007 – Nymph Inoi # 7
Anyone has probably heard a story like this at least once.
Time doesn’t lie─.
Efforts yield results─.
But in my opinion, such statements are false.
Efforts can also lie.
Can a rabbit, no matter how much it flails its front legs, fly like a crane?
No matter how much a deer holds its breath, can it breathe like a mackerel in the sea?
No matter how hard you try, some things just won’t happen.
That was a bitter truth I realized painfully over the past ten years.
But the world keeps lying to people.
“Everything will be fine if you try.”
That’s how deer and rabbits muster up the strength to live today.
Maybe I could become the protagonist─.
I thought so too.
Maybe I could rise above D rank through grueling training, searching for everything that was good for my body, praying atop renowned mountains, or going to church, creating a commotion.
Some might say,
“Hey, even if you’re just a D rank hunter, you probably won’t starve to death. Can’t you just be satisfied and live?”
I’ve heard that kind of talk a lot.
But no.
This was something I wanted to do well and be recognized for.
How sad is it to have no ‘talent’ in what you truly enjoy? In that sense, Seo Ye-rim I know was similar to me.
When I rose to D rank, Seo Ye-rim was still at F rank.
I was surprised to learn she was hard-working, contrary to her appearance. For reference, I held a prejudice against pretty women back then.
It was a perception that pretty faces lived without effort, merely enjoying their looks.
But Seo Ye-rim, without complaining, silently continued dismantling the grotesque “crab spider” and “corroding snail.”
When the male Awakened at F rank would say, “Ye-rim, I’ll do it. You go take a break,” she calmly refused all offers.
It was acceptable to say she had ‘passion.’
That must be why she had risen to S rank. It might sound laughable coming from a mere D rank like me, but S rank isn’t just a level you achieve through talent and luck.
Some might say,
“Now that you’ve reached S rank, isn’t it greedy to want more?”
But Seo Ye-rim is ranked 29 among S ranks.
In other words, she was at the tail of a dragon.
And given Seo Ye-rim’s characteristics I had seen before, she could never be satisfied with herself.
She would likely be anxious.
As S rank Awakened grow in number, her rank would continue to slip back.
I know all too well how it feels to be overtaken by latecomers.
So she would be tempted.
“I know a method to improve your skills.”
Seo Ye-rim’s expression changed immediately.
But it was only for a moment.
“Really?”
Her expression showed calm skepticism, reflecting a complete lack of trust. After all, a D rank nobody knowing how to improve their skills would seem ridiculous.
If I had such a method, I should have broken through D rank and moved to C rank first.
This was the key point.
“Seo Ye-rim, as you know, I have long resided in D rank. I might end up staying in D rank forever. But I didn’t want that. I have tried every possible method!”
“…….”
Seo Ye-rim’s expression read ‘tell me more.’
The fact that she didn’t kick me out already meant I was over 50 percent in.
I internally celebrated and added a few more words.
“You know that the first C rank Awakened came from the training of elves. The elves who drifted over taught how to handle mana. It was knowledge from another world.”
The standard for reaching D rank was to sense mana.
By sensing mana, one could slightly enhance their physical abilities.
But then, the elves that began to integrate into society changed the ‘concept’ of mana.
Mana wasn’t just something to seep into the body; it was a tool to be handled. Thus was born the next-generation Awakened known as “mana users.”
They are now referred to as C rank, by the way. And if I recall, Seo Ye-rim was among those next-generation Awakened.
So Seo Ye-rim must have an idea of what I’m trying to say.
“Can that nymph lead me to a new realm?”
“That’s right. Isn’t that right, Inoi?”
“This Inoi doesn’t quite understand, but that’s what it means…! Moreover, this water purifier is quite extraordinary…! Clear creek water is flowing out endlessly…!”
Inoi was fascinated with drawing water from the purifier. Seo Ye-rim watched Inoi with narrowed eyes, still skeptical.
Before Inoi could say anything pointless, I decided to take the lead.
“Anyway. To surpass this new realm, we need to stimulate the Baihui point. You know the Baihui point, right? It’s the acupoint located at the crown of the head.”
The Baihui point was a magical acupoint that could address issues such as headaches, high blood pressure, dizziness, and nervous breakdowns.
Moreover, it was often called the ‘eye of the heart’ by the Awakened who were engrossed in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There’s supposedly a hidden third eye at the crown.
Does it actually work?
I don’t know.
At least, it didn’t have any effect on me.
But the important thing is that the Baihui point is located at the crown.
“First, I’ll apply pressure on the Baihui point.”
I approached Seo Ye-rim, who was sitting on the sofa. I wondered if she would say, “Don’t touch me!” but thankfully she remained still like a calm spellcaster.
She was surprisingly docile.
Before I could change my mind, I quickly positioned myself behind the sofa and looked down at her crown. Her black, soft hair gathered neatly at the top.
When I pressed it with my thumb, I was taken aback.
The crown was much hotter than I expected.
Why is her head so warm?
Anyway.
I glanced at the black hair, aiming to pluck out one of them.
And out of the black hair, I caught a glimmering strand of red. It looked like the leader of the hair strands.
If I could use this hair for mysterious magical ingredients, it seemed more than enough.
Pop-.
“Ah.”
“No, there’s a white hair among them.”
“…….”
As Seo Ye-rim shot me a glance, I quickly tucked the hair into my pocket. Now I just needed to make an excuse and go home.
I decided to talk casually.
“Seo Ye-rim, like I’ve said since you were at F rank, you overthink things too much. Excessive thought binds a person like a curse.”
“…….”
“Sometimes, it’s better to keep it simple. Try to focus on one thing as much as possible, like this acupoint on the crown.”
“This Inoi feels that this purifier is far more enjoyable than the crown…! This Inoi wants to save up and definitely buy this purifier…! The water flows infinitely…!”
Swish-.
I gestured toward Inoi.
It was a signal to go home.
Having obtained the hair, I needed to escape before I got caught!
# # #
“What was that? So what was the nymph’s training method in the end?”
Seo Ye-rim frowned as she looked at the now-quiet office after the strange visitor had left. The guest who had come suddenly had also left abruptly.
“…what a perennial D rank.”
Seo Ye-rim recalled the fact that Haildo had given her advice. How many people in the world can give advice to Seo Ye-rim, an S rank?
Even if there were a few, Haildo, a D rank hunter, was not one of them.
However, Seo Ye-rim found Haildo’s words very plausible.
Haildo had already spent years at D rank.
He must have realized the walls and worked harder than anyone else to break through them.
“Hmm, am I still your senior?”
Seo Ye-rim recalled the times when she had received advice from Haildo. It was about defeating monsters and how to collect their byproducts, or how to deal with F rank demons.
Looking back, Haildo’s teachings were quite effective and hit the core. One could say they had great ‘tips.’
After all, it’s better to take a loss than not try at all.
“Telling me to focus on one thing?”
Seo Ye-rim’s meditation was a journey towards nothingness to erase distractions.
But it never seemed to go well, and random thoughts would emerge. Many thoughts gnawed at Seo Ye-rim like a curse.
Thus, this time Seo Ye-rim decided to focus on her crown instead of erasing her thoughts. It would be as if she was clearing away the branches and focusing on one thing.
“Crown….”
Focusing on her crown was easy.
The unfamiliar warmth from when Haildo had touched it lingered there.
“I can’t believe he came to fix my shoes.”
The red shoes were the first luxury item Seo Ye-rim had bought with her own money. It had a lot of sentimental value, but she felt angry that they had gotten dirty.
Thus, she preferred cleaning the original pair rather than buying a new one.
“What was he trying to say when he brought that little girl? A nymph? A different race? Are they living together? Seems suspicious….”
Swoosh-.
The mana flowing within her started to concentrate in one place. She felt her body temperature rising rapidly. The heat was condensing at an incredible speed, and Seo Ye-rim was taken aback.
At the same time, she sensed something instinctively.
“If it’s now….”
Seo Ye-rim extended her index finger toward the window.
Concentration.
The essence of fire held in her fingertips, not flames spreading in all directions.
It finally shot forth with Seo Ye-rim’s will.
Pew-!
The heat accumulated inside Seo Ye-rim shot out like a bullet, shattering the glass.
At the same time, the fire detection system quickly activated, dousing the interior of the building with water like a torrential rain.
Swoosh-.
Seo Ye-rim found herself drenched once again.
All the clothes she was wearing burned up, and even her inner suit was left in ashes on her left side.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a special suit that can withstand up to 1500 degrees?”
That meant one thing.
“…The temperature has risen! This time it didn’t go out of control!”
# # #
Since morning, the Awakened social media had been buzzing.
Most of the talk was about Seo Ye-rim.
“Last dawn, the massive crack was successfully dismantled.
It is reported that the crack ‘T-557’ in Cheongju’s mountainous area, which occurred last Friday, was eliminated thanks to the efforts of S rank hunter Seo Ye-rim.”
“Title: Have you seen Seo Ye-rim’s new technique?
Content: It seems she was firing fireballs from her fingertip like bullets, and the firepower is said to be over 3000 degrees. Almost on the level of a small sun, haha, is this for real?”
└Who said Ye-rim was lacking? LOL
└Experts are all underwater LOL
I raised an eyebrow at the news that Seo Ye-rim had developed a new technique to deal with the massive crack. A powerful S rank hunter growing even stronger?
That really makes the world unfair. Just as there is a deeper bottom, it seems there is a higher top.
“Could it be…?”
I was slightly curious if the “Nymph’s training method” I had clumsily shared before had worked, but soon dismissed the thought.
It was ridiculous to think that a mere D rank hunter like me could influence her skill improvement. It would be like a national team soccer player taking advice from a local amateur.
She probably already had some ultimate move planned.
For hunters, having a personal specialty technique is important for various reasons.
For an S rank hunter, there might need to be dramatic representations when revealing such new techniques, given their celebrity-like status.
“So, Inoi, how about it? Do you think you can catch that ‘squirrel beast’ or whatever it is?”
I was taking a stroll in the park with Inoi.
It was a park said to sometimes have squirrels appearing, surrounded by a small hill.
Inoi claimed we needed to catch this ‘squirrel beast,’ but I had no idea what this ‘squirrel beast’ was.
Was Seo Ye-rim’s curse even real?
When I mentioned the word ‘curse’ towards Seo Ye-rim, she didn’t show any change in expression.
Dressed in a red tracksuit, Inoi said.
“The squirrel beast barks like a dog, and that’s why it’s called a squirrel beast…! It’s very small and cute, but… surprisingly fierce and wild, and it doesn’t usually show itself to people…!”
“A squirrel that barks like a dog?”
Inside the crack there were all sorts of monsters.
Moreover, there were places with bizarre plant life that one would not see on Earth.
It seemed that the animal Inoi referred to as ‘squirrel beast’ was one of those special fauna and flora that could not be seen on Earth.
For reference, animals that have escaped from the cracks were often sold for high prices in markets.
The story of the ‘white three-headed snake’ discovered by a hunter going for 300 million is well-known.
So, everyone was eager and kept their eyes peeled to find such animals in the mountains and fields.
Could we, though, easily discover such rare beasts?
“Is it really possible to find one just by wandering around like this?”
“Mhmhm! This Inoi is…! A nymph that returns favors! The home is held tight, and this place seems just right…!”
What’s so good about it?
While I felt puzzled, Inoi hummed a song.
“Creek, creek, creek water~, small creek water. Stream, stream, stream water~, clear stream water. Squirrel, squirrel, squirrel~, small squirrel~. Little animal friends~.”
To be precise, it wasn’t talking but singing.
What a bizarre song this was!
Swoosh-.
At that moment, something appeared from among the bushes.
It was a squirrel with impressive brown fur and black stripes.
“It really is cute.”
━Kong!
