SWNOVELXO Chapter 188: Daily Life
‘Hmm.’
A few minutes later.
Having fully recovered, I finished a brief greeting with Esther and stepped out. As I stepped onto the stairs of the Korean Magic Tower’s main gate, a familiar jolt flooded my senses.
A powerful magic that could easily overpower an ordinary person with a weak heart.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
An SUV parked in front of the main gate activates its turn signal, signaling its presence. Then, a burly man sitting in the driver’s seat leans toward the passenger window and speaks.
“Hello, Kim Gi-ryeo.”
“….”
“It’s been exactly four days and five hours since I texted you saying, ‘I’m going to take a quick look at the Blue Gate that formed at the Magic Tower Guild. There’s no need for you to come since it’s F-Class.’”
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you want to grab a ride? If you haven’t eaten yet, we can have lunch.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is sushi okay for the menu?”
“It’s not intentional, so please spare me the Enhancement Heart….”
*
Saturday afternoon.
Two people are having a conversation in a quiet gymnasium.
This was a training facility exclusively for Awakened ones located in Seoul.
To be frank, it wasn’t anything extraordinary in terms of equipment.
However, the ability to cast spells without worrying about the eyes of others was a significant advantage. This place had been frequented by Awakened individuals for quite some time.
For instance, like the famous Hunters present here.
‘Looks like today’s training time is about to wrap up.’
I and Jeong Ha-seong were currently going through our usual schedule at a rented gymnasium.
However, as we entered the sixth week of skill training, we faced our first small problem. Ha-seong was having a hard time mastering the application of the complete combustion technique he taught four weeks ago.
‘Things seem to be dragging a bit.’
Fire magic, aside from increasing power by consuming magic, could change the combustion method itself to raise the flame temperature.
Surprisingly, Jeong Ha-seong struggled with the process of changing his magic to blue. But it’s okay. I actually welcomed this delay.
‘Looks like I can get more tuition than I expected!’
However, contrary to the instructor’s positive outlook, the expression of the raw magician in front of me became increasingly wilted with each passing day.
“Ha….”
Now, he couldn’t even hold back the sighs erupting from within, indicating how frustrating his situation must be.
‘Hmm.’
Having encountered many students like this in my previous life, it seemed that Jeong Ha-seong, a person who had achieved high accolades in the past—he was a dropout from veterinary school, as I found out not too long ago—was particularly vulnerable to such trials.
Living that kind of life would inadvertently teach him that he was superior to others, and suddenly facing continuous setbacks would hit him twice as hard with unfamiliar failure.
A stiff expression. Tense shoulders.
Even a national hero can lose interest and quit if their results aren’t satisfactory.
So, for the sake of ensuring future job security, I needed to soothe him with some praise in this situation.
“Jeong Ha-seong.”
Despite everything, I felt sympathy for the S-Class who was always on the side of the weak. So I spoke gently, considering Ha-seong’s feelings.
“Do you know?”
“Yes?”
“About your awakening ability. That thing called Pyrokinesis.”
“Yes.”
“It’s often undervalued as the most common type on Earth, as mentioned by the media.”
Fire.
A primitive concept that symbolizes the origin of civilization on Earth.
Here, people merely play with cute little fire tricks, but having seen the extreme of ignition magic in my previous life, I could assert this confidently.
“However, in my view, for those with sufficient magic, it’s actually one of the best categories. If you continue to cultivate it, there may come a time when you won’t need armor at all.”
Ha-seong tilted his head upon hearing that.
“Armor, you say?”
Saying that armor wouldn’t be necessary for apparently offensive spells might sound absurd to him.
But the residents here will eventually all come to understand.
Regardless of how trashy a property may seem, honing and polishing it will ultimately blend offense and defense together.
Throwing stones at the sun won’t change anything.
I wonder if Jeong Ha-seong will reach the level I think he can.
“Anyway… Your potential still has a long way to go. Let’s not rush and just proceed calmly.”
I did my best to encourage him, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat.
However, Ha-seong, who was perhaps as stoic as I was, still wore a hard expression. It was hard to read what he was thinking.
“Well then, shall we tidy up and head out?”
Still, this counted as notable progress.
Honestly, the moment the hero Na-ri landed a strong blow with the Sword of Sunset still lingered in my mind. The day I could face the top ranker, thanks to all my hard work, would come!
“Yes. Thank you for today as well.”
But suddenly, it occurred to me that on the day his hidden rank gets revealed, this kid might just tear me apart, right?
He’s been secretly dishing out all sorts of bad remarks while pretending to be S-Class.
‘I hope I never experience the sharpness of a legendary weapon firsthand…’
I glanced at the red sword hanging from my disciple’s waist as I left the gym.
But then, what do I see?
On a day when it usually would be an empty lot, an unexpected scene unfolded outside the back door.
“Hmm?”
A person was standing idly at the exit.
“Excuse me.”
It looked like they had been waiting for us to come out…
‘What’s going on?’
The person addressing me appeared to be an unfamiliar earthling.
A woman in her 30s wearing glasses.
Curious about her identity, I focused my gaze, and soon the woman spoke up.
“What is this….”
“I apologize for coming all of a sudden. However, I couldn’t reach you, so I heard you trained here on weekends and took the liberty of coming in person.”
Didn’t receive any contact?
Hearing that, I pulled my mobile phone out of my pocket. But there was no missed call or anything like that. If a new call had come in, I would have certainly answered it.
“I haven’t had any contact from you.”
“Really? I left a text—didn’t it come through?”
“It didn’t come.”
“Oh dear, so the number the agency connected me with was wrong…?”
Anyway.
The woman then pulled out a business card from her wallet.
[Korean Dungeon Resource Research Institute]
[Kim ○○]
[Senior Researcher / Ph.D. in Science]
However, before I could finish reading the words written there, she continued with an explanation.
“Anyway! The reason I came all the way here is… to request national research cooperation from Hunter Gi-ryeo! Specifically, it’s for security work!”
What in the world is this situation?
An earthling suddenly appears out of nowhere, claiming to want to hire me for a guarding request. Of course, the hidden meaning behind it wasn’t hard to guess.
Dungeon resources.
If an ordinary person wanted to explore those otherworldly substances, they would naturally need someone to protect them.
“Our research institute has recently started studying a Gate of difficulty level A called [Sanctuary of Verdancy]. I am the interim project manager for this.”
“So?”
“So, we’re in need of an Awakened to assist with the research, but it seems the previously hired A-Class Hunters are having difficulty. We might really need the power of an S-Class Hunter.”
The researcher continued.
“Originally, I wasn’t supposed to contact you urgently like this; I would have notified you slowly via official documents. But, ah, this is awkward. The monster population in the dungeon we reserved is multiplying faster than expected…”
Okay. I understood everything up to this point.
But then came the problem.
“Um, but why did you specifically come to find me?”
I gathered that they needed an S-Class combatant for safe exploration of the dungeon. However, there are plenty of good options besides me among South Korea’s S-Class Hunters.
The top-ranked Hunter standing right next to me, or the purple-haired sorceress living in the tower.
Well, the other one…
‘Right. Let’s just assume that one doesn’t exist.’
It’s a bit flawed, but still.
I couldn’t understand why this person would specifically come looking for 9th place, skipping the top two.
Isn’t it natural to check with Jeong Ha-seong first?
‘He has a great public image.’
I turned to look at the S-Class standing quietly behind me.
The national hero with a neat side parting and a likable impression seemed to be awkwardly assessing the situation with a slightly flustered expression.
“If you needed a strong Awakened, wouldn’t Jeong Ha-seong Hunter be a good choice too?”
Upon suggesting that, the earthling shook his head.
“No.”
“What?”
“The dungeon is structured with small rooms roughly the size of four pyeong lined up like train cars. It would be difficult to collaborate with other categories due to their secondary risk from their awakening abilities.”
“Hmmm.”
“However, Kim Hunter, you’re already known for being competent in personal protection… besides, everyone says you have a very nice personality….”
Wait, what was that all about?
“What do you mean by that? Where did you hear such a thing?”
I’ve never done any human protection work in my life. Where in the world did this suspiciously positive reputation come from?
“Um, well. If I must say, it’s from my father. Actually, my father has quite a broad network in the Hunter industry, and he said he recently heard good things about you, Gi-ryeo Sir. So he suggested if you needed to find someone for protection, why not talk to that person…?”
“Could you tell me your father’s name?”
“Kim Beom-shik.”
Who the heck is Kim Beom-shik…
Hearing this only deepened the mystery. Someone out there is saying I’m a nice guy?
‘Could it be that Ahn Yoon-seung spread some bizarre rumors?’
I tilted my head.
But the middle-aged man in front of me just continued to beam that toothy grin.
“Honestly, every time I see Hunter’s impression, I imagined you’d be quite efficient at handling tasks, but to hear you have such a reputation even in the tough field of security is amazing.”
“….”
“Even after thinking it over multiple times, I still want to request cooperation from the capable Kim Hunter! If possible, could you make some time for negotiations around Monday?”
It feels like spitting on a smiling face, but…
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“Yes?”
Well, it’s time to let reality sink in.
I expressed my refusal to his request.
Why? Because I’m not just a low-tier ability user that can barely save myself let alone protect others.
In reality, I should be the one getting protection, so being asked to guard a researcher is utterly ridiculous.
“Uh? But, Hunter, if it’s a national-level investigation…”
“I don’t know who you heard that from.”
Cut.
I interrupted his sentence midway and continued.
“I’ve never done any protection work for researchers. I don’t have the awakening abilities suitable for such a job.”
In reality, it’s just because I’m F-Class and can’t do it.
“Is that so?”
The researcher looked genuinely surprised.
Judging by his reaction, he must have strongly believed I would take up the request.
“Uh… I see. There must have been a mistake on my part… I should probably check again… Thank you for your precious time. Have a good afternoon.”
Thankfully, I dodged a bullet there.
The researcher was surprisingly quick to give up, and although he tilted his head in confusion, he soon stepped aside.
Thud.
I watched the researcher’s back as he trudged away and said:
“Jeong Ha-seong, have you heard any weird rumors lately that I’m good at protection work or something?”
The Great Mage’s disciple responded with a level voice.
“…No. But I have heard rumors that you were involved in loan sharking in the past.”
Yeah. If it were that, I could at least see it coming.