Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 102
#102. Former K-Dionysus
2022.11.10.
Immortal Guild Headquarters.
"You've arrived, Do Sungyoon."
Jaemin, who had been pacing near the reception room, spotted Sungyoon standing rigidly in one place like a statue.
"That person?"
"Inside."
Sungyoon gestured with his chin towards the door opposite them.
The wooden door, densely carved with Korean goblin patterns, was so thick and massive that an adult man couldn't open it with one hand.
Jaemin passed Sungyoon and placed his hand on the door.
"Master, it's Heo Jaemin—"
"What are you doing."
Sungyoon quickly stopped him.
"Master and that person are in the middle of an important conversation. Don't disturb them."
Disturb?
Jaemin turned his head with an indifferent face.
"This, you haven't delivered it yet, have you."
He casually held up the cloth he was holding.
Thread of Terraphosa.
The cloth in Jaemin's hand was an item woven from precious thread, commonly known as Concealment Thread (隱匿絲).
The plain black cloth looked ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it emitted a faint light of its own.
It was known that only a first-class tailor with special skills could produce it, and merely wearing it could temporarily restrict the wearer's use of their unique abilities.
For that reason, Concealment Thread was usually made into prison uniforms for Awakened criminals or worn in the form of a cape for safety and trust at international summit meetings.
"It's just Master and that person in here, right? We need to have them wear this, just in case."
—Therefore, there was no instance of forcing a guest formally invited to the guild to wear Concealment Thread.
At least, by Sungyoon's common sense, that was so.
Sungyoon spoke to Jaemin in a warning tone.
"She is someone who was formally invited. Don't you think handing Concealment Thread items to such a person is rude?"
"She was briefly affiliated with Wolf. It's only natural to prepare for any eventuality."
"Heo Jaemin, I've told you countless times. That person greatly helped our Immortal. And she will be a great help in this plan as well. That's why Master was so desperately looking for her. Think a little."
At Sungyoon's words, Jaemin furrowed his brow in annoyance.
Though they were usually close friends, when it came to things like this, they truly couldn't communicate.
"You're the one who should think. This is the heart of Immortal. What if that person decides to go on a rampage? And what if she clashes with Master again?"
This building will turn to dust.
Adding that, Jaemin recalled the fistfight between the two that had occurred at Jagalchi Market.
Though it was a duel fought only with bare fists, without weapons, what had happened?
The repair costs paid by Immortal alone amounted to hundreds of millions of won, not to mention that Jagalchi Market was closed for a month because of it.
Jaemin admitted it.
Princess of Dark Flare, she was no ordinary F-Class concept hunter.
Therefore, he couldn't leave her alone with Master in the middle of the headquarters even more.
"If that person has no intention of using her abilities against Master, she wouldn't mind wearing a mere piece of cloth like this."
Jaemin forcefully pushed Sungyoon's shoulder.
"Move."
"No, I won't move."
However, Sungyoon didn't budge an inch.
A determination not to yield even a single step.
Fierce sparks flew between the two.
"Are you trying to pick a fight?"
The moment Jaemin's eyes glinted, red blades appeared above both his shoulders.
The cold tips of the blades pointed towards Sungyoon.
"It seems you're the one who wants to turn this building to dust, not anyone else."
Contrary to his calm voice, Sungyoon fiercely clenched the air.
The atmosphere in his grip vibrated, and white streaks of light soon became white arrows.
"Y-you two! You can't do this here!"
"What are you all doing! Stop them!"
Passing guild members rushed over and stood between the two.
However, neither of them lowered their weapons first.
Meanwhile, unlike the tense atmosphere outside, inside the reception room...
"Uwahaha—!"
Yoo Hwan's hearty laughter echoed.
"Yes, since you accepted my invitation, I can assume you're willing to participate in this matter, right?"
Eunha didn't express any negation to his question.
Yoo Hwan, taking her silence as affirmation, cheerfully poured a drink.
"Here, don't be shy, drink up. Today is a day worth celebrating. Ah, if it's not enough, let me know. All the stuff behind this is alcohol."
...All that is alcohol?
Eunha sipped her drink and cast her gaze over Yoo Hwan's shoulder.
Though Yoo Hwan was sitting, he boasted a physique like Mount Taebaek, and the piles of boxes there were stacked high enough to easily surpass his stature.
Not only that, but one entire wall was lined with liquor bottles.
'Impressive.'
Somewhere within Eunha's indifferent gaze, a faint sparkle of pure admiration glinted.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' clears its throat, "Ahem, sister? Your eyes, your eyes," and pokes your side.]
Ah, only then did Eunha slowly blink.
That was close.
I almost lost myself there.
"Do you like this place?"
Yoo Hwan, reading the change in Eunha's expression, smirked and spoke to her.
Eunha averted her gaze from the wall lined with liquor bottles and looked at him.
"Come visit whenever you want. To be honest, I'm happier about finding a good drinking buddy after a long time than about you contacting me first."
Gurgle, gurgle—
Yoo Hwan poured alcohol into his glass like a waterfall and then downed it in one gulp.
Khaa, this is it.
Pinching his nose in satisfaction, he then filled Eunha's glass.
"Well, that said, there's no need to force yourself to drink."
The drinking glass, made to Yoo Hwan's size, was about twice as large as a regular beer mug.
Its size and weight were such that an ordinary person would struggle to lift it even with both hands.
Moreover, since it was filled to the brim with alcohol, it already weighed as much as a decent dumbbell.
"...This much is nothing."
Parting her lips slightly, Eunha emptied the glass in one go.
Thump!
Eunha, placing the empty glass on the table with a flourish as if to show off, even lightly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Hoo?"
Yoo Hwan's eyebrows arched roundly.
Crackle—
At that moment, a sharp sensation brushed past Eunha's skin.
Nothing had touched her.
This was hostility, strong enough to be felt on the skin.
"..."
Eunha glanced towards the door.
The source of this hostility was beyond the large door carved with goblins.
"Ah, leave it alone."
Yoo Hwan waved his hand dismissively.
He seemed to have felt it too.
He took out a new bottle from a box and said nonchalantly.
"Well, it's something like a marital spat."
"Are there married couples?"
Married hunters working in the same guild.
As Eunha asked with a look of wonder, Yoo Hwan grinned and replied.
"Something like that. It also means their fights are like cutting water with a knife."
Even while such a conversation was taking place, sounds of clanging, clanging, clanging!
Whoosh, bang!
Continued from outside the door.
Regardless, Yoo Hwan seemed completely unfazed.
"Isn't it normal to get closer after fighting and making up? Especially at that age."
Pop!
With a clear sound, he opened the bottle and filled their glasses again.
Eunha turned her attention away from the commotion outside the door and focused on the new liquor he had brought out.
A strong alcoholic aroma, enough to make one's head spin, pierced her nose.
Though she didn't know for sure, it seemed to be a considerably strong liquor.
"This one, what was it, liquor sent by the Hu Die Guild in China a few years ago. Seems like I've been saving it just for today."
Take it.
With a hearty laugh, he abruptly offered the mouth of the bottle.
"Thanks."
Eunha casually held out her glass and replied monotonously.
Yoo Hwan, pouring the alcohol, raised the corners of his lips as if amused.
"Come to think of it, you're speaking informally to me."
He wasn't trying to be condescending or find fault.
It was just that he found it amusing how she, who looked to be in her early to mid-twenties at most, spoke informally without batting an eye.
Eunha, emptying her glass, glanced up.
"Same goes for you."
"Hmm. How old are you?"
"Well. Probably around the same."
What...?
Yoo Hwan's eyes widened.
But that too was momentary.
He slapped his knee and then started laughing, his shoulders shaking.
—About 1 hour later.
Beside them, who were sitting opposite each other, countless empty liquor bottles were now rolling around.
It was a number hard to believe they had drunk by themselves in just one hour.
"..."
Thump.
Yoo Hwan, placing his glass on the table, slowly lifted his head.
His complexion was surprisingly normal, making it hard to believe he had emptied that much alcohol.
Naturally.
He wasn't the type to get drunk on this much.
Besides Monkey King, Yoo Hwan had another hidden alias.
Korea's God of Alcohol, K-Dionysus.
There were even rumors that Sungyoon, who considered himself quite a drinker, would crawl around the headquarters imitating a lizard on all fours whenever he shared drinks with Yoo Hwan.
Yoo Hwan observed the complexion of Eunha, sitting opposite him.
She had been keeping up with Yoo Hwan's pace so far.
That alone was commendable.
'It's about time.'
Now that a good amount of alcohol had been consumed, the other person might become incapacitated soon, so it was the perfect time to dig out their inner thoughts.
Yoo Hwan, with a nonchalant face, poured alcohol into his glass and began to speak.
"You know, there's something I've always been curious about. With that level of skill, why on earth do you pretend to be a concept hunter? And what's with the F-Class rating?"
Is there such a thing as drunken honesty for no reason?
There was nothing like alcohol for obtaining necessary information and building trust and friendship.
At Yoo Hwan's question, Eunha sipped her glass and spoke calmly.
"Is such talk necessary to proceed with this plan?"
Pause.
Yoo Hwan, who was bringing his glass to his lips, froze.
And he lifted his gaze to look at her.
'Surprisingly sober.'
Only then did he realize that her complexion hadn't changed from the beginning.
An ordinary person would have slurred their words or their face would have turned beet red after drinking this much.
Though there were occasional people who congenitally didn't show signs of drunkenness on their face, seeing her retort Yoo Hwan's question without a change in expression, it didn't seem to be that either.
"..."
Yoo Hwan silently sized Eunha up.
He now knew she was a skilled individual beyond F-Class, and also that she was a hunter possessing both fire and dark attributes, essential for this plan.
However, from Yoo Hwan's perspective, questions about her still remained.
He had intended to use the power of alcohol to make her open up even a little... but it wasn't as easy as he thought.
"...I'm tired of this alcohol too, so I'll treat you to a new one."
His hand, taking out a new bottle from the cabinet, was quite resolute.
Eunha's gaze, taking in the liquor he brought out, changed subtly.
Indeed, this liquor, even from its design, was extraordinary.
Covered densely with tiny diamonds on the surface of the glass bottle, it was a top-tier liquor among the finest, fetching about 300 million won per bottle.
Though for Yoo Hwan, who didn't spare money on alcohol, it was merely a slightly prettier and tastier drink.
And so, another 30 minutes passed.
"Among all the guilds, why Wolf of all places?"
Yoo Hwan, who had downed liquor worth about 300 million won as if it were a few-thousand-won soju, slowly began to speak again.
"It was just a chance encounter."
"How?"
"Just, literally by chance."
...Not yet?
Yoo Hwan twitched his eyebrow.
After drinking this much, was it just his imagination that the other person, far from getting drunk, seemed to be getting even more composed?
'No choice.'
Yoo Hwan tapped the air with his thick fingers.
Inventory open.
Following that, on his empty palm, flash!
A sphere of light appeared.
Soon, after the light faded, a peach-colored gourd bottle appeared.
Mongyuju (夢遊酒).
Dreamwalking Liquor.
A legendary liquor said to have been personally brewed by Seowangmo (Queen Mother of the West) with the dew of Kunlun Mountains' Jade Pond.
It was a rare item that had been bid for a whopping 90,000 coins after a fierce auction at the Hunter Auction 4 years ago.
'I was saving this to drink with her someday, but...'
Ah, screw it.
Yoo Hwan, no longer hesitating, opened it.
With a pop! sound, a sweet peach aroma reached his nose.
Perhaps he hadn't been in his right mind since then.
Click.
The reception room door, which seemed like it would never open, finally did.
Sungyoon, who had been guarding the vicinity, rushed over.
After a bloody battle with Jaemin, they had eventually decided by rock-paper-scissors who would guard the place, and the victorious Sungyoon had remained.
But it was strange.
The one who opened the door and came out wasn't Monkey King Yoo Hwan, but the woman in the black dress, the Princess of Dark Flare.
"Are you leaving now?"
"Ah, yes."
Sungyoon briefly sized her up.
Even at this distance, the smell of alcohol was pungent.
But strangely, her complexion hadn't changed compared to when she entered the room.
As if she hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol.
'No way.'
This room wasn't an ordinary reception room but Yoo Hwan's liquor cellar.
Since the establishment of the Immortal Guild, no one but Yoo Hwan had ever walked out of this room on two feet.
"I'll visit again soon. Please tell him I'll hear the rest of the story we couldn't finish today then."
"Ah, yes, anytime..."
Eunha, after a brief nod to Sungyoon who was blinking in reply, walked past him, her heels clicking.
"...Huh."
Sungyoon, staring blankly at her retreating figure, belatedly snapped back to his senses and entered the room.
And.
"M-Master?!"
He discovered the Monkey King (Former K-Dionysus) sprawled out on the floor.
