Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The silence was so profound that only the sound of the wind could be heard. 

Arvani instinctively folded his wings and slowly descended onto a nearby large tree. Once there, he concealed himself among the lush leaves.

Simultaneously,

“<Shadow Illusion>.”

Han Seung-hoo, holding a wand, softly chanted. Instantly, a dark and transparent curtain enveloped Arvani and us at once.

Even the faint sound of the wind was muffled, and intrigued, I surveyed the area from different angles. Han Seung-hoo then chuckled and spoke to me.

“This is a useful skill for hiding. I don’t have a separate stealth skill, but with this skill, I can distort the perception of others.”

“Distort?”

“Yes. <Shadow Illusion> covers me with the shadow of the hidden object, making me invisible to the surroundings. Unless someone possesses extraordinary senses like Jung Tae-il, even an ordinary S-level wouldn’t easily notice this. It’s my unique skill.”

His black eyes, tinged with purple, were emitting an unusual light.

‘…If he calls it a unique skill, it must be the ability to manipulate light and darkness.’

I never expected to witness this in person.

Recording his fights inside the gate was impossible, and even if I asked him to demonstrate outside the gate, Han Seung-hoo would likely refuse with a smile.

Of course, refusing was the obvious choice.

One shouldn’t casually use precious S-level abilities.

Nevertheless, the public was curious about familiar S-level abilities, and occasionally, Han Seung-hoo would show some simple mana-related skills. As a result, some of the skills he possessed were naturally revealed through mainstream broadcasts or news.

From the <Lightning> he used when facing Cha Jae-joon to impressive display skills like <Fireball> and <Holy Arrow>, excluding those, it seemed like this was the first time I had seen the skills he used.

‘Well, I’ve never seen Seung-hoo in actual combat.’

From the day Jung Tae-il and Cha Jae-joon first met, they were in a situation where they had to fight against a cobra…

Suddenly, I was shocked to realize that I felt discomfort about such things. No, why am I feeling upset about this in the first place? Just showing the fight in front of me implies that something dangerous has happened.

‘Maybe it’s because I spent a long time casually appreciating Seung-hoo, and I mistook that time for a long period of acquaintance.’

Without that, there was no reason to feel discomfort about such things.

Yeah, I am a rational person. In a situation where I needed to become stronger as soon as possible, it was forbidden to have such trivial thoughts. I shook my head in a composed manner and slowly opened my mouth.

“Then, the griffin won’t notice us either?”

“Well… we’ll have to wait and see. The level of a griffin can range from a minimum of B-level to a maximum of S-level. If the griffin we find is S-level, it might easily penetrate this skill.”

“…Ah.”

Monsters have much more developed senses than humans.

Understanding Han Seung-hoo’s words, I tensed, biting my lips. If an S-level Griffin is living near my house, it could be a bit problematic.

Now, with Arvani, we would explore the dungeon for flight practice and battles. However, each time, it would be impossible to avoid the griffin’s nest. Moreover, there are eggs inside that griffin nest. 

When those eggs hatch, more griffins will stay near my house, and if their territory becomes insufficient, they might move their habitat elsewhere.

‘If that happens, and they get closer to the house, they might have territorial disputes with the already established Lycans…’

I would just end up watching quietly at home without being able to contribute. No matter how strong Arvani is, dealing with a large-scale fight would be overwhelming. 

Ah, there isn’t an easy way out.

Letting out a deep sigh, I looked at Han Seung-hoo, who smiled as if to say not to worry.

“You have me and Jung Tae-il. Even if the griffin is S-level, don’t worry too much. We’ll take care of it.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. We’re S-level hunters for a reason.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Sister Yeon-oh, when you join ‘Janwol,’ you’ll feel even more secure. Not only do we have various hunters, but everyone is exceptionally skilled. Some hunters can set up barriers brilliantly and healers can neatly treat injuries. Since there’s no lacking ability, you’ll feel comfortable.”

“…Without Jung Tae-il, are you starting the sales pitch already?”

Seizing the opportunity, Han Seung-hoo smiled as if to say he couldn’t let this chance slip away. Just as I reached out to lightly pat that head of his, a loud sound echoed from outside the curtain.

Kwae-ae-aek!

Similar to the sound of a pig’s squeal, I instinctively covered my ears.

“What’s this sound…!”

“Hush.”

Han Seung-hoo quickly wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace. In an instant, I found myself leaning against Han Seung-hoo, and all I could do was blink my eyes rapidly.

Even in this situation, Han Seung-hoo calmly surveyed the scene and began briefing me slowly.

“It’s a female griffin. Looks like it’s around… A-level. Unfortunately, it seems like it temporarily left its spot to hunt, just like Jung Tae-il mentioned.”

“…Is that so?”

“Even now, it’s happily laughing with prey in its mouth. Do you want to see, too?”

I nodded slowly. Upon doing so, Han Seung-hoo, who had been silently looking at me, suddenly seemed surprised and quickly released his hold on my shoulders.

“Oh…! I didn’t realize I was holding you like this…”

“No, it’s okay. I made a loud noise, so it was a situation where I could have been noticed.”

“But still…”

Han Seung-hoo blushed his ears and turned his gaze away. To dispel the awkward atmosphere, I quickly used <We Are One!> on Arvani.

In an instant, Arvani’s vision was shared with me, and soon the griffin that Han Seung-hoo had seen became clear.

The griffin, with an eagle head, tore into the horse meat in its nest, making the same squealing sound as before, as if it were reveling in it. With blood smeared on its beak, it happily ate the meat, and eventually, it stashed some meat deep in the nest.

It vigilantly guarded the surroundings as if someone should not see it.

Satisfied with hiding the food, the griffin settled into its nest, cradling the eggs. Having completed all its tasks, it slowly closed its eyes and began to sleep.

“…There it is.”

“Yeah, sleep well.”

“That griffin seems like the dumbest one I’ve ever seen. Can it sleep in that situation?”

“Why?”

“It’s cradling the eggs. Usually, female griffins holding eggs are sharp and don’t sleep. And Arvani is nearby. Even though the shroud covers us, there might be instinctual feelings… .”

Han Seung-hoo muttered repeatedly, expressing his confusion.

“There’s no creature in the world that can be easily defined. Besides, encountering such situations inside the gate is rare.”

“Is that so?”

“In my opinion… .”

I slowly conveyed my thoughts to Han Seung-hoo while examining the griffin. The more he listened to me, the more Han Seung-hoo’s expression gradually changed oddly.

By the time I finished speaking, his expression was completely frozen.

“Do you think it’s possible, Sis?”

“I think it’s more than half a gamble.”

“Then let’s just hunt. There’s no need to take such a risky path. Why are you trying to go down this difficult road?”

Objectively, Han Seung-hoo’s words made sense. However, my intuition kept signaling that it wasn’t the right approach. There seemed to be a better way than capturing that griffin as originally planned to boost my experience.

‘Yeah… there must be a reason the system gave me <Combat Flight>.’

The system wouldn’t have just given it to me to hunt with Arvani. If it was for hunting, it would have been more convenient to provide a direct attack skill rather than <Combat Flight>. I didn’t have a plausible attack skill, so it made sense.

Upon careful consideration, the system had always provided me with a skill that was immediately useful in crucial moments. Giving it as a reward for a quest completion implied that it had a purpose beyond its original use, like a “door leading to reality.”

‘I might have focused too much on <Combat Flight>.’

Thinking about the ‘Windproof Jacket (S)’ given together, it started to make sense. Considering all these factors, the conclusion became apparent.

“Seung-hoo, I think taming that griffin might be the right thing to do.”

It was just a thought with less than a fifty-fifty chance, but I felt confident in my decision.