Damn Hunter Life 41

Damn Hunter Life Chapter 41

If Jin Seol-woon sees me floundering around in sword classes, he’ll probably want to take back that comment about not using his own sword anymore.

It was too noble a sword for this lowly body to wield.

“Speaking of which, take that back.”

Jin Seol-woon’s hand, which had been stroking my bow, stiffened.

What’s this? Did I hurt his feelings? I simultaneously remembered that Jin Seol-woon had a sensitive personality that kept dwelling on bad community comments, and that I was currently in a position of receiving help. I hastily added more words.

“I used it well.”

But the veins that had risen on the back of Jin Seol-woon’s hand still hadn’t disappeared. Even his eyes, which should have been reading the status window, seemed to have stopped.

At this point, I felt wronged enough to make excuses.

“Wasn’t the sword’s name embarrassing?”

That weird name, I mean. Back then, the emotion of being able to sing again must have been overwhelming, but now isn’t it just dark history?

Especially since the person he gave it to was a scoundrel like me.

“Get it renamed and then save it for something better.”

“It’s not embarrassing…”

Jin Seol-woon started to choose his words several times before stopping. As if neither this nor that satisfied him. Then he suddenly ended with irritation.

“Why would you return something that’s already been given?”

Sensitive bastard. I was doing this all for his sake.

“Don’t sulk and just get on with the weapon progress. When do we start?”

“Just a moment…”

Whether he returns the sword later or not, let’s focus on what’s important first.

In the weapon crafting department, no one could follow leader Woo Sae-geon. That man was an artisan who could turn even a rolling pencil into a weapon. On the other hand, Jin Seol-woon, who was mediocre at best in this area no matter how generously you looked at it, stared for quite a while before finally setting the bow down on the bench.

“If the crafter is inexperienced, the weapon might reject attribute infusion. But this bow is fully prepared to become an attribute weapon. I think even Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi, doing it for the first time, should be able to manage it.”

“Do inanimate objects have egos or something?”

Jin Seol-woon pulled my hand to rest on the back of his neck, then taught me the techniques of how to maintain breathing when handling weapons and how to inject energy. A pulse beat vigorously within his hand.

For me, having the same attribute, it seemed similar to loosening and tightening a fishing rod’s tension while reeling in a fish.

‘I’m not sure about this. Like what I used to do for Hae Mi-jun, it would be easier to understand if I brought a respirator and received breath while doing it…’

But the moment I looked up at Jin Seol-woon and our eyes met with his perfectly sculpted lips, I thought, ‘Not this guy.’

‘Even if it’s something like artificial respiration, it’s not like we’re really doing it because someone’s life is in danger. This guy’s an idol. I need to protect him.’

“The target grade is definitely S-rank, right?”

“Is it possible…?”

The moment the highest grade popped out of Jin Seol-woon’s mouth, I was the first to trail off. Jin Seol-woon suddenly focused on me.

“Try it. I’ll help you.”

For someone like me, I don’t even expect special functions. That’s something only Woo Sae-geon could do, and I just need the bow to shoot arrows properly.

I set the bow down on the bench and knelt. Jin Seol-woon attached himself beside me in the same position.

I placed both hands overlapping on the bow. Jin Seol-woon’s hand touched my back, then suddenly slipped inside my jeogori. My body jumped at the hot temperature of his hand.

“Were you startled?”

“I’m fine.”

Whether it was to calm me down, Jin Seol-woon’s index finger settled on the hollow of my spine and rubbed along the vertebrae. When I glared at him that it wasn’t necessary, he soon just placed his palm quietly.

‘Please don’t break from enhancement failure. In that case, my body would be screwed too.’

I started the work.

“Haah…”

A naturally heavy breath escaped.

The task of manifesting the strong, burning heat originating from the earth that someone lowly like me had to evenly flow through all my blood vessels and let it escape through my fingertips as the final destination was as difficult as the explanation suggested. Whenever my breathing was about to become labored, Jin Seol-woon would stroke my chin with his hand, signaling me to regulate my breathing.

I was receiving from Jin Seol-woon what I used to do for Hae Mi-jun. Thinking it was fortunate that Hae Mi-jun wouldn’t see this, I put all my effort into it.

How many minutes had I been absorbed in a state of selflessness?

“Huk!”

At some point, my breathing suddenly cleared. The feeling of dirt accumulating in my heart also became completely refreshed. I jerked my head up.

I urgently examined the bow first.

The bow had turned a murky brown color like dead wood.

At first I was shocked by the color, but fortunately, a subtle earthen energy was rising from it. Just touching it brought a warm temperature.

<Nameless>

Weapon Grade: S

Crafter: Gyeon Gang-hyeon

Attribute: Earth

“I made it! Nice!”

I burst from Jin Seol-woon’s arms and cheered. Unable to contain my joy, I raised the bow and threw my hands up in celebration, when suddenly my vision went black.

“…Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi?”

After waiting for a few seconds, light finally returned to my eyes. Jin Seol-woon, who had caught the bow I dropped with one hand and was supporting me with his other arm, looked down at me in surprise.

“Did you overdo it? Should I call a healer?”

“No, I’m fine. I know what this is. It’s just because I’m tired.”

This isn’t to reassure him—it’s really true. When it was serious before, chills throughout my body followed, but that’s not the case now.

“When a person has so little stamina, their normal state isn’t much different from narcolepsy… Thanks for helping, and sorry, but I’m going to go home. I need to sleep…”

While my eyelids were closing uncontrollably, I concentrated my last bit of strength on pressing the home return function.

And my consciousness cut off.

* * *

Jin Seol-woon was certain that rather than going home, Gyeon Gang-hyeon would end up falling asleep in his arms.

But somehow he must have squeezed out the strength, because the return skill activated. Jin Seol-woon was left alone.

Along with the S-rank bow that Gyeon Gang-hyeon had abandoned without the presence of mind to take with him.

While he could return the weapon later, he had suspicions that Gyeon Gang-hyeon, who had disappeared like that, wouldn’t be in a beautiful state…

Jin Seol-woon used teleportation to the Dog successor.

Sure enough.

Gyeon Gang-hyeon was sprawled on his house floor. It was amusing how his face was relaxed peacefully as if it were a comfortable bed.

Jin Seol-woon, whose mouth corners had returned to their original position, lifted him up and laid him on the bed.

“Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi, what clothes do you wear when sleeping?”

There was no way an answer would come back. He opened the wardrobe next to him. After rolling his eyes this way and that and even opening drawers, Jin Seol-woon let out a quiet laugh.

“Is there nothing but white hanbok in your wardrobe besides underwear?”

Therefore, Jin Seol-woon’s kindness stopped at untying the clothing strings so it wouldn’t be stuffy.

After that, he sat by the bedside for about 2 hours, watching to make sure there were no problems.

“Who was it that said, if your gaze goes there five times, it’s love—”

Since he had been keeping an eye on one of the R&B songs, it wasn’t boring. He spent time humming the song in a small voice.

It wasn’t particularly rewarding time, but you could also say it wasn’t wasteful. Jin Seol-woon, who had finally checked his temperature by touching his forehead, left his spot. A warm heat lingered for a while where he had been sitting.

Before that warmth could fade, Gyeon Gang-hyeon’s blanket stirred.

The mouse familiar emerged from the top of the blanket, and the dog familiar from below. The familiars that shook off the blanket and got up had already become the forms of two boys.

{How tediously long he stayed.}

The mouse familiar swept his hand across the spot where Jin Seol-woon had been sitting. All the remaining warmth was erased.

The dog familiar glared at the empty air as if frustrated.

{I was going to move Hyeon…!}

The earthen energy that had been bristling soon settled down, and the boy crouched down to sit beside his master. The mouse familiar sat on the opposite side.

{Is Hyeon really okay?}

{So far.}

{…The weapon is totally cool. Hyeon is amazing.}

The dog familiar reached out to touch the bow placed on the nightstand. It was an excellent bow. But thinking that this bow had drained his master’s energy, he didn’t feel particularly pleased.

{If his energy decreases further, I’ll have to call my master.}

The two familiars, who had resolved to do their own work in their own places, endured their current uncomfortable coexistence because of one shared purpose.

The wheezing breathing continued until afternoon.

* * *

My brand new hot bow that I made.

I was going to enter a gate with Ja Hyeong-woo, who takes a lot of energy to deal with, along with two strangers, but thanks to my new weapon, I felt generous.

But for a while now…

Ja Hyeong-woo, who had pulled his hat down low to conceal his successor identity, kept glancing at my bow. His gaze was persistent.

I was thinking the bow’s side might wear out at this rate, when Ja Hyeong-woo spoke to me.

“Who made that weapon?”

“Can’t you imagine that I made it myself?”

“Are you sure?”

“Crafter: Gyeon Gang-hyeon.”

Everyone except me can’t grasp information about weapons with different attributes from their own. Knowing this, Ja Hyeong-woo didn’t ask to let him try it either. Ja Hyeong-woo muttered quietly.

“So it wasn’t made by Jin Seol-woon.”

At this moment, the larger of the two successors who had been about to jump into the gate entrance first turned to look at me and Ja Hyeong-woo.

Ma Cheon-ah was already tall enough to be slightly taller than me, but this guy was even more hulking. There was someone in successor world who was bigger and more muscular than Ja Hyeong-woo.

“Um…”

The Sheep successor’s voice flowed out slightly cracked.

Yang Pyo made an expression like ‘this isn’t right,’ then shook his head hurriedly as if even that expression wasn’t part of his plan.

Soon he looked at me with determination as if he had made a big decision.

“Don’t, don’t act up as you please. If you see anything suspicious inside the gate, tell us everything, no, report? And if you act alone, uh, um… I won’t let it slide.”

A 19-year-old who’s just big in size. I feel bad while he’s trying to act cool, but…

It was the least threatening lecture I’d ever heard.