Chapter 17

“It will fade with time. I won’t have to go out on the field for a while, and later, not even a scratch will be left.”

“Do you have a fever?”

“That will also resolve with time. So tell Kwon Shin-joo that there’s no problem at all. There’s no need to worry needlessly.”

“…”

I guess it’s hard to just laugh it off after all. The monster’s energy, which had traveled through his blood vessels, covered nearly half of his upper body in an unsightly manner. But that was all. It caused no issues with moving around, just making him a little tired, like a light cold.

“It’s nothing serious. To a Hunter, an injury like this is just like catching a cold. Now, may I put my clothes back on?”

No answer came. Feeling awkwardly embarrassed for no reason, Nam Shin-hoo silently pulled his shirt back on.

While he slowly buttoned it up from the bottom, he could feel Kwon Hae-joo’s gaze on his back—a stare so piercing it was almost humiliating to receive.

“…”

Staring fixedly at Shin-hoo, Hae-joo spoke.

“I will compensate you after all. Name what you want from me, and I will match it as much as possible.”

He stubbornly brought up the reward Shin-hoo had already turned down. Looking into Hae-joo’s resolute eyes, Shin-hoo pondered. Those weren’t eyes that would simply accept a refusal and move on. And…

‘What I want, huh.’

There was indeed something he desperately wished for and needed.

‘Don’t die, no matter what happens. Don’t even think about suicide—just hold on and stay alive stubbornly.’

Until they defeated the Nuckelavee.

It was something he could never say out loud, just like the slip of the tongue he had made with Choi Kang-hyun. From the moment he realized he had returned to the past, Shin-hoo had made his decision: changing things alone was enough. He didn’t want to burden others with the memories of despair caused by his own mistakes, and Hae-joo was no exception.

Hiding his true words deep inside, Shin-hoo spoke casually.

“If there’s really something I want, then yes. I’d like you to keep living just as you have until now. Unchanged, and without any trouble.”

Hae-joo had to live a life similar to the past so that, at the critical moment, Shin-hoo could prevent his death and respond without unexpected variables.

At the unexpected remark, Hae-joo’s expression subtly shifted.

“Are you mocking me?”

“It’s just standard well-wishing. Technically, I am your senior, aren’t I?”

Hae-joo’s face grew even more complicated. He seemed at a complete loss as to where to even begin arguing. Shin-hoo tidied his clothes once more.

“Can’t even take a joke. You kept bringing up heavy talk about compensation, so I was just teasing a bit.”

Shin-hoo stepped forward and lightly patted the stiffly standing Hae-joo on the shoulder.

“Next time danger finds one of my guild members, just look out for them. That’ll be plenty.”

“…Understood.”

Having finally conceded, Hae-joo took a step back. He immediately followed behind Shin-hoo as he walked out of the meeting room.

Stepping outside, they found Kang-hyun standing in the waiting area. He was supposed to be away on other business, yet here he was.

“When did you get back? Is the urgent matter finished?”

“Just now.”

Kang-hyun’s face was set in a rigid expression. Just as Shin-hoo and Hae-joo were rivals, the relationship between Kang-hyun and Hae-joo was equally sour. Nothing good would come from keeping the two together for long. Shin-hoo gestured to Hae-joo, signaling him to leave quickly. Hae-joo also glared sideways at Kang-hyun for a moment before taking his leave.

Now that only someone comfortable remained, the tension left Shin-hoo’s shoulders. He stretched lightly.

“What did that guy come here for?”

“Nothing important. It wrapped up cleanly, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Is that so?”

Shin-hoo noticed something off. Kang-hyun’s eyes were still cold and sunken—and pointed not toward the exit Hae-joo had taken, but straight at Shin-hoo.

“Kang-hyun?”

Kang-hyun narrowed his eyes with a meaningful gaze.

“I heard strange things from inside. Talk about an injury, and about some mark.”

“…”

What a mess. Thinking Hae-joo’s private meeting wouldn’t amount to anything important, Shin-hoo hadn’t activated the meeting room’s security system.

“It seems we have a lot to talk about, Shin-hoo.”

In the end, Kang-hyun found out that Shin-hoo’s illness was caused by an injury. From that moment on, his relentless overprotectiveness began. All paperwork was confiscated, and all schedules were canceled.

That part didn’t matter much. The real problem was something else: Kang-hyun, who used to grant Shin-hoo’s every word unconditionally, locked Shin-hoo in a private VIP treatment room with a smile on his face. No matter how much Shin-hoo insisted he was really fine, that it was just fatigue, or that it was his judgment as the Guild Master…

‘You were the one who told me to refuse orders that are hard to follow.’

He simply ignored Shin-hoo’s opinion. No, I didn’t mean for you to use that line at a time like this!

“Sigh…”

“Lying still must be boring, right? Still, you have to endure it.”

The medical staff member using a purification skill beside him laughed. It was Rank-A Healer, Hunter Chae Yeon-jung. Her hair, tied in a ponytail, gleamed under the light of the purification skill.

“Long-term hospitalization due to curses or poison is something every Hunter goes through. Even the Guild Master needs to experience it at least… Huh? Come to think of it, this is your first long-term hospitalization, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re famous for rarely getting injured, after all.”

Shin-hoo was well-known for clearing dungeons without taking damage. With a combat style capable of ranged attacks and wielding a spear-type weapon suited for both offense and defense, he rarely had a reason to get hurt.

It was the same in his past life. Until the Nuckelavee appeared, he had never suffered a wound serious enough to restrict his movement.

“This time isn’t really something to call an injury either. Choi Kang-hyun just got mad and forced me into the hospital.”

“Well, that’s part of it, but it wasn’t just out of anger. Your condition was worse than you thought.”

Chae Yeon-jung gestured toward the chart lying beside them.

“You’ve already heard the explanation, haven’t you?”

It was a fact he had learned during treatment: the poison that dug into his back was far more serious than anticipated. For anyone else, it would have ended after a few weeks of illness since humans couldn’t become hosts for plant-type monsters. The problem was Shin-hoo’s skill traits.

Attribute Conversion and Elemental Converter. His body had properties closer to elemental attributes than a normal person’s, and he also possessed a skill that absorbed energy. Mistaking the invading toxic substance for energy to absorb, his body was mutating the poison on its own.

In his past life, he had never left a toxic substance inside his body for long, so he hadn’t known his body possessed such a trait. Learning the truth, Shin-hoo lamented inwardly.

‘Acting this foolishly could make me fail this life too.’

A sense of pathetic inadequacy welled up at the realization that he hadn’t even properly understood his own body.

“Today’s treatment is finished. Since we’re purifying it again after the wound has already closed, it will take a long time.”

Chae Yeon-jung gathered the purification skill she had been pouring into his shoulder. Shin-hoo wrapped the white blanket around himself.

“Hunter Chae Yeon-jung.”

“Yes?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if potions had a purification function built into them?”

“If that were possible, it would be revolutionary. But wouldn’t it be difficult? Standard potions are already hard enough to craft, let alone one with bonus options. It sounds like a pipe dream.”

“I suppose so.”

Smiling slyly, Shin-hoo’s mind raced.

‘I really need to solve the potion issue first.’

In his past life, those dream-like high-grade potions circulated commonly on the market. Capable of purifying Rank-B or lower poisons, demonic energy, and internal injuries, their arrival was an invention that breathed tremendous vitality into dungeon raids.

The reason Shin-hoo hadn’t realized his trait until now was also thanks to those potions. Aside from rarely getting hurt, high-grade potions doubled as purifiers, leaving no reason for toxins to linger in his system.

Thinking back, the dungeon where the ingredients for high-grade potions were gathered was due to be discovered around this time.

For a standard dungeon, the Hunter Association would hold an auction after receiving a report from the discoverer. Saint Guild could simply bid on it once it hit the market and manage it, but…

‘By then, it’ll be too late.’

This wasn’t a dungeon where they could just sit back and wait for an auction.

The dungeon containing the ingredients for high-grade potions was discovered purely by chance by a small guild. Realizing the material was extraordinary, they decided to monopolize the dungeon rather than report it to the Hunter Association.

Because of that, the ingredient was released only in tiny amounts through the black market, and its true identity wasn’t revealed until long after the dungeon’s appearance. The Association reclaiming the ownership rights and putting it up for auction wouldn’t happen until five years from now.

“Use this chance to get plenty of rest, Guild Master. And don’t even think about going anywhere.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll take your word for it, then.”

Shin-hoo rolled over in bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself.

‘Now, where was that dungeon located again?’

A deep smile crept across his lips.

Naturally, in this life, Shin-hoo had no intention of quietly letting that dungeon fall into someone else’s hands.