Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Prosthetic Completion and Ur's Training
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As Andrew had promised, Choi Yeon-ah's prosthetic arm was completed in less than a week.
Andrew arrived with his assistant Jamie and a different woman this time—not Christina—and swiftly replaced Choi Yeon-ah's prosthetic.
Andrew acted as if he and the makers had no connection whatsoever to Yeon Sung-hun's recruitment, not mentioning the matter even once.
He simply focused entirely on the prosthetic, as if determined to fulfill his duty this time around.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue briefly at the sight.
They were pretending it was unrelated, but the fact that they'd delivered Choi Yeon-ah's prosthetic so quickly in the first place felt like groundwork laid to scout him.
Otherwise, something that should have taken three or four months wouldn't have progressed this fast.
No doubt Christina—or rather, Hunter Union—had pulled some strings behind the scenes.
Yeon Sung-hun easily pieced it together, then saw off the makers with a request to use them again next time as well.
"Use us again next time...? Are they hoping something goes wrong?"
Yeon Sung-hun let out a low chuckle and turned away.
In one corner of the training grounds, Choi Yeon-ah was testing her new prosthetic arm, sparring against the guild members with great enthusiasm.
She seemed unusually excited, practically massacring the guild members in a one-sided beatdown.
It was a spar without any mana usage—not even Yeon Sung-hun's potions—so only Han So-yul and Lee Ha-na could hold their own against her.
Han So-yul made sense, but Lee Ha-na holding up was a bit surprising. Lately, her talents had truly begun to blossom.
According to Jeon Hae-ryong, who'd watched her closely over several spars—not only Choi Yeon-ah's assessment, but she was A-Rank material at minimum, maybe even higher.
At the very least, her swordsmanship had already surpassed most high-rank hunters.
It was high praise that even made Yeon Sung-hun puff up with pride.
And as if to prove it wasn't exaggeration, Lee Ha-na wasn't falling behind Choi Yeon-ah at all right now.
Of course, Han So-yul was helping, and Choi Yeon-ah still couldn't fully recover to her peak without Yeon Sung-hun's potions—but even factoring that in, Lee Ha-na's growth was dazzling.
Dazzling enough to swell Yeon Sung-hun's chest with pride as he watched.
The three finally called the spar to a simultaneous, friendly collapse after trading fierce blows.
Yeon Sung-hun quietly approached the trio sprawled haphazardly across the training ground floor.
"Everyone okay?"
"Auuugh... Oppa! I'm dying! Potion...! Give me a potion!"
"So-yul-ah... There's a pecking order, even for cold water. Shouldn't you take care of your unnie first?"
"Ugh... Unnie's still full of energy! Acting weak just 'cause Oppa's here...!"
"...Wanna get chewed out by that 'full of energy' unnie?"
"Seong-hun-ssi, ignore those two and take care of me first. I'm really dying here."
"Ah! Ha-na-unnie, no fair! I'm the youngest—you should start with me!"
Amid the boisterous clamor—even while limp and sprawled—the three kept chattering nonstop, drawing a hollow laugh from Yeon Sung-hun.
"You all seem plenty energetic, so no potions for you."
"Auuugh! Nooo, Oppa—!"
Han So-yul latched onto Yeon Sung-hun's leg first, and the other two quickly followed suit, clinging to him.
They looked like zombies craving potions, and Yeon Sung-hun chuckled as he finally handed them over.
"Ooh! This one's different from usual! It kinda tastes like strawberries!"
"For real? Did you finally succeed, then?"
At Lee Ha-na's question, Yeon Sung-hun grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
"Hunter Seo Jin-su worked really hard on it."
"Jin-su looked so exhausted lately, but he pulled it off somehow. Congrats, Seong-hun-ssi."
"Nah. There's still tons to improve. Gotta keep at it."
"Right! It started with a strawberry scent and flavor, but the aftertaste goes back to the old one! Makes it taste even worse!"
"Sorry it's still gross."
Thwack—Yeon Sung-hun lightly flicked Han So-yul's forehead, then scooped up Ur, who was whining at his feet as usual, and turned away.
The three sat up and tilted their heads at him.
"Where you going?"
"Taking this guy for a walk."
"We always do walks with Hae-eun-ie."
"Oh? I take Ha-na out sometimes too."
"Last time I saw Hunter Yoon Ga-ram with Da-hye too."
Yeon Sung-hun and the three exchanged glances, tilting their heads, then looked at Ur.
Innocent as ever, he just let out a dumb "Keureung."
"...Gets walked a ton. Total lapdog."
Recalling Jeon Hae-ryong's words from before, Yeon Sung-hun sighed and properly cradled Ur.
"Wanna join for the walk?"
"No, it's fine. Rest up. I'll just take a quick loop."
Unlike usual, Yeon Sung-hun cut her off firmly. Choi Yeon-ah and the others looked puzzled, but he ignored them and hurried off.
The three blankly watched him practically flee with Ur in tow.
"...Gonna seriously train him. Can't have those three around."
Yeon Sung-hun smiled faintly down at Ur nestled quietly in his arms.
As if sensing his fate, the clever little guy let out a pitiful whine.
He gazed desperately back toward the training grounds, but Yeon Sung-hun's footsteps only carried them farther away.
"Look forward to it. I'll turn you into a valiant lord of the mountains."
"Keureureung...!"
Ur clearly wanted none of that, but what could you do? A speechless beast—no, monster—had no choice but to obey its master.
And so, Yeon Sung-hun quietly set off down the road with Ur.
Yeon Sung-hun arrived at a rift located near Gyeonggi Province.
Rank: E.
Waiting for him wasn't Gye Cheong-san as usual, but Na Seong-sil.
They'd kept in periodic contact, but it had been ages since they'd met face-to-face, so Yeon Sung-hun felt genuinely glad.
"Long time no see, Na Dae-ri-nim. How've you been?"
"Me? Obviously not... well."
Unlike Yeon Sung-hun's bright greeting, Na Seong-sil looked grim despite the time apart.
His trademark dark circles seemed three times darker than before.
Yeon Sung-hun involuntarily let out a groan at Na Seong-sil's corpse-like appearance—he looked liable to keel over any second.
"Mm. Work been rough? Oh, congrats on the promotion, by the way. Heard about that first."
Na Seong-sil had recently been reassigned from rural Gangwon mountains back to the capital area by Rift Management Division Head No Gwan-sik.
His title stayed the same, but heading the division overseeing all the capital's rift management offices was effectively a promotion.
Though his current state screamed otherwise.
"...Not sure it's worth celebrating. It's killing me these days."
Sigh—Yeon Sung-hun clamped his mouth shut at Na Seong-sil's exhausted exhale.
After all, he'd personally recommended Na Seong-sil to No Gwan-sik.
"Mm. Is Head No bullying you or something?"
"No... Nothing like that. Definitely not..."
Sigh—Yeon Sung-hun could guess the situation without hearing more from Na Seong-sil's self-pitying sigh.
He patted Na Seong-sil's shoulder carefully.
Then sighed again at the noticeably thinning spot on his crown.
"...Hang in there."
"Can I just go back to the Guild Master?"
"You chose to stay yourself, didn't you? Doesn't matter much to me, but Team Leader Gye...?"
Na Seong-sil sighed at Yeon Sung-hun's trailing words.
He wiped his despairing face.
Unable to find words of comfort, Yeon Sung-hun quietly handed him a potion.
"This is...?"
"Health booster potion. Down it all."
"Didn't I get one from the team leader a few days ago?"
"You can chug those anytime—no side effects. Just drink."
"...Yes, thank you."
Na Seong-sil eyed it suspiciously at first but shrugged and gulped it down.
Only after confirming the last drop vanished did Yeon Sung-hun sigh in relief.
'Least I could save Na Dae-ri-nim's hair.'
The one thing he could manage right now?
He patted Na Seong-sil's shoulder again with sincere sympathy.
"Anyway, it's been a while just the two of us."
"...Yeah. Time flies. Never imagined things turning out like this back then."
"Good is good, right? Looking forward to working with you, Dae-ri-nim."
"Yes. Same here, Guild Master."
Like old times, they shook hands lightly.
"Alright, time to head in."
"E-Rank rift or not, be careful. You're solo this time, unlike usual."
"Not solo. Got this guy."
"Keureung—."
Na Seong-sil chuckled softly at Ur's short cry and eager appeal.
"This the golden mascot everyone's buzzing about?"
"Looks it, but he's an A-Rank monster pup."
"Word is he's treated like a total doggy."
"...That's what we're fixing today."
Yeon Sung-hun gently peeled Ur off Na Seong-sil, who cozied up without a hint of wariness despite first meeting him.
"Now we're really heading in."
"You know, but don't trust the prelim report too much."
"Always cautious. Should take three, four hours—rest easy."
"Got it. Safe travels."
With Na Seong-sil's send-off, Yeon Sung-hun entered the rift with Ur.
E-Rank rift.
He'd cleared it multiple times a day with Lee Ha-na and Kim Jun-su before, so Yeon Sung-hun felt no tension.
Objectively, an E-Rank rift posed no threat to a B-Rank hunter like him.
He casually dispatched a swarm of goblins with one potion, then scanned the surroundings.
No high hopes for an E-Rank, but there were more harvestable materials than expected.
"Should've brought some guild members if I knew."
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but he shook his head.
"Drag 'em along and word leaks—trouble."
He could already hear the nagging from Choi Yeon-ah and the other women guild members.
As guild master, he couldn't tolerate anything undermining his authority.
"Hey, you. Quit hiding behind me and step up front. You're an A-Rank monster spawn—scared of G-Rank trash?"
At the lowest G-Rank horned rabbit, Ur didn't bare his fangs like a mountain lord—instead, he huddled behind Yeon Sung-hun's feet.
Watching quietly, Yeon Sung-hun sighed softly.
"Karma's a bitch. Should've been stricter instead of spoiling you like everyone else..."
When the other guild members or his sister doted on Ur, he should've balanced it with tough love—at least to that extent.
Clicking his tongue, Yeon Sung-hun steeled himself.
"Step forward now, you rascal. Keep it up, no dinner tonight?"
"Keureureung—!"
Ur snarled fiercely at Yeon Sung-hun but showed zero threat toward the horned rabbit.
Yeon Sung-hun let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
"Got the guts to defy me, but not that thing?"
"Keureung! Keureureung!"
"Whining won't work. No mercy today. Move."
Ur had no choice but to relent at the firm resolve in Yeon Sung-hun's voice.
He crept out from Yeon Sung-hun's feet, shrinking timidly.
The horned rabbit tilted its head at Ur's approach.
Ur still didn't charge, just peeked warily, so Yeon Sung-hun spoke flatly.
"Your body's faster and tougher than his. Your claws sharper than his hide, your fangs far deadlier. Don't be scared. You're the mountain lord."
No telling how much Ur grasped, but he slowly moved forward anyway.
Awkward, uncomfortable gait—but it was a start.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled unwittingly, watching fondly.
Unfortunately, Ur dashed those expectations spectacularly.
"Keureureung!"
The horned rabbit charged back, leading with its sharp horn.
Ur shrieked pathetically and bolted in a frantic scramble.
No real fight—just back to hiding at Yeon Sung-hun's feet.
Yeon Sung-hun sighed.
"...Yeah. Can't expect too much right away."
He's still just a baby, after all.
Yeon Sung-hun lightly dispatched the charging horned rabbit in Ur's stead, then stroked the trembling pup huddled at his feet.
"Good job. First hunts are always tough. Build some confidence. You're gonna be a mountain lord someday."
"Keureureung...."
Unlike usual, Ur was utterly dejected. Yeon Sung-hun petted him again before picking him up and resuming the exploration.
'Gonna need consistent training for a while.'
No clue when results would show, but for Ur's future, it was undeniably necessary.
And so, Yeon Sung-hun and Ur continued their rift delve for some time.