STC chapter 36

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#SUB QUEST#

Here’s a special sub quest for you!

(੭ ᐕ)੭*⁾⁾

[Uncover the Truth of Kang Baram’s Death!]

Condition 1. If you deviate from the world’s legitimacy (or intentionally try to break it), a penalty may be imposed.

Condition 2. You cannot receive help from the system window during reasoning.

#REWARD#

Amazing reward of thirty-nine thousand… no, a reward!

No less than 2 penalty waivers!

Σ( Д )ﻌﻌﻌﻌ⊙ ⊙

Reward Condition 1. Penalties for disrupting the game’s legitimacy are excluded.

Reward Condition 2. Applicable only if used before penalties are applied.

---

It was true that I wanted to know about Kang Baram’s death, but I never expected them to designate it as a sub quest.

So when I first saw the sub quest window, I asked Dukbong in confusion.

[Is this really a quest? Why?]

System: //I don’t know the deep intentions of those above, but since it’s a quest, it must be closely related to the ending, right? ٩(◕ᗜ◕)و

Come to think of it, considering Kang Baram’s death was labeled a spoiler, those higher-ups wouldn’t kindly inform Dukbong of the fact.

So I just let it pass then, but looking at the quest window again… I couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Two penalty waivers… That’s really generous.”

I wondered how significant the sub quest was to the ending for it to have such a reward.

The only certain thing was that they wouldn’t offer such a generous reward just because I was curious about Kang Baram’s death.

As I stared blankly at the quest window, Dukbong tilted the screen as if puzzled.

System: //Do you want to see more?

“Oh, sorry. You can clear it.”

With my answer, the golden quest window disappeared with a pop, and Dukbong returned to his usual form.

I had discovered an important clue in Kang Baram’s past through that thug hunter. The day Kang Baram said he would leave Idea was exactly one week before I came here.

“From the schedule Ryu Min gave me, for more than two months… Kang Baram didn’t show any special movements.”

He had been consistently ignored among the hunters, so he might have impulsively wanted to quit out of accumulated frustration.

But considering his quiet personality, there must have been a definite trigger, which I couldn’t get out of my head.

Beep!

Lost in thought, Dukbong flew around noisily above my head. The Hunter Watch I left on the desk was ringing madly.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

If I just said I was going to skip dinner today, the three of them would definitely chase me to my dorm. I slowly walked to the cafeteria where they were waiting.

---

Today was finally the day an A-rank gate was opening in Zone N based on the preliminary signs. Since there was still some time left, I headed to the training room as usual.

“Stop!”

I didn’t forget to precisely time the limit this time. As I shouted loudly, Chunshik, who had been smashing rocks, abruptly stopped.

Then, as if he had never been fiercely responding to me, he shrank to a size that fit in my palm.

Maybe because I used my abilities consecutively, sweat was dripping down my face.

Chae Goya, who had prepared beforehand, came over and handed me a dry towel.

“Wipe your sweat, Baram hyung.”

“Oh, thanks. How about you?”

“I brought mine too…”

It was the same light mint-colored towel he handed me.

Did he buy them as a set?

I didn’t think much of it as I grabbed the towel, but Chae Goya hurriedly stopped me.

“Just, just give it back to me…!”

“What… the towel? I just wiped my sweat with it. I’ll wash and return it…”

“It’s nothing, really. I gave it to you because I wanted to… just….”

Che Goya, uncharacteristically stubborn, tugged slightly at the edge of the towel.

Though I appreciated the gesture, I still felt uneasy.

“No, I’ll wash it and bring it back. I’d feel bad otherwise.”

Yes, Goya is my friend, not my lackey.

I could accept the towel gratefully, but it wasn’t right to expect them to wash it for me.

As I firmly insisted, Che Goya seemed a bit crestfallen.

“Okay, I understand….”

“Alright then, shall we go eat?”

Our team was assigned a gate scheduled to appear at 2 PM, so there was a lot to prepare.

It would be good to coordinate one last time.

Finally, a smile returned to Che Goya’s face.

“Okay, I’ll quickly take off my gear…!”

Seeing how happy they were, it seemed like Che Goya was quite hungry.

Well, they were growing, so it made sense to eat well.

I nodded to myself as I left the training room.

We headed to the dining hall together with Ye Ilhu, who was waiting for us as usual.

---

‘Why has it been so noisy at meal times lately?’

My sister said my sensitivity was on the other side of the planet, but even I noticed how noisy it had become.

When it was just Ye Ilhu and me eating together, no one would come near.

But when Ryu Min joined us, others began to gather around.

“Hunter Ryu Min is quite popular.”

“I told you to call me hyung.”

“Yes, Hunter Ryu Min.”

Despite the stiff response, Ryu Min kept smiling.

With his strikingly beautiful and radiant appearance, it was hard not to look at him.

Ryu Min had a gentle personality to match his angelic looks, which seemed to draw people in wherever he went. He was like a human black hole.

When I mentioned this, Ryu Min tilted his head and countered.

“I think Baram is much more popular than me.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, so I can’t let my guard down.”

Ryu Min had always been under some sort of misconception. Whether questioning if he was really that pretty or unaware of his popularity.

‘Or maybe he just has a habit of returning compliments.’

What did he mean by letting his guard down? Apart from these guys, who else would be interested in me?

As I shook my head, Ryu Min simply shrugged, still smiling. Then, he changed the topic.

“Aren’t you worried about today’s gate?”

“Why?”

“Well… it’s an A-rank.”

Ryu Min blinked rapidly, as if bewildered.

But… well, while I wasn’t completely unaffected, I felt more excitement than worry.

I had been in the boxing ring for years, facing opponents both weaker and much stronger than me.

So, was I worried now? If I had confidence in my skills, such concerns were pointless.

“Hmm, not really.”

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen Ryu Min’s abilities in action.

Having entered gates together, I knew he used physical attacks.

Ryu Min summoned a long, slender sword with his ability, similar to how Che Goya summoned Chunshik.

This made me think Ryu Min was also a summoner, though Heo Taekgyun mentioned it was different if the object was inanimate.

Anyway, Ryu Min used his ability to summon a sword that almost reached his shoulder.

I remembered how gracefully he wielded it in the air.

“Even if it’s an A-rank, I’m not really worried.”

“…”

“You should spar with me sometime, Hunter Ryu Min.”

I smiled slyly, feeling a little provoked. Sparring with Ye Ilhu and Che Goya was fun but also challenging.

I had always had a competitive nature.

Sparring with an A-rank like Ryu Min seemed exciting.

My bold statement made Ryu Min chuckle dryly.

“Baram, you’re quite amusing.”

It would be even more fun if we sparred together.

But I didn’t say that out loud. Judging by his expression, he might ask for a sparring session soon.

And a few hours later.

‘Forget sparring.’

Instead of sparring, Ryu Min and I found ourselves sitting on the ground, staring at a shimmering, multicolored transparent wall.

“Hey, Hunter Ryu Min.”

“Call me hyung.”

“…Yes, Hunter Ryu Min.”

Ryu Min turned his head to look at me.

Despite our somewhat disheveled appearance, he still retained his inherent beauty.

“Do you think we’ll get out of here alive?”

My earlier bravado about not worrying seemed hollow now, as we were trapped in an A-rank gate’s cave, just the two of us.

The incident began about three hours ago.

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