Edited By: Sebas Tian
One that stands out in the crowd.
No, this would be considered as being the odd one in the group.
The way they ignored and didnât bother because they disliked someone was a way to take advantage of a newcomer.
âItâs a world that hasnât treated me nicely anyways.â
It was a lot better now, but the life he had before was so gloomy that he couldnât see the future.
Because of that, he wasnât expecting them to accept him with open arms.
That was actually weirder for him.
âKatrina and Eugene want to scout you because they recognize your potential, but they really focus on oneâs skills when recruiting them into the crew.â
Katrina was squatting down between Hyun-Soo and Kim Yoo-Na and when she heard her name, she tilted her head.
Kim Yoo-Na looked like she wasnât sure how to express herself, so she carefully chose her words and spoke slowly.
âThe crews at the base are all skilled and nice people, but they have high self-esteem and pride, so they probably wonât acknowledge you right away since your rank is low.â
âWell, I wasnât really expecting them to accept me with open arms from the start.â
Other than those that got lucky right after awakening to their powers, most of them obtained experience points, increased their rank and improved their skills.
âI can always raise my rank by doing hunts, but itâs a way for them to find out about the other person.â
Excluding those in special situations, oneâs level shows the time and effort they put into increasing their rank and theyâre also able to a.s.sume the experiences theyâve gained.
âThereâs a possibility that theyâll take advantage if theyâre overflowing with pride and self-esteem.â
Thatâs when he realized why Kim Yoo-Na scheduled three hunts within one day.
Hyun-Soo didnât have much time and he had a lot to do.
The place that heâll be visiting from now on was a den that was filled with monsters. Kim Yoo-Na was trying to narrow the gap.
He was extremely exhausted, but it wasnât so bad for Hyun-Soo.
No, he would welcome it.
âIâm a guy and I canât hide behind a girl forever.â
And even though they had a business relationship, he was aware that he was really indebted to her.
A human should repay their debts.
And he had to get stronger in order to pay her back.
And he wanted to get stronger anyways.
He should be jumping for joy in situations like this.
âOkay, Hyun-Soo. Youâre done resting up, right? Letâs go somewhere else. If we want to visit all of them, we need to shorten our resting time. No, even if you havenât recovered, shout loudly and recover.â
âOkayâ¦â
This was something he should be happy about.
Maybeâ¦
âItâs delicious. Itâs like jelly.â
âDonât forget to eat it three times a day, okay?â
âOkay.â
Kim Hye-Na nodded her small head after hearing Hyun-Sooâs suggestion.
Kim Yoo-Na watched them with a pleased look.
There were times when Kim Yoo-Na would ask Hyun-Soo several times to visit Hye-Na.
From the looks of it, it seems like Hye-Na asked Kim Yoo-Na.
âI was a bit surprised at first, but it reminded me of Hyuna when she was younger, soâ¦â
And the way she kept on saying what he made was delicious and chewed it was cute.
âHow did you make this?â
âUmâ¦I made it with yummy ingredients. Is it not good?â
âNo! Itâs good, but the doctor told me to ask.â
âTell him that itâs a secret.â
âHow dare they try to steal my idea.â
Hyun-Soo glanced over at the large container that contained medicinal herbs.
âI should tell them to focus on storing this. The doctor might ask if they can study it. Anyways, even I think Iâve made a good one this one.â
Hyun-Soo used Interface.
âââââââââââââââ
[Low Rank Invigorating Rice Cake][Rare]
A low rank pound cake thatâs been made with several medicinal herbs.
A good amount of a rare medicinal herb that increases oneâs stamina has been added.
Upon intake, the stamina will be increased instantly and will be maintained during the set time.
The squishy texture is what makes it special.
Effect: +Stamina 23 [Duration: 2 Hours]
âââââââââââââââ
Khalifaâs antler added 20 points to stamina, but the rice provided 23, which was three points more.
âOn top of that, itâs rare. I made this and increased my experience as well.â
The skill increased, he gained a small amount of experience points and the activation level of Interface increased by a tiny bit.
Despite the fact that only 30% has been activated for Interface, it showed a good amount of information.
He couldnât imagine just how much itâll show once it reached the maximum percentage.
âIs this the power of a SS rank?â
However, leveling up was more important.
Interface was a skill he could reveal or not reveal, depending on how he felt about it.
Thatâs why, his rank was the only indicator that can be seen objectively.
Hyun-Soo told Kim Hye-Na to eat it without getting caught by the doctor and walked out.
Kim Yoo-Na ordered the caregiver to make sure no one knows about this medicine.
âIâm always thankful, Hyun-Soo. I donât think Iâll need to worry about Hye-Na for the time being. I was actually pretty worried because Iâll be traveling around a lotâ¦thank you.â
âNo, I should be the one thanking you. You said everything has been prepared already.â
âYes, everything has been pretty much prepared, so you just have to let us know when.â
Theyâve partic.i.p.ated in several hunts within the past couple of days.
Kim Yoo-Na didnât say much when she mentioned that it was going to take some time to provide protection for his parents.
But yesterday, she contacted him to say that it was ready.
Kim Hye-Na happened to have mentioned that she wanted to see Hyun-Soo, so he gave her a rice cake that he made.
Hyun-Soo wanted Kim Yoo-Na to give it to her, but Kim Yoo-Na suggested that Hyun-Soo give it to Hye-Na.
âWhen will be the best for you?â
âWhen is a good time for you, Yoo-Na?â
âSince itâs already been decided, itâs best to do it as soon as possible.â
She was right. Hyun-Soo agreed.
He was close to opening a store for his mother.
Going out and finding a place by himself was impossible since Kim Yoo-Na tagged along whenever they went hunting.
âI do have a couple of days to rest after the huntâ¦â
Those couple of days pa.s.s by really quickly when heâs resting and recovering.
Thatâs why Hyun-Soo hired someone.
He was having a hard time finding a decent place by himself, but the person that he hired gave him a decent list not long after he hired them.
âMoney is definitely the best.â
This is how you get your moneyâs worth.
His work didnât go to waste.
Heâs able to compare the information that the person brought and after him going there himself to check.
Hyun-Soo chose one of those buildings.
Thereâs a long process after that.
Thanks to him partic.i.p.ating in many hunts, he was able to match the minimum price.
âNot like I was aiming to purchase one of those big buildings anyways.â
His parents needed a solution where they wonât have issues with the landlord.
It was pretty old and the building was located in the center of the main street, so Hyun-Soo was pretty satisfied with it.
He felt proud of the fact that he successfully obtained a large property.
It was also good because the agent told him that the ownership process will be completed within a couple of days.
âIâve been wrapping things up on my end as well. As soon as I confirm that my parents have adapted well into their new shop, I think weâll be good to go.â
âOh, while weâre talking about your parents. Iâve thought about it and I think it would be better if they had another name. Itâs better to do as much as we can to keep them safe. If they use a name from our side, they wonât be able to attack them so easily.â
Kim Yoo-Na added that she was planning on getting the doc.u.ments notarized just in case they run into an issue.
She mentioned that Hyun-Sooâs parents would need it and that she would send a lawyer that will provide legal advice.
âI understand.â
What she said made his other worries disappear completely.
Hyun-Soo nodded his head.
The day heâll head to a bigger world.
That day was quickly approaching.
Hyun-Soo has been pretty busy.
His family was just as busy as him.
Itâs because their place was being completely changed.
First, Hyun-Soo talked to his parents regarding the building on the day theyâre supposed to sign the contract.
âHuh? What are you talking about? You bought what?â
âA building.â
âYou bought a building? You were serious about what you said before?â
âOf course, mother. Why would I lie about something like that?!â
I mentioned it to her before, but she mustâve not thought much about it because once he mentioned the contract, his mother was pretty surprised.
His father joined later and after hearing what Hyun-Soo said, he remained quiet.
His father looked at him with a serious look and his eyes displayed more emotions than his words.
âDidnât you say there was something you wanted to do before, mother? Use that and open a store and work with father by hiring people. You can take it easy now.â
âHyun-Sooâ¦â
âPlease accept it. You deserve it. And if I donât do this at least, Iâll be worried and wonât be able to travel overseas. Once I leave, we wonât be able to see each other much. So, think of this as your son treating you for working hard and accept it.â
âI feel bad for always accepting things. Youâve paid back our debt and now a buildingâ¦we donât deserve it. We havenât done anything for youâ¦â
Even though his parents were embarra.s.sed by it, Hyun-Soo shook his head.
âNo, youâve raised me to become the person that I am today. Youâve raised me well, so you should be treated well.â
His parents grabbed his hand and they felt bad and grateful at the same time.
Due to his job, his hands became rough and dry and his parents were able to really feel it.
And then.
Time had pa.s.sed and after fixing all the internal issues, they were waiting for the day to open their shop.
His parents quit the previous jobs that they had and worked hard on the new shop.
Hyun-Soo was worried that maybe theyâll be even more exhausted because of this, so he told them to hire some employees.
âDonât worry. The owners of the shop need to do all of that.â
His mother told him that it was important for her to do things herself and despite the fact that the store wasnât open, she went to the store every day.
âWow, your shop is seriously amazing!â
Theyâll be opening the shop tomorrow.
Hyuna did follow her around, but never saw it till after it was finished, so when she did, her mouth opened wide as she looked around.
âYouâve done well.â
âItâs nothingâ¦oh, how silly of me. Iâm starting to cry all of a sudden.â
When Hyun-Soo congratulated her for her work, his mother smiled brightly.
But something caused her to tear up, so she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
âDonât worry about us. Thereâs nothing youâll have to worry about.â
His father stood next to her and quietly spoke to Hyun-Soo.
âMom, I really hope it becomes a success! Maybe youâll appear on TV!â
Hyuna was so excited that she started jumping around the store.
âYeah, donât worry about us. Weâll be fine. Itâs at a good location and the condition is great, so thereâs no reason for it to fail. Right? Iâm more worried about you two.â
âYou guys do well over there. Listen to your brother, okay Hyuna?â
âDad, youâve said that 100 times already!â
While his parents were finishing up the shop, Hyuna was also wrapping things up at her school.
On the day she submitted her intent to leave notice.
Hyuna told Hyun-Soo that she was worried.
âIâll do fine, right? Iâve been learning conversations in English at the academy, but itâs really hard. Thatâs why Iâm worried.â
Despite the fact that she did well in her studies and was always on top of things, she had a serious look on her face.
Thanks to that, Hyun-Soo was able to laugh out loud, which he hasnât done in a while.
âEven Iâm able to do it, so youâll be fine. We can help each other out. We need to come back home after succeeding, Kim Hyuna.â
The next day. They successfully opened the store.
His mother cried again, but she smiled throughout the day.
Several congratulatory wreaths arrived at the store.
Kim Yoo-Naâs name and her crewâs name were written on it.
Hyun-Soo planned on staying for a week, but he extended his stay to watch his parentâs store.
Thankfully, the store was doing well and there werenât any other issues.
He also made sure that the security that Kim Yoo-Na promised worked well.
Hyun-Soo was now able to relax.
âItâs all done. Iâm having mixed emotions.â
His parentâs shop was the last thing he needed to wrap up before leaving.
Couple of days later. Hyun-Soo and Hyuna entered the plane.
Their destination was the US.
It was a larger and new world.
End.