Chapter 387 – The First Request.
“…Um… Is this really the Hunter Guild…?”
A sudden voice breaks into our peaceful daily life.
Judging by the voice of a prepubescent child, they can’t be more than an upper elementary student.
No matter how you slice it, that voice isn’t one you’d hear in a Hunter Guild.
“Shinwoo, who was supposed to come today?”
“No one.”
As Hyeji said, there was no mention of a visitor today.
Moreover, today is Friday afternoon.
In a typical Hunter Guild, everyone would have already left to enjoy some leisure.
“Is no one… here?”
With that in mind, unless you count people like us who made the guild building our home.
It’s common sense that no Hunter would remain in the guild to take on requests.
Even elementary students these days know that much.
[…….I was going to nonchalantly brush this off, but enjoying leisure time from Friday afternoon?]
‘Well, that’s the life of a Hunter.’
I had a fleeting suspicion that this might be some sort of religious solicitation or insurance scam.
But the moment I heard the next line, I was convinced they were targeting the guild.
“I… want to commission a request…”
Whoever the person was, they were a guest.
Even though we were a bit far removed from a normal guild, we still had to welcome a guest.
Still, the heroines’ expressions weren’t too pleased.
They probably found it irksome to have our peaceful life interrupted.
“Shinwoo, just leave them be. They’ll leave on their own.”
“Why would they interrupt us while we’re working!”
“This time, I side with Elcia.”
“By the Guild Master’s authority, I shall personally chase them away.”
However, I thought it would be better to welcome the guest.
And I had a pretty solid reason for that.
“No, let’s at least meet them.”
“Why?”
First, there’s the guild’s minimum performance record.
No matter who you are, you can create a guild.
But once it’s established, you need some minimal achievements to keep it afloat.
It’s a sort of maintenance condition for the guild.
And to fulfill this, I thought we should accept that request.
According to Choi Da-eun, we can now undertake requests.
“Let’s fill out some of our performance. If the content isn’t to our liking, we can just reject it.”
“Master, are you perhaps trying to escape?”
“…No.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already put a leash on you.”
“When did you tie me up, f*ck…”
Of course, there was definitely some part of me that wanted to avoid the current situation.
Still, everyone reluctantly agreed to welcome the guest.
So, responding willingly to that urgent yet affectionate voice calling for someone.
“Is really no one here…?”
“Welcome! How can we help you?”
“Oh, you’re here!”
As soon as I spoke, someone timidly approached us.
When I heard the voice, as I expected, the visitor was an elementary school student.
Their appearance was quite androgynous, but given they were wearing a skirt, there’s a high chance they’re a girl.
However, as soon as this elementary student spotted me, they quickly displayed a bewildered expression.
“A leash…?”
“Ah, f*ck.”
Seeing the leash that Ayeon had put on my neck.
I struggled to think of an excuse, unsure of what to say.
Before I could finish my thoughts, the elementary student wiped the panic off their face.
Instead, a cheerful smile spread across their tiny face.
“Ah, this is just like the pet pig game I played with Dad!!!”
“…R-really?”
“And I definitely did it like this!”
Saying this, the elementary student suddenly grabbed the leash around my neck.
With disdainful eyes and a superior grin, they began to look down on me.
It was so natural; I began to suspect they had received thorough training from their parents.
“Bark, you piglet!”
“…Let go.”
“Oh wow, the pig can talk? I said squeal and bark!”
“Let go, you damn dog.”
Then Ayeon hurriedly snatched the leash away from the elementary student with a grim expression.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
The pressure made the elementary student shrink down almost immediately.
As if their previous attitude was a complete lie.
Naturally, the next words from Ayeon made everything worse.
“When doing that, you have to stomp on them. If possible, wear high heels too.”
“Ah, I understand now!”
“And while you talk, yank on the leash hard. That way, it’ll be more effective.”
“Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely try it when I get home!”
Their expression returned, but…
“What the hell are you teaching that kid, you crazy woman?”
“It’s part of the basic Succubus training course.”
“…Ha…”
[Great early childhood education, f*ck!!!]
‘…I’m seriously worried about what will happen when I have kids later.’
The conversation took an odd turn, but.
Nevertheless, the elementary student was here to make a request.
So I decided to move on to the main topic.
“Anyway… you said you came for a request?”
“Ah, yes! First, I’m Lee Da-hye, a second grader from the elementary school right in front!”
Before I even asked, Da-hye, the juvenile offender, shared her personal information.
I was briefly torn between whether to criticize her lack of caution or commend her politeness when Hyeji suddenly expressed her doubt.
“Little Da-hye, what kind of request do you want to make?”
“There are some really bad people out there. Can you teach them a lesson?”
“What kind of damn dogs are we talking about?”
At that, Hyeji smiled a bit sinisterly.
She probably liked the idea of being able to rough someone up.
Of course, Hyeji’s smile changed the moment Da-hye spoke.
“They’re all damn kids from my elementary school!”
“…Uh…”
Things began to twist in a complex manner.
It’s not about beating up another Hunter; it’s simply about scolding elementary students.
Honestly, it seemed like too much for Hyeji.
Plus, one more problem arose.
“Wait… aren’t they juvenile offenders?”
“Ah… right…”
The targets Da-hye mentioned were indeed juvenile offenders.
In legal terms, they are minors who cannot be held criminally responsible for crimes committed under the age of 14.
If they are 10 years old or older, they may receive protective measures, but the worst they face is being sent to a juvenile facility for two years at most, with no permanent criminal record.
Of course, they aren’t exempt from civil responsibility, but…
“Excuse me! So are they all around the same age?”
“Ah, their ages differ a bit! Some of them are even sixth graders!”
Even considering that, they’re still quite a tricky bunch.
“Then, have any of them awakened their abilities?”
“There are about two. One is the sixth grader I just mentioned, and the other one is in the same class!”
And the fact that they have abilities is even more concerning.
These juvenile delinquents, who might go off the rails at any moment.
Adding powers to the mix just makes them a wilder, uncontrollable bunch.
Even if they’re registered Ability Users, they’re the kind who would cause trouble anyway.
[Since they won’t face any legal consequences, right?]
‘Yes, that’s right.’
Then suddenly, a strange thought popped into my head.
Even though this is the Hunter Guild.
Unless it’s exceptionally famous, regular commissions aren’t often handled here.
Typically, one would go to the Hunter Association for that.
Moreover, our guild has a somewhat embarrassing name to put out in the world.
So, it’s quite surprising that a requester would come directly here.
Especially when it’s just an elementary student!
“But how did you know about this place?”
“Previously, patrol officers from the elementary school said that if anyone ever had a request, they could come here anytime!”
“Damn…”
Those previous pedophiles were also a problem.
I thought I had cleaned everything up, but they left this behind.
They really were useless until the end.
Furthermore, Da-hye’s next action gave me a serious headache.
“For the reward, I’ll give you a photo of me in my pajamas, like I mentioned before—”
“Shut it, you psycho!!! That’s not it!!! Are you trying to socially murder someone!!!”
In my urgency, I raised my voice without meaning to.
As a result, the juvenile offender in front of me began to tear up.
“Th…that… I’m sorry… hic…”
“Oh, crap.”
And then came the heartbreaking scolding from the heroines.
“Hey, f*ck! Shinwoo, why are you making the kid cry!”
“…I didn’t make her cry on purpose…”
“A grown man forcing an elementary student to cry… Isn’t that going too far?”
“Stop twisting my words, please…”
“It’s okay! You’re nice! Stop! If you buy this coin, you’ll stop crying soon!”
“Pray while you’re crying, and you’ll feel better soon. I’ll pray with you if you just donate!”
After the heroines coaxed her, Da-hye managed to calm down a little.
She was still sniffing, but compared to earlier, she was in a much better state.
“Anyway… I’d like you to teach those kids a bit of a lesson… they do really awful things…”
Honestly, I had no idea what to do.
Juvenile offenders exist outside the bounds of law, and more importantly, this falls under private punishment.
But here, Hyeji made a decision.
“Shinwoo, let’s help her out.”
“Are you sure?”
“I feel a bit bad for making her cry… Well, we just need to scare them a little. And she’s our first requester, after all?”
“…Well, if you’re okay with it, let’s do it.”
And thus, we decided to accept our first request.
“Then can you tell us who we’re supposed to deal with?”
“Yes! Just follow me! It’s not far from here!”
With that, Da-hye began to smile brightly as if she hadn’t cried at all and led the way.
We started quietly following behind her, completely oblivious to what would happen next.
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