073 – Haildo Released the Squirrel Beast into a T-Rank Rift! #3
“Il-do, it’s been a while!”
Jo Jang Hee.
She raised her hand high.
“I can’t believe you really were promoted to B-Rank! Did you think we would meet in front of a B-Rank rift?”
Jo Jang Hee was one of my C-Rank peers.
Next to her was a man wearing glasses, Seol Myeong Hun, who had a large bag slung over his shoulder.
Seol Myeong Hun said.
“Generally, about 20 percent of C-Rankers get promoted to B-Rank. The fact that the three of us became B-Ranks is statistically surprising.”
“I wish Jin-A were here too!”
Indeed.
If only Lee Jin-A were here, we would reconstitute our C-Rank team.
In terms of skill, Lee Jin-A had enough potential to be promoted to B-Rank.
However, to awaken to B-Rank, one needed to undergo a certain inscription procedure, which Lee Jin-A couldn’t afford as she was poor like me.
Without mentioning those circumstances, I decided to keep it simple.
“She’ll follow soon.”
At my words, Jo Jang Hee widened her narrow eyes in surprise.
She spoke.
“By the way, you two seem quite close? I saw on your social media that you even went on a cruise together? What’s the relationship between you two?”
Seol Myeong Hun added.
“The probability of Awakened who broke through a rift becoming lovers is about 20 percent. There’s something called the bridge effect, and Awakened are attracted to each other.”
Awakened are attracted to each other?
Isn’t that just a superstition?
Seol Myeong Hun explained, “They say there’s an effect where magic powers attract each other. It’s similar to how rifts open in this land—” but it was hard to understand.
Anyway.
Today we decided to tackle a B-Rank rift as a group of four.
“I’m Im Si Hyun! My title from the Association is ‘West Wind.’ I shoot arrows like the wind from the west.”
A man named Im Si Hyun took the place of Lee Jin-A. He was someone who handled a bow and had about three B-Rank rift hunting experiences, making him a beginner for a B-Rank.
Of course, my experience in B-Rank rift hunting was zero, so I wasn’t even a beginner.
West Wind—.
What a charming and cool nickname.
Soon, Seol Myeong Hun spoke.
“The second name is important from a marketing perspective. These days, self-PR is crucial for Awakened. For reference, I received the title ‘Analyst’ since I awakened a detection-type ability—”
Analyst.
Does that mean he analyzes and explains various things well?
It was a well-chosen nickname.
“What about you, Jo Jang Hee?”
I asked.
Our team leader, Jo Jang Hee, chuckled with a slight grin.
“I feel a bit embarrassed to say. My title is ‘Blue Hawk’! When I use my abilities, it sounds like the cry of a raptor—”
Indeed.
Everyone had progressed and trained hard.
Now all eyes were on me.
“What about you, Il-do?”
Jo Jang Hee asked me.
I replied honestly.
“I haven’t been promoted to B-Rank for long, so I don’t have a nickname yet. However, since I recently returned from a T-Rank rift, I think I’ll get one soon.”
Surely a cool nickname will come?
Since I defeated the giant of A-Rank—Giant Killer—.
Maybe something like Attack on Titan—.
I was lost in thought when Seol Myeong Hun spoke.
“How about something like Kkungkkungi’s caretaker? Or maybe Kkungkkungi’s friend.”
That possibility isn’t zero.
Anyway—.
We entered the B-Rank rift.
It was a place full of cold crystals, where trolls covered in crystals appeared.
And it was cold.
“From B-Rank onward, the environment is no joke!”
Jo Jang Hee tightened her clothes.
However, since I had recently witnessed the hellish environment of T-Rank, this environment didn’t seem that dangerous to me.
Of course, one should never let their guard down in any rift.
# # #
“Il-do, I heard you defeated the A-Rank Lava Giant! Your skills are still impressive! Thanks to you, we had a smooth time. Kkungkkungi, you’ve also worked hard.”
As she stroked Kkungkkungi and offered peanuts, Jo Jang Hee spoke.
Seol Myeong Hun also marveled.
“Usually, a B-Rank hunting session lasts about five hours, but we saved about 30 percent of the time. I didn’t even need to use the heavy sniper rifle I prepared.”
Everyone praised Kkungkkungi and my performance.
I felt good.
Even Im Si Hyun, who had just met me today, handed me a business card.
“Il-do, if you need to find something, please contact me. I also work at a private investigation agency.”
I see.
It’s good to keep business cards.
Speaking of which, I also had a business card made.
“House Owner – Haildo
Proven nymph-friendly person!”
I took out the business card made by Inoi.
It was a crayon scribble on white paper, and upon seeing it, Im Si Hyun laughed, “That’s a very interesting business card.”
I too recognized it was funny.
But the nymphs liked this business card.
Anyway.
In that spirit, I returned home in Seol Myeong Hun’s car.
Upon arriving home, I found S-Rank Awakened Cash screaming in the yard.
“Not a single one has been caught! Squirrel! I want to catch one!”
“Mu-heh-heh, to catch a squirrel, just sheer strength isn’t enough! One must use wisdom and care!”
I see.
She had been struggling all day trying to catch squirrels.
Swish—. Click!
Cash loaded something that looked like a long rifle.
“If I just shoot with a tranquilizer gun—”
At those words, Inoi turned pale.
“If you do that, you’d never be able to tame the squirrel…! Squirrels are extremely delicate and sensitive, so you must never shoot arrows or guns at them…!”
That’s right.
To capture a squirrel, only a wooden trap could be used.
Using anything else would just lower their affection levels.
That was due to the sensitivity of squirrels’ emotions.
Argh—!
I found it odd that Kkungkkungi, rolling around in the sand, seemed to have sensitive feelings.
Soon, Inoi made a point.
“Kkungkkungi is an exception…! Kkungkkungi is, in my opinion, a rather unique squirrel…! Truly, it is the best squirrel…!”
That seemed likely.
Kkungkkungi was quite easy-going for a squirrel.
Indeed, a Kkungkkungi worth 5 billion.
Thinking of that immense amount of money made my head spin.
Maybe Kkungkkungi should have some offspring.
Beep beep—.
At that moment, Cash’s smartwatch beeped.
“The trap has been triggered!”
Cash dashed off somewhere.
Soon, we found a squirrel trapped in a wooden cage.
Its fur was overall red, and its tail was as short as if it had been cut in half.
Argh—!
The squirrel fluffed up its fur.
It seemed quite angry being trapped in the wooden trap.
Cash asked me.
“What do we do now?”
What do we do?
I didn’t know either.
It was my first time seeing a squirrel trapped.
Usually, squirrels would approach humans.
Upon seeing this scene, Inoi said.
“It seems this squirrel was very hungry and got caught while eating the peanuts in the trap…! Squirrels caught like this can turn docile if fed and cared for a few days…!”
It was similar to how to tame a discarded puppy or kitten.
Cash carefully placed the squirrel into a cage she had prepared beforehand.
Argh—! Kkungkkungi—!
Of course, the squirrel was thrashing wildly, but perhaps due to its hunger, it meekly entered the cage. Soon Cash spoke.
“Ooh, shit! I caught a squirrel! Maybe the first American to do so! I’m taking my first step like Armstrong left footprints on the moon!”
She really seemed thrilled.
People who caught squirrels were always that excited.
Even S-Rank Awakened seemed the same.
Vroom—.
At that time, a car pulled up in front of our house.
It was a small sedan, and two people got out.
“Ah! The Nymph Sisters have arrived…!”
Inoi raised his hand excitedly.
Soon, Cha Yura frowned.
“I’m not a nymph!”
“It confuses me so much…! Every time I see Yura, I think of the Nymph Sisters…!”
What in the world was Yura?
The ecosystem of nymphs had points that were still confusing and hard to understand.
Soon, Illinois chuckled.
“Today, we were going to make a ‘Dalgona’ using honey made by the honey ants, but if you’re not a nymph, we can’t do it together…!”
“What? You’re making Dalgona? Is it delicious? More than honey ant candy?”
“Compared to ant honey Dalgona, candies are just nymph-hating tastes…! Dalgona is an even more very delicious food…!”
“I, Coris, also think Dalgona is at least four times tastier…! I can’t wait to eat it; my back is itching…!”
“Me… me too! I’ll take the honor nymph test or whatever!”
“Ah! To become our Nymph Sisters, you have to go through a difficult exam…! I wonder if you can overcome that; I’ll be watching…!”
Soon Cha Yura and the Nymph Sisters went towards the shed where the Dalgona machine was set up.
Why was Cha Yura here?
It seemed she was playing well with the nymphs; it wasn’t a bad view.
I should ask Ari.
“Ari, what brings you here?”
“Senior. It’s nothing special; this week is my vacation. So I wanted to enjoy a minimalist life in the countryside, and I happened to think of you, senior. Like a digital nomad.”
Minimal life.
Digital nomad.
That sounds very trendy.
“There are some empty rooms in this neighborhood. But with people coming to catch squirrels, I wonder if they’ll be available for reservations. I’ll contact the village chief to see if there’s a room left.”
“Really?”
Ari was extremely happy.
At that moment.
“Mr. Il-do! Thanks to you, I was able to catch a squirrel! Thank you very much! I caught a female, so now I just need to catch a male!”
Swish—.
Did Cash manage to transfer the squirrel safely to the cage? She approached me and suddenly opened her arms.
Before I could even react, she hugged me and kissed my cheek!
Peck—.
I was really surprised.
Is this the American style?
Indeed, even in a world where the fifth industrial revolution occurred, America remains a developed country!
However, Ari, who had been delighting moments ago, now wore a cool expression.
Swish—.
Pulling Cash closer, Yu Ara spoke coldly.
“What are you doing? If you come to Korea, you have to follow Korean etiquette. You shouldn’t hug or kiss people arbitrarily, don’t you know? Il-do senior hates it!”
No.
I didn’t particularly hate it.
It was just that Korean customs were indeed different from America.
There was a difference in sentiment.
But Cash laughed.
“I know! My grandpa was a veteran! I know Korea well! I’m interested in Mr. Il-do! A kind and family-oriented man! Mr. Il-do, are you not interested in me?”
