Chapter 222. Misinterpretation (2)
“Did it show?”
Now that I think about it, I seem to recall Kim Gi-ryeo mentioning something about four or five new chicken shop sweatshirts…
The sleep-deprived Awakened takes a moment to find the right words.
But no matter how hard I try to combine my thoughts, every time my gaze meets the chicken character printed on the sweatshirt, my mind goes blank.
Terrible.
Still, the good news is that today happens to be a rare day when the Korean Magic Tower Guild Master’s afternoon schedule is completely empty.
‘I’ll contact my third brother as soon as I go back.’
Esther resolved to definitely place an order for some new men’s clothing after the conversation ended.
And if possible, she’d find a way to deal with that insane sweatshirt in front of her too.
It would be nice if there was a natural way to commit arson…
*
Bubbling bubbling… Clink.
After a few minutes of settling down from the chaotic atmosphere.
In a small studio of about five pyeong, a woman with a flamboyant fashion sits.
It’s unusual for guests to be invited here, making this quite a rare sight.
The sound of boiling water.
By the way.
I didn’t notice earlier because I was so surprised by the landlord’s appearance, but once I entered, I found there were quite a few things to be concerned about.
Outdated flower-patterned wallpaper.
Old, cheap blankets that serve as a bed.
A sky-blue fan clattering away in the corner.
It’s surprisingly spotless for someone living alone, with not a speck of dust…
Esther turned her head to survey the scene.
Such a cramped space.
Even for her short stature, it wouldn’t take more than a few steps to reach the end of the shabby room.
But for that tall man, this space must feel even more suffocating.
“……”
Visiting someone’s home for the first time, Esther was immersed in a sense of unfamiliarity.
She never imagined that this hunter would be living like this.
An S-Class Awakened who earns billions from a single raid.
And now he’s hanging his clothes on a cheap hanger whose origin is a mystery?
‘Why on earth does that hunter live in a place like this?’
Esther recalls a similar question that other visitors had.
But how could she know the truth?
That, in fact, the blond man had inherited the previous occupant’s residence and was an alien.
He had ended up enchantingly using magic in this room, and he now continued living in the studio because he felt it was a waste of the costs already incurred…
An ordinary Earthling finds it hard to imagine such a background.
The only thing Esther could do was wonder.
“You can sit comfortably.”
Just then.
A small table was set in front of Esther, and the landlord, wearing a white shirt (by the way, he changed from his previous outfit upon noticing the guest’s disgust), approached with it.
He unfolded a folding table used for meals and placed a teacup on it.
Though the presentation might be shabby, the treatment wasn’t bad at all.
Jang Han-gun, an Awakened born to a humble family, sent new good tea leaves recently because he thought Kim Gi-ryeo would have slowly finished his green tea by now.
Thanks to the gifts, I have a surplus of tea to brew.
There’s a problem, though – my tea consumption rate is slower than the gifting rate, and now my pantry is beginning to get overrun with tea leaves…
“Is it green tea?”
“Yes. Do you dislike it by any chance?”
“Not at all! I’d rather not have it than not at all.”
Anyway.
Esther curiously glanced at the 3,000 won water glass at Gi-ryeo’s house and then took a sip of the green tea.
Slurp.
And just as she swallowed the second gulp of liquid…
The man on the opposite side, who had brought the cookie for the tea, spoke in his usual dry voice.
“By the way, what’s with the sudden gift?”
Esther answered.
“It’s nothing special, just in case.”
“Huh?”
“Our Mr. Gi-ryeo is currently having a slight health issue, right? Although I wasn’t told about what dungeon he encountered to suffer this.”
“….”
“I believe coughing up blood is a common symptom of Dungeon Curses. I thought this might help, so I brought it. It’s an elite potion from Europe.”
Elite potion.
Among the anomaly-removing items, it’s particularly effective against curses.
Esther handed over the [Elite Potion], which only occurs in specific regions of Europe, boasting a high price, as a simple act of kindness.
However, the recipient’s expression was not pleasant.
After all, he could hardly be afflicted by a curse from Earth.
“Thank you.”
While Gi-ryeo expressed his gratitude, he was calculating with his sharp mind.
Whatever this is, if the Guild Master of the Korean Magic Tower personally handed it over, it must be quite expensive.
But quickly reselling this potion would be a dangerous choice.
Some people really don’t care about how a gift they gave is used, while there are also those who would mind greatly.
‘If it’s a rare item with little stock, it will be obvious once it’s sold. The auction house has a seller identification system.’
Gi-ryeo thought for a moment but then lifted his head.
“However, I truly appreciate the gift, but unfortunately… it’s something I don’t need.”
“Yeah?”
“The potion has no effect on me.”
Instead of risking any hostile feelings, he felt it was better to disclose the truth.
Whoosh.
Gi-ryeo pushed the potion back toward Esther.
However, she refused it.
“Is that so? Well then, just treat it as a light energy drink for when you feel tired. After all, returning it wouldn’t benefit me either.”
True enough, curse mages are inherently resistant to those types of magic. What significance could a potion that dispels mental curses have for her?
Esther insisted that since she had brought it, she didn’t want him to feel burdened about it and encouraged him to use it.
Afterward, she took another gulp of green tea and filled her hunger with the discount store cookies the landlord provided.
Crunch, crunch.
Esther had strongly suspected that Gi-ryeo had suffered from a dungeon’s curse, and when that theory didn’t hold, a complex feeling brewed within her.
To be honest, every time Gi-ryeo resisted his curse…
There was something exceptionally powerful that might have already impacted him, which made her wonder if her skills had failed to apply after all.
‘When two opposing commands are placed at the same time, the lower tier is ignored.’
In the end, it’s all a mystery.
“Anyway, Mr. Gi-ryeo, how’s your health nowadays?”
“I’m fine.”
Esther mumbled as she half-heartedly chewed on a cookie.
And since her hands got dirty from the cookie crumbs, she wiped her thumb and index finger with a tissue nearby.
After cleaning them, Esther opened the nearby trash can to throw the used tissue away.
Ah!
But at that moment, a sudden scream burst out.
“Uh? What’s going on…?”
Esther jumped as she checked the trash can, her shoulder twitching.
There was a bright-red liquid that must have come from an animal’s entrails, splattered grotesquely inside.
Blood-soaked tissue paper filled the can.
Unoxidized blood.
Blood that had clearly just been vomited.
Oh.
What perfect timing.
Just a few hours earlier, Kim Gi-ryeo was once again experiencing the side effects of the [Divine Tree Sapling].
Due to the glowing magic tool’s ability, he had coughed up blood in front of the sewer for quite a while.
This condition had persisted until right before, when he had just coughed blood again in the living room moments earlier.
Hence, he had appeared at the doorknob looking like a wet mouse.
After about a day of glowing, the item’s protective effect also wears off.
Today he planned to reinforce his lost defenses by bathing in coral blood.
“…Strange.”
But of all times, the curse mage showed up with a gift just in sync with that glowing cycle.
“I swear, didn’t you just answer my question about your health just now, saying you were fine?”
Gi-ryeo lightly pressed the bridge of his nose, choosing his words carefully, and soon made excuses.
“I only get like this occasionally when I’m not feeling well. I’m usually alright, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter.”
Esther seemed eager to hear more detailed explanation, but given that he was borrowing the power of alien coral, he couldn’t risk revealing the truth.
“Would you like another cup of green tea?”
Gi-ryeo had to resort to the option of maintaining silence.
Fortunately, the Guild Master of the Korean Magic Tower wasn’t so oblivious that he didn’t notice the other party’s blatant desire to change the subject.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just drink this and head out.”
Realizing the landlord was trying to dodge the mention of an injury, she quickly shut her mouth.
However, questions kept bubbling up in her mind.
The most suspicious thing was Kim Gi-ryeo’s attitude.
‘Even if he uses the elite potion or the top-quality recovery medicine, he’s still nursing an injury.’
If she had found herself in the same state, she would never have been able to remain so indifferent.
The blood of the Divine Tree doesn’t claim lives if handled properly.
Kim Gi-ryeo must be well aware of this, so he must find the temporary discomfort from glowing easy to disregard.
Yet to an Earthling’s eyes, that calmness seemed extremely impressive.
The position of an S-Class Awakened is one that should not be threatened.
In this era of Dungeon Shock, it’s only natural for most people to panic if they were plagued with non-related illnesses.
It’d be obvious that all qualified doctors would be summoned to try and resolve the issue.
But.
Still, Gi-ryeo maintained his silence and distance.
To those uninvolved, the fourth S-Class hunter of Korea appeared to be oddly apathetic.
And the deep, ocean-like personality of the hunter suddenly encroached upon Esther with unease one day.
“……”
She wondered if he was staying indifferent because he had already tried everything he could to cope.
Excessive worrying?
Esther suddenly thought.
What if the hunter Kim Gi-ryeo suddenly vanished one day?
It was a whimsical thought with no concrete basis, yet it bothered her for some reason.
Living quietly as a freelancer without ties to a guild was one thing.
Using old items in a cramped room felt off as well.
His personal situation was overly clean.
Esther furrowed her brow, feeling a vague discomfort wash over her.
“Mr. Gi-ryeo.”
Gi-ryeo stood up to organize the elite potion Esther had given him into the cabinet, and when he heard his name, he turned his head slightly to look at her.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Huh?”
“I understand that bringing potions would be of no significance. However, the discrepancies in your situation are still making me uneasy.”
Slurp.
Esther finished the remaining green tea and continued the conversation.
“Honestly, even if there was no debt regarding the Guild Master, I’d have cooperated just because we’re both Awakened.”
“Ah.”
“So from my perspective, I haven’t paid back a single bit of my debt from that F-Class Gate.”
“I see.”
“If you ever need anything, please feel free to ask me.”
It turned out she was still worried about the debt from back then.
Gi-ryeo rested his hand on his chin for contemplation.
Thanks to his tutoring fees deposited monthly by the rank one person, he’d earned quite a bit, and he had recently resolved the issue with the breathing apparatus.
Now, the only thing he wanted from this powerful mage…
“Hmm…”
He had been struggling without sleep for several days due to that single hastily thought-out request.
“Then.”
Ears perked up.
“Could it be about cadavers… or maybe something like a cemetery…?”
However, the blond Awakened couldn’t finish his sentence and soon shut his mouth.
For a well-documented leader of a prominent guild, he felt tempted, thinking that maybe such things could be resolved easily.
But reconsidering, he thought that asking for an Awakened’s corpse was far too dangerous.
“No, no. Just forget what I just said.”
“Huh?”
“I misspoke. Honestly, I have nothing to ask for at the moment.”
He raised the hand that had rested on his chin to fully cover his mouth. Afterward, a somewhat long silence fell in the studio.
“……”
“……”
The patient with health issues brought up funeral-related topics.
Just for reference, I won’t bother explaining what kind of misunderstanding Esther began with those keywords.
