Alpha Kraken.
As a B+ rank monster, it was a fairly high-grade creature.
‘…Wait, why isn’t the quest coming?’
Normally, a quest notification window would have popped up by now. Regardless of whether there was a quest, Jin-woo intended to deal with the monster, but since the notification hadn’t arrived, he worried there might be another trap hidden by the system.
‘Still, I should take care of the monster first.’
*Flash!*
Jin-woo leaped high. Today, he planned to resolve the situation using only his spirits without revealing his face. Their grades were all High-grade now, and their individual skills easily surpassed the typical High-grade level.
Just then.
*Whoosh!*
Something massive dived into the sea. It wasn’t one of Jin-woo’s spirits, nor was it Jin-woo himself.
“…The Branch President! It’s the Branch President!” someone in the water shouted.
The pride of Busan and a first-generation legend. Kang Baek-san, the Branch President of the Hunter Association, had entered the sea. Having recently become an S-rank Hunter thanks to Jin-woo, he surveyed the surroundings.
*Whish!*
With a gesture of his hand, a long stream of yellow essence erupted from his palm. A boundary line formed between the land and the sea where the Kraken was located.
A one-man army—that was the phrase used to describe a Spirit Master. Such a one-man army had now become an S-rank Hunter. Baek-san, who didn’t fully realize just how strong Jin-woo was, waved happily as soon as he spotted him.
Then, as if telling him to watch closely, he turned his gaze toward the Kraken. He intended to show Jin-woo how a Spirit Master should fight. Of course, Jin-woo was actually stronger.
‘I should watch closely since there will definitely be something to learn.’
Jin-woo watched Baek-san’s battle. As the Alpha Kraken’s massive body shook, the currents began to surge violently.
“Find the dungeon.”
— Understood.
At Baek-san’s command, a water spirit dove into the sea. This was to find the dungeon the Kraken had emerged from. Simultaneously, the currents that grew wilder every time the Kraken moved were instantly calmed. It was the power of the spirit.
Baek-san intentionally dragged out the time to show Jin-woo his combat. It would be a lie to say he didn’t want to show off how much stronger he had become; frankly, he wanted to boast.
But more than that, the primary reason was that he wanted to teach Jin-woo something. Since he had gained and learned so much from a single meal with Jin-woo, he wanted to provide some guidance in battle.
— I found it!
The water spirit found the dungeon where the Alpha Kraken had originated.
“Let’s go!”
— Yes!
Baek-san summoned the White Tiger. It was the strongest of his spirits and the one that had helped Jin-woo’s spirits promote to High-grade not long ago.
The giant white tiger raced across the sea.
*Splash! Splash! Spl-sh!*
The currents surged every time he leaped, but the water spirit suppressed them, supporting the White Tiger.
*Whoosh!*
The White Tiger flew high into the air, dodging the Alpha Kraken’s ink spray. The Alpha Kraken must have been feeling desperate, as it poured out a barrage of attacks all at once. As soon as the White Tiger evaded the ink, the monster’s tentacles lashed out like whips.
*Crack!*
The tentacles flew at high speed. The White Tiger didn’t dodge but opened its maw wide.
*Crunch!*
The White Tiger bit down on the Kraken’s tentacle, which had flown in at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye. He then slammed the Kraken back into the sea and sought out submerged rocks, lifting them into the air.
*Boom!*
The levitating rocks charged toward the Kraken.
“Kang Baek-san! Kang Baek-san!”
“Branch President!”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Baek-san grinned at the cheers of the Busan citizens. It had been a long time since he received this kind of attention. Since he inwardly craved it, he waved his hand with a broad smile.
***
(Anonymous 1): He fights well.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): I’m a bit surprised.
(Anonymous 1): He didn’t really do anything, though. Isn’t this basically just leaving it on auto-hunt?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Yeah, true.
(Water God of Cheong-ha): He really is strong.
(Martial Artist Buying Death): Indeed. Spirit arts are more fascinating than the techniques of the Murim.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): He might even aim for the number one rank in the country. I’ve never seen spirits so well-tamed, except for Jin-woo.
(Endless Waiting): The spirits are impressive.
(Liberated Swordsman): If Jin-woo’s spirits are on the cute side, those spirits are on the cool side.
(Father of Crops): It would be great if a white tiger like that took an interest in farming.
(Anonymous 1): You’re still obsessed with farming. I really want to hit you.
I was also impressed by Baek-san’s spirit arts. While it wasn’t comparable to someone walking the Path of the Constellation, Baek-san’s spirit arts were already the pinnacle among Hunters. I had some things to learn as well.
“Hunter, we meet again. I thought you had left for another area.”
After finishing his task, Baek-san approached me. He had just finished clearing the dungeon deep at the bottom of the sea using his spirits. Carried on his shoulder was a Kraken larger than a two-story house, and the citizens seemed curious about the relationship between the two of us.
“Haha, I like Busan so much that I decided to stay a bit longer. I’ll be heading to Jeju Island soon.”
“Haha, that sounds great.”
Baek-san laughed heartily.
“What will happen to that corpse now?”
“This thing?”
“Yes. It’s in good condition.”
Although there were some spots where rocks had pierced it, it had died relatively cleanly.
“First, I’ll take it to the Association, then it will likely be disposed of. Monsters this large contain a lot of demonic energy.”
“…Could you perhaps give it to me?”
Why was I making such a request?
**[A Path of the Constellation Quest has arrived!]**
— Description: Cook a dish using the Alpha Kraken hunted by Baek-san.
— Reward: Mysterious Key.
It was an easy quest, but it was impossible to clear if Baek-san didn’t give me the Kraken. Furthermore, wasn’t the reward a Mysterious Key? I was certain it was the key to opening the mysterious safe I had obtained from the Association report earlier.
‘I have to get it.’
(Anonymous 1): That’s certainly something to covet.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): It will probably yield a better item than what comes out of a random box. I can’t help but be excited.
(Anonymous 1): You have to get it, Jin-woo.
(Water God of Cheong-ha): My descendant will surely obtain it.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): If it’s the Baek-san I know, he’ll definitely give the corpse.
I stared into his eyes with a slightly trembling gaze.
“I can give it to you, haha. However, I am curious about your intention.”
“I want to cook it. Despite my appearance, I have a demonic energy detoxification skill.”
“…It has more demonic energy than you might think. Will you be okay?”
“I am an S-rank Hunter, after all,” I whispered so others couldn’t hear.
“Hahaha!!”
Baek-san let out his signature hearty laugh, which would have felt disappointing to miss.
“Could I have a taste as well?”
“Of course, if you aren’t too busy.”
“I’m not busy. I’m stepping down from the Branch President position soon, so I’m currently handing over my duties.”
“Oh, congratulations!”
“It’s thanks to you.”
“Haha, thanks to me? I didn’t do anything.”
Baek-san simply wore a light, enigmatic smile.
(Anonymous 1): Still, that man named Baek-san will be the most helpful person to you while you live in Korea. His power is absolute.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Agreed.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): His power is indeed immense. Even when he was an A-rank Hunter, he never backed down from S-rank Hunters.
(Anonymous 1): Now that he’s an S-rank Hunter…
(God of Rain and Sunlight): He can live his life doing whatever he wants.
(Martial Artist Buying Death): You’ve gained a good connection, Jin-woo.
(Father of Crops): Anyway, the quest is almost cleared. Good.
I nodded. I certainly thought it was a good connection.
“Shall we head to the Association together? There are many eyes watching.”
“That sounds good. Just a moment, please. Byeol-i is still at the cafe.”
“Oh!”
I brought Byeol-i, who had been sitting quietly in the cafe. Baek-san, who was filled with anticipation at the thought of seeing Byeol-i again, smiled broadly. He stroked her head.
“Byeol-i, have you been well?”
“Hehe, Grandpa!”
At those words, the online grandpas reacted more strongly than Baek-san.
(Anonymous 1): Yes, Byeol-i. It’s Grandpa. Come here.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): I suppose I am at an age to be called Grandpa now.
(Water God of Cheong-ha): …Aren’t we more like great-great-grandpas and beyond?
(The Last Cook): I’m not even quite over 100 years old yet.
(Anonymous 1): You’re just a brat.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Exactly. You’re nothing but a child.
(Father of Crops): …Act your age.
The online grandpas exploded with affection for Byeol-i’s cuteness before starting to bicker among themselves again. Since I knew this was all because they were old, I mostly ignored them. At the same time, I had a brief thought.
‘…I don’t want to get old.’
Seeing Constellations who were easily over 1,000 years old fighting so childishly made me think about many things.
***
As soon as he reached the Association, Baek-san handled his work quickly. Jin-woo, who ended up watching his daily routine from the side, was excited at the thought that he was seeing a good show. When else would he get to see a Branch President of the Hunter Association working? Furthermore, although he was called Branch President, Baek-san was essentially the same as the Vice President of the Hunter Association.
Baek-san was someone ranked in the top ten of the most respected people in the nation. How would such a person work?
First, he wrote a report on how the subjugation was carried out and gave orders to the staff. Then, he reviewed various documents and signed them…
“Hehe, hehehe.”
He was chuckling while reading articles about his own subjugation.
“…”
Watching that, Jin-woo wore a slightly stunned expression. It was understandable, as a person as great as described earlier was laughing while looking at his own articles. It was somewhat… funny. And a bit cute.
Baek-san, who roughly noticed Jin-woo’s feelings, spoke as if feeling shy.
“Well, since everyone who should know already knows, I’ll just be honest. I’m what people these days call an attention seeker, haha.”
(Anonymous 1): I understand. Back in my days as a hero, I enjoyed that kind of cheering too.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): …I hate that kind of attention.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): I think I enjoyed it to a moderate degree.
(Martial Artist Buying Death): I also enjoyed it moderately.
(The Last Cook): It’s only natural for it to feel good when everyone cheers and holds you up as the best. Jin-woo, you’re the weird one.
(Father of Crops): Now that I think about it, Jin-woo almost never looks at his own articles, does he?
(Anonymous 1): Yeah. Alton gets more excited and reads the news about the unidentified Hunter than Jin-woo does.
Jin-woo looked at Baek-san and spoke.
“It’s only natural.”
“Haha, well… I suppose. That’s why I live even more diligently. Since everyone is watching only me, I try to live more kindly and work harder.”
Jin-woo thought that was a good thing. If you tried to live more diligently and kindly while being conscious of others, wouldn’t that eventually become a habit?
He could feel that the current Baek-san was a truly good person. Regardless of how he might have been in the past, now, his every action felt sincere.
‘He might have been conscious of others at first, but now it’s become a habit.’
Just then, Baek-san spoke.
“I’ve cut away all the clean parts of the Alpha Kraken’s corpse, except for the contaminated areas. There’s a dedicated kitchen facility at the Association, so you can cook there.”
“Understood.”
Jin-woo was finally on the verge of obtaining the secret key. He was already looking forward to what kind of item would come out of the safe.