NOVEL NEXT chapter 9.1
“I became a childhood friend of the middle boss”
Chapter 9.1
I feel like I’m about to realize something.
When my dad heard what I said, he couldn’t help but object.
“What? I need your help.”
“Um….”
My father was also a swordsman.
He knew that enlightenment didn’t come whenever you wanted it to.
Eventually, he raised the white flag.
“Huh…. Okay, okay. I’ll push you when you push me, and there’s nothing to be gained by cutting you off ambiguously. Instead, I’ll intervene whenever I think you’re in danger, okay?”
“Yep. Thanks, Dad.”
“Okay, let’s get out the gate.”
“Here’s the key.”
I handed my father the keys.
Soon we were out of the dimensional gate.
When I came back from my momentary disconnect, we were standing in front of the artificial gate with our backs to it.
“I’m going to return the key and rent a new one, what do you want to do, stay here and rest?”
“No, I’ll come with you.”
The room had been set up for Hunters to rest for a while after they’d taken the gate.
It seemed like a good place to rest while I waited for my father.
Not if it meant cornering me.
I turned away from the sweet temptation and followed my father.
We arrived at the warehouse.
“Mr. Branch Manager, are you back already? There should still be quite a bit of time left“
“Haha, it just so happens.”
The receptionist, who had lent my father the key earlier, noticed us and scratched her head in puzzlement.
Then, as if she understood the situation, she said in a sympathetic tone.
“Oh, I see… I guess he’s not ready for the real thing yet, but that’s okay because it’s quite surprising that he’s doing it at his age.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding me….”
“It’s okay, I understand.”
“….”
“I’m sure you’ll do better next time, I’ll be rooting for you. Way to go son!”
“….”
The receptionist looks at me with a wide smile and strikes a fighting stance.
She was under the mistaken impression that I had failed to get through the gate.
I decided to correct her.
“Well, if it’s a test, you did well.”
“Huh?”
“I took the gate.”
“Hmm… Mr. Branch Manager?”
“He’s right, I swear.”
“How old is your son?”
“Twelve years old this year. He’s in the fifth grade.”
“So a fifth grade just broke through the gate?”
“It’s not that surprising for people of prestige. It happens sometimes. It’s not uncommon.”
It’s not uncommon, either.
The employee’s silent, moving lips seemed to say just that.
My father and I decided to stop paying attention to the employee’s reaction.
My dad put his arm around the receptionist.
“So.”
“Yes. Go ahead, Mr. Branch Manager.”
“Since there’s still time, can I borrow another gate key?”
“You need to give me a day’s notice to borrow the original key….”
“Oh, no, I can’t do that?”
“Of course you can, I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Oh yeah, thanks so much. I’ll have to take you out to dinner next time for all your hard work.”
“I’d rather have a bonus“
“By the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I was wondering if I could borrow something a little more challenging than this.”
My father held out the box with the gate key to the receptionist.
I interrupted him.
“I want the gray one, please.”
“No, white will do.”
“….”
I guess gray would work.
My father pushed me away with his hand as he approached the employee.
The employee stared at us blankly, then turned to my father.
I decided to listen to my father.
“Okay, just give us a minute.”
The receptionist took care of the business and disappeared into the warehouse.
It wasn’t long before she returned with a box.
“It’s a bit more difficult than the one you rented earlier, but it’s a white grade, and the conditions to obtain it are enclosed in the box.”
“Hmm… I guess that’ll do. Okay, thanks.”
“Good luck, then.”
“Do Gyeon-woo, let’s go.”
He read the paper in the box and nodded.
I grabbed the box, turned around, and meekly followed him out the door.
Meanwhile, I didn’t forget to offer my opinion.
“Wouldn’t a gray rank have been fine? It seems like it’s enough to deal with rank 2 monsters“
“Son.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Dad, is there anything you can do to get your mom killed? If she finds out about this, I’ll be dead to her.”
“Then you’re dead to her.”
“Are you my son?”
“Carrot.”
“Carrots are Monsil’s favorite. Rank 2 is too early for your skills. You might be able to fight, but it’s too dangerous.”
“Yes. It’s a shame, but I can’t help it.”
“Let’s start with white and work our way up. Not all whites are the same, and don’t assume they are.”
My father’s judgment would not be wrong.
Maybe I was just not good enough to reliably attack the gray level yet.
I decided to stop arguing and go along with it.
My father, on the other hand, did not seem reassured that I would be attacking this gate.
It wasn’t long before he called out.
“Uh, Hongchul!”
“Mr. Branch Manager? The one next to you is.”
“That’s good. I was thinking it would be better to have one supporter now. Do you have time?”
On the way to the artificial gate.
He called out to a clanmate who was passing by in the hallway.
The man with the stone turned around at his name.
“I’m sure I have time. What can I do for you?”
“My son is trying to capture the gate for his first real competition. But he’s having a little trouble getting through, so I thought it would be better to have a supporter right next to him, just in case.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll help you, your son. How are you?”
“Hi.”
A supporter specializing in magic assists the Hunter with healing and buffs.
My father decided to bring a Supporter along in case I got hurt.
I exchanged greetings with the man who introduced himself as Bae Hongchul.
Afterward, we found the gate.
“This time, we’ll go right inside, but be careful, because monsters might attack as soon as you enter.”
“Okay.”
“Then activate the gate.”
Dad stuck the gate key in.
We stepped through the gate.
[We entered the gate].
[White: Pink Crystal Cave III]
Tearing my eyes away from the message, I looked around.
“Is this the same world I fought in a while ago?”
A cave of blue rock walls.
Pink crystals growing there.
And finally, the monsters…
“..!”
That was it.
An electric current coursed through my insignificant body.
Sensing my evasion instinct kicking in, I immediately moved my body.
Bam!
An arrow was stuck right where I was.
“….”
I looked up, toward the direction the arrow had come from.
I could see goblins hiding in the shadows of the blue rocks.
Some hid behind crystals.
There were quite a few of them.
Kirrrr, kirrrr…
Before I could count them all.
The preemptive strikers began to descend from above in unison.
That was when the message appeared.
[The conditions for the attack are as follows].
[Defeat the monsters].
[Goblin (Rank. 01) x 4]
[Goblin Swordsman (Rank. 01) x 7]
[Goblin Archer (Rank. 01) x 3]
[Goblin Wizard (Rank. 01) x 1]
15 total.
There were not only normal goblins but also goblins with professions mixed in.
‘This is crazy.’
I should probably cancel.
I still have a gray rank.
I clicked my tongue as I watched the goblins scatter around me as soon as I hit the ground.
“Evasion instinct is kicking in.”
My Gift was yelling at me.
‘If you want to live, run away.’
I had created the situation I wanted, and now that I was in it, I felt a pang of regret.
* * *
Recently, my son has changed.
He used to react with surprise and vividness to pranks, but now he has become so bold that he doesn’t even consider his pranks as a big deal.
He’s even gotten himself into trouble by collaborating with Woo Eun-dong.
As a father, he was surprised to see such a change in his son, who had always followed his parents’ wishes and rarely expressed his own opinions.
It wasn’t a bad change.
It was a good change.
‘He’s gotten a little bolder lately.’
Do’s father, Do Sang-joon, has been worried about Do Gyeon-woo for a while now.
His son was growing up good and upright. But he had become too good and upright, a child who cared about others before himself and hesitated to hurt others.
This didn’t fit in with the environment of the Shinkendo school, which puts students of the same generation in competition with each other from the age they can hold a sword.
As a result, he was constantly pushed out of the competition and ridiculed by his family.
The son, who was happy and smiling as if he was born to wield a sword when he first held it in his hands, suddenly became sullen every time he picked it up.
As a father, Do wanted to help him in any way he could, but it didn’t work.
He would only show a brief glimpse of his cheerful face when he wielded his sword, but his face would quickly darken when he traveled to the swordsmiths or his home.
But when he entered the fifth grade, he showed a different side.
-He must have changed because there was a girl in his class that he liked.
She looks like a rabbit, but she’s a fox.
Do Sang-joon thought there must be another reason for Do-gyeon-woo’s change.
He was a child who was afraid of hurting others and hesitated to take up the sword.
There had to be something else that caused him to swing his sword with such joy as if he had found a way.
Do Gyeon-woo was sure of it.
-Greetings, Mr. Gyeon. I’m the one who teaches you the sword at the sword academy.
-Ah, you’re an instructor.
The swordsmanship school that Do Gyeon Woo attends.
It was during that time that I met a sword instructor who was said to be teaching Doge and his students at that sword school.
He happened to stop by the swordsmanship school and was able to hear the swordsmanship instructor talk about Do Gyeon Woo.
-That’s right…
-Yes, go ahead.
-Some time ago, he had a big fight with some kids, did you know about it?
-What? Gow?
–Ah, judging by your reaction, he must not have told you.
He got into a fight with the kids in the name of Dalian.
The kids were getting the better of him, and he threatened the instructor who tried to stop the fight, using the family name.
The swordsmanship instructor’s words made Do gyeon woo doubt his ears.
-There’s no way she’d do that. If she did, there must be a reason.
-I understand your feelings, but…
Even if the dog had changed recently, he was still a good dog, correct, and considerate of others.
He would never hurt someone for no reason.
Do believe in his son.
That was why he didn’t take the swordsmanship instructor at his word and questioned what he didn’t tell him.
As a result, he learned things he didn’t know.
-So, Gyeon Wu was bullied by those kids?
– Dad, it was not bullying… It’s just a game between kids. At that age, they’re usually full of confidence in their strength, so they play pranks, right?
-Are you kidding?
The swordsman had been turning a blind eye to the bullying that some of the kids had been doing to Do Gyeon Woo under the guise of play.
When he found out, a thousand fires burned inside him, and he couldn’t understand why the swordmaster had allowed it.
But when he thought about it, it made sense.
-Maybe he was bribed by the other clansmen to keep quiet?
-Who, that is?
He was treated like this because he wasn’t powerful in the family.
Even so, the child had foolishly endured it because he didn’t want to hurt the people around him.
When Do Sang Joon thought about it, he couldn’t contain his anger.
That day, he notified the family and dismissed the swordsmanship instructor.
-Father, I’m sorry, I was wrong! It won’t happen again…
-It won’t happen, get lost. Go to my brother, not me.
Although he said he was not strong, he was not so weak that he could not even cut down a single instructor, let alone a dedicated instructor.
And he called his third brother and gave him a good swearing session.
[That was a little over the top, yeah, I’m sorry, I apologize, I’ll tell Seungwoo not to do that next time].
Do Sang-joon apologized.
But Do-sang-joon could tell that his apology was just a formality.
[It must have been hard for him].
-Is that what you call words?
[What else is there to say?]
The voice on the other end of the line was mocking.
After receiving an apology from his brother, Do Sang-joon had no reason to be angry anymore and had to let it go.
Meanwhile.
“Yes, you should.”
He was very happy that Do Gyeon-woo had decided to live and not be victimized anymore.
He was proud of him.
He was proud of his son.
So..
-I wanted to get some real-world experience.
-Real-life?
-Yes. I want to kill a monster.
When Do-gyeon -woo said that.
Do wanted to support his son, who was determined to change.
That’s why he brought him to the gate, even though he knew it was dangerous.
And Do Gyeon-woo showed his skills so brilliantly.
‘He’s better than I expected. I thought he’d get scared and start flailing around, but he’s calm and responding well.
At this point, Do Gyeon-woo had been labeled a prodigy, and his future was promising.
Indeed, he was.
He was a quick learner, and he knew how to swing a sword sensibly and correctly.
As if that talent wasn’t enough, Do Gyeon-woo was once touted as a prodigy.
He attacked the gate single-handedly, without even needing his help.
“Still, this is too reckless.”
Having overcome his long hesitation, he was no less skilled than his immediate predecessors of the same generation.
Maybe even surpass them.
But that’s an assumption for the future, not the present.
Do Gyeon-woo is twelve years old.
He still has a lot to learn.
He needs to take his time and give himself room to grow.
“Hmph, hmph…!”
This is no time for impatience.
Do gritted his teeth as he watched Do Gyeon-woo fight the goblin horde.
Do Gyeon-woo was breathing heavily after finally killing one of them.
“You’re still too strong for them. You can’t take them on alone.”
An arrow from a goblin archer grazed his elbow.
If he hadn’t dodged it in time, he would have been severely wounded.
Do Sang Joon felt a rush of regret as he watched him struggle to kill one of them.
‘I shouldn’t have been so harsh on Do Gyeon Woo’s horse…
He thought he might realize something.