, we can’t eat food from here, so hunters really like it. How should I put it? Like a last supper? If you die in the dungeon, you can’t eat anymore, right?”
James added calmly. Seo Yi-young glanced at him, speaking so casually. Though he appeared carefree, it wasn’t that he lacked awareness. Rather, he probably knew the dangers of dungeons better than anyone. The risk of this dungeon too. They would know best about dungeon hazards. Their comrades had died inside dungeons. They couldn’t be unaware of such news.
Despite seeming relaxed, they weren’t thoughtless. Perhaps it was precisely because they understood that they could enjoy these ordinary moments.
While watching the hunters laughing and chatting over their meal, Seo Yi-young moved his hand holding the fork.
Though he’d tried to eat moderately, the portions were so large that his stomach was already full when he heard someone say “Oh.” It was James.
“Is that enough? Eat more. You can eat more.”
Saying this, he scooped some food and pushed it toward Seo Yi-young. Seo Yi-young was already full. He shook his head to politely decline.
“No, I can’t eat this much.”
“Good heavens. You need to eat at least this much. Looking at you makes me worry you might collapse, Mr. Seo.”
“Thanks, but I’m really fine.”
As he declined again, a hunter sitting nearby spoke up.
“Besides that, isn’t it because of travel fatigue? Must be tough after a plane ride.”
“Huh? Really?”
“That’s right. There’s no trace of mana use.”
Another hunter joined the conversation. That was certainly true. Using abilities outside dungeons was strictly restricted. But the hunter sitting diagonally seemed to have the ability to detect traces of mana use.
“Why aren’t you using your ability right away?”
James looked at him curiously, then his expression changed as if he’d realized the reason. Then he smiled mischievously.
“It’s okay to recover, you know.”
“No, but…”
“Come on. You’re going to use it as soon as we enter the dungeon anyway, right? It’s not causing any major problems, and nobody here is going to report you.”
“No. I’m fine, thank you.”
Seo Yi-young declined once more.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
