Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Travel
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I stared blankly at the post that the Fridge had uploaded to the Wizard Gallery.
[Title: Want to visit the lab this week?]
The content of the post was extremely simple.
He had to attend an overseas conference soon, so he'd be away for a month.
Thus, if not now, it would be hard to meet for a while.
"Hmm... What to do."
I fell into brief contemplation.
I had certainly said I'd visit someday.
But I hadn't expected it to come so quickly.
Meeting another wizard.
Honestly, it wasn't something I felt like doing.
But my curiosity was piqued, that much was true.
Especially the court mage Gerard I'd met on the 32nd floor.
His mana control had given me a fresh shock.
"He was definitely an elite from a government lab..."
Moreover, the purpose of this meeting: item restoration.
The promise that, upon success, he'd give me any item I wanted.
I felt there was no downside to meeting him.
I left a short comment.
***
"Make sure you watch the house properly? Don't open the door for anyone. Especially ignore the neighbor uncle if he comes."
After warning Chohogi several times, I left the house.
Chohogi waving its arms with a big grin made me uneasy somehow, but it should be fine.
It had ten spare lives, after all...
After moving to a place out of people's sight.
I summoned my mount.
"Sandworm?"
At my call, the ring coiled around my finger unraveled and fell to the ground.
The massive worm instantly grew to gigantic size and opened its maw before me.
I entered it familiarly.
[The Sandworm grumbles that it's been using too much power lately.]
The Sandworm's voice echoed in my head.
It sounded more listless than usual.
"No, what are you talking about when you've been stuck to my body 24/7 recharging mana?"
[The Sandworm insists that your mana is only the bare minimum for maintenance and it's still insufficient.]
"You're eating snacks too."
[The Sandworm insists it can't live on snacks alone.]
[The Sandworm adds that you need to offer more tribute. Like spirit essence, for example...]
"Got it, got it. But what can I do if I can't even obtain it? Let's head to Seoul first."
[The Sandworm strongly insists it needs paid leave for a while.]
"Just work hard this one time."
The Sandworm's body vibrated faintly.
The signal for departure.
The destination was Seoul anyway.
I let out a small sigh.
"Why are all these things in Seoul?"
The government should revive the countryside...!
I inwardly vented my complaints and gave the movement order.
The Sandworm's body began to move smoothly.
The familiar sensation of high-speed underground travel enveloped my whole body.
How much time passed.
Sitting still in the darkness, I started to get bored.
"Show me the outside a bit."
From inside the Sandworm's body, a thick tentacle extended.
I stuck one arm into that tentacle.
Part of the Sandworm's senses connected to my nerves.
Soon, a new field of view unfolded before my eyes.
Though the noise was severe with static, and it was only black and white.
I could make out the rough shapes.
The outside scenery flashing by at tremendous speed.
It felt just like looking out a train window.
"Ooh... Amazing."
It was then, as I exclaimed in admiration while sightseeing.
Suddenly, the entire ground was ripped away.
Kugugugugu—!
With tremendous impact, the Sandworm and my body floated into the air.
A mound of earth shooting into the sky, defying gravity.
The world spun round and round.
"W-What!"
My stomach churned, nausea rising.
"Damn, I can't respond properly from in here...!"
I immediately exited the Sandworm's body.
My field of view opened up.
And I saw the scene unfolding before my eyes.
A man stood in midair.
A man in combat stance.
"You're still alive? Tough one."
S-rank Hunter, Kim Suho.
Kim Suho seemed to think no one was around.
He struck a dramatic pose and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Let's see if you can withstand this. Wind Blade, Spiral—"
Right at that moment, my eyes met his as I emerged from the Sandworm's mouth.
"......"
"......"
A silence as if time had stopped.
The solemn expression on Kim Suho's face crumbled in an instant.
I could clearly see his eyes fill with panic.
Kim Suho stiffened for a moment, then turned and fled at full speed.
A speed befitting an S-rank Hunter's fame, too fast to follow with the eyes.
Watching his back shrink to a dot in an instant, I couldn't help but shout.
"Where are you going!"
At my shout, Kim Suho came to an abrupt halt in midair.
He hesitated for a bit, then slowly turned his head.
"Ah, h-hi?"
***
"......"
An excruciatingly awkward time passed.
Kim Suho and I said nothing to each other.
I dusted off my clothes, ruined from the impact.
Kim Suho cleared his throat awkwardly, looking elsewhere.
His ears were still red.
After a while, Kim Suho finally broke the silence.
"Um... You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
My short reply brought silence once more.
Kim Suho scratched his head, desperately searching for a conversation topic.
Anyway, it was clear he had no intention of discussing what just happened.
He finally seemed to find a suitable question.
Kim Suho opened his mouth awkwardly.
"What were you doing underground? On your way somewhere?"
"Ah, yeah. To Seoul. To meet the Fridge..."
"Ah... He mentioned that in the gallery..."
Kim Suho nodded.
His gaze went to my finger.
The Sandworm, which had been a giant sand worm moments ago, had returned to ring form and was quietly coiled around my finger.
"But last time, did you travel underground like this too? There were no alerts then."
"No. This is a new Rainbow-grade summon I got last time... Pretty capable."
[The Sandworm claims it deserves even more praise.]
At my words, Kim Suho's eyes widened slightly.
Even for an S-rank Hunter like him, Rainbow-grade skills were an intriguing topic.
He looked at the ring on my finger with wonder.
"You came from Daejeon on this? Impressive..."
I shrugged.
Come to think of it, I had a question.
"How did you know I was here, Suho?"
At my question, Kim Suho burst out laughing.
"Suho?"
Kim Suho seemed to find my way of addressing him hilarious.
Maybe it felt weird for someone with a child's appearance like me to use the polite "ssi" like an adult.
"What’s with a kid using 'ssi'? Sheesh, just call me oppa casually."
A chill ran down my spine.
Fuck, oppa?
Was there any word with such a horrific ring to it in the world?
Just imagining that word coming out of my mouth made me want to dry heave.
I'd die before saying it.
I shook my head firmly.
"No."
"R-Really?"
I thought for a moment and offered an alternative.
"I'll just call you Uncle."
"Uncle..."
Kim Suho repeated in a shocked expression.
Well, yeah. I'd be shocked too if called uncle at that age.
But I had no choice.
"The word 'oppa' really doesn't suit me. It's too awkward. Makes me want to puke."
"......"
Kim Suho was speechless for a while.
Seemed like he was recovering from consecutive mental damage.
"...Just call me whatever. Except uncle."
I nodded.
At least I avoided that horrific word 'oppa'.
Kim Suho cleared his throat again and returned to the original topic.
He began explaining how he'd found me.
"You asked how I knew exactly where you were? It's because there's a detection system across the entire capital area."
"Detection system?"
"Monsters tunneled from the North side before... After that, we built a thorough one for capital defense."
Kim Suho's explanation continued.
An advanced defense facility intertwining earthquake detection with magic engineering.
If vibrations above a certain scale were detected underground, he'd get an emergency alert.
Once roughly pinpointed, he'd used his Clairvoyance skill to locate me easily.
"Honestly, I don't know the detailed principles. I just know it exists. Mirae made this one too."
"Fridge did?"
"Yeah. That guy's a genius at that stuff."
"Impressive..."
Kim Suho gave me a serious warning once more.
"Anyway, be careful from now on. Lucky I held back this time, but what if I hadn't?"
As an S-rank Hunter, Kim Suho knew well the destructive power of his strength.
"If I accidentally killed you... It'd be a nightmare. You wouldn't want to give me that experience, right."
I fell silent for a moment.
Honestly, I didn't think I'd have died.
My auto-barrier would have activated first.
Even if the barrier broke, my current physical durability was far higher than most monsters.
'If not at full power, maybe not even a scratch?'
But I didn't voice such thoughts.
Instead, I slowly bowed my head.
"I'm sorry. I'll be careful next time."
I'm not actually a kid.
I couldn't say such things in the face of genuine worry.
I fully understood why he was concerned.
But at my meek apology, Kim Suho seemed quite surprised.
He stared at me with wide eyes for a moment.
He'd probably expected excuses or me brushing it off like a child.
Soon, a playful smile appeared on Kim Suho's face.
"Alright, lesson learned. I'll let this one slide with a knuckle rap."
Kim Suho raised his finger, pretending to flick my forehead.
I stood still without dodging.
Just as his finger was about to touch my forehead.
Ting!
With a crisp sound, his finger was blocked by something.
Sand appeared right in front of my forehead, perfectly blocking his flick.
Kim Suho narrowed his eyes.
A mischievous glint formed between his brows.
"This kid..."
He feigned anger in a low voice.
"Hey. Drop the shield. Let me hit you once."
"Pfft... Dropped it."
I couldn't hold back and chuckled.
Kim Suho aimed his finger at my forehead again.
This time with a bit more force.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Flick!
This time, it hit dead on.
But I felt none of the expected pain.
Instead, Kim Suho was clutching his finger with a pained expression.
"Ow, my finger hurts more. What kind of body is that?"
Kim Suho shook his head.
His face mixed bewilderment and amazement.
I just shrugged.
"Sheesh... Heh heh."
We faced each other and grinned for a moment.
The earlier awkward atmosphere was gone.
Seeing him desperately holding back laughter made it even funnier.
In the end, we couldn't hold it and burst into laughter together.
"Puhaha!"
We laughed like that for a good while.
Until we were out of breath and tears gathered at our eyes.
I barely stopped laughing and panted for air.
Kim Suho lowered his hand from his belly and exhaled deeply.
"Haa... Seriously, I think you've used up my laughter quota for the day."