Retired Hunter, Become Haenam - Chapter 115



Only Noblemtl

Retired Hunter, Becoming Haenam Episode 115

Top attack team

I returned to Jeju Island from the sea of ​​another world.

As soon as I got back, I called Imharin to discuss the elves.

“Hey, how are you?”

[Yes, I’m doing well. The top raid team is a bit troublesome, but… Are you doing well, teacher?]

“Yeah. Do you have a minute? There’s something I want to talk about.”

[As much as you want.]

His voice was definitely brighter than when he called last time.

Actually, I heard from the news that the top investigation team is also making smooth progress in conquering the top in South Korea.

She uses her awakening ability, ‘spatial interference’, to travel between Seoul, Incheon, and Busan to carry out attacks… .

‘As expected, the spatial ability is fraudulent.’

As someone who commutes a fairly long distance every day, this is an enviable ability.

“I called because I wanted to talk to you about something. To be exact, it’s about ‘interspecies’… … .”

[please wait for a moment.]

The voice on the other end of the phone crackled.

Perhaps through teleportation you have moved to a place where there are no ears to hear.

[Yes, please tell me.]

“It’s about the elves. Actually, I was asked to do something. The situation there is—”

I honestly told Im Ha-rin what I had heard.

The grim situation of the elven kingdom on the verge of destruction.

The elven race is strangling itself by being bound by face and tradition.

And there is even a story about wanting to come to Earth with the seeds of the World Tree to continue that race.

Im Ha-rin, who heard everything, answered immediately.

[I understand. What would you like to do, teacher?]

“…me?”

[If I’m not mistaken, it seems to me that you want to help the Elf Kingdom. Not just accept one elf.]

“… … You’re right. I’d like to help in any way I can, if possible.”

It’s natural for people to want to help each other after eating together and knowing each other for a long time.

Im Ha-rin knew me well.

[… As expected from a teacher.]

“Is this like me?”

[Nothing. This is what I think.]

“That’s what I thought. How do I do it… …”

She presented me with a solution she had come up with herself.

While saving as many people as possible in the Elf Kingdom.

How to avoid being criticized by others.

Of course, it was close to an ideal plan.

Surprisingly, Im Ha-rin answered immediately.

[That’s a good idea. I think we should proceed as is.]

“Are you okay? The moment something goes wrong, it could be your responsibility.”

[It’s okay. I’m sitting in the position of the Director of the Hunter Management Bureau, so this much should be okay. You’ll take responsibility for it too, right?]

“Of course, since I brought it up. Anyway… please.”

[Please leave it to me.]

“thanks.”

Stop—

‘What a wonderful guy. He helps me from start to finish.’

The position of Director of the Hunter Bureau is constantly under threat.

Even in that situation, she took a political risk in order to grant my unreasonable request.

Taking on responsibilities that shouldn’t have been taken originally.

I have to be careful not to become someone like her.

“Ugh… Let’s go back first. We should eat something.”

The sunset was already fading away.

I should go back and eat something.

I got in the car and drove along the coastal road home.

* * *

Crimson earth and steep mountain ranges.

And inside there are mines and underground cities of the dwarves.

The throne room of the ‘Supreme Warrior’, the leader of the dwarves, located deep in the underground city.

A dwarf was having an audience with the Supreme Warrior.

“…we have confirmed that Toland is not missing but dead.”

“That guy who was sent to watch over the spirit world… … Are you sure about that, Angel?”

“Yes, I saw the body buried in the sand with my own eyes.”

“Hmm… … .”

The Supreme Warrior stroked his beard and spat out a sigh.

‘Toland wasn’t a bad guy, after all.’

Even among dwarves, Toland’s military power is at the mid-level.

It was definitely not something that could be done to anyone.

Even the creatures that lurk in the seas of the spirit world are not a threat.

There were even intermediate spirits there.

“What happened to the spirit?”

“They disappeared together. Perhaps they escaped to the spirit world as soon as the force was removed… … .”

“I guess so. Was there anything else unusual?”

“I brought Toland’s hammer, but the gem on the hammer was faded and completely shattered.”

“The jewel given by the Spirit King?”

The Spirit King’s Jewel was famous for being unbreakable no matter what happened.

In the first place, the Dwarf’s Hammer is a symbol of awakening ability—

As it was actively used in the blacksmithing work they revere, there was no problem with its durability.

But how can such a jewel break?

“This is Toland’s hammer, discovered in the spirit realm. Its unique markings are exactly the same as his.”

“Ugh… … .”

The greatest warrior who accepted the hammer given by Angelm.

The gem, originally an ominous purple color, had been dyed pitch black, giving it an eerie, corpse-like appearance.

What on earth happened to cause this to happen?

“We will investigate later. Are there any other unusual circumstances?”

“That’s… a little bit, is that okay?”

“Even the little things are good.”

Angelm hesitated, but when the Supreme Warrior urged him, he slowly continued speaking.

“That… had cooking utensils.”

“…cooking utensils?”

“Yes. I saw traces of a bonfire on the sandy beach, and stone cutting boards and other utensils.”

“… … .”

The Supreme Warrior silently tapped his fingers on the armrests of the throne.

It was definitely information that I thought was necessary.

I said even the smallest things were good, so why get mad?

At that moment.

“That’s good information. At least it’s proof that the attackers were intelligent beings, not monsters or beasts.”

“… Spirit King?”

“Excuse me, Supreme Warrior. But I heard an interesting story.”

The Spirit King appeared without any warning from a corner of the audience room.

A human with a translucent appearance, befitting his name, ‘Spirit King’.

However, he was wearing a purple cloak dyed black all over his body, giving him a figure similar to that of a god of death.

The Supreme Warrior pretended to be calm, but a cold sweat ran down his back.

‘Where on earth did you come from?’

The door to the audience room was firmly shut, and of course, excellent warriors were standing guard in front of the door to protect him.

In that situation, even the best warrior couldn’t help but be terrified by the sudden appearance of the Spirit King.

Even if I heard a funny story, that means… .

Doesn’t it mean that his every move is being monitored?

“Can you give me that hammer?”

“…here it is.”

The spirit king calmly asks for a hammer.

The Supreme Warrior handed him the hammer in a hesitant manner.

The sight of him caressing the hammer with such an interesting touch gave me goosebumps.

“Wow… the jewel really broke. Interesting.”

“… Since it’s the jewel you brought, don’t you know why it’s broken?”

“I know. I know it very well.”

The Spirit King smiled faintly, barely audible.

The laughter, which sounded almost like sobbing, made the Supreme Warrior and Angelm feel an instinctive sense of discomfort.

A feeling as if bugs are crawling all over your body.

But as if it was all an illusion, his laughter soon stopped.

“I asked what the broken jewel meant.”

“… That’s right.”

“It’s easy. My ‘jewel’ works through spirit affinity. In other words, it temporarily grants high spirit affinity to beings with low spirit affinity.”

“Can you explain it a little more simply?”

“To put it simply—”

The Spirit King tapped the jewel on his hammer.

“There is a being with a higher affinity for spirits than me, the Spirit King. And because I used the power of the jewel on that being, it was destroyed by overload… that’s what it says.”

“Is it possible that my affinity for spirits is higher than yours, the spirit king?”

“I would like to ask you something too. So… I think we need to contact you.”

The Spirit King pointed to the Supreme Warrior with his hand.

That action alone made the Supreme Warrior feel uncomfortable, as if his life was being shortened.

But I can’t express my displeasure… because he has already become an indispensable presence in the dwarven kingdom.

“Bring him here. It would be better if you catch him alive, but if you kill him… Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“… I understand. I will assign someone to replace Toland.”

“Please take care of me. Then, I’ll take my leave now~.”

Slurp—

The spirit king left as silently as he had come.

Only then was the Supreme Warrior able to take a deep breath.

‘Spirit King, this guy is dangerous… … .’

At first, I thought he was a cheerful and trustworthy person.

But as time passed, the power of the ‘jewel’ he brought became so great that he became dependent on it.

Now, it has regressed to the point where you can’t properly conquer the tower without jewels.

Relying on the power of powerful spirits, they never learned how to control their own power.

That’s why I had no choice but to rely on him even more.

He couldn’t say anything even when he acted like he was entering and leaving the audience room as he pleased.

The Supreme Warrior looked silently at the spot where the Spirit King had disappeared.

His fingers trembled with fear.

* * *

On the way home.

I’m driving with the window slightly open, feeling the cool Jeju Island breeze.

A friendly neighbor was walking down the street.

“Uncle Bongryong!”

“Oh my, that’s surprising! I’m still deaf!”

“Haha, get in. Should I take you home?”

“Okay. I’m old, so I should at least keep walking.”

“You’re healthy, so don’t do that and ride.”

“Hey.”

Uncle Bongryong seemed helpless and got into the passenger seat.

I can just drop it off for you on your way.

But he had a hand full of plastic bags.

“Uncle, what’s all that? Have you seen the intestines?”

“That’s right. Once I start working, I don’t really go out of the house.”

“… But why is the intestines like this?”

It was nice to go to the market, but… .

The contents visible through the transparent plastic bag were unusual.

“Soft drinks, beer, soju, ramen, snacks… Uncle, are these really right?”

“What’s right? If it tastes good, it’s 0 calories. Have you never heard of something like that?”

“No, that’s just a phrase made up for restaurant marketing… … .”

“Easy, delicious, cheap. Where can you find food better than this?”

“oh my…….”

I rested my chin on my forehead with one hand.

I guess I haven’t been paying attention to my uncle lately.

In the old days, we used to pack a lot of food and cook it for you.

I couldn’t just watch it and pass it by because my heart ached for no reason.

“If only I had my way, I’d throw this away and buy you a new one… But first, let’s go get some dinner.”

“It would be a shame to throw it away… But dinner?”

“I was planning to have a delicious meal with sea bass today. My mother is a great cook, so let’s eat together.”

“Okay. It’s not right to bring in an outsider when your family is eating.”

“Oh, it’s okay since Mijin and Seojun come here every day to eat.”

“Oh, I said, that’s enough!”

We finally arrived at the house after calming down the grumbling Uncle Bongryong.

However, it was Uncle Bongryong who walked to the front door faster than anyone else, as if he didn’t hate it inside.

When I looked at him and smiled brightly, Uncle Bongryong hit me with a slap for no reason.

“Ahh!”

“What are you nitpicking about? Since you are a resident of this house, shouldn’t you go in first?”

“That’s true, but… there’s no need to hit him.”

“That’s right, so it’s right.”

“It’s not fun.”

“Are you going to get hit again?”

I opened the door wide before I got hit by Uncle Bongryong again.

First, get permission from your parents before your uncle comes.

My mother happened to be on the sofa.

“Mom, my son is here.”

“Is your son here?”

“But I brought a guest with me. Is that okay? I want to eat with you… … .”

“Oh my, of course it’s okay.”

My mother smiled brightly and clapped her hands, saying it was good.

I was secretly disappointed that I hadn’t been able to come to our house lately.

My mother was originally a person who liked to invite guests into the house and eat meals with them.

“I’ve finished cleaning the house, so you can call me. But who? Seojun? Mijin?”

“No, I’m an uncle you know. Uncle Bongryong, come in.”

“Huh? See, Bongryong?”

Leaving my surprised mother behind, I picked up Uncle Bongryong, who was still waiting outside the front door.

“My name is Ha Bong-ryong. I’m sorry for coming here so suddenly, hehe… … .”

“… Oh, hello. But somehow I feel like I’ve seen you on TV a lot… … .”

“Mom, that’s a famous person. Oh, he’s on TV.”

At that perfect moment, Uncle Bongryong’s face appeared on TV.

My uncle, who is an S-class hunter and serves as the head of the Hunter Management Bureau’s top investigation team, was giving a speech in front of reporters.

As someone who has been through a lot, he didn’t even blink an eye when the camera shutters started going off.

[Our top investigation team has completed the conquest up to the third floor. The tower’s stairs are similar to an F-class gate, and when the mission on that floor is cleared, you will be transferred to a random rest area—]

As the head of the investigation team, I was publicly briefing the results of the investigation.

In fact, it is unusual for such high-level information about the tower to be released publicly to the public, especially on the news.

This was also something I asked Im Ha-rin separately.

‘We need to allow people from other countries who haven’t conquered the tower to actively conquer it. And since they already have a lot of information, there’s no need to make it too frustrating.’

For me, who has cleared up to the 30th floor, the information up to the 3rd floor is just cute.

It would be more advantageous in the long run to disclose all the information in a flashy manner, encourage other guilds to participate in the ‘Top Ticket’ auction, and raise the status of the Hunter Management Bureau.

While I was watching Uncle Bongryong on TV with those thoughts in mind… .

“Oh my, I see all the celebrities from TV! Oh my, such a noble person in such a shabby place… … .”

“Hehe, that’s not it. Just think of me as Uncle Dalgu.”

“…Uncle, you were hitting me with a chestnut just now. Aah!”

match!

When I grumbled that I had been hit with a honey chestnut, this time my back felt cold.

Could it be Uncle Bongryong again this time?

“What kind of habit is this guy having towards a nobleman! Did I teach you that?”

“Oh, Mom! Why are you hitting my precious son?”

“Go to your room. Don’t be distracted. Teacher, make yourself at home~.”

“Haha, I don’t know what to do with all this hospitality. Thank you.”

“her.”

I was dumbfounded by the sight of Uncle Bongryong acting more like a swindler than usual.

“By the way, what should I do tonight?”

“Mom, please make this for dinner tonight.”

“Huh? What is this? Sea bass?”

“yes that’s right.”

I missed the timing to convey it though because I got hit by a back smash.

I was able to deliver a lively sea bass to my mother.

Two 60cm ones should be enough.

“Uncle, tell me more about the Top Investigation Team.”

“What are you curious about, you punk? It was all said on the news.”

“It’s just a story about this and that.”

“Hey.”

Anyway, my mother won’t let me go near the kitchen until the meal is ready.

I took Uncle Bongryong to my room.

I was curious about the story about the top investigation team.

“So, what happened to the top investigation team?”

“… That’s it.”

Uncle Bongryong opened his mouth carefully.

The story he experienced on the top investigation team was quite shocking.