Chapter 43

‘High rank monsters wouldn’t be found quickly, and it would take quite some time for the kids coming across water to arrive so I guess I’ll be free for a while again . ’

It was still impossible to transport monsters by plane . So the monsters bought by Haeyeon were currently scattered here and there across the ocean . It would be good if they arrived safely without any accidents .

“Hyung . ”

After everyone left, the remaining Yoohyun called me . I held Peace, who was exposing the framework of a chair, and turned to look at that guy .

“Don’t pay attention to what the Breaker Guild Leader said . She’s usually rumored to be a craz- weird woman . ”

Seeing how he was purposely explaining, it seemed like there really was something bothering him .

“I’m not . They’re people who’ve known you for at most two to three years . ”

He must have changed . It wasn’t possible for him to be exactly as he was when he was young . But this guy risked his life and saved me 5 years later .

Whatever anyone said, it was enough with that .

I said it was okay, but Yoohyun had a more strained expression instead .

“…Still, I haven’t done anything to pull on my conscience . ”

“Really?”

“…Mostly?”

“Hey, at any rate, I also didn’t think you lived to now, honestly and without a single flaw . ”

I became clean because I regressed, too . At my words, that brother of mine felt wronged .

“A while ago you were saying you trusted me . ”

“Is that the same as this? I’ve lived five more years than you . I know more or less everything I need to know . ”

If you were talking about experience, it was as much as living ten more years .

“No matter what you did, I think that you did so because you had no choice . Even if it isn’t so, well, people favor those they know[1] . And I’m not an upright person who would only lose his anger when he digs up his flesh and blood’s flaws one by one . ”

Rather, I was the opposite . Reasonably covering and overlooking things… if I was a clean person, I wouldn’t have been able to live to now .

“But are you really going to go if the world’s best guild tells you to come?”

Yoohyun asked, half-jokingly .

“If they were firmly the best, what would my opinion matter? Anyways, there isn’t a place like that . ”

There wasn’t a guild playing at the world stage level yet . It was only just handling their own country and even 5 years later, because of the increased dungeons, it might be possible over neighboring one to two countries but influencing the entire world was hard . At best, it was at the level of snatching away Chinese Hunters or taking the rights to a valuable dungeon from a small and weak nation .

Of course, there was no way for the situation of the Hunter community to flow exactly the way it did before the regression . Even with just high ranking familiars becoming widespread, a lot of things would change .

‘…If it’s like this, even if I said I knew about the future, it would become useless quickly . ’

Though I was going to earn enough and then retire anyways .

“When do you want me to look at your skills?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to make time for a while… Sorry . Getting involved with the slime dungeon and now even familiars, I got a little busy . ”

Seeing how it was a dungeon with a lot of profit, it seemed like flies were swarming .

“Still, the guilds that came today probably won’t be able to pick a fight? Especially the Breaker Guild Leader was fretting over getting you to make a deal for at least one high rank monster . ”

She quoted all sorts of prices, saying that it didn’t need other skills and just needed to be swift and strong .

“Within the country, besides the Association acting a little bothersome, there isn’t much of a problem . The most difficult is Japan . ”

“What, why are those bastards meddling in another country?”

“Since there isn’t a slime dungeon in Japan yet . Far from A-Rank, not even a C-Rank has appeared, so they have to import everything . But since an A-Rank came from our country, which is close by, they’re having a fit . And, not guild, but at the government level, at that . ”

I was about to curse . Monkey bastards with no conscience . When was it when it was decided that the government would have minimum interference in guild matters and would mediate through the Association? Was the government interfering and persecuting because it was another country?

“…Has the government not been prohibited from interfering with foreign guilds yet?”

“Yeah . It’s restricted to one’s own country . Still, it’s not like Haeyeon entered Japan and even the exchange is little, so if you take out familiars, there isn’t much damage right now . ”

“Familiars? Why… Is one of the monsters you bought, from Japan?”

Yoohyun nodded his head .

“One high rank monster juvenile . It’s held up in a port right now . If it really doesn’t work out, I was going to pass it over to Breaker or a different guild . ”

“They sure are acting nasty . ”

“Even if they openly pick a fight, it’s better for us to resolve it as nicely as possible, so it became annoying . If it really doesn’t work out, we can also ask the Association, the government side, but it would be best to not be indebted like that . ”

“They wouldn’t interfere for you on their own? No matter what, it’s still their country’s guild . ”

“They probably would interfere if it goes too far . The government’s interference with guilds being minimized is a double-edged sword, so normally it’s great but in these cases, it’s difficult . ”

So getting a slime dungeon didn’t mean constant profit . I had guessed that the other guilds in the country would pick a fight, but suddenly it was Japan . Still, it probably was better than giving it to someone else .

“For looking at your skills, just tell me whenever you have time . It wouldn’t be hard for me to make time . ”

I could take a day or so off from looking after monsters, and besides that, the schedule… ah, the broadcast .

Did I have to go?

“Han Yoojin-nim’s final Awakened Person rank has been determined to be B . ”

The Hunter Association employee said with a smile .

An eternal F-Rank jumped up to B in one stroke . Wow . If all my titles and skills were revealed, even A-Rank could be possible, but I was satisfied with this much . Unless your stats were around B-Rank at minimum, you should take it easy .

“If there are objections to the determined rank, please go through the information center to submit the contents of and related materials for the complaint within 10 business days . ”

When there was a large gap between stats and skills like with me, usually the Awakened Person rank was determined in two ways . The rank of the dungeon one is able to attack, or through a meeting within the Association .

I was the latter of course . With my current abilities, it would be hard to attack even an F-Rank without my equipment . Even if I got an adult S-Rank monster’s help, C-Ranks and higher would be dangerous . Since I had a glass body that would pass over to the afterlife with one accidentally flung over piece of debris .

“A B-Rank, isn’t that too low?”

When I received the reissued license, because it was Yerim who was waiting, she blurted out sullenly . Next to her, A-Rank Hunter Kim Jiyeon was standing . The two people followed me for my protection .

“Rank measurement is supposed to prioritize dungeon attacks . If your stats rank is F, no matter how good your skills are, A-Rank is the highest you can get . ”

Though it might be different if you had an incredible defense skill and could completely protect yourself .

I listened a reasonable amount to Yerim’s unsatisfied grumbling and got in the car . Maybe rumors about me hadn’t spread much because there weren’t any people approaching . Though there were gazes peeking from afar .

“Ahjussi, when will you look at my skills?”

Yerim pestered as soon as she sat in the car backseat . After safely getting 10 levels and Pale Rain, it was that talk daily .

“I told you to come after getting two more . ”

“Even 20 levels is far, much less 30 levels! Ah, do you want to go into a dungeon with me? If you get 20 levels, you might get another good skill . ”

I hadn’t gotten the 10 levels skill either . Did you think one would come out because it was 20 levels? Before that, even the dungeon rank didn’t suit .

“Don’t say nonsense . Right, I heard you’re filming too?”

“Yes, you know the Association said that three A-Rank and higher Hunters have to accompany you if you’re going a film a broadcast with monsters . While they’re at it, apparently they’re going to make a Hunter feature too . They said Moon Hyuna unni[2] was going to appear too . ”

…Why that woman again . Did a guild leader have nothing to do?

“But why ‘unni’? I’m younger than the Breaker Guild Leader, okay?”

“If she isn’t married, then obviously she’s an ‘unni’ . ”

“……What about me?”

“You aren’t married but you have kids . You say ‘dad is’ to Peace at anything . ”

I felt wronged . It was true I was raising Peace, but there was the barrier of species so why would you treat me like a dad?

“Don’t discriminate, and be fair . ”

“Then I’ll tell Hyuna unni that, about unni, ahjussi really- . ”

“Thinking on it, she really is an unni! Call her unni . ”

That’s right, what did age matter? Strength and authority were the best . A woman who swung around a large spear about twice her height as if it was a fly swatter and knocked down monsters was an unni even if she was one hundred and thirty years older instead of thirteen . Yes .

This was the third time going to the broadcasting station . Of course, including before the regression .

The first appearance was when I got a short interview about Yoohyun, and the second was Hunter-related crim… hm… Well it was something like that .

Those two times’ common point was that I was treated coldly . But it was different today .

“Wow, that’s that monster?”

“It’s so cute! This is my first time seeing a monster this close!”

“The ones that came out of dungeon breaks were all disgusting, but that cat is pretty . ”

With each step we got attention . 90% of the reason was because of Peace, who was in my arms, but there was a considerable amount of people interested in me .

It was because a newsstory about familiars was up on 9 o’clock news last night .

It took quite a long time and reported the huge advantages you could get from having high rank and highest rank familiars .

From the explanation that dungeon attack times would be decreased up to 50%, the response was hot . Comments about familiars covered the portal site and Haeyeon Guild took third in search rankings following the profits of S-Rank dungeons and familiars .

Though my name was actually lower than Yoohyun’s .

‘When the broadcast comes out, we’ll be compared again . ’

It would be a relief if just ranks were compared, but it was obvious that I’d be criticized about my appearance . Saying the brothers really didn’t look alike and such . Wasn’t it too much comparing me with a guy who could outshine celebrities because he got S-Rank stat compensation?

I should cut off my internet for a while in order to protect my mental state .

‘Even the waiting room is large . ’

Before, they didn’t even give me a chair, but now there was a comfortable looking sofa, and snacks and drinks prepared on top of a table . To one side, Yerim was getting her hair, which had become disheveled while coming here, and makeup done . And on the sofa .

“Come here, hyung-nim!”

Breaker Guild Leader Moon Hyuna was sitting with her legs crossed . Why did she keep on calling me hyung-nim?

“Hello . ”

Last time, her face was bare but today it seemed like she had on a little bit of makeup . She really was a beauty, but… it would be good if I could just see her face from far away .

“Come here quickly and sit . Do you want candy?”

“I don’t really like it . ”

I pretended not to see her hand patting the seat next to her telling me to sit there, and sat on the opposite sofa . As soon as I sat, I quickly grabbed Peace who was about to jump down .

“You can’t . Behave . ”

-Kkeueung

“I played with you a lot before we came here . You can’t make trouble here . ”

As the days went by, the activity level was increasing so it was difficult . I really should provide a large residence at least even temporarily; I didn’t think I could keep him in the house .

“Looks like you’ve completely fallen into the role of raising kids?”

Moon Hyuna moved over to my side in no time and said . Move away .

“Please don’t stick so close . People will misunderstand if they see . ”

“So what . You’re the person who’ll raise my kid . ”

…Fuck, goosebumps . Why would you say it like that? Just then, Yerim yelled as if she wouldn’t lose .

“Our ahjussi will raise my kid too, you know!”

“Yerim!”

Crazy, what was she saying! No matter if that ‘kid’ wasn’t that kind of kid!

“Why not, isn’t it true?”

“Even if it’s true you can’t say it like that!”

And Moon Hyuna, stop laughing you demon .

“Hyung-nim, I really like you . You won’t come to me?”

“Please extend your invitation after you fill the condition . ”

“Picky . ”

-Keuheung

Just then, Peace raised his ears . Yerim also shot up from her seat . A step slower, I could feel the flow of air in the surroundings .

“…What is this?”

I knew, but I pretended not to . Moon Hyuna smiled and lightly waved her hand . I saw the Breaker Guild members who came with her explain something to the confused people . But I couldn’t hear anything .

“I just blocked off sounds . A simple skill application . ”

It didn’t seem that simple . Moon Hyuna’s skill application ability stood out and was famous . Not yet, but a few years later . Even now, she should be pretty adept .

“Is there something you need to say in secret?”

“Rather than in secret, you have to be careful when you talk behind someone’s back . ”

Behind someone’s back?

“Hyung-nim, you really trust your younger brother?”

I was wondering what she was going to say; so it was behind my brother’s back .

“Of course I trust him . ”

It was such an obvious remark that my forehead automatically wrinkled . At my attitude, Moon Hyuna quirked her lips .

“When I first met Han Yoohyun, I thought ‘a kid really is a kid’ . Since, he ran around saying he would make his own guild, ignoring all the powerful people holding out a hand . I thought he didn’t know his place . ”

…For that part, I also thought that my brother didn’t know fear . It turned out well but during that, the probability of things collapsing was high .

“Of course me, but the MKC Guild Leader also is a puppet leader . How could young kids who were only doing sports be able to get to managing a giant guild? They said I could hand over all the annoying stuff and just take the seat of guild leader and live grandly, so I was like yay and took their hand . The terms aren’t bad . It’s comfortable . ”

Moon Hyuna continued, shaking a long finger .

“It’s similar for the Hanshin Guild Leader . A minor employee of a Hanshin Group subsidiary became the president’s son-in-law . Among the country’s five high rank guilds, the real guild leaders are Seseong’s Sung Hyunjae and Haeyeon’s Han Yoohyun, just those two . ”

Moon Hyuna spoke meaningfully but it wasn’t particularly surprising to me . A huge portion of why two of the 3 big guilds collapsed was because of those puppet leaders .

Even Moon Hyuna, who said it was comfortable now, couldn’t bear the narrow cage in the end . MKC Guild Leader Choi Sukwon was similar . Though Hanshin stayed to the end, maybe because it was involved through marriage .

“You’re not that surprised?”

“No, I am surprised enough . ”

“Hmm . The response is too lukewarm . It was a young kid who didn’t even have an ID card yet . Seeing that kid ultimately make his own guild and cement his place, I was convinced this bastard was a freak . Obviously it’s not normal, right?”

“Saying it’s not normal after seeing his abilities stand out a bit, your words are excessive . ”

“Excessive?”

Moon Hyuna laughed dumbfoundedly .

“Hyung-nim . Exactly what does hyung-nim think of his younger brother?”

“That’s……”

After hesitating a bit, I just spoke . It was something I had been interviewed about before the regression, and wasn’t a story I really needed to hide .

“He was a good younger brother beyond reproach . Since he was little, he listened well and didn’t worry me…”

“Hyung-nim was the one who raised him, right? After losing your parents early . That’s not normal . ”

She continued, clicking her tongue .

“A good younger sibling who listens well in poor household without parents . That doesn’t even come up in stories kids see these days . It’s not realistic . ”

“To that extent- . ”

“Kids are kids . They get frustrated and angry if something’s lacking, they make trouble to get attention, they compare themselves with other people, and beyond pestering their guardian to buy everything they want, they even resent them . Still, a parent can still adore their kid, but brothers? I also have a younger sibling so I know, but they’re really an enemy bastard . Of course, there are siblings who get along well . In peaceful households where the parents give a lot of care . Even so, they don’t not fight . Especially younger brothers are a bunch that need to be put in their place – the many older siblings in the world would probably agree?”

……I was a little taken aback . Was a good younger sibling who listened well really that weird?

“You could even say ‘an angel descended down~’ . But an angel can’t trample over people and build a guild . ”

Moon Hyuna shrugged her shoulders .

“I don’t intend to come between you . But hyung-nim, it’ll be good for you to think a little bit more about your brother . ”

[1] lit . ‘arms [only] bend inwards’, an idiom w the above tl’d meaning .

[2] what girls call their older sisters or close female friends who are older, equiv to hyung/oppa/noona