Chapter 179 A Class Ranking Round (1)
Riette headed straight to a healer, as it would be better for her to be healed by one even after using a potion. The drones in the sky went back, and we also left behind the remnants of the battleground when my cell phone rang. I answered multiple voices.
[He answered!]
[Yoojin, were there any problems?!]
[Is Noah nearby?]
[I saw him win just now!]
I heard Hamin Do, Myeongwoo, Hayan Seok, and Minyui Kim with others. It seemed that the fight had ended just now due to the delayed broadcast. I first told Myeongwoo that everything had gone perfectly.
[You’re up early, Mr. Seok.]
[Thanks to energy drinks!]
[Is Mr. Noah healed?]
One of Hayan Seok’s teammates sounded worried. I told them everything was all right as I had Noah speak to them. Noah thanked them while everyone shouted congratulations.
‘He’s on good terms with those in the building.’
Noah became friendly with Myeongwoo after he had the harness fitted. It seemed that Myeongwoo felt sympathetic to Noah after he came to know Noah’s past, and Noah looked like he did not mind it a bit. After Myeongwoo made him harnesses and claw covers, Noah seemed to respect him all the more.
This fight had seemed to have garnered much attention like a festival, as it was the first time a fight between S classes had been broadcast. I had thought the buzz would be less since it was a domestic fight, but the first time really was the charm.
‘Yun Yun would have liked to watch this.’
I thought of him for a long time. While I did worry whether he was all right, I had no way to search for him. He did not answer his phone, and his SNS accounts had not been updated in a while. He was in China, a country that was becoming more and more difficult to trace a person. While he was an S class hunter who could teleport, the jellyfish may have tried to contact him due to his usefulness.
‘While he’s not an easy one, I do worry.’
Since the contract was still active, at least I knew that he was still alive. It seemed I had no other choice but to wait. What made me even more worried was that his SNS account updates had stopped from the day I had met the jellyfish in Hyunjae Sung’s house.
“Hey, are you all right? You’re not dizzy?”
“Are you hurt?!”
Yoohyun and Yerim had come to me. Except for a headache after using more than half of my mana and having forcibly cast a skill on Riette. I was all right.
“I’m just tired a bit. Thanks for your help, Yoohyun. Yerim, you did well, also.”
“I want to fight on air, too! There would be S class ranking rounds too, right?”
“You can’t go out even if there was one, Yerim.”
“Why?!”
Yerim looked like she had been hit by lightning.
“You’re underage. How can we broadcast fights between children!”
“Noah is nineteen!”
“He passed his birthday. Also, he is an adult in his country.”
“But didn’t you say laws were applied differently to hunters?”
“That does not count for ranking fights. Children need to be protected even if they are hunters.”
She did risk her life in conquering dungeons, but that was for survival. Ranking rounds were entertainment and a sport. It was nonsensical to place children in fights that could greatly wound them, even in my past life. Therefore, only those above eighteen could participate in ranking rounds, and it was the same this time around.
“If I was five years older…!”
“Not four?”
“If I get to be older, I want to be the same age as Yoohyun.”
I could not imagine Yerim being at the same age, and Yoohyun seemed to feel the same. It was then Noah gave me back my phone and spoke in a serious voice.
“Mr. Yoojin, I said before to let me stay with you until I was not afraid of my sister.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Now, may I stay for no other reason?”
“I’m happy if you do.”
Noah smiled like he expected me to accept, but his face became serious again.
“One more thing…may I live in your house?”
“What? I mean, you can…”
“That damn lizard. After I helped him out.”
I heard Yoohyun’s growl when I was about to say yes. Noah turned to Yoohyun to plead before I could do anything.
“Hunter Han, please? I will stay as a dragon and find a way to stay smaller, and even now, I’m not bigger than a human being when I minimize myself.”
I had been about to say that Noah did not need to do that much when Yerim held my arm and shook her head. Her voice was a whisper.
“Let Noah handle this.”
“But…”
“He’s doing well. If he does not take care of Yoohyun, Noah will be chased out in the middle of the night or thrown into a foreign country.”
“…Would he go that far?”
“Yes, if I had not proven myself in Hong Kong, I would have not gotten into your house.”
“Yerim, don’t talk nonsense.”
Yoohyun spoke with a frown to Yerim before turning back to Noah.
“If you get Peace’s approval, I will not say anything more. You should find a minimizing skill first, though.”
Peace? Was this really the way Noah wanted to get in? However, he was still young and was still trying to grow up. Getting out of his safe zone in any way was a good thing. We spent our lives trying to take that step forward. He had people around him and had time to find his own path.
‘I should ask the depraved about the minimizing skill.’
Peace would accept Noah, and he really would be cute. Soyoung may try to break in, as the portal key still remained the same due to the Association saying something about safety issues. It was then I heard Hyunjae Sung’s voice.
“You can take off your stealth skill as other hunters are gone.”
I saw that the A class hunters had gone with the equipment to the training center, and Riette seemed to have gone with them.
“Well, what do you think? Do you feel like adding one more name to your birthday party list?”
“He wasn’t bad.”
“You’re too hard.”
“Do you think he needs my approval?”
“…No.”
Noah would not think about Hyunjae Sung when he just got over Riette. He would find his own nest now.
“You lost on this, Sesung Guild Leader. Noah is versatile on all accounts.”
“I will have to better to not lose more.”
Hyunjae Sung was looking at me now, and I took a step back to speak to Noah.
“Noah, I will buy dinner for everyone to celebrate! Let’s rent a restaurant!”
**
The Association employee waiting for us when we returned to the training center reported that the next A class round would have to be on tomorrow due to ground issues. Also, there was the fact that the scale would be too small compared to the first fight. Except for A class hunters, others seemed satisfied as the rating numbers were sky-high.
Soyoung Kang and Riette also came, but Hyunjae Sung came too. I used his card when I had been about to use mine, but it would have not made a dent.
The next day, the real A class rounds began.
