Status
| Name | Na So Jeong |
| Occupation | Guildmember of Ipeulis Guildmember of Chungram |
| Rank | A |
| Title | Loyal Guard Dog Foster Dog |
| HP | 829 (+800) |
| MP | 568 (+800) |
| STR | 872 (+800) |
| AGI | 1091 (+800) |
| Skill | Swordplay of Another Clan ( S ) Beast Transformation ( S ) Heart Pledge ( A ) Wanderer of the Plains ( A ) Howling ( B ) Emergency Treatment ( C ) |
Because Jiho’s already seen a B-rank hunter turn out to be an A-rank, this wasn’t what surprised him. Though the way ranks never match might indicate that there’s a problem with the ranking assessment.
But what really caught Jiho’s eye was not her rank but her occupation.
Something Jiho has been looking for: a guildmember of Ipeulis.
He didn’t know he’d find one like this. It being written next to [Guildmember of Chungram] can only mean….
‘Double guild.’
Most guilds don’t allow dual membership. This is especially true in Chungram, which strictly prohibits dual membership since all kinds of vital information is gathered there.
There’s no way Na So Jeong joined two guilds without knowing this. Not only that, but because Ipeulis is a guild that exchanges information, it’s exactly the type of guild that Chungram would be most on guard against.
Jiho remembered what Park Geon Ho had reported last time.
‘Just as you predicted, Ipeulis is indeed a guild that deals with information. However, how they come in contact with their clients is extremely vague. They say that Ipeulis Guild exchanges information by directly approaching clients who need information and presenting them with a hint. If the client provides information of comparable value, the guild gives them the information they need.’
Ipeulis only deals with information about fissures or awakened ones.
Based on the guild’s ability to gather information as well as the way they approach clients, they have to be using skills, which makes them awakened ones, and if they’re only interested in information on fissures or awakened ones, it’s highly unlikely that they’re doing it for money or that a non-awakened one is behind it.
Because of this, Jiho suspects that the owner behind Ipeulis Guild has a lot of monetary leisure as well as a foot, in one way or another, in hunter society.
Though Jiho never thought he would run straight into a guildmember from the information-seeking guild, Ipeulis.
‘Does anyone else know this?’
There’s no way they do.
Shin Jihye always puts her younger brother’s safety first. There’s no way his sister would put Jiho in a dungeon with a person she finds suspicious.
And if Shin Jihye, who works in the office, doesn’t know, Yoo Gyung Woo definitely wouldn’t know either. As for Joo Yiwon….
Although Joo Yiwon is quick-witted, he’s hardly ever in the guild. With how many combat-type B-rank hunters there are in Chungram, there’s a chance he missed one suspicious hunter.
If that’s the case, shouldn’t Jiho let them know? But if he’s going to let them know, it’d be better to do so after they clear the dungeon. Since Na So Jeong probably won’t pull anything right now. Not that she’d be able to either.
Na So Jeong soon left. Instead of following and making it obvious that he finds her suspicious, Jiho turned to the Chungram guildmembers in front of him.
“Are you okay with the effects of [Blessing of the Star]?”
“Okay? Ha!”
“I was not making a joke?”
“You’re asking us something you already know because you want to hear us compliment you, right?”
“Wow, amazing.”
“You are amazing!”
“No…. It’s not like that.”
All Jiho was trying to do was test the waters, but he ended up receiving a barrage of praise from multiple people. Chungram’s guildmembers are strangely relaxed around Jiho.
Well to be fair, whereas [Blessing of the Star] typically lasts about three hours for hunters Jiho meets for the first time, the average duration for Chungram’s guildmembers is around four to five.
Surprisingly, the person the skill lasts the longest on is Na So Jeong, with seven hours.
“Stop teasing another guild’s guildmaster.”
When ex-Chungram member, Lim Seung Joo, stepped in to stop them, everyone giggled.
“‘Another guild’ he says. How can you say that to people you once shared a roof with?”
“If you call him ‘another,’ our guildmaster will be saddened. Between Chungram and No Name, our guildmasters, huh? We’re basically in-laws, you know?”
“You mean family….”
Jiho corrected that ambiguously nuanced word. For some reason, the guildmembers started laughing again. These people, it’s not like they’re kids in their prime, yet they look like they’d start laughing at even a leaf flying by.
“Ha, one-sided loves are so tragic.”
“Since Guildmaster-nim’s life is so easy, it’s okay for him to have this one hardship.”
“But them getting together within the next year is what I be-UMPH.”
“Ah, hahaha, Jiho-ssi, did you know that when you’re in a good mood, it’s easier for us? Because then Guildmaster-nim’s in a good mood too.”
“…”
No, he doesn’t know. Something weird was said in the middle too…. Even when Jiho told Chungram’s guildmembers to stop overexaggerating, they didn’t listen and continued laughing amongst themselves.
Though Jiho does feel the level of goodwill [Blessing of the Star] suggests by its duration, the way Chungram’s guildmembers show it is a bit like… a mischievous uncle teasing his nephew.
“Hey, stop teasing our Young Master.”
Unable to keep watching, Yoo Gyung Woo came to stop them. Everyone protested that they weren’t before dispersing in an instant, as if a giant hornet had appeared.
With Yoo Gyung Woo’s appearance, the crowded space suddenly turned empty. Jiho looked at Yoo Gyung Woo with pitying eyes.
“Hyung, are you being bullied?”
“This brat.”
Yoo Gyung Woo playfully slapped Jiho on the back. Though his actions were light, because Yoo Gyung Woo is many times stronger than before, it hurt so much that a few tears slipped out of Jiho’s eyes.
“Hyung…. Hyung you, the buff….”
“Ah! S-sorry. Your skill hasn’t worn off yet. I’m really sorry. Are you okay?”
Jiho barely managed to stop Gyung Woo from calling a healer and sit him down.
Having been sat down, Yoo Gyung Woo, still feeling the effects of the skill on himself, tilted his head.
“But why does the skill you put on me last so long?”
“Um, actually….”
Jiho used a simple sound-blocking item. Then he covered his mouth and whispered.
“You see, the duration of the skill depends on how someone feels about me. The better they feel, the longer the skill’s duration.”
“Ah, really? Is it okay for you to tell me that?”
“Yes. I can tell Hyung this much.”
“Wow, I’m touched that Jiho trusts this Hyung this much. So it’s like that. I see. Hm, that’s why it’s different for everyone….”
Yoo Gyung Woo thought for a bit before suddenly turning cold.
“Wait, does that mean those guys have something against you then?”
Yoo Gyung Woo growled, glaring at the guildmembers who had the skill wear off one or two times before. Jiho chuckled and shook his head.
“No, the skill normally lasts three hours on people I just met, but it lasted longer on those guildmembers. Even among the guildmembers I see every day, there’s very few people that the skill lasts over six hours on.”
“Ho~ how long does the skill last on me?”
“Hyung lasts 15 hours. It’s the longest among the people I’ve used the skill on so far.”
“Wow.”
Gyung Woo, who asked casually, seemed slightly surprised by Jiho’s answer before grinning in satisfaction.
“Of course. After all, this Hyung really treasures Jiho.”
“Thank you for treasuring me.”
Jiho really is thankful to Gyung Woo. Even if they were once family, since Gyung Woo and Shin Jihye are divorced, he and Jiho are technically strangers now, but Gyung Woo still cares about Jiho.
“Then I guess you haven’t used that skill on Yiwon yet.”
“Why does that mean that?”
“Because the skill would’ve lasted longer on Yiwon than it did on me.”
Although Jiho wanted to retort how Gyung Woo could be so sure of that, it’s true that he hasn’t used it on Yiwon.
“That guy doesn’t need a buff, why would I use it on him?”
“You haven’t used it on Jihye either?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Noona isn’t even a combat hunter….”
Gyung Woo silently chuckled at Jiho’s excuses. It looks like Jiho can’t hide it from him. Jiho awkwardly shrugged.
“To be honest, I kind of wonder if I really have to know.”
Actually, Jiho’s thought about using [Blessing of the Star] on everyone he meets.
However, the skill’s effect is like Pandora’s box.
It’s not that Jiho doubts his sister’s love towards him.
But what if, against his expectations, the duration is super short?
Even though Jiho knows that there’s no way it would be short, that very slim possibility makes him scared to use the skill.
Should he say it’s a relief that this skill only works on awakened ones? Because if it didn’t, he’d really be tempted to use the skill on everyone.
“Jihye would be sad if she heard that.”
“Noona?”
Jiho doesn’t think she’d be sad. If it’s her, she’d probably tell Jiho that he made a rational decision and move on.
“Jihye is actually pretty soft-hearted. She gets hurt easily.”
“…”
Jiho observed Yoo Gyung Woo’s list of titles, specifically the one that says [A Romanticist Full of Regret]. Sure, to a regretful ex-husband, Jiho’s rational older sister could look that way….
“But if it was Hyung, would you be able to use it on Noona?”
“Hm…. I guess not.”
Gyung Woo laughed awkwardly.
“But I’m different from you. Jihye and I broke up, but you and your sister are family.”
“I’ll try it on her when I get the chance.”
“Alright. I’m not trying to force you, so do it if you feel up to it. Who has the longest duration in your guild? Ah, is this confidential information?”
“I already told you everything, it’s not confidential…. You can just assume that the people I take with me have the longest durations.”
Thanks to the skill, Jiho can identify trustworthy people and form a team based off of that. Understanding this implied meaning behind Jiho’s words, Yoo Gyung Woo grinned.
“Hm, I see, you can use it like that too. Pretty good…. Then besides me, who’s the longest here?”
Yoo Gyung Woo’s question was perfect. Jiho smiled as he answered.
“Of the people here, the longest from my guild is Hunter Lim Seung Joo, and from Hyung’s guild, it’s Hunter Na So Jeong.”
“Oh, Seung Joo? It looks like you’ve grown a lot closer to Seung Joo. That’s a relief.”
“Haha. Well….”
I think that guy is after my skill. Jiho swallowed down the words that threatened to spill.
“And Na So Jeong-ssi from our guild, hm…. I see.”
“Why?”
Gyung Woo, who set his tone heavy as if there was something about her, casually shrugged as if it was nothing.
“No, it’s just that she’s one of the few people who joined our guild under our guildmaster’s recommendation.”
A completely unexpected answer.
“Yiwon says he met her on an overseas business trip…. That country, it oppresses women, so he helped her escape and brought her with him. And, well, since she’s here, he helped her become a citizen too. Since she’s a B-rank hunter, the naturalization process was easy.”
“R-really?”
Jiho was extremely shocked by this information. Mistaking Jiho’s shock for jealousy, Gyung Woo quickly added on.
“That guy doesn’t usually care about that kind of thing, but he must’ve been in a good mood that day. Um, since Yiwon is So Jeong-ssi’s savior, she probably has good feelings toward you too.”
There’s no way it’s that simple.
Na So Jeong, an Ipeulis guildmember.
Joo Yiwon, who invited Na So Jeong into Chungram Guild.
Is it really fate?
Joo Yiwon isn’t usually so thoughtful as to take care of someone and bring them along. The only reason he cares for Jiho is because he’s a childhood friend and the youngest member of the family that took Yiwon in.
This rare instance of thoughtfulness was shown to a guildmember of Ipeulis of all people. There’s no way Jiho wouldn’t be suspicious.
Now that he thinks about it, when that monster attacked Jiho, Yiwon came as soon as [Ipeulis’s Protection] activated.
It all fits now. Not just Na So Jeong, but even Joo Yiwon who brought her to Chungram might be connected to Ipeulis.
LaZ Bird Corner
Mystery, mystery.
Chungram’s guildmembers betting on when Yiwon and Jiho will get together is hilarious.
!!Also!! Chapter 77 will be split into two parts because of Hunter Space!
!!THANK YOU!!
It’s LaZ Bird Translations’s second anniversary! Thank you to all of the readers who are reading this translation, despite its irregular updates. Whenever I feel tired to translate, I remember all of you guys, and the support you give! Thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU. You guys are the reason I keep going! To another year! -`♡´-
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