Chapter 12

The next morning, it would have been nice to wake up refreshed…

But it seemed like yesterday’s exertions had been too much for Senia’s stats.

“Well, well?”

You’re going to deduct my already pea-sized stats? Right then, another quest popped up.

“Oh.”

I had to do the daily quest anyway.

Thanks to clearing this and that with Hunter So Yeri yesterday, my stats had gone up quite a bit.

Finally, all stats have reached two digits!

Wow, congrats like crazy!

For someone who originally had five-digit stats, this was a tear-jerking status window.

“Yeah, kids grow up, right.”

I nodded and headed to the training grounds.

First, lap around the training grounds, then try the Porlang First Sword Form.

“Think it’ll work?”

Before, with those stats, it was proportional to 0.2 times, and who knows how it scales, but I might not even manage a full one.

What then?

“What do you mean? Just flop on the ground again.”

I shrugged.

Still, skills have proficiency, so with corrections, even low stats might be okay.

“If it doesn’t work, make it work!”

That was my motto. I stretched fully and walked out to the training grounds.

“Ah, the dawn air is nice.”

When was the last time I trained at dawn? Shortly after the first Gate opened?

The whole world was in chaos back then.

No country had a system to handle the Gates that appeared out of nowhere.

Hunters couldn’t even band together amid the chaos of Gates popping up everywhere.

Back then, the only one who could protect you was yourself.

Thinking of those days, I started warming up.

“First lap!”

The moment I got into position—

—Thud!

A black shadow dropped right in front of me.

“!”

—Shing!

Drawing my sword in surprise was instantaneous.

The system window was impressive, but the person in front of me was even more so.

The one who caught my drawn sharp blade barehanded.

A person who wouldn’t be hurt by a mere C-rank sword.

“Shin Jae-heon?”

What are you doing here?

If there had been anyone else on the training grounds, I’d almost gotten hit with an RP Dungeon penalty.

As I let out a sharp yelp, Shin Jae-heon frowned.

Instead of the hand that blocked the sword, he brought his index finger to my lips with his other hand.

“Just call me Ban here.”

“Ban?”

What, like half-and-half chicken? It was only then I belatedly recalled his name.

Ivan Elethia von Karman.

Seemed like a nickname from Ivan.

“Got it. But what are you doing here right now?”

Not to be rude, but have you lost your mind? I pointed at the sky where the sun hadn’t even properly risen.

“Did this country fall? Or why is His Imperial Majesty popping out in a mere baronet family’s training grounds at the crack of dawn?”

At my words, Shin Jae-heon spread his hand.

—Click.

He personally sheathed my sword and stepped back. He was dressed in a pure white shirt and black pants.

He didn’t look like someone with the fancy title of Emperor.

As I raised one eyebrow, Shin Jae-heon smiled.

“To watch the civilian version of Shin Yuri, among other things.”

“…Among other things?”

Among other things, but he didn’t mention any other purpose.

Unbelievable? Isn’t that the only purpose?

For this prankster, it was entirely possible. I twitched my eyebrow.

In the meantime, Shin Jae-heon plopped down on the training ground floor a few steps away from me.

Dust didn’t bother him at all, Emperor or not—that was the Shin Jae-heon I knew.

“Not exercising?”

His deep blue eyes blinked up at me.

Looking into those eyes, I was convinced.

“You’re here just to watch, right? No other purpose?”

As I narrowed my eyes, Shin Jae-heon shrugged.

“I’m busy, even if I don’t look it.”

“Then no one complains if you come all the way here?”

“They do.”

He answered oh-so-casually. Then he lightly placed his index finger to his lips.

“So I snuck out.”

“…A role model for the nation, you bastard.”

I was so flabbergasted that profanity slipped out.

Whoops, I covered my mouth, but anyway, it was just the two of us on the training grounds.

In the end, I burst out laughing.

It felt like high school days, ten years ago.

“Just run. Talk while running.”

Shin Jae-heon beckoned to me like that.

Right, whether Shin Jae-heon or a monster popped out, I couldn’t miss the daily quest that boosts full HP by 10%.

As I kicked off and started running, Shin Jae-heon casually followed.

With a civilian’s senses—not S-rank or even A-rank—it was hard to tell when he sidled up and started strolling leisurely beside me.

As he walked relaxedly, he asked.

“The succession ceremony—feeling confident?”

I turned to look at him at those words.

“What, if not, you’ll extend the deadline?”

No matter how rushed the timeline, would I lose to an A-rank?

Of course, the stat gap was huge.

What if my stats were exactly a hundred times higher…

In the silence, I realized the harsh reality.

Actually, saying it out loud, it was pretty grim. No good gear either.

“…The stat difference is a bit of an issue.”

I finally blurted it out. While running hard.

Somehow I’ll manage. Can’t just sit like an idiot and take a sword to the face, right?

Then, Shin Jae-heon, easily keeping pace no matter how I sped up, called to me.

“Stop for a sec.”

“Huh?”

Turning around, he had his hand extended as if to grab me.

I looked at that awkwardly outstretched hand, then back up at him.

“What’s with that half-assed hand?”

“Oh.”

Shin Jae-heon pulled his hand away from me like he’d burned it.

“Just.”

“The guy who used to smack my back now acting all formal.”

Saying it in disbelief, it suddenly hit me—the current stat gap between him and me.

…Ah, if this guy smacked my back now, my body would explode.

“Better do this at least, you.”

Right then, Shin Jae-heon reached into his inventory and pulled something out.

Ah, right—everyone but me kept their hunter inventories.

So when entering this dungeon, they’d brought everything in their dungeon inventories, equipped items included.

Probably planning to give me one of those items. But that brilliant plan had a fatal flaw.

“I can’t equip most items.”

The world isn’t that easy—even if a civilian wraps themselves in top S-rank gear, they’re just an expensive corpse.

If the item’s stats differ too much from the user’s, it won’t function properly.

Same for me.

At best, maybe low B-rank item stats?

Could even get a system message like ‘Power crushed by a league-apart item.’

But the item Shin Jae-heon gave wasn’t anything I’d imagined.

Before I knew it, he’d circled behind me and fastened the necklace around my neck. He spread his hand.

“This okay?”

“This is…”

An innate S-rank like me wouldn’t use C-rank gear.

But I knew this item.

“What is this? You still have it?”

It was originally something I’d given him. Shin Jae-heon nodded slightly.

“Found it by chance.”

For something found by chance, it was spotless.

This guy definitely wore it around for a while after awakening as a hunter, right?

Yet the necklace looked brand new.

I examined the necklace anew.

This was the cheap necklace I’d bought him from a stationery store ten years ago.

Exactly, during the chaotic time right after Gates appeared when items randomly got ranks—no idea it was a decent C-rank item, just a toy.

‘Ah, I hate stuff jangling around my neck!’

‘You lost the bet, so wear it!’

The necklace I’d laughing put on the guy who hated it.

Only much later did I learn it had stats.

While I spaced out, Shin Jae-heon adjusted the necklace again, tucking the pendant into my clothes.

The feel of metal against my chest was vivid. I flinched at the cold sensation and snapped to.

System messages scrolled up. Amazing stats for C-rank, but my eyes were drawn elsewhere.

“No, what are you doing putting a treasured item bonus here, you lunatic!”

This guy’s completely insane!

I clutched my head.