Chapter 121

The moment the elevator doors opened, what she saw was Taehyeok Sa, Taeyang Kang, and Myeongok Shin, who had arrived at some unknown time. It seemed Taeyang Kang’s leg bones had reattached thanks to her skill, as he was standing perfectly fine. Cho-i Hyeon felt a bit disappointed and wondered if she should break his bones again, but she decided against it, as he probably wouldn’t be an easy target this time. If the office got destroyed, she’d be the only one who regretted it.

“If someone greets you, you should answer.”

Cho-i Hyeon said, sitting opposite Myeongok Shin on the sofa. Taeyang Kang and Taehyeok Sa were standing, so there was plenty of room. Cho-i Hyeon took off her shoes, put one leg on the adjacent seat, and looked at Taehyeok Sa.

“So what were you talking about?”

“About you.”

“You’re boldly admitting to gossiping?”

“I never said I was gossiping.”

Cho-i exchanged banter with Taehyeok Sa, then looked at Taeyang Kang. Taeyang Kang was standing behind the couch with his arms crossed, and when his eyes met Cho-i’s, he didn’t avoid them, but met her gaze steadily. Cho-i, not wanting to lose, started a staring contest.

“……”

“……”

“Yes!”

It was Taeyang Kang who looked away first. Cho-i Hyeon chuckled and lay down on the couch. Then she poked Taehyeok Sa, who was standing close by, with her foot and asked,

“How long is he going to stay here?”

“I was just about to talk about that.”

“Oh, really?”

Cho-i jumped up from her seat, then sat down cross-legged again and looked at Taeyang Kang. Only after seeing her sit quietly did Taehyeok Sa open his mouth.

“So, what’s your reason for coming to Korea this time?”

“…It’s not something I need to tell you.”

“Alright, well, leaving that aside. Where do you plan to stay while you’re in Korea?”

“Any nearby hotel…”

“You’re still clueless about the world. Don’t you think reporters will flock to you if you stay like that? In other countries, maybe not, but in Korea, they definitely will.”

“…Is that so?”

“It’s amazing how you travel the world and yet are so oblivious. Do you even have internet? Do you have an S-grade social security number?”

“…Why would I need such things?”

“That’s why you’re no good.”

“I do use the internet…”

“Right, that’s how you recognized Cho-i Hyeon.”

“……”

Taeyang Kang turned his head. Taehyeok Sa sighed, then made a call, and a few minutes later, he hung up and said to Taeyang Kang,

“There’s a nearby hotel I often use. It’s the top floor of the Nanhwa Hotel, and the security there is good, so reporters won’t get wind of it, and even if word spreads, reporters can’t access it.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Cho-i Hyeon had been quietly watching Taeyang Kang throughout their conversation. Taeyang Kang, unlike before, avoided her gaze and only looked at Taehyeok Sa. Cho-i Hyeon tilted her head and likewise looked at Taehyeok Sa, then asked,

“Why does he look so familiar?”

“You’ve probably seen him in internet articles.”

“No, I told you I don’t read internet articles.”

“Then where did you see him?”

“I don’t know. No, I don’t think I’ve seen him in person…”

“Is it just my imagination?”

Cho-i Hyeon jumped up from her seat, dusted off her thighs, and asked Taehyeok Sa,

“So, where’s my pet?”

“A pet already?”

Then Taeyang Kang frowned.

“Are you really going to raise that?”

“Why, did you contribute to it?”

“Not that, but to raise something like that…”

“Raise what?”

“…Nothing.”

“How boring.”

At that moment, Myeongok Shin, who had been sitting silently, spoke.

“Are you thinking of raising that juvenile monster you brought earlier?”

“Yes!”

Cho-i Hyeon exclaimed excitedly.

“If I raise it well, won’t it be obedient?”

“Well, I’m against it.”

“Oh, just leave it to me. So, where is it?”

“It’s in the 71st floor laboratory.”

“No! Why would you put my child in a lab! What are you going to do with my child!”

“Already ‘my child’…”

“Of course, it’s mine now that it’s in my hands.”

Cho-i Hyeon scurried to the elevator, pressed the button, waited for a moment, then turned around.

“I’ll be playing with him for a while, so don’t give him any tasks.”

“There’s nothing to assign anyway.”

“Ahaha, you said your name was Taeyang Kang, right? Have a good time too~”

“…Excuse me.”

“Why?”

Taeyang Kang called Cho-i Hyeon over, remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“It’s fine. Nothing.”

“What’s with you? You’ve been acting so bland since earlier.”

Cho-i Hyeon scoffed and got into the elevator, heading for the 71st floor. As she exited on the 71st floor, a faint smell of chemicals wafted up, likely due to it being a research lab. Cho-i Hyeon stopped a passing researcher.

“Where’s the juvenile monster Taehyeok Sa brought earlier?”

“Ah, that monster… you mean? It’s in Room A701.”

“Thanks.”

She went straight to Room A701 and found the juvenile monster trapped in a giant glass tube.

“No! My baby! Why are you trapped in a place like this?”

“Excuse me, Hunter Cho-i Hyeon?”

“Why?”

“The monster’s aggression still remains, so we couldn’t keep it outside.”

“How much could our child bite even if it tried!”

“The researcher who received the monster almost had their finger bitten off, though.”

“It didn’t bite it off! What a good child!”

“……”

The researcher was speechless and remained silent for a moment. The researcher’s finger wasn’t bitten off because the monster bit gently, but because Taehyeok Sa instantly shoved his finger into the monster’s mouth and pried it open. In other words, it was the result of a brilliant intervention, not because the monster was docile and didn’t bite.

“Can I take it out and play with it?”

“Not yet.”

“Ugh, then what about me going in there?”

“…That is possible, but.”

“There’s nothing strange in there, right?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll go in.”

Cho-i Hyeon immediately followed the researcher’s guidance and entered the glass tube. It was only called a glass tube, but it was actually bulletproof glass with special treatment. Not to the extent that it wouldn’t break in Cho-i Hyeon’s hand, but only enough to block a few attacks from an A-Rank monster.

“Speaking of which, what rank is our child?”

As soon as Cho-i Hyeon entered, she grabbed the growling monster that was trying to avoid her and used Inspect.

[Axolotl (B-rank+)]

“Is it because it’s still a baby?”

Cho-i Hyeon said this as she looked around the monster, which was nibbling on her finger. Then she started to think about how to train it. Suddenly, something came to mind. She remembered that when she went to raid a US SS-Rank dungeon, when she used Shout while in a state of Sanity Paralysis, the monsters started to run away in the opposite direction.

“Would that be enough to gain some initiative?”

Cho-i Hyeon looked at the monster, which was still nibbling on her finger. The monster, which growled when their eyes met and resembled a baby axolotl, still seemed to perceive her as an enemy.

“Whether it’s monsters or animals, hierarchy is just as important…”

Cho-i Hyeon held the monster tightly in her hand and used Sanity Paralysis.

[Casting Sanity Paralysis!] [Casting Shout!]

Having used two in a row, Cho-i Hyeon opened her mouth wide. -!!! At the sudden roar, all the researchers looked inside the glass tube. The glass tube cracked with the sound, and the monster held in her hand instantly shriveled up. The juvenile monster couldn’t even run away, curling its tail on the spot and slowly letting go of the finger it had in its mouth. Then, it began to squirm, looking for a place to escape.

“Ahahaha, how cute.”

Cho-i Hyeon hugged the Entity to her chest, got up from her seat, and stepped out of the glass tube. Then, she offered the monster to the researcher.

“Yes, yes?”

“Try holding it. It’s probably docile now that I’ve scared it.”

“B-but.”

“I said it’s fine!”

The researcher, seemingly uneasy, came back wearing strange gloves and picked up the juvenile monster. The juvenile monster trembled and burrowed into the researcher’s arms, who was just a normal human. For some reason, the researcher began to feel pity for this juvenile monster.

“See? Right?”

“What was that just now?”

“Shout. The one I always use.”

“It felt a bit different though…”

“There’s something to it. You’ll get hurt if you know.”

Cho-i Hyeon took the juvenile monster back into her arms and hugged it tightly. The juvenile monster seemed to be squirming and trying to escape, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. Where would you run if you escaped? Hahaha. When Cho-i Hyeon came out of the lab with the juvenile monster, she encountered an unexpected person. It was Taeyang Kang. He looked as if he had rushed over in a hurry, and when Cho-i Hyeon looked at him quizzically, he cleared his throat with an awkward expression.

“I heard a strange sound…”

“Oh, that’s my skill. Is this your first time hearing it?”

“It’s not my first time, but…”

“It’s not your first time? Then where did you hear it? Did you see it in a video with Gihyeon Park?”

“……Yes.”

“Hmm, somehow suspicious~”

Cho-i Hyeon spoke flirtatiously to Taeyang Kang, who had been acting awkwardly for a while, and Taeyang Kang’s face hardened as he turned his head.

“I just came over because I was surprised.”

“Really?”

Cho-i Hyeon brushed it off casually and offered the juvenile monster to Taeyang Kang. Taeyang Kang flinched but accepted the Entity more gently than expected. He still looked displeased, frowning as he looked down at the juvenile monster.

“See, I scared it a bit, so it’s docile now.”

“That’s…, true.”

“So, stop making that ‘I don’t like it’ face, okay? I want to hit you.”

“……Okay.”

“What do you mean, ‘Okay’? Hahaha, what a weirdo.”

Cho-i Hyeon took the monster back from Taeyang Kang’s arms. Taeyang Kang stared silently at the juvenile monster in her arms and then suddenly spoke.

“It doesn’t quite suit you…”