Chapter 16
Translator: Roshi
Sometimes, there are people like that.
People who are indifferent to desires.
Eating, sleeping, owning things, none of it matters to them.
People who aren’t interested in most desires, who have no reactions or emotions…
In short, people like robots.
The team leader of the investigation team, Lee Ha-na, was one such person.
Since she was young, she had been exposed to the intense stimulation of mana due to her awakened ability, 'Detect Eye'.
Because of this, she had become so insensitive that she even earned the nickname 'Artificial Intelligence'. It was rare for her to react to anything.
But now, for the first time in a long while, she was stirred by a strong stimulus.
‘Mana… is dancing.’
Her eyes were fixed on Hanuri, whose face was swollen as if she had been stung by a bees.
The mana visible through her Detect Eye was dancing around Hanuri.
She had seen a lot of mana before, but this was her first time encountering something like this.
“Team Leader?”
The team members, noticing her unusual demeanor, called out to her in confusion.
However, their voices didn’t reach her ears.
“Hehe. Do you want to come to my house? Ajosshi will make something delicious for you!”
“Your house? Here?”
“Yeah!”
At Hanuri’s words, Lee Ha-na glanced around her surroundings for a moment.
It wasn’t a place where a normal house would be.
‘A fairy?’
A child with mana dancing around them.
A house in a remarkable location.
Looking at Hanuri, Lee Ha-na naturally thought of a fairy.
In a world where even monsters exist, it wouldn’t be strange for fairies to exist too.
Enchanted by the young fairy(?), she ended up following the child to her house.
And then, she encountered a man.
‘…!!’
Inside the fairy’s house lived a demon.
That demon smiled brightly at the child and offered her sweet honey-flavored food, and now…
Gulp!
He was tempting her with the spicy and savory aroma that made her mouth water instinctively.
Even though she had succumbed to the sweet temptation along with the child, Lee Ha-na tried to regain her composure. But it was futile.
Sweet and rich followed by spicy and savory?
‘A demon.’
The man was a demon.
But even knowing this, she couldn’t resist the demon’s temptation.
Sluuuurp!!
The savory broth.
The spiciness from the pork fat and chili oil.
The garlic and green chilies that enriched the flavor, along with various spices in the kimchi broth and green onions.
The broth adhered perfectly to the fundamentals of Korean cuisine.
The combination of ingredients was flawless.
The thick slices of pork had just the right amount of fat distributed, releasing a savory flavor that exploded with every bite.
The soft, white tofu added at the end was lightly seasoned, a bit plain, but its mild taste balanced out the intense flavors of the stew.
There wasn’t a single flaw in the dish.
And the true finishing touch to this culinary masterpiece was, of course, the steamed white rice.
Freshly cooked white rice, steaming and fragrant, paired with tender kimchi that was neither too soft nor too tough, and a glistening piece of pork on top.
She scooped it all onto a spoon, dipped it into the broth, and took a full bite…
“Ahmm! M-mmph…!”
It was so delicious that she couldn’t even speak properly.
It felt like discovering for the first time just how delicious kimchi stew could be. Lee Ha-na devoured it without any sense of restraint.
Her nickname, Artificial Intelligence, seemed meaningless now.
Scrape, scrape, scrape!
“Hah…”
Only after scraping the last bit of rice from her empty bowl did she finally come back to her senses.
But then,
“Have some more.”
Another temptation from the demon came her way.
A pristine, white temptation.
Her rice bowl was refilled to the brim once again.
It was time for round two.
***
“Team Leader Lee Ha-na?”
Hearing someone call her name, Lee Ha-na turned her head.
She had just returned from Kim Do-yoon’s house and was now giving a report.
“Oh.”
“What exactly did you see there to make you like this?”
“A house. I saw a house. And…”
“A house?? And?”
The Hunter Bureau Chief tilted his head, baffled by her nonsensical response.
Listening to the investigation team’s report, and now a house? What kind of nonsense was this?
But even as the puzzled Bureau Chief stared at her, the thought refused to leave Lee Ha-na’s mind.
‘I want to eat. I’m hungry.’
A hunger she had never felt in her life surged within her.
She wanted to eat again.
The food from that house.
“Team Leader Lee Ha-na?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
The Hunter Bureau Chief’s words brought Lee Ha-na back to her senses, and she resumed her report.
“So, you’re saying there are people currently in Chuncheon? In that monster-infested area?”
“Yes, one adult man and one little girl.”
“A child, too?”
“Yes, she was an adorable child. Her cheeks were so plump and rosy that she looked so cute I almost wanted to take a little bite…”
“Team Leader Lee Ha-na.”
The Hunter Bureau Chief sighed and called out to her as she once again strayed off-topic.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, it happens. So, there’s a man and a child living in the monster’s den? Did you identify them?”
“Not that far…”
“Any hunter of that caliber would have to be at least S-rank. And yet, you don’t recognize them?”
“No, I’ve never seen him before.”
“……”
The Hunter Bureau Chief closed his mouth for a moment, then spoke again.
“Can you investigate that man? Quietly, so that no one finds out.”
“Quietly?”
“Yes, it mustn’t leak externally. Especially to the major guilds.”
“Ah, understood.”
The Hunter Bureau Chief’s intention was clear, he wanted to recruit the man.
Understanding this, Lee Ha-na nodded.
The Hunter Bureau was full of watchful eyes, both internally and externally.
Handling this recruitment discreetly was the best approach. For the Bureau, and for her.
‘Quietly go back, get another meal, and also see that adorable kid again…’
Of course, Lee Ha-na was more interested in the food than the actual mission.
***
The day after the investigation team left, Kim Do-yoon found himself deep in thought.
His concern was about Hanuri’s tangled energy.
‘She doesn’t seem to react to food made with ordinary ingredients.’
Yesterday, Hanuri had eaten a delicious pork kimchi stew and all her favorite side dishes.
But unlike when she first had Brosia Honey, her tangled energy didn’t change.
‘So far, the only things that have had an effect are Brosia Honey and the Dragon Tree Fruit.’
What do those two have in common?
For one, both came from dungeons or dungeonized areas.
Beyond that… he wasn’t sure.
There didn’t seem to be any direct link between the two.
The Dragon Tree and the Brosia Flower had different habitats and no clear connection.
It was puzzling.
‘If I went out and searched on my own, I could find something quickly.’
Wandering around dungeons or dungeonized areas.
It would be an easy task for him.
But things were different with Hanuri around.
Wandering through dungeons inevitably involved all sorts of dangers.
There might be monsters to kill, or even conflicts with other people.
He could avoid all that on his own, but…
“Hanuri.”
“Hmm?”
“If Ajosshi stepped out for a bit, would you be okay staying here by yourself?”
“…Ajosshi, where are you going?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Hanuri’s expression changed.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she looked like she might cry at any second.
He thought she’d be fine, given how bright and cheerful she usually was.
But then again, being left alone in a place like this would scare anyone, not just a child.
As he was about to tell her that he wasn’t actually leaving,
“Hanuri wants to stay by Ajosshi’s side… Can’t I?”
It wasn’t the fear of being alone that troubled her. It was the fact that he wouldn’t be there with her.
This was slightly different from what he had thought.
Quickly, he corrected himself.
“Of course you can. Ajosshi will always stay by your side.”
“Really? Really? Hanuri likes Kkomi, Kkoma, Yongyong, and unnie and oppa, but Hanuri likes Ajosshi the most. As much as Hanuri!"
Pfft.
He couldn’t help but laugh, even though he knew he shouldn’t.
Hanuri’s expression was simply too endearing to hold it in.
She was still teary-eyed from almost crying, but she was making her signature 'as much as Hanuri' expression and gestures...
At that moment, he understood why someone had made up the lie that “crying children grow horns if they laugh while crying.”
She was so pure and adorable.
Her helpless and earnest demeanor…
Other people raising kids must have felt something similar.
“Ajosshi likes Hanuri the most, too.”
“Hehehe.”
Kim Do-yoon smiled along with Hanuri’s laughter.
‘Leaving her behind and wandering around isn’t an option after all.’
There were plenty of other ways to handle this.
For example, he could get what he needed through Park Ki-ho, or he could take Hanuri with him to explore dungeons.
“Hanuri, shall we go on an adventure together with Ajosshi?”
“Huh? Adventure?”
“Yeah, an adventure.”
“Sounds fun!”
“But the places we’re going to explore might have scary monsters. It could also get cold or really hot.”
“…Monsters? Are they really scary? Is Ajosshi scared too?”
Well…
He wasn’t really sure.
Could there even be a monster in this world that he would find scary?
He didn’t know the specifics about the monsters or terrains in the dungeons here, but there was one thing he was certain about.
Nothing in this world could be worse than the horrors of the other world he came from.
“Ajosshi isn’t scared.”
“Then… Hanuri isn’t scared either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! If Ajosshi is with me, I’m not scared at all!”
Without realizing it, he pulled Hanuri into a tight hug.
Today, she seemed even cuter than usual.
‘Is this her affinity power at work?’
No, that couldn’t be it.
There was no way such a small amount of power could influence him.
It was simply that Hanuri was irresistibly adorable to him.
“That’s right, as long as Ajosshi is with you, there’s nothing to be scared of. So, let’s go on lots of adventures together, okay? And we’ll eat delicious food while we’re at it.”
“Delicious food? I like that… hehe.”
In the end, he decided to explore dungeons together with Hanuri, trying different foods along the way.
It wasn’t a difficult decision. After all, he had done the same thing by himself back in the other world.
Strangely, now that the decision was made, he felt a peculiar excitement.
‘It feels like I’m doing the same thing I did back there, but this time, it feels… good.’
***
Before setting off for the dungeons, Do-yoon summoned Park Ki-ho to take care of some practical matters.
There was information he needed to obtain and problems to solve.
But Park Ki-ho didn’t come alone.
Seeing the confused expression on Do-yoon’s face, Park Ki-ho also looked a bit troubled and unsure of what to do.
“Why is she here again?”
“Well… the Hunter Bureau sent her along, so I didn’t really have a choice.”
“The Hunter Bureau? Ah.”
It was Team Leader Lee Ha-na.
She cautiously approached Hanuri while keeping an eye on Do-yoon, clearly trying to avoid provoking him.
Do-yoon was about to say something when Park Ki-ho interrupted him.
“Actually, I have something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me?”
“Yes. Uh… the thing is, I belong to the Taegeuk Guild’s Flaming Goblin Team.”
Do-yoon raised an eyebrow at the sudden self-introduction.
Sensing his confusion, Park Ki-ho quickly got to the point.
“It’s… I had no choice but to explain the situation to them…”
“You talked about me?”
“I’m sorry!”
Park Ki-ho bowed his head deeply, as if he had committed a grave sin.
Do-yoon scratched his head at the sight.
“I don’t care.”
He really didn’t.
It wasn’t like he was trying to hide his power in the first place.
The only reason he came here was to live peacefully with Hanuri amidst nature.
That’s why he hadn’t bothered to silence the investigation team either.
There was no reason to stop them.
He knew that the investigation team consisted of hunters from various guilds, and they would all go back and report about him.
So, if they talked about him, it didn’t matter.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I was actually planning to bring it up with you anyway.”
“Huh?”
“Your guild… from what I’ve looked into, it’s quite big, isn’t it?”
“Yes! We’re the largest guild in the country! Our Guild Leader is Ahn Soo-hwa, and she’s contributed a lot to society as well…”
With just a little nudge, Park Ki-ho burst into a proud rant about his guild.
He must have a lot of pride in it.
Do-yoon gestured for him to stop and continued speaking.
“That’s enough. I need a Hunter License.”
“A Hunter License?”
“Yes. Also, I’d like to know more about dungeon information.”
“Well… about that…”
“Can you look into it for me?”
At his words, Park Ki-ho paused, thinking about whether this was something he could handle.
While becoming something of a Wyvern Tamer had raised his stature a bit, Park Ki-ho was originally just a sub-tanker.
So it was only natural for him to tread carefully.
But as Park Ki-ho hesitated, lost in thought, someone boldly stepped forward.
It was Lee Ha-na.
"I'm Lee Ha-na from the Hunter Bureau. I’ll get you a Hunter License directly, and I’ll gather all the dungeon information for you.”
“Huh?”
At her sudden declaration, both Do-yoon and Park Ki-ho turned their gazes toward her.
This was… unexpected.
“Can you actually do that?”
“I can.”
“Then…”
Just as Do-yoon was about to nod in agreement,
“W-wait a second! We can do that too!”
“Hunter Licenses are issued by the Hunter Bureau, aren’t they? Taegeuk Guild can’t handle that directly. And as for dungeon information, we have far more data.”
“Taegeuk Guild has systems in place to process Hunter Licenses quickly. And while the quantity of your dungeon information might be greater, the quality of ours is better.”
A strange tension began to build between Lee Ha-na and Park Ki-ho.
“I’m in Chuncheon, so I’m better suited to handle things directly.”
“And that Wyvern flight? It was authorized by the Hunter Bureau, wasn’t it?”
Neither of them was backing down.
At that moment, as the two were growling at each other, Hanuri suddenly barged into the middle of the argument.
With both arms stretched wide, she shouted firmly,
“No fighting! Fighting is not okay! You need to get along!”
“Pfft.”
Do-yoon couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Hanuri handled the situation better than these grown adults.
*****