Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: He's Really Crazy
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The very next day after waking up, I got ready for work just like always. Rubbing my sleepy eyes from exhaustion, I stepped out of my room to find my brother in the living room watching TV, same as usual. Today was no different.
It hadn't even been a few days since he got back, so I could chalk it up to a passing whim. But seeing him wave at me so cheerfully with such a clear head made the whole thing feel incredibly awkward.
"Bro, I always wonder about this. Why do you wake up so early? When do you even sleep?"
And it made sense—he was always gaming until dawn. Going to bed later than me but waking up earlier was bizarre, even after awakening. He didn't even seem to nap after I left for work, so he was probably only getting about three hours a day, tops.
- Hmm, but it's fine even with just a little sleep. I don't have anything to do, so I don't get tired.
That was the cheeky response I always got to my questions. Every single time. The fact that he'd returned after ten years of forced labor as a slave circled my mind once more. Knowing my only remaining family had endured that pierced my heart.
"Alright, I'm off to work, so make sure you eat properly. Use the card I gave you if you want to buy anything or do whatever. I'll pick up a phone for you today for sure. I'm heading out!"
- Okay, see you later~ Be safe!
Maybe that's why—even at 31, lounging around like that, I couldn't bring myself to scold him. I was spoiling him rotten, and part of me worried I was giving him bad habits.
Lost in thoughts of my brother as I walked, I arrived at the Hunter Association before I knew it. Nothing beat living close to work.
- Team 2 Leader, you're here?
"Yeah, hey."
I tossed casual replies to the greetings thrown my way as I headed into the office. Inside, I saw empty desks scattered around where team members should be, along with the few from my team who'd made it in, plus folks from Team 1 and Team 3.
- Team 2 Leader, great job the day before yesterday.
I spotted some guy from Team 3 greeting me.
"You guys worked hard too. We were all about to die. Thanks to you, we survived."
- Aw, come on. We just grabbed the downed folks after you took out all the monsters~
"Uh... We took out all the monsters? That's not...?"
- Huh? That's what Team 1 Leader reported. And when we entered the gate, all the monsters were already dead.
What the hell? After all my team members collapsed, I'd fought desperately on my own. I'd held the line as best I could to buy time and keep them alive, and right at the end, with Leech choking me, I'd thrashed around, letting out pathetic groans fueled by nothing but the will to survive.
Just before blacking out, I'd heard a man's voice.
- Hey.
It sounded familiar, so I'd relaxed, assuming backup had arrived, and closed my eyes peacefully. But it wasn't backup.
"H-hey, good morning, everyone."
Team 1 Leader walked in through the office entrance. I grabbed him and dragged him outside.
"Team 1 Leader, let's talk for a sec."
"Uh..., everyone, good morning in a bit... "
The moment we were out of the office, I unleashed my questions.
"What gives? Weren't you the backup the day before yesterday?"
"No, we did send backup..."
"Then why does the report say we took out all the monsters?"
"Uh, that's true too...?"
"True my ass. We were all about to die. What's the deal?"
"Nah. By the time we got into the gate, it was already over."
"Exactly. I lost consciousness last, right in the middle of the monsters? What happened? You're hiding something."
"No, I'm not. Why would I hide anything? What's in it for me?"
Whenever Team 1 Leader lied, he'd clasp his hands behind his back and bite his lip. I'd picked up on the habit after years of working together.
"Unclasp your hands and stop messing with your lip when you talk."
"Ah..., uh. Ahem. Can't we just let it slide? Everyone made it out safe. Call it a white lie?"
I sighed at Team 1 Leader scratching his head in distress.
"Sigh, fine. Everyone's safe, so I'll drop it. Back to work."
I turned first. As I headed toward the office, one set of footsteps followed.
"Um..., what about your brother? I should thank him for that day too. He's still under observation, right?"
"My brother? He's been gaming all day lately. He was watching TV when I left, and he'll probably jump right into games soon. He's hooked on Legend of League, playing till dawn. But he's terrible at it."
Maybe because I'm a master, but his skills looked pretty awful. Nah, anyone could see he just plain sucked.
"Haa... He's such a weirdo."
Sihyun couldn't muster a single word of denial to Team 1 Leader's comment.
It was a perfectly sunny morning. A perfectly boring one too. Which meant I could dive right back into my gaming trance.
And now it was time to show off my well-honed skills in Legend of League.
Fuck. I told you not to pick Yami.
And I lost again. Weird. I thought I did pretty well this time.
I ran around as the kitten character, hitting the enemy, warding vision, darting here and there. I'd learned from those team members I met before that supports need to roam hard, so I bounced between lanes starting at three minutes in. But our team's ranged DPS just cursed me out again.
"Hmm... Guess I shouldn't listen to others? Whatever. I'll just play my way."
I queued up the next game right away.
As soon as the pick screen popped up, I fired off a quick chat.
ttt
I'd picked that up from those team members too. They said the war starts in champion select, and quick lane securing is key. A hero's reaction speed is like lightning—no one could beat me there.
After the fast chat, I locked in Yami.
Question marks and curses flew from teammates, but I stood firm.
I'll carve my own path. Just like always.
Fuck.
Sorry.
Playing today felt like it'd shaved a year off my lifespan. They say you live longer for every curse you take—between my ten years as a hero eating shit from everyone and the gaming abuse, I could probably outlive a dragon by now.
Satisfied with my gaming session, I shut down the PC and headed to the living room. Time had flown; outside, the sky was dyed orange with twilight, and people streamed home from work. Already past 6 p.m., huh.
The peaceful scene of wandering freely was beautiful. Salarymen in suits hurrying along with tired faces. Students in uniforms buzzing excitedly toward PC bangs.
Amid them, Sihyun trudged homeward. She looked every bit the office worker, face sour. Sighing now and then—she must've had a rough day.
Did she really need to stress like that over work? Earth didn't seem to have any real threats. If a decent hunter rank popped up, you could just chill and mooch off life.
No need to grind like hell unless it was a dog-eat-dog world like Pretoria on the brink of doom. Look at me now—no job, crashing at my sister's, living the dream.
Beep beep beep—Ding!
The front door unlocked with the passcode.
"Bro, I'm home~"
"Sihyun, welcome back."
"Ugh, picking up weird internet slang again. Quit it."
Sihyun scowled and scolded me.
"Why the death glare already at dinner time~?"
"You're pissing me off. Wanna get beat?"
"Ah, sorry~ I'll make food!"
I bolted to the kitchen. Pulled out some fridge side dishes, fried up eggs and ham. Instant rice FTW.
"Yeah, yeah. House husbands gotta do their part. Hurry up~"
Sihyun grinned, pleased with my attitude, and sat at the table. She even set out plates and chopsticks—bless her.
I plated the food and sat across from her.
"Enjoy your meal~"
"Pfft! What is this, the army? Nah, even the army doesn't say that anymore. Total boomer."
Whoa.
"No way. The military's that lax now? Pour up some lattes..."
"Boomer confirmed."
"Heh, nothing's off-limits with your big bro. And at 28, you're practically..."
"Shut it."
"Yes, ma'am."
I shoved a piece of ham in my mouth. Salty and delicious.
"What'd you do today, bro? Just games again?"
"Hear me out. Today I took Yami top."
"Ugh, weird shit again. Don't play ranked, bro. You're griefing teammates."
"It was ranked."
"He's actually insane..."
What's wrong with Yami top? Kitten's cute as hell.