Chapter 10 ….
Artifact
Seodaejeon Park was lively in the middle of the day.
People sat on mats, eating delivery food or reading books.
Some had brought their pets to play around. Among them, three creatures at the far end of the park stood out.
A ferret, a raccoon, and Bambi—or to be precise, they were technically monsters.
They were brought out by Gwak Hye-won, the owner of Seonhwa Animal Cafe. Even though they were tamed, they wore various restraints, like muzzles, around their bodies.
In fact, the reason they had settled at the far end of the park rather than near the entrance was because of that.
“They run around so well. Is it not uncomfortable for them?”
A calm voice floated over.
Taking her eyes off the children, she saw Choi Yeon walking toward her.
Unlike usual, he wasn’t wearing holsters hanging all over him, a reminder that he wasn’t on duty.
Gwak Hye-won spread out the wrinkled mat and greeted him.
“Welcome, Choi Yeon.”
“Hello. The cafe has been okay, right?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, we’ve gotten more visitors.”
“Thanks to me? Ah… you mean because of them?”
Choi Yeon sat down on the mat and watched the creatures bouncing around.
All he had done for Seonhwa Animal Cafe was to take care of the monsters and restore peace to Dongdae.
“That’s right. Quite a few customers come just to see these kids.”
“That’s a relief… Wait, then today being the weekend, it must be busy, right?”
“Probably.”
“If you came out despite that—”
“No. Actually, I brought them out because I thought it would be too crowded for them.”
“……?”
“They’d get stressed if there were too many people.”
“Ah.”
In other words, she had given up profit for the sake of the creatures.
There wasn’t even a trace of regret on her face—only a deep affection for the playful little monsters.
Choi Yeon couldn’t help but admire her.
The monsters didn’t wander far from her because she treated them with such love.
Is this the level required to tame monsters? I’d never be able to do this in a lifetime.
“…By the way, where’s Seong-yoon? I heard he came with you.”
“He went to pick up Chae-eun and her parents. They were at the grandfather tree, apparently.”
“The grandfather tree?”
“The protected tree. That’s what Chae-eun calls it.”
“Ah… Then soon… Ah, here they come.”
Choi Yeon’s view caught sight of four people.
Go Seong-yoon and Park Chae-eun were holding hands, followed by Chae-eun’s parents.
As Choi Yeon and Gwak Hye-won stood from the mat, the newcomers greeted them in turn.
“Hello, sir!”
“Hello, Yeon-hyung!”
“Hello, I’m Chae-eun’s mother, Seo Yoon-hee.”
“…Um, I’m Chae-eun’s father, Park Jin-soo.”
Did they decide to greet from youngest to oldest?
Choi Yeon set that thought aside and introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Yeon, a Hunter from Seonhwa Dongdae.”
“Sorry to take your holiday time. We wanted to properly thank you both…”
“That’s fine. We weren’t doing anything at home anyway.”
“Same here! I promised to show the kids, after all. Right?”
“Right?”
As Go Seong-yoon tilted his head, Chae-eun followed suit.
Seeing how close they had become since the Instant Dungeon incident, it was clear they had met a few more times since then.
Park Jin-soo spoke in a low voice.
“I would have liked to give you a valuable gift to show our appreciation…”
“Just your words are enough. If I accepted something like that, I’d get in trouble at Dongdae.”
“Yes. That’s what I thought… Please accept this, then.”
Park Jin-soo extended a paper bag.
Seong-yoon also had the same bag before coming here.
“It’s a set of health juices. Sorry it’s so humble.”
“Not humble at all. Health juice is more than enough. Thank you.”
“And also…”
Park Jin-soo’s voice lowered, and their gaze dropped.
Choi Yeon immediately understood what he was looking at.
It couldn’t be missed.
The reason they had scheduled this meeting on a precious weekend without rest was to talk about it: the sprout-shaped headband Chae-eun was wearing.
“…Seong-yoon.”
“Yes, nuna.”
“Shall we take a walk around the park?”
“Huh? Now?”
“Yes. Suddenly.”
After a brief prompt, Gwak Hye-won called over the creatures that had been playfully bumping into each other.
Go Seong-yoon followed her, realizing her intent, and Chae-eun held his hand tightly.
Seo Yoon-hee bowed in gratitude to Gwak Hye-won and Go Seong-yoon, asking her daughter not to let go of Seong-yoon’s hand.
“…I heard from Chae-eun.”
Then Park Jin-soo spoke in a low voice.
“They say the headband is a magical item.”
“Hmm… it might not be a simple magical item.”
“Eh…?”
“Actually…”
Choi Yeon slowly continued.
＊＊＊
“So, there was an item that could activate a barrier?”
Commander Kim Jae-sang, who had been cutting pork belly, froze in place.
He glared at Choi Yeon as if his eyes might pop out.
Choi Yeon, waiting for the pork pieces to separate, casually replied.
“Yes.”
“Hey. Why are you saying this now?”
“We rescued the kids in the dungeon, destroyed the instance, and just sat in the barbecue place with Hee-seok. When would I have had time to tell you?”
“Still, you brat! You should have told me at the right timing!”
“I did—right now.”
“No…!”
Argh! Commander Kim Jae-sang let out a harsh sigh.
He wanted to complain, but Choi Yeon would probably just ignore it. So he went straight to the point.
“But you didn’t bring it out? Are you crazy?”
“Huh? No, I did.”
“What? You said earlier you didn’t have it.”
“Right now, Chae-eun has it. Remember? The sprout-shaped headband.”
“That thing was it?”
What kind of item looks like that?
Commander Kim Jae-sang was dumbfounded recalling the lively sprout headband on a child’s head.
In over 30 years of life, he had never seen an item shaped like that.
Even the young hunters valued design, but their items were all stylish. He had admired them before.
Compared to those, the sprout headband could only be described as cute.
Swish.
Hee-seok, quietly waiting for the meat, took the tongs and scissors from him and finished cutting the pork.
Snip, snip.
“…Why did you give it to her?”
Commander Kim, awakened by the sound of slicing, spoke.
“You did well giving it in the dungeon, but you should have taken it back afterward.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why? Did the kid cry and refuse?”
“No, she gave it willingly. The headband rejected me.”
“…What?”
“It activated a barrier and pushed me away, then fell back into Chae-eun’s hands.”
Plop.
The pork was placed on Choi Yeon’s plate by Hee-seok after finishing the cutting.
“Hey, you crazy guy! That…!”
He glanced around. Fortunately, the pork place had few people due to giving up the second floor for a team dinner.
Still, he shouted quietly enough to be heard.
“That’s an artifact…!”
“Huh…?”
Choi Yeon blinked, unable to grasp what he just heard.
Artifact? That?
Thump, thump—Commander Kim banged his chest in frustration.
“You said it rejected you and now you pretend not to know? It’s an item that chooses its owner. Isn’t that an artifact? Huh?”
“No, that’s an S-rank item. Extremely rare. Something like that wouldn’t come from a C-rank dungeon.”
“That’s true… hmm…”
Commander Kim groaned, unsure.
He had confidently said “artifact,” but even he was doubtful.
Choi Yeon was right; an artifact shouldn’t drop from a C-rank dungeon. It wouldn’t even be evaluated as S-rank if it came out so easily.
“Even if it really is, it’s a problem. It’s already chosen its owner.”
“…That’s not for us to worry about.”
“Really? Those in high positions?”
He chuckled, as if hearing something funny, and clinked his glass with Hee-seok.
＊＊＊
“Could it really be such an incredible item…?”
“I was already shivering just thinking it was a magical item…”
Park Chae-eun’s parents muttered helplessly.
They hadn’t expected the headband to be that extraordinary.
Gulp. Park Jin-soo swallowed and looked at Choi Yeon.
“So… should we give the headband to the Hunter?”
“No. If it really is that, it belongs to Chae-eun. It chose its owner itself.”
“Ah…”
“Without Chae-eun’s and the headband’s consent, you can’t hold it, and even if you somehow got it, you wouldn’t be able to use it. In short…”
It’s useless to hold it.
Choi Yeon summarized briefly.
“Ahh…”
Park Chae-eun’s parents let out a worried sigh.
Even though it was a rare item, they couldn’t simply be happy. It was far too powerful for them. The image of a pig wearing a pearl necklace came to mind.
“So, what should we do?”
Seo Yoon-hee asked anxiously.
It was their decision, but since an advisor was present, they didn’t need to struggle alone.
Choi Yeon expected they would seek advice. Commander Kim, absent from this scene, too.
“The commander said he will follow Chae-eun’s and your opinions.”
“Huh…?”
“If you want to sell it, I can act as an agent. Even with an owner, there are plenty of wealthy buyers.”
Choi Yeon elaborated, giving them options.
“If Chae-eun wants, she could become a Hunter. She’d have a head start. It’s dangerous, though, so consider carefully.”
“W-we will.”
They nodded anxiously. Being a Hunter was popular but life-threatening.
“If you don’t want either option…”
Choi Yeon shrugged.
“You can just live your life as it is now.”
“Huh…?”
“Whatever you choose, we’ll support you.”
Blink, blink. Park Chae-eun’s parents were stunned.
Live as they are now? If possible, that would be wonderful. But…
“Is that really okay?”
“You said it’s extremely rare, right? I don’t know much, but I know Hunters risk their lives for such items.”
They asked anxiously.
Extremely rare item.
Choi Yeon turned away. In the distance, Chae-eun’s group was returning to the park.
A ferret sat on her shoulder, constantly poking the sprout on her head, thinking it had grown there.
“No, don’t touch it!”
Chae-eun hugged the ferret tightly. It didn’t resist, though it could have easily escaped.
“Well… to me, it’s just an unusually shaped headband.”
Choi Yeon waved to the returning group, showing a calm and relaxed demeanor.
Seeing this, Chae-eun’s parents realized he wasn’t taking it too seriously. He cared more about their daughter than any artifact.
This calmed their startled hearts.
“When should we decide…?”
“Chae-eun is eight, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then maybe within ten years?”
“What? That’s…?”
“Kids’ dreams change quickly. I heard Chae-eun wants to become a tree now and even talks to trees.”
“Ah, hahaha…”
They smiled awkwardly. Their eyes met briefly in the air.
“You can decide slowly. We’ll wait. We’ll provide a protection program as well.”
“Thank you, Hunter.”
“Really… we don’t know what to do to repay you. We want to do something for you…”
“That’s fine. That’s what Dongdae is for.”
Choi Yeon waved his hands.
Anything beyond the health juice set would have been too much.
Yet they knew Choi Yeon and Seonhwa Dongdae had made a difficult choice.
Had it been another Dongdae, their lives would have been much harder because of the artifact.
“Also, you know this must remain a secret. If others find out, it could get complicated… People might try to steal the headband, or it might become state-managed.”
“Yes! We won’t tell anyone!”
“We’ll make sure Chae-eun keeps it secret too!”
As they pledged, Chae-eun’s group arrived.
Only Gwak Hye-won sat on the mat. Chae-eun and Go Seong-yoon ran around the park with the ferret and raccoon.
Even after running, they didn’t seem satisfied.
“Are you done talking?”
“Thanks to you. Thank you.”
“Ha ha, we just went for a walk.”
Gwak Hye-won stroked Bambi on her lap. Bambi calmly accepted her touch while watching the ferret and raccoon.
Choi Yeon noticed Bambi was the leader of the three monsters.
“Yeon-hyung!”
“…?”
“Don’t just sit there. Play with them!”
Play together?
Choi Yeon awkwardly smiled. He couldn’t imagine himself running around with them at all.
“Together—”
Just then, a small explosion sounded from afar.
Choi Yeon’s mouth twitched.
On a golden holiday…
“Ah! This is Munhwa-dong, right? Haha. I don’t need to intervene…”
“Choi Yeon, sorry for saying this.”
“Then don’t, ma’am.”
“That’s the Yongdu-dong side.”
“….”
With Gwak Hye-won’s firm voice, Choi Yeon rested his face on his hands.
Yongdu-dong was a neighborhood managed by Seonhwa Dongdae.
Had he not known, he might not have acted, but now he had no choice but to respond. Poorly timed.
“F-fight hard! Yeon-hyung…!”
Why?
Choi Yeon felt like hitting Go Seong-yoon. The explosion in Yongdu-dong seemed caused by that kid’s mouth.
