Hatching Master: Chuncheon A-Rank Gate
Wyvern Canyon Skies— the heavens belonged to them.
Dozens of wyverns dominated the skies above the canyon, lazily circling in formation. Their massive shadows swept across the ground below.
And then—
Whoosh— a boulder plummeted from the air above.
BOOM!! The earth exploded, shards flying in every direction.
Immediately after—
Kieeeek!! The wyverns dove in a frenzy. Their enormous bodies hurtled down, aiming to crush the hunters beneath them.
And the moment things turned against them— they fled back to the skies without hesitation.
"Damn, these things fight dirty."
"Tae-hoon! Go!"
"Got it!"
But the top guild's reputation and an S-rank hunter's badge weren't earned for nothing.
At his guildmates' signal, Tae-hoon leaped without a second's delay, soaring high into the air. He tore into the wing joint of a wyvern trying to pull away, dragging their sky-ruling leader crashing back to earth.
A massive dust cloud and thunderous roar accompanied the meteor-like fall of the wyvern pack's alpha.
—Kraaak!!
"Now! Squad One, attack!"
"Woooah!"
The moment the wyvern leader hit the ground, the defensive formation instantly shifted to offense as the raid team charged. Soon enough, the alpha of the wyvern colony breathed its last.
Confirming their leader's death, the remaining wyverns abandoned their patrols to protect the eggs in their nests and retreated.
"Each team, proceed to individual wyvern nest sweeps. Tae-hoon, you good on your own?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
At Lee Seo-ran's command leading the raid, the Byeolbit Guild members set to work slaying the wyverns guarding the nests and smashing them thoroughly to prevent any comeback.
"Whoa, check out these eggs."
"These are all money, right?"
"Quit dreaming. You gonna lug 'em around with raid time running out?"
"What a shame."
—Kraaak!
"...Hah, shit."
And in front of the nest Tae-hoon was assigned to, a wyvern remained to guard its eggs—just like the others. But thanks to the earlier battle, it was in rough shape.
It wailed fiercely as if protecting its own young, standing guard... looking just like...
"That guy Yoon."
'My baby!'
A timid little guy with a small frame. Teased daily for his girly name. The type who couldn't even voice his preferences.
If there was one thing he loved, though, it was monster specimens.
Once, I'd brought him one as a gift and asked since I didn't get it:
'You like that stuff? It's just a dead body.'
'You plebs don't appreciate this beast's fine qualities. That's why you get rekt by the guild master every day.'
'No more gifts then. Buy your own.'
'Whaaat, nooo. Sorry! Really sorry! I can't afford that with my money! Export's a pain anyway. How pricey are they for normies...? Mercy, S-rank hunter, just once!!'
Whether from dreaming of being a hunter or just his taste, Yoon loved monster specimens. And by coincidence, he had a friend around who could snag them for him.
That was it.
"The government researchers kept whining for donations for the public good, so I figured might as well give 'em to Yoon."
I never imagined it'd cause that kind of scene.
A weak little guy like him yelling at me for the first time ever to protect eggs like they were his own. It was so absurd...
'Jeez...'
But it was my fault, so I couldn't get mad. And I didn't understand him enough to comfort him. So like an idiot, I just sent money and bailed for a bit.
What kind of S-rank hunter pulls that crap? The neighborhood kids would laugh.
"Hah, pointless thoughts. Wonder if it's hatched by now."
The evil dragon Raguna. Pretty shitty to those who remember its terror, but...
"Hope it grows up strong since it's here. Then it'll protect that scrawny guy, right? Sigh. My damn luck. One bad gift and all this drama."
—Kie...!
Slash—
A light swing of his spear silenced the wyvern's cries. The limp mother faded away all too easily.
"They say wyvern eggs are super nutritious. Maybe grab a few as gifts. Wonder if dragons eat wyvern eggs...?"
Provisional uncle(?) Kim Tae-hoon muttered as he pocketed a few eggs.
In long raids like this, wyvern eggs were heavy dead weight and not a priority unless for immediate food, so skipping them was the unwritten rule—
"For a friend's gift. Mind helping out?"
"Ah... I see. In that case..."
An S-rank hunter's status let him ignore such rules with ease.
No one complained as Tae-hoon handed the eggs to the transport team. The reason? A recent rumor buzzing in the guild about him.
"See? Told you."
"Wyvern eggs are great for moms-to-be."
"He must be settling down properly now, huh?"
"My hubby brought some home once, and I felt power surging through me. If not for the price, I'd eat 'em daily."
"Good for guys too. Saw the team lead next door muttering about feeding his husband some for baby number two—sneaking a buy!"
The rumors burned hotter today, like crackling firewood.
In the peaceful city streets, I was waiting for someone.
A contact from the gallery forums who'd been feeding me solid info lately. I was waiting for the Hatching Master.
'Should be here any minute...'
Checking the time, our appointment was almost up. As I debated texting again—
All eyes in the cafe locked onto one spot.
A sensual figure strained its buttons, drawing stares. Tanned skin radiating healthy allure, vibrant red hair that turned heads. The woman who entered scanned the room, then fixed on me like a predator spotting prey.
"Ah, gives me PTSD."
Memories of tough high school girls flashed by, making me want to bolt. But she strode straight to me with total confidence, like she knew I'd fly away.
"Hi~ cutie. You're Flyaway, right?"
"Y... yeah, that's me. But cutie?"
I glanced around pretending to check, and her sharp gaze softened into wide eyes before she burst out laughing.
"Puhaha! Who else is the cutie here but you?"
"Fair point."
Even that Kim Tae-hoon guy fell for me at first sight (or not) and tried to get my number (to apologize).
"Prettier than I imagined. Nice surprise."
"Uh-huh. Anyway, show me the goods."
Goods first. I held out my hand, and she looked baffled, pointing at herself.
"Just to check— you know who I am, right?"
"...?"
Why ask that out of nowhere?
"You're the Phoenix Guild master. Dropped to 9th recently."
"Ugh...! Th-that's 'cause those mutts stirred shit up! We were 8th originally! Who straight-up says that to my face in public? Damn, I'm pissed. Phoenix mode incoming."
"Got it. Phoenix Guild master, 9th place. Goods first, please. My kid eats a ton, and I'm out."
"...Hah."
Chae-rin gawked at my brazen attitude, then gave up and sat down.
She pulled a magic stone from her handbag like it was lipstick. A high-purity mid-to-upper-grade one— rare below B-rank.
"Know how much this costs?"
"Hmm... no clue."
Turning the fist-sized, iridescent stone in my hand, it screamed luxury compared to the goblin nail scraps I'd scavenged. It practically advertised, I'm expensive~
"100 million. High purity bumps it to at least 150."
I flinched at the price but wasn't shocked for one reason.
She said it'd be free. So it's mine? Wow, generous. Good person.
She'd said it'd be a gift if I visited her guild, but my brain only registered free magic stone.
Mothers gotta be shameless to feed their kids. No parent turns down tasty gifts for their young. Unless it came with strings...
'Tae-hoon, sorry, pile a bit more on your plate.'
At that point, even if Tae-hoon bolted, I'd have no comeback...
But dungeon-diving for purity like that? Without Mir-El, my combat power was pitifully frail.
'Goblins were a blessing. Stronger mobs, and I'd be 19+ doujin fodder, gone without a trace.'
Feed her this, and maybe she'd grow into a bigger, stronger dragon?
But shattering my hopes, Chae-rin snatched the stone back.
"Ah..."
As my hand reached out in regret, she placed a smaller one in my palm.
"This is the housewarming gift I mentioned."
"Then what's that? Why show it if you're not giving?"
"That's for joining our guild. Wanna?"
"That's not the point..."
"I never said I'd give you a magic stone, did I? You're shameless. Trying to snag 100 million for free? Even the small one's 30 mil."
"Oh."
"Oh? Hah... fine. Feed your kid already. Growing phase, right? You carry it in that bag?"
"Yeah, stands out too much... Mir-El."
"Pip!"
At Chae-rin's words, I stopped eyeing the stone and handed it to Mir-El, her eyes sparkling from the black bag. She chomped it with a crunch crunch, munching happily inside.
"Pulling her out in a cafe's iffy. Come with sis somewhere."
"Where?"
Chae-rin eyed my upper body up and down, then smirked and slipped her sunglasses back on.
"Department store. Can't stand seeing a good clothes rack ruined."
"Eek."
"Pip?"
"Refuse, and you'll pay for that stone now. Zip it."
Pay for what she already ate?
'Wasn't it free?'
No time to argue— she dragged me straight out of the cafe to my first-ever department store trip.