Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Walking Golden Totem
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There was a ton of stuff spread out in front of me.
Bread, cake, and that over there... macarons, right?
At this rate, it felt like she'd cleaned out every food item in the cafe.
"Um, excuse me... can I really eat this?"
"Yeah, of course. I got it for you to eat. You can take whatever's left when you go home, too."
"Whoa..."
They say grandmas who love free stuff go bald.
Still, resisting this monstrous temptation of food wasn't easy at all.
Come to think of it, when was the last time I'd had cake?
Maybe about six years ago.
On my birthday, Grandma had bought me a sweet potato mini cake.
That had been delicious, too.
"Heh..."
I knew I should refuse, but before I knew it, drool was pooling in my mouth.
Argh, what kind of sloppy behavior is this in front of someone I just met?
Quick, wipe it off. Slurp.
"Then... I'll dig in...?"
"Eat as much as you want. Let me know if it's not enough."
"I-I don't think that'll happen."
I'm not a pig or anything.
I probably couldn't even finish half of this anyway.
Still, I'd do my best.
For starters, I cut into the most tempting-looking cake with a fork and shoved a bite into my mouth.
The powdered sugar on top and the rich cheesecake flavor filled my mouth completely.
Mmm, delicious.
What was this cake called again?
Oh, right. Tiramisu.
That was the name.
"Tasty?"
"Yeth, vewy..."
"Pfft, glad you like it. No one's gonna snatch it away, so eat slowly."
"Yep."
Why's she laughing like that?
Is she the type who gets happy buying tasty things for others?
If so, she must have a really kind personality.
"Hayang, you said you just registered as a hunter today, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"But what was that about newbie cosplay earlier?"
"I'm not really sure either. I joined because it was an Academy Party, but as soon as it ended, they got mad at me..."
"Hmm, really? That's weird."
I kept devouring the cake without pause while watching Jeong Yujin tilt her head.
I didn't forget to replenish my fluids with chocolate latte in between.
I felt like I was drowning in waves of sweetness, flailing helplessly.
But had I always liked sweets this much?
I didn't hate them, of course.
But I wasn't the type to scarf them down like this indiscriminately.
Normally, this much sweetness would make you sick of it.
Instead, my body was screaming 'More!' and craving sugar.
I wondered if I'd end up with diabetes like this.
If so, I'd better eat as much as I can before that happens. Nom.
"Nothing happen in the dungeon?"
"Not really. Jungle hyenas showed up, but we took them out without a single injury."
"...Huh? Jungle hyenas? Those things are pretty smart. And you caught them all without a scratch?"
"Yes."
Nom nom, I nodded to Jeong Yujin's words while inhaling cake.
They did seem pretty smart.
Like hiding in the bushes waiting for prey.
Or attacking in perfect formation, one after another.
Prioritizing the mage hiding in the back.
"That's impressive. When I first started as a hunter, I ran into those guys in my first dungeon. It was total chaos. Back then, there weren't many Academy Parties, so four rookies went in and one got his leg ripped off..."
"Eek."
I freaked out with the fork still in my mouth at the gruesome story.
Ripped off a leg? I didn't even want to imagine it.
"So it feels even more amazing now. Taking down jungle hyenas from a Layered Gate that easily."
"I didn't really do much. I just gave a little buff and did the briefing."
"Uh, huh...? B-briefing? A newbie?"
"Yes."
Jeong Yujin seemed like the type to get surprised easily by small things.
As that familiar expression from before started forming again, I nodded but also tilted my head on the side.
"The hyenas were circling like this for an attack, and it showed up red, so I just warned everyone ahead of time. The party members handled the rest. I didn't do much."
"What?! Y-you can see attacks? No, asking too much about unique skills is rude. But still..."
After I explained calmly, she started mumbling to herself.
Does she like talking to herself?
Taking advantage of the moment she looked away, I slurped up the chocolate latte.
Ah, already finished.
"Want more?"
"Ah, no. I'm good. There's still tons of bread left."
In truth, I did want a bit more, but it would be too much as someone mooching off her.
Better to be satisfied here.
"R-right, you said you're a buffer, Hayang? It might be rude to ask specifically, but can I ask how effective it is?"
"Sure, of course."
It wasn't a hard question.
Nom nom, I explained while munching on bread.
"I heard the buff raises stats by 30%."
"Whaaaaat?!"
"Eek?!"
I got startled and nearly choked when Jeong Yujin suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
That was close.
Why'd she yell all of a sudden?
"Ah, sorry. I was just so shocked..."
"Ugh... it's okay."
I already hardly ever met people living in that rundown neighborhood.
I could handle some conversation at least.
But the sudden loud noise made me jump, and my body was trembling.
What am I, a scared rabbit?
Why am I so pathetic?
"But... is that good?"
"......"
When I asked out of pure curiosity,
Jeong Yujin stared at me silently and let out a hollow laugh, 'Ha.'
Did I expect too much?
Her reaction was so intense, I thought maybe...
Guess the buff effect wasn't that impressive after all.
Ah, this bread's delicious too.
'It was you!'
Jeong Yujin smiled with full conviction as she looked at Hayang.
The phone call she'd taken briefly under the excuse of going to the bathroom was still fresh in her mind.
- I looked into those three people you mentioned... nothing special stood out. They were just average.
'Average? No way...'
- It's true. The spearman did say, 'Ask the little kid, and you'll know,' but I have no idea what that means...
'Little kid?'
That was it.
At the time, it had only deepened the mystery.
Now, it served as evidence bolstering her certainty.
'No, more than that, what does it mean she can see enemy attacks in red ahead of time? They said they've never heard of a skill like that.'
It was just fragments of the story, so she'd have to verify it properly.
But those fragments alone were enough to shock Jeong Yujin.
'No wonder they thought she was doing newbie cosplay.'
And on the other hand, she could finally understand why Kim Taesung had misunderstood.
Of course, that didn't excuse almost laying hands on this kid.
But looking at the facts alone, she got it.
'Actually, it'd be weirder not to misunderstand.'
She probably would've jumped to conclusions herself if she'd been there.
Gates are dangerous precisely because of lack of information.
But predicting where attacks come from?
It was basically like turning on a personal addon in a game.
No, even better than that.
'And on top of that, a 30% stat boost buff? What the hell is this?'
And there was one story that doubled her shock.
The one Hayang had casually glossed over: the 30% stat boost buff.
'My agility's 60 right now, so that's like getting 18 for free? How much is the Frost Queen's Blessing Potion going for these days?'
The Frost Queen's Blessing Potion.
The most expensive doping potion available on the market right now.
It boosted all stats by 5% for one hour.
And even that sold for 50 million won per bottle on the real market.
Stock was so scarce that guilds like Yeohae or Titan were in bidding wars, paying through the nose for it.
And for good reason: the higher you climbed, the more every single point of stats mattered.
That's when skills and stats stopped growing easily.
A tiny difference like that could mean life or death.
But a full 30% stat boost buff?
'Our guild's buffer only does 10%...'
And she was an A-Rank hunter at that.
Limited to just two people, and only one chosen stat at 10%.
Even so, she was invaluable, carted along to every raid.
Other guilds even hired her as a mercenary for first-time gate clears, paying top dollar.
'Plus, she just awakened yesterday. So her skill proficiency should be low, right?'
If she maxed out proficiency, how much would it grow?
Imagining the unknown potential, Jeong Yujin shuddered.
'I have to recruit her. But first, verify the facts.'
Jeong Yujin was tempted to drag Hayang straight to the guild.
But before that, she wanted to confirm just one thing: the truth.
This frail, innocent-looking girl probably wasn't bluffing, but...
In the hunter world, exaggerating skills for show or hyping abilities to join guilds was commonplace.
"Hayang, if you're okay with it, wanna hit a gate with me this week?"
"Just the two of us?"
Yang Hayang, with whipping cream smeared all over her mouth, tilted her head.
'Whoa, she's freaking adorable.'
Jeong Yujin felt her heart skip at the cuteness overload.
But she played it cool and kept explaining.
"Yeah. Since I'm making you spend time for me, all the rewards go to you. We'll do a Rift-level gate. I can clear that solo anyway, so I can guarantee your safety."
"I'm fine with that, but..."
Seeing Hayang hesitate more than expected, Jeong Yujin felt puzzled, then realized.
'Right, she's still a kid. Need parental consent first.'
She'd gotten too excited and rushed ahead alone.
Jeong Yujin hurriedly waved her hands to reassure the flustered Hayang.
"Not asking for an answer right now. Talk it over with your parents and let me know. I'll give you my contact."
"Th-that's not what I was worried about. Besides..."
"Besides?"
Did she have some other concern?
As she tilted her head left,
an unexpected answer came back.
"I... don't have any family. No need for permission."
At that moment, Jeong Yujin heard her heart sink with a thud.