Chapter 69
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Translator: MKJ
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Kkoko's Training Log
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Several days later, I headed to the law firm's office at the appointed location.
It was the day to pay the final installment on the building sale contract that had proceeded smoothly since our last call.
"Um... are you really paying the full amount in cash?"
The middle-aged building owner sitting across from me asked with an expression of lingering disbelief.
It was a question laced with anxiety and hope.
"165 billion won, right?"
"Y-yes, that's correct!"
As Viper had informed me, the building was listed for auction soon, priced a whopping 15 billion below market value.
"Yes. One lump sum, as promised."
I pulled out my device and launched the Swiss bank app.
It was a VIP account with no transaction limits.
I simply entered 165 billion won and hit transfer.
"It's been sent."
A moment later, the owner's face lit up as he checked his account, like he'd found salvation itself.
"Thank you... truly, thank you! You've saved a man's life, sir!"
The owner stood, grabbed my hand, and bowed repeatedly.
"You've saved me. If this building hadn't sold so quickly, I really... I would've been out on the streets next month. You're my benefactor."
"No, no. I'm the lucky one getting such a great building."
After several tearful exchanges of gratitude, he continued, overcome with emotion.
"No, for someone so young to make such a huge decision on the spot... it's incredible. I never dreamed someone would buy it outright in cash."
Thanks to its prime location in front of a prestigious school, plenty of people had come to see the building.
But once they saw the tangled mess of loans and mortgages, they all shook their heads and left.
"I hope this building brings you great fortune."
With his heartfelt blessing, I signed the final ownership transfer documents.
The words [Title Deed] stood out clearly, with "Jang Kang-hyun" stamped boldly in the owner field.
My own building.
It felt surreal.
Just a few months ago, I was scraping by on my National Hunter Management Bureau salary, and now I owned an 180 billion won building in Seoul.
Struggling monthly with So-ye's hospital bills and dreading the next credit card statement—it felt like yesterday. Honestly, it was like a dream.
"This is mine now?"
I stood in front of my newly purchased building.
Five stories tall. Modest, but in an unbeatable location.
"What should I do with this place?"
The first floor could make a nice café, or maybe an indoor garden, or a space just for So-ye and me.
Just imagining it filled me with joy.
If it weren't for Viper, this would've been impossible.
I opened Dang-geun-tap and messaged him.
[Gorani-man12]: Thanks to you, the deal went great. Appreciate it.
[Viper]: No problem at all, seller. This is nothing. So... when's the next crop...?
Viper's interest was singular, as always.
The building purchase went off without a hitch, but one lingering issue remained unsolved.
Transportation.
The peaceful rural life at home versus So-ye's school in Seoul.
Chasing both meant a four-hour daily round trip drive—a serious burden.
Sure, I had plenty of coordinate scrolls from crop trades, but using those pricey things every day wasn't feasible.
"Any way around this?"
That's when I spotted the [Disaster Flower] blooming red alone in the corner of the garden.
Since it had opened a gate to Okinawa, maybe it could connect elsewhere too.
But how did it work?
Should I pluck a petal and check?
As I stared, the Disaster Flower trembled its petals, as if reading my mind.
I chuckled and stepped through a dimensional gate to Okinawa—to where the flower had originally been planted.
"Something's here."
I dug into the black, oily soil at the spot.
Soon, my fingertips hit something solid.
Tiny, but radiating the same chaotic energy as the Disaster Flower—a root fragment.
"Is this what links the two lands?"
Instead of uprooting everything, I carefully cut off the smallest root piece and pocketed it.
With it in hand, I headed straight to the rooftop of my new Seoul building.
"Heave-ho."
I filled a prepared large pot with soil from Okinawa and planted the root in the center.
But nothing happened.
-Hrmyu?
"Hm?"
I thought I'd come alone, but Muryong poked his head out from my shirt pocket.
He sniffed the pot and held out a tiny paw with something.
"What's this?"
-Hrmyut!
It was a dried petal fallen from the Disaster Flower in the rural garden.
Lifeless, but faintly holding the same energy as the root.
"Plant this too?"
Muryong pawed at the pot impatiently instead of answering.
I planted the wilted petal right next to the root fragment.
The chaotic energy of the Disaster Flower has been restructured by the primordial being.
The two energies connect to the rural home garden coordinates, generating a dimensional gate.
A crimson-black dimensional gate appeared in the middle of the rooftop.
Beyond it: the peaceful rural garden, where Muryong and Gorani napped idly.
"!"
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Seoul and home connected this easily?
No more traffic worries.
So-ye could attend her elite Seoul school and be back home playing in the garden in five minutes.
The hours saved from the road were priceless.
"Good job, Muryong."
-Hrmyuut!
Muryong just rubbed his face against me, delighted by the praise.
MK Sphere, Yu Jin-hyuk's private training ground.
"Please, Hunter Yu Jin-hyuk."
China's S-rank hunter Xiao Lin bowed deeply before him.
"..."
Yu Jin-hyuk looked troubled as he regarded her.
For days, she'd persistently requested a meeting through MK Guild channels.
It would've been simpler via the Chinese government or her guild, but coming in person like this meant there was a compelling reason.
So he'd agreed to hear her out.
"Could you please tell me how to reach Gorani-man12? I need his crops desperately."
Her voice mingled three years of despair with a final flicker of hope.
Liu, the S-rank healer.
A tragic genius in a coma for three years from the same dragon curse afflicting Yu Jin-hyuk.
Yu Jin-hyuk would've helped immediately if he could, given his nature.
But "Hunter Lin, you know this isn't just about saving one person."
If a Chinese S-rank revived via Gorani-man's crops...
It'd mean Korea's unique tech edge flowing to China.
In their subtle rivalry, this could spark a diplomatic firestorm.
And besides...
"He hates the fuss."
Yu Jin-hyuk vaguely sensed how much Gorani-man loathed worldly noise.
"He just wants a peaceful life. I can't disrupt that on a whim."
"Just... please convey my desperation."
Yu Jin-hyuk met her eyes.
They held the same despair and pain he'd once seen in his own mirror.
He couldn't fully ignore that plea.
"I'll stake everything. Please... help me save my friend..."
Yu Jin-hyuk pondered, then spoke cautiously.
"I can't guarantee it'll sway him. But... I'd like to hear how sincere you are."
"S-rank status, China's number one ranking, honor—I'll abandon it all if needed. If he wants, I'll move the Chinese government itself to pay a fitting price. I'll stake everything. This is my truth."
Her tearful eyes shone with pure camaraderie transcending national interests.
Yu Jin-hyuk saw it.
"Understood. For now, I need to consult with Executive Director Shin."
No firm promises yet.
Rural home, back mountain clearing.
BOOM!
Gorani headbutted a house-sized boulder.
It cracked like a spiderweb, shards flying everywhere.
"Kkiyot!"
"Kkokkok!"
Beside him, the chicken gazed at its master with reverent eyes.
Lately, this was part of Gorani and the chicken's afternoon routine.
Gorani, of course, had no concept of teaching. He was just itching to play alone.
But the chicken saw every move as a lesson and mimicked desperately.
Thwack! Crack!
Gorani smashed a thick tree trunk with his forepaw; the chicken snapped a thin branch with a kick.
Thud!
Gorani leaped from a high rock; the chicken mustered courage to jump from a pebble.
"Kkok!"
The chicken couldn't touch its master's heel, but it was stronger than yesterday.
Shattering a tiny stone filled it with pride.
Gorani just tilted his head at the chicken.
Boing!
Gorani lightly hopped down a 5-meter cliff.
"Kkiyut!"
"!"
The chicken hesitated.
That height was uncharted territory.
But Master was calling, right?
"Kkok...!"
With Master!
The chicken squeezed its eyes shut and flung itself off the cliff.
Flap flap, whoosh!
Far stronger wingbeats than before.
Its body hovered midair before landing lightly.
"Kkoki-ot!"
Gorani, thrilled his playmate joined, bounced and cheered.
"Kkiyoot!"
I did it! I did it!
The chicken crowed in ecstasy.
It had flown again with its once-broken wings.
Gorani couldn't grasp the growth's magnitude.
But to the mountain animals watching...
"...Hiiik!"
This was just two monsters flexing terrifying power.
Roars shaking the mountain, cliffs as playgrounds—overwhelming physiques.
What were these colossal beings?
They seemed harmless, but their presence alone was oppressive.
What would become of the mountain's order?
Flap!
Frightened animals flattened themselves instinctively.
Defying these great ones was death.
Only loyalty ensured survival.
Wild instincts screamed it.
And among them...
"..."
A badger steeled its resolve.
