Chapter 66. Hadong (2)
Honestly, it’s a hassle.
“I understand.”
“Thank you……!”
Even though I had negative thoughts in my mind, I eventually accepted the proposal.
‘Hah, if it weren’t for that scene just now…’
It kept flashing in my mind—the sight of Seonwoo-yeon helping that old man.
It’s hard to be assertive with such a creature.
I like altruism.
*
A little while later.
“Are you really okay with this place?”
“Why go far away when you could just eat here anyway?”
“Th-That’s something I would do alone, though….”
At a nearby snack bar.
We arrived at the shop and sat down at a table.
It was a small restaurant tucked in a corner of the alley, so there weren’t many guests. Perfect for conversation.
“What’s good here?”
I casually asked as I scanned the menu.
But Seonwoo-yeon didn’t look too good.
“Seonwoo-yeon Hunter?”
“Ah, um, it’s my first time here too. I just came because it was close. I’m sorry.”
Why has she been so tense since earlier?
I hurriedly placed my order and added, “What are you trying to say?”
“Huh?”
“No, you look too stiff. If you have something to say, just say it quickly.”
Seonwoo-yeon fell silent for a moment before awkwardly getting to the point.
“I… I need help.”
Help. From that word, she continued with a few explanations.
“I want to use my Awakening Ability.”
“Hmm?”
“Ever since clearing that B-Class Gate, my skills haven’t come back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I even tried therapy just in case… but no matter how much time passes, my skills haven’t shown up at all.”
With a dark expression, Seonwoo-yeon wrapped her arms around herself.
“I couldn’t figure out a solution, and then I heard something from Ahn Yoon-seung Hunter.”
“What?”
“He said you hinted at how to use skills before.”
“……”
“To help someone else fix their skills, I kind of expected it, but….”
Seonwoo-yeon paused for a moment.
In the meantime, our ordered fish cakes and gimbap arrived.
Only after confirming the waiter had left did she continue.
“Anyway, I thought Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter could solve this issue, so I wanted to ask you.”
In short.
“You want me to handle your skill rehabilitation……?”
As soon as that brief summary flowed, Seonwoo-yeon nodded eagerly.
Let’s see. Rehabilitation for a sorcerer.
‘It’s definitely not impossible, but….’
It’s a task that’s less challenging than I thought.
I could instantly pinpoint several reasons why Seonwoo-yeon couldn’t use her skills.
‘How do I fix those bad habits?’
I chewed on the tteokbokki, lost in thought.
In my mind, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I would accept the request.
“Is it really going to be that difficult?”
Just then, Seonwoo-yeon asked with an anxious look. I nearly burst out laughing at her question.
What? “Is it really going to be that difficult?”
What does she take the Great Mage for?
“Well, of course….”
Of course it’s possible. Just as I was about to respond, a sudden idea struck me, and I exclaimed loudly.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong…?”
“I remembered!”
Now that I think about it, I had been feeling uneasy all day about not recalling this one thing!
Clap.
I smacked my knee and said, “Ms. Seonwoo-yeon, you’re from Hadong, right?”
“Yes?”
“Your hometown isn’t Hadong-gun?”
Seonwoo-yeon nodded in daze.
‘Aha.’
I recalled where I’d seen that word, Hadong.
Now that I’m face-to-face with this person, it finally clicked.
Weeks ago, when I had accidentally put the number one ranked hunter to sleep.
Because of that incident, I had personally searched for Jeong Ha-seong on a portal site out of curiosity.
The hunter profiles that came up were more entertaining than I thought.
As I read through trivial details like disliked foods, I suddenly became curious about others’ profiles.
I ended up searching for all the hunters I knew.
Of course, Seonwoo-yeon was included in there.
“How did you know about my hometown?”
“Oh, I stumbled upon it while clicking through links.”
I rummaged through my memories from that day.
“By the way, does your family run a teahouse?”
“Uh, yes. They’re operating it at my aunt’s place now, but I believe they still run a teahouse and sell tea leaves…”
“I saw that advertisement! The teahouse website your family runs had your face on the front page.”
Seonwoo-yeon seemed confused about why I suddenly brought that up, but I had my reasons.
“Alright. For now, I’ll accept your request.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll help you fix your skills.”
Slurp.
I took a sip of the fish cake broth in my paper cup.
“But there’s a condition.”
Gulp.
At that moment, Seonwoo-yeon swallowed hard.
“I happen to need to go to Hadong. Because of the Gate.”
“Ah….”
“So I’d like someone who knows the area to guide me.”
Additionally, I could conveniently throw in the request to hunt at the [Nest of the Murder Hornets] Gate.
Kuk kuk kuk. I barely suppressed a laugh that was struggling to burst out.
“And I have one more favor to ask.”
“What is it…?”
“I mentioned earlier that I discovered the site of your family’s teahouse.”
“Yes.”
“However, I’m terrible at online ordering, so I couldn’t manage to get it delivered.”
For the record, this statement was true.
They told me to write an email, install a security program, and online payment was a mountainous challenge for a newbie.
“I want to get some tea leaves as compensation.”
“Excuse me?”
“If so, I’ll correct your skills.”
Material rewards and guidance.
Plus, I could casually turn it into an opportunity to explore the Gates under the pretense of skill practice.
Perfect.
‘I’ll make good use of this.’
I completely forgot that I had intended to treat kind creatures well and revealed my sinister intentions.
An opportunity to take advantage of a precious B-Class Hunter!
How could I let such good luck slip away?
‘Besides, I was already worried about the Nest of the Murder Hornets issue, so this works out nicely! It’ll make my catalyst production much easier.’
A little while later, after hearing my proposal, Seonwoo-yeon appeared serious, and soon she gave an answer.
“Can I really ask for a correction under such conditions?”
An absurd question.
She should be thanking me for helping her.
As soon as I heard Seonwoo-yeon’s words, I nodded readily.
*
Seonwoo-yeon briefly contemplated behind her deep brown eyes.
Did I misunderstand something?
Or is this hunter joking?
– I want to get some tea leaves as compensation.
But no matter how many times she checked, the outcome didn’t change.
– I’ll help you fix your skills.
Which he accepted so readily!
Seonwoo-yeon flustered her hands in confusion. Meanwhile, the male hunter across from her continued to eat calmly.
‘Is it really okay to be this lucky? Am I going to get hit by a car tomorrow or something?’
Kim Gi-ryeo could do something as significant as skill correction. Skill correction.
Analyzing Awakening techniques and suggesting better usage!
It was a power she’d never heard of, but if it’s actually possible, it would be an incredible talent.
Perhaps when that day comes……
Not just in Korea.
Hunters throughout the country would bow their heads before the figure of Kim Gi-ryeo.
That was quite predictable. His guidance had that much significance.
‘Skills are an unknown territory for humanity. It’s already been seven years since Dungeon Shock happened, yet control is still left to personal instinct…’
How on earth is Kim Gi-ryeo able to achieve such a thing?
Ahn Yoon-seung said he could pinpoint skill problems with just a casual glance.
Then how perfectly must he handle his own Awakening Ability?
Hah.
Her thoughts drifted elsewhere for a moment.
Seonwoo-yeon took a breath and refocused her thoughts.
At any rate, what she was most curious about was why he accepted the request under such conditions.
‘What’s his ulterior motive?’
As explained before, Kim Gi-ryeo’s teaching held immense value.
So why was he willing to settle for just guiding her and a bit of green tea?
‘Not money but tea? He wants to settle with just that?’
Seonwoo-yeon’s mind went blank.
Thinking it over again, it was absurd. Just guiding her around Hadong and a bit of green tea was enough?
No, but if she thought carefully…….
‘It was the same last time.’
He never expected a huge price.
Drawing out the hidden potential of skills, navigating the labyrinth of the Magic Tower, even with all his capabilities.
Seonwoo-yeon momentarily entertained another idea.
Could this man possibly have feelings for her? Maybe that’s why he is being so nice?
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t an entirely outlandish notion.
Objectively speaking, Seonwoo-yeon was quite good-looking.
Even with her simple attire, her beauty was evident. Naturally, she had gone through her fair share of romantic advances.
‘No way.’
Even she could tell this time for sure.
‘Indeed.’
That Awakened person had no interest in her.
He certainly wasn’t being kind for that reason.
‘Someone trying to impress others wouldn’t have that cold expression.’
Such a matter could be discerned merely by observing the other’s demeanor.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
She froze.
But at that moment, Seonwoo-yeon locked eyes with Kim Gi-ryeo.
He had stopped eating and was silently staring at her.
Just a brief eye contact, yet why did her spine shiver like this?
Right, the eyes.
Those eyes are the problem.
Kim Gi-ryeo always looked at people with that gaze.
“……”
As if observing a cow, chicken, or pig.
Like he was looking at someone from a ‘different species’……
“Nothing at all.”
This is why Kim Gi-ryeo is scary.
He seems like a kind person, yet he occasionally reveals those spine-chilling undertones.
‘Uncomfortable.’
Seonwoo-yeon felt fear towards him. This dread made her constantly suspect and remain vigilant about his intentions.
Why would he help her without any compensation?
Why would he assist hunters like her and Ahn Yoon-seung?
‘Why on earth.’
That F-Class hunter was full of mysteries.
But she couldn’t interrogate him about his secrets here.
She was the one who made the request, and he was the one who readily agreed to help.
“Anyway, thank you for accepting my request.”
Seonwoo-yeon strained to calm the rising distrust.
It was now time to arrange the schedule.
“But, how long will it take to get my skills back?”
However, she didn’t expect the response that followed.
“About three days?”
“What did you say?”
“If we account for some buffer time, it should take about that long….”
Thud.
Seonwoo-yeon weakly dropped the gimbap she had just picked up.
The F-Class Hunter sitting across from her continued to gaze blankly at the rolling gimbap and continued speaking.
“So, could you clear some time on Friday? If I go down then, I can get things done over the weekend, and the schedule will align perfectly.”
“……”
“Excuse me?”
Psychological counseling.
Neo Sisters’ consultation.
Korean Magic Tower’s professional magic power test.
After all that, to find out that the treatment for her Awakening Ability would be completed in just three days?
Seonwoo-yeon’s mouth hung open.
But she had no idea.
That this was only the beginning of the surprises to come.
