Chapter 122

Chapter 122

In the first-floor lobby, the gathered Guardian Guild members stared intently at Briasilius.

No, I mean Lee Do-joon, who has now become Do-jae’s cousin.

“You look just like your older brother. I’d believe you were his second younger brother.”

“Is that so… Well, we are cousins…”

Young-jin said, looking at Do-jun with interest.

Not only did he resemble Dojae enough to be mistaken for his real brother, but they were also similar in height and build.

When they turned their backs, it was impossible to tell which was Dojae and which was Briasius.

“Really… Mr. Lee Do-jun looks more like Mr. Do-jae’s brother.”

“I guess it’s because they both take after their mother a lot…”

Eunhee also remarked, surprised by Briasiilius’s appearance.

If not for his distinctive reddish-brown hair, it would be hard to tell them apart from a distance.

“But he feels completely different from my brother, doesn’t he?”

“Feeling? How so?”

Ji-yoon looked back and forth between Do-jae and Briasius as she spoke.

Everyone seemed to agree with her assessment; the two radiated completely different vibes.

“Hmm, how should I put it? Dojae oppa feels firm yet warm? But your cousin feels soft yet cold. He’s handsome and seems relaxed, but somehow…”

“I was warm…? Dojun’s a warm guy too…”

Hearing Ji-yoon’s words, Young-jin shook his head vehemently.

“Exactly! Do-jun is like… the inside of a winter blanket before you turn on the electric pad? You know that slightly chilly feeling?”

“Pffft. What is that supposed to mean?”

“Manager Young-jin, I totally get what you mean!”

The guild members nodded in agreement at Young-jin’s words.

Then Eun-hee nudged Young-jin repeatedly, giving him a warning look.

“That’s rude to someone you’ve just met, Young-jin.”

“I didn’t mean any harm…”

Young-jin says, looking downcast.

Dojae realized the guild members’ intuition was surprisingly sharp.

Though the Polymorph spell could perfectly transform into another race, it seemed unable to completely conceal the fury within.

“Anyway, Dojun is currently saving the guild. He was a skilled magic hunter in the US too, so I thought it might be good to scout him for our guild and brought him along.”

The reason Dojae brought Briasius.

He couldn’t just let this powerful dragon lounge around the house all day.

Already, his enormous appetite had devoured not just the fridge but most of the food in the sub-space, making his food costs astronomical. Maybe running dungeons and feeding monsters could fill that ravenous belly.

“If Bugilma recognizes him as a friend, what could be the problem?”

“Exactly. I’ve been wishing the guild had more magic-type hunters, but there was only one among the new recruits. Do you happen to know what his rank is?”

Jeong Hoon-hyun and Young-jin wore satisfied expressions.

Magic Hunters are fundamentally classified as C-rank or higher Awakened Ones.

That’s why they had high hopes for Briasius.

“Hmm… Those guys said they were S-rank, right? Then I should be around that level too…”

“It’s B-rank! Haha… See Do-jun’s hunter license here?”

Do-jae quickly cut in, showing the hunter license he’d received from Kim Su-kyung.

But Jung Hoon-hyun looked puzzled and asked.

“Didn’t you just say something about S-rank?”

“You misheard. I guess living overseas for so long made me mix something up.”

“Hmm… For someone like that, your Korean is surprisingly good?”

“Haha… He’s just a very smart kid. It’s just that the culture feels unfamiliar to him.”

“Right. Since that’s the Guildmaster’s opinion, shouldn’t we just welcome Mr. Dojae and Mr. Dojun?”

Eunhee stepped forward and began clapping.

One by one, everyone joined in, applauding to welcome Briasius.

Truthfully, Eun-hee, along with Young-jin and Ji-yoon, had noticed Do-jae was hiding something. But knowing it wasn’t out of any bad intent, they kept quiet.

Besides, Dojae was the type to tell everything when the time was right. Thinking now wasn’t the time to speak, they welcomed Briasius.

***

[Character Information]

Name: Shim Young-jin

Level: 60

Classification: Human

Details: 25 years old, male, 179cm, 78kg, member of the <Guardian> guild.

Status: Fatigued, Exhausted, Weak

[Stats]

Strength: 190 / Stamina: 167 / Agility: 151 / Spirit: 80 / Resistance: 96

[Skills]

Passive: Swordmanship Lv. 6 / Quick Attack Lv. 3 / Body Enhancement Lv. 7 / Stamina Recovery Lv. 4

Active: Heavy Strike Lv. 8 / Horizontal Slash Lv. 4 / Wild Slash Lv. 2 / Counterattack Lv. 5

“You’ve gotten stronger, I suppose.”

Dojae said, gazing at the panting Yeongjin lying on the ground.

Having returned to daily life after the Busan campaign, Dojae was now leveling up to grow Youngjin again.

“I’m dying…”

“I’m doing this for you. Push through.”

“Yes… I know. I really felt it this time. I’ve gotten stronger!”

Thwack!

Do-jae smacked Young-jin on the head.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me…!”

“Just because. Your face just now annoyed me.”

“Whoa. Bro… How could you say something like that….”

Do-jae got up from his seat and headed toward the refrigerator.

He grabbed a bottle of water and said to Youngjin.

“You know what the difference is between you and him?”

Do-jae pointed at a new guild member diligently working out on the gym equipment.

And among them, he pointed specifically at a female guild member running hard on the treadmill.

“I’m a guy, and Sojin is a girl.”

Thud!

“Ah! Stop hitting me in front of the kids!”

“Say it properly.”

“Um… I have an older brother, but Sojin doesn’t have an older brother…”

Swish-!

“Whoa… hold on!”

As Dojae raised his hand again, Youngjin swiftly grabbed it.

“I know! I always heard you grumbling about it.”

“What is it?”

“That I don’t have any useful skills… but Sojin has good skills.”

“Correct.”

“Wow… That’s really hurtful to hear, but you don’t seem bothered at all, bro.”

“It’s the truth.”

Young-jin pouts.

Just as he said, Dojae had always been disappointed in Yeongjin’s skills.

Young-jin’s physique grew stronger day by day, yet he lacked a skill that could effectively utilize that strength.

That said, his existing sword-related skills hadn’t even reached MAX level, so he couldn’t exactly be called exceptional with a sword.

On the other hand, the new guild member Heo So-jin, who diligently trained her stamina, possessed an excellent skill.

[Precision Aim Lv. Max]

Precision Aim: A skill that allowed one to throw projectiles wherever they desired, anytime, anywhere, regardless of the environment.

If wielding a sword, it could precisely thrust into an opponent’s weak point; if using a bow, it could hit any target with unerring accuracy.

However, compared to her skill, Heo So-jin’s stats were woefully inadequate.

She was barely an awakened one who could escape F-rank, worse than the Park Ha-gong trio.

Consequently, whether thrusting a sword or shooting an arrow, her strength was insufficient to land any significant damage on monsters above Grade 8.

“Ever since she joined the company, she’s been training her stamina every single day to get stronger somehow. But you? All you do is play around every day except when you’re getting mana infused by me?”

“Hehehe. Big bro, it’s only been a week since the extermination mission ended… I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Don’t you think I need to recover to grow faster?”

“A week is plenty of rest, isn’t it? So you’re saying you’ll start working hard now?”

“Yes! I’ll train hard alongside the new recruits!”

“Alright. Then create your own unique technique within the next month.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, come up with a special skill only you can use.”

“Wait a minute… No… You can’t just create a skill like that… Skills are something you’re born with… That’s ridiculous.”

Young-jin clung to Do-jae, shaking his head vigorously.

But Dojae didn’t budge an inch.

“You’ve got money and connections. Just like when you moved up from D-rank to C-rank, find something and make it happen.”

“Ah… No… Wait a minute. Hyung? Hyung-giiiiim!”

Do-jae left the pleading Young-jin behind and stepped outside.

For Young-jin to grow stronger faster than he was now, he needed his own special skill.

Truthfully, Dojae didn’t expect Youngjin to create a skill within a month.

If skills were that easy to create, who would be F-rank or E-rank?

He’d only said it because he hoped Young-jin would put in even a tenth of the effort shown by So-jin, who, despite having a good skill, was only E-rank due to lacking stats.

And Dojae hadn’t given him a month without any thought either.

What he learned during the week he spent with Kang Young-chan and the others after the Busan campaign ended.

He would create that for Young-jin within a month.

***

3rd Floor Lounge Area.

Dojae spotted Briasius sitting leisurely and approached him.

“There you are.”

“Oh, wow… you came?”

Briasilius quickly hid his hands.

But Dojae had already seen everything he was doing.

“You can’t undo it, so just live with it.”

“Dammit… Did you see that?”

Briasilius relaxed his hand again, looking sheepish.

The prayer beads he received from Kim Soo-kyung remained intact, securely tied around his wrist.

“Take me to Hwacheon.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. Right now.”

Dojae signaled to the new guild member standing beside him, Ahn Taegun.

An Tae-geon, who had been kneading Briasius’s shoulders, instantly brightened and dashed outside like an arrow.

An Taegun, a magic-based hunter, had been entrusted to Briasius. Whatever kind of training he was receiving, he had lost so much weight in just a week that his cheeks were sunken.

“This is annoying… Because of you, I can’t even use dragon speech magic, and you keep trying to boss me around with teleportation. Honestly. I can’t even tell who’s the dragon and who’s the human anymore.”

Briasilius crossed his legs and avoided eye contact.

Dojae instantly understood what he wanted.

“Fine… I’ll lift the restriction, but pay up 300,000 rubies.”

“Ooh, deal!”

Briasilius jumped to his feet.

He wore a satisfied smile.

“Those bastards. They’re all dead. And today was the occupation battle anyway… 300,000 rubies… Kyahahaha.”

He then closed the mobile game he was playing and placed his hand on Dojae’s shoulder.

“Then I’ll see you safely home!”

POW!

Briasilius chanted the teleportation spell.

In an instant, Dojae and Briasilius arrived at the isolated house in Hwacheon where the underground lab was located.

“I’ll wait here, so have a safe trip.”

Briasilius turned his smartphone back on and entered the game.

Then Dojae pressed the doorbell to enter, but…

“Hey, wait a sec! You got any spare treasure?”

Briasilius held out his hand.

Dojae pulled out a spare battery from his pocket and handed it to him.

“Sorry, sorry. Thanks a bunch! Have a good trip!”

Click-.

Creak-.

The door opened, and Briasilius waved innocently at Dojae as he stepped inside.