Chapter 438 – You’ve Worked Hard (2)
“Saying ‘thanks to you’ is both fitting and not fitting.”
A gentle smile rested at the corners of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s lips.
“The one who kidnapped Director Han was the military, and the Martial Arts Alliance merely gave a little help to the enemy of our enemy. The resulting outcome is merely profit according to investment.”
“As you say, you only provided some directions. It isn’t as though you had no idea whatsoever what kind of outcome might result. How many S-rank Hunters were there, again? Someone who has led an entire organization through precarious circumstances could hardly have failed to predict at least that much.”
Even if she had a skill that boosted her persuasiveness, she would still need that much ability in order to draw in S-rank Hunters. Dan Unbi, who had been quietly watching me, opened her mouth.
“Lord Xinling climbed the eastern stairs.”
…What kind of nonsense was that all of a sudden? Who the hell was Lord Xinling? But it didn’t seem like I should respond with What are you talking about, so I kept my mouth shut and pretended to think, and fortunately Sung Hyunjae answered instead.
“Why would Director Han have reason to refuse five cities. It would be regrettable to lose the military Hunters and airport facilities, but that should not be taken as a fault.”
Now what were cities all of a sudden. I didn’t know exactly, but it sounded like, from their perspective, I had caused a lot of damage in China, so I couldn’t only push our contribution to the Martial Arts Alliance. They could at least connect the Wi-Fi on my phone and let me search this stuff instead of speaking in code only they understood.
“Moreover, surpassing deoginmangji is indeokbulmang.”
Apparently that was some four-character idiom. At this rate, they should’ve served honey tea instead. Just listening to this was getting on my nerves.
“I climbed a rough mountain path on a bad leg without any stairs in the east or west. You people sure know how to treat your guests.”
“But Lord Mengchang provided even a carriage.”
Who the hell was Lord Mengchang this time. I knew Mencius, at least. No matter how I looked at it, it was obvious that the other side had picked a fight with me first. Smiling brightly, I looked at Dan Unbi.
“So much for a good relationship. I’m really terribly sorry for being so uneducated. Guess I should just ram into things with this weak body anyway.”
“It is only natural that you would not know Chinese historical allusions. I had intended to explain, but since the Guild Master of Seseong made the first move—”
“That act of offering an explanation itself means positioning oneself above the other. And also.”
Sung Hyunjae slowly ran his fingertips around the rim of his teacup and continued.
“Lord Xinling of Wei saved Zhao, yet modestly declined the credit. The King of Zhao then offered him Hu territory in place of five cities. The Martial Arts Alliance likely intended to let it pass by explaining only that they, too, would provide an appropriate level of gratitude. While concealing the facts that Lord Xinling’s sister was the wife of the younger brother of the King of Zhao, and that the reinforcements were sent only by deceiving the King of Wei.”
He kindly added that Lord Xinling had been the half-brother of the King of Wei. So what the hell—even after all that about declining credit, it had basically been their family affair in the first place. I, meanwhile, was from a completely different people.
“If five cities are the price even when family helps, then I suppose I understand if you don’t want to give as much to a total outsider.”
“Please forgive the discourtesy.”
Dan Unbi rose from her seat and bowed her head slightly. She apologized cleanly, without any excess, then sat back down. The instant she sensed a disadvantage, she cut it off fast.
Still, what on earth was with the sudden Chinese historical allusions? At this rate, if I went to France, would they start talking about Napoleon, and if I went to America, Lincoln? Even so, it had worked a little—there had been a brief moment where I shrank back. If Dan Unbi had been the one to explain instead of Sung Hyunjae, I would definitely have lost ground in terms of momentum. Quoting Confucius and Mencius really did make people look smart.
“For now, even if you offered, I would decline something like cities that I cannot carry on my back.”
Now they probably wouldn’t start talking in things I couldn’t understand again.
“I think it is entirely understandable that you would be wary. Even if the military is shaken, the Martial Arts Alliance would have to mobilize every bit of manpower and physical resources in order to seize this opportunity securely. It makes sense that you would not have enough to spare for others.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“I, too, hope the Martial Arts Alliance will reshape Chinese Hunter society. So I have no intention of making excessive demands.”
Of course, if they offered to give me things, I’d accept all of it without false modesty, but the Martial Arts Alliance showed absolutely no sign of intending to do that.
“However, my standards and the Martial Arts Alliance’s standards are different, so first tell me what kinds of repayment are impossible.”
Dan Unbi hesitated slightly before speaking.
“To begin with, we cannot provide high-rank Awakened people or high-rank items.”
“You need not worry. I never had any intention of laying a hand on the Martial Arts Alliance’s assets.”
Though it would be nice if they gave them to me.
“…Nor can we provide dungeon rights. Long-term contracts would also be difficult.”
Just cut everything out, why don’t you. In the end, it meant they had no intention of giving up anything that might hurt them.
“However, I promise that the stabilized Chinese Hunter world afterward will be cooperative toward Director Han and both Guilds.”
That was merely a verbal promise, not a contract. Something like, We’ll be good to you in the future, so that should be enough, right? They were trying to get off awfully cheaply.
“You surely don’t intend to leave it at that alone. It is under the premise that you will grant my request, correct?”
“A request that would harm the Martial Arts Alliance is impossible.”
“I am not asking for much. Something intangible will do.”
I really was cutting them a huge break here.
“Information on the military. Naturally, you must know it well, yes? You said you have ties to the government, after all. You don’t need to hand over everything. To begin with, A-rank and above Healers.”
This was the chance to bring a high-rank Healer into Haeyeon Guild.
“There must be plenty of Awakened people being held by force in the military. From the Martial Arts Alliance’s point of view, they are targets for rescue, so naturally you must also have detailed information on them. Among them, give me the information on high-rank Awakened. If there are useful special skills, then lower- and mid-rank ones are fine too.”
Dan Unbi’s expression remained unchanged, but Gu Yuyeong, standing beside her, stiffened a little. What, why. It’s not like I’m asking for your Awakened people.
“And items too. You wouldn’t be stupid enough to just shove high-rank items into an ordinary warehouse, so you must certainly be using Awakened people as living storehouses instead. Give me information on them as well.”
“All of it?”
Dan Unbi asked calmly.
“Of course, all of it. At best, we won’t be able to collect even ten percent of it anyway. We aren’t in a position where we have that kind of free time.”
Honestly, I was already making a lot of concessions. I was saying I wouldn’t touch the Martial Arts Alliance’s belongings. And if you really looked at it, the military’s assets were basically spoils of war. All I was asking for was that they hand over a list so I could efficiently collect my spoils. If they refused that, then their conscience had gone absent.
“Understood.”
Dan Unbi said that as she rose from her seat.
“We will, of course, provide the information, and we will also assist you as much as possible.”
“Ah, then please sign the contract.”
I pulled out the contract I had prepared in advance from my inventory and casually held it out. Mr. Gu Yuyeong really wasn’t good at managing his expression. How were we supposed to trust you people? We were just making sure things were done neatly on both sides.
Maybe because the Martial Arts Alliance had already been preparing to ransack the military, the list came out quickly. Since it was limited to high-rank targets, it wasn’t very long. But the contents were quite substantial.
“Yoohyun, Yoohyun. An A-rank Healer.”
Though he was already sixty-one years old, the fact that he wanted to immigrate overseas for the safety of his family gave him extra points. A long-term contract might even be possible. Most high-rank Healers couldn’t enter high-rank dungeons anyway because of their low stats. Of course it would be amazing if they could enter dungeons too, but even just having one outside was already enough.
Just having a high-rank Healer alone would make guild welfare shoot up. We’d no longer need to go looking for a Healer separately every time—most injuries could simply be treated. And on top of that, a Guild that possessed a high-rank Healer was treated better socially too. Whether political circles, business circles, or any important figure, situations where someone’s life hung by a thread could happen at any time. Just for the sake of having connections you could call upon in such emergencies, people would soften a bit and come in politely.
“He’s not even that far from here. Please stay safe.”
It would be bad if our precious Healer got bitten by undead or something. Our precious Healer was being held at a military installation. Apparently a number of other Awakened were also bound there and being forced to work.
“His family is said to be in the special district beside Chaohu.”
A Martial Arts Alliance Hunter named Eun Seseon explained that to us. She said she had also been the one guiding Yoohyun and Yerim on the paths here.
“The Martial Arts Alliance has already sent a rescue team there.”
“Then all we have to do is bring back the Healer. Oh, right. I heard that special-type Awakened people were also imprisoned in the Chaohu special district.”
“They were all moved two days ago.”
Well, of course they were. With that kind of chaos about to break out, they wouldn’t have just left them there. While looking over the photographs and blueprints of the military facility, Yoohyun turned his head toward Noah.
“Hunter Noah, will you accept the request?”
“Do you want the standard contract, or is special accommodation needed?”
“Let’s go with the standard.”
Noah pulled out a contract with practiced familiarity. Come to think of it, Noah’s Guild had supposedly taken on outside requests more often than they did direct dungeon clears.
“Normally, a minimum preparation period of one week is required, and for urgent requests, an additional fee is applied.”
“I see no need for revisions.”
Yoohyun said that while rapidly scanning the contract laid on the table with his eyes. Wait a minute, wasn’t that in English? Sure, lots of people could do English, but he was reading it as fast as if it were Korean. Wasn’t he?
“Yoohyun, your English is insanely good……? Mr. Noah, don’t you mainly use French?”
“Contract documents can’t use translation items. And I could read this much even in middle school.”
What? Was the curriculum that much more advanced than in my day? Or was my brother just incredible?
“When dealing with foreigners, we mostly use English contracts. That applies not only in Europe but also in Asia and the Middle East.”
Were all S-rank Guild Masters required to be multilingual? English was the major common language, sure, but still. Yerim approached me with wavering eyes and whispered.
“If I go overseas later… do I really have to be able to read contracts in English? In Japan, they translated it into Korean.”
“Uh… maybe if you dig around, there’ll be some sort of translation item. Or there are interpreters, you know.”
“The basic principle is to read and confirm the contract contents yourself.”
Yoohyun said that firmly. Startled, Yerim set her face in determination.
“Let’s make Korean the common language of the Hunter world, ahjussi.”
“…Huh?”
“If our country becomes the best, that could happen, right?”
Well, sure, but.
“You have to study anyway if you want to take the CSAT.”
“I’m going into science, though. I’m good at math.”
“Even in the science track, English is fundamental.”
“I can do a liiittle bit, okay. And I heard S-rank Hunters get special admissions.”
“You’re taking the CSAT properly.”
At Yoohyun’s words, Yerim’s face scrunched up at once.
“What? Why!”
“Korea has already stabilized. Unless society falls into chaos again, it wouldn’t look good for an S-rank Hunter to enter college through a special admission route. You might get bonus points, but you still need to have the basic skills.”
“Why only me! Han Yoohyun, what about you!”
“…Yerim, Yoohyun’s last national mock exam placed him in the top one percent.”
That had even been after he founded the Guild. While he couldn’t even attend school properly. In the end, he never got to take the actual CSAT, though. At my whisper, Yerim narrowed her brow and muttered in a low voice.
“No matter what I have to do, I’m beating Han Yoohyun in at least this.”
Go, Yerim! Maybe I should set up one of the empty rooms as a study room for her.
After finishing the contract, Yoohyun and Noah went outside. There was still plenty of time before sunset, but Noah had a stealth skill. As long as they avoided the S-rank Hunter, daytime would actually be easier to strike in than night, when the guards would be heavier. And because I wanted them to bring him back comfortably, I’d even given them Minimini Cookies.
“Hyung, absolutely do not leave this place.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll make sure to protect ahjussi well, so don’t worry!”
Noah changed into his dragon form. As his wide golden feathered wings unfurled, the eyes of the Martial Arts Alliance members who had followed us out widened enormously. His form had changed a bit, but they should have known Noah’s special transformation already. It had been on TV, after all.
Noah, carrying Yoohyun, rose into the air with a leap and activated his stealth skill.
“That is a golden Yinglong.”
Eun Seseon said that as though entranced while staring at the empty air. A what dragon?
“Yinglong?”
“A dragon with hawk’s wings. And golden at that—magnificent.”
Samokwol also exclaimed in admiration. Were feathered wings and membrane wings really that different? Compared to before, Noah had become slightly less Western-dragon-like, but aside from the wings and the tail feathers, he hadn’t changed that much.
The other Martial Arts Alliance members were murmuring too, as if they’d just seen something fascinating.
“Then I suppose it’s the items next.”
“We’ve identified several so-called ‘item storehouses,’ but all of them are under powerful contracts.”
Eun Seseon explained to me.
“So it will likely be difficult to forcibly seize the items.”
“There’s a way to解除 them, so pick the person who looks most likely to cooperate among them.”
I’d collect the items, and that person would regain their freedom. Wasn’t that killing two birds with one stone? Eun Seseon immediately pointed out a name on the list. Let’s see.
“It doesn’t look all that heavily guarded, thanks to the contract. Yerim, you could probably go handle it yourself, actually.”
“I’ll go.”
Sung Hyunjae said.
“I’m doing the解除, so should we split it fifty-fifty?”
“Han-gongja, if that is the ratio, we of the Martial Arts Alliance would like to lend a hand as well.”
Samokwol quickly cut in. It seemed the Martial Arts Alliance didn’t have any particular means of解除 the contracts on their own.
“That’s the preferential ratio for partners. If the Martial Arts Alliance is commissioning me, then it’s seventy-thirty. Naturally, I’m the thirty.”
“…Isn’t that reducing it too much?”
“Without my help, you won’t get even one. You know that already. And I only have a few special items for解除. They’re precious. If you consider the item value, I ought to be taking eighty.”
Of course, I had no such items. At my claim that I was giving them a particularly cheap rate, Samokwol conferred briefly with Eun Seseon and then accepted the offer. On top of that, I even got first pick of the resulting items. How generous of them.
“Then best of luck to all of you~”
Until they got back, I was going to rest with Yerim and Peace. I think I heard there was hot spring water here.
Moon Hyuna Side Story
The wind blew. Across the wide plateau, the long grasses spread like a carpet all danced at once. Red hair scattered in the wind, and a large, callused hand swept it back.
“Let’s begin.”
At the low command, the Hunters of Breaker moved in perfect unison.
Their target was the final boss of the S-rank dungeon, Twilight Plateau. A giant magical horse beast with six legs. Once it began moving, it was a monster with such high-speed skills that catching it at all became difficult. Thanks to that, when Breaker Guild first cleared this dungeon, it had taken three full days just to catch the final boss monster.
That had been a filthy amount of work. Moon Hyuna looked at the magical horse beast standing far away with eyes holding a trace of regret.
‘If only I could get a baby, it’d be perfect as a kiseungsu.’
But the magical horse beasts here had never once appeared in pairs, much less with babies. Was taming a fully grown one going to remain impossible forever?
While Moon Hyuna swallowed in longing for the pie in the sky, her team members moved busily. Fortunately in misfortune, the plateau that jutted out in a U-shape with a cliff behind it made escape from that spot impossible. So they used the grass that rose higher than a person’s waist as cover and installed traps all over the plateau.
They were not the sort of traps that could inflict damage on an S-rank boss monster. But they could catch its legs and reduce its speed.
At the same time, the long-range attackers took their places halfway up the cliff.
Compared to its fearsome speed, the magical horse beast’s attack power and defense were relatively lacking. So the Hunters other than Moon Hyuna concentrated on slowing the monster down and obstructing its charge.
A green signal shook from the cliffside.
Preparations were complete.
“Shall we.”
Straightening her crouched body, Moon Hyuna had a spear in her hand. It was not the great spear she normally preferred to use. This one was a long, slender spear, closer to a throwing spear. Right now, speed and mobility were more necessary than destructive force. Then an identical spear appeared in her left hand as well.
The Twin Falcon Spears.
Though A-rank spears, if you possessed both of the pair, they became a weapon with excellent options close to S-rank. Since they never dropped together, she had gone through considerable trouble to obtain the other one.
—Prrr.
The magical horse beast, which had been standing leisurely in the distance, spotted Moon Hyuna and snorted. The corner of Moon Hyuna’s mouth rose in a grin.
“You won’t remember me, but it’s been a while.”
Her combat boots, which came just below the knee, tore through and trampled down the grass. Behind Moon Hyuna, support-type Hunters raised her Agility stat and cast acceleration skills on her.
“Today I need your body more than your magic stone, so why don’t you just get caught quietly, hmm?”
As intact as possible, so that she could take it back in one large piece. Last time, it had been blasted completely to pieces.
“There’s a kid who likes horse meat.”
If she fed it S-rank magical horse beast meat, it might grow faster. Scrape, scrape—the hooves dug at the ground. Torn-up blades of grass fluttered apart.
Moon Hyuna’s steps gradually began to quicken. The acceleration buff of the Twin Spears activated, and Moon Hyuna’s combat support skill, Path of Wind, unfolded.
A straight path, with even air resistance minimized—no obstruction of any kind. The grasses split wide apart, opening a way before Moon Hyuna, and the heels of her boots kicked hard off the ground. Faster than one could believe was possible for a human with only two legs, Moon Hyuna charged at the magical horse beast.
—Hiiing!
The magical horse beast reared its two front legs high. It was a monster with solid hooves and powerful leg strength, but sensing instinctive danger, it retreated. Then, in an instant, it spun around and began racing across the plateau.
“Drive it into A! Get ready!”
Almost flying as she chased after the magical horse beast, Moon Hyuna shouted. One of her arms pulled far back with force as she hurled a spear. Fiiing! The spear shot through the air, grazing the magical horse beast and forcing its path to change.
Then, as she swung the remaining spear wide like a fishing rod—
Whoosh, the thrown spear returned to Moon Hyuna as though attached to a line and pulled back. It was the special ability of the Twin Spears.
“Fire!”
Hunter Seo Huiyeon shouted. She was the Hunter who commanded Breaker’s S-rank team in place of Moon Hyuna, who often went out alone.
At the signal, arrows and black energy shot toward the magical horse beast. Kwadeudeuk, the magical horse beast abruptly twisted direction, and the earth was violently torn up. The magical horse beast, which had avoided everything perfectly without losing even a single hair, faltered for just a moment before trying to accelerate again.
At that very instant—
—Purruung!
Something caught at the horse’s hooves. Ting! The transparent wire snapped, unable to withstand the magical horse beast’s strength. But its speed was definitely reduced. At the same time, a spear blade flew in with terrifying force.
Slice!
The long streaming mane was cut off in one stroke. Moving in a way no ordinary horse should be able to, the magical horse beast lowered its body sharply and dodged the spear, then sprang away once more. Retrieving the thrown spear, Moon Hyuna again pursued it.
“C!”
Moon Hyuna called out the zone, and the long-range attackers aimed their weapons and skills ahead. The Twin Spears cut through the wind, driving the horse into the precise position they wanted.
“Now!”
Seo Huiyeon, who had been carefully watching the movements of Moon Hyuna and the magical horse beast, shouted. At the same time the long-range attack was launched, Moon Hyuna threw her spear at the magical horse beast. The magical horse beast dodged the spear and was caught in another trap, and in that instant of hesitation—
—Hiiing!
Arrows savagely battered the horse’s hide. The wounds were not deep. But the arrows carried a special skill. A skill that slowed the target’s movements.
“Nice!”
Laughing loudly, Moon Hyuna leapt toward the magical horse beast. The beast, having decided to fight instead of flee, planted four of its legs firmly into the ground and then kicked out violently with its two rear legs. There was a reason people made jokes about horse muscles. It had neither sharp fangs nor vicious claws, but the magical horse beast’s back kick possessed tremendous destructive force.
Since her body was already airborne, dodging was impossible. But Moon Hyuna’s teammates, of course, showed not the slightest sign of worry.
Wearing a savage smile that bared her teeth, the Twin Spears vanished from Moon Hyuna’s hands. Taking their place was a heavy great spear. Wind wound around the spear tip in a circular upward coil. Her red hair lashed wildly in the gust.
The hand gripping the spear, the back of that hand, the wrist—veins stood out clearly in all of them, and her forearm and entire shoulder drew tight. The muscles of her back under her clothes writhed heavily. With a sound almost loud enough to hear.
And then, just like that—
Kwaaaang—!
The crash erupted. The great spear spun half a turn, grinding against the steel-like horse hooves with a kaga-gak. The sturdy muscular leg twisted to shreds like reeds caught in a whirlwind. The magical horse beast fled hastily on its remaining four legs, and the aftermath slammed into the empty space it had vacated.
Kuuung! The ground caved in deeply, and clods of dirt mixed with blades of grass exploded upward. Arrows poured relentlessly at the staggering magical horse beast as it retreated. The instant it barely evaded them—
Wooooong—
With a heavy tearing sound through the air, the blade of the great spear grazed the magical horse beast’s flank. Tough hide tore open in a long strip like paper, and once more kwa-gwang, the earth struck by the glancing blow split wide apart. Within the mound of dirt that rose high and came raining down, Moon Hyuna lightly shook her head.
“I almost turned it into minced meat again.”
Which meant she had deliberately avoided a direct hit. Though it could not understand human speech, the magical horse beast clearly felt the danger and took several backward steps on its remaining legs. The great spear disappeared, and the pair of Twin Falcon Spears was once more in Moon Hyuna’s hands.
“Let’s finish this!”
As if they had been waiting for that moment, arrows sliced through the air, and Moon Hyuna’s body launched forward faster than the arrows themselves.
“Great work!”
Lively voices rose from all around. The long-range attackers on the cliff jumped down below in easy bounds. Even the support-types, whose physical stats were on the lower side, descended with assistance. As they collected the clear rewards, light conversation followed—what dropped, what came out, and so on.
The magical horse beast, which had fallen with only its hind legs and head severed while the main body remained largely unblemished, was divided into three parts and wrapped in waterproof sheets made from dungeon byproducts. There were also Hunters who tidied up their inventories or lightly ran and swung their weapons to release the excitement from the battle.
In the midst of that, Moon Hyuna flopped spread-eagle onto the soft grass. Clouds drifted across the reddish sky above.
“That was even faster this time.”
Seo Huiyeon said as she came over and crouched beside Moon Hyuna.
“I’ve gotten the hang of it by now. I’ve grown used to driving the horse.”
At first, all they’d done was chase it around and waste endless time. But now she could easily drive it in the direction she wanted.
The world inside dungeons was merciless, but it also faithfully produced results according to effort. It looked at nothing else in a person—only their own skill and effort.
“Sometimes it makes me not want to go outside.”
“It’s simple in here.”
“If only there were just one or two troublesome things out there.”
It was entirely possible to cut off all the miscellaneous nonsense and move forward alone. Even so, still—
Moon Hyuna stretched out widely. The blades of grass swayed, and the scent of green pouring over her felt good.
“She really eats well.”
Han Yoojin said in heartfelt admiration. Blue, the golden griffin, chirped happily and bounced about on the lawn in the garden.
“Thank you, Ms. Hyuna.”
“It’s nothing much. It’s for our kid, after all.”
“Please stop saying that. And Blue is not your kid, Ms. Hyuna.”
“If Blue had been there, it would’ve been over in three minutes. They could’ve eaten fresh meat right away too.”
“Well, it should be fine to take her along next time once.”
With her belly round and full, Blue flew over in one jump to Han Yoojin and flopped over on her back. Han Yoojin reached out and roughly rubbed Blue’s belly and nape.
—Kkyaau.
“You like it? You like it?”
—Kkyak! Kkyaa!
The long lion tail smacked the ground over and over.
“Our Director Han has to eat well too. When you’re raising kids, stamina is the most important thing.”
“That really is true.”
Moon Hyuna pulled out some kind of sausage, tore off the plastic, and held it out.
“What is this.”
“Cheese sausage. It’s good.”
Han Yoojin took it and ate it for the moment, then grumbled.
“I mean, I may be younger than Ms. Hyuna—well, okay, I am—but still, I’m not a child.”
“Sure, sure. Sometimes when I look at Director Han, you do seem like an old man. Especially your naming sense.”
“…Is it really that bad?”
Han Yoojin tilted his head, and at that moment, someone approached from behind.
“Hyung, don’t snack before lunch.”
Han Yoohyun walked over in long strides and gave a light greeting to Moon Hyuna.
“It’s time to eat lunch.”
“This much won’t even reach my liver.”
Even so, Han Yoohyun continued nagging, and Moon Hyuna watched him with amused eyes.
‘This young master who used to care about absolutely nothing.’
It was still funny every time to see Han Yoohyun act like a younger brother. There had been a time when she thought he would never spare anyone else even a glance for his entire life. As expected, anything in this world changed eventually. Muttering that to herself, Moon Hyuna shouted loudly.
“Lunch is on me. Let’s go!”
“You’re buying lunch too? I’m the one who should be treating you after owing you all this!”
“Come on, come on. Young Master too.”
