Chapter 173. The Choi Sisters (2)
South Korea has formed a strong diplomatic relationship with another country following the Dungeon Shock. That country is none other than Singapore.
Once upon a time, there was a vast and cumbersome Gate known as the [Ice Palace] that flourished in this world.
Its emergence was limited to just Singapore and Korea.
As they exchanged ideas to conquer this dungeon, a sense of cooperation naturally developed over time.
Korea and Singapore have never had a bad relationship, but certainly, the [Ice Palace] has brought them closer together.
And just how close, you ask?
They send Hunters to each other’s countries whenever troublesome Gates arise.
A well-known example is Jeong Ha-seong’s conquest of the [White Tower].
Next in line is the dragon hunting exploits of a certain individual named Choi Jin.
Singapore has been famous for dragon species frequently appearing for quite some time.
‘A dragon Hunter, huh.’
Choi Jin, a prominent member of the ‘Faith’ Guild based in Chuncheon.
A first-generation Hunter who excelled in the battle to reclaim northern Seoul. The one said to have hunted the most dragons.
Anyway, rumors about this Hunter were incredibly diverse and extravagant, but none could pique interest quite like this one:
[The Awakener from the Bottom 90%…
The Story Behind Her Overnight Transformation into an ‘A-Class’? Jeongseong Daily: 20XX-12-22]
As can be gleaned from an article from a few years ago, she was the first case of someone whose ‘innate grade had changed.’
‘Oh ho.’
I focused on the approaching Awakened across from me.
A stylish short cut that fully revealed her ears. A large scar running across her jaw.
And a woman dressed snugly in lizardman leather up to her neck.
Considering the current circumstances, it was likely that her personality either despised wasting time or she was simply a lazybones.
There was no specific reason to keep an old scar if you’re a well-to-do A-Class Hunter, so you could infer that laziness plays a part.
“Hey, sister! Over here! Over here!”
Ahn Yoon-seung, who was next to me, raised his hand as soon as he spotted her.
That’s right. Today, I borrowed the strength of this A-Class.
It was mentioned casually during a past conversation, but the Hunter Ahn here is actually related to that dragon slayer over there.
‘Good lineage! It’s impressive how many excellent Mages come from such a family.’
The woman approached with the sound of her loafers clicking. I greeted the approaching Awakened politely.
“Hello, Hunter Choi Jin.”
At this, the person named Choi Jin stopped a couple of steps away.
‘Hmm.’
Is this the effect of the [Dragon’s Heart]?
I scanned the state of the person before me. For sure, the mana emanating from her heart was extraordinary at first glance.
‘This isn’t just a dragon hunter…’
Half-human, half-dragon.
As I looked at her, a certain term came to mind, and just then, a new shadow suddenly peeked into my peripheral vision.
“Hello there!”
With hair seemingly stolen from Choi Jin, another Awakened with extremely long hair appeared.
The impressive sharp fangs of this individual almost clung to Choi Jin as she spoke while peeking her face shyly.
“I’m Choi Jin-hee!”
“Choi Jin-hee…. Right? You both have the same name?”
“No, it’s ‘Choi. Jin. Hee.’”
Why did their parents give them such easily confusable names?
Anyway, both of them had somewhat similar appearances and shared the same surname, so I assume that this girl was the Awakened people talked about online.
‘So, she’s the younger sister.’
The fact that the Choi sisters work together is already a well-known story in the industry.
I finally revealed my name after hearing the introduction.
“Yes, Choi Jin-hee. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Gi-ryeo.”
But just as I reached out to shake hands, Choi Jin-hee’s eyes widened with surprise.
Bright red eyes resembling crushed pomegranates.
Come to think of it, could such a color possibly appear in an Earthling’s iris?
“What’s this?!”
Smack. Choi Jin-hee immediately grabbed my wrist and exclaimed.
“Why do you look so delicious? Oh, it really looks delicious… Can I just have one sip?”
“Uh, sure?”
“Oh my gosh. Big brother, your blood looks absolutely mouthwatering!”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Jin-hee! Enough!”
Just as I was flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events, Hunter Choi Jin surprisedly intervened to stop her.
She pulled her sister away from me.
“It’s rude to ask someone on the first meeting. Have you already forgotten how sternly you were reprimanded last time?”
“I wasn’t…”
“Stop it! Seriously!”
Choi Jin seemed quite flustered by her sister’s sudden behavior, and as I observed quietly, Ahn Yoon-seung began explaining the situation.
“Brother, I’m really sorry. It seems that Hunter Jin-hee has a bit of a vampiric urge due to her Awakening Ability. But it’s not dangerous or anything…”
“The Awakening Ability?”
“You didn’t know?”
With sharp teeth and bright red eyes.
I didn’t think much of her appearance, being an alien and all, but it turned out that was her unique ability.
“Jin-hee is a Transforming Awakened. It’s like a werewolf having two appearances?”
“Ah, I see.”
“She actually resembles a vampire like that.”
So there’s transforming magic in this world after all.
I became increasingly intrigued by the idea of Mages that could mimic entities from fantasy.
But then, as I fixed my gaze to observe her, I felt a prickly aura coming from the opposite end.
‘Huh?’
Hunter Choi Jin was glaring over here.
Just briefly stealing a glance at her sister shouldn’t warrant such a sharp gaze.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter, I apologize for the interruption. In any case, you mentioned you had something to ask me today.”
I was so intimidated by the gaze of the dragon slayer that I kept my breathing silent, and then suddenly, noise broke the calm.
Beep beep beep~ ring ring ring.
An alarm sounded from Choi Jin’s smartwatch.
“Ugh, damn it.”
Was it a message from the Guild?
“I clearly told them to confirm properly, so why do they keep summoning me like this…?”
Choi Jin checked the message and frowned deeply.
After that, she stated that company business had come up, and she needed to step out for a moment.
“Ahn Yoon-seung. Take good care of your sister until I return. Don’t leave her alone, got it?”
“Yes!”
Choi Jin said this and turned away, glaring for a brief moment at us again.
That was quite perplexing. I had no idea why that Hunter was being so hostile.
‘Is she just naturally temperamental?’
Well, this kind of unfounded rivalry was quite normal in Alphauri.
With Choi Jin gone, we decided to stay at the nearby lounge and have some drinks while we waited for her return.
For your information, we were in the lobby of the Faith Guild’s first floor.
And there’s a wonderful culture on Earth: most buildings of this size have vending machines inside.
*
Now in the break room.
Clink, clink. Clatter!
Gi-ryeo pulled out a soda from the vending machine while Ahn Yoon-seung pressed the button for his sugar coffee.
“Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?”
Before the coffee he purchased could even fill the paper cup, Ahn Yoon-seung suddenly exclaimed.
“I must have left my cellphone in the car.”
“Really?”
“Brother, I’m sorry, but can I quickly run down to the parking lot?”
“Why do you need to ask for permission for something like that? Just go.”
Shwoosh.
While Yoon-seung left the room, Gi-ryeo retrieved the coffee that came out of the vending machine and sat down.
At the round table, Choi Jin-hee, with her long straight hair, was already seated.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly in a one-on-one situation with a relative of someone else.
In the awkward air, the other person fiddled with her empty hands, and that made Gi-ryeo think of something.
‘Transforming and fixing a body isn’t simple magic, so how can such a mammal have that kind of magic built in…?’
Is she a genius?
Gi-ryeo rated her talent highly.
But he soon found himself interrupted by the booming voice that brought his thoughts to a halt.
“Um!”
Jin-hee seemed to struggle for quite some time picking her words.
“What’s the matter?”
“I haven’t eaten lunch today.”
“What?”
“So I’m really feeling weak. Can I please just have one sip of blood?”
“Blood?”
“I’m really hungry.”
Gulp.
The modern vampire disguised as an Awakened licked her lips while staring at me.
‘Is there some kind of scent coming from me?’
It was only natural to feel the strain when someone suddenly starts treating you like food.
Gi-ryeo hurriedly raised his arms to check if he smelled like something unusual, but found no identifiable scent.
That just made the situation all the more puzzling. Why would she request my blood specifically when she didn’t say anything to Yoon-seung?
“Is it because Ahn Yoon-seung is family? You don’t want to taste his blood?”
“Yes?”
With nothing better to do, Gi-ryeo decided to satisfy his curiosity.
“You keep saying that my blood looks delicious. What’s your standard for that…?”
When he asked, the Transforming Hunter swiftly replied.
“I don’t know.”
That was a somewhat awkward answer.
“But it just feels like it would taste good? Everyone feels different. Yoon-seung, for instance, doesn’t taste good at all.”
“Not good, huh…”
“My sister says I seem to prefer high-ranked blood. But last time, a B-Class was even tastier!”
She tilted her head sideways.
“It’s hard to explain. Anyway, your blood would definitely be delicious.”
Not the most pleasing evaluation.
But soon, she muttered sullenly.
“Oh, but can I just have a small sip? That scary mister always gets on my sister’s case.”
It was almost like talking to herself, but still audible in the quiet space.
“A scary mister?”
While I was about to drink the can I pulled from the vending machine, my action abruptly halted at the name that flowed out.
“A Hunter named Chang-ho.”
The Transforming Hunter continued speaking.
“I met him a long time ago! I felt my first craving for the delightful taste of blood. So unknowingly, I bit his arm.”
“No way.”
“I got hit really hard.”
Well, it makes sense.
That guy would not tolerate a Hunter baring their fangs at him.
“And you’re just like him!”
I hadn’t expected the conversation to go in this direction.
“Just like?”
“I can’t resist it at all.”
“Uh, just making sure, but how about Jeong Ha-seong or Esther? Do you have a similar feeling toward them?”
“Jeong Ha-seong? A little bit. And I don’t know the person you mentioned afterward.”
Unlike Choi Jin’s assumption, was it related to their ranks?
It might make sense that the A-Class Jeong Ha-seong wasn’t quite a hit while the S-Class Chang-ho received high praise.
It’s hard to pin down. But that’s how personal taste works.
As I pondered over the preferences of this vampiric creature, I decided to change the topic.
‘Yeah. What people want to eat, they should eat.’
I couldn’t ignore that desperate look that had been lingering since earlier.
“Hunter Choi Jin-hee, could you show me your wallet for a moment?”
It led to a rather unexpected request.
The other party hesitantly pulled out her wallet, which revealed yellow bills peeking out.
One, two, three…
About 150,000 won in cash.
“Let’s see. If you give me all that cash, I’ll give you a sip of blood.”
“What?”
“Think of it as a meal. You’ve got to pay for it then.”
Being excellent at recovery, he could easily replace a bit of blood, but taking this opportunity for profit wouldn’t hurt.
Maybe that’s why each of his earnings was being funneled into magic tools. These days, one even had to budget for lunch.
‘Should I buy some beef with that?’
Feeling a bit charitable, Gi-ryeo decided to ask for a small favor.
Choi Jin-hee, on the other hand, accepted the proposal with immense delight. Honestly, 150,000 won wouldn’t be much for a B-Class Hunter.
“Really? Can I really drink it?”
Thud!
With her eyes sparkling, Choi Jin-hee jumped up from her seat. Seeing this, Kim Gi-ryeo nodded and rolled up his sleeve.
A Mage sacrificing his own body for the hungry. At face value, it was quite a warm scene, but…
“Just give it a good bite. I’m having a bit of trouble controlling my defense right now.”
For reference, Korea strictly prohibits blood trading under Article 3 of the Blood Management Law.
However, being an alien, she didn’t seem to be aware of such regulations.
“Ugh, thank you so much!”
Let me reiterate, blood trading is illegal in this country. Violators can face up to five years in prison or fines of up to 50 million won.
But at that moment, there was no one around to bring this to attention.
