* * *
‘The Elders are targeting the children?’
The agreement that Do Hajun would have full authority over the children had been reported to the Center.
Surely the Elders knew this as well, yet they were targeting the children?
“…So, following Alpha Team’s suggestion, we inquired about the whereabouts of HNW. Currently, there are seven hunters active in HNW, and the one capable of using the suspected skill is a hunter who goes by the alias ‘Rabbit’. However, Rabbit was severely injured during the Gwanghwamun attack, making it difficult for him to move.”
Hunter ‘Rabbit’ specialized in status ailments like curses, poisoning, and silencing.
Rabbit’s abilities affected not only monsters but also humans, causing significant trouble for the Center.
However, as Kang Wontae mentioned, Rabbit was known to have been severely injured by a fire hunter’s abilities during the Gwanghwamun attack.
The head of the Elders nodded.
“Yes. HNW doesn’t have a healer.”
“That’s correct.”
HNW, with its slogan “By hunters, for hunters,” as slightly altered by Lincoln, had no healers.
While healers were treated well by the Center or other guilds, HNW only considered hunters with powerful skills as true hunters.
Healers, who only possessed healing skills without strong attack abilities, were naturally excluded.
This meant they were treated almost like slaves, so no healer would leave a place where they were valued to go to HNW.
While everyone nodded in agreement, Mu Team’s Lee Haekyung raised her hand and spoke.
“Our team suspects the skill of the SS-class boss monster Karindula.”
Do Hajun raised his hand.
“Sorry, but Karindula does not have a skill that turns adults into children.”
The SS-class boss monster Karindula, true to its dark attribute, possessed curses and dark attacks.
If the reason they turned into children was a curse, it could have been resolved with a curse-removal potion.
“It could be a hidden skill.”
Lee Haekyung’s triumphant remark made Do Hajun look at her in disbelief.
Even though a boss monster might escape a dungeon in a crisis, it was a survival instinct, not a strategic plan.
A monster with nothing but murderous intent hiding its skills? Could a hunter really say that?
Despite his thoughts, the Elders smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes. That could be the case.”
“Are they trying to be funny?”
Chae Yiwon whispered in Do Hajun’s ear again, leaning closer.
Unlike before, even the Alpha Team’s vice-captain next to Do Hajun seemed to hear it, as a small chuckle was heard.
Do Hajun nodded without responding, watching the Elders praise Lee Haekyung.
“We’re done with the report. Alpha Team, don’t do anything else and focus on finding Karindula.”
“…Yes.”
Do Hajun looked at Kang Wontae, wondering if he would continue to let this ridiculous situation unfold, but Kang Wontae avoided his gaze.
Because the Elders held the most power in the Center.
‘Damn Elders.’
Satisfied with the response, the Elders now turned to Do Hajun.
“Yes. Team Leader Do Hajun.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“Even though they’ve become younger, they’re still not children, right?”
Wondering what nonsense they were about to spout, Do Hajun stared intently at the Elder.
Seeing the Elder flinch under his sharp gaze, another Elder stepped in to support.
“Then why are you protecting them?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“We entrusted those two hunters to you for control, not for you to raise them.”
Do Hajun let out a sigh.
“That insolent boy!”
One Elder shouted from their side.
“We’re not here to fight, are we?”
The head of the Elders calmed the shouting Elder and then addressed Do Hajun.
“We know you’re a nurturing hunter.”
“Yes.”
Do Hajun wondered what nonsense would come out next.
So he answered as emotionlessly as possible.
“But those children were originally adults before becoming hunters. They’re not real children.”
“I understand that.”
“No. You don’t understand. Right now, our country is experiencing an unprecedented surge in instant dungeons.”
As the head of the Elders said, South Korea was experiencing a strange increase in one-time dungeons, or instant dungeons.
Unlike traditional dungeons, these disappeared once the boss was defeated. Additionally, neither items nor the basic mana stones could be obtained, so guilds like Sa didn’t bother with them.
“In a situation where we need every hunter, it’s unfair that they don’t participate in dungeons just because they’ve turned into children.”
“Are you suggesting we send children who can’t even assess the situation properly and can’t use their skills perfectly into dungeons?”
“If they can’t use their skills, then they should be taught! Not coddled like you do!”
One of the listening Elders shouted.
Chae Yiwon snickered from the side.
Realizing that even Chae Yiwon thought it was nonsense, Do Hajun ignored the Elder’s rant and looked at the head of the Elders.
“So the Elders believe I’m unfit to take care of the children.”
Do Hajun scoffed.
Growing up in a country steeped in Confucian ideals, he was taught to respect his elders, but this time, he couldn’t hold back.
“I have full authority over the children. The Elders have no right to interfere.”
“That insolent!”
One Elder shouted and grabbed the back of his neck.
But the head of the Elders, ignoring that Elder, looked at Do Hajun with a subtle smile.
“Are you relying on President Shin Misook?”
“No.”
Do Hajun shook his head.
Shin Misook was just a negotiation partner; he had never trusted her.
“I trust myself.”
“Haha. You’re quite amusing, Team Leader Do Hajun. The Elders’ Council has decided that you’re not suitable as the children’s guardian and will revoke your guardianship.”
“Sorry, but that’s not something the Elders can decide.”
“How dare you! To the head of the Elders!”
-Bang!
Another Elder slammed the table and stood up.
At that moment, small children burst in.
“Don’t bully Hajun!”
“Don’t bully Jun!”
* * *
Inside the team room where Do Hajun had exited.
Aileen Spencer and Lee Cheongmyeong were napping peacefully on the rug, squishing their cheeks.
And on the sofa in the team room, there was a man lying down who wasn’t a member of Delta Team.
He was a support-type hunter assigned to take care of the children in place of the Delta team member who had to leave due to an unexpected situation.
The support-type hunter, who had been dozing off under the drowsy afternoon sunlight, was awakened by an urgent phone call.
“Yawn. Hello, this is Delta Team.”
“Hello, this is Park Chulsoo from Support Team 1. I heard Hunter Kang Youngsoo from Delta Team is there, so I’m calling.”
“Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?”
“Oh, Hunter Kang Youngsoo. An item came out of a B-rank dungeon and it seems to be of high grade, so we’ve received an urgent request for appraisal. Could you possibly assist now?”
“Ah, yes.”
Kang Youngsoo glanced at the children.
‘Can I leave them?’
There wasn’t much left to do for the children since everything else had been taken care of. He recalled Delta Team’s Ahn Eunseon’s words to never leave the children alone.
However, item appraisal didn’t take long and the children had been napping ever since Kang Youngsoo arrived.
‘What could go wrong?’
“Yes, Hunter Kang Youngsoo?”
“Yes, I’ll be right down.”
After hanging up the phone, Kang Youngsoo stood up.
He quickly left the office, thinking he would be back soon.
Not long after Kang Youngsoo left, Cheongmyeong, who had been sound asleep, opened his eyes.
“Jun.”
Cheongmyeong rubbed his eyes and looked around.
The team room, now empty, had no team members in sight.
“Aileen, wake up.”
Aileen, who was shaken awake, rubbed her eyes and got up.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no one here.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah.”
As Cheongmyeong said, only Cheongmyeong and Aileen Spencer were in the team room.
“Where’s Jun?”
“Jun’s not here.”
Eunseon had told the children that Jun would be there when they woke up, but Do Hajun was nowhere to be seen.
“Sniff.”
Tears began to well up in Cheongmyeong’s eyes.
It was the first time he woke up without seeing Do Hajun.
Whether it was at night or during a nap, Do Hajun was always there when he opened his eyes.
The thought of not having Do Hajun to greet him filled Cheongmyeong with fear.
“J-Jun.”
Before the tears fell, a small but warm hand grasped Cheongmyeong’s hand.
“Don’t cry.”
“Aileen.”
Aileen Spencer roughly wiped away Cheongmyeong’s tears and stood up.
“Get up.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go find Jun.”
Aileen Spencer pulled the dazed Cheongmyeong up by force.
“Do you know where Jun is?”
Aileen Spencer pointed at the monitor.
The screen, which wasn’t locked, displayed a messenger window.
“Do you know what this is? Jun went after reading that.”
“I know! ‘There is a meeting in the conference room. Please gather quickly.’”
Aileen Spencer nodded.
“Let’s go to the conference room.”
“But where’s the conference room?”
“We can ask outside.”
Cheongmyeong looked at Aileen Spencer in surprise.
“You’re so smart.”
“Hmph.”
Aileen Spencer turned her head, embarrassed by the compliment.
“Let’s go.”
Cheongmyeong nodded and tightly held Aileen Spencer’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
The two children, holding hands tightly, left the team room.
“If we go this way, we’ll find it.”
Cheongmyeong, who often ran around the hallway, pointed towards the elevator.
“Hm.”
Since all the teams were out, the hallway was empty.
Walking down the empty hallway, they reached the elevator and saw the sign.
The children craned their necks to look at the sign.
“There it is.”
Cheongmyeong pointed to the letters F6.
“But there’s something written next to the number.”
“I know. It says Floor. So it’s the 6th floor.”
“The 6th floor?”
Aileen Spencer nodded and pressed the elevator button.
When the elevator quickly arrived and the doors opened, Aileen Spencer and Cheongmyeong got in.
“I can’t reach it.”
Though they managed to get in the elevator, they couldn’t reach the 6th floor button.
“Let me try.”
Aileen Spencer let go of Cheongmyeong’s hand and jumped up and down.
But her hand still couldn’t reach the button.
“I’ll do it.”
As Aileen Spencer stepped back, Cheongmyeong tried jumping up and down.
But with their similar height, neither of them could reach the 6th floor button.
“What should we do?”
As Cheongmyeong looked like he was about to cry, Aileen Spencer bit her lip and looked around.
But there was nothing inside the closed elevator.
After thinking for a while, Aileen Spencer stood in front of the button and told Cheongmyeong.
“I’ve got an idea. Do that thing.”
“That thing?”
Cheongmyeong tilted his head.
“You know, that thing you do with water.”
“Water?”
Still tilting his head, Aileen Spencer hit her chest in frustration.
“You know, you make water appear.”
“Oh. But there’s no water here.”
“Make it, like last time.”
At Aileen’s words, Cheongmyeong’s eyes lit up with an “Oh” expression.
In an instant, water started to pool on the elevator floor where Aileen Spencer was standing.
And then Aileen Spencer’s body began to float in the air.
“Oh, oh.”
Though Aileen Spencer couldn’t keep her balance on the rippling water, she didn’t fall to the ground.
“More, more.”
At Aileen Spencer’s words, the water spurted higher.
Despite her clothes getting wet, Aileen Spencer ignored it and reached out her hand.
“I did it!”
The 6th floor button lit up.
“Going up to the 6th floor.”
At the announcement from the elevator, Aileen Spencer jumped back down.
“Aileen!”
Despite the considerable height, Aileen Spencer landed gracefully like a cat.
“Wow. You’re so cool.”
“Hmph. No big deal.”
The water that had been there disappeared in an instant as if it had never existed.
“Arrived at the 6th floor. The door is opening.”
As the elevator doors opened, Aileen Spencer took Cheongmyeong’s hand again.
When they got off the elevator on the 6th floor, they saw an arrow pointing to the conference room.
“Here it is.”
“Here it is!”
The children, with eyes sparkling, looked in the direction the arrow pointed, then looked at each other.
“Let’s go.”
“Let’s go.”
Their steps were faster than when they had left the team room. As they arrived in front of the conference room, the sound of murmuring voices reached their ears.
Among the many voices, they immediately recognized Do Hajun’s voice, prompting Lee Cheongmyeong to raise both hands and shout.
“Shh-!”
“Quiet!”
Aileen Spencer covered Lee Cheongmyeong’s mouth.
“Why?”
“Why?”
Aileen Spencer whispered softly, and Lee Cheongmyeong tilted his head and asked quietly.
“Jun is working.”
“Oh.”
Lee Cheongmyeong nodded.
Usually, Do Hajun prioritized the two children, giving them attention, matching their gaze, hugging them, and even kissing them, but he was different when he worked.
Especially when he was talking to others, he had sternly told them not to disturb him and to play quietly.
Since he was currently engaged in a conversation with others, it was naturally a time when they shouldn’t disturb him.
“Should we wait here then?”
“Yeah.”
Aileen Spencer nodded.
“But I want to see Jun.”
“…Me too.”
Even if it was just for a moment, not having him by their side made them feel very sad.
After a brief hesitation, Aileen Spencer grasped the door with both hands.
Unlike other doors, this sliding door opened quietly.
“There he is.”
“There’s Hajun.”
Through the slightly open crack, Do Hajun’s back was visible.
Although he was sitting among other people, the children immediately recognized his back.
Without knowing what the conversation was about, the children watched Do Hajun with sparkling eyes.
It was Chae Yiwonn, who never paid any attention to the elders’ ramblings, who noticed them.
Seeing the children squatting at the door with one eye peeking through, Chae Yiwonn smiled.
‘It seems today’s meeting will go well.’
While contemplating how to use this, there was a loud bang, and one of the elders shouted.
The children then sprang up and burst into the conference room.
* * *
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