Chapter 65

Chapter 65

"..."

I was speechless and looked at Yong-sik. The image of the fearsome dragon slaying the mid-boss monster, Cairen, was still fresh in my mind. I looked at Yong-sik reluctantly and asked.

"You... were able to turn into an adult... No, you were originally hatched as an adult..."

"Kkyuuu...”

"Ha, but why to me... what does this mean?”

It was confusing. Just like the original story, Yong-sik could turn into an adult form after hatching. But why was he pretending to be a baby dragon in front of me? I couldn't understand his reason, and as I thought about it, people started to gather around me.

"Hunter Han Yi-jin!"Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

"Ah... Hunter Sung Yoo-bin."

Sung Yoo-bin, the heroine who was supposed to fall into Area 4 with Kang Yoo-hyun, flew over and stood in front of me. Perhaps she had just finished fighting, I could feel a strong aura emanating from her.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

“I'm fine. Rather, Hunter Sung Yoo-bin...”

Sung Yoo-bin looked as energetic as usual, but her physical condition was a mess. Even though the Valkyrie's combat suit was high-grade equipment, it was scorched and torn. Moreover, the melted part could be Yong-sik's fault. Trying not to look at it, I turned my head to look for a healer.

"I think you need to be treated quickly."

"This is fine."

"You don't look okay at all!"

I shouted, looked around and saw Hunter Guseul running towards me.

"Hunter Guseul! Here!"

"Gasp, gasp... Hunter Han Yi-jin, I'm glad you're safe."

"Thank you for your concern. But, let's heal Hunter Sung Yoo-bin first..."

"Ah, yes."

Nodding her head, Guseul raised her staff high. Then she chanted the same incantation as before.

"Get Better, Yap!"

A blinding white light enveloped Sung Yoo-bin, and I watched in awe as her scorched skin and bleeding wounds healed in an instant. An A-rank healer was truly remarkable.

"Thank you. Hunter Guseul."

"Yes, but... I can't remove the poison myself, sorry..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

"..."

It looks like she was poisoned... Since the mid-boss monster Cairen in the 3rd Area was a water elemental monster, it's very likely that she was poisoned by Yong-sik. Maybe she was affected while fighting together...

My gaze shifted to Yong-sik, who was at my feet. He had a serious expression, but as soon as our eyes met, he was wagging his tail. Unbelievable...

"Hunter Sung Yoo-bin, my potion use..."

"No. Save it in case something happens."

"Still..."

Feeling apologetic, I tried to offer her the high-grade potion provided by the Odin Guild, but Song Yoo-bin shook her head adamantly.

"It's useless unless I remove the poison anyway. So please keep it."

"Ah..."

As long as the poison remained within her body, no matter how much potion was poured in, she wouldn't get any better. At this time, Yong-sik's poison fiercely fought against Sung Yoo-bin's passive skill that protected her body.

Yong-sik's poison was S-rank grade, a powerful poison that even other S-rankers couldn't prevent. Sung Yoo-bin's injury worried me, but she remained indifferent.

"I won't die from this level of poison."

"Still..."

"I'm so glad that Hunter Han Yi Jin is safe."

"Hello, my name is Baek Ha-neul, the team leader of the Freya Guild's collection team."

"Ah, hello."

I wondered why she called someone higher up than herself. I was relieved to realise that I wasn't being ignored. It seemed that other people found me intimidating just like Hunter Guseul.

"What's the matter?"

"Well, both of us want to join the collecting team. We have the guild vicemaster's permission."

"Oh, really?”

Having heard my words, Baek Ha-neul nodded and then she turned around and said—

"Then follow me."

"Yes."

I followed her quietly. In order to excel at collecting, I need to listen carefully to her instructions.

Fortunately, the novel provided quite detailed information about gathering since there was also a supporting character involved. While following Baek Ha-neul, I kept looking around, and finally, I saw someone similar to the character described in the novel.

"..."

A man with long black hair carefully examined the object in his hand. It was as if he was in another world. A man with horn-rimmed glasses that gave off the aura of an outsider. It was obvious that he was the alchemist Lee Chae-jin. After confirming his location, I followed behind Baek Ha-neul.

“First of all, you must put this on. The water can suddenly become very deep, so you must wear a diving suit."

"Yes."

“And we'll have a general briefing later, but since you two are new to gathering, let me tell you in advance..."

I kept glancing at Lee Chae-jin while quietly listening to Baek Ha-neul's explanation. As expected, he fiddled with the items, seemingly oblivious to everything that was going on around him. Like he was floating alone in the open sea.

"...So we have to form a group and go collecting...."

“Can we go with that person?"

“Yes?"

Baek Ha-neul's eyes widened as she looked at where my finger was pointing.

"Uh... That person... Hunter Lee Chae-jin?”

"Yes!"

"That person... Um...”

Baek Ha-neul tried to choose her words carefully, but she didn't really need to explain. Because I knew quite well about Lee Chae-jin.

As an alchemist, he had several nicknames. Geek, outsider, weirdo, sociopath. None of the nicknames were particularly flattering. However, no one could deny that he was a genius alchemist.

"He prefers gathering alone, you see. He doesn't form a team."

"Then, would it be okay if Hunter Lee Chae-jin allowed us?"

"Huh? Well, technically, if he agrees, it should be fine, but still..."

Throughout the conversation, Baek Ha-neul tried desperately to dissuade me. However, there was no need for that. As someone who had read the novel, I knew Lee Chae-jin very well.

"Then, I'll go ask him now."

"Wait a moment. Hunter Han Yi-jin..."

I waved my hand at Baek Ha-neul, who was trying to stop me, then turned around and I approached Lee Chae-Jin, who was still staring at the items.

"Hello, Hunter Lee Chae-jin-nim."

“...”

"Hello?"

“...”

As expected, he showed no reaction to my words. Not surprising, because he treated everyone around him as if they were invisible. So, I told him something that would pique his interest.

"You came here looking for a golden starfish, right?"

"...!"

Lee Chae-jin looked up in surprise.