Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 135

Chapter 135

[The quest has arrived! 

White Dragon, Evan’s Plea! 

He no longer wishes to suffer. 

He does not want others to be hurt by their false hopes any longer. 

Please stop her. 

Success Reward: None 

Failure: None 

Additional Note. If you cannot stop her, it will lead to death.]

“…Hah.”

After reading through the system window, which exuded a tremendous presence, all that came out was a sigh. This wasn’t just any quest given by the system. It was a plea filled with the desires of a single being.

Unlike the quests I had been pushed into before, this one resonated deeply with me. Maybe it was because I had just met him in my dream and felt his presence more clearly now.

“…A quest with no rewards or penalties…”

If it had been just a quest, I would have acted as he pleased, but this was more than a quest. It weighed heavily on my heart.

Why did everyone seem unable to entrust me with anything light?

“…What is it that they want from me?”

I wondered.

Now that I was well outside the scope of what Hunter could do, I could see that the system administrators had something they wanted me to do, and someone was trying to stop them.

But was their desired outcome related to me, or was I simply necessary to achieve it?

“…I don’t know. Seriously.”

It was frustrating to think about it alone. I sighed and stretched my stiff body in various directions. With the current situation, I couldn’t afford to dwell on things that didn’t have answers.

I got up immediately and looked around.

“…Arvani and Boom-ba got involved too.”

Amid the chaos, Arvani sleeping next to me and Boom-ba clutching her cub in a corner caught my eye.

“Arvani! Arvani, wake up! We don’t have time for this!”

I shook Arvani’s body vigorously, but he didn’t even flinch and continued to breathe shallowly in his sleep. It seemed like Arvani was still trapped in his dream. If only he knew how to escape that space… But since he hadn’t escaped on his own, all I could do was curse.

“For now, let’s leave Arvani like this… Ah, let’s check on Mr. Jae-joon.”

If the one orchestrating this situation was the Black Dragon, then he wouldn’t have left Cha Jae-joon, who handles his sword, alone.

Especially not when he had recently gone berserk and was unconscious.

I hurriedly carried Arvani into the house and gently placed him on the sofa, then headed to the guest room where Cha Jae-joon was lying.

“…He’s still the same?”

Did she come just to see?

Seeing no change in Cha Jae-joon’s appearance from my last memory of him, I shook my head in disbelief.

Still staring at the unconscious Cha Jae-joon, I turned around hastily.

“Darn it! If Cha Jae-joon isn’t the target, then there’s only one reason why the Black Dragon would appear here!”

Black Ego Sword!

From the beginning, the goal was the Ego Sword! That’s why she came here, even possessing someone else’s body!

Through Cha Jae-joon, the Ego Sword showed tremendous power. But what would happen when it returned to its original owner? Surely, everyone involved would end up dead. Whether that extent would be confined within this gate or spill over into reality was difficult to predict.

She’s a dragon after all. Moreover, the body she’s borrowed is S-level, capable of unleashing immense power. If we can’t stop her here, it could lead to the destruction of the world.

“Argh! This is insane!”

I’m not a hero saving the world! I’m just a regular hunter who wants to live peacefully with Arvani at home!

Shit!

Though my mind was filled with thoughts like “Why me,” my body was already moving diligently. Once I realized they were after the Ego Sword, I was already running towards that place.

Despite needing at least a 5-minute flight on Arvani and Boom-ba, trying to run the distance without any assistance left me breathless. But still, I couldn’t stop.

“I can’t bear to see my home destroyed!”

I’ve risked my life to protect my home. I won’t stand to see it destroyed by a dragon in an instant. Even if dirt gets in my eyes, I can’t tolerate it.

This is to protect not just upon Evan’s request. …though risking my life is the problem.

Oh, my horoscope.

While cursing and running, I stopped momentarily because my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. If I kept running like this, my heart would explode and I’d die.

“Ugh, this is exhausting!”

I’ll have to ask Allen for a movement skill if I meet him. Or something that allows flight.

As a system administrator, surely they’d help with this much? How wasteful to have to run on two feet…!

I bent over, gasping for air. My vision blurred, and there was a bitter taste in my mouth. Fortunately, my body was still intact.

Thanks to my stats increasing, my body had become sturdy. As long as my heart holds out, I can run all day.

…Maybe I need to train my heart. Or maybe my organs aren’t used to the sudden increase in stats yet.

As I caught my breath and pondered, something caught my attention in the expansive mana room as I ran.

Not a monster… but it wasn’t completely unfamiliar mana either.

It was mana I had encountered before…

“Ah!”

Recognizing whose mana it was, I immediately ran towards it. Even with doubts swirling in my mind.

The closer I got, the more certain it became. The mana in the room gave me a clear indication of who it belonged to. When the mana touched them, I could vaguely discern their form.

So, the person was…

“…Anna?”

It was the one who had trapped me in the dream space. But something was off.

Surely, she would have moved with Ellie… but it felt like Anna was alone. She was even lying on the ground.

I stopped my steps towards Anna and began to ponder.

“Why is she lying down?”

Could this be a trap? There’s no reason for her to be lying on the ground if she knew I had woken up and didn’t set a trap.

“Just a moment, Lulu seems to be… lying on the ground too.”

I finally noticed the small figure lying next to her. It was the small fox cub lying at her feet.

At the same time.

“This isn’t a trap.”

Anna was also affected. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be lying down with her pet. Just like how I was affected with Arvani.

My stopped feet began to move quickly again. I arrived where Anna was at my fastest speed.

And I was right.

“…Anna.”

She was lying prone as if she had been attacked, with her tail puffed up due to the attack, and Lulu, the fox cub, unconscious.

I hurriedly approached her and turned her over.

Then.

“…!”

A black-stained abdomen peeked out from under her melted top.

It was a wound I was familiar with.

It was almost identical to the wound I saw while treating Cha Jae-joon. Fortunately, Anna’s wound hadn’t petrified her like Cha Jae-joon’s.

“Phew, thank goodness. I know how to deal with this.”

If it’s a wound caused by mana, I just need to extract the mana that’s taken over her body. Since I’ve already absorbed black mana and stored it before, this should be easy to resolve.

Without further ado, I took out a tool from my inventory. Then, I used <Wind that Absorbs Anything>, just like before.

Thanks to the experience from the previous attempt, I was able to quickly extract the mana from Anna’s abdomen.

The once black-stained wound now turned into a red bruise, and Anna’s face, which was previously sweating coldly, also relaxed.

Like someone having a pleasant dream.

“…It might be difficult to wake Anna up if she’s also asleep.”

I wanted to ask what happened… but I sighed in regret and checked on her fox. Fortunately, Lulu didn’t seem to have been affected by mana.

“…If the upper floors are settled, should I go back?”

Will I be okay alone…?

This time, without Arvani and without hunters to help me… Will I be okay?

Facing the person in front of me, the determination I had while running here seemed to vanish.

Digging a hole by myself.

“…Ugh, hah.”

Anna woke up.