GM Ch67

The spirits, just like before, flocked to Soohyuk, who was sitting across from Minjun. The cat perched on Soohyuk’s left shoulder, the lizard clung to his left cheek, the snake coiled around his neck, and the bird lightly fluttered onto his head.

“Hey, guys, why are you all going over there?”

It was surprising enough that they clung to him without any fear, but the fact that they each chose such peculiar spots made it even more awkward. Soohyuk, who had been waiting with his hands outstretched, burst into laughter.

“This is quite a new experience. But why is this happening?”

“Lower spirits are very sensitive to power because they’re easily frightened. Normally, they wouldn’t go to the guild leader even if I ordered them to.”

“Really? But here they are?”

“Are you wearing any items related to spirits?”

“No, I don’t have anything like that.”

“Then what could it be?”

Minjun couldn’t figure out the reason. Even when he asked again if they were scared, the answer was the same as before. Not scared, fine, good, and again, not scared. The only way to solve this mystery was to restore his rank. Once he became a higher-ranked spirit, he could have a normal conversation with spirits that had a strong sense of self.

In the end, Minjun dismissed the spirits, promising to summon them again later. Soohyuk, looking a bit disappointed, lightly brushed the spot on his head where the wind spirit had settled.

“So, they like me?”

“I’m not sure.”

“If they’re not scared and cling to me, it means they like me. I must be their type.”

“That’s not it.”

Minjun was certain. It was difficult for a human without spirit affinity to attract the attention of lower spirits. While a Spirit King might make a contract with a strong human, even that was rare.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Yes?”

Minjun looked at Soohyuk, who was radiating pleasant emotions today as well. He usually smiled a lot, but it had been particularly intense these past two days.

“The National Security Agency will contact you. They’re interviewing the hunters who participated in the Poison Jar Dungeon raid. You’re the only one left.”

“Oh, okay.”

“They won’t give you a hard time, but just stick to the facts without getting emotional.”

“…?”

Minjun widened his eyes at the unexpected advice. Soohyuk grinned, showing his teeth.

“Hold back from calling Joo Myunghwan a bastard.”

“I know that.”

“Do you know why?”

“Well, there are several reasons, but mainly because words spoken carelessly can come back to bite you like a boomerang. Joo Myunghwan is that kind of hunter, isn’t he?”

Officially, Minjun had just become an adult, but despite his appearance, he was quite experienced in life. Having suffered since childhood, he knew the depths of human nature. Although diligent, he wasn’t very savvy, so he had been taken advantage of in various ways. As a result, he kept his distance from people, acting defensively rather than actively socializing.

This remained true even after he became an S-rank hunter. To avoid people clinging to him and sweet-talking, he didn’t form a guild and stayed a freelance hunter.

The hardships he faced until then were just the beginning. When he fell into the other world with his rank diminished, he truly experienced bitterness and pain.

There, he learned about grudges. He became a witness in a murder trial and had to face an assassin sent by the perpetrator. Words he had spoken at a drinking party were twisted, leading to a duel challenge.

From experience, he knew that openly insulting someone like Joo Myunghwan would only earn him a grudge. He didn’t want to become the target of a wounded bastard’s pride.

“Sometimes I wonder what you did before you lost your memory.”

“What?”

Minjun’s eyes widened as he explained the reason born from his experience. The word “memory” made his heart sink for no reason.

“You seem like you could’ve been a secret agent.”

“Me?”

“You’re too skilled.”

“Ah. I do come off as an old soul.”

Minjun relaxed at Soohyuk’s light-hearted joke and responded vaguely. Even in the past, he had often been told he was unusually calm for his age, often being called an old soul. Now, with the soul of a thirty-four-year-old trapped in a twenty-year-old body, it was even more apparent.

Minjun quickly accepted his situation. Instead, it was Soohyuk who awkwardly cleared his throat and looked around.

“How could you interpret it that way?”

“I admit it.”

“You’re not mad, are you?”

“I’m not mad.”

Minjun shook his head. He was a bit annoyed, but not enough to get angry.

“Do you know your lips are pouting?”

“No, they’re not.”

“Why are you so cute?”

Soohyuk laughed, calling him cute, and reached out to ruffle his hair. Though he was suddenly petted, Minjun stayed still.

“You’re not avoiding it?”

“Should I?”

“Didn’t you used to avoid it?”

“I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

If it had been when he first met Soohyuk, he would’ve avoided it out of fear, but now, with no harm done, he could just let it be. Being treated like the youngest and called cute didn’t bother him anymore.

“Getting used to things is the scariest.”

Soohyuk, saying something cryptic, withdrew his hand. With a smile still on his lips, he looked as cheerful as ever.

Minjun resisted the urge to ask what made him so happy. Despite his intimidating and stoic appearance, Soohyuk was quite talkative. Over the past month, they had spent almost every day together, and he had never run out of things to talk about.

However, the man knew his limits. He stopped at the right point when it came to things Minjun shouldn’t know. When he didn’t explain, saying it was just something good, it meant there was a reason. So Minjun didn’t ask twice.

“To continue what I was saying earlier, it’s best to avoid getting involved with Joo Myunghwan as much as possible.”

“You mentioned that before.”

“This time, it’s different.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Probably. Hmm. I’m not sure how to put this, but several hunters who were in competition with Joo Myunghwan have suddenly died. Heart attacks, strokes. They were all young. It’s too strange to be a coincidence. There’s no known skill that causes heart attacks, but who knows? Don’t you think so, Minjun? Your face has gone pale. Are you sick?”

Minjun realized he hadn’t been managing his expression well. He was so shocked he missed the timing to respond.

“No, it’s just… my stomach feels off. I think I have indigestion.”

“Oh dear. It’d be faster to go buy some antacid than to ask for it here. Wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

In that brief moment, Minjun racked his brain and came up with a plausible excuse. He had eaten more than seven servings of kimbap, jjolmyeon, udon, tteokbokki, and fried snacks. Indigestion was a believable reason.

Soohyuk left the room without suspicion, saying he’d get some antacid. Only after he had been gone for a while did Minjun let out a small sigh.

As soon as he heard it. Joo Myunghwan was the curse caster he had been searching for.

Heart attacks and strokes were the most common methods a curse caster used to kill. If he hadn’t survived the curse twelve years ago, his cause of death would have been a heart attack.

That bastard was the culprit.

A mix of disbelief, joy, and curiosity hit him all at once. In the past, he and Joo Myunghwan had no significant connection. They had only been in the same class once during their twelve years of school. They weren’t personally acquainted.

When the great catastrophe happened and hunters emerged, it briefly became a topic that they were the same age and from the same high school. But in a world where monsters popped out of dungeons daily, it didn’t garner much attention.

“What does it matter?”

Minjun frowned as he tried to figure out why Joo Myunghwan had cursed him. People could hate others for the smallest reasons. What mattered more was dealing with Joo Myunghwan properly.

Facing an A-class hunter like Joo Myunghwan with the power of a C-class hunter was impossible. Considering the worst-case scenario, he needed to recover his fallen rank as quickly as possible.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Kim Minjun.”

Minjun clenched his fist so tightly that his veins bulged, forcing himself to suppress his burning desire for revenge. If Joo Myunghwan turned out not to be the curse caster, he’d be like a dog chasing a chicken. Taking that man down could wait until he recovered his rank and cross-checked with the magical tools he brought from the other world.

While he was calmly reviewing what he needed to do, Soohyuk returned with the antacid. After taking both the pills and the liquid, Soohyuk patted his back.

“How do you feel? Should I prick your finger?”

“No, I’m fine. I feel better now.”

“That’s a relief.”

Soohyuk’s gentle touch on his back made Minjun feel a bit guilty. He resolved not to make such a mistake again.

“Guild leader.”

“Yes?”

“I want to complete the 100 dungeon raids as soon as possible. What do you think about me joining another party for solo raids?”

“Absolutely not. Who knows what could happen? I’ll adjust the schedule, so don’t act alone.”

“Okay.”

Minjun had asked just in case, but Soohyuk refused. Though disappointed, Minjun didn’t insist. At their current pace, he could comfortably complete the 99 raids in about two weeks.

“Seeing you in such a hurry, you must be confident, right?”

“No.”

Soohyuk’s voice, as he patted Minjun’s back, carried a meaningful tone. However, Minjun, who had already been through various shocks, firmly denied it without wavering.

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