Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Monster Stirs
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After sealing away Videolan's presence inside me for good.
I wrapped up my tingling butt and finally finished showering.
"Did you finish washing up, Master? Let me dry your hair—come here."
As I stepped out with just my body wiped down and underwear on,
Han Yuseol, waiting in the living room, patted the spot below the sofa and spoke.
A hair dryer was clutched in her right hand.
"Yeah."
I trotted over and plopped down right between Han Yuseol's legs.
Whirrr—
The warm breeze hit me, and drowsiness flooded in at once.
Hwaa, so blissfully cozy.
This comfort level is straight-up unfair.
After showering, Han Yuseol dries my hair.
It's become part of my routine now, in its own way.
Truth be told, since turning into a woman, I'd never once dried my hair.
Or more precisely, not until I started crashing at Han Yuseol's place temporarily.
There wasn't a hair dryer at my house to begin with, sure.
But honestly, it was pure laziness.
I'd never bothered drying it even back when I was a guy.
One time while staying at her place, I just wandered around with damp hair by chance.
And she spotted me doing it.
I tried learning how to do it myself at first.
But for some reason, after that, she took over completely and wouldn't let me touch the dryer.
She probably figures my touch is too clumsy.
Thinks I can't dry it properly.
I'm not that hopeless, though. Hing.
"I notice it every time, but Master's hair has such a great texture."
"Uh, I wouldn't know..."
"You don't even do any special care, but this is seriously impressive. Keep it up like this, and you'll have every woman envious of you down the line."
I don't exactly crave women's envy.
Still, good hair beats bad hair any day.
I won't overthink it, but a little smugness can't hurt.
Ahem!
"Come to think of it, Yuseol-ssi, your hair's pretty long too, huh?"
"Yes, longer than Master's, I'd say."
"That's why you tie it up?"
"Pretty much. Having it swish around all chi-rung-chi-rung during fights would be a real hassle."
As expected.
Though this style definitely suits her better.
I'd caught glimpses of her with her hair down after showers now and then.
But this feels more authentically Han Yuseol, somehow.
Not that the loose version isn't drop-dead gorgeous.
"Ever thought about cutting it?"
"Hmm, yeah, I've considered it. But as a woman myself, there's this reluctance to chop off hair I've grown out so carefully."
"Aha."
Makes sense—it's such beautifully grown hair.
I'd probably feel a twinge of regret too.
"Does Master want to cut hers, by any chance?"
"Yeah. It's getting long enough to be annoying."
"I think this length is just right, personally. Plus, it'd be a shame."
"A shame?"
I tilted my head, and Han Yuseol gave a wry smile.
"It's pretty hair. And with both of us having similar colors and lengths... it gives off more of a sisterly vibe, don't you think?"
"Hee..."
That's got some solid logic to it.
Not exactly—mine's white, hers silver.
Hers has a slightly brighter tone.
But from a distance, they look alike enough.
Even strolling the neighborhood, folks preemptively assume we're sisters.
And as my hair keeps growing, per Han Yuseol's words, the resemblance amps up.
Alright, decision made!
"Then I won't cut it!"
"...Pardon?"
"Better for looking like sisters. Plus, Yuseol-ssi called it pretty, so it'd be a waste to chop."
I grinned, draping the freshly dried hair like a curtain over my face as I spoke.
"I'm glad you see it that way."
Han Yuseol replied with her usual enigmatic smile—you could never tell if it was genuine or not.
A brighter grin would make her so much prettier.
That's the one thing that's always a letdown.
Maybe I should make her practice smiling later.
As my hair was just about fully dry,
Han Yuseol combed it out neatly and asked,
"By the way, Master... why the sudden urge to hit a gate today?"
"Hehe, just something I wanna check out real quick."
To punctuate, I summoned my phone atop my right hand and flashed it her way.
Striking a slick pose like that anime character from TV the other day, I grinned.
Ooh, wasn't that super cool just now?
Bet Han Yuseol was floored!
Swoosh—swish—
I puffed out my chest all confident-like.
Then suddenly, Han Yuseol softly stroked my head.
"Got it. You might get hungry, so we should pack sandwiches."
"N-Not a picnic!"
"Then you don't need sandwiches?"
"...No green peppers, right?"
"Would I ever?"
Jackpot—no green peppers!
Tried 'em last time, and yeah, they just didn't mesh.
Not like I hate green peppers or anything!
It's purely a flavor harmony issue. Mmm!
"Unghihit!"
Joy bubbled up, and laughter spilled out on its own.
Cutest thing ever, cutest!
No-green-pepper sandwiches are the cutest!
"Master, it's been a while."
"Yeah."
"Ugh, I come all this way and you won't even glance over."
Jeong Yujin grumbled curtly upon visiting Choi Geonwoo's office after ages.
No clue what crucial paperwork he was buried in,
but he sat at the desk, locked in a staring contest with sheets of paper.
Just mumbling from his mouth, no eye contact whatsoever toward her.
But she couldn't gripe much longer.
Dozens of energy drink cans littered his desk.
"What're you staring at so intently?"
"Official notice on the new Hunter Special Law coming up. Finally arrived."
"Oh, that special law? The one tailor-made to kneecap Yeohae Guild?"
"Pretty much."
Choi Geonwoo shrugged, showing zero intent to deny it.
Anyone could see it was gunning straight for Yeohae.
Dubbed the "Gate Exploration Reporting Act."
Not fully enacted yet.
But internal scuttlebutt said passage was a lock.
The gist: all intel from gate explorations—everything related—must be reported verbatim, no exceptions.
This had always been the unwritten rule for top guilds' clears.
Especially new high-rank gates.
A tacit norm, sure.
But skipping it brought no penalties.
No one could force compliance.
Yeohae exploited that gap, hiding info first and foremost.
Leveraging superior firepower to stay ahead on clears, over and over.
Plenty of other guilds griped about it.
But back then, with Yeohae irreplaceable, even the government hesitated to poke the bear.
So it stayed hushed up tacitly.
Until the Layered Gate fiasco dragged it all into the open.
"Government views it as prime opportunity. Finally corral the one guild they couldn't rein in."
"Coming out swinging, huh."
"Figured now or never. Tough spot for Yeohae to push back too."
"Fair. Unofficially, they've got a replacement now. And get this—from a single person."
"Well, technically two."
Choi Geonwoo corrected himself, drumming fingers on the desk.
Frankly, "replacement" was still a stretch.
Sword Empress and Hayang's duo was powerhouse, no doubt.
But just two people couldn't outmatch Yeohae's overwhelming numbers game.
For now, Yeohae would clear far more gates.
That'd translate to merits, public trust.
#1 guild spot safe short-term.
'But how long till that holds? That's the issue.'
There were reasons for it, though.
The two at the absolute pinnacle weren't pushing guild expansion.
Had they seized the moment now—Sword Empress or Hayang—to seriously bulk up a guild?
And another high-rank gate popped, with them nailing first clear again?
Then it'd be an unstoppable shift.
Hayang Guild's hidden fangs were that sharp.
Comedy of it: the fang's owner didn't even know she had 'em.
"Beyond Yeohae checkmate, this bill carries huge implications."
"Like what?"
"Makes folks truly grasp info's value."
"Hunters always prized intel. What's new?"
She doubled as combatant and spy, thanks to agility and stealth.
No way she undervalued info.
"That's just momentary in-gate survival reads. Ever had deep post-clear debriefs with guildmates on internals?"
"Uh... nope. Never really needed to."
Called out on the blind spot, she scratched her nape sheepishly.
She truly hadn't.
Not 'cause she or fellow hunters were idiots.
Straight-up unnecessary.
"Exactly. We don't grind the same dungeon dozens, hundreds of times like a game. No clue when or what gate hits next. Repeat gates? Slim odds."
"True. Super volatile intel landscape."
Normal fields: old info depreciates, or gets patched with new facts.
Rare for intel to straight-up evaporate.
Hunter world? Happens.
No guarantee yesterday's monster respawns today.
Two snow-mountain-themed gates? No promise of identical layouts.
Hence, hunters ditched deep dives.
Just parsed foes and environs in front of 'em.
One-and-done clears off that.
"But that stalls progress. Even tiny shards pile into intel. Someone finally thought that way."
"Puts it in perspective. No big shakeup immediate."
Choi Geonwoo nodded agreement.
For now, top guilds only.
Just grasping and dissecting info? Herculean task.
Unless elite top guild deploys dedicated recon squads, peeling gate secrets ain't happening soon.
"Like you said, no monster touring every gate, crunching all data... not unless... Hm?"
Mid-sentence, Choi Geonwoo's eyes bulged.
His phone buzzed mutedly on the desk.
More precisely, the name on the screen.
"Yeah, what's up?"
- Ah, Uncle! Sorry. Knew you're busy, but...
The adorably youthful voice hit without hesitation.
Hayang herself.
Yujin caught on, yelling "Lemme talk too!"
But Choi Geonwoo shoved her approaching face back with a palm, then spoke.
"It's fine. Was on break. Anyway, everything okay? You calling first is rare."
- Yeah. Quick question: think people'd buy a gate strategy guide?
"...What?"
Strategy guide??
Two concepts that could never coexist slammed together, freezing his brain.
Gate strategy guide?
Impossible thing.
If real, he'd pay a fortune for it.
Most hunters would.
'...Hold up. Can't she actually?'
The thought connected, reviving his offhand earlier line.
Monster touring gates, analyzing every scrap of data.
Lo and behold, one such monster existed.
Precisely two, counting the other monster lending her power.
He lowered the phone, cupped the mic.
Muttered with dead-serious face.
"Didn't know I had precognition."
"Spouting weirdness again... Take your meds, Master."
"That's chocolate, not meds."
"Hayang said it's yummy."
"...Gimme one."
Finally relenting, Jeong Yujin handed over a chocolate.
He unwrapped and popped it in.
Pretty decent, actually.
Good chocolate? Or Hayang's rec magic? Who knows.