Damn Hunter Life Chapter 69
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The monumental moment when the Dog successor first entered the successor gym.
“Wow, the facilities are fucking good.”
Even though it wasn’t much different from the regular gym, it somehow felt luxurious because it was so clean and had fewer people.
‘At most there are 10 people here. Space-wise, it looks like 30 people could fit.’
But such is the way of life. No place is perfect. If the facilities are good, the people are bound to be shit.
‘The kids at my old place were middle schoolers, so their weights were relatively manageable, but the guys here will be different.’
Before entering, I imagined the near future that would befall me. Muscular gym bros like wild beasts (like Ja Hyeong-woo) handling iron bars heavier than my body weight like tin cans (like Woo Sae-geon), stripping off their shirts to intimidate newbies (like Yang Pyo) while sending pitying looks and mocking my frail arms (like Ma Cheon-ah).
“Welcome!”
Hae Mi-jun popped up from between the exercise equipment. He greeted me with a smile brighter than capitalism’s service industry.
“Does Gang-hyeon hyung always come out at this time?”
“Probably? I’d be later if anything, not earlier. I’m still sleepy now.”
Inside the gym, there were only about half the total, so roughly five successors scattered around. I roughly looked at their faces and plopped down on a familiar piece of equipment.
Hae Mi-jun naturally sat on the exercise equipment next to me. Sitting without asking if it was okay – this guy has changed too. Hae Mi-jun kept looking at me and grinning.
“Did you draw out your earth attribute?”
“Not yet. Doing it now.”
Whether successors or regular hunters, whether talented or delinquents. The start of all training was drawing up attribute energy.
Drawing out attribute affinity is usually done in quiet places.
I’m a genius at attribute affinity so I’m not constrained by location, and above all, there’s a crucial reason I didn’t raise my attributes beforehand.
‘To mentally prepare myself before grabbing the bar…’
But something that takes even successors like Jin Seol-woon about 10 minutes on average, I can do in 1 minute, so it didn’t mean much. It should take longer. I’m not ready to throw myself into cruel fitness yet.
At that moment, I saw Sheep successor’s towering head. Yang Pyo bent down under the exercise equipment bar and came this way.
“Hello, Pyo hyung.”
“Oh, hello.”
This was the first time I’d seen Hae Mi-jun with a successor other than Ja Hyeong-woo. The two exchanged a decent morning greeting with just the right amount of goodwill.
Especially Hae Mi-jun’s face when looking at Yang Pyo… how should I put it, he looked exactly like an ordinary male high school student, which surprised me. The first time I’d seen such an utterly bland face from him.
So he doesn’t brighten up for everyone older than him?
“How much weight do you lift?”
Yang Pyo hung his large frame on the exercise equipment and looked down arrogantly.
Not to be outdone, I twisted my lips in a smile and boldly pointed to a barbell.
“This one.”
10 kilos.
Yang Pyo suddenly lost interest and slumped away.
“This is weight I raised through blood, sweat and tears though.”
“Uh… well. Fighting.”
I guess he was at a loss for words because someone with pitiful strength was being confident too. To use an analogy, an adult can’t pick a fight with a child.
I dragged out drawing attribute affinity to delay, but eventually that time came.
Unable to sigh in front of Hae Mi-jun, I only let out an internal groan and gripped the iron bar tightly with both hands. The rubber part stabbed painfully into my palm flesh.
“Huu…”
Even though I’d tied up my hair, the back of my neck quickly grew hot. By the time I changed weight exercises, the back of my neck was already moist. My face was also hot from straining so much while struggling with the weight.
Above all, the most bothersome thing was.
‘Where did gym etiquette go?’
The aggro drawn by a first-time entrant.
Everyone kept glancing at me. Especially Jin Seol-woon. Somewhat troubled-looking, but he didn’t turn away and kept observing. Without doing his own workout.
Looking at me like a zoo monkey, no, a dog. Is it funny that I’m fighting so desperately like this?
The disgustingly good-looking Ja Hyeong-woo, whose well-developed shoulders and chest muscles were prominent even through his t-shirt, strode over and occupied my field of vision.
“Don’t train here.”
“This bastard. Who are you to say that?”
One thing Ja Hyeong-woo’s bitchy comment just helped me with. My anger gauge rose so I could lift the weight one more time. Ngh, I strained with all my might, lifted it trembling, then put it down.
“Heu, heu…”
As I caught my breath and looked at Ja Hyeong-woo, his gaze wavered.
“Did you keep doing it like this at the water attribute gym too?”
What do you mean ‘like this’? Is there some other way to do it?
Kids’ education… Ja Hyeong-woo muttered quietly.
But when our eyes met again, he turned away as if the rest wasn’t worth saying.
Is not having much on my body worth bringing up kids’ education? They’d just think ‘I guess there are people like this too, I shouldn’t grow up like that.’
I guess I’ve become someone the original protagonist picks fights with now.
Ja Hyeong-woo tried to ignore me and focus on his own workout, but every so often he’d turn his gaze to me. Then suddenly, he’d briefly go outside the gym and come back in.
Distractedly.
“Haa, heu, haa…”
The rest between sets was precious. As I tilted my head back and exhaled, I made eye contact with Hae Mi-jun.
Hae Mi-jun’s face, who had been next to me, was completely red, whether from exercise. He covered his mouth then finally stood up abruptly.
“I’ll come back later!”
Even you’re running away, Hae Mi-jun?
Monkey successor Won Ha-ri was horrified at my exhausted state. She clung to my side.
“It looks too heavy.”
“No, I’m making sure not to damage my muscles. The weight is right, it’s just that my stamina is shit.”
“Then rest while you do it!”
“It’s better to take the beating first. No, is this expression right? It’s better to finish quickly at once…”
I put all my hopes into the next words.
“I want to build muscle…”
Won Ha-ri wiped my face with a towel while looking at me pitifully.
“It looks wrong to me, can’t you give up?”
“You just crushed my hopes.”
Myo Cho-hui looked at me like I was impure and left long ago. Yang Pyo stood behind with an enlightened expression, watching my state.
Ma Cheon-ah, wearing functional workout clothes that showed her abs, stood next to Yang Pyo.
“Yang oppa, didn’t you used to train with that dog over there?”
“We were just in the same space.”
“Anyway. Was he always like that?”
“…Yeah.”
“You must have gotten quite an eyeful.”
“I don’t think about anything.”
“Your expression is weird though, oppa?”
The gym hazing is really too severe. This should also be made public to the media.
‘Or maybe, is there really something strange about my face when I exercise? The reactions seem a bit different for it to be because I look too pathetic?’
As lunchtime approached, I was able to meet the last two successors I hadn’t encountered yet.
These two seemed to have come to monitor me once, even though it wasn’t their exercise time.
Sa Ye-ho appeared first, in flowing straight hanbok attire with no plans to exercise at all. He made a hmm sound then looked me up and down with a strange expression as if appreciating me.
‘See, something is strange. If I really looked funny, Sa Ye-ho would have burst out laughing.’
With a slight time difference, even Woo Sae-geon came. The gentle scholar looked at me lying down…
Was it my imagination, or did his gaze become slightly languid? A different reaction from usual.
I couldn’t understand the reason.
“Hey Sa Ye-ho, tell me why everyone’s staring.”
My voice echoed through the gym. Then everyone flinched as if startled.
Except Sa Ye-ho and Woo Sae-geon.
Sa Ye-ho burst into a short laugh. Finally the face I’d expected came out, a giggling expression.
“You don’t know? This is driving me crazy.”
“What is it?”
“When you exercise, your face looks fucking— mmph!”
Midway, Woo Sae-geon covered Sa Ye-ho’s mouth. He dragged him out.
Fucking… what was the rest? I couldn’t hear because of Woo Sae-geon.
“Fucking… weak and pathetic?!”
I shouted loudly but there was no answer from the corridor. They must have been dragged far away.
These damn bastards. Do you think I’ll cower and avoid crowded times? I’ll deliberately come more during busy hours.
Anyway, morning training was over, so I should eat lunch and take a nap. I shuffled out.
But someone followed me. It was Jin Seol-woon. He stretched out his well-proportioned legs and instantly blocked the front of the corridor.
“What do you think about making a separate training room at home? Like me.”
Even this bastard is doing this. I snapped irritably.
“No points.”
Jin Seol-woon didn’t give in and pushed his stubbornness.
“Then exercise somewhere else or at a different time. When no one’s around.”
“Does my presence lower your motivation that much? Because I’m lifting that measly weight? Is it shameful for a successor?”
Ja Hyeong-woo said something similar earlier about kids’ education. Was this what he wanted to say?
Jin Seol-woon’s lips twitched once then stopped. He seemed to want to point out something, but then just closed his mouth and let out a light snort.
“Are you mocking me, bastard?”
“It’s just laughter.”
But certainly, Jin Seol-woon laughing when it’s not a broadcast is rare.
With the laughter not fading, Jin Seol-woon suddenly had a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Yes, you’re right. Everyone seems to lose motivation when Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi is there.”
So that was it after all.
“But I think I could exercise even if Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi lowered my motivation. Want to do it with just the two of us every night?”
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Ja Hyeong-woo stood behind the corner leading to the bathroom, spying on Gyeon Gang-hyeon and Jin Seol-woon facing each other.
He heard clearly the content of Jin Seol-woon’s secretly delivered proposal. Ja Hyeong-woo clenched his fist. The wall pressed by his fist shook slightly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
LMAO NICE TRY