The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 41

I only said I didn’t have any because I didn’t, so why is he reacting like that?

 

It’s not like the great Seo Kanghyun would feel sad over something like this.

 

At this point, wasn’t he simply disliking her? 

 

Unable to find an answer in the end, Hana slyly offered the new, unopened ice cream.

 

It was an attempt to change the subject in her own way.

 

“Would you like some?”

 

Perhaps this worked, Kanghyun sat up completely.

 

Hana naturally thought he would take the new one.

 

However.

 

Kanghyun’s fingers deliberately grabbed the stick Hana had been holding until just a moment ago.

 

Then, as if to check something, he stared at the end of the stick for a long time.

 

To see if there was a habit of chewing on the end of the ice cream stick like ‘1’.

 

But there were no teeth marks or anything left on the end of Hana’s stick.

 

“Why? Is there something on my ice cream?”

 

Unaware of the reason and having her stick grabbed, Hana also examined the stick.

 

Then she made direct eye contact with Kanghyun.

 

“Uh-uh?”

 

When she came to her senses, it was after Kanghyun had taken a bite of the ice cream Hana had been eating.

 

Hana hurriedly pulled out her grabbed hand, hid it behind her back, and raised her voice.

 

“Why—why are you eating this! I gave you a new one!” 

 

“Because it’s bothersome to peel the wrapper?”

 

With an absurd reason, Kanghyun leaned his back against the chair calmly again, as if nothing had happened.

 

Looking at the ice cream that was half gone in one bite from Seo Kanghyun, Hana made a tearful face.

 

“Excuse me, Seo Kanghyun-ssi…! I’ve been wanting to say this since before, but why do you keep subtly using informal speech?”

 

“If you feel wronged, you do it too. Ah. But it seems I’m older in age.” 

 

As revenge for the stolen ice cream, she tried to argue about the part that had been bothering her, but she was no match for Kanghyun.

 

In the end, having lost the battle of words with Kanghyun, Hana grumbled as she tore open a new ice cream and began aggressively chewing on it. 

 

She felt it last time too, but seeing Seo Kanghyun in person was definitely different from his appearance in the mass media.

 

That is, he was annoying.

 

Much more than she had imagined.

 

* * *

 

“Ah, this isn’t it.”

 

Taegyeom, who had remained in the Haechi Guild training ground, plopped down in place.

 

There was absolutely no trace of a smile on the face of Yoon Taegyeom, who usually laughed heartily and threw jokes around.

 

Instead, it was filled with worry.

 

Around Taegyeom, broken sticks and shattered stones were rolling about, showing how intensely he had trained.

 

“This level is nowhere near enough.”

 

But Taegyeom was completely dissatisfied.

 

A-rank Telekinesis.

 

It was an ability he could take pride in at one time.

 

He thought he would never fall behind, whether in actual combat or within the guild.

 

But it was different these days.

 

As high-rank gates appeared in succession and the power of boss monsters abnormally skyrocketed, Taegyeom was experiencing his limits firsthand.

 

Especially that day.

 

When they entered the ‘City of Gloomy Rain’ gate.

 

Taegyeom had gritted his teeth and tried to push the boss monster back.

 

But it was impossible for someone who was merely an A-rank to face the boss monster of an S- rank gate.

 

Perhaps if Kanghyun hadn’t been there, he would have been overwhelmingly defeated without even being able to put up a proper fight.

 

The helplessness he felt then heavily weighed down on Taegyeom’s shoulders.

 

“…At this rate, I’m not of any help to Kanghyun, no help at all.”

 

Furthermore.

 

The memory of being helplessly swept up in the S-rank Lee Haechan’s ability kept catching his ankle.

 

The sensation of that day was still vivid.

 

The sensation of being unable to do anything while his mind was being scrambled without even a chance to defend himself.

 

‘If things continue like this…’

 

Taegyeom gritted his teeth.

 

At this rate, he felt like he wouldn’t even have the qualification to stand by Kanghyun’s side.

 

The Busan gate he went to this time was the same.

 

Due to the structure where telekinesis wasn’t efficient for subjugation, the subjugation relied mostly on Kanghyun’s firepower and judgment, and the most Taegyeom did was stand by outside the gate in preparation for unpredictable variables.

 

Waiting. 

 

That word felt exceptionally bitter.

 

In the past, he would have thought that too was sufficiently important. But not anymore.

 

Actually, Taegyeom knew.

 

Ever since Kanghyun, who had been an A-rank like him, rose to SS-rank, anxiety had been slowly growing in a corner of his heart.

 

Ranks usually don’t change.

 

He knows that cases of rising like Kanghyun are exceptional, and it’s not that he has fallen behind.

 

But even so, he couldn’t be a burden to Kanghyun when he was ostensibly the older brother.

 

Taegyeom clenched his fists tightly.

 

He joined the guild before Kanghyun, and until Kanghyun became an SS-rank, he prided himself on being a comrade Kanghyun could entrust his back to.

 

What about now, though? 

 

He felt like someone who only followed behind Kanghyun.

 

“…This won’t do.”

 

Taegyeom sprang up, then slapped his own cheeks with both hands with a smack sound.

 

Smack. Smack.

 

The stinging pain woke his mind up brightly.

 

“Let’s focus, Yoon Taegyeom. Since you’re the older brother, you should act your age.”

 

* * *

 

After that, peaceful days continued without any particular incidents.

 

Gates still occurred ceaselessly, but they weren’t of a threatening rank like the A-rank gate that burst in Yangpyeong or the sudden gate that occurred in front of the Haechi Guild.

 

The subjugations were smooth, and the guild was busy but not boisterous.

 

And today, as usual, Hana was diligently carrying out the missions given by the system window while tending the garden patch in the hospital’s backyard.

 

However.

 

If there was one thing that had changed, it was that this garden patch was no longer her ‘own private space’.

 

“Benefactor, watch closely! I’m going to completely wipe out the seeds of these damn weeds today!”

 

Choi Kwon, who swung his hoe excessively saying he’d pull weeds.

 

“Kw-Kwon-ah, you c-can’t swing your hoe wildly like that.”

 

Lee Haechan, who timidly protested next to him saying other crops would get hurt doing that.

 

“Tsk. So noisy.”

 

And even Seo Kanghyun, who took a seat on the wooden chair in front of the cabin as if it were natural.

 

The hospital backyard, which should have been quiet, was quite bustling.

 

Furthermore, even Yoon Taegyeom had appeared at the garden patch today.

 

“Wow, are these potato sprouts? It’s my first time seeing them!”

 

Having not shown his face once over the past few weeks, he was wandering around here and there, pouring out exclamations continuously.

 

Unbothered by this commotion, having grown accustomed to it, Hana harvested a ripe cherry tomato.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Harvested ‘Stamina-Boosting Tomato🍅 (B-rank)’!> 

<15pt of EXP is given as a reward.>

 

As you can see, thanks to diligently cultivating the garden patch in the meantime, the rank of the cherry tomatoes had also risen one level.

 

However…

 

Looking at the system window, Hana pressed her forehead.

 

“Isn’t the speed at which EXP accumulates too slow? The rewards are way too petty.” 

 

That was right.

 

Since dealing with the Shrieking Bird, all the missions the system gave out were measly ones.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Would you like to try mixing ‘Depression-Infused Oyster Mushroom🍄 (B+-rank)’ with other crops? [Y/N]> 

<Reward: Random issuance of EXP pt / Upon successful mixing, EXP will be issued differentially depending on the rank of the new item. (Starts from a minimum of 5pt.)>

 

Right. Things like this.

 

Still, Hana pressed the accept button like a habit.

 

Even if it’s a small amount of points, every little bit helps, and she thought maybe if she gathered them like this, she could find her memories even a little faster.

 

The text floating below the system window caught her eye once again.

 

<Upon accumulating 7,500pt of EXP, ‘One Fragment of Lost Memory x2’ will be issued as a reward.>

 

After recovering a part of her memory once, the frustration about the things she lost became even clearer.

 

Hana fiddled over her stomach where the wound she saw in the dream was.

 

What on earth did she get such a wound from? And who was the person who called her so desperately.

 

Could that memory perhaps be the reason she woke up in the hospital?

 

She wanted to know. What on earth happened to her before she was brought to the hospital.

 

Having fit one piece together, it was as if she could see better just how many empty spaces there were.

 

But at the current speed, retrieving the next memory would be a long time from now.

 

She needed a bigger hit.

 

“Would it be a bit better if I entered the gate?”

 

Because the times her EXP rose significantly were always when she entered a gate or clashed with a monster.

 

Since she hasn’t been able to get any new crops lately either, should she really just go in and kill two birds with one stone.

 

Hana’s deliberation continued even until Kanghyun woke up from his nap.

 

Having eventually concluded to enter a gate, Hana slyly approached Kanghyun.