Damn Hunter Life 86

Damn Hunter Life Chapter 86

* * *

I have a question. Why didn’t the system create a teleportation function to the cafeteria? Depending on the person, it might be used more than the home return function, right?

The path trudging to the cafeteria was dazzling. I had to squint because of the stinging, strong sunlight that seemed intent on disinfecting the entire road with UV rays.

“And it’s inside a gate anyway, so what’s the point of implementing South Korea’s ozone layer as is?”

/It’s because of people exactly like you.

“No, it’s because of vicious beings like you, Status Window. …Come to think of it, what exactly are you, Status Window? Sa Ye-ho says you always claim to be an AI when he asks. Is that true?”

/Who knows.

…Huh. I haven’t heard that kind of answer before.

Anyway, I feel like my eyes will go blind from the sunlight if I stay here a bit longer. I was walking with my eyes almost closed when suddenly cool shade fell from above.

Jin Seol-woon, who had suddenly appeared, was tilting his parasol toward me.

“What are you doing carrying something like this around?”

“I can’t get tanned.”

Under the faint shade, Jin Seol-woon’s skin glowed softly. Even without any makeup, Jin Seol-woon’s features always gave me the impression of being gorgeous whenever I looked at them.

“Want to have lunch together?”

An absurd suggestion popped out from that very face.

“I’m supposed to eat with Hae Mi-jun?”

“…Then what about dinner today?”

“Probably Sa Ye-ho?”

“Tomorrow?”

What’s his scheme? I couldn’t read any ulterior motive from his black ocean-like eyes. I felt an ominous feeling.

“What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Then that’s settled.”

I quickly escaped from under the parasol. Jin Seol-woon caught up immediately with his longer legs and covered me with the parasol again.

“Are you refusing? What’s the reason?”

“Because it’s bothersome.”

“I think I’ve heard that excuse before.”

What are you trying to say now?

Realizing I couldn’t shake off Jin Seol-woon with speed, I just reduced my stride. Jin Seol-woon tilted the parasol closer and persistently looked into my eyes.

“Can’t you occasionally come to my house and eat together? I could go to your place too. I’ve always lived alone, so now I’m getting lonely.”

“Hey. That’s because you ostracized the world. And out of all the places to escape your corner, you chose me? Should I introduce you to someone else? Hae Mi-jun is nice.”

“I don’t need anyone other than Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi.”

My slowing steps came to an abrupt halt. Jin Seol-woon stopped following suit.

My face must have been full of suspicion. Jin Seol-woon gave a very long bullshit explanation.

“Don’t worry. No one will know we ate together. Even what we’re doing on the street right now, they’ll just think we have something to discuss. We just need to secretly come and go from each other’s houses. Just like Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi used to do.”

His voice is particularly gentle and sweet, like when singing. Since he’s deliberately whispering low, it somehow felt ticklish to listen to.

“Whatever…”

Right, at this point, would there be much difference if one more bothersome guy increased?

When Hae Mi-jun, Yang Pyo, Sa Ye-ho, and Won Ha-ri are already invading my precious meal times. What’s one more person added to that?

‘It’s fine since it’s not Ja Hyeong-woo. If it were Ja Hyeong-woo, that would be troublesome.’

But even though the conversation ended, Jin Seol-woon was still walking beside me.

“Why do you keep following me?”

“To escort you so Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi doesn’t collapse from heat stroke and make the news.”

When we arrived in front of the cafeteria, regular students saw me and Jin Seol-woon and were startled. Students going in and out of the entrance parted to both sides like the Red Sea, creating a large space in the middle.

Jin Seol-woon left me behind and departed as if his real purpose had been to escort me to the cafeteria.

But it was strange. Even though Jin Seol-woon retreated and I was left alone in that spot, the students’ gazes didn’t seem as sharp anymore. It might be my imagination though.

“Gang-hyeon hyung!”

While waiting for Hae Mi-jun running from over there, I pondered Jin Seol-woon’s intentions until the last moment.

What benefit does he get from eating with me?

‘…Ah, I got it.’

Now that we’ve even done music recording together, I’ve become like a community of shared fate with him, so he’s monitoring me closely in case I do something stupid again.

Even though he says my image has improved and whatnot, he’s ultimately anxious. Considering how much Jin Seol-woon has to lose, that’s understandable.

* * *

“What’s Gyeon Gang-hyeon-ssi’s ideal type?”

A question Jin Seol-woon slipped in among light daily conversation while walking to the cafeteria.

Thanks to the parasol blocking the sunlight, Gyeon Gang-hyeon fluttered his eyelashes more easily than before. His expression, drowsy from the sunshine, responded without much suspicion.

“Where would such a thing exist? What woman’s fate would I want to ruin?”

Hmm… Jin Seol-woon quickly turned his head inside.

He had already expected this level of lukewarm reaction. Nevertheless, he pressed once more to try to extract what he could get.

“Still, if there’s an ideal image you think of?”

“Don’t know. There isn’t. …But do you know any of Woo Sae-geon’s weaknesses?”

He failed to obtain information. He was even ignored. The question from just now completely disappeared from that small, round head.

Jin Seol-woon briefly turned his head so Gyeon Gang-hyeon couldn’t see and swallowed his laughter.

As expected, the wall was high.

‘Having to seduce a man who doesn’t see men as romantic partners…’

Since he won’t tell me his preferred female type, there’s no reference manual. It wasn’t even certain whether he wouldn’t reject same-sex romance in the first place.

Even after escorting Gyeon Gang-hyeon, Jin Seol-woon stood at a distance for a while, quietly watching him meet Hae Mi-jun in front of the cafeteria.

Hae Mi-jun, who had run over, caught his breath lightly while giggling. Gyeon Gang-hyeon chuckled and put his hand into the hair of the head below him, ruffling it. Then Hae Mi-jun’s face flushed.

At that moment, Jin Seol-woon’s eyes curved as if trembling.

‘This is really difficult… it feels like the whole world is competition.’

The words he muttered to himself tasted bitter.

* * *

<Location>

Successor Training Ground—Integrated Training Ground

Today there’s a full successor assembly in the afternoon.

Throughout lunch, Hae Mi-jun looked particularly happy today. Is it because he can train with me?

Integrated training for all attributes led by Woo Sae-geon. Running simulations assuming stage situations.

This was group training of successors, one of the things South Korean people would most want to see if they could peek into Hunter School.

I went in without being late, but the training ground was already in full swing.

Familiars were roaming around as if the gymnasium-sized indoor space had become a zoo.

“Ma Cheon-ah! I told you to watch the dragon familiar’s movement!”

In the middle of it all, Woo Sae-geon was shouting sharply.

‘Oh… I should stay quiet.’

Like a latecomer, I quietly went in, spread out a cushion, and sat in a corner.

A proper scoundrel must always carefully observe where to stretch their legs.

In this place where various attribute attacks were flying around, one wrong word could result in suffering from someone’s emotional control failure (intentional).

Stage 35 to be conducted in the near future.

Ja Hyeong-woo, Myo Cho-hui, Jin Seol-woon, Yang Pyo, and Ma Cheon-ah, scheduled as the conquest team, were in intense training under Woo Sae-geon’s supervision.

Since people with immediate important business were rehearsing…

‘They made me sit nearby to watch and learn, but actually I have nothing to do.’

And I’ll take this opportunity to slack off more diligently than anyone else.

Hae Mi-jun and Won Ha-ri were quietly doing individual training with VR on one side. I chatted with Sa Ye-ho, who was near Woo Sae-geon, from afar via messaging.

The fire was only across the river and the rest was peaceful time.

Beep—. Beep—.

If not for the sudden warning notification, this peace probably would have continued.

The notification rang from all successors’ status windows, but the decision-making power belonged to the leader anyway. So while Woo Sae-geon fixed his gaze in the air and read the content, everyone just stared blankly at Woo Sae-geon.

Soon Woo Sae-geon sharply turned his chin and headed straight for the exit.

“Ja Hyeong-woo, follow me right now. It’s an external gate matter. Myo Cho-hui will continue training.”

White scholar’s robe hem and black Hwarang uniform fluttered and disappeared from the doorway in sequence.

When the two disappeared, Sa Ye-ho came toward me. Avoiding vines spreading here and there, he smoothly climbed the wall and plopped down on the bench next to me.

Naturally turning off chat and speaking out loud.

“What showed up in the news?”

“Yeah. Like this. Want me to read it?”

Sa Ye-ho, who quickly found real-time gate breaking news on his phone, read with unnecessarily good diction, perhaps due to his broadcasting experience.

“Today at 2:40 PM, so about 5 minutes ago, a Hunter School student’s parent tried to see their child’s face before entering conquest at the gate entrance. When the child became visible, the parent ran into the line despite monsters being present and was exposed to danger. During rescue, 21-year-old Hunter Kim×× suffered serious abdominal injuries. The civilian parent is safe, but Hunter Kim×× is currently in critical condition and requesting support from healing-type hunters. It’s not a conquest issue but a civilian accident. Ja Hyeong-woo seems to have gone to heal this—”

At that moment, a long green form came swooshing toward my eyes with tremendous wind!

“Aaaaah!”

Something vine-like came under my knees and below my right armpit. I screamed at the sensation of my body floating up in the air.

‘Uh… I dodged? I thought my side would be pierced.’

What I mistook for a vine was Sa Ye-ho’s arm.

Since it happened suddenly in the training ground, my mind was dazed from the accident. It was even more so because the sight of vines spread all over my vision, as if cursed by green plants.

Being held by Sa Ye-ho, I looked down to see exactly how I ended up in this state.