Chapter 275: Interlude Date (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 275: Interlude Date (1)
Lunchtime.
All the members of the Waving the License club were gathered in the club room.
Of course, it wasn't unusual for everyone to gather in the club room and chat.
“So, why'd you call us all here today?”
The difference today was that I hadn't called them just to kill some free time; I had a clear purpose.
For the first time since the club was founded, I stood before them not just as a peer, but in my capacity as the president.
“Alright, everyone, listen up.”
Im Na-eun, her eyes sparkling as if she'd follow my every word.
Son Seo-yeon, whose serious demeanor showed her respect for others.
Elena, with her blank expression that made it hard to read her thoughts.
And Shin Yu-jeong, whose naturally sharp gaze gave off a provocative air.
Four pairs of eyes, each with their own distinct charm, turned to face me.
“Ahem… The reason I've gathered you all here today is…”
“What's this? Why the sudden formal speech?”
“Pfft… It's awkward, Do-jin.”
“If it's because of me, you can just speak comfortably…”
“I also think informal speech is sexier… I mean, better, yeah!”
Starting with Shin Yu-jeong, the four of them shot down my attempt.
Right.
Informal it is.
“The reason I called you here is because of the upcoming 2nd quarter Hunter license exam.”
The moment I finished, all four of them made peculiar expressions.
“Why the 2nd quarter all of a sudden?”
“…Weren't we supposed to take our second test in the 4th quarter?”
You can only take the license exam twice a year.
Since we already blew one chance in the 1st quarter, they must have all planned to try again in the 3rd quarter at the earliest, or the 4th at the latest.
However.
“Nope, that's not happening. We're taking the 2nd quarter exam.”
“Huh?”
“…It seems Do-jin is determined to bankrupt Elena and her family.”
“Isn't it… a little early?”
“I'm all for it!”
Aside from Im Na-eun, who blindly agreed as if she'd follow my every word, everyone else reacted with skepticism.
Well, I'd expected as much.
“Alright, alright, I'm about to explain why, so quiet down.”
The noisy atmosphere settled in an instant.
Taking advantage of the silence, I began to lay out the reasons I had prepared.
“First, it's because all of you already have the stats to pass the Hunter license exam.”
Our party has trained more and cleared more dungeons than any other party at Korea University.
“Elena and Yu-jeong have already become tankers who wouldn't lose out even against the upperclassmen at our school.”
Shin Yu-jeong and Elena are well-known training addicts, and Son Seo-yeon is no slouch either.
“As for Seo-yeon sunbae… if it weren't for her trauma, she would have passed the last exam easily.”
And our Na-eun… I taught her well.
If I dangled the right reward in front of her, she'd practice her magic until her mana was completely depleted.
She even ended up in the infirmary a few times after collapsing from mana exhaustion.
If I hadn't ordered her not to overdo it, she would have collapsed many more times.
“My judgment is that since you already have the stats, there's no need to wait until the 3rd or 4th quarter.”
As I finished my first point, the four of them—no, the three of them, excluding Im Na-eun—looked half-convinced, half-doubtful.
It seemed they felt a sense of pride at being told their stats were ready, but also a hint of doubt as to whether I was telling the truth.
As if deciding it was still too early to say anything, Shin Yu-jeong asked.
“What's the second reason?”
The second one is very important, too.
Maybe even more important than the first.
“The second reason is… your current training is becoming inefficient.”
All four of them have reached a point where it's difficult to raise their stats just by training or clearing the run-of-the-mill dungeons accessible with a temporary license.
In a situation like this, it's a hundred, no, a thousand times better to just pass the exam quickly, regardless of the rank, and start building experience and stats by clearing a wider variety of dungeons.
“It's true that my stat gains have been slow lately.”
“Elena's only gain was one point in Stamina a month ago.”
“I think it's been about that long for me, too.”
“Mine was two weeks ago!”
See?
Does it make any sense for kids who should be in their growth spurt to only gain one stat point a month?
It's all because there's no tension.
If you just keep grinding easy dungeons, it's easy to fall into a rut.
In fact, there are many who hit a slump like that and wither away before they even have a chance to bloom.
The expressions on their faces weren't bad.
After hearing the second reason, it seemed they were changing their minds, their faces now looking more positive.
Just then, Son Seo-yeon asked.
“Is there a third reason?”
“There is. And it's probably the most important one.”
“What is it?”
The most important reason why they needed to pass the Hunter license exam as soon as possible.
“I'm bored hunting by myself.”
So, so bored.
This is actually really important.
Loneliness has such a huge negative impact on people.
Especially for Hunters.
Loneliness means you don't have trustworthy comrades.
I was trying to say that the anxiety and solitude that come from that can eat away at a Hunter, so it's something to be very careful about.
“……”
So why were they all looking at me as if to say, ‘Is this guy crazy?’
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday morning.
I finished getting ready before the sun was even up and let out a dry laugh as I stood in front of the mirror.
“It's always like this on days like today.”
I thought I'd been shedding Son Si-woo's old habits one by one since getting this body.
But the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn to prepare on a dungeon raid day just won't go away.
“Well… I guess it's one of the more useful habits I have.”
Today was the day.
The day I would be raiding an A-rank dungeon with the Zodiac Guild.
With Ju-yeon's decision-making power added to the mix, I had accepted K's designated request.
To be honest, I had agonized over it.
I knew they weren't ordinary people, so I had to gauge whether I could make it back alive no matter what happened in the dungeon.
But once I found out Ju-yeon would be there, all my worries vanished.
“With an S-rank buffer, you could probably make it back alive from hell at least once.”
So, I accepted the request, both to leave a strong impression on them and to build a suitable relationship.
After all, isn't there a saying? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
It's far better to keep guys who send a chill down your spine within your sight than outside of it.
That way, you can react quickly if something happens.
It's obvious which is easier to catch, right? A ball flying from outside your field of vision, or one flying from within it.
“Hoo.”
Just as I was calming my breath and continuing my meditation.
Bzzzt-
A message arrived on my smartphone.
«Han Ju-yeon: Come on out when you're ready! Your big sis is in front of your house right now.»
“……”
I immediately looked up to check the sky outside my window.
Dawn was just breaking, the black sky turning a pale blue.
Even with a dungeon raid scheduled, most people would still be asleep at this hour…
Why did she send that message as if she was certain I'd be awake?
“…Strange.”
The more I interacted with Ju-yeon, the more things started to bother me.
How should I put it… It wasn't something big, like a fishbone stuck in my throat, but more like a minor irritation.
But as these little things kept piling up, it felt like they'd become something I couldn't ignore.
“What could it be…”
I don't know.
Was it simply because Ju-yeon, my sister-in-law, was being so forward with her affection for me?
Or was there really some other reason?
“I should go out first.”
This wasn't the right time to be worrying about it.
She was waiting outside. I had to go meet her.
Click.
I opened the door and looked down to see Ju-yeon's car—the same one from the trip to Haenam—parked below.
I went straight outside and knocked on the window, and she waved as if she'd been waiting.
Following her gesture, I opened the passenger door and got in.
“Hi, Do-jin. Sleep well?”
“Yes… I slept fine, but Teacher… no, Nuna, how did you know I was awake?”
I threw the question that had been weighing on my mind at her.
“Oh, uh…? That's…”
She looked slightly flustered.
But she quickly composed herself and continued as if nothing was wrong.
“You were up super early in Haenam, too!”
“…That's true.”
“So I remembered. I figured you were the type to wake up early on dungeon raid days.”
Then, she gave me a suggestive look and added.
“Your nuna… remembers, and tries her best to remember, everything about you, Do-jin.”
“Ahem.”
I coughed and quickly turned my head away at her sudden, blush-inducing confession.
The atmosphere became too awkward for me to ask any more questions, but my doubt remained unresolved.
She said she'd figured out my habits in Haenam, but… I don't know.
It seemed a bit of a stretch to speak with such certainty based on that one thing alone.
I wanted to press her further, but…
“Are we going straight to the dungeon?”
I decided against it.
Even though something felt a little off, Ju-yeon herself gave off a harmless vibe.
What could I say to a girl who looks at you with such sparkling, affectionate eyes?
Especially when she's under a curse because of me…
“First, we're getting breakfast. And… there's a place we need to stop by.”
“Where?”
“Hoho, you'll see when we get there. Shall we go?”
“…Yes.”