Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Special Celebration (1)
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Ding!
- Thief Crab: Don't pay too much attention to the old man
- Thief Crab: He's a scary person...
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: ?
A scary person?
Nothing like that came across in the channel chats at all. Was his real image completely different?
Ding!
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: What kind of vibe is it?
- Thief Crab: It's not a matter of that genre
- Thief Crab: Observation failed too
- Thief Crab: He definitely has a ton of items and artifacts hiding his true form
What the heck did that mean? Thief Crab's cryptic response left me nagging for more details, and finally, unable to hold out, he shared a bit more.
Ding!
- Thief Crab: The day after we tried observing him
- Thief Crab: His observer buddy got a warning from Association contacts to cool it
- Thief Crab: Can only think he has massive connections in the upper ranks
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Hmm
That was pretty intriguing too.
Thinking back to the Mint Soboro Bread disappearance case, Thief Crab's observer friend must be a pretty solid Awakener, yet they not only blocked it but sent a restraint warning?
Ding!
- Thief Crab: He's a high-up who doesn't want his identity exposed
- Thief Crab: So High School Dropout Middle Schooler, don't get too interested
- Thief Crab: You'll just end up stressed for no reason
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Got it for now
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Thx thx
Kim Geun-cheong turned out to be even more secretive than I'd imagined once I heard the story.
What the hell was his real deal?
He'd never tell me if I just straight-up asked, right?
'Hmm.'
Kim Geun-cheong's identity was one thing, but why was someone like him acting as an info source for the channel owner? That bugged me too.
Some high-rank bigwig backing a Hunter? Something like that?
It wasn't impossible given Yi-rin Shin's talent, but my gut said there was more to it.
Ding!
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: By the way
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Ever seen Gramps Kim in person?
- Vulture is Cute: Nope
- Vulture is Cute: Gramps is surprisingly secretive about it
If even Cha Se-ra, a Hunter with some clout, didn't know, then pretty much no one in the Yi-rin Channel knew Kim Geun-cheong's true identity.
I was getting really hooked now... Should I just drop it?
Ding!
- Vulture is Cute: Curious? Just ask him
- Vulture is Cute: He might actually tell you something
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: ?
- Vulture is Cute: Why
- Vulture is Cute: Gramps likes you
Sure, Kim Geun-cheong had been pretty friendly with me, but from what Thief Crab said, he seemed like the type who kept work and personal strictly separate...
Ding!
- Vulture is Cute: Worst case, no loss
- Vulture is Cute: Give it a shot
- Vulture is Cute: If no, then stop... yeah
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Hmm
She had a point. I was bored anyway, so swayed by Cha Se-ra's words, I clicked Kim Geun-cheong's nickname and started a private message.
Ding!
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Gramps, you around?
- Kim Geun-cheong: Yeah, what's up?
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Just got curious all of a sudden
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Seems like no one really knows
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: What do you do for a living, Gramps?
The key here was mixing in just a touch of that grandson/granddaughter charm old folks eat up.
Ding!
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Heard schedule leaks are sensitive these days
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Kinda worried about you too
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: On that note, yeah
- Kim Geun-cheong: Heh heh
- Kim Geun-cheong: Worrying about this old man too
- Kim Geun-cheong: Living the good life in my old age
He didn't seem too put off by my approach. After a brief pause, Kim Geun-cheong started typing again.
Ding!
- Kim Geun-cheong: No need to worry too much
- Kim Geun-cheong: Nothing's gonna happen over something like that
- Kim Geun-cheong: Hmm
- Kim Geun-cheong: This old man helps out hardworking Hunters like our channel owner
- Kim Geun-cheong: Or supports various research and events
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: So you're with the Association, Gramps?
- Kim Geun-cheong: Not exactly
- Kim Geun-cheong: I do collaborate with them sometimes
Pretty interesting stuff.
He didn't give direct personal details, but that was enough to get a rough sense of his position.
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Aha
- High School Dropout Middle Schooler: Thanks for telling me
- Kim Geun-cheong: Heh heh, no problem
- Kim Geun-cheong: Our High School Dropout Middle Schooler can ask for help anytime too
You don't notice with folks your age, but chatting with elders naturally makes you tread carefully.
Anyway, that settled most of my curiosity.
Basically, Kim Geun-cheong was a big shot in the industry with tight ties to the Hunter Association, right?
'The rumors check out...'
Still, why was he so especially nice to me?
When Thief Crab and his friend tried observing him, he traced it back and sent a warning, but not to me?
'Hmm...'
Yi-rin Shin, whom Kim Geun-cheong doted on, and me.
Any common ground between us?
Thinking it over, both Yi-rin Shin and I were orphans who'd spent time in orphanages.
That explained her past volunteer work too, and not having parents wasn't that common, so it was a reasonable guess.
'Who knows.'
Speculation was just that. Only he knew what he was really thinking.
As I wrapped up my thoughts, Kim Geun-cheong—who I'd thought had left—sent one last message with a key piece of info.
Ding!
- Kim Geun-cheong: Oh yeah
- Kim Geun-cheong: Some amazing news might drop in the next few days
- Kim Geun-cheong: That's all from this old man
Photo shoots, Action & Fighter, Archive, training.
Photo shoots, making it rain, Action & Fighter, Archive, training.
After repeating my routine for a few days, on the fifth day, I finally learned what Kim Geun-cheong's "amazing news" was.
[Hunter Yi-rin Shin, Official S-Rank Promotion Announcement!]
[Domestic 41st, Active 6th—Will We Reach the Greatest Golden Generation Ever?]
[Shura Hand Im Rok: "The growth of talented juniors is always a joy."]
The channel erupted into total chaos from the historic bombshell that dropped at the crack of dawn.
S-Rank this fast?
Wait, it actually happened?
What the hell is going on?? lololol
For real, how??
Just saw the news and I'm fucking stunned
Whoa
Our chanju is world-class now...
I don't think so yet
Kind of worried
For real
A bit thrown off
From videos a few months ago, no way S-Rank
Probably some reason
Bribery era for ranks was ages ago anyway lol
We're basically outsiders, so wait for more news
So just be happy, right?
Feels like a friend circle, so I'll drop a hello and bounce
Yeah, have fun
Isn't this that high school dropout Golden Fountain troll?
Trolls rolling in from everywhere ㄷㄷ
High School Dropout Middle Schooler << Legendarily cute when crushing? Upvote gggg
Sneaking in plugs lol
Do what you gotta ㅇ
Wiping out the top mod is legendary
Tiny channel with so many legends
One post and three comments per 10 minutes limit
Bear with us please
This is right
OK
Ah shit already hit lol
Drop 3 here and go rest
What do we do now?
Yeah
Should we split into another channel?
Let it sit and outsiders will leave on their own to fan sites? Other S-Ranks don't have separate channels in Archive anyway
Namgoong Seyoon Kang Gamchan Im Rok have em, the other three do too but inactive lololol
Oh for real? Didn't know
Yeah, even gathering every Awakener in Korea, we still couldn't match the general public in numbers.
Outside Archive, Yi-rin Shin already had plenty of active fan communities, so they'd handle the traffic sorting, right?
In the end, Yi-rin Channel was just a small handful—keep playing as usual and no big issues.
'Hmm.'
Still, a celebration was a celebration. Time to properly congratulate her.
Most channel users were just posting nonsense or empty cheers, but as someone Yi-rin Shin followed back, I had the privilege of a direct message.
Basking in superiority, I grinned smugly, logged into Clam, and started typing a message to Yi-rin Shin.
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