Chapter 66

“Okay.”

“Thank you...!”

Despite the misgivings running through my mind, I ultimately accepted her invitation.

‘Ha. If I hadn’t witnessed that scene just now...’

The image of Seonwoo Yeon helping the elderly woman with her luggage kept replaying in my mind. It was difficult to be harsh toward a creature like that.

I had a weakness for altruism.

***

A little while later.

“Are you really all right with eating here?”

“Why go somewhere farther away? You were already planning to eat here.”

“Th-that was when I was alone...”

We entered a small snack bar nearby.

After arriving at the restaurant, we took seats at one of the tables. It was a tiny establishment tucked away in the corner of an alley, so there were few customers.

Perfect for a private conversation.

“What’s good here?”

I asked as I looked over the menu.

However, Seonwoo Yeon did not look well.

“Hunter Seonwoo Yeon?”

“Oh, um... This is my first time here too. I only chose it because it was nearby. I’m sorry.”

Why had she been so nervous since earlier?

I placed a quick order and got straight to the point.

“What exactly are you trying to tell me?”

“Yes?”

“You’ve been tense this entire time. If you have something to say, just say it.”

After a long silence, Seonwoo Yeon awkwardly broached the main subject.

“I-I need your help.”

Help.

That single word was followed by a brief explanation.

“I want to be able to use my awakening ability again.”

“Uhm?”

“Ever since we cleared that B-Class gate, my skills haven’t been activating.”

“What did you say?”

“I even tried psychological therapy, just in case... But no matter how much time passes, there’s still no sign of them returning.”

With a grim expression, Seonwoo Yeon clasped her arms.

“I couldn’t think of any way to solve the problem. Then I heard something from Hunter Ahn Yoonseung.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He said you taught him how to use his skill.”

“......”

“I suspected as much, but the fact that you can correct someone else’s skill even though it isn’t your own...”

She hesitated briefly before continuing.

“Anyway, I’ve wanted to ask you for some time now, Hunter Kim Kiryeo. I thought you might be able to solve this problem.”

In other words...

“You want to entrust your skill rehabilitation to me?”

At my concise summary, Seonwoo Yeon nodded quickly.

Let’s see.

Rehabilitating a magician’s skill, was it?

‘It certainly isn’t impossible.’

The request was considerably easier than I had expected.

I could already identify several reasons why Seonwoo Yeon was unable to activate her skills.

‘The question is how to correct those bad habits.’

I mulled it over while chewing my tteokbokki.

In my mind, accepting her request had already become a foregone conclusion.

“As I thought... is it difficult?”

At that moment, however, Seonwoo Yeon asked the question hesitantly, anxiety written across her face.

I nearly laughed.

What?

‘As I thought... is it difficult?’

Just what did she take this great magician for?

“Of course...”

Of course it’s possible.

That was what I had been about to say. But just before the words left my mouth, a thought flashed through my mind.

“Ah!”

“Wh-why? What’s wrong...?”

“I remembered!”

Come to think of it, there had been something I could not remember all day, and it had been bothering me!

Smack.

I slapped my knee.

“Seonwoo Yeon-ssi, you’re from Hadong, aren’t you?”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t Hadong County your hometown?”

Seonwoo Yeon nodded blankly.

‘So that was it.’

I had been wondering where I had seen the name Hadong before, but the moment I looked at her, the memory finally returned.

A few weeks ago, the nation’s highest-ranked hunter had been put to sleep with an incense burner.

That incident had made me personally curious about Jung Haseong, so I searched for him on an online portal.

The hunter profiles that appeared were surprisingly interesting. They included trivial details such as foods he disliked.

While reading through that useless information, I had suddenly become curious about other hunters’ biographies. Eventually, I ended up searching for every hunter I knew.

Naturally, that included Seonwoo Yeon.

“How did you know where I’m from?”

“I happened to come across it while browsing various links.”

I searched through my memories of that day.

“By the way, does your family run a tea house or something?”

“Oh, yes. My aunt currently manages it, but our family owns a tea house and sells tea leaves.”

“I saw an advertisement for it. That website belonged to your family’s tea house, didn’t it? Your face was on the main page.”

Seonwoo Yeon seemed confused as to why I had suddenly brought this up, but I had my reasons.

“All right. I’ll accept your request.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll fix the skill that isn’t working.”

Slurp.

I took a sip of the fish-cake broth from the paper cup.

“There is one condition, though.”

Gulp.

At the same moment, Seonwoo Yeon swallowed nervously.

“I happen to have some business in Hadong as well. It involves a gate.”

“Ah...”

“So it would be helpful to have someone familiar with the area guide me.”

Moreover, this was an excellent opportunity to make her take care of the [Killer Bee’s Nest] gate as well.

Kkkk.

I barely suppressed the laughter threatening to escape me.

“There’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”

“What is it...?”

“I mentioned that I found the website for your family’s tea house.”

“Yes.”

“But you see, I’m not very good at placing orders online. In the end, I couldn’t arrange a delivery.”

For the record, this was true.

Writing emails, installing security software, and making online payments were all difficult tasks for an alien.

“So I’d like to receive some tea leaves as payment.”

“Yes?”

“In exchange, I’ll repair your skill.”

A material reward and a guide.

Moreover, I could use her skill training as an excuse to subtly steer her into clearing the gate.

It was the perfect plan.

‘I’ll make excellent use of her.’

I completely forgot that I had decided to treat this good creature kindly and revealed my insidious intentions.

This was an opportunity to exploit a valuable B-Class hunter.

How could I possibly let such good fortune slip away?

‘I was already worried about the killer bee nest, and now everything has worked out perfectly. This will make producing the boosters much easier.’

After hearing my proposal, Seonwoo Yeon spent some time considering it with a serious expression before finally answering.

“Are you really willing to help me under such simple conditions?”

What a pointless question.

I should be the one thanking her for helping me.

The moment I heard Seonwoo Yeon’s answer, I nodded.

***

Seonwoo Yeon stared ahead, her dark brown eyes lost in thought.

Had she misheard him?

Or was this hunter playing some kind of joke?

—So I’d like to receive some tea leaves as payment.

However, no matter how many times she replayed the conversation in her mind, the answer remained the same.

—I’ll accept your request.

Kim Kiryeo had agreed to help her.

—I’ll fix the skill that isn’t working.

And he had done so without hesitation.

Seonwoo Yeon had been so startled that she had made a fuss, while the man sitting across from her continued eating as though nothing unusual had happened.

‘Can anyone really be this lucky? At this rate... won’t I get hit by a car tomorrow?’

What Kim Kiryeo could perform was nothing less than skill correction.

Skill correction.

He could analyze awakening techniques and suggest superior methods of using them.

She had never heard of such an ability before. But if it was truly possible, then it was an astonishing talent.

The day this became public...

No, would his influence really be limited to Korea?

Hunters throughout the entire country would bow their heads before a man named Kim Kiryeo.

It was only natural.

His guidance was simply that valuable.

‘Skills remain unknown territory to humanity. Even though seven years have already passed since the Dungeon Shock, controlling them is still left entirely to each individual’s intuition...’

How was Kim Kiryeo capable of such a feat?

According to Ahn Yoonseung, he had identified the flaw in his skill with a single glance.

Then just how proficient was Kim Kiryeo with his own awakening ability?

‘Whew.’

Her thoughts briefly drifted in another direction.

Seonwoo Yeon took a breath and forced herself to focus.

In any case, the greatest mystery was why he had agreed to her request under such modest conditions.

‘What is he planning?’

As she had already established, Kim Kiryeo’s teachings possessed tremendous value.

She had even been prepared to take out a loan in order to pay him for this favor...

‘Not money, but tea? Is he really saying he’ll settle for some tea leaves?’

Seonwoo Yeon’s mind went blank.

No matter how many times she considered it, the proposal remained absurd.

Could merely guiding him through Hadong and giving him a little green tea truly be enough?

Then again, the more carefully she thought about it...

‘He was the same last time.’

The other man had never demanded a substantial reward.

Despite possessing the ability to draw out the hidden potential of another person’s skill and navigate the maze of the Magic Tower, he had asked for almost nothing in return.

Because of that, another possibility briefly occurred to Seonwoo Yeon.

Could this man be interested in her?

Was that why he was being so helpful?

“Hmm.”

It was not an entirely baseless theory.

Objectively speaking, Seonwoo Yeon was quite attractive. Her beauty remained evident even when she dressed casually.

Naturally, she had also received her fair share of attention from the opposite sex.

‘Surely not.’

Yet this time, even Seonwoo Yeon felt certain.

‘As expected.’

That awakened man was not interested in her.

He was definitely not treating her kindly for any romantic reason.

‘No one trying to impress another person would wear such a cold expression.’

She could tell merely by observing the atmosphere surrounding him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Freeze.

At that moment, Seonwoo Yeon’s eyes met Kim Kiryeo’s.

The man stopped eating and silently studied her.

Their gazes met for only a moment, so why did it feel so awkward?

Yes.

His eyes.

Those eyes were the problem.

Kim Kiryeo always looked at people that way.

“......”

As though he were studying cattle, chickens, or pigs.

As though he were observing an entirely different species...

“It’s nothing.”

That was why Kim Kiryeo frightened her.

Although he appeared to be a kind person, there were moments when something deeply unsettling showed through from beneath the surface.

‘It makes me uncomfortable.’

Seonwoo Yeon was afraid of the man sitting across from her.

That fear compelled her to remain wary of him and constantly question his intentions.

Why was he helping her without demanding any meaningful payment?

Why did he assist other hunters like her and Ahn Yoonseung?