Damn Hunter Life Chapter 37
Even after bathing, with steam still flowing from my body, sitting at home wearing only a bathrobe, it still didn’t feel real.
‘What are your thoughts on realizing that what you thought was just a weakling was actually a weakling cheat character?’
I had asked Won Ha-ri to keep it a secret, but that didn’t make my worries disappear. Rather than concerns about how to use this ability… I felt more overwhelmed for the moment.
Since there exists no one who can handle attributes other than their own, isn’t the core message of the original work that the successors of the Five Elements must strive to achieve harmony with each other?
‘Has my survival become too big a variable?’
This alone was shock after shock, but it wasn’t the end. They say when you let your guard down, something bigger hits you.
That night, having gone to bed early, I woke up at dawn because my body was strangely burning up.
And I made eye contact with two round, black beads.
‘A dog?’
I bolted upright.
Then a semi-transparent, medium-sized dog with very long fur came clinging to my chest. I thought I could hear the sound of it panting with its tongue out.
“Where did you come from? …Don’t tell me, a familiar?”
As soon as the word familiar came out, the dog’s tail wagged frantically.
After being dazed for a moment, another form soon took shape.
While I stared wide-eyed, the dog familiar that had transformed into a young boy gently climbed down from my lap.
{Hello. Hyeon-ah. …Please take care of me.}
Wait, does my familiar also have self-awareness? Why?
I’m not the original protagonist like Ja Hyeong-woo, am I? Wasn’t that limited to mice?
The boy with long hair had facial features that weren’t clearly recognizable, but from the atmosphere, he seemed to have a very timid and shy personality.
Still, I could see he liked me at first sight, and unlike someone else, he seemed gentle so I was feeling relieved…
Suddenly the dog familiar’s voice became quite different.
{But what’s that thing that was attached to Hyeon’s body first?}
In the silence that suddenly covered the room, what thought even crossed my mind was.
It’s like when someone you were betrothed to long ago comes looking for you, but you’ve already married someone else…
‘And then those two grab each other by the hair and fight.’
The dog familiar had sold his shyness somewhere and gladly stuck his hand into the front of my robe, rummaging around until he found Squeaky.
{What are you! Won’t you get out? This is my spot!}
Squeaky, gripped tightly in small hands like blue slime, sighed. Squished like pudding on a thumb, I also want to try… no, that’s not it, suddenly Squeaky disappeared.
In that spot stood a blue boy who was a bit shorter than the dog familiar with shorter hair.
“Who…?”
While I was bewildered, the lips of the boy who had just appeared spoke in a familiar voice.
{I didn’t want to show this form.}
Even though both their faces were too dim to see expressions, I could tell that both the dog familiar making angry sounds and the mouse familiar emitting a relatively dignified chill were incredibly pissed off.
Why are they fighting over territory with me in the middle?
{Pungsandog, do you know thanks to whom you were able to be born?}
{It’s because Hyeon became a proper awakened person…! Hyeon is my master. You’re an intruder!}
{Thanks to my master, Ja Hyeong-woo.}
What’s that supposed to mean?
I think he’s talking about healing me so my body doesn’t break down, but isn’t that what Squeaky does? Does that mean Ja Hyeong-woo gave permission?
{Gyeon Gang-hyeon can’t maintain his body without healing ability. That means I’m more necessary to Gyeon Gang-hyeon than you, Pungsandog.}
{I’m more necessary! Hyeon is earth attribute! And hey, is your master that great? Then why don’t you go back to your master!}
I raised both arms as calmly as possible to calm the children down.
“Now, let’s sort this out. I need both of you…”
Then both ghosts turned to look at me like magnets, which was terrifying.
{Hyeon—}
{You—}
{Get out!}
How am I supposed to live with these hot-tempered children now?
Of course, I have one way to quickly calm this situation down. It’s a bit irresponsible for someone who’s supposedly an adult, but…
“I’ll die if I don’t sleep now, so I’m sleeping. Talk to me when you’ve come to an agreement. Discuss it quietly if possible.”
It wasn’t a lie, I was really too sleepy.
When I flopped down and squeezed my eyes shut, both familiars became quiet as if by magic.
Soon I felt someone sneaking up onto the bed and burrowing under my knees. From the warm and heavy feeling, it seemed to be the dog familiar.
Following that, something small and cool crept into my chest as always.
{Don’t act familiar and stay quiet!}
{You do the same.}
I heard whispers just before falling asleep.
Thus, despite the situation where two had to share one successor, they reached a compromise to live together obediently, even if reluctantly.
Moreover, there was something the two agreed on in terms of personality. Since neither had a tendency to step forward and cause trouble, they would stay embedded quietly as if present yet absent in daily life.
‘At least that’s fortunate. If these things had been fighting all the time, I wouldn’t have been able to live normally.’
* * *
Ja Hyeong-woo secretly peered into a training room through the door crack.
The two newcomers of the Twelve Zodiac. Won Ha-ri was taking care of Gyeon Gang-hyeon with a cautious attitude, as if handling glass that would break if held wrong.
Even though Won Ha-ri’s mindset was obvious, Gyeon Gang-hyeon didn’t show displeasure or point it out even once. Occasionally, the unbelievable sound of “Thank you” could be heard.
Ja Hyeong-woo couldn’t steal any more glances at Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s face and turned away.
‘If I did that for him, he’d tell me to get lost.’
Now Ja Hyeong-woo doesn’t even deny it and faces his own unwholesome true feelings.
‘Maybe I really have no affection at all for him.’
Returning to his training room, Ja Hyeong-woo devoted himself to enhancing his healing skills. He poured energy into other skills as well, breathing roughly.
While considering the priority of skills to refine, he noticed one skill in the miscellaneous list that was different in nature from the others.
==
<Hovenia Dulcis Sap (Water Attribute)>
Effect: Completely recovers from hangovers.
==
The reason there’s a skill unnecessary for combat, which could be called wasteful.
It had unconsciously manifested while taking care of Gyeon Gang-hyeon, who used to go around completely drunk all the time.
‘Is this skill no longer needed now?’
There was a preliminary meeting of successors before the next stage.
Despite there being new successors, Woo Sae-geon still hadn’t included Won Ha-ri and Gyeon Gang-hyeon in the meetings. Only Hae Mi-jun sat there still looking nervous and unfamiliar.
Before leader Woo Sae-geon could even bring up the next conquest team content, Ja Hyeong-woo struck first and said what he had already decided.
“I propose a different combat method from before.”
The method Ja Hyeong-woo proposed was, simply explained, a form where everyone charged more boldly into enemy lines while the healer’s judgment became more crucial.
This method put more burden on the healer, and roughly estimating, it seemed like the healer’s body wouldn’t last by the end of the conquest. Woo Sae-geon raised his shadowed eyes and tried to dissuade him, but Ja Hyeong-woo didn’t bend.
“I want to do this myself.”
This has nothing to do with Hae Mi-jun, Ja Hyeong-woo made this clear before speaking, perhaps worried that the other young healer Hae Mi-jun might be confused.
“My growth has been stagnating. I think I need to develop my abilities even if it means deliberately driving myself into danger. Conversely, I’m asking you. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
At the inadequacy honestly confessed by someone called the top healer, not only the other successors but even Woo Sae-geon couldn’t react immediately.
During the meeting, Hae Mi-jun secretly checked a text that appeared on his phone screen.
[Gang-hyeon hyung: Come share the meeting content when you’re done]
As soon as “dismissed” was announced, Hae Mi-jun was the first to rush out of the meeting room while watching the older members’ reactions.
Not long after, Ja Hyeong-woo discovered his phone screen had lit up. It seemed a call had come to his silenced phone.
Seeing the caller, Ja Hyeong-woo couldn’t think of anything else. When he came to his senses, he was already answering the call.
[“Hey. What’s with that strategy? Have you decided to abuse your body?”]
It’s the voice of someone who particularly scratches at Ja Hyeong-woo’s eardrums. Ja Hyeong-woo pronounced his words with clear voice, trying to sound as calm as possible.
“I’m doing it because of you.”
[“Why are you using me as an excuse for giving up on your body?”]
“Since you’re always so eager to devour me over training time, I thought you might be satisfied if I went this far.”
Since I can’t figure out Gang-hyeon’s heart at all, the words coming from my mouth are bound to become lies too.
‘Even if healing skills have no effect on your condition, I won’t just sit idle. I’ll develop my abilities and find a way to cure you completely.’
Even knowing I won’t get a single warm word back from you, I can’t help it.
‘I just can’t bear to see you in pain.’
Gyeon Gang-hyeon coldly rambled about something for a while. Most of it was cursing. The gist of those curses was warning him not to abuse his body.
“I absolutely won’t collapse like last time, so don’t worry.”
Ja Hyeong-woo responded coolly while falling into other thoughts.
‘Actually, I wish you’d get a little nervous because of me. I wish you’d worry about me.’
Meanwhile, Gyeon Gang-hyeon hung up the phone and crossed his arms, pretending to be light-hearted.
‘This is good. It’s going according to plan.’
Because Ja Hyeong-woo’s growth speed is starting to accelerate.
But… there’s a vaguely unsettling feeling.
However, even if I try to figure out why, I have no idea what it means, and it’s too late now to make new changes to the relationship we’ve established.
Still, either way, Ja Hyeong-woo is becoming a strong healer as in the original.
It’s also true that Ja Hyeong-woo’s inner feelings of worrying about his childhood friend are heavier than expected and burdensome. Moreover, I was scared of how the original protagonist might change if I carelessly gave him warm words in return.
‘…Whatever. Let me just watch my own situation where I’m about to die of overwork from training.’
At this time, Gyeon Gang-hyeon was walking through the school courtyard. He was on his way back to the training ground after a meal.
Behind him, fluttering his wide white traditional clothes, someone’s gaze followed without him knowing.
Hanbok with flower patterns moved smoothly. The soundless movement characteristic of fire attribute was particularly similar to a ‘snake’.
“…!”
Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s eyes shook greatly. It was because someone had suddenly overlapped bodies from behind and put an arm around his shoulder.
“Hello?”
Sa Ye-ho’s face, pressed close, grins widely. Gyeon Gang-hyeon looked at the arm Sa Ye-ho had draped over him, then discovered a screen showing both his and Sa Ye-ho’s faces like a mirror.
‘Camera?’
At the bottom of the screen Sa Ye-ho held out, real-time chat was streaming up continuously. Gyeon Gang-hyeon knew what it was.
It was a one-person broadcast streamer, Sa Ye-ho’s personal broadcast.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
