TL: SHW
“The... dungeon I cleared with Teacher Han right before that was one where Nymphs appeared, though.”
What exactly did he mean by Humanoid Monsters?
Hong Seok-young made it sound so ominous, but it was nothing complicated. As long as it walked on two legs and moved around roughly like a human, it counted. Strictly speaking, even the Minotaur in Myeong-dong was a Humanoid Monster. It was just huge and had a cow’s head.
The same went for Nymphs. They were covered in dark, bark-like skin, but their overall form was still similar to a human’s.
“No, what I mean is.”
But Hong Seok-young still wore an inexplicably uneasy expression.
“I mean monsters that are almost indistinguishable from humans in appearance. Things like fairies.”
“So Nymphs too....”
Hong Seok-young shook his head and explained what he considered the requirements for a Humanoid Monster.
“And ones intelligent enough to bother you.”
“...That sounds rather subjective.”
“Then how should I explain it....”
“If you simply mean intelligence, there probably aren’t many monsters that don’t have any.”
“That isn’t intelligence. It’s instinct.”
Hong Seok-young cleared his throat with an expression as though his mouth had gone dry. The end of his voice cracked. I had no idea what he was trying to say that required this much hesitation.
It would be easier for me too if he would just come out and say it.
“Most monsters would have to be called beasts. Yes, don’t they hunt prey when they’re hungry? There’s no way to call that anything but a beast.”
If this had been about anything else, I would have cut him off and said it was about time Woo I-rok came looking for me.
We were supposed to go buy cat supplies today. He was probably too busy arguing with Han Tae-kyung over the cat’s name for the moment, but he would come looking for me soon enough. If I didn’t suggest leaving first, he would obviously pretend he didn’t care while sulking and making himself a nuisance.
Even so, I quietly waited for Hong Seok-young to continue. It hadn’t been that long since I said I would let him win, so how could I already try to get the better of him again? I had at least that much conscience.
Besides, I trusted that Hong Seok-young wouldn’t joke around about anything related to monsters.
“I’m not talking about simple beasts like those. I mean ones that are intelligent enough to give you chills. Look at Hope. Do you think he suddenly became smart just because he became human?”
“Honestly, I’m still not sure he’s smart even now.”
“You know perfectly well that isn’t what I mean.”
I closed my mouth.
“You’ve probably never encountered a monster like that. There’s no way I would have allowed it. Isn’t that right?”
“…….”
It hurt my pride, but Hong Seok-young was right. Except when there had truly been no other choice, Father always checked every dungeon I entered at least once. Back when I was in college, I had only recently gotten my license, so I figured it was understandable that he worried and let him be. Part of it was also because having someone worry about me like that didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.
But Father’s inspections continued even after I joined the Ability Management Agency. Yoo Ji-eun had said something about it from the side.
‘Teacher, isn’t the reason the kid ended up like this because you raised him that way?!’
‘I raised him perfectly well!’
‘What do you mean, perfectly well?! How old is he now, and he still doesn’t know how to do anything!’
‘If I don’t know how to do anything, there must be a lot of people at the Ability Management Agency who need to resign voluntarily.’
‘All you’ve got is that mouth of yours!’
...Well, I found it frustrating too. Han Tae-kyung’s license had been suspended, so we needed to clear dungeons quickly, but Father would sometimes stop me from entering one. He had been overseas on a business trip at the time, so he shouldn’t even have known much about what was happening domestically, yet somehow, he always found out.
A Dungeon Break had been on the verge of occurring, yet he hadn’t even told me why. I could have ignored him and gone in anyway, but... it didn’t sit right with me, so while I was still unable to decide what to do, Yoo Ji-eun, who had just returned from clearing another dungeon, saw me like that and entered the dungeon before I could stop her.
The monster that appeared in that dungeon had been... Jin. A Humanoid Monster made of fire.
Could all the dungeons Father had stopped me from entering have been places where Humanoid Monsters appeared? Father had cut them off before I could even check, so there was no way for me to know.
“Right. Since you brought up Nymphs, let’s use them as an example.”
Instead of answering, I looked at Hong Seok-young.
“I’ve hunted Nymphs before too, and they’re smarter than you’d think. Was this your first time hunting Nymphs?”
“...Yes.”
“Ah, seriously. I don’t want to say this either. Especially now that I know how I raised you, I really don’t want to.”
Hong Seok-young raked his fingers through his hair. His already messy hair became even more disheveled.
“But I don’t know what’s going to happen from now on, so I... Do you have any intention of quitting as a Hunter?”
“What kind of insane nonsense is that?”
“Right. I thought so.... No, but didn’t you say you rarely went into dungeons originally? That you had an office job? Any chance you’d consider that now?”
“And you’d be fine with that?”
“…….”
“…….”
“...That would be a little troublesome.”
From Hong Seok-young’s perspective, there could hardly be a bigger loss than relegating a trustworthy and unquestionably capable asset like me to office work.
Well... Father had Yoo Ji-eun, but Hong Seok-young didn’t have anyone like that. That was why I had brought up the Successor in the first place.
“Still, if it truly doesn’t suit you, I can try to work something out.”
“…….”
He really was an irritating person, then and now.
“Enough. Just get to the point already. Are you going to keep dragging this out?”
“Come on. Dad is trying to say something sentimental for once.”
“I said enough.”
“Fine. I suppose telling you the truth of the world is also a father’s job.”
Hong Seok-young finally seemed to make up his mind and spoke with a firm expression.
“Nymphs, you see. They have strong maternal instincts.”
“...What?”
But what came out of his mouth was something I had never expected.
“Maternal instincts, I suppose you could call them. Well, most animals are probably like that, but Nymphs are intelligent enough to kneel and beg in order to protect their young.”
“…….”
“Ah. You said there weren’t many Nymphs in the dungeon you entered, right? Then I suppose you never saw it. But that doesn’t matter. A Nymph is capable of going that far to protect its Saplings.”
The Saplings planted around the core. The twisted stems that had looked like arms and legs.
“There are plenty of monsters with emotions as rich as a human’s. I told you, didn’t I? Some can communicate through language.”
Whether I answered or not, Hong Seok-young continued without stopping. As though if he paused halfway through, he would never be able to speak about this subject again.
“Can something that refuses to resist and offers up its own neck to protect its young really be called a beast? Can it even be called a monster? That’s a Sentient Being. It simply isn’t human.”
“…….”
“And we don’t even have to limit this to Humanoid Monsters. Now that you know he’s half monster... if Sem Bloom were standing in front of you, could you kill him?”
I reflexively opened my mouth to answer, then stopped.
“If Noah Michel suddenly attacked this place, could you kill her?”
“…….”
“Whether you could actually kill them is another matter.”
...He always had to add one unnecessary comment.
“Then let’s use something that actually happened. When Alex Hope attacked Seung-yeon and student Tae-woo, were you trying to kill Hope?”
Every single question was one I couldn’t answer.
Yet Hong Seok-young nodded with a bitter smile, looking as though he had heard my answer anyway.
“I would never have made my son walk that path.”
“……Then.”
“But I would have taught my Successor.”
I closed my mouth again.
So he had realized all the way back then that I wasn’t really his Successor.
“The reason you’re telling me this now is...?”
“Because I believe you’re an adult who can take responsibility for your own choices.”
“…….”
“You see, I don’t want to raise you all over again or... well, anything like that. In my eyes, you’re already my grown son. Though you’re still cute.”
“...What are you even talking about?”
“You’re already a fine adult. You take good care of the kids, and you look after your younger sibling too. You’re a much better teacher than someone like me.”
Hearing that from the person who had been a better teacher to me than anyone else....
“That’s all thanks to how well I raised you, of course. I respect that. Trying to teach a kid who grew up well because I think he still isn’t good enough would be completely wrong.”
“…….”
“So think about it seriously. You don’t have to tell me your answer. I hope the day never comes, but if you ever find yourself facing that situation, there’s a difference between having thought about it beforehand and never having thought about it at all.”
Father had taught me that I must never hurt people. I had always tried to follow that teaching.
My lips twitched before I finally managed to ask Hong Seok-young.
“...If I say I’ll do it?”
“I’ll teach you everything else I chose not to teach you.”
Hong Seok-young answered without hesitation. Unlike how he had called this the main point yet circled around and around before finally bringing it up.
That meant he had already thought it through thoroughly before coming to me.
“And if I say... I won’t?”
“A father’s job is to trust and support his son’s decision.”
Hong Seok-young patted my shoulder with a hand carrying reassuring weight.
---
“So, have you decided on a name?”
“I’m still thinking.”
Woo I-rok, sitting in the back seat, answered with a sulky expression. Ji Yoo-geon, sitting in the driver’s seat, stifled a laugh.
“You looked like you were discussing it with Teacher Han earlier.”
“I seriously hate that man!”
“Really?”
“He keeps telling me to name the cat Chasie!!”
“Teacher Han does like that cat....”
“She’s tabby! She’s not pink!”
He said it as though he would have named her Chasie if she had been pink.
What a relief. ...Was it? Either way, if he named her Chasie, he would regret it before even three years had passed, so in that sense, I supposed it was fortunate.
“Don’t you have any names in mind?”
“Hmm....”
Apparently he did have a few, because Woo I-rok folded his arms and furrowed his brow.
“Flush?”
That was a rather out-of-nowhere name.
“Or, um. Straight is too long....”
Ah.
My God.
Those were poker hands. What had that damned cat’s full name been again? Chasie Full House. Full House! That was a poker hand too.
“...I-rok.”
“Other than that... Huh? What?”
“How about a different name? Something easier to call. Like Bori or Cookie....”
“Those are childish.”
Did it not occur to him that naming a cat after poker hands was even more childish? Of course it didn’t. What was I expecting from a ten-year-old?
Ji Yoo-geon looked puzzled for a moment before realizing where Woo I-rok had gotten his inspiration for the cat’s name. Fortunately, Woo I-rok didn’t see his shoulders shaking.
I hurriedly spoke.
“The name you choose now is what the cat will be called for the rest of her life.”
“Uh... right?”
“So you shouldn’t pick one too hastily. You should think about whether the cat will like it too.”
“Come on. She’s a cat. She probably won’t care what I call her. People who raise cats said they don’t come even when you call them.”
“……Pfft, ahem. Wow, I-rok. You really studied a lot about cats, huh?”
Ji Yoo-geon chimed in. Damn it, don’t encourage him.
“Still, if you call her by a name she hates, she’ll probably come even less.”
“...I guess that makes sense.”
“Right. So let’s think about it some more. Okay?”
Only after seeing Woo I-rok nod did I finally relax.
I already had enough things to worry about, so I at least wanted the cat to have a normal name.
...Though whether Woo I-rok would actually go along with what I wanted was another question.
***
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