Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Brother's Intervention
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“……What brings you here…….”
My brother stared at Ji Hwa-yeon with a sharp expression, as if he hadn’t even heard my words.
He then strode into the reception room and headed straight toward me.
“…….”
I hesitated and stepped back, and he paused for a moment.
He retracted the killing intent he’d been emanating and finally spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
He grabbed my wrist, yanked me to my feet, and headed for the door—still holding on tight.
“Hyung? Hyung, wait!”
If you asked whether someone with four years of hunter experience or someone who had just awakened their pattern but hadn’t even fully harmonized with it was stronger, the answer was obviously the former.
My overall stats were A-Rank to begin with.
So the conclusion was that even though I was barely resisting, I was being dragged toward the door.
“Wait! Wait!”
“These are people plotting to use you, so don’t even associate with them. Hell, you don’t need to get involved in this crap at all.”
“What the hell are you talking about…… Let go already!”
I finally raised my voice in a shout, and only then did he stop and release my wrist.
It throbbed from how tightly he’d gripped it.
I deliberately rubbed my wrist as if in discomfort and glanced at Ji Hwa-yeon.
‘He probably came because she called him.’
But why?
‘There are all sorts of possibilities, but too many to pin down.’
The most likely was that she wanted to use me to pry out his secrets.
Still, it was best to observe for now.
It was too valuable a situation to back out of.
I furrowed my brow and looked at my brother for a moment.
After not taking a single call or meeting for so long, he shows up out of nowhere and treats me like this—who wouldn’t be pissed?
‘I have to hold it in, though. What else can I do?’
Truth be told, I hadn’t cared about him in ages, so it didn’t really bother me.
But from a normal perspective, getting angry would be the expected reaction.
“So, why are you trying so hard to drag me out?”
“You might not know yet…… No, I’m just doing this because it’s dangerous.”
“You can’t say that kind of thing right in front of someone, Hyung.”
“You’re right, Hunter Han Ji-un.”
“…….”
Killing intent flashed in his eyes for an instant before vanishing.
I nearly flinched.
I cleared my throat and spoke up.
“Anyway, I’m staying to hear out the Hwajin Guild Master.”
“What were you talking about?”
“A proposal… or was it a partnership?”
“What?”
“Why don’t we all sit down first?”
He shot a terrifying glare at Ji Hwa-yeon, who was calmly holding her teacup, but she just smiled brightly, unfazed.
I walked over to the sofa and sat without a word.
I could see him clench his fist, but I ignored it and looked elsewhere.
Soon enough, he sat down on the sofa next to me.
Seeing him follow suit, I widened my eyes briefly before turning to Ji Hwa-yeon.
“So, what exactly do you mean by a partnership?”
“Nothing special. It’d be about the same as with Han Ji-un over there.”
“For example?”
“Hm. We’d provide personnel for raids when you need them…… Or help out in any situation where we can, to the best of our ability.”
“But what’s in it for the guild?”
“Oh, there’s plenty. Since it’s a partnership, you’d help us out whenever we need it and ask for your assistance.”
Disappointment welled up deep inside me the moment I heard that.
I’d thought a partnership meant something more, but it was basically the same as before.
What a letdown.
‘It’s just rephrased—the content’s identical to what it was. Probably the best line to draw……’
I buried my disappointment and spoke.
“Is there something I need to help with right away, by any chance?”
“Hm. You’ve heard about how S-Rank dungeons have been popping up more lately, right? Even if it’s just two or three at most.”
“Uh…… Yeah, I think I’ve heard.”
“We’re critically short on experienced A-Rank and S-Rank hunters to clear them. If we leave them alone, it’s dangerous.”
“…Pardon?”
I was about to say, *That’s it?* when something exploded beside me.
I started to turn my head, and a gust of wind hit me hard.
“What—”
My eyes flew wide open.
What the hell was this?
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
My brother had drawn his sword and pointed it at Ji Hwa-yeon.
“Hyung?!”
“I figured you might pull something like this, but you’re really going right along with my expectations.”
Ji Hwa-yeon let out a brief sigh, then—whoosh—she drew her rapier and aimed it right back at him.
Neither had fully activated their patterns yet, but the moment they drew their weapons, things were already dangerous.
They were both highly skilled hunters.
Of course, Hwajin Guild had plenty of A-Ranks who could evacuate people, but they wouldn’t stand a chance at stopping these two.
‘It’d take at least ten A-Ranks to barely hold them off.’
There was a reason S-Ranks registered as Unknown on measurements—they were leagues above A-Ranks.
So, the situation was a little—no, very—dangerous.
Normally, I’d just sit back and watch the show, but given the circumstances, anyone could see I was the one who had to step in.
I sighed inwardly and spoke up.
“Wait! Hold on! If you two fight here, at minimum someone’s losing an arm!”
“Don’t worry. Once you’re S-Rank, it’s not that easy to get sliced up.”
“No! I awakened my pattern less than a week ago! And my stats are low!”
“Ji-eon, you don’t need to listen to her.”
“Enough!”
Words weren’t getting through.
She couldn’t have called him here just to pick a fight, right?
Seeing the two of them, I let out a full sigh.
‘I still have to try stopping them.’
Even the toughest tree falls after ten strikes.
If I kept at it, they might calm down a bit.
“Hyung, what the hell is wrong with you! Just tell me what’s pissing you off!”
“…S-Rank dungeons aren’t some backyard playground. One mistake, and you could lose an arm, a leg, or your life.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“You seemed like you didn’t.”
“No, I do know!”
I could roughly guess what had set him off.
「We’re critically short on experienced A-Rank and S-Rank hunters to clear them.」
That line could pass as just needing manpower, plus deliberately mentioning A-Ranks to downplay S-Rank dungeons.
‘…Why?’
But it didn’t add up.
No, his actions the moment he entered the room didn’t make sense either.
‘He’s not even my real family to begin with.’
If my predictions were right, he’d grown up with me from the start of this regression cycle.
So he might see me as family, but after treating me like I didn’t exist for three years—or longer—now he wants to play the big brother card…….
‘…That’s kinda lame.’
Whoosh.
He fully activated his pattern in one go, his appearance shifting.
Then—poof, poof—pure white stars appeared, connected with each other, and wrapped around his sword as he aimed it at my neck.
“Han Ji-eon?”
He even grabbed the blade of his own sword with his hand.
Trying to pull it away in this state would obviously cut me, so I couldn’t move recklessly.
Given how he hated the idea of me raiding dungeons, he probably didn’t want me getting hurt.
“Let go—”
“You think I’m gonna let go and just watch you two fight?”
“We’re not going all out.”
“You’re like a cat asking to guard fish. Everything out of your mouth is a lie. Lower your sword. No, make it disappear.”
He scowled.
After a moment, he made his sword vanish, then approached and gripped my shoulder.
“You don’t need to work. You can just quit being a hunter.”
“But I want to.”
At this point, I could read him pretty well.
My brother didn’t know the world was going to end.
Why? Simple.
If he knew, he’d be gathering power like me to stop it.
Instead, he was trying to keep an S-Rank like me from teaming up with other S-Ranks or doing hunter work at all.
If he knew about the apocalypse and still acted like this, he’d just be crazy.
As my brother and I argued, Ji Hwa-yeon chimed in.
“Hunter Han Ji-un, that’s what he says, right?”
“…Shut—”
“Just be honest. You’re scared of losing someone.”
“…No.”
“Then you want to run off alone?”
“Cut it out…….”
She was poking at him like she wanted a fight.
Seeing his killing intent rising, it looked like someone had to die before this ended.
I quickly interjected.
“J-Ji Hwa-yeon, please continue with what you were saying.”
Disappointment flickered across her face.
I deliberately ignored it.
She made her rapier disappear and spoke.
“Alright.”
Ignoring my brother’s opinion entirely, she proceeded, and he glared at me murderously.
Now he was threatening me too.
Ji Hwa-yeon continued unfazed.
“First off, since you’re provisional S-Rank, you need to build experience to go official. The best way is to clear a few A-Rank dungeons. Show you can handle them unscathed a few times, and you’ll be recognized as official S-Rank in no time.”
“That easy?”
“Well, there are ability tests and such too… But seeing you use your powers, I doubt you’ll have any issues, so no need to worry.”
“Oh…….”
I remembered it not being that lax, but her explanation made it sound downright sloppy.
“To show our sincerity first, we’ll let you raid one of our owned A-Rank dungeons. All magic stones and items from it go to you, of course.”
“You’re fine with that?”
“We’re partnering up, so what’s a little generosity? Right?”
In other words, accepting meant agreeing to the partnership.
Of course, my answer had been set long ago.
I smiled brightly.
“You’re right.”
“Then let’s get along well from now on.”
“Yes. Let’s get along well.”
The situation wrapped up.
With business concluded, Ji Hwa-yeon politely saw us out, though even in the final goodbye, my brother glared at her like lasers were shooting from his eyes.
Out of the reception room and into the silent elevator.
My brother spoke first.
“…Ji-eon—”
“Hyung.”
I cut him off before he could say more.
“Just one question. What are you so worried about?”
“…….”
Even now, he wouldn’t talk.
‘Fine. It’s something that had to come up eventually.’
Especially now that my future knowledge was getting fuzzy, pulling him to my side was priority.
One more person with future info—accurate or not—couldn’t hurt.
And thinking about future events… we needed to end this rift here.
I looked at him and slowly opened my mouth.