Chapter 21: How we feel each other

Something very good.

Back at Olympic Stadium after the spar with Seo Da-In, Jo Sung-Il checked the quest window.

[Successfully completed the mission ‘Spar with the Hunter Association Director.’]
[You can now claim your reward.]

It seemed he had to manually claim the reward.

Jo Sung-Il didn’t hesitate.

Thud.

A very large tooth fell into his hand.

A tooth radiating a powerful aura.

“A tooth…?”

He had no idea what it was for.

All he could tell from its shape was that it was a fang.

“Hectos, did you lose a tooth?”

The World Tree, who had appeared beside him, asked.

He shook his head.

“No, I’m not old enough to be losing teeth yet.”
“Then what’s that?”

He couldn’t answer.

‘What is this?’

He had no idea what he was supposed to do with it.

As he stared at the tooth, a blue window appeared.

[You can replace your current tooth with the reward tooth.]
[Successfully attacking with this tooth will inflict an additional effect on the target. Activates with 100% probability, but the additional effect (bleeding, stun, health reduction, fear) is randomly determined.]

Fortunately, there was an explanation.

But it didn’t explain how to replace his tooth.

‘Is this it?’

There was only one way to replace an existing tooth.

“World Tree, can you pull out one of my fangs and replace it with this one?”
“Huh?”

The World Tree looked horrified.

“I know it’ll hurt.”

But it was the only way to test it.

“Just tell me if you can do it.”

The World Tree pondered for a moment, then sighed and slumped her shoulders.

“Hectos, don’t regret this later.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

The blue window would have warned him if it was pointless.

‘It’s different from a normal status window.’

The blue window provided additional explanations when necessary.

Its silence meant this method was probably correct.

“I can pull it out.”

The World Tree’s eyes glowed brighter.

“But I can’t do it gently.”

Seeing her fierce expression, Jo Sung-Il muttered,

“It’s better if you do it quickly. I don’t want to suffer for too long.”
“Alright.”

The World Tree placed her small hands on the ground.

A rumbling sound echoed.

Soon, Jo Sung-Il saw something emerging from the ground.

Vines.

Numerous vines were rising from the ground.

It seemed excessive for just pulling out a tooth, but Jo Sung-Il didn’t comment.

The World Tree looked very focused.

“Ugh!”

Thinner vines branched out from the thicker ones and entered Jo Sung-Il’s open mouth.

They formed a loop around his right fang and tightened.

Crack!

Jo Sung-Il winced slightly at the pressure.

“Hectos, just a little longer.”

The World Tree’s face was also contorted in concentration.

Pulling out Jo Sung-Il’s sturdy fang was a difficult task.

Jo Sung-Il didn’t fully realize how difficult it was.

His only experience with tooth extraction was from when he was a child, tying a string to a loose tooth and slamming a door shut.

He had thought it would be similar, but that notion was now shattered.

Crack!

Along with his slowly extracting tooth.

“Ugh!”

Jo Sung-Il felt pain as the tooth resisted.

‘D*mn it, it’s different from losing baby teeth…!’

His childhood memories were no help in his current situation.

But the throbbing pain overwhelmed him, leaving no room for such trivial comparisons.

“Yaaaaaaaaaah!”

The World Tree yelled.

Pop!

Jo Sung-Il’s fang was pulled out.

“Gah!”

He couldn’t help but cry out.

As Jo Sung-Il swayed, the World Tree held the extracted tooth triumphantly, like a trophy, with her vines.

“I! Pulled it out!”

Jo Sung-Il chuckled at her triumphant expression.

“Yes, good job.”
“Now I just have to put the new one in, right?”

The World Tree lifted the new fang with her vines.

“Here we go!”

Swift and decisive.

She inserted the vines that weren’t holding the tooth into the empty socket in Jo Sung-Il’s gums.

Push!

The vines stemmed the bleeding and applied a healing agent.

Jo Sung-Il’s gums regenerated rapidly.

‘She even has healing abilities?’

Her powers were very well-suited for a support role.

“Hectos, open your mouth wider~!”

Jo Sung-Il opened his mouth wider.

The World Tree inserted the new fang into the healed socket.

“I put in some sticky stuff to make it stick! But I don’t know if it’ll work!”

The World Tree suddenly sounded unsure.

But Jo Sung-Il wasn’t worried.

‘As expected.’

Just as he had thought after receiving the reward, replacing the tooth like this was the correct method.

Although he had relied on intuition, Jo Sung-Il was certain.

‘Can I somehow read the blue window’s intentions?’

He wasn’t sure, but he had sensed a hidden meaning in the blue window’s message about replacing the tooth.

As if he was communicating with the blue window.

He was starting to think the blue window itself might have some kind of ‘rank’ when,

KIIII!

A sudden sharp pain jolted him.

“Ugggh!”

It felt like nerve bundles were connecting.

The new fang wasn’t just filling the empty socket; it was becoming a part of his body.

“…Gasp.”

The pain subsided, and Jo Sung-Il came to his senses.

“Is it done?”

He moved his mouth.

The tooth replacement was successful.

[Congratulations.]
[You have successfully acquired and equipped one of your components.]
[To continue on your chosen path, continue fulfilling the conditions or search for and recover the components you need.]
[Unexpected adversaries will eventually come looking for you.]

A series of messages appeared in the status window.

‘…Adversaries.’

Jo Sung-Il remembered something the status window had mentioned before.

“Are they talking about the Harbingers of Doom?”

[Information inaccessible at this time.]

A rare refusal.

‘It didn’t ignore me, so there must be something to this.’

Jo Sung-Il looked at the World Tree.

She was sprawled on the ground, seemingly exhausted.

“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”

The World Tree looked up at Jo Sung-Il.

“Hectos, are you stronger now?”
“Probably.”
“Why?”

Jo Sung-Il was taken aback by the unexpected question.

“Why…?”
“Yes. Why does Hectos get stronger? You’re already strong.”
“Well, you see…”
“Do I have to get stronger too?”

He couldn’t answer her question. But….

‘Perhaps there’s a reason.’

His Awakened form and the World Tree’s incarnation might be pointing to something.

‘Well, I can’t know for sure right now.’

There seemed to be clues in the inaccessible information, but it was out of reach for now.

“Good work. I succeeded thanks to you.”

Jo Sung-Il gave the World Tree credit for his success.

The World Tree smiled faintly at him.

“Yay!”

She didn’t hesitate to accept the praise.

---

“…ector!”

Hunter Association Headquarters.
Seo Da-In sat by the window in the break room, lost in thought.

“Director!”

Seo Da-In, startled by the sudden voice, turned her head.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Huh?”

Seo Da-In, flustered, replied to the staff member who had brought her a cup of vending machine coffee,

“Oh, nothing?”
“Did something really happen?”

The staff member looked concerned.

“Everyone’s worried because you said you were going to find that monster, but you came back looking distraught, even before your vacation ended.”

Seo Da-In was considered an eccentric at the Hunter Association, but she was also respected for her unwavering dedication as a Hunter.

It was natural for the Association members to be curious about her sudden return without accomplishing anything, especially after her declaration of intent.

“Director?”

The staff member tilted his head, seeing her lack of response.

“N-Nothing happened. I just want to be alone for a while. Is that okay?”
“Yes? Oh, yes!”

The staff member awkwardly excused himself.

“Something definitely happened.”
“We thought she wouldn’t come back until she finished off that monster.”
“I know. She looks even more troubled now.”

The people around her whispered amongst themselves.

But she ignored them, staring out the window.

“What was that….”

Seo Da-In, who had sensed a certain ‘rank’ from the monster she had always considered a mere beast, muttered with a confused expression.

Unaware of how much more entangled she would become with it in the future.