My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 79 - Even If I’m Just a Shield

“Uh…… Me?”

Mo Da-on blinked. This was completely unexpected. A Hunter who was still active was asking her for advice about using their abilities.

Seeing that Mo Da-on seemed a little flustered, Mi-ri-nae spoke.

“Ms. Mo Da-on, you’re both a buffer and a powerful Hunter who can clear dungeons on your own.”

“That’s embarrassing to hear.”

“I’m a healer, but I want to support my teammates in a variety of ways. Could you help me?”

“Hmm…… Did your teammates ask you to do that?”

“No. This is entirely my own decision.”

Mi-ri-nae spoke in a firm voice. Their eyes met, and Mo Da-on could sense how sincere she was.

She rubbed her lips thoughtfully. As an S-rank Hunter, Mi-ri-nae probably already had most of the skills she could possibly need. After thinking quietly for a moment, Mo Da-on slowly spoke.

“What exactly would you like to learn?”

“I’d like to learn your evasion skill, ‘That’s Just My Afterimage, You Know?’ and your skill that converts damage into healing, ‘It Hurts Less the More I Get Hit.’”

“Oh, those.”

Mo Da-on’s eyes curved into a smile.

“That won’t be difficult. Sure.”

“……Can you really decide that so easily? Skills like those are considered trade secrets.”

Although Mi-ri-nae said she wanted to learn the skills, it was essentially the same as copying them.

For Hunters, who competed to be even a little better than everyone else, this was bound to be a sensitive issue.

In fact, Mi-ri-nae was more worried about Mo Da-on than herself. But Mo Da-on answered cheerfully.

“It would be difficult to pass on a unique ability, but these are skills. I’m not the only one who has them, either.”

She shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Is this woman…… a pushover?

Mi-ri-nae was dumbfounded. She had come hoping to gain something from Mo Da-on, but this felt like too much.

She was agreeing far too easily. Mi-ri-nae decided to speak more seriously.

“Ms. Mo Da-on, please think it over carefully. Who would willingly give away everything they have to offer?”

“I just think it would be nice if Hunter Choi Mi-ri-nae used my skills to do something good.”

“……”

“Am I wrong?”

They weren’t getting anywhere. Wondering if Mo Da-on might be more shrewd than she appeared, Mi-ri-nae decided to leave for now.

If she got caught up in Mo Da-on’s pace without realizing it, the outcome probably wouldn’t be good.

“I’ve told you what I wanted to ask. Please discuss it with your manager before deciding. And absolutely do not make the decision on your own.”

“I’m not sure that’s really necessary, but all right. By the way, can I ask you something……?”

Mo Da-on trailed off, and Mi-ri-nae calmly watched her. So she did have another motive after all?

Ready to deal with whatever it was, Mi-ri-nae waited for her to continue. Soon, Mo Da-on lifted the corners of her mouth and asked,

“Do you know what the most beautiful plant in the world is?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a beauty-full! Hahaha!”

Mi-ri-nae went blank for a moment. What…… did I just hear?

Whether Mi-ri-nae was flustered or not, Mo Da-on continued chatting excitedly.

“Then what’s the biggest bean in the world?”

“……Don’t tell me.”

“Hong Kong! Isn’t that funny?”

“H-ha, haha……”

“One more, one more. Do you know what Santa Claus is best at?”

“……”

“Mountain climbing! Because he’s Santa!”

Mi-ri-nae struggled to keep her mind from drifting away. What was with all these corny dad jokes out of nowhere?

She suddenly remembered that, despite being a celebrity, Mo Da-on maintained a very private image.

‘So that’s why……’

There was a reason she kept her true self so well hidden. Mi-ri-nae could already imagine how the fans would react if they found out Mo Da-on liked jokes like these.

Mi-ri-nae finally understood what her manager had to put up with. For the sake of the manager’s mental health, she decided to pretend she hadn’t heard anything.

That would probably be better for her own well-being, too. As she stood up, Mi-ri-nae said,

“My contact information is with your manager, so please get in touch whenever you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.”

“Already? What a shame……”

Mo Da-on looked genuinely disappointed, her eyebrows drooping sadly. Then she seemed to shake off her reluctance and said, “I shouldn’t keep such a busy person here for too long.”

Wasn’t she the busy one?

Mi-ri-nae was taken aback once again, but Mo Da-on had already prepared to say goodbye.

“It was nice meeting you. Take care on your way out~”

Mo Da-on waved her hand gently.

“Yes, well……”

Uncharacteristically, Mi-ri-nae let her words trail off. She gave an awkward farewell and left the dressing room.

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Welcome to Café Le Blum!”

After finishing work, In-chan stopped by a café near the guild.

He ordered an iced chocolate latte and took an empty seat by the window. People nearby recognized him and came over to say hello.

“You’re Hunter Seo In-chan, right? I’m a fan!”

“Could we take a picture together?”

“Thank you. Sure, I’d be happy to.”

In-chan responded politely enough, then turned his attention back to his phone. It wasn’t as if he had much to do.

He checked the news on the web portal and read the comments on his personal social media account.

He gave brief replies to the silly messages in the group chat.

Moving his fingers as if he were busy, In-chan put on his earphones in case anyone tried to talk to him.

He played a song by a popular girl group and stared blankly out the window.

Slurp. The sweet taste of chocolate latte filled his mouth.

‘Working hard to become stronger, huh.’

For days, In-chan had been turning over the conversation he’d had with his friends in his mind.

He knew just how amazing the Docheon Crew he belonged to was.

Han Uri, ranked number one among Korean Hunters. Choi Mi-ri-nae, the brains of Docheon.

Namgung Sol, the unrivaled number one in fire-based abilities. Kim Yu-ha, a ranged damage dealer everyone wanted on their team.

And Yoo Eun-sae, the only monster tamer in the world.

Just as their titles as S-rank Hunters suggested, they were powerful and excelled in their respective fields. It was surprising to see them worrying about how to become even stronger.

“I’m the one who really needs to improve.”

In-chan stirred his chocolate latte with a straw. The ice clinked against the cup.

The truth was, he felt a little lacking compared to the others. Both in terms of abilities and personality.

Not all S-rank Hunters were equal.

Unlike his friends, who had been born S-rank, In-chan had risen from A-rank through repeated training.

When he was with his friends, he sometimes felt inadequate, even without meaning to.

His ability to use his powers was inferior to theirs, and he also lacked the qualities of a Hunter.

If their abilities could be measured with objective numbers, his friends would score 100, while he might only score around 80.

‘I know better than anyone that I’m not good enough.’

Sometimes, he heard people whispering behind his back, saying, “He sure is living well thanks to his friends.”

Since they were right, In-chan didn’t argue.

He thought his friends were truly amazing, too. He wondered where else he could ever find people like them.

Of course, In-chan stayed by Uri, Mi-ri-nae, Sol, Yu-ha, and Eun-sae not because they were S-rank Hunters, but because they were genuinely close friends.

He enjoyed being with them.

‘But I can’t keep going like this.’

Slurp.

His chocolate latte was nearly gone. In-chan regretfully set the empty cup aside.

His friends were gradually getting stronger and making an effort to grow even stronger, while he was the only one staying the same. He was nothing but a burden.

He had to at least make an effort to keep up.

‘Mi-ri-nae has a point, too.’

[What if a dungeon appears that we can’t clear with just our own strength?]

Even if it wasn’t an SSS-rank dungeon, what would they do if a dungeon with a higher difficulty than anything they had faced so far appeared?

More than anything else, In-chan wanted to become stronger so he could protect his friends.

At the very least, he wanted to make sure they survived even if they faced the worst possible situation.

‘Even if I’m just a shield, that’s fine. If I can improve my powers and become even a little more useful……’

He took a piece of paper with a phone number written on it out of his pocket. He ran his fingers over the name written there.

S-rank Hunter Gil A-yeon.

She was the former Guild Master of the Sehwa Guild, which had existed until five years ago, and was known as the “Guardian of the Fallen.”

Before In-chan, she had been the most famous tank. She was now working as a freelance Hunter.

‘Busan, huh.’

In-chan tapped the eleven digits into the dialing screen, one by one.

 

 

***

 

 

The divine realm of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

With Belquior and the baby away, Du, his trusted servant, was there.

Du had been ordered by Belquior to guard the divine realm in their absence.

Du had been sprawled out on the grass when he heard a small bird chirp, Piooo! He sprang to his feet.

[What!]

Du hurried over to the World Tree. The tree, which served as a sanctuary for animals, asked in a puzzled voice,

[What is it?]

[World Tree! World Tree! May I go down to the mortal world for a little while?]

[Why?]

[Well, I found Marmore, who used to serve Tadea!]

[……Marmore?]

The World Tree sounded surprised. Tadea was the Dragon of the Snowfields who had died recently.

And Marmore had always stayed by Tadea’s side as her trusted servant. It was astonishing that Marmore had survived the hands of the ruthless dragon slayers.

The World Tree readily gave permission.

[Go ahead. I’d like you to ask Marmore in detail what happened to Tadea that day.]

[Yes!]

With the World Tree’s permission, Du flew out of the divine realm. He moved quickly toward the place the little bird had told him about.

It was a polar region not far from Tadea’s lair. Snow lay thick on the ground as Du folded his wings and landed.

[This is the right place, but where is Marmore?]

Du looked around. He released his power and waited for a moment. Soon, something like a fluffy white ball, with two perky ears, came bounding out.

Du greeted Marmore with delight.

[Marmore!]