Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A Misunderstanding
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It was a misunderstanding.
“Suri...!!”
Suri plummeted from the sky with incredible force, crushing the wolf-like monster that had been in front of me.
The impact was so powerful that the stone tiles paving the sidewalk shattered and buckled, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Behind, behind you!”
Two more wolf monsters burst from the swirling dust and lunged at Suri.
Clang!
But the teeth of mere low-level monsters couldn't possibly pierce Suri's fully metallic body. Suri spread its left wing wide and spun a quick half-turn.
Swish!
Like finely honed blades, its sharp feathers sliced the wolf monsters in half. Having dispatched three of them in an instant, Suri flicked its wing like a master swordsman to shake off the blood, then approached me.
Kiii.
“Ugh... That was scary....”
But it wasn't over yet. My Mecha-Doggo had to be somewhere near that gate.
As if sensing my worry, Suri spread its wings and soared into the sky. It flew straight toward the gate, plucked Mecha-Doggo up with its beak, and brought it back to me.
But...
“M-Mecha-Doggo...?”
Mecha-Doggo's monitor was damaged. Three small holes were punctured in a neat row, likely from a wolf's bite. The monitor was glitching, the screen flickering with static, and the once-clear beeping sound was now distorted with noise.
“N-no...!”
My money-maker...! No... my oldest golem. It would be too sad if it broke like this.
It seemed to still be conscious... or something. The faint, repeated beeping suggested it wasn't completely gone....
Besides, this was my phone. Without it, I couldn't make calls or even check my bank account. No matter what, I had to fix Mecha-Doggo...!
“First... let's go home. Suri, you can fly back without being seen, right?”
Nod.
That was enough. I carefully cradled the broken Mecha-Doggo in my arms, pulled my hood down, and headed home. A warm stream trickled down my cheek, but it definitely wasn't a tear. Real men don't cry over things like this.
Some weirdo must have just bumped into my shoulder. Yeah, my shoulder hurt so much it brought tears to my eyes.
In no time, Hunter vehicles swarmed the area around the gate. Cars belonging to government-certified B-Rank or higher Hunters were emblazoned with a crest of a sword and shield. When a gate opened nearby, they could activate flashing lights and sirens, just like the police.
Four or five vehicles pushed rapidly toward the gate's location. The moment their upward-opening doors swung open, Hunters drew their weapons and charged into the horde of monsters roaming the streets.
Slaaash—!!
While dangerous for ordinary people, the monsters were no match for high-ranking Hunters. The situation was quickly brought under control, and soon after, personnel from the Hunter Management Bureau arrived to handle the cleanup.
“Squad Leader Joo. What are you looking at?”
The Nova Guild, one of the four major guilds in Korea responsible for the Gangbuk area, was established by the Korean conglomerate Ohsung in the early 1990s, during the initial Gate crisis nearly forty years ago.
Joo Ha-young, the leader of their 3rd main strike team, was surveying the street when something caught her eye.
“I was just wondering if there was a civilian Awakened nearby.”
“A civilian Awakened? Where... Ah, is it because of that?”
A deep indentation marred the ground, powerful enough to make it buckle. A wolf-like monster lay smashed by a powerful impact, and next to it were the bodies of two other wolves, neatly sliced in half horizontally and vertically.
‘An impact strong enough to shatter the ground, and the cut surfaces are clean. Are they using more than two weapons?’
“Check the CCTV footage around here. The one that covers this spot.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have the team look into it.”
“Ugh... No.... Don't die, Mecha-Doggo....”
Mecha-Doggo was on the verge of death. How could this be? Golems are supposed to be sturdy. They shouldn't die from a small wound like this.
“W-what do I do....”
My mind was a mess. My throbbing shoulder and hip were nothing compared to my concern for Mecha-Doggo. The high-pitched beeps were now mixed with static. The volume was lower, and the vertical lines of various colors covering part of the screen were spreading.
Kiii!
“Suri...?”
Suri, who had been watching me from the side, tapped its chest and chirped.
“You can fix it?!”
Suri shook its head at my question, meaning it couldn't. But it kept tapping its chest with the tip of its wing.
“Chest... Magic stone? Are you talking about magic power?”
Nod, nod.
Only then did Suri nod. Did it mean I could use my magic power to heal Mecha-Doggo's injuries?
“O-okay! I’ll give it a try...!”
I had never properly channeled my magic power before. I only remembered using a fraction of it when activating skills. I couldn't do it like a real Hunter, but still.
“Ughh...! Be healed...!!”
I placed the wounded Mecha-Doggo on the floor, extended both hands toward it, and focused. A peculiar sensation tingled at my fingertips.
It was a feeling I had never experienced before, a strange ticklishness spreading through my body.
Woooong...!
Did my desperate wish get through? As I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes, my vision filled with a bright blue magic power, and I saw the cracks on Mecha-Doggo's monitor gradually mending.
“It, it worked...!!”
It really got repaired. And my Golem Creation skill even leveled up! It seems the realm of golem repair is influenced by the creation level.
Beep-beep!!
Mecha-Doggo let out a clear, high-pitched roar, free of static. As if celebrating its own revival, it spun around a few times before snuggling into my arms.
“Mecha-Doggo...!! I'm so glad!!”
A thumbs-up emoji appeared on its small monitor screen. I guess Mecha-Doggo had charged toward the gate because of the magic detection function built into the phone.
Originally, the feature was meant to warn the owner of danger and tell them to flee, but Mecha-Doggo is just a kid, right? It doesn't know any better yet. It just ran toward the source of the magic it detected.
Is it really a kid, though? In golem years, it's two days old, and as a phone, it's not even three years old.
“Mecha-Doggo, next time you feel magic, you can't just run toward it. Got it...?”
Beep-beep!!
It answers so well. I'm a little worried it's a bit dim-witted, but after going through this, it should understand.
Beside us, Minium was doing the moonwalk to celebrate Mecha-Doggo's return. Where on earth did it learn to dance like that...?
“Oh, and.... Thank you, Suri. How did you know?”
Suri shouldn't have any features like internet access, so how did it know that familiars could be healed with magic? I knew it on some level, but I was in such a panic that I completely forgot.
Kiii.
“Heehee, is that so? Suri is so smart it knows everything?”
It didn't give a real answer, just turned its head shyly to look at some distant mountain. Suri even saved me. It's fair to say it was today's MVP.
“How are you such a good fighter?! You're the best!”
As I held Suri and rubbed my cheek against it, I couldn't feel the sharpness that had sliced through the wolf monsters in a single blow. Was it being careful for my sake?
With the immediate threat resolved, the hunger I had pushed aside came rushing back. Right, I had gone out to buy food because I was hungry.
Rustle....
I put the rice ball I'd bought from the convenience store into the microwave—my only cooking appliance—and sat down at my computer to open the gallery.
I had to tell them what happened today. Things like this absolutely must be bragged about.
❣+⁉+Awakening Bros❣+⁉+Can you feel it❣+⁉+Can't you feel it?❣+⁉+
Can't you feel this princess's greatness?
Is this guy okay
As usual, it was just a bunch of guys treating me like an idiot, but a few of them had different reactions.
What did you do lol
Did you really awaken?
There was Do-shyung-jwak, who knew I was an Awakened, and Joining the Awakening Gallery, one of the few genuine Awakened who frequented the Awakening Gallery.
His username, Joining the Awakening Gallery, was because he belonged to the Nova Guild. The Nova Guild's nickname was the Guardians of the Galaxy. The reason was probably... Ohsung's flagship product line.
His rank wasn't very high, only C-Rank, but you couldn't get into a major corporate guild just like that. I think his ability was psychokinesis. I remember him being a very rare type of user.
“Hah, what should I do? At this rate, am I going to become an S-Rank Hunter?”
Watching Minium and Mecha-Doggo bouncing on the mattress made me think that. But of course, Suri was the best fighter.
Usually, when news of a gate opening broke, the first place to know was the Awakening Gallery. It was where internet users from all over the country gathered, and it had the highest concentration of Hunter fans.
“How's the gallery reacting?”
I used to go watch whenever a gate opened nearby. Because... a ton of Hunters were sure to show up. But since I was directly involved in this gate incident, I didn't have time to think about that.
After searching for the location where the gate had opened, I found a flood of eyewitness accounts on the Awakening Gallery.
-Today at 2 PM, Gangbuk area gate opened.png
-Is there anything these Nova bastards can't do
-FUCK!!! Union is late again!!!!!
-Cleanup duty goes to Union, just Union things lol
A heated debate was raging over the fact that the Union Guild, which shared the same operational area, was slightly slower than Nova, which had responded swiftly after the gate appeared.
Amazing things about Union, setting aside the blind fanboys lol
Their unwavering fortitude, never shaken despite being beaten down for being late every time. A rock-solid mentality, never once posting an apology despite the criticism of 50 million Awakening Bros. Their swiftness in hitting 74 km/h with sirens blaring in a school zone. Their practicality, prioritizing magic stones over injured civilians. Their combat power that splits Gangbuk, despite their spokesperson claiming no Hunter is faster than a car.
What's with the last line?
But how does Nova keep popping up out of nowhere
The so-called "guild war" was in full swing, with fans fiercely defending their favorite clans. Nova dogs and Union dogs were tearing each other apart to protect their masters. And amidst it all, there was one popular post that had made it to the real-time best gallery.
“Huh...?”
[Analysis] Proof that the new A-Rank Hunter Nova is hiding is a Summoner class