S-Class Hunter Heals with Monsters - Chapter 225



Only Noblemtl

225. What the King Feared

* * *

The third obstacle course we reached had a steep wall installed.

It was a rock climbing section where the platforms moved randomly.

“This section won’t be easy either, right?”

The surviving team was nervous. But they didn’t give up.

Now, only five teams remained, excluding Cheon Do-un.

Who will become the disciple of the tripod in this? They looked at each other.

‘grow.’

‘it’s me.’

‘Of course I will.’

The participants looked at the rock face with hope. The first one to move was, of course, Cheon Do-un.

[Coconut Family Team, here we go. Look at that! They’re climbing up the randomly moving platforms with only one foot! They’re not using the foot they’re tied to.]

This was to prevent Dodak from being shocked.

[Ah, Dodak is also tapping the step with his cane every now and then!]

-Whew!

[That’s smart! Dodak is smart! It’s not against the rules because he’s using his stick to step up. That’s the two of them working together to climb the rock!]

Dodak understood well the rule that one side should not carry the other side.

Cheon Do-un quickly climbed to the top of a cliff that was over 10 meters high.

“This game is a bit boring. Are there any other sabotage schemes?”

Cheon Do-woon, who had reached the top, looked down. Below, each team was still struggling.

Since one of our feet was tied together, we couldn’t breathe properly and often ended up falling apart in the middle.

There were also teams that couldn’t adapt to the fast-moving platform and couldn’t climb at all.

“Look at that. Mr. Tripod is already up.”

“Master, please give me some tips! How can I get up there?”

“well.”

It wasn’t a tip at all. There wasn’t even sincerity in the answer. But the participants’ eyes lit up at that one word.

“If you climb well, it’ll be fine!”

“Let’s go up!”

“Woooooo!”

By this point, they were fanatics. It may have been because they were excited by the festive atmosphere, but people seemed to believe that even if Cheon Do-un said that he made meju with red beans, they would believe him.

“Dodak, who looks like someone worth using?”

-Huh?

“Choose some workers.”

At Cheon Do-woon’s words, Dodak’s gaze turned sharp. It was the gaze of a judge.

Here, the dodak should catch your eye.

The participants who heard the conversation between the two gritted their teeth and started climbing the rock wall.

[Look at that! People are climbing up the steps, holding on to the footholds as if they were crawling on all fours! It’s weird! It looks as weird as they are paired up!]

The host shouted. The audience also remembered something as they watched the desperate Awakened.

“I’ve seen something similar to that in a horror movie clip. It was an old-time horror movie….”

“I think I know what you mean. You mean crawling down stairs on all fours?”

The overall atmosphere was similar, except that it wasn’t the turtle pose. The eyes of the participants on the screen were also similar.

“This is really weird.”

People muttered. It was a scary sight, almost like a dream, but in the end, all the teams climbed up onto the rock.

Cleanly clear all the way down to the rope.

Dodak nodded after seeing that.

“Everyone thinks it’s useful?”

-Okay, okay.

“The basics are set, right?”

-Whew!

“The score is generous. Then shall we move on to the next stage?”

Cheon Do-woon walked towards the next obstacle course. The five remaining teams clenched their fists and cheered.

“I passed the test, Dodak!”

Of course, it was still too early to feel relieved. The most important thing was that the tripod had not yet received the approval sign.

[We’ve finally reached the final section. It’s the highlight of the Spring Festival, tightrope walking!]

Of course, it’s just a tightrope walk. Since it’s a two-person triangle, instead of a rope, there was a plank installed that was large enough for two people to stand on.

A narrow plank installed three stories high.

There was a deep pool below. There was a guide waiting with a tube, so if you fell, you wouldn’t get hurt.

[A section that looks simple, but is by no means simple! A welcoming spell is installed on the plank. The situation you fear the most will pop out as an illusion.]

The host looked around at the remaining teams.

[There seem to be many active hunters among the participants. In that case, it is likely that monsters will be welcomed.]

The audience showed interest in the host’s words.

It’s strange that ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to see monsters, so they are welcomed.

“But if it’s a welcome, it’s fake anyway. Isn’t it more effective to suddenly show up and surprise people?”

“Right. Wouldn’t it be pointless to tell them in advance that there will be a welcome?”

The audience thought so, but the participants did not.

“It’s ruined. It must be a welcome spell.”

This is a spell created by the Awakened Ones’ Unified Association. Just looking at it, it’s impossible for a half-assed illusion to appear.

Of course, sound, color, texture, and even movement will create illusions that are indistinguishable from reality.

The participants groaned in anticipation of it, but were also curious.

“You said there was a scary situation? What kind of illusion will you have, Tripod?”

Even an S-class hunter will have things they fear.

Having lived through the old days, they may be greeted by monsters they have never seen before.

People’s attention was focused on Cheon Do-un.

The only ones who were indifferent to the current situation were the Coconut family, including the siblings.

“Uncle Sparrow. Are you afraid of anything too?”

“Well, I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him afraid of anything, even when he was little.”

At Yoo Beom’s words, the group made faces as if they were saying, “As expected.” They couldn’t imagine that Cheon Do Woon was afraid of something.

It was natural that Cheon Do-woon did not feel any emotion called fear.

Cheon Do-woon himself was certain that no welcome would come to him.

‘Hold on. The situation where Dodak is scared seems like it will turn into a welcome situation. I wonder what will turn out.’

Cheon Do-woon saw Dodak.

Since it is a plant-based monster, wouldn’t there be mites and monsters that stick to plants and live off of them?

Whatever it was, this was a chance to see what Dodak was afraid of.

If we can figure that out and get rid of it, we can provide a more comfortable environment for the raccoon.

After finishing his thoughts, Cheon Do-woon stepped onto the plank.

* * *

A giant monster appeared in the playground.

Of course, it wasn’t real. The situation that each team was afraid of due to the welcome spell was brought up as an illusion.

“Wow, look at that. Is that a welcome?”

“It’s so real. It’s so vivid!”

“Wow! It’s a spring festival after all!”

People were amazed by the realistic illusions.

Conversely, when faced with the illusion of being surrounded by monsters, the participants’ bodies froze.

I know this is fake, but somewhere inside me, I broke into a cold sweat as I faced the situation I feared the most.

-Kuaaaaang!

The high-performance welcome order even reproduced the sound perfectly.

The monster’s roar echoed throughout the stadium. Even the distant spectators became quiet at the realistic sound.

The participants’ faces turned pale as the monster opened its mouth wide and charged at them.

“Oh, that won’t do. I’ll abstain!”

“Me, me too, this is it. I can’t stand this!”

One team jumped off the plank on their own. As they got off the plank, the illusion of that team disappeared.

“We give up too!”

Another team also jumped off the plank.

The team that fell into the pool with a splash swam out of the stadium.

Even though I knew it was welcome, it was a game that was difficult to complete without a lot of mental strength.

[Now there are three teams left, including the Coconut Family! But something is strange. The Coconut Family team hasn’t been greeted at all since a while ago!]

The host shouted. The audience cheered.

As expected, Dodak is a tripod. With that much strength, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

The host, who was thinking like that, stopped.

[Okay, wait a minute! There’s an illusion. There’s a small illusion floating around! At the feet of the tripod. Near Dodak! It seems like the situation where Dodak is scared is an illusion floating around!]

It was just that it was relatively small compared to the other teams’ welcomes, so it wasn’t visible. Dodak’s welcome was clearly floating.

As the host snapped his fingers, the illusion created by Dodak was enlarged on the screen.

[Is that… the night sky?]

A vision of a star-filled night sky appeared on the screen.

“What is that?”

“Looking at the surrounding scenery, it looks like it’s inside the gate.”

“Is it the night in the Demon World that Dodak is afraid of?”

Maybe I’m afraid of the dark. But the scenery itself reflected on the screen was beautiful.

The sky was filled with twinkling stars and the moonlight illuminated the forest, making it look like a fairy tale.

I thought a monster would jump out from the bushes, but there was no such thing.

-Whew!

In the welcome, Dodaki’s crying sound came out. In the welcome, Dodaki’s face peeked out.

[This, this is…! Dodak himself appears in the welcome. It seems like this isn’t a normal welcome, but rather a part of his memory that has been reconstructed into a welcome.]

In other words, it meant that a situation that one never wanted to experience again was reconstructed as a welcome one.

The chubby little boy in the welcome walked slowly. His plump back looked gloomy for some reason.

‘What, what is it? There’s something about that back that makes my heart hurt… I want to pat it.’

The host thought, clutching his chest.

Meanwhile, the hawk in the hallway gathered the grass around it. It held it like a broom and began to sweep the floor.

I worked hard on one specific part in particular.

[Suddenly, they are cleaning. Does Dodak hate cleaning?]

A Dodak who doesn’t want to clean. A Dodak who hates it so much that he welcomes it.

It was a cute welcome when you think about it. People smiled happily while looking at the screen.

Only one person, Cheon Do-woon, could not smile while looking at the welcome.

‘That’s where I disappeared.’

The welcoming place was in front of the cliff where Cheon Do-un and Dodak-i had stayed.

The place that Dodaki was sweeping was the location where Cheon Do-woon opened the gate and returned.

-Ouch, oh yeah!

The welcomed Dodak finished combing his hair and wiped the juice from his forehead with the base of his arm.

He picked up pebbles and threw them far away, and he stamped on the uneven ground with his feet to level it.

The idea was to make the place comfortable for the giant helper to return at any time.

-Huh… .

After finishing his work, Dodak looked up at the night sky.

People who had been laughing happily at that stamped their feet in incomprehensible regret.

“What, what is it? Why do you look so lonely?”

Those fresh eyes look somehow sad. The back of her head looking up at the sky looks lonely.

That is the back of the king, oozing with loneliness.

“Did you keep waiting like that?”

Cheon Do-woon looked at Dodak and asked. There was no answer.

Dodak’s eyes, which were looking at the welcome, did not waver. He looked firm, as if his heart was not weakened by such a welcome now.

But the root of his arm held tightly to the hem of Cheon Do-un’s trousers and did not let go.

On that day, 60 years ago, after Cheon Do-un passed away, Dodak decided to move forward on his own.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t wait for Cheon Do-un.

I swept the area in front of the cave every day so that he could come back whenever he wanted. I made a place for him.

We swept and cleaned up the area several times a day before the cliff collapsed due to a landslide.

Cheon Do-un looked at the welcome and then bowed down. He lightly brushed the leaves of the dodak tied to his ankles.

“That’s the situation you’re afraid of.”

The only thing that King Dodak is afraid of.

It was like a giant helper disappearing from before his eyes again.

“That won’t happen again. Don’t worry.”

-Huh…?

“Yeah, really.”

-Huh, huh?

“That’s right. We’ll continue to be together in the future.”

While Cheon Do-woon was answering, one question arose.

‘The leaves growing on its back are like that too. It seems likely that the tree will turn into a world tree… If that happens, will it be rooted in one place and become fixed?’

The image of a tree was like that.

‘Come to think of it, there was a saying that the World Tree lives in an undiscovered area of ​​the Demon Realm.’

Although it’s just a hypothesis, I didn’t know that if you become a world tree, you might only be able to live in a certain area.

If that’s the case, then I had to send Dodak there for his survival. There may come a day when we have to part ways.

When that day comes, will Dodak be able to endure it?

“That won’t work. I’ll have to think of a way.”

Cheon Do-woon muttered as he passed the last section of the plank.