My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 78 - Shin-ae’s Virtuoso

In-chan looked back and forth between Mi-ri-nae and Eun-sae, then clicked his tongue in amazement.

“What are you going to do by getting even stronger when you’re already S-rank?”

“Hmm. What if a dungeon appears that we can’t clear with just our own strength?”

“That’s true. SS-rank dungeons are rare, but they do exist.”

“The highest-ranked dungeon currently in existence is the SSS-rank dungeon called ‘The Epic of Destruction’ that appeared in Somalia, right?”

“I heard the entire country turned into another world. It’s practically a picture of hell……”

The friends fell silent for a moment. They were all imagining what might happen if a dungeon with an impossible level of difficulty appeared.

“Surely an SSS-rank dungeon won’t appear in Korea, right?”

“It’s not completely impossible. Maybe we’ve just been lucky so far.”

Sol and In-chan shuddered. Uri ran a hand down his face before speaking.

“Yeah, I think that’s a pretty positive way of looking at things. Actually, ever since we became S-rank, we haven’t really had the desire to improve ourselves or get stronger than we are now. This is a good opportunity to find some motivation.”

“Mi-ri-nae said she was going to meet Mo Da-on. What about you, Eun-sae?”

“I’m not sure. There’s no one with an ability similar to monster taming.”

“Your ability is pretty unusual. Then why not try to tame dungeon monsters regardless of their rank?”

“That’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Eun-sae clapped her hands with a bright smile. She jumped to her feet as if she were about to run straight to a dungeon.

Uri stopped her and said,

“I should do more research on my abilities in collaboration with the research team, too. Dark Phoenix is also one of the research team’s achievements.”

“I can’t just sit around, either! My goal is to beat Guild Master Uri and take over this guild!”

“Sol, you still haven’t given up on that……?”

Following Mi-ri-nae and Eun-sae, Uri and Sol also found the will to develop their abilities.

Yu-ha wore an inscrutable expression.

“As for me……”

In-chan, who had been quiet until then, trailed off. His friends turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“No. I’ll think about it, too.”

His reaction was strange, but his friends assumed he had his own thoughts and let it go.

“Okay. Let us know if you need help.”

“Sure.”

“Ms. Mo Da-on, please look this way!”

“Please wave at us!”

Incheon Airport was noisy. A huge crowd of fans and reporters had gathered to welcome the esper flutist Mo Da-on as she arrived in Korea.

Mo Da-on skillfully waved to her fans and posed for the reporters’ cameras.

“Ms. Mo Da-on, how does it feel to return to your home country after such a long time?”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“Have you had any difficulties with your overseas activities?”

Mo Da-on brushed back her blonde hair. She lifted the corners of her mouth in a sweet smile and answered the reporters’ questions.

“It’s nice to be back in Korea after so long. I’m excited to see my fans. I hope lots of you come to the concert.”

After making eye contact with more of her fans, Mo Da-on finally left the airport.

She headed to the hotel she had booked with her manager, unpacked her bags, ate a meal, and rested.

Her manager listed all the things she needed to be careful about. It was the same speech she heard every day.

“Da-on, your concert starts in three days, so take good care of yourself. Never go out alone, and call me if reporters start following you. And don’t beat them up with your flute like last time.”

“Okay.”

“I really don’t understand why you act like that when you have such a sweet face. I’ll bring the gifts your fans sent to the agency later. Never accept gifts from fans privately. And don’t open your mouth in front of them. Just smile prettily. You ruin the image when you start talking……”

“I said I understand.”

Mo Da-on grinned as the manager showered her with complaints. The manager looked at her with concern. She always answered properly, but that was all she did.

“Also, we’ve received a few requests to meet you. I’ll filter them out myself. But there’s one person who’s a little unusual.”

“Who?”

“Hunter Choi Mi-ri-nae from the Docheon Guild. She’s practically a public figure like you, so I think it should be fine.”

“Hunter Choi Mi-ri-nae? The S-rank healer?”

“That’s right.”

“Is she a fan of mine?”

“I don’t know about that, but she doesn’t have a bad reputation.”

As the Vice Guild Master of Korea’s number-one guild and one of the country’s top S-rank healers, Choi Mi-ri-nae was well known for both her fame and her character. Her manager knew all about her.

Mo Da-on, who worked overseas, had also heard about Choi Mi-ri-nae many times. She was at the very top of Korea’s healers.

Mo Da-on had wanted to meet her someday, so this was perfect. Her face brightened with excitement.

“Great! I’ll meet her. I’m looking forward to it.”

“You……”

Seeing how readily Mo Da-on agreed, her manager couldn’t hide her uneasiness.

Knowing her unpredictable personality all too well, the manager began a second round of warnings, just in case.

“She doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but don’t casually agree if someone offers you some strange business deal. Always turn down religious invitations. Last time, you got dragged off by a cult……”

“Okay, okay.”

“Make sure you remember what I said. You’re really worrying me. Sigh……”

Mo Da-on simply smiled brightly, seemingly unaware that her manager felt like she was sending a child out alone near the water. The manager let out a deep sigh.

On Tuesday evening, Mi-ri-nae attended Mo Da-on’s concert. Since it was her first concert in Korea in two years, it was a fairly large event.

Once she took her seat, she spotted several familiar faces. There were Hunters from the same industry, as well as people from politics and business. There were also many ordinary people she didn’t recognize.

‘She has a pretty diverse fan base.’

Of course, not all of them could be considered genuine fans, but the fact that Mo Da-on had drawn such a crowd showed just how impressive her reputation was.

Then again, she was performing in a concert hall of this size, so perhaps it was only natural.

At exactly seven o’clock, Mo Da-on and the orchestra walked out from behind the curtain.

Wearing a dark navy-blue dress, Mo Da-on smiled brightly and greeted the audience. The glitter on her dress sparkled under the spotlight.

Her blonde hair, swept to one side, suited her perfectly, like something out of a painting. The audience welcomed her with applause.

At the conductor’s signal, the performance began. The soft melodies of the violins and cellos flowed through the hall.

Then the sound of Mo Da-on’s flute, infused with her esper ability, joined the music.

‘Oh, so that’s another way to use an ability.’

Mi-ri-nae was impressed. The music was lively and playful.

Mo Da-on’s ability made it feel as though they were somewhere other than a concert hall.

A refreshing breeze swept through the room, matching the clear tones of the flute. The fresh scent of grass and flowers filled the air, accompanied by the gentle sound of life beginning to bloom.

The soft, sweet melody soothed the audience. On top of that, it had a power that made it impossible to take one’s eyes off the performer.

Mi-ri-nae gradually became absorbed in the music. She almost forgot why she had come in the first place.

‘Her reputation wasn’t exaggerated after all.’

It was true what people said about becoming completely captivated after hearing Mo Da-on perform. It was almost like a powerful temptation.

The performance gradually reached its climax. Suddenly, Mi-ri-nae’s vision seemed to brighten.

She felt as if the people around her had disappeared, leaving only herself and Mo Da-on, the performer.

Mo Da-on smiled sweetly. It felt as though she were playing just for Mi-ri-nae.

‘……I heard there are so many fans who are completely obsessed with Mo Da-on.’

After seeing something like this, how could they not be? Mi-ri-nae stayed in her seat and enjoyed the performance all the way to the final piece.

‘That was an incredible performance.’

Thunderous applause filled the hall. As she clapped along, Mi-ri-nae regretted not bringing her friends with her.

“Thank you.”

Mo Da-on waved with a bright smile as she left the stage. After leaving the concert hall, Mi-ri-nae waited nearby for a while.

Quite some time later, Mo Da-on’s manager contacted her. Mi-ri-nae went to the place she had been told to visit.

“Welcome, Hunter Choi Mi-ri-nae. Have you been waiting long?”

“Hello. Are you Manager Oh Gyeong-ae?”

“Yes. Da-on is waiting for you inside.”

The manager personally opened the dressing room door for her. Mi-ri-nae stepped inside slowly, feeling half excited and half nervous.

Mo Da-on was resting on a sofa. When she spotted Mi-ri-nae, her eyes lit up.

Just as Mi-ri-nae was about to wonder why Mo Da-on was looking at her so warmly, Mo Da-on approached her first and held out her hand.

“Hello. My name is Mo Da-on.”

“I enjoyed your performance. I’m Choi Mi-ri-nae.”

“How was it today? Did you enjoy it?”

“It was an excellent performance. You truly deserve to be called ‘Shin-ae’s Virtuoso.’”

Mo Da-on smiled sweetly at Mi-ri-nae’s sincere compliment.

“That’s too much praise. Please, have a seat. Would you like coffee? Or tea?”

“Tea, please.”

The two sat facing each other with mugs of tea in front of them. Mo Da-on kept smiling, looking quite pleased.

“May I ask why you wanted to meet me?”

“You’re not only a talented musician, Ms. Mo Da-on, but also a Hunter.”

Mo Da-on looked surprised.

“It’s been a long time since anyone called me a Hunter. I don’t participate in raids unless there’s a special reason.”

“There’s a big difference between being able to do something and choosing not to do it.”

“Wow, thank you for saying that. I get so much criticism for it. People say I’m a Hunter, but instead of clearing dungeons, I waste my time doing useless things.”

Mi-ri-nae was a little taken aback by how bluntly Mo Da-on spoke. Her reaction was quite different from what she had expected.

She seemed…… more down-to-earth and unpretentious than Mi-ri-nae had imagined. More honest, too.

Unable to hide her excitement, Mo Da-on urged Mi-ri-nae to continue.

“So, what is it?”

“You know I’m a healer, right?”

“Yes. I know. Korea’s first S-rank healer.”

“I came to ask you for advice on how to use my abilities.”