note 11/4/2019: I have edited chapter one to be infinitely more readable.

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<The Hunter’s Association (2)>

 

 

 

 

 

The money in the gift card was a whopping one billion won.  Wow, I just told you that I needed money and you threw me a billion won.  Is this really possible? Don’t you need to pay gift tax? Are S Classes exempt from gift taxes?

Dazed, I put the card away and entered the shopping mall.

 

The Hunter’s Mall was located from the 3rd to the 6th level of the Hunter’s Association building.  On the 3rd and 4th floor, you can purchase items that are C Class or below, on the 5th floor you could purchase B Class items and on the 6th floor you could purchase A Class items. S Class items were only sold in auctions.

Since I was sure that I had enough money, I went directly up to the 6th floor. There were only a few guests on the 6th floor, along with a line of neatly dressed staff standing in a line at regular intervals like mannequins.

 

“Where are the S Class contracts?”

 

When I asked the question to the nearest female employee, she replied with a beautiful and kind smile.

 

“I’ll show you right away, sir. Would you please come this way?”

 

The employee guided me to a drawing room where the reception room was located, surrounded by glass walls. I looked around the drawing room and saw that there were a few reception rooms situated in this place.

When I sat down on the sofa, another female employee asked if I wanted a drink.

 

“Coffee.”

“Do you have any beans that you like?”

 

It’s just a Mac X…… But there was no instant coffee in this place.

 

“Uh, orange juice please.”

 

They will not ask about the different types of oranges. Fortunately, the staff only asked if I wanted ice before squeezing the orange straight into an expensive-looking glass.

 

‘It’s delicious.’

 

Was it an expensive orange? While I was sipping juice, a man who looked like he was around his mid to late 30s came over and greeted me with a 90 degree bow.

 

“My name is Ki Yunseo, the manager of the Hunter’s Mall on the 6th floor.”

 

Even though the contract was probably cheaper than the items on the sixth floor, the person in charge showed up. Isn’t this service a bit too much? The person in charge sat opposite me with a polished smile.

 

“S Class contracts are rare so people who are looking to buy them have to wait for around a few minutes. I have just sent workers down to the warehouse; I thank you for your understanding.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s okay.”

 

I nodded. Although the S Class contract was a decent price, it was still rare for someone to buy it.

After all, all the S Classes in South Korea were guild masters, with an exception of just one person. Since I was going to sign a contract with an S Class, it appeared that I was either of a similar level or I had a deep connection with them. That was why the person in charge came all the way out here to flatter me.

 

It wasn’t long before the staff brought in a luxurious leather case.

 

“There are currently 5 types of S Class contracts in our shopping mall. The most popular one is the Ability-Reduction contract.”

 

The person in charge said, taking out a contract made of parchement paper from the case and placed it onto the table.

 

“It’s a contract with S Class Hunter Clown Marionette Manuella Shusler’s S Class curse skill; if the terms of the contract are broken, your total stats will be reduced by 20% for a year. It’s a strong contract that cannot be escaped unless you use a skill or item to nullify the SS Class curse. Actually, nothing can resolve the curse apart from a saint. The contract is valid for up to 10 years.”

 

Wait, so I won’t receive any disadvantages for breaking the contract? My curse resistance is L Level. An S Level curse wouldn’t so much as tickle it.

 

‘This could be quite useful.’

 

The thought surfaced in my head for a bit but I quickly got rid of it. I wouldn’t be the target of the contract, and even if an F Class’ stat were to drop by 20%, there would be not much of a difference. If it wasn’t a contract from the association, which would just cause a decrease in skills and stats, but an illegal contract that was life-threatening, I could take advantage of it, but I had no intention to use such a contract.

 

“There are also Skill Level Decrease and Seal contracts. However, since it is only limited to one less than S Class, it is less efficient for someone with SS Class skills. The Permanent Stat Reduction contract could work as well, but the other Hunter would not easily accept it.”

 

Even if they wanted to keep the contract, they would be reluctant to do so.

I bought a 1 year Stat Drop contract and a 1 month Skill Seal Contract. In a flash, 50 million won disappeared. Nevertheless, there was still 950 million won remaining. That little brother really doesn’t know how much money is worth.

I will have to thank him for the money he gave me.

 

“Please show me your mana-boosting equipment as well. The type that can be worn, and the type that will increase mana by a fixed amount, not by percentage.”

 

The price of equipment that increase stats by percentages was much higher, but they had no use to me. After all my mana stat was only 2. The world ranked Hunters would rush in for equipment that gives a +50% to stats, but a C Class and below equipment that simply gave a +5 to stats was much better for me.

Soon, velvet-wrapped luxury cases were placed on the table.

 

“There are all equipment with certificates from the Korea Hunter’s Association A Class Appraiser Park Jiyeon.”

 

The person in charge said, opening the cases one after another. People were able to know the performance of equipment after they were worn, but they could sometimes be cheated through magic or curses. Therefore expensive equipment would come with a certificate.

 

“This is a red lumelusus ring. It is an A Class accessory that can raise your mana by 30.”

 

Mana was a stat that was hard to increase, therefore an A Class equipment would only increase the stat by 30. I don’t think one ring has enough mana.

 

‘This is really fancy.’

 

The size of the red jewel in the silver ring was as large as a quail egg. There were even diamond-like gems wrapped around it. How do you wear this?

 

“This is the bracelet of Auris Hall. It is also an A Class accessory that can increase your mana stat.”

 

There was a bracelet woven with walnut-sized blue beads followed by shimmering sapphire necklace and then a leather ribbon headband, each placed in front of me one after the other. Why did they all look so bad?

 

“As you know, the sex ratio of male Hunters in the upper levels is more than twice the number of female Hunters, so simple accessories are sold out more quickly.”

 

The person in charge told me this excuse after seeing the wrinkled expression on my face. Still, wasn’t this too much? Plus, rings and bracelets are embarrassing to wear regardless of gender.

 

“These are the Black Fairy Earrings. They are A Class accessories that can raise your mana stat by 29. This is the last A Class mana enhancement equipment product that we have; the remaining products are all C Class or less.”

 

It’s not even B Class but C Class. I worried as I looked at the Black Fairy Earrings. They were simple earrings with small black gems that were as small as a grain of rice. I hate that I would have to pierce my ears, but I’m sure that this accessory would hardly catch anyone’s eye.

 

“What is the stat increase for C Class equipment?”

 

I still asked, just in case.

 

“The stats can be increased by 5 or 6 points.”

 

No way. That’s too much of a difference. If it were an increase of at least 10 points it would have been worth it.

Eventually, I purchased the Black Fairy Earrings. The price was 230 million won. This was considered cheap for mana-boosting A Class equipment. The price of a few hundred million won was considered cheap. Truly, the upper Hunter society was a completely different world.

The earrings were put on without the need for piercings. With it, my mana increased to over 30.

I also bought some gloves that increased stamina and strength, and a belt that increased agility.

 

[Awakened Han Yujin

Titles – Dragon Slayer (L), Perfect Caregiver (L)

Level 1

Stamina: 6(+51) | Strength: 4(+20) | Agility: 5(+16) Spirit: 4 | Mana: 2(+29)]

Equipment

Black Fairy Earrings (A), Manticore Leather Gloves (A), Lightweight Belt (B)

Skills

Spirit Up (E): Spirit of the target + 5% (Immediate effect, similar and/or identical skills cannot overlap), duration 30 minutes

Agility Up (E): Agility of target + 5% (Immediate effect, similarity and/or identical skills cannot overlap), duration 30 minutes]

 

‘Except for mana, all my stats are now at the average of 26.5. Those are C Class stats.’

 

Although it was unbalanced with a concentration towards physical stats, I had still raised three of my stats with a reasonable amount of money. Of course, if my level increases the rating of the stats would drop sharply.  That was why people preferred equipment that increased stats via percentages.

 

I had purchased two more pieces of equipment, but nearly 500 million won was still left. I had always thought that if I had money, I would be able to spend it all but the surprisingly the amount of money wasn’t going down by a lot. I couldn’t use this gift card outside.

I bought 20 lesser mana potions and a set of health potions. And then.

 

‘Let’s buy armor and weapons.’

 

With good equipment, an F Class lower dungeon could be cleared.

 

“Please show me dungeon equipment that can increase stats by a fixed number.”

 

There were so many options for those that this time, instead of showing me the items themselves, a catalog book was given to me. There was a large variety of weapons available, but there were only a few things that I could use. I mainly used the spear before the regression. I had only partaken in simple battles where I placed buffs on people from behind and also stabbed things with my spear. The reason I was able to kill Lauchitas was thanks to the fact that I had received some of Yuhyun’s combat skills along with his memories.

 

I bought a pair of daggers, a pike, and light armor. They were all placed in my inventory as they could not be worn normally. It was okay to wear armor but if you were caught carrying a dungeon weapon, you would get a fine and be penalized. If a Hunter had accumulated more than a number of penalties within a fixed period of time, their Hunter’s qualification would be suspended. If this was repeated a few times, the qualification would be taken away.

 

‘Now roughly how much did I spend? There’s not much money left… well.’

 

I’ve found the perfect thing for me.

 

“Do you have any items with poison fog or similar effects? Curses are good, too.”

 

Something like a poison spray or something that could make you lose your sight. I could completely nullify the effects on myself, so I could use it most of the time.

After hearing my words, an employee brought over a black bead that had double protections placed on it.

 

“This is the Black Poison  of S Class Hunter, Poison King Leon Louis Han. If you do not have an A Class or higher poison resistance skill or item, you will die within 10 seconds of inhalation depending on your current poison resistance rating; neutralization of the poison has to be done within 5 seconds. The effective radius is 5 meters and you will be immediately arrested and executed if this is used outside of Dungeons.”

 

Poison resistance skills are known to be extremely rare and are A Class skills. There were no S Class poison resistance skills. Therefore, even someone with an A Level poison skill would be able to finish off all their opponents.

 

“Is there anything that affects a wider radius?”

 

Instead of 5 meters, if there was a melee monster 100 meters away, I would be able to break even a C Class Dungeon by my own with my items and skills. For Dungeons B Class and onwards, there are many monsters that could travel 100 meters in three seconds, so there was no way I could win there.

 

“Among the items currently being sold, this Black Poison Bead has the widest effective radius while still maintaining a good effect. That’s because the effect of poisonous fog gets lighter in proportion to the radius it is dispersed over. The further the opponent is from you, the longer they would take to die and therefore the rating of the poison is reduced. In the case of the Black Poison Bead, F Class monsters within a 50 meter radius can be killed within 10 seconds, and they would also be incapacitated within 3 seconds.”

 

50 meters in 3 seconds. I could clear an F Class Dungeon. The enemies would face a big loss.

 

“Most of the curses that randomly target foes are not very effective. Due to the nature of curses, there is a large difference between someone who randomly receives a curse and someone who signs a contract with a curse.  There are also some kinds that can increase their effectiveness through sacrifices.”

“That’s enough.”

 

This was just for emergency usage. Where would I have the time to sit down and offer sacrifices?

Eventually I used the rest of the money to purchase three Black Poison Beads and then left the area. An employee opened the glass door and I took a step outside.

 

[F Class Hunter Han Yujin who has just registered his Awakening today.  A Class Hunter Kim Sunghan is looking for you. Please visit and contact the Missing Child Protection Center immediately after hearing this broadcast.]

 

A broadcast sounded out, looking for me.

Fuck, that Kim Sunghan was looking for me through the fucking broadcast. And why was it the Missing Child Protection Center? He could have just asked me to go to the front door. With a curse, I quickly headed towards the Missing Child Protection Center before a second broadcast could come out.

 

 

 

Kim Sunghan was standing in front of the Missing Child Protection Center like a gangster who came to collect money. Parents who went there to look for their lost children would be scared to death.

 

“Where did you go?”

 

He said, furrowing his brow. Both his expression and his baritone voice was as fierce as a punch. If there had been no Fear Resistance to save me, I would not even be able to make a sound.

 

“I went to buy the contract. Did I not say that?”

“You did not.”

“I forgot. Sorry about that.”

 

My dry apology made Kim Sunghan’s face even more ominous. Hey, surely you wouldn’t swing that fist at me in anger, would you? I’m your Guild Leader’s brother. Please don’t forget that.

 

“Do you have any other business?”

 

What should I do? It’s a long way to Myeongdong Station but should I go there to look for Park Yerim? Or should I go home first? Yuhyun said that he’d move my things, but I still hadn’t packed them.

 

“Please go to my house. The address is–”

“There’s nothing there.”

 

Really?! I couldn’t move out without a landlord!

 

“Where have all my things been moved to? The Haeyeon Guild staff quarters?”

“It’s been moved to a spare room in the Guild Master’s living quarters.”

 

I refuse to live with my younger brother. I want to live independently and well, not in the hands of my younger brother, who wasn’t even my parent. Yuhyun-ah, let’s just carelessly burn down our relationship until it’s around half the relationship we had before my regression. Yeah?

 

“…then let’s go back to the guild. I have to organize my things.”

 

As I walked towards the elevator that was connected to the parking lot, the gazes of the people around me stuck to my face. The gossip backlash was coming.

 

“Is that the F Class guy who came here with the A Class?”

“What is the relationship between those two?”

“Kim Sunghan even tried to find him through a broadcast. There must be something.”

“Hadn’t they mentioned the Missing Child Protection Center earlier?” “At that age.”

 

That woman over there, don’t laugh! Were they collecting people who liked to talk dirty about others, or were they collecting Awakened people! That F Class F Class talk was stinging my ears.

 

‘Are you an S Class?’

 

As I had increased my mana, I peered at the people around me. As expected, there were F Classes everywhere. Even if there were C Classes, they would not be hanging around as they would be going straight to the guilds.

Named guilds accepted members that were C Class and above. From B Class onwards, you would get proper treatment wherever you went and people were anxious to bring in one more A Class.

 

‘He’s an F, he’s an F, you’re an F… huh?’

 

That man was just too much!

 

[Awakened – Yoo Myungwoo

Current Stat Class F

Awakening Available: Stats F

Optimization of Initial Skill

Master of the Golden Forge (SS) Failed to Obtain

Knife Grind (A) Failed to Obtain]

 

‘Master of the Golden Forge?!’

 

 

 

 

 

<The Hunter’s Association(2)> End

Ⓒ근서/Geunseo

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<The Hunter Association (1)>

 

 

Before going to find Park Ye-rim, I headed to the Hunter’s Association to register my Awakening and purchase contract items.

 

 

The Korean Hunter Association.

At the start it was a government-established Awakening Registry, and then, with the power of the three largest guilds, it became an association. Other Hunter Associations abroad have also been created through similar processes. Currently, the government-run Association has a 51-percent stake with the government, 30 percent with the three largest guilds, and 19 percent with other guilds, but after five years, the power of the guilds becomes bigger and the majority of the shares are taken away.

To be exact, the Haeyeon Guild took it.

 

‘The more I think about it, the more I felt that pre-regression Yuhyun was crazy.’

 

The leader of such a great guild risked his life to save a useless older brother. I don’t understand.

But thanks to it, my life was saved, I regressed, and I got two L-Class titles, so I gotta endure Yoo Hyun ‘s crazy things, what can I do?

 

There were quite a few people in the Hunter’s Association waiting room waiting to register their Awakening. It was impossible for most of the Awakened to do Hunters’ work with skills and stats being F-Level, aka Double F, but they still came to register. This was because the government gave subsidies to promote the registration of people with Awakenings. As the registration of Awakened people alone provided a subsidy of 1 million won, everyone came to the association with money to burn.

I drew a waiting table and sat down on the chair. The number says it’ll take some time.

 

“Hey, isn’t that the A-Level Hunter, Kim Sunghan?

“What? Really?

 

People sitting in the waiting room began to chat when they recognized Kim Sunghan, who followed me. The A-Levels’ popularity falls short of that of S-Levels, but Kim Sunghan was a hunter well-known for his face and name. Half of this is influenced by Yuhyun, and the other half is due to his performance during the Break of the Class A dungeon in the Dongdaegu area.

A Dungeon Break occurs when the number of monsters in the dungeon exceeds the capacity of the dungeon. Monsters would break out of the dungeon, creating a dangerous situation, but nowadays they rarely happen due to good management. There has been no known case of an already discovered dungeon having a Dungeon Break, but it has occurred occasionally when the discovery of a new dungeon is delayed.

 

“But why are you here?”

“I came in with him.”

 

People’s eyes turned to the me who was sitting next to Kim Sunghan.

 

“He’s the only one sitting there with the A-Level.”

“Is he an important person? It looks like you’re standing by like you’re guarding him. You’re here to escort him?”

“The waiting ticket seems like he must be here to register his Awakening but if there is an A-Level along with him, it doesn’t seem to be a joke. It must be an S-Level rookie from the guild.”

No, it’s an F-Level. I looked up at Kim Sung-han and said little.

 

“Sit down.”

“No thank you.”

“Shouldn’t you sit?”

“It’s better to stand in case anything happens.”

 

No matter what happens, this is still the inside of the Hunter’s Association.  There’s even a first batch of people here to register their Awakening.

 

‘Let’s see if there are any good newcomers.’

 

I used Promising Sprout to check out the stats of a man who was busy talking.

 

[Awakened Person – Shin Minho

Current Stat Class F

Awakening Available: Stats F to E

Optimization of Initial Skill

Quick Feet (E) Failed to Obtain

Jump (E) Obtained

Throw (F) Obtained]

 

The Awakening Stats fell a grade and not all the Initial Skills were gotten. However, he would still get a Hunter’s license because he had an E-Grade skill.

 

‘Ugh.’

 

When I checked out two more FF-Class people, a short pain flared up in my head and disappeared just as suddenly. It was a sign that I had consumed half of my mana.

 

‘The Promising Sprout skill’s status check is limited to 6 times.’

 

No wonder my magic stat is 2.

Health and mana were not shown in the status window. It would be nice if it was displayed as a red and blue stick like a game, but because it was not, I had to guess the condition of the body.

If it’s health, it’s fine to see by eye. That one’s half dead, that one’s dying. I was able to roughly tell, but the problem was mana. Five years later, people still have not invented the way to check mana levels.  However, if you consume half of your mana, you will feel a short headache, and you have less than ten percent left, you will lose consciousness.

I’m glad that passive skills like poison resistance do not usually consume mana.

 

‘Triggering the optimal awakening or using the Little One skill will have a higher cost than a status check.’

 

My Little One’s The Best is an L-Grade skill, so it will eat unpleasantly eat mana. For Yuhyun’s case, it was alright to use it passively as a one-time conferment effect, but if I use it now, I might fail and pass out.

 

‘I’m sure we’ll have to raise my level a little.’

 

To do that, I would have to go into the dungeon, but if Yuhyun finds out he will jump in to stop me. I will have to sneak in.

 

“Number 56 to 65, please come in.”

 

The people who came here first got up and followed the Association’s staff. My turn came only after another group of them had gone in.

As I walked in, the partition hanging in front of the desk was hanging down. The staff handed out a sheet of paper to each person. On the paper was the application for the registration of Awakening, there was a column to write the stat and skill in addition to the personal information. After writing and ensuring that there are no mistakes or falsehoods, the Awakening level will be recorded.

I picked up the pen on the desk and began to fill in the empty space. Only the stats and basic skills were written and no titles were revealed. The stats will be measured immediately, but skills and titles cannot be measured and hence and cannot be confirmed if hidden.

 

‘Although there were people who exaggerate their abilities in the beginning, few people would write it down.’

 

I don’t think people deliberately put a lower grade unless it’s a unique case like me. People would treat you differently once they see you have a lower grade. In addition, there are many benefits for those who are C-Level or above.

 

“Is he an S-Level rookie?”

“Haeyeon Guild’s new S-Level, whom A-Level Kim Sunghan escorted?”

 

No. No, you guys. It’s been a while since the speculation has already been made. You there, where the hell are you calling in such a hurry? Ugh, high ranking people in the Association are coming over. Surely you did not come here because of me?

 

“Good morning. I am Seok Kimyung, head of the registration department of the Hunter’s Association.”

 

He bowed his head to me. Fuck, don’t. Don’t say hello.

 

“If you don’t mind, could I check your application for a moment?”

“……here you go.”

 

I was already starting to feel embarrassed but I handed him my application. Seok Kimyung, who saw the single digit stats and the E-Grade skills, frowned slightly. Hey, I only have five L-Grade skills.

 

“…hm. Then have a nice day.”

 

Checking out the application form and dropping formal speech right away. The polite attitude disappeared right. How horrible. It is horrible, but it happened a lot even before the regression.

 

“What, so it wasn’t an S-Level?”

“I can’t see his attitude.”

“But why did he pretend to be an S-Level?”

 

I’ve never done that, you bastards! What the fuck are they doing when they were the ones who misjudged?

 

‘It reminds me of the people who used to write novels about me and Yuhyun.’

 

Ugh… I’m sick thinking of it. My inferiority complex has contributed about 30% to the gossip trash explosion. Yuhyun was not as good as portrayed in the article that praised him, but he was always appearing in comparison with his incompetent older brother.

With a glance, I submitted my application and headed towards the lower-level ability measurement room.

 

“Do you have any items you are using or carrying?”

 

The measurement room staff asked in a clerical tone.

 

“No.”

“Please stand on the meter.”

 

As I was told, I climbed into the measuring instrument that looked like a circular disk. A measuring instrument made by using items from dungeon lit up weakly, and soon the results came up.

 

“Stamina 6, strength 4, agility 5, spirit 4, magic 2 has been measured.”

 

That’s correct.

 

“Your skills are the E-Grade Spirit Up and the E-Grade Agility Up, is that correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Please use your skills on the helper.”

 

A helper came forward to confirm the usage of buff skills. I was worried that I was lacking mana, but fortunately no mishaps occurred when I used my skills. I need to buy some mana potions.

After I finished checking my abilities, I went into the photobooth and took a picture. Not only pictures the size of the ID photo but also pictures of your whole body, back and front, are checked and immediately stored in the Association database. I then waited for a while. Upon hearing my name being called, I approached the certificate issuer.

 

“Mr. Han Yujin is an F-Level Awakening and meets the Hunter requirements. You can be issued a Hunter’s license and enter Dungeons after completing the basic program for new Hunters. Would you like the apply for the program?”

“I will apply to join Haeyeon Guild.”

 

Rookie Hunters who have already entered or is scheduled to enter guilds, can skip the basic program under the guild’s guarantee. It was because of the much higher quality of the rookie Hunter education in the guild.

I passed the Haeyeon Guild’s guarantee to the staff. The employee in charge of checking guarantees tapped their fingers on the keyboard.

 

“Please give me your account number to receive the subsidy. The subsidy can only be accepted in your name.”

“Baekil Bank number 995-04-109982.”

 

I got one million won in pocket money. Long live the Association.

A Hunter’s license was issued immediately after receiving a guild guarantee. The Hunter’s license was the same size as a resident registration card and had a number, rating, and your name, along with a photo of proof. I took the license and asked the staff.

 

“Is there any way to the Hunter’s mall from here?”

 

It’s annoying to have a watchdog tagging along when you go outside. You don’t have to follow me inside the Association.

 

“You can use the elevator at the end of the right corridor.”

“Thank you.”

 

As the employee said, I went up the elevator and immediately came out a side door that led straight into the shopping mall. ATM machines were seen near the door.

 

‘Let’s check to see how much Yuhyun gave us.’

 

Taking a card out of my wallet, I approached the ATM machine. A gift card dedicated to Hunter’s shopping mall. When I said I needed money to buy a contract, Yuhyun said that he had put in a moderate amount of money. It’s a bit embarrassing to get an allowance from my little brother, but all the items for Hunters are expensive, so I can’t cut it with just my poor wallet.

 

‘It is said that an A-Level contact could go up to 10 million won.’

 

Ideally I would buy an S-Level contract but I did not know how much it would cost. It would be more than twice the price of an A-Level contract. I needed a mana potion so I’ll just buy an A-Level contract.

When I put the card in the machine and checked the balance, the number quickly appeared on the screen.

 

[Balance: 1,000,000,000 won]

 

……how many zeros are there?

 

‘Yuhyun, are you insane?’

 

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<My Brother is Strange (4)>

 

By the time the world was getting used to dungeons, Hunters had become a famous money-making profession.

Not even mentioning S-Levels, even B-Levels could make whopping amounts of money. The annual income of C-Levels is also high. Even in D-Levels, you could make 100 million won. Below, not only the E-Levels, but also for F-Levels, if there is adequate combat aptitude, the income would be better than small and medium sized business men.

Mana Stones from dungeons have become a new source of energy, and also by-products for the development of new medicines and useful new materials. In addition, magic and science were combined and various new technologies have been created.

 

Is this world, Han Yuhyun who is all, handsome, and famous for his quickly developing Haeyeon Guild, do I need to explain any further? He is barely twenty years old, young and promising. (??: 창창하다 못해 어리다)

Even with just one interview, viewers’ ratings were several times higher, and magazines with photos sold out instantly.

 

‘If it’s let slip that he’s a family man, the reaction is going to be explosive.’

 

I muttered inwardly, looking at Yuhyun’s back as he is pulling out a pot from the spacious induction kitchen. Of course, I thought we were going out for dinner. I never thought that we would be eating homemade cooking in his house.

For your information, Yu-hyun’s house was on the top floor of the Haeyeon Guild building. It is not widely known for security reasons, but it accounts for half of the floor. It is a place where people can only enter via filthily expensive mini-portals, and not stairs, elevators, or doors.

 

“I did not know you were a good cook.”

 

Sitting at the dining table, I watched my brother finishing his cooking and accidentally let that slip.

 

“It’s better now that I’ve been watching what I eat.”

“What? Why? You’ve got a lot of money.”

 

Not even mentioning the ability to buy anything you want to eat after you’ve Awakened, you’re making enough money to hire a top-notch chef. He answered my question with some reservations.

 

“Now I have to detox items, unlike before. That’s why I feel more comfortable cooking my own food. Even now, when I go into dungeons, I carry my own dry rations. Dungeons are the most dangerous place to be.”

“……detox? You do that?”

 

What did I hear? I mean, there were some bastards who put poisons and curses in the food, so I had to cook for myself… was that it?

 

“……”

 

I didn’t know. In the past, I thought that he was just a lucky, hotshot S-Level Awakening, and that he would only suffer a little after my return. To think that his life was being threatened, I never could have dreamt that it was such a mess.

For me, Yuhyun was so strong that I couldn’t even look at him. As soon as he Awakened, he got everyone’s attention and became popular. I saw only the term “S-Level” and closed my eyes to everything else.

 

“Don’t look like that. This was the result of my choice.”

 

Yuhyun, who came to the table, said in a soft voice.

 

“The tall tree catches the wind. You think it’s nice to have a kid out there trying to make a guild for himself? If you just entered the right guild and made a proper living, you would not have to face such threats on your life.”

 

I couldn’t do what he did. He laughed at me.

 

“That’s why I’ve been upset with my relationship with hyung all this time. It is also the result of my choice to monitor, interfere with, and bind hyung in the name of protection. I made my guild, knowing that they would touch my only blood related relative.” (??: 그놈들이 하나뿐인 혈육에 손 댈 거라는 사실을 알면서도 나는 내 길드를 만들었어.)

“……Why did you not tell me?”

“At first I didn’t want to burden you… and later I thought you wouldn’t understand.”

 

…Certainly, if it was before my regression, I would either yell at my brother to let me live on my own or resent him.

 

“But I was totally wrong. You were still thinking about me and worried about me like when I was a kid. I misunderstood hyung without knowing it. I’m sorry.”

 

Ugh, my conscience hurts. I was just going to loaf around after my regression. If you say these things, I feel like crap.

 

“……I didn’t do much good either.”

“You were interrupted with everything you tried to do without knowing why. It’s understandable.”

 

The inside of my chest was itchy. The warm ticklish feeling became stronger as the younger brother took a bite of the meal.

It was good to go back to the past.

It was the best choice I’ve ever made.

 

“I roughly understand the situation. But isn’t it too much for today? You don’t have to do all this to keep me safe. So far, nothing big has happened.”

 

As soon as I expressed my desire to leave, Yuhyun’s face stiffened up.

 

“No.”

“Why? I’ll be careful. I was okay this morning.”

“This morning is different from now. The only reason hyung could have done so much is because I had cut off relationships with you. It’s illegal to lay a hand on an Unawakened and people would think it’s not worth the risk.”

 

A heavier voice followed.

 

“But if I command the Haeyeon Guild to take note of hyung’s safety, and ask them to patrol your residence, my enemies will start targeting you. They’ll already start keeping an eye on you just because I brought you into my house.”

“Then it’s better to keep pretending to be on bad terms on the outside, right?”

“You said you were okay with it.”

“……what?”

 

When did I? I don’t have a single memory that allowed him to have me live in captivity.

Yuhyun replied with a cheeky face.

 

“I’m sorry and I love you. Honestly, it’s my fault and I’m supposed to be responsible for it, but you shouldered it. That’s as good as permission.”

 

Is, is that how you interpreted it? This kid’s weird, too!

 

“Don’t be ridiculous! Life in captivity is a no-no!”

“Just put up with it for three years. I’ll wipe them out in three years.”

 

Don’t laugh as you say it! And it’s not three years but five years! It took five years!

Damn it, the right choice is bullshit. The heat extended across the back of my neck and my back straightened, but I tried to calm my mind with deep breathing. The guy in front of me is a S-level awakening before he’s my brother. That’s a guild that’s experienced many hardships. Emotionally, you won’t get a scratch.

I could never win with force and this had to be solved through dialogue somehow.

 

“How can I live in imprisonment for three years? I already get depressed if I stay in the room for only a month. Even if there were people who were after me, it wouldn’t be hard to make a fuss in broad daylight. And if you do not mind, I can stick with a guardian. I can go with Sunghan or something.”

“Of course I’ll let you out sometimes.”

“How often?”

 

I have arrived here in the present. I’m sitting with my younger brother, not even my parents. At my age, my parents wouldn’t even say anything. How did this happen?

 

“It depends on the schedule. If we start hitting the dungeons, we won’t be able to hire A-Levels to protect you. You can’t leave it to B-Levels.”

 

The bottom line is that all you need is an A-Level with a lot of time. I opened my mouth with confidence.

 

“Then you’ll let me go if I get a dedicated A-Level guard.”

“…you’re going to get an A-level?”

“Yes.”

 

Yuhyun’s eyes, that were filled with wonder, suddenly turned sharp.

 

“Hyung, you’ve Awakened.”

“……huh?”

 

H, how did he know? This jerk’s dirty fast on the uptake.

 

“Even in the morning, you were going to meet a broker, so you must have been Unawakened, so when did you Awaken? Right before you met me? Right after we met? That’s why you gave up on contacting the broker. Your destination would have been the Hunter’s Association.”

 

…I have nothing to say. I’m going to lie down.

 

“I’m afraid the rating is less than D.”

“You can tell that?”

“C-Levels or higher would be a little awkward as they are not able to adapt to excessive physical abilities. Especially if muscle strength exceeds the average B-Level, you would not be able to adapt for three or four days. You wouldn’t be able to control your strength so you would destroy everything you touch.”

 

I guess so.

 

“Did that happen to you to?”

“Yeah. However, the adaptability of S-Levels is high, and it gets better in a day. Of course, if you have extremely high mental strength or mana, it won’t be noticeable even if it’s above C-Level.”

“I’m an ordinary F-Level.”

“Initial skill, special skill? If you are confident that you can get an A-Level, you will be able to know the Awakening Level, Awaken the target, or both. It should be at least Grade C.”

 

It’s S Level. I can’t say anything in front of him. Given that Yoo Hyun’s expression is very shaky, I think it’s better to speak less about it.

 

“It’s a special Awakening skill, and it’s C-Grade. I can awaken the Unawakened and roughly know the expected Level of Awakening.”

“How accurate is it?”

“It’s usually half and half. It’s either strong or weak. I can’t tell you apart from Sunghan. Perhaps B-Level or less. There’s a 30-day cooldown per usage. If it weren’t for the waiting time, it would be Class A.”

 

He nodded at my words. His face, which had been shadowed, also lit up slightly.

 

“That’s enough to get caught, but I’m not going to get shot. (??: 그 정도면 들통 난다 해도 크게 노려지지는 않겠어.) It would be useful if you could find out more than grade B in advance, but the waiting time is too long. Even if you find an A-Level or S-Level, there’s no guarantee that you can sign a contract. The temptation of Awakening cannot be used because there is going to be an Awakening Center.”

“Awakening Center?”

 

I pretended not to know.

 

“The Awakening Mechanism has been roughly identified, so the construction of the center is about to begin. It’s the association’s goal to make sure that in the next half year, it would be safe for anyone to Awaken. Each of the top guilds has already talked about it, and they’ve invested. I’ve invested too.”

“That’s great. The number of Awakenings will increase tremendously?”

“The official announcement is in four months, so don’t go around talking.”

“Are you going to let me meet someone to talk to?”

 

Instead of answering, the smile came back. Why don’t you let this madman lock you up in a prison cell?

 

“Anyway, I’ll find an A-Level to protect me, so just give me a chance.”

“It wouldn’t be easy once every 30 days. A-Levels are not common.”

“But it won’t take three years. If I’m lucky, you can find it right away.”

 

Of course I don’t need luck. I already know who’s an A-Level.

Yuhyun’s mouth opened after a while.

 

“Okay, if you really sign a contract with an A-Level, I’m not going to overprotect you. They have to have an offensive or a defense ability.”

 

Finally, I was given permission. He’s such a horrible, strict little brother. Although there was one more condition, Park Yerim was famous as a combat wizard, so that was no problem. The problem was the keyword, dammit.

 

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

 

t/n: please tell me if you would prefer me to write “hyung” instead of big brother, and all other things that come with it (aka ahjussi = uncle, noona = big sister, etc.) if there is no preference, I will continue with using big brother instead of hyung.

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<My Brother is Strange (3)>

 

Since I had some time until evening, I decided to go to Korea Hunter Association.

 

‘I just want to get an F Grade.’

 

I intended to reveal only the basic skills and hide the titles and additional skills. If you have one L-level or S-level defense skill, with F-Grade stats, the L to S-Level assist skill is too much. If the owner of skills that can be used outside the dungeon, like My Little One’s The Best or Promising Sprout, can’t protect themselves, it was like turning on a billboard saying ‘Kidnap Me’.

They could kidnap me and then blackmail and torture me into using my skills.

 

If you have assist skills you want to use during combat, you and your party might die, so it’s better to party normally. However, if it is a skill that can be used outside the dungeon and is not related to combat, it is enough to keep it as a slave without paying for it..

In fact, there were a lot of victims out there.

 

‘That’s why I hid the title of Caregiver.’

 

I would have been able to raise the Hunter rating immediately if I told the association, but I was too afraid to do so. I thought I couldn’t be protected because I believed I had lost my brother.

What should we do this time?

 

‘Yuhyun I want to share with you all my skills to help the guild, can you protect me?’

 

Dragon Slayer is hard to explain, so I can only talk about the Perfect Caregiver. I think you can be a big brother just by doing a good job. If I recruit a good-looking rookie, I’ll give him a spot rather than kick him out of the guild this time.

I opened the door in a pleasant fancy. And my eyes met with another’s.

 

“Uh……”

 

A man over 190cm with a tall and muscular figure leaned against the wall of the hallway in front of my door and stared at me bluntly.

Class A Awakening Kim Sunghan. (김성한)

It is one of Han Yuhyun’s faithful right-hand man, the Haeyeon guild leader, and is a battlehunter specialized in defense. Yuhyun’s loyalty to me was so high that he thought I was an eyesore. …From the look on his face, he seems to be still think that.

 

But why are you here? Standing in the road… I was passing through.

 

“Well… How are you?”

 

Kim Sunghan completely ignored my greeting. What? This didn’t happen before. When I heard Yuhyun scold me, I got angry and I thought I’d take care of it, so I just stormed out screaming, “Don’t worry.”

 

“I have a few things to see. Work hard.”

 

I’m going to pass by.

 

“That’s not possible.”

 

A heavy bass blocked me. It didn’t just end with a voice, but he even caught my arm.

 

“The guild leader ordered me to keep you from going out.”

“……pardon?”

 

Why? Did he think I was going to go find the Awakening Broker again. He didn’t believe me? …I wouldn’t believe me either

 

“I don’t want to get into an accident. I’m just going out for a minute and I’ll be right back. It’s only an hour.”

 

It takes 10 minutes from here to Hunter’s Association by taxi, and there will be fewer people on weekdays, so it will be over in an hour. But the hand that grabbed my arm did not budge.

 

“Go straight into the room, please.”

“No, really, just for a second……”

 

When I was faced with increasingly fierce eyes, my voice decreased. Just then.

 

[The pressure has been annulled!]

 

The fear-resistance skill effect has been activated. But even if you have skills, what can you do? Even if you’re not scared, you’ll still get hit. It’s so useless.

 

“Alright. Going in, going in.”

 

I turned around, brushing away Kim Sunghan’s hand. In front of a Class A, you are a flea and he is too inflexible to talk sense into. Oh, by the way, what are his skills?

Kim Sunghan’s eyes narrowed as I turned around again. Dude. Staring won’t do anything. The status window popped up with I used Promising Sprout.

 

[Awakened Person – Kim Sunghan

Current Stat Class A

Awakening Available: Stats A to S

Optimization of Initial Skill

Indomitable Body (S) Failed to Obtain

Regenerative Power (S) Failed to Obtain

Shield of the Earth (A) Obtained]

 

What a waste! I almost shouted out loud. You’ve got two S-Level Skills that can be obtained, your maximum level is S-Level! If I recall, Kim Sunghan’s initial skills were the Shield and Footprints of the Earth.

 

‘Wow, that’s too bad. Can’t a man who’s already Awakened be Reawakened? Kim Sunghan’s Optimization Awakening!’

 

[The target’s keyword Attunement is incomplete.]

 

Oh, keyword.

 

[Target that has been Awakened cannot undergo Optimal Awakening.]

 

Message windows appeared one after another. I can’t do that either. It can’t be helped…

 

[My Little One’s The Best (L) Single Skill Concentration of Growth enables acquisition of new skills, including failed optimization skills.]

 

Wow! Was it possible to focus on one skill? Anyway, the dirty system’s description is not good enough. There were not many hidden effects that were found in belatedly in this way. Even without an open message window, I think there’s an additional effect…? There is a skill that I want.

Anyway it’s amazing that you can get an S-Level skill that you previous failed to obtain, jackpot… Jackpot…… I won……

 

‘Fuck, keyword.’

 

I looked up at Kim Sunghan. A rude man who is sending a glare to the me who is not going back in. He’s 20 centimeters taller than me, and he’s a man with a loud voice.

Yeah, I can’t. I’ll never do it.

 

I went into the room, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Then I inwardly shouted to myself.

 

‘Replace keywords!!’

 

No, reset, reset. I want to go back again. Just for one day. No, just for one hour.

I said that I wasn’t going to do it but I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it would be a dirty waste!

 

‘It would be helpful if the number of S-Levels in the guild increased by one. Yeah, I’ll explain it to Yuhyun first and……’

 

Muttering under my breath, I felt like I was missing something. …something about keywords? Something about telling others about my skills?

An unforeseen circumstance hits the back of the head.

Let’s settle the situation calmly. Now, I.

 

‘……I’m locked up.’

 

I’m trapped. No one but an A-Level Awakened is standing guard at the door. It’s too much to simply prevent me from seeking out an accident. C-Level , or even D-Level, is enough to stop me

 

‘Yuhyun, you……’

 

What are you thinking? This has never happened before the regression.

I walked around the room and then sat down on my bed.

 

‘If this situation right now is just to protect me.’

 

It occurred to me that Yuhyun had immediately deleted the broker’s contact information and didn’t let me contact him. Things have been strange since then.

Even though I am weaker than him, I’m still his older brother. I’m an adult and no longer obsessed with being a hunter, I can live alone well enough. Moreover, unlike before the regression, it is already known that there was absolutely no need to do this.

In the first place, Yuhyun doesn’t have the right to lock me up, does he?

 

I rolled my head around and pulled out my cell phone. I’ll ask him myself.

At the end of a short beep, Yu-hyun answered the phone.

 

“Uh, it’s nothing much. I was going to go out for a while, but Kim Sunghan blocked me. He said it was your order?”

[Where are you going?]

 

The Hunter Association…… I guess I’d better not say that now.

 

“Just home.”

[Why home?]

“Do I need a reason to go back to my house? I will come back in the evening.”

 

The voice over the cell phone paused for a moment, but it started again with a lower voice.

 

[That’s a little different from what Sunghan said.]

“Uh, huh?”

[He said you’d be back in an hour.]

“No, that’s because he was blocking me. I mean, I was not going anywhere else.”

 

Why is he so sensitive? The uncertainty in my heart became a little bit bigger.

 

[If you do not have anything special to do, just stay put. The house is… hyung just join the guild.]

“What?”

[You do not have to live separately. It’s not like the world is safe these days. There’s no dungeon near hyung’s house, but you don’t know when and where it might happen, and what if it suddenly pops up?]

 

No, the next 5 years are safe.

 

[I’ll get you ready for the move.]

“What move, hey!”

[I have to go out, so I will not be able to reach you until evening. If you need anything, tell Sunghan.]

“No, wait a minute! Yoohyun!”

 

The telephone line went dead. I looked at my cell phone, feeling both flustered and dumb.

 

‘Is this also one of the side effects of regression?’

 

I think my brother’s personality has changed a lot. What’s wrong with him?

 

‘The title of Perfect Caregiver, I shouldn’t reveal it.’

 

Right now I’m still known as an Unawakened. If I reveal that I have a very useful assist skill, I might not be able to take one step out of the room. …I can’t even get out right now.

Damn it, I’m gonna have to hide it for now and take a look into it.

 

‘If Yuhyun is going to keep acting weird, I’ll have to build my own power.’

 

It is possible only with the title of Perfect Caregiver.

First of all, I have to visit A-Levels and S-Levels of the future and Awaken them. I wish I was younger. I’m persuading children to Awaken……

 

‘…This is either a conman or a child trafficker.’

 

Well, I’m not getting paid for it, and I’ll really Awaken them!

I will need to write a contract to make sure the awakened kids do not betray me. You’ll protect me as my Hunter for a year without revealing the secret of your Awakening, it’ll be enough. If you can, keep it for the rest of your life! I want to say, but there is no contract item that can keep the S-Level in place for a long time. The longest was ten years.

 

If I sweep up all the A to S Levels and using the Growth skill as bait to make them stay, a big guild will soon be completed.

 

‘Or maybe in the middle it would be okay to merge with Hayeon Guild.’

 

If I bring a lot of A to S Levels, Yuhyun will have to acknowledge me. You want to lock me up again? I’m not going to get caught because I have these kids to protect me.

All right, who’s the first one to get hooked up.

 

Park Yerim, an ice witch who will become an A-Level Awakening after three years. It’d be nice. She was able to quickly rise up to S-Level after awakening as an A-Level.

 

’I was living in Seoul. I once saw an interview where I had lost my parents to the first Dungeon shock and lived near a relative who owns a restaurant near Myeong-dong Station. The age is now… fifteen?’

 

…A girl in middle school. Keywords being middle school girl……………

I am not a lolicon! I like adult women! This is just the bottom line for awakening!

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

#edited: 14/4/2019

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

<My Younger Brother is Strange (2)>

 

 

 

 

 

I had gone back to the past. Was that not what had just happened?

 

‘Did the things that happened before I went back in time affect me?’

 

Was that why the caregiver title changed?

Before confirming the title, I checked the rest of my stats.

 

[Level 1

Stamina: 6 | Strength: 4 | Agility: 5 | Spirit: 4 | Mana: 2]

 

Well, this was the same. Excluding mana, my level 1 stats had an average value of around 5, which made them F Class.

The growth of level of Awakened stats was determined by the average level of stats from the beginning, excluding the dirty slow mana.

So, although there were often times when the rating of the stats varied as they grew, it was usually impossible for stats to increase by two Classes. It meant that a cat would never grow up to become a tiger.

 

[Skills

Spirit Up (E): Spirit of the target + 5% (Immediate effect, similar and/or identical skills cannot overlap), duration 30 minutes

Agility Up (E): Agility of target + 5% (Immediate effect, similarity and/or identical skills cannot overlap), duration 30 minutes]

 

My basic skills were also very similar to my previous ones. I used to have Strength Up instead of Spirit Up, but it probably changed because the Awakening situation had changed.

My basic buffs’ skill rating was E, only one Class above the bottom. Still, it was a skill that could easily go up to D-Class if cultivated well.

 

‘I wasn’t able to raise the Class because Yuhyun kept getting in my way.’

 

Even if someone’s stats were F Class, if their skill became D Class, their Awakening Class could be raised to E. That was why some people who had F Class stats could be considered B Class through their skills – albeit only occasionally.  About a one in five million chance?

There was only one person in the world who had F Class stats but was considered A Class due to her SS Class skill. Emily Spence, a Saint who was said to be able to keep people alive with her own breath. She was an incredibly old lady and many people were of the opinion that she should have been an S Class. However, no one could help her clear an S Class Dungeon and so she eventually remained as an A Class. S Class Dungeons were too dangerous to be able to clear while protecting an F Class.

 

‘Once again I just barely qualified to be a Hunter.’

 

There were many Awakened people in the world. Originally it was not as common but when the Awakening Center would be established six months later, the grandfather of the house behind you, the boy next door, and the uncle of the house over there could all be Awakened.

But 999 of those 1,000 Awakenings had F Class stats and F Class skills. In other words, they were just ordinary people.

What was worse was that F Class skills could not be upgraded because growth was impossible.

Thus, Hunter qualifications were issued only when either the stats or skills was E Class and above. This was the reason why there were so many Awakenings but so few Hunters.

 

‘Now then, the title……’

 

Think about this, I swallowed dryly. Not A, not S, but L. There were two Legendary titles.

There were no changes in stats.

 

‘Is Dragon Slayer a skill title too?’

 

Titles were divided into skill titles and stat titles.

Stat titles literally raised stats, while skill titles gave additional skills.

It was just too bad. Even if I couldn’t have gotten L Class stats, I could have still raised my stats to B Class.

 

‘If my stats were B Level, Yuhyun wouldn’t be so overprotective of me. I have no choice but to rely on my skills.’

 

Come on, defensive skills. Come on, defensive skills.

I opened the Dragon Slayer title information window while praying.

 

[Dragon Slayer (L)

Proof of a warrior who had hunted a Grade 1 dragon (Lauchitas) on their own.

 

Title’s Additional Skills

Poison Resistance (L)

Curse Resistance (L)

Fear Resistance (L)

Lauchitas’ Natural Enemy (SS)]

 

There were four additional skills from the beginning, which was also legendary.  Usually there were only 2 to 3 initial skills for S classes, 2 for A classes, and 1 for anything below that. In addition, titles that were B Class or higher could grow and the number of additional skills might increase.

 

‘The skills are all connected to Lauchitas. You could get Fire Resistance if you’ve defeated a fire dragon, and Ice Resistance if you’ve defeated an ice dragon.’

 

Lauchitas was a famous dragon known for its poison and curses.

I could tell how the resistance skills were supposed to work just by looking at their names, but I still checked them out.

 

[Poison Resistance (L) – Completely immune to poisons of Legendary level and below]

[Curse Resistance (L) – Completely immune to curses of Legendary level and below]

[Fear Resistance (L) – Completely immune to pressures of Legendary level and below]

 

They weren’t really good. They were trash skills.

If only I were a front line Hunter of A Class and above.

 

‘Where could I use this?’

 

There were no Dungeons that was predominantly poison or curse without physical attacks and, most of the time, attacks in general were physical in nature. Even if you were immune to both poison and curse while fighting Lauchitas, if you did not have agility or physical defense, you would have been cut finely with its claws.

 

‘On the other hand, if an S Class Hunter had this title, it would be very useful.’

 

This was putting pearls before swine, oink.

With a deep sigh, I checked the last skill, the SS Class Lauchitas’ natural enemy.

 

[Lauchitas’ Natural Enemy (SS) – Double the effectiveness of all skills against Lauchitas and any similar species]

 

Bullshit! This is awful!

The only skills I got were immunization and buffs, and double skill effectiveness in front of a giant lizard that would make me its snack! Similar species. The weakest of Lauchitas’ species was a Grade 5 dragon, and it was not a level an F Class could take.

 

‘Damn it, what a waste! If only these went to an S Class instead of me! Why couldn’t I give them to Yuhyun?’

 

If Yuhyun had double effectiveness with those filthy good skills, he would have been able to beat the Lauchitas like a dog!

 

“Aigoo, aigo—”

 

I couldn’t help but cry. My stomach was all twisted up. What a waste!

After hitting the ground for a while, I calmed down and looked at the status window again.

 

‘The Perfect Caregiver’s skills could still be useful.’

 

‘Yeah, I was supposed to live a decent life anyway. Don’t think about crawling into Dungeons, let’s just walk through life with growth buffs.

 

[Perfect Caregiver (L)

Proof of a caregiver who has nurtured a strong world-class power. The current abilities of the caregiver will be even more perfect as they are the caregiver’s charge’s past abilities +100% .]

 

……what?

Wait, what is this title?

The description and the beginning of my former title, the caregiver, were the same. Proof of a caregiver who has nurtured a strong world-class power. However, the Perfect Caregiver had one more line behind it.

 

‘The ability of the caregiver’s charge +100%… was it when Yuhyun died and I received twice his power? Is the title Perfect Caregiver because of what I did at that time?’

 

Events that had happened in the past and future, events that had disappeared at the same time, were now effecting the present. It made me feel strange to think so. Was this okay? Maybe there were other side effects outside of the title.

 

‘But it really was worth being called Legendary.’

 

It was terribly difficult to achieve the conditions needed for the title.

You had to raise a strong world-class power, which had to be at least an S Class, and you needed to be twice as strong as that S Class in the past.

 

‘It was possible for me to get it because I had this trick called “Regression”, but in regular cases you would have to be as good as an SSS Class munchkin and also raise an S Class.’

 

It wasn’t like what happened back then where the caregiver could get double the buffs when their charge died; that wouldn’t fulfill the condition. It would be possible to raise one more S Class after that, but it won’t be easy. As far as I had known, I was the only Caregiver who raised an S Class.

There might have been people like me who hid their title and covered it up.

 

‘Then the skill is…’

 

How had they changed? I lowered my gaze slightly and confirmed the additional skills.

 

[My Little One’s The Best (L)

Final Gratitude (L)

My Child Is So Good (SS)

Promising Sprout (S)]

 

The number of skills was four like the Dragon Slayer title, but the rating was low. Two L Classes, one SS Class and one S Class. Of course, this was great, but it’s a bit far off compared to the other title which was also L Class.

 

‘But it is much more useful to me.’

 

I opened the My Little One’s The Best skill information window with a feeling of satisfaction. The skill name sucked, though.

 

[My Little One’s The Best (L) – Growth rate + 100%

Duration 3 days

Skill can be used without keywords on targets that are already Attuned

Cannot be duplicated to the same target

Cooldown 30 days for the same target

Keywords: I love you

※ Not applicable when target recognizes the effect of keyword

 

Targets who have completed Attunement (1)

Han Yuhyun (S)]

 

It’s good. Everything’s good.

 

‘The hell, why is the keyword like this?!’

 

I was sure it was ‘hang in there’ before! Was it because I told him I loved him? Did he get Attuned through that?

Holy shit!

 

‘What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!’

 

I mean, if it were a younger family member or an adult female partner, I could still say it. But if it were a man? If it were a child? If I have to raise an Awakened minor, I would go to jail!

And it wasn’t just telling anyone that you loved them. If the conditions of Attunement were the same as those of the past, you had to spend some time with your target. You had to talk to each other, listen to their interests, engage in emotional exchanges, and say keywords at the right time.

Or at least save their life under extreme circumstances and then… confess

Confess. Yeah, I had to confess. Hahaha.

 

‘……Let’s just use it for Yuhyun.’

 

It’s a shame but I can’t help it. Fortunately, I just needed to say it once when I try to Attune the keywords.

……well, it’s just one time so if there was anyone that I want to raise, I could pretend to be crazy. Ughhh.

In agony, I opened the information window for the Final Gratitude skill.

 

[Final Gratitude (L) –  When the target of the Keyword Attunement is killed, the skills and abilities of the target can be transferred with twice the efficiency.

Duration: 7 days]

 

It was an old skill, the strongest skill in my last regression. Seven days was quite long, but it was only a one time use, so why was it L-Class?

 

‘This will be sealed.’

 

Not was it only better to not use it, it was also a skill that could not be revealed to others.

Think about it. Who would welcome someone whose skills involve the death of others and the stealing of abilities? It would be uncomfortable to hang out with someone like that. There would be the idea that a guy like that would stab you in the back in dangerous situations, and then survive.

That was why I never told anyone about this skilll before my regression.

I checked the skill My Child Is So Good. It’s name sucked as well.

 

[My Child is So Good (SS) – In front of target and more than five intelligent people who can understand the Attunement keyword, the targets’ ability and skill effects + number of intelligent targets% (maximum of 100%)

Duration: 30 minutes

Cooldown time: 10 days

※Not applicable when target and surrounding intelligent people recognize the effect of the keywords.]

 

Keywords. The damned keywords.

I looked through the Skill Information window, but there were no keywords specified. In other words.

 

‘This time it’s a public confession?!’

 

Fuck, I can’t even use this for Yuhyun!

The skill itself was good. It was realy good. If done in front of a hundred spectators, the skills and abilities of the target would double.

But why a love confession? Did they want me to lose my face?

 

‘And the duration is 30 minutes, I’m going to have to be right next to him.’

 

Thinking about it calmly, I couldn’t use the skill properly anyway. The duration of the Little One skill was 3 days so I could use it outside of the Dungeon. If I used the My Child is So Good skill outside the Dungeon, it would run out before they were even halfway closer to the boss

Besides, the number of people who could enter a Dungeon was limited.

 

‘Oh, this is an impossible plan.’

 

I really wanted to give this skill to someone else. If it were passed over to the pretty buffers and healers that were B Class or higher, it would be perfect and less objectionable.

Just +10% of the skills could boost the overall ability value and skill effects at once to A Class. This is because although there were many techniques for raising stats, there were few techniques for raising the effects of other skills. Since there were usually around 30 players allowed in an S Level Dungeon, you could be buffed up to a whopping +30%. It would’ve been a great help at the last boss, but it was a dirty waste on me.

I couldn’t even use it properly like the Final Gratitude. It made me sigh.

 

‘The rating is good but it’s mostly bullshit.’

 

I didn’t expect much, but I checked out the last skill, Promising Sprout.

 

[Promising Sprout (S) – You can check the predicted Awakening Class of an Unawakened person, Awakening can be optimized for targets already Attuned to the keyword.

Cooldown for Optimized Awakenings: 30 days]

 

……huh? Wait a minute.

 

‘This is amazing?’

 

Just being able to check the expected Awakening Class was a huge jackpot. It meant that we potential S Class or A Class Awakenings could be pulled over in advance.  However, the biggest jackpot was the ability to optimize the Awakening.

Approximately three years later, it was found out that the post-Awakening ability varied with the situation at the time of Awakening. For example, Awakening via the danger of drowning resulted in water-related skills, and Awakening via the danger of falling resulted in In addition, someone who both worked in the field and dealt with clients on the phone could plant manipulation skills and even hypnotic skills after Awakening.

In my case, I was Awakened in a different sort of situation compared to before, so my titles and skills had changed.

 

There had even been studies showing that Awakening Classes were also affected by Awakening situations. Even if you have the potential to be an A Class Awakening, your Class might end up below B if the Awakening situation was not good.

However, it wasn’t easy to adjust Awakening situations to suit people. Not only now but also five years later, it was impossible to optimize Awakening situations

However, through the Promising Sprout skill, it was now possible to optimize Awakening situations.

 

‘The best quality and the best skill compared to the others!’

 

This means that I could pick up the best rookies once a month.

Wow this really was the best, it was good enough to be L-Grade……

 

‘……the keyword again.’

 

Oh, seriously. It’s seriously dirty! Serious, I, I!

……I should still use it. Sob sob.

 

 

 

 

 

<My Younger Brother is Strange (2)> End

Ⓒ근서/geunseo

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

t/n: 감화 actually means to be swayed (by), be influenced (by), be touched (by) but I used ‘attunement’ because using any of those three words makes reading weird.

#edited: 14/4/2019

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

 

<My Younger Brother is Strange (1)>

 

 

 

 

 

I was sitting on a bed and not on a dragon’s body. The scent of blood was also gone. The clothes I had been wearing were different too.

 

‘……Have I really gone back in time?’

 

First of all, I could not open the status window. I didn’t have my inventory either. Five years ago, I still had yet to be Awakened.

 

‘Yuhyun, that kid, was already a popular guild leader.’

 

Haeyeon Guild (垓埏). It was the guild that would become the best in both Korea and the world after five years of rapid development with a small number of elite members.

Of course, I was unable to get in. …There were many guild members that did not like me.

 

‘I’ve heard a hundred times that I should stop hanging around the guild and get out.’

 

Ugh, lousy things. Yeah, this time around I’ll keep my head down and live well.

 

I rummaged through my pocket and took out my cellphone. The date… Oh, I really was 5 years in the past. The most recent message was—

 

‘Wait, wasn’t this an Awakening Broker?’

 

Just that morning I had contacted the Awakening Broker. Seeing that, I began to recall the past.

 

‘I have gone back to that time.’

 

It had been 3 years since Dungeons started appearing in the world, causing the Awakening of many enthusiastic Hunters. Now was a time where the rapidly changing world was gradually stabilizing.

It was a time when I was struggling with an inferiority complex, only able to look at the back of my brother, who was a well-known “S-level Awakening”. Therefore I contacted the Awakening Broker in the vain hope that if I Awakened, I would be like him.

Awakening Brokers. To put it simply, swindlers.

Awakening Brokers were brokers who illegally allowed people to enter Dungeons in exchange for a large amount of money, telling them that they would Awaken if they clear the Dungeon. Most of them, however, were vicious people who would disappear after taking the money. Even if they did take you to the Dungeon, they would not protect you.

 

‘It’s not like I Awakened through clearing a Dungeon in the first place.’

 

There was a high possibility of Awakening due to the dangerous environment of a Dungeon, but it has nothing to do with clearing the Dungeon. Those facts were revealed to the public half a year later and the Korean Hunter’s Association would later create a safe Awakening facility, and brokers completely disappeared.

Anyway, I had packed some money to meet with the broker.

 

‘I had gotten caught by my younger brother’s men and brought here.’

 

Yeah, I remember this for sure. This was one of the rooms in the Haeyeon Guild building.

Right now he was probably going to come in and yell at me with disapproval. Just as I had that thought, the door burst open. Han Yuhyun stepped into the room.

He wasn’t a gentleman either.

 

“Hyung.”

 

My living younger brother called out to me. The face looking at me was very young. He was young even after five years but right now, he was even younger.

He was twenty years old, now.

He was just now showing signs of being an adult; if the world was peaceful, he would still be a student. Either that or he would have just been enlisted into the army. Of course, the army still existed.

 

‘S Class Awakeners were exempt from the army, though.’

 

I had gone there. There were many young man in the army who Awakened in the army and get discharged early. If I had been honorably discharged, it would be due to the fact that I was an F Class. Exemption from military service started with Class Es.

Anyway Yuhyun was so good that he didn’t need to go to the military… Oh, my inferiority complex was about to explode again.

Let’s give up greed. Let’s throw away anguish. Namo Amitahba. (t/n: Buddhist mantra)

 

With a dirty look on his face, Yuhyun walked towards me. Now that he was closer, I could see that the five-year period was more difficult for him than I had thought.

I hadn’t really thought about it before my regression, but now it seemed that he must have had a hard time. It wasn’t easy to make and develop your own guild even if you were an S Class.

Meanwhile, his older brother got into an accident.

……I was wrong.

 

“Dungeon Brokers are—”

“I’m sorry.”

 

I apologized first. My younger brother, who was about to lecture me, shut up.

He looked at me as if he had never seen me before.

 

“I won’t do it again.”

 

For this and everything that would have happened later. I would live up to my word. Yuhyun had a confused look on his face and carefully opened his mouth.

 

“By any chance, if you’ve had any major accident……”

“It’s not like that.”

 

He didn’t trust me. He didn’t believe me.

I slapped him on the arm with a smile.

 

“Well, I sat down and thought about it, and I realized that I seem to have been immature.”

 

The dragon’s back was cool, so it had been the perfect placed for me to rest my head.

My little brother was taken aback by my awkward remarks.

 

“No, it’s not that you’re immature… no.”

“Not really. Hey, can I give you a hug?”

“H, huh?”

“It’s been a long time.”

 

It’s been a long time for him, but not me. The cold sensation of his body was still clear under the palm of my hand.

 

“……as you please.”

 

Yuhyun hesitantly nodded. Your big brother is just going to hug you once, little brother. What are you so embarrassed about?

Well, I’m a little embarrassed too.

I stretched out my arms and hugged my brother. The hug covered his entire body. It was smaller than before I had regressed.

 

“My younger brother, Han Yuhyun.”

 

His body was warm in my arms. I could hear the slightly accelerated beating of his heat and breath.

In my deep relief, something came out of my mouth. It was something that I usually never would have said.

 

“I love you.”

 

His body flinched and trembled. Hey, I’m embarrassed too, so don’t say anything. Just—

 

[The Awakening of ‘Han Yujin’ has been registered.]

 

…huh?

 

[Legendary Title ‘Perfect Caregiver’ granted!]

 

What?

 

[Title ‘Perfect Caregiver’ is in effect.

Perfect Caregiver Additional Skills – My Little One’s The Best

The growth rate of the Awakened ‘Han Yuhyun’ is doubled.

Duration – 3 days]

 

Whaaat?!?

The hell, what was this scam skill?

 

Caregiver titles were common. It was easy to receive this title if you were a parent or an older sibling who took care of and raised an Awakened person. It was even possible without blood relations.

If the dependent’s Awakening Class was over C and the relationship was good, it was likely for this title to appear. If the dependent’s Awakening was C Class to B Class, the title would be ‘Clumsy Caregiver’. A Class was ‘Ordinary Caregiver’. Finally, S Class was just ‘Caregiver’.

I had thought that the title of ‘Caregiver’ was considered to be the highest as there were no Awakeners that were beyond S Class.

 

‘The Perfect Caregiver? What the hell is this?’

 

In addition, the rate of the growth buffs was doubled.

My former title, ‘Caregiver’, gave an additional growth buff of up to 10 percent.  It only lasted for a single day. But this was double that. Didn’t this mean that you could raise a level in half a year?

 

‘No, the benefits are more towards skills than levels. Higher grade skills grow at a frustratingly slower pace!’

 

Wow, this was totally a scam. If I gave someone a buff before they went into a Dungeon, they would grow at light speed.

 

“…hyung?”

“Uh, yeah. No.”

 

I was so surprised that I had kept hugging him.

As I relaxed my arms and stepped back, Yuhyun’s face turned a little red and he coughed.

 

“……Lately I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on you. Thanks for saying this, hyung.”

“Th, thank you.”

“……”

“……”

 

An awkward silence fell. Well. Hmm, hmm.

When I felt that I could no longer bear the awkwardness and wanted to break and jump out of a window, Yuhyun spoke.

 

“……Do you want to have dinner with me later? It has been a long time.”

“Oh, I’d love to.”

“Yes.  Well, I’ve got work to do.”

“Mm, keep up the good work.”

 

My brother went out and the door closed. I tore my hair out.

 

‘Wow, that was awkward.’

 

Was this what it was going to be like during dinner? I thought I said that I didn’t want to eat. Cancel it now—

Suddenly

 

“I forgot.”

 

Yuhyun, who I thought had left, opened the door again. It was surprising.

 

“Remove the Awakening Broker from your contacts.”

 

He said, looking at the cell phone on the bed.

 

“I wouldn’t have let you answer the phone anyway.”

“……what?”

 

I must have made a mistake and sounded like I was going to seek out the broker.

Yuhyun has been staring at me without leaving even though he had finished speaking. …Did he want me to delete it right now? When I picked up his cell phone and showed him that I had deleted the broker’s contact information, he walked out with a satisfied expression.

My younger brother’s attitude was a little tense, moreso than usual.

 

‘My status window!’

 

I quickly opened the status window to take a look.

 

[Awakened Han Yujin

Titles – Dragon Slayer (L), Perfect Caregiver (L)]

 

Now, wait a minute. Dragon Slayer?

 

‘Why are you here?’

 

 

 

 

 

<My Younger Brother is Strange (1)> End

Ⓒ근서/geunseo

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

#edited: 11/4/2019

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

<Regression (2)>

 

 

 

 

 

I pulled out a dagger and made a long cut on my forearm. Blood leaked out of the cut and formed a dark red spear. Dazzling black flames flowed from the tip of the spear and wound around the shaft.

 

-Grrrr

 

Lauchitas, who had previously looked down on my and ignored me, raised all three of its heads at the same time. Its hackles rose, wary at the sight of the spear that had taken its eyes. Its mouth opened, showing the rows of serrated teeth that lay within.

If it were the original me, I would have long collapsed under its pressure before I could even meet its eyes. But now I couldn’t even feel the slightest bit of tension.

I was sure. It was weaker than me.

 

“C’mon, you fucking lizard.’

-Grrrr!

 

It cried as if in answer. The entire area was shaken by the roar that was full of life. The three heads of the red giant completely rose off the ground. There were no wings. Instead it had a sleek body that wore awful curses all over it, like a leopard’s spotted coat. Its long tail were full of speckled and patterned swirls, along with a set of thorns.

Thud!

Its four feet hit the ground. The sickle-like claws, which resembled the scythes of the god of death, left long scars on the floor. It had unimaginably fast movement for such a giant body. In one move, the creature crossed the space between us in a single leap. If it had been the me from before, I wouldn’t have been able to catch it.

But now I could.

 

“Why aren’t you crawling?”

 

I felt like it was a puppy that was running around. My brother was ranked 3 in terms of speed among the world’s strongest adults and teenagers. If my younger brother had been alone, the attacks of this little three-headed lizard wouldn’t be allowed to even graze him. At this moment, I was faster than him.

Tap!

I jumped into the air with a twisted mockery of a smile.

Smash!

The creature’s claws broke through the ground I had been standing on. As I lazily looked down at the scene, I used a flood of skills.

 

“Blue Willow Leaves.”

 

Leaves that could only be seen by the caster scattered over the area. I stepped on the leaves with my toes and jumped up into the air once again.

The highly poisonous Lauchitas jumped up again and again but I nimbly dodged its claws. Its curses, that shot up at me like stingers, was blocked by the shield.

Graaa!

The baby lizard on the ground roared. If you don’t like this, come up here with your wings!

My brother had no flying skills. But with the Blue Willow Leaves skill, he could dance in the air as if we were on the ground. There wasn’t any goddamn thing that he couldn’t do.

 

“No, he couldn’t cut ties with a useless older brother.”

 

Muttering, I pulled the spear in my head to the side. I wound the black flames back and pulled as if I were pulling a bow.

Shoot!

 

-Grrrr!

 

The spear that I fired penetrated the left head of Lauchitas. The black flames soared and the pierced head melted away in an instant. The lizard went mad with pain, running wild, swinging its claws and biting with its teeth. However, it was too slow.

Thud! Thud!

Like an eel that had been dragged ashore onto dry land, it jumped up and down on its bottom. It was a funny scene. That bastard’s funny, but I’m funny too.

 

I used my blood to create a new spear.

Bam!

 

-Kuh! Graa!

 

The right head was also smashed. With the loss of the heads that had working eyes, the Lauchitas was discern the world around it. The creature with scales all over its body stopped moving around and crouched down. It was as if it was scared.

 

“……this is too easy.”

 

It was so easy that I was almost in tears. It met its end too quickly.

If I burned the last head, even the most powerful dragon species wouldn’t be able to withstand it, but I aimed for the legs instead of the head. It was as helpless as a fish drying up on hot sand as I cut its limbs off one by one.

 

Slowly, gently.

 

The monster shrieked, groaned, and then took its final, dying gasps.

The floor was like a bloody version of a muddy swamp, but the Lauchitas was still alive. I clicked my tongue and sat on its body.

 

Time was almost up. Once the timer for the skill was over, I would immediately die from the venom of Lauchitas’ carcass.

What a useless person, I was.

 

“What else could I do even if I survived?”

 

If people knew that Yuhyun was dead because of me, his older brother, I would probably be sentenced to a public execution. If I was tied to the square, people would come from all over the world to stone me.

 

“I would go down in history, maybe even in textbooks. I have been cursed a lot so far, but now I’m sure I’m going to be cursed for generations to come. Haha.”

 

Why did you die instead of me, my stupid younger brother? It was really useless. Ah, fuck. I should have died back then when I had broken my leg. Then I wouldn’t be as horrible as I am now and Yuhyun wouldn’t have died for me. He really saved such a useless and unnecessary guy.

I thumped on the scales of the Lauchitas, which was breathing its last breaths, with the palm of my hand.

 

“I’m not going to live much longer so don’t be unfair. Why did you come out of a D Class Dungeon anyway? Did the managers miscalculate the Class?”

 

Either way, it didn’t matter to me anymore. There was no way I had the energy to leave before the effects of my skill ended.

 

“Why hadn’t I simply supported Yuhyun from behind and lived well?”

 

Getting protected by my good-natured younger brother and just live off of him; why did I get this inferiority complex?

Just then, the reward window for the death of Lauchitas popped up.

 

[Impossible Achievement! You have hunted a dragon alone!]

 

Yuhyun had shot the dragon too; why was it considered alone? Maybe it was because of the time difference between his attacks and mine.

 

Legendary Title ‘Dragon Slayer’ has been granted!]

 

Dragon Slayer. It sounded like a title with some great stats, but I hadn’t checked it. How did I know? A pumpkin is still a pumpkin even if you draw lines on it.

Then, my level rose and a series of items appeared one after another.

 

[Gatestone x10]

[Grade 1 Grant Amount x5]

[Red Dragon’s Great Sword]

[Wish Stone]

 

Huh? Wish Stone?

While glancing through the items in the window, the first thing I noticed was the Wish Stone. It was my first time seeing such an item.

 

“Just by seeing your name, it seems like you’ll be able to grant me a wish.”

 

No way. Something like that could only be a scam.

Though I thought it was ridiculous, I still sat up. When I opened the inventory, I saw a red bead that was just a little smaller than my fist.

Swallowing dryly, I took the beads out and checked the information on it.

 

[Wish Stone – Myth Class

Grants one wish for the user.]

 

It’s real!

 

“Then, my younger brother-!”

[※ Resurrection of the deceased is not allowed.]

“……what the fuck?!”

 

I belatedly noticed the last condition of the item. Why wasn’t I able to save a dead person? A Myth Class should be a Myth Class! If you are a god, you should be able to do whatever you want!

 

“Dammit, then what’s the point?! Everything except saving people? I, I just…!”

 

I grasped the Wish Stone tightly in my hand.

Things that I could wish for instantly flashed through my head. If it could grant any wish, I might be able to become stronger than Yuhyun. Maybe I could keep my current state.

Then I could get rid of my bad reputation. People would soon forget the heroes of the past and praise the new ones.

 

I could finally take the position that I had been so envious of.

In a much more glorious position, I could climb higher than anyone.

I was caught in delusion and rolled my eyes, and sighed for a long time.

 

“……Yuhyun, you. You’re really screwing with me until the end.”

 

I might regret it. No, I’m sure that I would regret it.

So, I won’t regret anything.

I’m already coated with layers of regret, if I added one more, would it make a difference?

 

“Hey, Wish Stone. Is it possible to turn back time?”

 

As if in answer, the red bead began to shine. The dead could not be raised, but I could still do this. It seemed like it was better to turn the clock back, how funny.

 

Then to before I came in here, no. Just bring me back to five years ago. With my current memory. I’ll live quietly and live well this time around.”

 

If I hadn’t gone out, I wouldn’t have been in trouble and my legs would be fine. Yuhyun wouldn’t be upset because of me. Everything would be fine.

I would just live off of my brother’s surplus money.

 

[Do you want to turn back time?]

“Yeah.”

 

The light shining from the beads grew stronger. All my eyes saw was bright red burn, and then suddenly everything became white.

And.

 

The sight of a strange room settled in front of my restored vision.

 

 

 

 

 

<Regression (2)> End

ⓒ근서/Geunseo

<Prev>|<TOC>|<Next>

#edited: 8/4/2019

<TOC>|<Next>

<Regression (1)>

 

 

 

 

 

“… Hyung, are you okay?”

 

That guy said. His side was ripped open and his guts were spilling out, and he was asking if I was ok.

He was on the verge of death yet his face was only a little pale. His calm look annoyed me. I sat on the floor and looked up at my brother without saying anything.

 

He was always interfering with my work. He was better than the dirty me, so people had always told me to stay put and behave, to not hold onto his thigh. They weren’t wrong to say that because eventually I had broken this big and reliable thigh.

However.

 

“……Why are you here?”

 

A blunt voice came out of my mouth on this old subject.

Why did you come to such a shit place for someone you don’t even know?

 

We were anything but close. If we ever ran into each other, there would only be a cold breeze. When my leg bones had been shattered, he did not come to the hospital to see me even once. When I went to him to request for help to fix my broken leg, he coldly turned me down and had me dragged out. That day, after being kicked out I was forced to take the money he gave me. I have never talked to him ever since.

He laughed bitterly at my question.

 

“Why are you here, fuck.”

 

Even though I thought he was the type of person who would bite the hand that feeds, a curse still emerged from my mouth. He had a lot of expectations on his shoulders but he still gave his life to save a useless family member. Crazy son of a bitch.

Since when were we that friendly? If you’re dead and on the news, damn it, I’ll just swear a few times and then forget about it. 

 

But what did you do?

I was angry. I was angry and irritated by my patheticness, not him.

Yes, I’ve always been an ugly older brother. Even in this situation, I’m still a person with a garbage brain filled with complaints and an inferiority complex.

So just let me die in a corner of a Dungeon! Why did you come?!

 

“Listen to me, hyung.”

 

That guy said, avoiding my question.

 

“Lauchitas falls asleep within five-hour cycles. If you hide for an hour, it will eventually go to sleep. Then you just have to get out through the entrance. I’ve taken care of all the lesser monsters so as long as you do not touch Lauchitas, you will be safe.”

 

He then held out a small blue stone to me. It was a gatestone that provided a way out of a closed dungeon. It can only be used near the entrance and is a very valuable item that could only be used one time by one person. 

I did not take the gatestone and pretended to be uncaring.

 

“Good for you. Now use it.”

 

He laughed at my words.

 

“I’ve got mine. I won’t use this.”

 

…Now that you’re one of the best Hunters in Korea, you’re carrying several of those precious gatestones. I reluctantly accepted the gatestone.

It was only then that he took his eyes off me and looked at his wounds. Without the strength of his skills, he would have long collapsed and died.

 

“……You have gatestones, do you have anything like elixirs?”

“No, I don’t. I have a small potion, but I don’t think that’s going to work. Lauchitas has a powerful curse on its claws.”

 

He laughed again. I didn’t know how to laugh with him. 

But that kind of calmness soon reached its limit. His knees bent and his body fell forward. I reflexively caught the upper half of his body. 

 

The smell of blood that I hadn’t felt so far stung my nose. It was awful. 

I thought I got used to the smell of blood as I walked around the dungeon but it brought me to my knees. I felt sick. 

I was tempted to throw away the body in my arms and flee.

 

“……hey.”

 

I could hardly hear the sound of breathing. 

There was no answer. 

I couldn’t laugh.

 

“……are you dead?”

 

My voice was shaking. It’s none of my business whether this asshole dies or not.

 

“Han Yuhyun. Are you dead?”

 

Damn, this stupid son of a bitch. I’d be damned if I survived by myself. I’m sure that there were a lot of guys who would want to burn the scumbag who killed his younger brother.

 

“You’re going to screw with me to the end?”

 

I muttered in vain.

Up to this day, he’s been interrupting me in everything I do. It is now time to hide. Dirty to the end, really.

 

[Effect of ‘Caregiver’ title has been activated.

Caregiver’s Additional Skill — Final Reward

The skills and abilities of Awakened ‘Han Yuhyun’ have been transferred with twice the efficiency.

Duration — 01:00]

 

A notice popped up, confirming his death. As one of the Additional Skills of my title, when a target who had been given the growth buff died, the target’s skills and abilities can be transferred for one hour

It also doubled in power.

As his power filled my body, some of his memories were also passed on.

 

‘My brother is an F-Level Awakener.”

 

This son of a bitch even to the end—

 

‘So he cannot be involved with me.’

 

Yuhyun was talking to someone. He seemed a little sad.

 

‘It’s already damaged, but in the future we need to be even more distant. Because Awakeners who qualified to become Hunters are not protected by the law.’

‘If my brother becomes my weakness, they will no doubt go after him.’

 

…who the hell are they?

 

‘Damn it, dispose of all of those bastards!’

 

It was when my leg had been broken. He was angry. And then he was sad again.

 

‘No. Tell him… healing is not possible. It would be better for him. I kicked him out… But he’s still my brother, I cannot help but help him……’

‘Hyung, I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry…’

‘Please don’t go into the dungeon.’

‘Hyung.’

 

My brother’s memory tightened my throat. The entire area was silent, but the sound of “hyung” still hurt my ears. The body was cold and stiff.

I was going crazy.

As expected, this fellow had covered for me until the very end. What are you protecting me for? The older brother is me. I had lost my parents at an early age, dropped out of school, and took care of my younger brother, raising him.

 

“Damn him! Did he think I was going to regret this?”

 

It’s your fault that you didn’t say a word.

I carefully laid my younger brother’s body onto the floor. His face looked relaxed. If I leave alone, it would be the same as when I came in.

 

“I’m not going to cry.”

 

Until the end, that selfish guy just did whatever he wanted; why would I cry for him? It was a waste of tears.

I got up. When I looked at the status window, I saw the increased number of skills. They were all top quality, even the double buffs.

Laughter broke out. 

 

Just one hour. For just an hour, I had become the strongest person in the world at the cost of my younger brother’s life.

 

“Damn it, what can you do with only one hour?”

 

It would be better for Han Yuhyun to be live longer for 40 or 50 more years. Even if Yuhyun became a grandfather, he would still be a lot stronger than me. How could it be compared to this one-time, one-hour presentation?

 

“Stupid bastard. That stupid fucking bastard.”

 

My brother’s stupidity brought tears to my eyes. The title of ‘genius’ was a waste on him. He was the world’s biggest fool.

 

“Gigant Shield.”

 

As soon as I used the skill, a faint golden light wrapped around my body. Originally, it was a shield that couldn’t stop Lauchitas’ claws, but now that it received the double buffs, I would survive even if I was bitten by the creature itself.

 

This, is all yours. So I am going to avenge you.

 

I walked slowly out of a gap in the wall where I was hiding. I could see a giant monster lurking at the far end of the wide corridor.

 

Lauchitas. Grade 1 polyp. The Dragon King of Poison and Curse. It had only appeared twice so far and both times were deemed as a non-combatant because its Dungeon door was closed.

The red dragon with three heads was looking at me. Among the three heads, the middle one’s eyes had been burnt out. The Lauchitas was very resilient, but it seemed that even it could not recover in such a short period of time from the injuries caused by Yuhyun’s blood.

Yeah, my younger brother’s great. Now I have double the abilities of that great younger brother 

 

Fuck. You’re dead.

 

 

 

 

 

<Regression (1)> End

ⓒ근서/Geunseo

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