GM Ch83

“How do you know that?”

“Are you not my contractor? I can at least know that much.”

“Please explain in detail. I don’t understand.”

“You’re still a young elementalist who hasn’t gained divinity. Even if you’re the favored one who swallowed a spirit stone, the contract between an elementalist and a spirit intertwines their souls, regardless of the difference in power. So, spirits like me, who are contracted with you, can recognize your apostle. Just as you cherish and watch over your apostle, I will do the same. Why are you looking at me like that? I’m right.”

Hearing this for the first time, Minjun widened his eyes and looked at Harha. Harha clicked his tongue as if to say, “You didn’t know that?”

Could it be that the spirits liked Soohyuk for that reason before?

Minjun wanted to call other spirits to test this on Soohyuk, but there was something more urgent.

“Are you saying the king can’t attack my apostle?”

“Of course not. I can bite as much as I want. You’re my contractor. Are you going to fight that person? It’s not a good choice. Your apostle has a lot of good things. Can you match up? Even if you haven’t gained divinity, it would be embarrassing to lose to an apostle.”

Harha, with his keen eye, immediately recognized Soohyuk’s armed state. The sword Soohyuk held was a mythical-grade item, with excellent additional options. Plus, his auxiliary items were impressive. If Minjun, who had a legendary-grade spear received from Soohyuk, faced him, he would be shattered instantly.

But that didn’t mean there was no way. He could just confront him barehanded without any items.

“Hands only will do.”

“Oh, that’s a good method. If I help, you’ll have an advantage.”

Harha, with his belligerent nature, bared his teeth in a grin. Minjun finally looked at Soohyuk and spoke.

“It’s all over.”

“With the king right next to you?”

“Because I summoned him.”

“Oh, so he’s your spirit?”

“Yes. His name is Harha.”

“Hello?”

Soohyuk raised his right hand and waved it gently. Harha then touched his nose to Soohyuk’s hand, signaling that he liked him.

Minjun recalled how spirits had clung to Soohyuk before. It felt strange to think it was proof of how much he cherished and watched over him.

It was not wrong.

When he regained his S-class rank, he planned to get Soohyuk a decent weapon. That was enough to show he cared.

With Harha’s touch, Soohyuk smiled and asked Minjun.

“Does he like me?”

“I think he does.”

“Hurry up and tell him to fight.”

In the middle of the conversation with Soohyuk, Harha suddenly interjected.

“What did he say?”

“He wants to fight.”

“You’re S-class now, right?”

“Yes. Now we can see who’s stronger.”

Minjun spoke without hiding his competitive spirit. It was a conversation he once had with Soohyuk. Back then, it had a sexual undertone, but now it was purely about testing their skills.

“That’s not allowed.”

“Why? Oh, is it because of that? It’s okay. Even if I win, I have no intention of doing anything to the guild leader. Seriously.”

Minjun recalled when Soohyuk had spoken ambitiously and responded sincerely. There was no way to decisively defeat Soohyuk in the current situation. Even if he somehow won, he had no intention of doing anything to Soohyuk. However, Soohyuk’s reaction wasn’t favorable. He placed his hands on his hips and let out a long sigh.

“Obviously, I’m going to win.”

“You won’t know until you try.”

“Not with your weapon.”

“Let’s do it barehanded. No items.”

“But I’ve got buffs.”

“Let’s wait a bit.”

Before entering the dungeon, Minjun had cast a buff on Soohyuk. Since it lasted for 77 minutes, they just had to wait it out.

“The escape gate has opened. And before we see who’s stronger, you should master your skills first. Haven’t you learned that you need to know what each skill does? There are so many hunters who get hurt by their own skills.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Minjun realize his mistake. It wasn’t a reawakening but a restoration of his rank, so he was already familiar with all his skills. In his excitement to properly fight Soohyuk, he had forgotten to act like a rookie hunter. Skillfully using a newly acquired skill would certainly raise suspicions. It was fortunate that Soohyuk had refused before any problems arose.

“Let’s go back. We need to practice and get equipped. I should sell the S-class magic stone. Maybe I’ll use my last wish to get a weapon. Now that I can handle anyone I want to kill myself.”

Soohyuk said such frightening things with a bright smile. Minjun neither confirmed nor denied it. To lift the curse of ‘Existence Dilution,’ he needed to properly identify the source of the curse first. He had brought magical tools from another world, so that wasn’t a concern.

“Take your time with the weapon. It’s not easy to get a mythical-grade weapon. Instead, once you get used to your skills, let’s have a real match. Oh, there’s another dungeon we planned to raid today. It’s F-class. I’ll practice there. The guild leader shouldn’t come in. I need to keep my skills hidden.”

“Is our chick not afraid now that it’s become a rooster?”

“You won’t know until you try.”

“Don’t regret it.”

After exchanging a few words with Soohyuk, Minjun explained the situation to Harha. Harha, who had been eagerly anticipating a fight, was greatly disappointed.

【Oh dear. I was hoping to flex my muscles for the first time in a while.】

『There are many tasks here that require your strength, my king.』

【I suppose so. Understood. If there’s nothing for me to do, I’ll return. But if you end up fighting that person, you must call on me.】

『I will do so.』

Minjun dismissed Harha.

Summoning a contracted spirit required mana. Maintaining the summon was the same.

For a regular spirit, the mana recovery rate was faster, so they could be summoned all day. But for a Spirit King, the consumption was quicker. Therefore, unless there was a battle, Harha was rarely summoned.

“Did he go back?”

“Yes.”

“So, the Spirit King is on your side?”

“We can fight together, right?”

This time, Minjun answered like a rookie. Harha’s combat power was exceptional, and there were countless ways to utilize it, but he was supposed to be unaware of that for now.

“Do you know that I’ve been holding back all this time?”

“Holding back what?”

“Was worried I’d break you if I wasn’t careful.”

“What?”

Minjun widened his eyes at Soohyuk’s sudden explanation. There was something mischievous in the man’s smile.

“When there’s a difference in rank, you have to be careful during sex. You might get hurt.”

“Oh…”

Recalling past memories, Minjun was momentarily at a loss for words. If that was Soohyuk being careful, there were definitely issues with his conscience. Whether Soohyuk knew this or not, he laughed cheerfully.

Inside the dungeon, the weather was sunny with a blue sky and white clouds. The bright smile on the man’s face and his words seemed oddly out of balance.

“Now that we’re the same rank, we can enjoy it more.”

“How much more are you planning to do?”

“This and that?”

“Aren’t you a bit too eager?”

“Isn’t this about average?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’ll know once you try.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

Minjun immediately dismissed Soohyuk’s claim that this was average. However, he nodded at the idea that you’d only know by trying.

Now that they were the same rank, he could kick the stone-like man with all his might. The thought of legally beating up the guild leader made his heart race for no reason.

“Let’s go. We need to practice our skills first.”

“Okay.”

Minjun left the dungeon with Soohyuk. Now that he had regained his S-class rank, all that was left was to break the curse.

***

The first person to learn that Minjun had become an S-class was Jung Seongwon, the vice guild leader of the June Guild. When Minjun, whom he met in the guild leader’s office, said he would stay with the June Guild and fulfill his contract without any demands, Jung Seongwon couldn’t hide his joy.

All S-class hunters in Korea had their own guilds. It was the same abroad. It was almost unheard of for an S-class hunter to be just a guild member. If Minjun stayed, it was certain that the June Guild would become the top guild in Korea.

Being a well-mannered adult, Jung Seongwon carefully asked Minjun about his intentions again, despite wanting to cheer internally.

“Hunter Kim Minjun’s decision to stay is very beneficial for the June Guild. But are you sure about this? You could establish your own guild.”

“My contract with the guild leader isn’t over yet. And while a solo guild sounds fine, the thought of managing everything alone is a hassle. It’s more convenient to be part of a big guild when dealing with the media or the National Security Agency. Oh, and if I leave the guild, I won’t be able to use the cafeteria or have a place to stay.”

Minjun answered sincerely. He had once established a solo guild in the past. With that experience, he wasn’t afraid of going independent. But he knew how bothersome it was to handle everything alone. Especially the paperwork, which was a real headache.

Joining a large guild had proven to be full of advantages. Not having to deal directly with the National Security Agency or the media was incredibly appealing. Plus, they provided dorms and meals for every meal.

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