Holy B-Class Life

#016

He got straight to the point. Yoon Pa-ran didn’t want any other idle talk either.

However, he didn’t expect the guy to shamelessly demand that he reveal his secrets right away.

“Is there any reason I should speak first?”

When Yoon Pa-ran cut him off, Dan Joo-hyuk let out a hum.

Then he admitted quite nonchalantly.

“No, there isn’t.”

Despite his tone, an ominous sensation kept pricking Yoon Pa-ran’s skin. He watched to see if the guy was directing killing intent at him, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

If it’s like this just from breathing, living outside the gate must be quite troublesome. Yoon Pa-ran thought absently.

“Then I’ll have to give you a reason.”

“What?”

“Yoonseul Orphanage.”

“……”

The brief moment of contemplation instantly turned to anger at Dan Joo-hyuk’s words.

His expression hardened uncontrollably. Many thoughts passed through his mind in a flash. Would it be safer to pretend the orphanage held no special meaning to him?

But the deliberation was quickly discarded. Dan Joo-hyuk had already seen too much.

In the end, it was Yoon Pa-ran who first revealed an emotion close to killing intent.

“Are you repaying a debt because you’re from there? I hear you’ve been donating continuously.”

Dan Joo-hyuk calmly received that rather fierce gaze. The aura prickling his skin was indeed too strong to be merely B-rank.

Is he hiding his rank? He came all the way here to try to have a calm conversation, but it wasn’t easy. Yoon Pa-ran seemed even angrier than he had anticipated, as if the orphanage was truly a sore spot.

“You, did you investigate my background?”

Dan Joo-hyuk found himself staring intently at those eyes glowing bright blue.

The more you react like this, the more it piques my interest, you know.

Of course, he had already investigated everything he could find about Yoon Pa-ran from the moment he was born. Yoon Pa-ran had already seriously caught his interest, and Dan Joo-hyuk had no qualms about such matters.

Yoon Pa-ran, who had been seething with anger about the background check, seemed to gradually realize this fact.

As his anger slowly subsided, his pale face hardened slightly.

Dan Joo-hyuk smiled deeply as he looked at that youthful face that had just lost its baby fat.

“Do you have a reason to tell me now?”

“……”

He didn’t answer. Hostility flowed from his coldly fixed gaze.

Oh my. I didn’t expect such a strong reaction.

It was as if he was advertising that the orphanage was Yoon Pa-ran’s biggest weakness. Of course, if Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t coincidentally met the director who came looking for Yoon Pa-ran, he would have tried to hide it a bit more.

Isn’t he revealing too much of his inner thoughts?

Anyway, Dan Joo-hyuk still had a lot he wanted to know. He also had an important proposal for Yoon Pa-ran.

Judging that he should back off a little, Dan Joo-hyuk shrugged slightly and said,

“Well, I don’t intend to blackmail you with that.”

“You’ve already done as much.”

The immediately irritated tone refreshingly rang in his ears.

From earlier, he had been maintaining a distance that cleverly danced around Dan Joo-hyuk’s range while expressing anger without hesitation.

For once, it was quite interesting.

“Do you want to see what real blackmail is like?”

Dan Joo-hyuk asked without realizing it, drawn by the reaction that jumped at the slightest touch. Once again, Yoon Pa-ran’s gaze pierced him like a sword.

This was the same Yoon Pa-ran who hadn’t looked back once when he was followed by car for over 10 minutes earlier.

Is he overly cautious, or not cautious at all?

He glared at Dan Joo-hyuk with his brows deeply furrowed. He chewed on his lip in annoyance.

Dan Joo-hyuk quietly observed his lips turning partially red.

“Tell me. What kind of skill is it?”

Judging that he had pushed enough, Dan Joo-hyuk spoke rather gently.

Though his tone was gentle, Yoon Pa-ran seemed to realize it was still a demand. He soon answered with a sigh.

“It’s not clear. The status window is obscured.”

“Ah. Like the one that appeared this time?”

“Yeah.”

The secret he revealed was quite interesting. Even Dan Joo-hyuk had never seen a phenomenon where the status window’s text was so blatantly obscured like this time.

There were quite a few cases where item information was hidden. Sometimes you had to find and gather set items, or repair with specific material items.

But even in those cases, the status window itself displayed complete text. The hidden information would appear anew after repairs or combinations were completed.

So this phenomenon, which seemed as if the information was restricted, was happening for the first time. And he had already experienced it with a skill.

Dan Joo-hyuk narrowed his eyes, watching Yoon Pa-ran’s expression closely for any signs of deception.

“What’s the skill name?”

“…[Sacred Energy].”

“Hmm……”

Hearing the skill name, a plausible hypothesis came to mind.

There were always some in the hunter academic world who claimed that there would be some kind of “sacred” power. A cheat key-like power that could instantly destroy dead monsters.

Indeed, he wanted to know more. About this secret.

“Hunter Yoon Pa-ran must have reasons for hiding his abilities and rank. And you’ll want to keep hiding them in the future.”

“The same goes for you.”

This time too, Yoon Pa-ran expressed his opinion without backing down.

There was reason in that judgment. In fact, he had hidden his own skill because he wanted to avoid becoming troublesome.

“That’s right. That’s why I want to make a proposal.”

A smile gradually rose to his lips.

This strange elation was very similar to when killing monsters.

Finally finishing his judgment, Dan Joo-hyuk spoke the “proposal” he had been thinking of.

“Kiss me from now on.”

“…What?”

Yoon Pa-ran’s fine features crumpled.

Strangely, Dan Joo-hyuk’s gaze was drawn to that unfiltered expression of emotion. The dynamic movement of those large eyes was quite a sight to see.

“Well, you’ve probably guessed, but that’s my skill. I can temporarily borrow the skills of others through physical contact.”

Feeling somewhat generous, he added a kind explanation, but Yoon Pa-ran’s expression didn’t ease easily.

Raising his body that had been leaning on the car hood, Dan Joo-hyuk looked straight at Yoon Pa-ran.

“If you lend me your lips, I’ll give you what you need. What do you need? Equipment? Money?”

“……”

“Ah. You were already using quite decent equipment. So money would work?”

He deliberately mocked the curse-ridden equipment, having already confirmed that most of the money Yoon Pa-ran earned was being invested in the orphanage.

Even with the care of a B-rank hunter, the orphanage was barely maintaining its existence. Whether because of the gates or because society was originally like that, the world was overflowing with tragedy.

So it was obvious that what Yoon Pa-ran needed most was financial leeway.

“Why would I make such a contract? How can I trust you in the first place?”

Of course, he didn’t think Yoon Pa-ran would nod easily.

That’s why Dan Joo-hyuk decided to present one more objective advantage. An element that could serve as a safeguard for Yoon Pa-ran, who seemed quite wary of him.

Though he might well realize it was half a threat again.

“We’ll use a [Blessing Contract]. I’m fine with including a clause stating that I won’t kill Hunter Yoon Pa-ran.”

Yoon Pa-ran, who had been listening calmly to the guy’s nonsense as much as possible, had to frown deeply.

Is he really insane?

The very mention of a clause about not killing was another threat. Moreover, wasn’t even that clause an ambiguous safeguard? He could do anything as long as he didn’t kill him.

On top of that, there was one more big problem with Dan Joo-hyuk’s nonsense.

Rubbing his face with his palm several times, Yoon Pa-ran said through gritted teeth.

“So… hah… periodically… fuck. …You’re saying you’ll use an item worth over 10 billion just to bump lips?”

“Your expression is quite harsh. Do you like it rough? I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yoon Pa-ran, who had been looking at the ground for a moment feeling dumbfounded, raised his eyes again. Even as he sent a glare that was no different from cursing, Dan Joo-hyuk still had a smile plastered on his face.

What the hell did he eat to be in such a good mood? So annoying.

“Anyway, that’s right. You wouldn’t trust me even if I said I wouldn’t harm you with just a regular legal contract, right?”

Dan Joo-hyuk’s words had a point. Given the difference in their ranks, society’s regulations were no more than scraps of paper.

That’s why Yoon Pa-ran was even more confused. Why was he trying to involve him to the point of using a precious item?

Could there be some problem related to the gates?

“Why?”

However, Dan Joo-hyuk’s blunt answer was utterly disappointing.

“Because it seems like it would be fun.”

In the end, it was nonsense not worth reconsidering.

Yoon Pa-ran, having cleanly dismissed his doubts, simply turned away.

“Get lost.”

Somehow, he had a terribly bad feeling about this.

It must have been his instinct warning him that he might run into a pervert.

“Think about it carefully.”

Without answering, Yoon Pa-ran turned and headed towards the path he had spotted earlier. He had no intention of getting in the car and leaving together amicably after hearing such nonsense, not even as much as a monster’s claw.

However, with each step, a mountain of worries weighed heavily on his shoulders.

What if the guy really does something to the orphanage?

“……”

That’s why he couldn’t firmly rebuke him further before turning away.

Yoon Pa-ran, barely swallowing a sigh, looked up at the sky self-deprecatingly. He didn’t know whether the guy was still watching him or not, but he could still clearly feel his presence, so he didn’t look back.

No matter what, I absolutely must not make such a contract.

“……”

Letting the noise of passing cars wash over him, Yoon Pa-ran certainly thought so.

But he would soon realize that you can never predict what will happen in life.