abcnovels
Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Chapter 97
‘But taking her away isn’t a bad choice either.’
Considering she was a constellation’s household member, her talent had clearly been proven. In addition, based on her words, the constellation’s hobby seemed to be quite nasty. Banning a language as a penalty. Illeya was forbidden to speak Russian.
Suddenly curious, Choi Yeonseung used his constellation power to check Illeya’s status window.
[You have seen through the essence of Illeya.]
[The target is currently a household member of the constellation ?, preventing you from seeing her essence.]
[You have gained a small understanding of Illeya. You have succeeded in identifying a part of her essence.]
[The power of your existence...]
[Illeya Vsevolodovna]
Level: ?
A- rank skill ‘Perun’s Magic Axe Technique.’
B+ rank skill ‘Dazhbog’s Protection.’
B rank skill ‘Svarozhich's Endless Power.’]
‘Huh...?’ Choi Yeonseung was shocked. He could only see some skills, but it was a gorgeous lineup.
‘Is Perun’s Magic Axe Technique melee magic? Since it’s an A- rank, it’s probably a really rare skill. The B+ skill is as well...’
He didn’t know which constellation she belonged to, but that constellation had to have really high expectations for her.
“Can I ask which constellation you belong to?”
“I’m sorry,” Illeya said with an apologetic expression. Some constellations hated the mere mention of their names, wanting to keep it secret. Illeya’s constellation was one of them.
“Don’t worry. It can’t be helped. You’re in a contract with that constellation, after all.”
“That aside, what are you doing now?”
“We’re gathering a team to clear the Endless Tower Dungeon.”
“... Am I allowed to join you?” Illeya asked. She sounded worried. The Icarus clan gathered precious gems in the United States. She had been scouted here, so her ears hurt from hearing how great this clan was. However, as a newcomer, she naturally wondered if they really wanted to add her to the team. The competition was fierce, and she didn’t think there would be a place for her left in it.
“Well?” Elisabeth asked, having gotten bored of waiting.
“She seems worried about whether she can join our team or not.”
“Huh?”
“Heh. That makes sense. It is only natural for a new recruit to be nervous when trying to join a team with a hunter like me.”
Elisabeth nodded, ignoring Antony.
“Ah. So that’s it. Can’t we just say that there’s no need to worry?”
“Um...”
“......?”
“I’m afraid we’ll look too pretentious...”
“......”
“......”
The two stared at Choi Yeonseung blankly.
“Are you ashamed of us?”
“Anyone who doesn’t want to join our team is basically kicking away their luck!”
“I know. I know. Don’t be angry.”
Choi Yeonseung told Illeya the truth, just as his other teammates said. “In fact, the team is huge, so it’s fine if you want to join.”
“Huh? Really?”
“The hunters here all prefer working alone, so they don’t want to team up in a practice exercise.”
“I want to work with a team. I’ve also watched a great video of you fighting, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. I would like to fight by your side if you don't mind.”
“Me fighting? Where?”
“Las Vegas. You rescuing people is admirable.”
“Ah.”
What happened in Las Vegas was a hot topic. A dungeon exploded, yet there were strangely only a few victims by the time it had been dealt with. In addition, the fact that Choi Yeonseung was involved also contributed to the topic. He was a hunter from 30 years ago and a martial artist, so his existence was certainly unique. People were bound to be interested. There were also reporters and fans...
“I wasn’t trying to save them...”
“You’re quite humble. Is this also part of Korean culture?”
“No.”
Choi Yeonseung quickly cut off the conversation when it took a strange turn. No matter how much he thought about it, Illeya seemed to have a strange fantasy about South Korea. There was nothing like that in South Korea!
‘I guess I should show her how much Gyeongryong hyung likes to show off.’
“In any case, you’re welcome to join. It’ll likely be difficult if we can’t communicate, so how about you speak in Korean? Though Russian is banned, you should be able to speak Korean.”
“... I’m not that fluent in Korean.”
“That’s fine. The interpreter will handle it, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Won’t it sound ridiculous? What if it sounds like an insult to Koreans?”
“... Koreans aren’t so strict with their language.”
Choi Yeonseung vowed to get rid of the young hunter’s distorted image of South Korea.
***
Smallwood, who was playing elsewhere, rushed over after receiving a call from Choi Yeonseung. Upon hearing Choi Yeonseung’s suggestion, Smallwood burst out laughing.
“Whoa. Isn’t your goal too big, friend? The clan isn’t forcing it. This is all about individual results, yet you still want to make a six-person team. Who would cooperate with you?”
“So you aren’t joining in?”
“Don’t worry. If I don’t come with you, you’ll be really lonely. Since you’ve been teaching me, I’ll join you.”
“That’s what everyone else said as they joined, so you should just quietly come with us,” Elisabeth spoke in a sullen voice from behind them.
“... Huh?!”
Smallwood was startled. He only realized now that Choi Yeonseung was with Elisabeth, Antony, and even a new Russian recruit he had never seen before...
“You’re all joining him? Were you threatened?”
“Bah. We just decided it was worth doing together.”
“These people, are they... tsundere?” Illeya doubtfully asked while cocking her head. She had frequently seen Antony’s behavior.
“Where did you get that idea? He’s just a weirdo.”
“A weirdo, a weirdo. I’ll remember that.”
“Yes. ‘Weirdo’ is often used in Korean, so remembering it should help.”
Hearing the conversation between them made Antony furious.
“You there... I can understand everything, you know? Your words are being translated.”
“Antony. There seems to be a misunderstanding. In fact, ‘weirdo’ is used as a compliment in South Korea.”
“What? Really?”
“... No. That’s obviously a lie. I’m sorry you believed it.”
Antony became angry at Choi Yeonseung.
This bastard!
“???????...”
“With Smallwood joining us, that makes five. Who’ll fill up the remaining spot?”
“I’m thinking about Richard Parker.”
“That new member from the rich family?” Smallwood said. Elisabeth and Antony added to it in turn.
“He’s from a rich family, so he has to be unlucky.”
“He seems too arrogant.”
‘... Gutierrez’s opinion is fine, but that shouldn’t be coming from Antony.’
“Friend, wouldn’t our party be more stable with a healer?”
“Should I pull in Whittaker, then?”
“No, now that I’ve thought about it, we don’t need a healer, friend!”
Smallwood was immediately convinced. It was better to go with a healer-free configuration than to add Whittaker. They could make do with potions and items!
***
“Ernest. Shouldn’t you give Hunter Choi Yeonseung a higher level of authority?” one of the clan’s analysts asked Ernest. They were already convinced, Ernest himself included.
-Choi Yeonseung can definitely reach A-grade if he accumulates enough performance.
They gained confidence in him during the dungeon test, but his performance in Las Vegas solidified that confidence into conviction. Moreover, while other hunters could leave at any time, Choi Yeonseung was close to Hwang Gyeongryong, the clan master. He had the skills and status to become the clan’s core. Hence, shouldn’t they give Choi Yeonseung a higher level of authority so he could give orders to the clan’s hunters?
“That’s what I thought as well.”
“Then...?”
“However, the chairman said it wasn’t necessary.”
“!”
“You know that hunters are proud, narrow-minded people who think they’re the best in the world, right?”
Everyone laughed awkwardly in response. More than half of the Icarus clan’s analysts were hunters. Some of them were arrogant during their active years, so they knew well how hunters’ minds worked. Chosen among the many people and having to risk their lives clearing dungeons to accumulate money, they were bound to become proud and arrogant.
I was chosen! I am the best!
They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars a day like it was water, went to every party, and made a fuss with celebrities...
Few people lived as glamorous and intense as hunters.
“They aren’t convinced, so forcibly giving them orders will only cause friction.”
“Ah... That’s definitely possible.”
“Fair point.”
“The chairman said that if he’s qualified to lead hunters, he’ll be able to lead them properly on his own. We’ll see soon enough, but only time will tell.”
The analysts agreed. Even if they were given no help, leaders were bound to emerge. That had been the case even back when they were still active. A good hunter stood out even in a low position.
The analysts looked at Ernest with a mixture of respect and trust.
‘As expected of Ernest!’
‘Not everyone can become an A-grade hunter!’
Of course, the conversation between Ernest and Hwang Gyeongryong had been a bit different.
-Chairman. Shouldn’t we give him permission to help him?
-What? He’ll do well on his own, so you can just leave him alone. He’ll probably do weird things otherwise.
-Weird things?
-Yeah, like training twenty-six hours a day. He used to do that in my clan.
-......
-Don’t force authority. He can turn himself into a leader, and he has to learn how to lead people. This way, he can do business later... Cough.
-You mean to lead a company?
-You heard nothing.
-Yes. I understand.
Geniuses could sometimes fail as leaders. They couldn’t understand why others couldn’t do things they could. If Choi Yeonseung was that type, then he had to learn how to deal with people. Besides, being a 1st generation hunter...
***
“Richard Parker says he has a situation, so he can’t participate.”
“What situation?”
“It’s a family matter. Hmm... I’ll have to call Odaigon, then.”
“That handsome guy?”
“Isn’t he a bit too unnaturally handsome?”
Choi Yeonseung flinched at Elisabeth’s sharp words. Did she know it was Polymorph?
Antony snorted. “Your aesthetic standards are a mess. Odaigon has to be that handsome to even be anywhere near my beauty.”
“... How can you say something like that so confidently and without stopping?”
Elisabeth was stunned.
“A shame... shameless person, is that right?” Illeya asked.
“No. He’s a madman, so don’t mind him. In any case, call Odaigon.”
It felt a bit like a foul. Odaigon had the skill level of an S-grade hunter. Their team was composed of a restrained constellation, an S-grade hunter, and four B-grade hunters! It was almost the most fraudulent party on Earth. In addition, Odaigon’s magic tremendously varied in range. He had a crazy talent for dealing damage, tanking, and healing.
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says that the goblin king is more useful than you if you restrict his power to around level 300.]
‘......’
The cat constellation’s words stabbed Choi Yeonseung, causing him to make a serious expression.
‘I’m to go somewhere and warn him to control his strength so that weird rumors don’t spread.’
If Odaigon didn’t match his skills with theirs, the other hunters could faint from shock.
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ wonders if you’re jealous...]
‘Do you want to be blocked?’
[......]