Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

When a person hears an unexpectedly surprising story, they tend to show one of two reactions. 

One is a response where they doubt their ears and try not to accept the situation, and the other is… 

“…I don’t even have the energy to be surprised anymore.”

A reaction with a calm mind as if it were destiny.

Yeah, did the system just send… Jung Tae-il? I decided to just conform to my damn fate without bothering to find the cause of this situation, which would only give me a headache. It was the best choice to prevent baldness.

Expecting my movements to be as shattered as a broken stopwatch, Kang Yoon-soo expressed regret. 

“You’ve grown up in the meantime, Yeon-oh.”

“…I’ve always grown up well on my own.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to grow up a bit slowly…”

“If someone sees it, they might think Mr. Yoon-soo is my mom.”

“As a mom… Doesn’t it suit me well? After all, a guild master needs a broad heart to embrace all guild members.”

…Then, if I go into the guild and get asked, ‘Yeon-oh, who made you grow so fast?’ Can I answer by raising my hand to my head and saying, ‘Guild Master Kang Yoon-soo— Yoon-soo—’?

Hmm… Let’s focus. The side effects of hearing shocking stories since entering this gate were starting to show. I bit my tongue slightly to erase unnecessary thoughts. I also wanted to regain a sense of reality.

Kang Yoon-soo, who knew nothing about my foolishness, didn’t think his self-deprecating joke worked and just laughed coolly. 

“Your mom went too far, didn’t she?”

“…No, she looks pretty good.”

“…That’s a problem as it is.”

I was at a loss for words. Whatever I said here would sound strange to him. I just sent him a pitiful look, stuck in the calamity he brought upon himself.

“Well, I think this is a charming point that goes well. So don’t feel too embarrassed about it.”

“…Yes.”

“Anyway, I wanted to talk about Yeon-oh being a bit more dangerous.”

“I’m already at the level of risking my life… so to speak.”

“If it’s that metaphor, there’s not much difference between earlier and now. It’s just a difference between life wrapped in vinyl and life unwrapped from vinyl.”

Ah, yes. Thank you for the appropriate analogy.

With my gaze sharpened for a moment, Kang Yoon-soo chuckled nervously. Words like that, you see. Adding such irritating words made me feel unjust, even though the reason I risked my life was all because of the system.

I turned my head away after glancing at Kang Yoon-soo in a plump manner. Then, Jung Tae-il and his team members began to come into view.

‘…Three people?’

When I sensed with my <Survival Instinct>, there were only two people before, which meant the one person I didn’t sense had a concealment skill of A-Level or above.

‘Hunters with concealment skills need to be especially careful.’

Even if they were part of Jung Tae-il’s strategy team, not everyone is kind and friendly to strangers.

If there’s such a person, they might be an angel, a fool, or a fraud. While thinking such thoughts, Jung Tae-il’s group approached very close without me realizing it. Jung Tae-il left his team members at a distance and walked towards us.

“First of all, Seo Yeon-oh, let me introduce you.”

“Why… do you have to be so far away?”

“…Because those guys are not in their right minds.”

“…?”

“Pffft!”

Suddenly, Kang Yoon-soo burst into laughter. It seemed he knew the reason why Jung Tae-il was behaving like this.

While I was puzzled due to not understanding, Jung Tae-il tightened his expression and spoke with a threatening voice.

“Kang Yoon-soo.”

“Ah, even the great Jung Tae-il has moments like this.”

“Hey.”

“Seung-hoo should have seen this too.”

“…Can we stop?”

Alright, alright. Kang Yoon-soo, whispering that he and Seung-hoo are making a fuss because they want to look good, lightly tapped Jung Tae-il’s shoulder.

Only then did I feel like I might know the reason why Kang Yoon-soo burst into laughter.

‘If these guild members, scouted for the Overflow, show an irrational appearance from the first meeting… it’s a bit awkward.’

If those guild members all have the mischievousness of Cha Jae-joon, isn’t it a bit more than just awkward…?

Feeling subtly tense since Cha Jae-joon is not normally present, I understood it then.

“Don’t be too tense, Ms. Yeon-oh. Tae-il’s crew is cute.”

“Do you also know the hunters well, Mr. Yoon-soo?”

“I don’t know every Overflow Hunter, but I know Tae-il’s team members for the most part. Well… I didn’t know Mr. Chae Jae-joon well before.”

Because he wasn’t a high-level hunter he discovered.

He clicked his tongue as if disappointed. Taking a sigh at his appearance, Jung Tae-il pointed to one person, indicating he would now explain.

“I’ll introduce from the right.”

“Okay.”

“The guy smiling and chuckling right now is A-level hunter Ki Chan. He’s a lightweight troublemaker, so it’s best to ignore what he says.”

“Ah, but can you introduce him so sharply like this? Aren’t they feeling bad?”

“Don’t worry about it. They’re perverts who enjoy me saying things like this.”

Standing a dozen steps away, they seemed to have heard Jung Tae-il’s words, and everyone agreed by making a large circle with their arms.

…I understand.

Those people… with Cha Jae-joon…

As I nodded in understanding, Jung Tae-il moved his finger to the person right next to Ki Chan. There was a woman with long black hair, smiling gently.

“The woman with the subtle smile… is A-level healer Yoo Seol-ah.”

“Oh… a healer is also part of the team? Usually, healers don’t willingly come inside the gate, right?”

“…Yoo Seol-ah is both a healer and a curse sorceress.”

“And Seol-ah likes to cast curses and punch monsters directly.”

“…Is that so.”

With Kang Yoon-soo’s supplementary explanation in the middle, her subtle smile began to feel like madness.

“The guy who seems well put together… is the most normal among them. A-level hunter Ki Heon, a close combat hunter like me.”

“…His name is similar to Ki Chan’s.”

“They are twins.”

“…Oh.”

I heard that if one of the siblings awakens as a hunter, the probability of the others also awakening is high. But usually, the levels are different.

No matter how close siblings are, their physical abilities may differ.

‘…But if they’re twins, they’re likely to have the same level.’

If those two are identical twins, and Ki Heon is currently wearing a mask, confirming whether they are identical twins would require checking. 

Anyway, after the introductions were done, Jung Tae-il looked at me intently. It was a very heated gaze as if he intended to burn me with his eyes.

Feeling uncomfortable, I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.

“Now, should I introduce myself?”

“Yeah. But before that… I recommend listening with one ear and letting the other ear go when they speak.”

“…?”

“There’s a reason for that.”

After wiggling his eyebrows, Jung Tae-il gestured towards them, as if telling them to come quickly.

At that moment, Kang Yoon-soo whispered to me.

“They’re the only ones who don’t fear Tae-il. It’s their hobby to mess around with Tae-il, risking their lives. So, Tae-il is pre-emptively warning you because they might say strange things about him to you.”

Ah. But why…? Is there a reason for him to be visible to me rather than to his team members?

In puzzlement, I scrunched up my face, and Kang Yoon-soo let out a laugh. While doing so, he muttered softly.

“That’s why Tae-il does this pre-emptive control.”

No, but really. Why?

The main character who only increased my curiosity welcomed the approaching team members with a friendly greeting.

“Hey, it’s been a while, everyone. Have you been well?”

“That’s what you call a greeting.”

“Seol-ah is still the same.”

“Kang Yoon-soo, you seem to have a darker side now, don’t you?”

“…I can’t find the right words.”

A hunter addressing Kang Yoon-soo with informal language. I widened my eyes and sent a gaze to Jung Tae-il, asking for more explanation. In response, Jung Tae-il casually provided an answer.

“Yoo Seol-ah awakened around the same time as Kang Yoon-soo. Originally, she was affiliated with the government, but she joined us when I established the Overflow.”

“…Not going to the Janwol?”

“Work under that black-hearted guy? One experience was enough. Oh, Yeon-oh, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh… yes, that’s correct.”

Perhaps knowing that he was talking about her, Yoo Seol-ah smiled coolly and smoothly integrated into the conversation.

“Oh my… I spilled the beans right away. I’ve heard so much about it, the internal familiarity is high. Can I speak comfortably like this?”

“Oh, please feel free.”

“Alright, Yeon-oh. I’ll be counting on you.”

“I’ll be counting on you as well.”

In an instant, introductions, casual conversations, and handshakes were completed. 

Is this what they call experience…?