< Found It! (2) >

‘Still, he already did seventeen.’

He must have sharpened scissors or pocket knives or kitchen knives or something like that. Why didn’t you sharpen more diligently?

‘If he had put his talent to use and had worked as a smith or a similar technician, that guy also would have only had to fulfill the basic condition.’

Since it was an optimized initial skill, he could have somehow gotten the skill while Awakening. Even if you said that the conditions were eased through the My Brat skill, if he had put his talent to use before, would he have only sharpened ten thousand knives?

If he had been born before industrialization, it would have been easier for him to go on that path, but he was born into the worng time period and environment. It was because my skill existed that there was still hope for him to find his talent, but if it wasn’t for that, it would have just been buried.

‘…I decided not to use the keyword on people, but looking at this, I’m unsure again.’

If I saw a special skill that isn’t combat- or healer-related and would obviously be buried, should I just help? If their stat ranks were low like Myeongwoo, then there wouldn’t be a lot of things going wrong later. If they were stat C or higher, they would live well even if I left them alone, so I could just pretend not to see them.

At any rate, they would be very rare cases and it would only be a couple of people, so if they stood out, let’s reel them in.

“Ahjussi, how’s this?”

Yerim held up and showed a saw about the same size as her height, as she asked. Not to mention the axe, but what was with the saw? Why would you show those kinds of things to a kid?

“Doesn’t it look like it’ll cut through ice well?”

“Just freeze a little, and mainly use the shadow eating. At any rate, if you go to a high rank dungeon, even if you used Sigh to its utmost, you’d probably only catch a few.”

“Then, as expected, would the axe be better? This seems like it raises your Strength stat pretty well.”

“Supplement your Strength with wearable equipment, and for your weapon, you should use one that matches your skills and physique. You heard during the theory class.”

Yerim put on an expression saying ‘was that so?’. Did she doze off during the training?

“Anyways when you get an attack skill, your weapon will just be there to help, so get something that fits well in your hand.”

As a combat magician, it was good to prioritize the Mana stat for even the main weapon. Though you had to keep something for melee attack in reserve. After scolding Yerim, I went toward Yoo Myeongwoo, who was still hesitating.

“Take the spear over there and defeat things with mostly defense. You just have to avoid the pressure points like you learned yesterday.”

“O-okay.”

“High ranking equipment wouldn’t get damaged by low rank monsters, so don’t worry and pick a good one. All you have to do is not lose it.”

At my words, Myeongwoo relaxed.

But why did I have to choose the equipment for the kids? Where did the training instructor[1] go? Why didn’t they come? That was negligence of duty.

‘Not even someone else, but the S-Rank novice training instructor is going around being tardy. They must be inattentive[2].’

Was it a young person with no social experience? It was obvious it was imcomplete. This was why people had to go to the army. Wasn’t it like this because they exempted people who were even E-Rank? S-Ranks should impartially go to the army too. Duty for national defense was good.

Even while complaining, I took care of getting the equipment and items. As expected of a large guild, there were a lot of good things.

“Do we have to pay for the expendables too?”

“If you are not a guild-affiliated Hunter, then you have to pay.”

“Yerim~ Take this and that, this, and that red bottle and give it to us.”

“Yes, ahjussi!”

The maintenance manager frowned a little. What, huh, what? All I said was that the S-Rank-nim would hand out things remaining after she used them a little.

Just then, the maintenance room door opened. The tardy training instructor-nim must have finally arrived. Just who was it, at least their face[3]…

“…Yoohyun?”

Why did you come here? I did hear that he was going to the new A-Rank dungeon attack, but it wasn’t today? Did he accidentally come here?

“Sorry, I was a little late, right?”

Yoohyun said with a refreshing face.

…Don’t tell me that the no-social-experience, tardy-because-he-didn’t-go-to-the-army, young, inattentive training instructor was you? My guess was exactly right at least. As if I was a prophet.

Or, no. I mean, why was he here?

“I think it doesn’t make sense, but maaaybe if you’re here as the dungeon attack practice training instructor, I’d like to advise you to look for a little more reliable and proper way to waste your time.”

Unless he was crazy, there was no reason to take F-Ranks into a mid-, high-rank dungeon; was this a comedy where an S-Rank on his 3rd year says he would attack a low rank dungeon?

Exterminating ants with a flame thrower, what, was it something like that?

At my words, that guy Yoohyun put on a sad face.

“It’s been a while since we saw each other but you’re not happy to see me?”

What, suddenly. And it hadn’t even been a week.

“You were the one who was busy, not me”

“After taking the Horned Lion, you haven’t come home once. After talking like you were going to come by a lot, when you were leaving.”

That dongsaeng was acting like a wife telling off a husband who stayed out overnight. It was all because of the skill, so I had to endure it.

“Okay. I’ll come over often.”

“And call sometimes too. Does it make sense that I have to hear about my own hyung from other people’s reports? Tell me beforehand.”

“You can just call me.”

Do you not have hands or feet? At my words, Yoohyun gave a short sigh.

“You got mad, telling me not to call. You even blocked me.”

Huh? Did I? It was something from 5 years ago, so I couldn’t remember. After taking out my cell phone and checking, there was some kind of mark next to Yoohyun’s contact information. Was this the block sign? It was different from the phone I was using before the regression. No wonder there was completely no contact from the guy who tried to confine me.

“I took off the block.”

“Thanks.”

Only then did that dongsaeng’s whining stop. He wasn’t even a kid. Though twenty was still young.

“So you’re really the practice instructor?”

“Why, I can’t be?”

Well, it wasn’t that he couldn’t be.

“You seem free.”

“It’s not like that, but it’s quite a nice story for the new S-Rank’s first dungeon attack’s assistance to be done by the S-Rank who is her affiliated guild leader. And it’s the time when the interest in Hunter Bak Yerim is at its height. You can’t say that Korea’s S-Ranks get along well with each other, so we should show this new sight while we’re at it.”

Saying so, Yoohyun looked towards Bak Yerim. Yerim also looked straight back at that guy. You definitely couldn’t say that the exchanged glances were nice.

New sight, yeah right. Were they going to package that up as ‘we get along well~’?

“Who else is going besides you?”

“No one.”

“Huh why? You’re not going to take care of and teach the kids too.”

“Deparment Head Suk said that it would be enough with just hyung?”

…That ahjussi just worked people hard without even giving them pay. First of all, I was also a novice Hunter, so what did he expect saying it would be enough? Did Suk Hayan tattle that I knew a lot?[4] I should’ve pretended less that I knew things.

“Still wouldn’t it be unea…sy, or not I guess.”

Low rank dungeons attacks were originally things that were finished in an average of two days if you prepared a team properly. The shortest attack record for an F-Rank was as little as 23 minutes. It would differ according to size, but if that guy Yoohyun came along, would it take half a day if it was long? It would probably just be like going on an excursion.

“The dungeon we’re attacking is a D-Rank low-grade rock terrain. They said there are only short-range attack monsters so there shouldn’t be any danger, and we only need to be careful of falling rocks.”

“So there shouldn’t be any emergencies.”

If it was a D-Rank, it was at a level where a level 1 stat F would die right away as soon as they set foot inside. If there were long-distance attack monsters, then it would be uneasy even if we got protection, but since there weren’t, it would probably be fine.

Before the regression, I went into an F-Rank for my first dungeon, and nearly died, but this time, I was starting with a safe D-Rank. As expected, personal connections were the best.

Before going to the dungeon, the journalists were called over in advance and they took interviews. Of course, Myeongwoo and I were kicked off to the side[5], and Yerim and that guy Yoohyun acted out ‘we’re really close’.

If you didn’t know, they looked like they had a really nice sunbae-hoobae[6] relationship. Despicable guys. …Though I wasn’t in a position to say so.

The dungeon we were attacking was near Yeouido.

The entrance of a dungeon that wasn’t saturated was usually a size that would fit one or two people. Since they were that small, even now when they were managed well, sometimes an undiscovered dungeon would burst open.

Once a dungeon entrance was discovered, a defense facility was placed a minimum of 300 meters length- and width-wise centered from the entrance. Then administrators from the Hunter Association observed the situation 24 hours.

If a dungeon entrance appeared inside a building, unfortunately, existing buildings had to be pushed away, but the compensation was a satisfying amount. Because the compensation was paid by the dungeon profits, if it was reasonable, more than the building’s or land’s average sale price was offered. Of course, it wasn’t that there weren’t any tear-inducing situations where the land was extremely pricey and an F-Rank dungeon, which was rock bottom in terms of profit, interfered with the building’s redevelopment[7].

‘I feel like I’ve come back to work after a long vacation,’

Looking at the bluish gate that was stabilized because attacks were done regularly, I mumbled. No, it wasn’t that long. And I was busy because of other things. I couldn’t rest much.

I needed more vacation. No, I wanted to throw down a letter of resignation. I had to go around doing dungeon attacks again after even regressing?

Why would I repeat something agonizing that I had done to the point of being sick of it, when even nice things were enough after once or twice? It wasn’t like I was a high-ranking Hunter heaped with money and honors, and like dungeons would burst open one by one just because I alone was left out.

I definitely should relax around. My dream since I was young was to be a rich bum.

“The dungeon gate will be maintained for one hour after activation.”

Yoohyun placed himself in front of the fledglings[8] and explained like an experienced Hunter.

“Once one hour has passed, either we finish the attack, or an inactive state persists as long as the Hunters inside haven’t annihilated everything. It means that we will stop being able to go in and out. Of course, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a method for an emergency escape, but items for escape are very rare.”

Then he pulled out and showed a gate stone. It was rare even 5 years later, and right now, it was something hard to even glimpse, but he had one.

“Currently, there are only twenty two in the country, and they are single-use. So, you must never challenge a dungeon that is over your ability. Even if you discover a dungeon reaching a saturated state, please do not think of saving time with your life if possible.”

Yoohyun said, looking straight at me. What, punk. I didn’t have any intention of doing something crazy like that.

If you rushed into a saturated dungeon, you could postpone a break until the Hunter who entered, died. But I was an F-Rank so maybe I would hold out for about one minute. It wouldn’t make a difference whether I ran in or not, so I would just notify the Association and run away; would I be crazy and go in?

After going on about various precautions outside, Yoohyun went inside the gate first. You couldn’t know the situation inside the gate from outside, so usually the strongest or the person with the highest defense ability entered at the lead.

Of course, entering individually was absolutely forbidden, and it was standard to form a group and consecutively go in, but right now it was a practice. The novices could wait for the the training instructor to secure safety and then follow in.

“Let’s start to go in now.”

Since about 5 minutes had passed, it had probably been arranged enough.

At my words, Yerim fearlessly stepped into the gate quickly. Then, I pushed in the hesitating Myeongwoo and went inside.

As soon as I went through the gate, the very first thing I felt was an acrid smell piercing my nose.

Then I saw a wide-open sky and a rock cliff, and the wreckage of the burnt remains of monsters.

I thought it would be loathesome place, but my heart was beating fast.

It was a different world that you could reach even with just one step forward. Unfamiliar air, unfamiliar scenery, that sense of alienation from nobody being able to come in once the door shuts.

It could be an escape, or it could be a liberation.

Whichever it was, to me, who was being pressed in by all sorts of things, that moment through the door was a sweet instant.

‘Of course, after that it was all bloody.’

The sentimentality was just to here.

Now, I didn’t have debt, and wasn’t called trash, and my relationship with my dongsaeng was good. Hooray regression. The person who made the system that passed down the wish stone, thank you. Who cared if you made some typos. But, please be more detailed about the skill explanations. Please.

“The surroundings nearby are safe.”

Han Yoohyun, who wasn’t even holding a weapon, said. Then again, it was a low-grade D-Rank dungeon, so even if he briefly used just his skills, everything would be wiped out. But it wasn’t so for me and Yoo Myeongwoo.

“Let’s get up to, not a lot, but just level 10.”[9]

Let’s try riding the S-Rank bus. When I pulled out a spear from my inventory, Myeongwoo, who was looking around, lifted his weapon too. Both of us chose lances. With the equipment options prioritized for defence and strength, the intention was completely for profiting off things thrown our way.

“Me too, I can help too!”

Yerim said, swinging around a rapier. No, you should raise your level.

“What helping. Even if you hunted backbreakingly[10], you can’t get 10 levels. You heard already that following stat rank, the difference in experience amount for levels is a lot.”

“Was that so?”

“You really did doze off during the class, huh.”

“…I didn’t sleep but just thought about other things a little bit.”

Well, she was at the age when not wanting to study was at its peak. Of course, no one wanted to study even after hitting thirty.

“The difference between the amount of experience needed for each level for a stat rank F and for S, is about five times. In return, the amount of stat growth for each level is much higher for S-Ranks. Judging by efficiency, F-Ranks are pitiful to the point of tears.”

So, Yerim needed to do well here to go up about 5 levels. There was a little bit of a difference between dungeons, but if it was a low-grade D-Rank, you had to monopolize it to get about 7 levels.

As you went up in level, the requirement for amount of experience also increased, so she probably had to clear two more D-Ranks to get 10 levels.

“Let’s move out.”

Yoohyun said, walking along the road between cliffs. Wait, weren’t those things between the piled up ashes, magic stones?

“You’re not packing up the magic stones?”

“Ah… I’ve never picked them up myself so I forgot.”

Yes, it would be like that. To that amazing dongsaeng of mine, D-Rank magic stones would be about the cost of chewing gum, but it wasn’t for me. At any rate, I was wondering how I would find ten thousand knives, but I should pick those up and sell them to buy some.

“Yerim, can you adjust Sigh’s chilliness to a minimum, air volume to a maximum, and blow away just those piled up ashes?”

“I’ll try.”

Soon, an extremely cold wind blew. Like its name, it was in the form of a fog spreading from a sigh, so it wasn’t a strong wind, but since it was focused on air volume, it was enough to blow away the ashes. Three D-Rank magic stones. I will use them well.

“I can take these, right?”

“Of course.”

I love you, dongsaeng-nim.

“So I can use Sigh like this too.”

“It probably wouldn’t be very useful, though? Still, it would be good to raise practical ability. You’re going to keep going into dungeons, so try using your skills in the most diverse, uncommon ways possible. There are a lot of cases when helpful uses were discovered while messing around.”

“Yes!”

Speaking of, was that guy Yoohyun using all his skills well? When I used Seed-Leaf before we went into the dungeon, I saw that he had gotten all of his optimized skills so there wasn’t anything I needed to do.

Since he had 3 years of work experience, I thought it would be so, but I was little regretful. Once the cool down time was over, should I look around at the random skills? It just might happen that a great one would pop up.

[1] again, it means more like ‘person in charge’ but I thought ‘instructor’ fit better in eng

[2] 빠지다: I’m not sure what this word means in this context. when I read the paragraph to my dad, he said it’s probably ‘inattentive’ from ‘바람이 빠지다’, but I think it can also mean that they’re skipping the class

[3] he was probably going to say sth like ‘let’s at least see their face’ but since the verb is last in krn, it was left out, so that’s why the sentence looks a little awk in eng

[4] this sentence has the word (잘알) I was confused about in ch. 26 footnote [6]. I found a couple more examples, and I think it’s slang used both as a noun and a verb, but most likely used as a noun (+ ‘to be’, which was why I had thought it was verb) in both instances in this novel. It’s probably 잘 (well, good) + 알다 (to know), used to mean an expert/sb who knows sth well, as much as I can infer.

[5] lit. ‘were in a condition of being borrowed barley sacks’, where, for ‘borrowed barley sacks’, the krn-eng dict gave a weird tl for, but the krn dict told me are ppl who sit quietly to the side while other people around them are talking and laughing

[6] hoobae is the opp. of sunbae, so sth like ‘underclassman’ or sb from work/the same field who is less experienced

[7] the ‘interfered… redevelopment’ part is from the lit. ‘do 알박기’, where the krn dict tells me 알박기 means ‘an action where you buy a little of an important part of an area scheduled for redevelopment and outrageously inflate the price to interfere with the development and extort a lot of money from the developer’. Idk anything about real estate so idk if there’s a term for that in eng

[8] lit. ‘newly hatched chick’ but it’s used metaphorically like ‘newbie’/’rookie’/’novice’, the way ‘fledgling’ is in eng & they’re both bird metaphors

[9] lit. ‘I’ll request up to…’ kind of like that standard ‘take care of me’ phrase but in this case it’s more like ‘I’ll ask you to help me get up to…’ or ‘I’ll ask you to get up to…’

[10] lit. ‘so that [your] bones fall out’