S Chapter 43

The Hunter Association loved humanity, and that individual loved monsters. However, in a world where most people detested monsters and dungeons, the future of that monster-lover nutcase was not going to be smooth.

‘I heard he faced a lot of resistance from people…’ Unlike the Hunter Association, which went from strength to strength, that individual was treated as a traitor. He suffered all kinds of attacks – egg attacks, milk attacks, cow dung attacks, and even, presumably, received death threats?

It’s not that violence is justified. However, considering the lives lost to monsters every year, one can’t help but understand that rage. Anyway, even as research institute staff, repeatedly harmed, resigned one after another, that monster-lover nutcase stubbornly remained, proclaiming his ambition to create a world where humanity and monsters could coexist, or something like that.

Of course, what happened next… well, it’s an obvious video. Rumor has it he was even ostracized by his own family. Truly a regrettable figure in many ways.

‘People around me also cursed him. They called him an idiot, a fool, a moron, a pervert, a lunatic.’ Shin Jukyeong was also one of those who viewed the coexistence of humans and monsters skeptically. But if asked if it was utterly impossible, he would shake his head at that too. Why? Because Shin Jukyeong was precisely the case who succeeded in forming a deep bond with a non-human entity.

Eve would vehemently object, asking if she was the same as a monster. Still, he vaguely thought that there must be some monsters capable of communicating with humans.

‘So that guy liked something other than monsters after all.’ And it was a girl group he was also interested in. Surprising. It felt like being recognized for something. It was like witnessing a staunch cat person petting your dog and saying, ‘Your dog is cute.’ Like they hate all other dogs but give a thumbs-up to only my dog… Hmm.

‘My taste is pretty good, after all.’ As his thoughts flowed all the way to ‘Top Idol Guseuli,’ a piece of information suddenly flashed through his mind. ‘…Huh?’

A yellow light bulb lit up above Shin Jukyeong’s head. ‘Come to think of it, wasn’t that guy’s ability taming?’

An ability to subjugate monsters and form a master-servant contract, allowing them to be used as limbs. It might not seem like much, but it’s a rather rare ability. As mentioned before, the reason coexistence between monsters and humans is impossible is due to their ‘aggression.’ It was even one of the abilities Shin Jukyeong hadn’t acquired.

Well, he could learn it if he wanted to… but Eve’s fierce resistance was obvious. She’d probably get angry, saying she wouldn’t acknowledge anyone but herself. No, if it just ended there, it would be a blessing. She’s a very proud entity, so she’d likely kill all the contracted monsters and then some. And if she sulked again, ugh, there’d be no solution.

‘It’d be better to ask that guy instead.’ More importantly, why was he suddenly showing interest in the monster-lover nutcase’s ability? It was to find Yang U-dam’s biological parents. More precisely, to find the biological parents ‘Yang U-dam claimed’ were his. His brother denied the existence of the charnel house. He clearly believed there was another reason. Because of that, he was already racking his brain trying to figure out what to do.

Of course, it wasn’t that there were no methods at all. It was an obvious story, but it was possible with just Eve. So why was he sitting there worrying instead of using Eve? It was simple. The risks he had to bear were substantial.

Think about it. Even this time, hadn’t he been collapsed for four days? Eve was a double-edged sword. Depending on how she was used, she could be a boon or a bane.

To safely use her abilities with his current body, he had to use Eve within the limits of her not feeling hungry. After all, he had sought her out as an auxiliary means to cover side effects.

If it were Eve, who possessed inherent magic power, she could use her abilities independently of her master. That is, Shin Jukyeong himself wouldn’t necessarily have to use his abilities and suffer side effects; he could resolve incidents solely with Eve’s power.

However! There were also precautions that couldn’t be ignored. As mentioned before, Eve was a double-edged sword. The moment a certain limit was crossed, the situation changed. Hadn’t he seen it quite often? Her taking his lifespan when she was hungry.

By now, he must have caught on, right? Yes, that’s correct. When Eve’s abilities were exhausted to the point of feeling ‘hungry,’ Shin Jukyeong had to give her ‘food.’ Food was vitality. It was energy. Moreover, she wasn’t even cost-effective.

‘I’m completely devoured.’ He originally intended to feed her about once every three months, but can human affairs ever go as planned…? Sigh, as you can see, he was being drained every week. At this rate, he was going to die young. The cost-benefit analysis simply didn’t add up.

‘I need to use her in moderation. Damn it.’ He faintly heard a hallucination of ‘(-_-^) Malicious,’ but he pretended not to hear it. His life was on the line; what was malice or anything like that in comparison?

Anyway, there were other reasons too. Suppose Eve searched the whole country and found the biological parents. But what if they were in danger? What if something happened to his younger brothers? Even at the shortest, he’d be in a corpse-like state for a week, so how was he supposed to react?

‘Preparing for danger would be impossible.’ Therefore, Eve was his last resort. But in the midst of all that, the appearance of the monster-lover nutcase! How could it not be quite appealing! Shin Jukyeong quickly sorted out his thoughts.

‘What was that guy’s rank?’ Even if he was just B-grade, he’d probably have one or two monsters skilled in search. Was this the emergence of hope? Indeed, his luck had been good lately. Yang U-dam had voluntarily become his disciple, and he’d even met Guseuli.

‘Can I ride on this a bit longer?’ That was the moment Shin Jukyeong’s eyes sparkled. Then, angry curses poured out.

“You bastard. I’ll spread you out like !” Interpretation: ‘Oh, you misguided young child. Your gaze towards an elder is not pleasant, and I find it quite displeasing. If given the chance, I’d like to split your head like the Red Sea, would that be alright?’

Ugh, what a surprise. He arbitrarily interpreted it for his mental and physical stability.

“…Ah. Damn it.” Our relationship is already screwed.

“What? Jegi-il? You !!” His ears were a slum. If there was a native speaker of curses, it would be that guy.

Shin Jukyeong cleanly gave up on the monster-lover nutcase. It was over. Their first impression was already ruined, so the probability of him granting a favor was extremely low. He wondered if it might be possible by clinging to him somehow, but looking at this guy’s temper, it would be difficult. He’d just have to find another way.

‘Then there’s nothing more to see.’ Since Guseuli had also said her goodbyes and gone inside, he thought it was a good time to make a run for it.

“Hyung!” Shin Jukyeong and the monster-lover nutcase simultaneously turned their heads. It was a reflexive action. Just like parents worldwide automatically react to cries of ‘Mom! Dad!’ But the one actually there was not his beloved younger brothers, but…

‘A baby mammal?’ It was that kid from the arcade.

“Huh? It’s 30,000 Won Hyung!” The baby mammal pointed a finger straight at Shin Jukyeong. Ah, damn it. He suddenly felt an intense sense of annoyance. ‘This isn’t a good vibe.’

“What? You bastard, you know my brother?” The monster-lover nutcase asked with a bewildered expression. His tone was still harsh. He wondered who would bother to answer when asked with such an attitude.

Just then, the baby mammal approached and shoved the monster-lover nutcase hard. Thanks to that, he was freed from the collar grab. Despite his small size, he had quite a lot of strength.

“Why are you bothering my friend!” Oh dear. So that big guy bothered a small kid’s friend? What trash.

“Apologize!” Hmm? …Something was strange. ‘…Could it be that “friend” he’s talking about is me?’

The monster-lover nutcase answered his curiosity instead. He flicked his finger towards Shin Jukyeong and asked back, ‘Friend?’ The baby mammal nodded vigorously.

‘Oh, it really was me?’ “Yeah! We’re super close!” No. We’re not super close. Shin Jukyeong was dumbfounded. Wasn’t one side a bit too overpowered to be friends? He wished such un-agreed-upon statements would be made carefully. Especially since he had no intention whatsoever of forming private friendships with a 10-year-old extrovert whose life revolved around the arcade. …And wipe your nose, for crying out loud.

“Hyung, you go over there. I’ve been waiting for you there for so long! You said you’d only be gone for 10 minutes!” “No. Hyung, I mean… I was going to. Uh-uh. Your friend picked a fight…” This brat? He’s throwing an innocent person under the bus? This isn’t his first time doing this, is it?

“Hmph!” He deliberately scoffed. At that, the other started glaring sulkily. What was he going to do if he glared? Shin Jukyeong glared back, not backing down. An invisible power struggle passed between the two.

Then the baby mammal kicked his older brother’s shin hard and his eyes turned red. He was tearing up, looking like he was about to cry. Idiot, making your little brother cry. Tsk, tsk. You’re disqualified as a hyung, you brat.

“Hyung is a fool!” The insubordination he witnessed right before his eyes was quite amusing. Of course, he could only laugh because it was someone else’s problem. If it were his own, he would have immediately lain down and wailed. Shin Jukyeong chuckled inwardly. ‘More, more,’ he silently cheered, then subtly slipped away.

He had mocked enough, so he was leaving now. He had no intention of getting involved in the idiotic brothers’ fight. ‘Let’s go quickly and find a solution.’ His mind seemed to work faster when he thought while doing planks. Shin Jukyeong shrugged his shoulders and walked with light steps, but something felt heavy around his left pant leg.

“Sniffle.” “…?” He lowered his head and saw a koala, no, the baby mammal. He was holding onto his pant leg tightly and sniffling. What the? When did he attach himself?