Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Fan Meeting
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“It’s a shame you have a prior engagement with Asha. I’d love to join you if I could, but…”
After the expedition concluded.
Once the situation was settled and personnel dispatched from the Association headquarters arrived to ascertain the details.
I told Ma Dongpal I would be heading back soon.
Mavely, as he was known, pouted his lips on his rugged face and grumbled.
“Dammit, as long as it’s cleaned up without any accidents, that should be enough. What’s all this crap about a post-incident investigation? Those headquarters bastards are always chomping at the bit to lock the barn door after the horse has bolted.”
“Um, Guild Leader. If you want, I can go in your place.”
The Hunter who had contacted headquarters on Ma Dongpal’s behalf glanced at him nervously.
“No, Yongtae. Can a guy who’s both the guild leader and the expedition leader just dump his work and run off? If I did that and it somehow got leaked to the press, I’d be ruined.”
“Still…”
The Hunter fidgeted.
He hadn’t done anything wrong.
This fusion-type gate could have easily escalated into a catastrophe.
By the book, reporting it was the right thing to do.
Yet, seeing him so anxious.
It confirmed my judgment was correct.
Joining a guild is a crazy idea.
Farewell, everyone. I’ll continue to enjoy my free and peaceful solo play.
“Anyway, Hunter Kim Hanul.”
As I was reaffirming my convictions, a hand the size of a pot lid was extended to me.
“Thanks for joining the raid.”
“I should be thanking you for the opportunity. It was a great experience.”
“No, I’m the one who’s grateful. I really mean it.”
Ma Dongpal’s words were sincere.
In truth, he had gained almost nothing from this expedition.
That was because the queen ant had been inside the dungeon, not the gate.
Except in a few special cases, it’s incredibly difficult to obtain monster byproducts from a dungeon that resets or disappears immediately after being cleared.
But Ma Dongpal didn’t seem particularly disappointed.
To him, the fact that he’d witnessed the abilities of the rumored super rookie up close…
…seemed to matter more than losing the queen ant’s byproducts.
“Hmph. There’s a lot more I want to say, but I suppose we’ll have a chance to talk later when the opportunity arises.”
I had a rough idea of what he meant.
I nodded with a smile.
“Take care, Chief!”
Asha, standing next to me, waved her arm.
She had already packed all her things.
Ma Dongpal glared at the grinning Russian Hunter.
“Damn it, if I had my way, I’d just drag you along too…”
Glancing my way, Ma Dongpal beckoned Asha over.
Then, he covered his mouth with his hand so I couldn’t see his lips and began to whisper.
‘Got it? You have to properly tell him what our guild can offer. Best treatment guaranteed! S-rank promotion guaranteed! A private van and apartment support!’
‘Ah, I got it! Are you going to keep being so clingy? This is why you’re not popular with the ladies, Chief.’
‘What did you say? We’ll see when you get back, huh? Pointing a gun at the back of your guild leader’s head while he’s working hard to recruit. Huh?’
‘That’s because you were acting so pathetic, it was just instinct. Of course it wasn’t even loaded.’
‘Shit, I heard the bolt action, what nonsense is this! Anyway, do it right. You think I’m letting you go for nothing, you punk.’
…Well, that was the gist of their conversation.
So those two just bicker like that normally.
I let my gaze wander.
Near the spot where the gate had formed, piles of insect carcasses that had yet to be cleared away were stacked high.
It was a staggering number, enough to make one wonder how there were no fatalities among the expedition members.
The Aegis Guild members sighed in relief, saying they were lucky.
But I knew the real reason.
[Sold a total of 830 Low-Grade Mana Stones to the Lord’s Castle.]
[41,500 Gold has been deposited from the Dream Lord's Castle.]
A third of the Tunnel Flies that had occupied this place had been felled by Gono’s club.
Of course, no Hunter had noticed Gono’s existence.
They were all too busy trying to save their own skins.
They wouldn’t have had the leisure to observe a goblin roughly the same size as a Tunnel Fly zipping through the air.
[Available Gold: 46,500]
Thanks to that, my gold pouch was fuller than ever.
A total of 100 1-star Tunnel Flies and one 2-star ‘Tunnel Fly Parasite’ were also sent to the Lord’s Castle.
‘I can set up new barracks at the entrance of the Lord’s Castle and station these guys there.’
Their individual stats were pathetic, but the stat-reducing debuff from their ‘Parasite’ ability would be quite useful.
If need be, I could also use them as sacrifices when using consumable items like the ‘Cross of the Primordial God.’
Adding the reward from the Amur Queen Ant and the pheromone pouch from Ma Dongpal, the gains from this expedition were immeasurable.
But it was too early to relax and be happy.
‘This one thing is bothering me.’
I couldn’t be completely happy.
There was one thing that still nagged at me.
[The Beholder Sage has confirmed 「Interference」 from the corpse of the Tunnel Fly Parasite.]
What the sage had mentioned when it first identified the Tunnel Flies inside the gate.
The word ‘Interference.’
At first, I thought it simply referred to the phenomenon of the Tunnel Flies invading the ant nest.
But ‘Interference’ implied much more.
As we passed through the ant nest, the sage had collected traces of this ‘Interference’ in addition to analyzing the pheromones.
And after confirming the interference from the final parasite’s corpse.
[The Beholder Sage is analyzing the unknown 「Interference」! …(´･֊･`)ﾌｯ]
It had attached itself to my shoulder, closed its eyes, and begun to analyze this concept.
Where did it even learn these emoticons?
“You’re working hard.”
I muttered, poking the mochi-like creature’s body with my finger.
“What are you doing? Is there something on your shoulder?”
Just then.
I heard Asha’s voice from beside me.
I turned to see her light blue eyes fixed on me.
“No, my shoulder’s just a bit stiff.”
We had started speaking informally to each other inside the ant nest.
It was necessary for faster communication, and we just decided to keep it that way even after we got out.
“If you’re tired, do you want to go home and rest? The fan meeting doesn’t have to be today.”
Asha asked.
It made sense.
We were originally supposed to spend time together right after the expedition, but…
…the situation had taken an unexpected turn, forcing both of us to exert a lot of energy.
Still.
“Should we?”
“Uh, uh… I’m fine. If you’re tired, then I guess we can’t help it.”
When I suggested it, the Russian Hunter’s face was filled with disappointment.
I chuckled and said.
“No. I’m fine, I was just worried you’d be tired.”
“What? W-What are you talking about! I’m totally fine. I haven’t been tired at all!”
Is that so.
For someone who claimed to be fine, her face had been deathly pale throughout the expedition.
Her already porcelain skin had turned so white she looked like a floating ghost with only a head.
“I. Am. Fine.”
Asha, noticing my gaze, enunciated each syllable.
Well, if she says so.
“Where are we having this fan meeting?”
“In Seoul! I have a favorite café. Let’s go there.”
Seoul, huh.
I had to go back anyway.
I nodded without much thought.
“Did you book a train ticket?”
“Nope.”
“Then are you going with the Aegis Guild members? In the van?”
“No. I came separately.”
It seemed she had her own vehicle.
Well, she was an A-rank Hunter who could earn hundreds of millions with ease, no matter how young she was.
It would be stranger if she didn’t have a car.
However, what Asha said next with a smile was even stranger.
“On my bike.”
“?”
A bike, as in a motorcycle?
She rode that all the way from Seoul to Seoraksan in Gangwon Province?
My brows furrowed.
Looking at me, Asha beamed.
“It’s fine, I’m a really good rider.”
* * *
“See, I’m a great rider, right?”
Two and a half hours later.
Asha and I arrived at a café in Insadong, Seoul, which was a renovated hanok.
The Russian Hunter had a triumphant expression.
I unwrapped my arms from Asha’s waist and slowly dismounted.
Then I said.
“I seriously considered canceling the fan meeting.”
“Huh? Why?”
Why? Whyyy?
I wanted to show her this mochi-like thing draped over my shoulder right now.
The sage’s eyes were spinning behind its glasses.
It had fainted while riding on Asha’s bike with me.
“Do you always drive like that?”
Asha’s biking skills were on par with a tightrope walker balancing on one foot.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if we had crashed and died at any moment.
And this was on a mana-powered bike certified for its durability and safety, making it legal for highway use.
“A little gentler than this? I usually take the national roads, not the highway. Plus, I’ve never given anyone a ride before, so I think I got a little excited.”
“…”
“Sorry. I’ll try to drive a bit more gently on the way home.”
Hehe, Asha giggled.
Yeah, no way I’m getting on that again.
I’d rather summon Odolph and ride on his shoulder.
…No, wait. That gives me pause for a different reason.
I wouldn’t die in an accident, but I might die of shame before that.
I should just take the subway.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Asha excitedly led the way.
“What do you think of this place? Nice atmosphere, right?”
A window seat with a good view of the outside.
Asha propped her face in her hands and smiled sweetly.
The sky was painted with the red hues of sunset.
Her short, bobbed blonde hair shone mysteriously.
I shrugged.
“It’s nice.”
The interior of the renovated hanok café had a charming, old-fashioned feel.
The Americano tasted quite good, too.
It wasn’t as good as Café Artorium’s, but this coffee was only 6,000 won.
It was a perfectly good place.
‘Hey, hey. Isn’t that Anastasia?’
‘For real. But who’s that with her? A Hunter?’
‘Must be an Aegis Guild member. Her boyfriend, maybe?’
‘Boyfriend? Nah. So many Hunters have hit on Asha, you think some ordinary guy like that is her boyfriend?’
Except for the unnecessary chatter from the people around us.
It was a relief that my face hadn’t been plastered all over the media.
But Asha was drawing quite a lot of attention.
So this is why famous Hunters drink Americanos that cost as much as ten bowls of gukbap.
Of course, the Russian Hunter in front of me knew about Artorium but chose not to go.
“Ahh, this is it. Ssanghwa-cha is best with an egg.”
Because they don’t sell things like Ssanghwa-cha there.
Nor do they put a raw egg in your drink.
…But who on earth taught a twenty-two-year-old Russian girl about Ssanghwa-cha?
For a moment, an image of a bear giving a thumbs-up with its bulging muscles flashed through my mind, and I quickly understood.
Anyway.
“Are you just going to keep drinking that Ssanghwa-cha?”
“Huh?”
“You said it was a fan meeting.”
I’m a busy man myself.
I couldn’t just sit here all day.
“Oh, right,” Asha said, putting down her tea.
‘They said it’s a fan meeting.’
‘Wow, that guy made it. Anastasia is having a personal fan meeting with him.’
‘Isn’t he someone in a really high position? For Anastasia to meet him personally.’
The murmuring around us started up again.
Hmph, Asha let out a little snort.
“What’s so special about a fan meeting? Just being together like this is a fan meeting.”
“You said you had a lot to say.”
“Ah, I had a lot of questions this morning. But most of them have been answered now.”
Asha stared at me intently.
Our eyes met.
Her eye color was quite unique.
Perhaps this is what an oasis in the middle of a desert would look like at sunset.
“You fight incredibly well, CrappyGame-nim.”
Even if it was for a moment, my average stats had surpassed 100 when I faced the queen ant.
That was a level an A-rank Hunter could only barely reach by stacking buffs and items.
There was no way Ma Dongpal, let alone Asha, would have failed to notice that.
“And I’ve never seen anyone with so many summons following them. Were you really an E-rank Hunter?”
“I was lucky.”
“CrappyGame-nim, I never thought you’d be such a sandbagger.”
“A sandbagger?”
“It’s true. You’re the same CrappyGame-nim who used to cry ‘I’m never playing this crappy game again!’ whenever your Lord’s Castle got wrecked. But it turns out, in real life, you’re a super rookie who could wipe the floor with our old man.”
I don’t remember crying.
I do remember wailing, ‘How am I supposed to block this?’
…Which is basically the same thing.
“Is this really the same crappy-game connoisseur, CrappyGame-nim? My heart is swelling with pride!” Asha cackled.
I shook my head and took a sip of my Americano.
When I put the cup down, Asha had stopped laughing and her eyes were sparkling.
“What should I do?”
“About what?”
“Should I tell the others, or not?”
The ‘others’ were the rest of the viewers.
She seemed to have a vague idea of why I was still holding back.
“I know what you’re worried about. Some will be proud, but others might feel betrayed.”
“…I suppose so.”
“But no one will leave. There might be some who feel hurt and ask why you hid it for so long, though.”
Asha’s eyes held a sense of conviction.
She was speaking as a viewer who had spent five years with me.
“Think of all the time we’ve spent together. You think they’d turn their backs on you for something like that? Not just to you, but to us, you’re a pretty decent person.”
Regardless of all that, our relationship wouldn’t crumble.
That’s what ‘Bald is the Strongest’ was saying.
Good grief, how embarrassing.
When I cleared my throat with a *kuhum*, she picked up her Ssanghwa-cha cup and giggled.
“Then I’ll keep quiet for now. I’m sure you have a plan in mind.”
“Thanks.”
“Me too.”
I looked at her, wondering what she meant.
Asha smiled brightly.
“I’m thankful too. If it weren’t for you today, the Chief and I might have been in mortal danger. He asked me to pass that along as well.”
So that’s what she meant.
Ma Dongpal, ranked 4th, and Anastasia, an A-rank Hunter.
Would they really have lost their lives without me?
I recalled the image of the queen ant fighting desperately to protect her kingdom.
I didn’t know.
Perhaps.
“That might have been the case.”
I nodded slowly.
“Right?”
Asha winked.
After that, we continued our fan meeting in silence for a while.
A short time later, after finishing her Ssanghwa-cha, Asha stood up from her seat.
“Let’s go!”
“Hm? Where to?”
“Where else? Your place. I’ll take you. Or, do you want to come to my place?”
I decline.
Still, I asked out of curiosity.
“Didn’t the Aegis Guild Leader have any other message for me?”
“Tons.”
But her next words made me understand why she hadn’t relayed them.
“But you’re not planning on joining a guild anyway, are you?”
* * *
In the end, I managed to persuade Asha, who insisted on taking me all the way home, to compromise by dropping me off at the subway station entrance.
“Phone.”
In front of the station.
A white hand was extended before me.
I handed over my smartphone, and she keyed in two numbers before giving it back.
Asha’s and Ma Dongpal’s numbers.
From what I overheard of their conversation earlier, he had apparently begged her to at least pass on his number.
“Contact us anytime. Our guild is the one that received your help, CrappyGame-nim. We’ll help with anything you need.”
“If there’s something I need.”
As I was about to turn away, Asha’s voice stopped me.
“Ah, and send me a message before you start streaming.”
“?”
“I want to be the first one in.”
What is this now.
In any case, I shook my head.
“No can do. I can’t give you special treatment like that.”
“Hmph.”
Asha pouted her lips and widened her eyes.
She looked just like the common ㅇㅅㅇ emoticon.
Still, no.
One must draw a clear line between personal and professional matters.
“And even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t be first anyway.”
“Huh? Why?”
Because there’s this one old dude who’s linked to the stream.
At first, I thought he was a macro, but he’s not.
But still.
I know he’s not a macro, but…
[Viewer 1: Knock knock~ Mr. Hanul, do you happen to have a moment?]
Isn’t contacting me through the status window cheating?