Chapter 56

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 56

Chapter Title: Dragon Knight (6)

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She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, but the number didn't change.

"13 seconds...? My personal best is in the 19-second range...."

She muttered in a voice trembling with shock.

"Is 13 seconds fast?"

Of course, judging by Il-ho's performance during the test, it had to be impressive, but I had no clue just how impressive.

"...When Guild Master Seol Yu-hee took her S-Rank evaluation, her record was 8.751 seconds. That's less than a 5-second difference...?"

Il-ho waddled over after finishing her training and stood in front of me. She removed her helmet, revealing a pale face without a single drop of sweat. Il-ho looked up at me with eyes that seemed to say, 'Did I do good?'

I stroked her head gently.

"You did great, Il-ho. That was awesome."

Lee Ji-young stared at the two of us in a daze before snapping back to reality and hurrying over. Her attitude had done a complete 180 from before.

"Miss Lee Da-yoon."

She spoke in a voice laced with desperation.

"Please entrust your little sister to our guild! We'll mobilize everything Azure Rose has to turn her into the finest hunter there is!"

She immediately unleashed a barrage of conditions like a machine gun.

"We'll assign a dedicated instructor—no, Hunter Seol Yu-hee herself will teach her. Any equipment, consumables, or items she needs will be provided unlimited by the guild, and of course, we'll properly compensate you too, Miss Lee Da-yoon...!"

If anyone else heard this, they'd think it was too good to be true. The old me would've handed over my liver and gall bladder for an offer like that. But not anymore.

'No need to feel inferior anywhere now.'

Of course, there was a bigger reason I wasn't accepting right away.

I turned to Il-ho and asked.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What do you think, Il-ho?"

Il-ho pondered for a moment, then trotted over to Miss So-jeong and held out both hands.

Yu So-jeong pulled a small whiteboard and marker from her basket as if she'd been waiting and handed them to Il-ho. ...When did she even pack these?

Il-ho uncapped the marker and scrawled some crooked letters.

She showed the writing to all three of us once, then erased it with the eraser.

Then she showed me a new message, directed at me.

Hmm, so that's how it is.

Il-ho just had that innate drive for battle, you know?

I turned to Lee Ji-young, and her desperate expression came into view.

"Well, if Il-ho wants to, then sure, but I have some conditions."

"We'll meet any terms!"

"First, don't send her into anything too dangerous. She's still young, so no getting hurt."

"Of course."

Lee Ji-young nodded without hesitation.

"Second, I don't want her becoming a full hunter right away. She's still a kid, so more like an apprentice vibe?"

"Yes, we promise."

She looked thrilled, like she'd just landed a huge contract.

"When would be convenient for you to proceed with the contract?"

"Hmm... Ask Miss So-jeong about that."

Hand me a contract, and I'd just see white paper and black ink. Better leave this to the pros.

At that moment, Il-ho scribbled something else on the whiteboard.

Lee Ji-young thought for a second, then checked with me and Miss So-jeong.

"I was planning to enter a C-Rank dungeon this afternoon. How about we stop by for a look before signing the contract?"

"C-Rank?"

A C-Rank dungeon wasn't for rookies. Wasn't that too high for a kid who was basically just born? Reading my worried expression, Lee Ji-young added reassuringly.

"I'll lead the party myself, so no need to worry. Il-ho's safety will be our top priority. Plus, Guild Master Seol Yu-hee is joining this dungeon run too."

Hmm. If Seol Yu-hee was going into a C-Rank, then the worry might be Il-ho not getting enough experience rather than her safety. She might even get intimidated.

On top of that, Vice Guild Master Lee Ji-young was a high-rank hunter in her own right. With her there, any real danger to Il-ho would be minimized.

...Or would it? Is Il-ho stronger than Lee Ji-young?

But dungeons weren't just about raw power. I worried Il-ho might not adapt well.

As I mulled it over, Yu So-jeong stepped up.

"...I'll join you in the dungeon."

Lee Ji-young looked briefly surprised and said.

"Miss Yu So-jeong? Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yes. No problem at all."

Hmm, right—she was a capable Awakener ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠herself. It'd be a shame to let Miss So-jeong go with Il-ho, but this was important.

"Got it. Take good care of our Il-ho, then."

We had some time before entering the dungeon, so we decided on lunch at the Azure Rose Guild's cafeteria. It might not match Flame Dragon Guild's obsession with food, but their cafeteria was still pretty famous.

"What would you like from the menu?"

Yu So-jeong handed me the menu. Even for a guild cafeteria, the selection rivaled a fancy restaurant—Korean dishes, Chinese, Western... so many options.

I scanned the menu and my eyes locked on one item.

"I'll have the pork cutlet!"

No need to think twice. Crispy breading over thick meat—who doesn't love that?

I turned to Il-ho and asked.

"What do you want, Il-ho?"

Il-ho glanced at me, then wrote on the whiteboard.

Never mind the ambiguous "sis/mom" title—her intent was clear from the writing.

"Pick what you want to eat, Il-ho. Don't just copy your sister."

She always wanted to mimic whatever I did.

Il-ho hesitated at my words, then held out the whiteboard again. Her fingers seemed unusually stubborn this time.

'She likes me, which is great, but isn't she too lacking in her own opinions?'

What if she started copying everything—my food, clothes, habits? That could be trouble.

"Here's an idea. You order something else, and we'll share. Then we're both eating the same stuff, right?"

Il-ho pondered my suggestion, then nodded. She studied the menu intently and pointed to one item.

Everything must be new to her, but the noodle dishes caught her eye.

"Il-ho wants the tempura udon."

"Understood. Please wait here."

Yu So-jeong got up the moment she heard and fetched the food. Il-ho's udon arrived first, but she didn't touch her chopsticks, just waiting for mine.

Of course, when Miss So-jeong brought my pork cutlet, I didn't pick up my fork and knife first either. She hadn't gotten her own food yet.

My stomach was growling, saliva pooling in my mouth—it was torture holding back—but Il-ho was waiting, so I couldn't eat first.

The second Miss So-jeong sat with her spicy pork rice bowl, I grabbed my utensils.

"Let's eat!"

I took a big bite of the thick Japanese-style pork cutlet. Juices burst through the crispy breading, filling my mouth with joy. Meat is always right.

Glancing sideways, Il-ho was munching her udon diligently. The way she slurped the noodles with her tiny mouth made her look like a hamster or bunny—I couldn't help smiling.

"Try some of this too, Il-ho."

I cut the thickest, tastiest center piece from my cutlet and placed it in her bowl.

Il-ho paused mid-chew and looked at me. Then she picked up one of her two precious shrimp tempura and put it on my plate.

"Whoa, I'm good, really."

As I tried to decline, Il-ho shook her head firmly. She wanted to share something tasty too, no doubt.

What a good kid. I happily bit into the shrimp tempura.

The meal continued in warm harmony.

Il-ho lifted her bowl to sip the udon broth but set it down, rummaging for the whiteboard like she had something to say.

One hand gripping chopsticks, the other fumbling with the marker cap—it wasn't easy.

"Here, I'll open it. Need something?"

I uncapped it for her, and she scribbled a few words to show me.

"Oh, pickled radish? Got it. Sis'll grab some."

On my way to the refill station, it hit me like a brick.

"Ah!"

'Why didn't I think of this sooner?'

We had the whiteboard here in the cafeteria. But in a dungeon?

Monsters charging at you—you can't just yell "Time out! Gotta write something!" and scribble away.

Right after we finished eating, I made a small request to Miss So-jeong.

"Miss So-jeong, could you buy a Bluetooth speaker? Right now?"

"A Bluetooth speaker?"

"Yeah. The smallest, best one you can find."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

She made a call somewhere, and three minutes later, a suited staffer arrived with a tiny speaker.

"Miss So-jeong, helmet please."

I stuffed the helmet and speaker into my bag and hurried to the bathroom. Couldn't let anyone see me crafting items.

Inside the stall, I set them on the shelf.

'Such a simple solution!'

Il-ho couldn't speak due to her unique physiology. But she understood language perfectly. She might not know spelling well, but she could form words flawlessly in her mind.

So, read her thoughts and turn them into speech!

I set the helmet as the main material, with the speaker and a Wind Wyvern mana heart I'd packed as snacks as sub-materials.

'Mana heart links Il-ho's magic to the helmet, speaker as the voice organ.'

I sketched the blueprint in my mind. A magic circuit to read her brainwaves and mana waves, converting them to speech in real-time.

I held down the craft button. Light flashed briefly, and protrusions formed on both sides of the helmet's mouth area.

"Done!"

I shoved the finished helmet in my bag and dashed back to Il-ho and Miss So-jeong.

"Il-ho! Try this!"

I handed her the helmet. Curious but compliant, she put it on backwards at first.

"Okay, Il-ho. Think what you want to say. No need to move your mouth—just think it strong."

Il-ho swallowed nervously, closed her eyes, and focused.

Mana stirred briefly, and a voice emanated from the helmet.

"Ah, ah."

Miss So-jeong and I could only exchange stunned looks.

"Huh?"

"...Um?"