Ch.14Government-Funded Training Is Dangerous (3)

I saved a friend. Finally, one.

Fortunately, since this was someone whose face I’d seen quite often, I had been subtly eyeing them, and I was glad it somehow worked out.

‘Two more to go…’

Friendships are truly subtle and difficult things.

Even after exchanging contact information like this, it doesn’t take long to revert to being strangers if you don’t continuously work on maintaining the relationship.

I needed to build enough rapport to naturally introduce them to Seoha after completing the training program.

That’s why I diligently sent messages to the male named Kim Seungmin every day.

Fortunately, this wasn’t as exhausting as meeting face-to-face.

Ding.

[What did you have for dinner?]

[Photo]

[Something like this.]

[The nutritional balance seems a bit lacking…]

Behold this perfect social adult talk.

Excellent from both a business perspective and in terms of providing small helpful advice.

A magnificent display of polite speech that maintains proper etiquette while conveying intimacy. I couldn’t help but admire it.

‘This one is good enough.’

Now it was time to target someone else.

The training program had only one week left.

And that was precisely what I was aiming for.

‘I don’t like group retreats, but…’

Conversely, it might be an opportunity to get closer to others.

You might wonder how I’ll manage when I can barely hold a conversation, but I had my methods.

Glint.

The ring Helena had urgently procured and gifted me before we parted at the hotel.

It was a high-quality item with a special-grade mental stabilization spell.

Though limited to just once a day for 10 minutes, I had already confirmed its miraculous effectiveness.

10 minutes per day, totaling 70 minutes over a week.

From now on, I would use this to make two friends.

‘…’

That’s what I had thought.

‘It’s all over…’

I had severely underestimated what a group retreat entailed.

To be honest, group living was impossible in my current state. There was truly nothing I could accomplish with just 10 minutes.

Two days had already passed like that.

Considering that the remaining four-day schedule included visits to the Seoul Memorial Park and low-rank dungeon tours, today was essentially the last chance for leisurely conversation.

‘What should I do?’

I was confused.

At this rate, all my hard work attending the training would be for nothing.

I really didn’t want that.

As I was looking for an opportunity, one possibility caught my eye.

Tonight’s dinner menu was grilled mackerel. Delicious but notoriously troublesome to eat.

I cautiously approached a woman who was concentrating on maneuvering her chopsticks among my group members.

She was definitely Han So-eun, a woman who had just turned twenty this year.

“Ugh.”

She was visibly struggling.

Although I had already used today’s mental stabilization magic, I composed myself and awkwardly spoke up.

“Um, excuse me. I can… remove the bones for you…”

It was truly my masterstroke.

#

Simply put, the operation was successful.

Using a technique derived from necromancy, I instantly created boneless mackerel, and two others suffering the same annoyance admiringly asked me for help.

As a result, I now miraculously had four acquaintances.

It’s a secret that this feeling of being looked up to after so long felt quite good.

‘Perfect.’

There was nothing to hold me back now. I just needed to leisurely build rapport during the remaining time to achieve my goal.

And so, with three days left before completing the training program, I found myself at the Seoul Memorial Park.

It was an event meant to commemorate hunters who had died fighting monsters since the first generation, making us aware of the job’s dangers and strengthening our resolve.

Indeed, the atmosphere that had somewhat relaxed during the retreat had now turned solemn.

From now on, the figures before our eyes could represent our own future.

“Many of you have probably encountered this through news and articles.”

The instructor, an active C-rank hunter, continued with a bitter smile.

“But even today, hunters are losing their lives in dungeons somewhere. This isn’t just statistics—it’s reality.”

Death.

Something that could happen anytime and couldn’t be avoided by mindset alone.

The trainees, feeling death more closely now, nervously swallowed.

Perhaps negative thoughts had invaded their minds, as shallow despair began to emanate from some of them.

I carefully absorbed it through the magic stone in my pocket.

Whoosh.

‘Every little bit counts.’

It would be wasteful not to use these resources.

Meanwhile, I sensed a strange presence from somewhere.

Silently.

More than a presence, it was closer to some kind of thought-form.

Intrigued, I traced this will during the subsequent free time.

And I reached one person’s grave.

【Hunter, Chae Hwa-in】

What I felt then was an intense emanation of will that I hadn’t sensed at all until now.

“Ugh.”

Flinch.

Flinch.

An intense presence that made my body tremble involuntarily.

Souls that maintain such form even after death are extremely rare. Just a glimpse was enough to know that the grave’s owner was no ordinary being.

The soul’s appearance was quite unusual.

Rather than taking human form, it was simply observing the world as a sphere.

There was no will there, nor reason.

In a way, it was the optimal form for maintaining one’s existence.

It seemed to be instinctively performing something akin to hibernation.

‘How interesting.’

Even I had never seen such a form before.

Just from this fragmentary glimpse, I could deeply understand.

How desperately the soul’s owner had not wanted to disappear from this world.

That intense and unwavering survival instinct.

“…”

I approached the soul as if entranced. No rational judgment or behavioral norms were needed.

To see such a soul and not feel investigative curiosity would be a disgrace as a necromancer.

‘This can’t be handled carelessly.’

At least not now.

It was beyond my current capabilities.

I took out the ring on my finger.

A high-grade mental stabilization artifact made from the finest materials.

An item of this caliber could serve as a temporary repository for that powerful soul.

Whoosh.

After meticulous work to ensure the soul wouldn’t be damaged even slightly, I successfully settled it into the ring.

This was a remarkable achievement.

For the first time in a long while, my necromancer’s curiosity overflowed.

As I was savoring that satisfaction, I was caught by one of the instructors and scolded.

“I-I’m sorry…”

I had been so absorbed in my work that I missed the assembly time.

#

When she first heard about it a few days ago, Baek Seoha had no intention of acknowledging Baek Eunha’s hunter activities.

What changed her mind was Baek Eunha’s single statement about wanting to live like a person.

‘…’

In truth, Seoha had been constantly worried.

Wondering if things were really okay as they were.

While there were no major problems now, if Eunha continued this dependent lifestyle, he would clearly never be able to live his own life.

‘There’s no guarantee this life will last forever.’

Though an unpleasant assumption, what if Seoha died during a dungeon raid?

No one would take responsibility for Eunha left alone. Rather, because of his returnee title, he might be manipulated by those with ulterior motives.

That wasn’t good.

Clearly her brother had instinctively understood this fact and resolved to change himself.

“Yes. How was he today?”

[There were no major issues. However, he still seems to struggle with socializing.]

Having sent Eunha off with a heavy heart, she couldn’t help but worry. So she used her connections to monitor his situation in real-time.

“Yes, please continue keeping an eye on him today…”

As she consistently worked behind the scenes and received updates, she was somewhat surprised to find that he seemed to be progressing through the training more smoothly than expected.

While he might have failed miserably in communication and cooperation, his overall training performance was quite good.

‘Brother, you were capable all along…’

Once he completed the final training—observing instructors’ raid techniques and learning dungeon precautions—Eunha would truly be able to register as an awakened hunter.

With her brother making such efforts, she couldn’t just stand by.

If she really wanted him to work as a hunter, she needed to take appropriate measures.

After seriously considering the future, Seoha posted an announcement on a specialized request board.

【Recruiting 1 Hunter for Protection Subject Observation Management】

‘…B-rank should be sufficient, right?’

In the harsh hunter industry, she needed someone who could protect Eunha when conflicts or exceptional situations arose.

It was like taking out safety insurance, commonly used for rookies from large guilds or children of the wealthy.

Ring ring.

[What are the specific abilities of the protection subject?]

“He can stand chicken bones upright.”

[Um… I’m afraid that’s beyond my management capabilities. I’m sorry.]

Of course, the process wouldn’t be entirely smooth.