Chapter 64 ….
Once things were more or less settled, the group’s attention naturally shifted to the magic stone.
“…This is actually my first time seeing a magic stone in a dungeon. I heard they appear randomly, but I never thought one would show up in an E-rank dungeon.”
“Huh? Hyung, this is your first time too?”
Baekgyeon wasn’t the only one intrigued by the supposedly rare magic stone. Kwon Seowoo’s eyes went wide.
“I-is this really a magic stone? Is it okay for something that rare to show up in our very first dungeon? It’s not fake, right?”
“Of course not! Look at Piuri’s face right now. He’s practically half-fainted standing up.”
“Gasp, it’s real!”
“…”
When I turned to look, Piuri really was frozen in place with a dazed expression. Just then, Yeomyeong cleared his throat quietly.
“So, since there’s only one magic stone, shouldn’t we decide ownership by majority vote? Personally, I think Asol should take it.”
As if it were the natural next step, a discussion about ownership began—but true to the loyalty-packed shonen protagonists they were, no fight broke out over the magic stone.
“Right. Noona was the one who dug it out of the sand at the end. I don’t mind!”
“I also think it’s right for noona to take it.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes.”
What surprised me a bit was that even Piuri calmly gave up his claim. I’d expected him to at least look a little regretful.
Only Baekgyeon’s decision remained. That was when the quietly standing Baekgyeon glanced at me.
“So unless I suddenly claim ownership here, the magic stone goes to Kwon Asol?”
“Probably, yes.”
“Well, contribution-wise, that makes sense.”
“Contribution order? …Ah!”
So that’s what determined the order of names recorded in the First Clear party slot.
While I was impressed by the new information, Baekgyeon turned away without hesitation.
“You guys divide it among yourselves. I’m not interested.”
“Huh? Really?”
My mouth fell open at his overly cool attitude. Wow—so this is what financial confidence looks like?
“Sell it and roll in money, or grind it up and drink it. Do whatever you want. There’ll be plenty of people lining up to buy it no matter the price.”
“Wow, sunbae, you’re really straightforward!”
Honestly, if Baekgyeon had tried to take it by force here, we all would’ve just quietly handed it over—but he really looked completely uninterested!
Having gained ownership of the magic stone, I immediately turned to Piuri.
“So, uh, use it where you need—”
“Then I’ll just give the magic stone to you! Use it for research.”
“What? Kwon Asol, wai—”
“From the moment I first saw it, it felt like it should go to you! Here, work hard on your research.”
“Huh? How could I possibly take this…”
“It’s fine! If I keep it, I’d just end up selling it anyway.”
Come to think of it, Baekgyeon had said something earlier, but seeing Piuri’s deeply moved face made all that seem unimportant.
After hesitating briefly, Piuri carefully accepted the magic stone. The tips of his long fingers trembled faintly.
“…Thank you, noona. I will definitely succeed in developing the equipment I mentioned before.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Please… just wait a little longer.”
【Achievement unlocked! <Gift an S-Rank Item 1/1>】
【Achievement reward granted!】
【Reward Trait: <The Generous Woodcutter> (B)
❙Show kindness to those around you! The more you share, the greater the joy!
Targets of your kindness will be more deeply moved and develop greater favor toward you!
Give generously and harvest them down to the roots!】
Harvest what now?
‘…Wait, but B-rank? And it’s actually pretty useful!!’
My face lit up at the new trait popping up after so long.
The description was a bit weird, but it was genuinely useful! The requirement was gifting an S-rank item—if we hadn’t found the magic stone, that would’ve been a real loss.
“Wow, nice!”
“Seriously. What a heartwarming scene.”
“Oh, come on.”
“…”
When Yeomyeong and Kwon Seowoo added their pleased comments, I smiled happily back. Heh—this feels like being praised for doing a good deed.
‘It turned out different from what I expected, but it’s even better!’
I even got a useful trait out of it and earned solid goodwill from Piuri!
* * *
“Let’s head out. That looks like the exit.”
With the sand giant gone, the center of the maze had opened into an exit leading outside.
Before leaving, I did one last check on the team’s condition—and seeing how ridiculously fine Piuri and Yeomyeong looked gave me a slightly complicated feeling.
‘…Did I maybe cause something pretty major?’
The kids seemed way stronger than in the original story.
“It’s all thanks to you, noona. Because you told us to prepare weapons, we handled the magic beast without difficulty.”
“Yeah! My skill proficiency went way up after the Gyeongbokgung mission.”
“Ahh…”
I nodded.
So basically, I made Yeomyeong stronger than in the original and had them bring weapons, which made the monster no match for them…
‘…Well, good is good!’
Having reached enlightenment, I grabbed the quietly standing Kwon Seowoo.
“Kwon Seowoo, what are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Huh? O-okay!”
Seowoo entered the passage last, and soon we were able to exit the dungeon.
Breathing the fresh air after several hours felt refreshing—but only for a moment.
“…Guys. Were there this many people when we went in earlier?”
“They’re out!”
“Over there! Point the camera!”
“W-what?”
The moment we stepped outside, a suffocating crowd rushed toward us.
“Unqualified hunters step down!”
“Loose hunter laws create would-be murderers!”
“Apply the Ability Regulation Act! Apply it!”
“I’m currently outside Mars Dungeon No. 23. As the 204th Class Team 4 hunters and Hunter Baekgyeon have just completed the raid, a citizen protest is underway here!”
“What is this?!”
The sharp blare of loudspeakers pierced my ears. The team’s faces instantly stiffened.
Piuri quickly stepped in front of me, but he couldn’t block my view. My brows furrowed as I read the pickets.
‘…Ability Regulation Act?’
“Why all of a sudden? Hey! Don’t do this—”
A flustered Seowoo shouted, but it was useless against protesters with megaphones.
To make matters worse, reporters who had gathered to film Baekgyeon jumped in too, and the area in front of the dungeon turned into total chaos.
‘Damn. What the…’
What on earth happened in just a few hours?
Beside me, Baekgyeon silently stared at the protesters. More than anything, the thought that this scene was being broadcast nationwide was giving me a headache.
‘…No. If I react here, it’ll just hurt the kids.’
“Let’s ignore it and leave quickly. If we stay, we’ll just end up gossip fodder—”
“Baekgyeon hyung!”
Just as I calmly turned to the team, Seowoo cried out in a shrill voice.
Baekgyeon had already walked past me and was heading toward the protesters.
The team’s faces turned pale as he stopped right in front of them.
“The Ability Regulation Act? Haven’t heard that nonsense in a while.”
“H-Hunter Baekgyeon!”
Baekgyeon snatched a protester’s picket. After a brief fluster, the protesters resumed shouting.
“You agree too, don’t you, Hunter Baekgyeon? In times like these, how can we release gate ability users without any safety measures?”
“….”
“W-what is he doing right now? Has Baekgyeon lost it?!”
“Apply the Ability Regulation Act! Apply it!”
Yeomyeong shouted in alarm, but believing they had Baekgyeon’s support, the protesters only grew louder.
The man at the very front stepped toward Baekgyeon.
“If Hunter Baekgyeon would actively voice his opinion as well, it would really help! What do you think—”
“Still barking the same nonsense from years ago. Guess there are still idiots who haven’t come to their senses.”
Something completely unexpected happened.
CRACK!
The thick wooden board shattered instantly. The surrounding noise vanished, and silence fell.
“And what’s that next to it? License revocation? Funny. Keep going.”
“Uh…?”
The protesters made dumbfounded noises, unable to process what had just happened. After a brief silence, someone gathered the courage to speak.
“Y-you can’t use violence against civilians—”
“I didn’t. I only broke the wood. If you’ve got a complaint, file for damages.”
“You’re a hunter! Aren’t you supposed to protect citizens?”
“I don’t count people who come to dungeon entrances to cause trouble as citizens.”
“W-wait—”
“Here to sightsee? Move.”
‘Wow.’
They say the most reassuring moment is when the crazy one is on your side—and wow, that was absolutely true.
‘Damn reassuring.’
No matter what those people tried, there was no way they were beating Baekgyeon in an argument.
Eventually the chants died down, replaced by uneasy murmuring. Some protesters even began slipping out of formation, clearly intimidated.
The once-fiery protest dispersed in just a few minutes.
It was definitely a good outcome, but honestly, I was starting to feel uneasy beyond just being surprised.
‘…Baekgyeon wouldn’t take my side in a situation like this for no reason.’
Memories of the Sinyongsan Gate surfaced, and cold sweat ran down my back. In my experience, whenever Baekgyeon showed me goodwill, it was always followed by a devastating backstab…
Just then, Baekgyeon—now turned away from the protesters—met my eyes.
“Let me tell you something useful, Kwon Asol.”
“Yes?”
The reporters who had surrounded us had retreated at some point.
“People like that don’t come at you because they’re truly afraid of you. They do it because you look weak.”
Baekgyeon strode over and spoke quietly so only I could hear.
“You and me. If one of us suddenly launched a terror attack here right now, who would be more threatening?”
“Well, obviously—”
“Me. I could wipe this whole place out with a few skills. You can barely summon teddy bears. And yet those people can’t say a single word in front of me.”
“….”
“They know you’ll just take it quietly. I know you won’t.”
Baekgyeon paused briefly. After a short silence, I asked softly,
“What’s your point in telling me this?”
“I told you earlier. There’s nothing you can learn under Han Jaehyun.”
Baekgyeon shot a provocative look at Kwon Seowoo.
Seowoo flinched.
Then, at his next words, I finally understood Baekgyeon’s intention.
“Han Jaehyun is weak. And for a hunter at his level, being weak is more unforgivable than being bad. If Han Jaehyun ends up in danger and can’t protect himself, who do you think dies? Him?”
“….”
“That’s what weakness is. You can’t protect family or friends. So if you really want to face Najin, Kwon Seowoo won’t learn anything under Han Jaehyun.”
His wording was harsh, but this time I couldn’t find anything to refute.
‘He’s not wrong.’
If Han Jaehyun were in danger, the ones dying wouldn’t be him—but the people beside him.
‘He is giving support, but…’
What Seowoo needed right now wasn’t better gear or items. He needed a mentor who truly understood him and could push his growth.
And as far as I knew, the only person capable of that was Baekgyeon.
“Think it over. That should more than repay my thanks.”
“…Ah—the camera! Turn the camera!”
“Hunter Baekgyeon! Please comment on what just happened!”
“What is your stance on Hunter Kwon Asol?!”
After sweeping a glance over me and Seowoo, Baekgyeon turned and left. Most of the clustered reporters followed him, and only then did the team finally regain their senses.
“….”
Even afterward, Seowoo kept staring in the direction Baekgyeon had disappeared, still looking shocked.
* * *
That evening, Seowoo came straight to my room and made a declaration.
“…Noona! I—I think I need to train under Baekgyeon hyung again.”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
I sprang up in surprise, but Seowoo only clenched his fist with the determined face of a shonen protagonist.
“Yeah! I realized today that I was just avoiding him because I felt uncomfortable, and that wasn’t right.”
“I-I see. That’s good.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what part convinced him, but somehow their relationship seemed to be recovering without me noticing… Truly the mysterious and amazing world of shonen manga.
“Of course I still don’t like him, but this is more important to me!”
…Or maybe not recovered?
“N-no, Seowoo. What matters is that you’re getting training. Yes! I’m proud of you.”
“Right? Then I’ll go contact him right now!”
It was a bit ambiguous, but his courage was admirable.
Soon I heard Seowoo talking on the phone with someone, and starting early the next morning, he resumed training with Baekgyeon.
I wasn’t sure how it all worked out, but at least things seemed to be back on track with the original story.
‘Wow… somehow it all worked out again.’
After confirming that Seowoo and Baekgyeon’s relationship had been restored, I couldn’t help but praise myself.
‘This was the most hopeless situation so far, but it still turned out well!’
* * *
“Kwon Seowoo, oversleeping on a training day already? Getting sloppy this soon?”
“I-it’s because hyung made me run all day yesterday—”
“You’re talking back? Starting today, run twenty more laps.”
“Ah, hyung!!”
‘…Hmm, this feels a bit different from the original.’
Even if things had changed slightly from what I remembered, small details like that were probably fine to ignore.
