Chapter 8
“Jeongeun?”
As he was lost in beautiful memories, a voice even more vivid and enchanting reached his ears. When he came to his senses, two dazzling sapphires floated before his eyes.
Oh, they’re not sapphires; they’re just Heero’s eyes. How foolish of me… How could I compare Heero’s eyes to mere jewels?
With a blank expression, Jeongeun nodded.
“I will protect Hunter Seo Dasol safely without harboring any ill intentions.”
“Ahaha, that sounds very serious!”
Heero laughed with satisfaction, and Jeongeun felt a surge of joy.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered.
“Guild Leader, I heard you were here.”
The man who stepped into the accommodation was A-rank fire mage and the vice guild leader of the Sooryun guild, Ahn Kyungjin. Although he wasn’t on the same team as Heero since he had to handle guild affairs in his absence, he was undoubtedly Heero’s right-hand man.
“The D-rank dungeon in Anyang has been revealed to be a hidden dungeon, and there’s an urgent raid request for the first team. What should we do? The hidden dungeon is rated A-rank. The overall dungeon rating has also been adjusted to A-rank.”
Kyungjin spoke quickly.
“What about the hunters who entered?”
“There were two B-rank, three C-rank, one D-rank, and one F-rank.”
“An F-rank went in?”
Heero asked as he walked out the door. Kyungjin and Jeongeun naturally followed him.
“Yes, it seems they took him in as a porter.”
“Then it’s even more dangerous. He could panic and run away in the wrong direction or be used as a meat shield. Gather the first team immediately. Let’s meet in front of that dungeon.”
“Yes, understood. But is this person going with us?”
Kyungjin glanced at Jeongeun as he asked. Heero nodded.
“This is Jin… Kim Yibak, whom I just scouted as a bodyguard for Dasol.”
“Oh, you mentioned he was a mental manipulation type. What exactly is his class?”
Kyungjin adjusted his glasses and directed the question at Jeongeun.
“I’m a Word Sorcerer [1].”
Jeongeun replied calmly.
“A B-rank Word Sorcerer. I think we can have his hunter registration certificate made that way.”
Heero added, giving Kyungjin a light pat on the shoulder. However, Kyungjin’s face had already turned cold. His gaze mixed with disdain and a hint of fear.
“A Word Sorcerer?”
Kyungjin took a few steps back from Jeongeun, seemingly unaware of his own actions. He looked at Heero with a stiff expression.
“Guild Leader, Word Sorcerers can dominate not only monsters but also the minds of hunters if they set their minds to it. You know that, right?”
“Is Kim Yibak going to control us?”
“Absolutely not.”
Jeongeun answered firmly at Heero’s sudden question.
“He says he won’t.”
Heero said nonchalantly, but Kyungjin protested as if firing off a rapid succession of bullets.
“Of course, he would say that! But you know how many heinous acts past Word Sorcerers have committed! That’s why Jin Jeongeun always wore a mouthpiece!”
Jeongeun didn’t know what expression to make, so he maintained a neutral face. However, it seemed that even that was bothersome to Kyungjin.
“See! This guy is also silent because he feels guilty about something!”
“...I—”
“I’m talking to the Guild Leader. Don’t interrupt.”
Kyungjin harshly cut off Jeongeun’s words. Jeongeun sulkily closed his mouth again.
Watching the exchange, Heero smiled with one corner of his mouth raised, a sharp smile that seemed to be holding back irritation.
“Kyungjin. Kim Yibak is a hunter I personally scouted. Don’t you trust me?”
“It's not that I don’t trust you…”
Kyungjin stammered, flustered as he struggled to find the right words. Heero gently squeezed his shoulder, his voice now much sweeter than before.
“And if Kim Yibak had any bad intentions, B-rank skills only work on those below B-rank. They won’t affect me or the first team hunters. So, stop worrying, Kyungjin.”
“...Yes, I’m sorry. I was just worried about you getting hurt…”
“I know. I appreciate how much you care about me. Thank you.”
Heero reassured Kyungjin with a soft smile. Kyungjin’s demeanor visibly softened. Jeongeun watched Heero’s hand on Kyungjin’s shoulder with envy.
“Make sure to apologize to Kim Yibak as well.”
“...I’m sorry, Hunter Kim Yibak.”
“Not at all.”
It was common for a Word Sorcerer to be treated this way, and after all, Jeongeun had lived his life as a target of avoidance. He had even worn a mouthpiece at the association’s suggestion, so he didn’t feel bad about this level of suspicion.
‘As long as I do well, so others won’t feel uneasy.’
Moreover, from now on, he was someone Heero vouched for, so he needed to actively prove his harmlessness. Jeongeun thought this as he firmly closed his mouth, putting extra effort into maintaining his composure.
Gathered in front of the D-rank dungeon that had been upgraded to A-rank in Anyang, the first team of the Sooryun guild listened to a brief briefing from the association before entering the dungeon.
Even though they had been called in a hurry, they remained calm and agile, as if they had prepared in advance.
It had been a year since Jeongeun had entered a dungeon. As soon as he stepped inside, a notification appeared.
Skill ‘Magic Absorption (??)’
Naturally absorbs magic from the otherworld, reducing magic damage rate to 56%.The notification indicated that the skill had automatically activated, absorbing the magic within the dungeon. It was the same as when magic had leaked through the cracks in the boundary wall of the field.
‘The higher the dungeon rank, the faster the recovery, I guess.’
He thought he understood the criteria for recovery. Not using spells. Absorbing magic. Receiving healing from the healer.
Perhaps drinking a magic potion or receiving treatment at a specialized hospital for awakened ones would also reduce the magic damage rate.
For the time being, he had no intention of using spells, and he was satisfied with natural healing, but if he was going to be active in the Sooryun guild and participate in raids, he would need to be proactive about treatment.
Jeongeun tightened his hands and quickly scanned the inside of the dungeon.
The dungeon they entered was an A-rank one, entirely covered in ice.
“Ah, it’s freezing!”
Rina huddled up and complained. Even though all the team members were wearing S-rank items called ‘Invincible Coats’ before entering the dungeon, she still reacted this way.
Yejin playfully pinched Rina’s chubby cheek and smiled.
“Stop sulking and let’s hurry up and get this done.”
“Ugh! I really hate these emergency raids!”
As Rina grumbled, Soohyuk pressed down on her head.
“Who’s complaining here, huh?”
“Ugh! You’re messing up my hair!”
Even though they were all strong, they were in an A-rank dungeon. Jeongeun admired how the team members were so relaxed. The Sooryun guild really had a good atmosphere.
The Gibaek guild, where he had been, operated like a military unit, driven by fear. Of course, the ones they feared and felt tense around weren’t the monsters but Jeongeun himself. Eventually, all the guild members had come to dislike entering dungeons with Jeongeun, having witnessed how he toyed with monsters with just a word.
Heero smiled softly at the lively team members and then approached Jeongeun. He looked at him with warm eyes, examining his expression.
“Are you nervous?”
“No.”
“Even though you’re a bodyguard hunter, we won’t send monsters toward Dasol or Kim Yibak. But just in case…”
As Heero spoke, he removed a few bracelets he was wearing and placed them on Jeongeun’s wrist.
“These are shield bracelets that respond to physical attacks and a magic charging bracelet. Both are S-rank items.”
Jeongeun was left speechless.
Heero had given him… S-rank items.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jeongeun blinked silently, and Heero said, “You should use items instead of skills whenever possible. That way, your body won’t be strained as much. You know why I’m giving you this, right?”
Why…? Why are you giving this to me…?
Jeongeun stared blankly at Heero’s handsome face. Heero wrapped his wrist with his hand and leaned down slightly to whisper in his ear.
“You must not get hurt.”
In that moment, Jeongeun felt as if he had been struck by a monster. A loud thumping echoed in his chest, as if someone was beating a drum.
But there was something Jeongeun was overlooking.
“We can’t send monsters toward our only healer.”
Healer? But I’m a Word Sorcerer. Jeongeun almost blurted that out. Then he realized a moment later that Heero was referring to Dasol, not him.
That’s right. He had come here to protect Dasol. That was all Heero expected from him.
Heero released Jeongeun’s wrist and turned to speak to Dasol. His voice was now filled with much more affection and concern than before.
“Dasol, you need to stay close to Kim Yibak. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Dasol replied briefly. After that, Heero continued to check on Dasol, asking if he had enough items and potions, if he was feeling okay, and what his magic capacity was.
Jeongeun watched as Heero and Dasol stood facing each other, exchanging familiar conversation. The two S-rank magic bracelets on his wrist glowed faintly.
Notes:
[1] I’ve decided to change Jeongeun’s class name from "Spellcaster" to "Word Sorcerer" because it fits his abilities better. "Spellcaster" makes it seem like he can cast elemental spells, but his powers are more about mental manipulation through verbal commands. I’ve updated this change for the previous chapters as well.
