I Tamed the First Rank Chapter 59

HoshiMiya
Apr 25
7 min read

He took the marshmallow and put it in In Yoo-shin's mouth, and In Yoo-shin licked his finger without thinking, and his cheeks turned red. He rolled the remaining sweetness on his tongue, but the feeling of his fingertips slightly brushing past was much sweeter.

Thankfully, Park Seung-gi was a studious graduate student who was able to ignore the teasing of his friends' couple.

"People usually divide parallel worlds into ones with priests and ones without, but that seems too simplistic, don’t you think?"

"Well, scholars can define it precisely, but I would broadly categorize it into three types. The first is a world where, even as scientific civilization advances from the Age of Gods(神代), people still receive divine oracles and witness miracles. This dungeon would be an example of such a world."

"Were you a theist, Hunter-nim?"

"Well, there has to be a god for there to be divine power, right? Just like that priest a while ago."

"Oh, indeed."

While listening to the conversation between the two, In Yoo-shin quickly put the remaining marshmallow in his mouth. I only hope that the sweetness that spreads warmly will erase the sensation.

“The second is the world we live in. It can be said to be a world only for humans, where the power of God does not exist and religion is not blindly believed in.”

“Then the third category is half and half?”

“That’s right. Religion continued to spread throughout the Middle Ages, and churches can be seen everywhere in our country, and freedom of religion was barely recognized in Europe until the 17th century, and there are extreme religious fundamentalists all over the world, and the interpretation of the religion designated as the state religion is more important than universal social ethics, and even though Yoo-shin-ssi may have grown up in a church orphanage instead of a temple, he couldn’t come into contact with God, so non-religious people and atheists coexist. That’s the world.”

When he brought up his story, In Yoo-shin, who had been mumbling marshmallows, nodded after thinking.

“It would have been nice to grow up in a church, but I still like a world where I can meet monks better. Oh, right. Seung-gi. By the way, did you hear about someone who anonymously donated a large sum of money to an orphanage a while ago?”

“Oh, yeah. I've been so worried about the building being so old, but it's great that we've got the funds to fix it up. And, Hunter, the three categories you mentioned are really good. I guess it's because you've had so much experience observing different backgrounds. Have you thought about polishing it up and presenting it? I think our professor would really like it.”

“Why would I do something so troublesome? There's no way to record a video and use it as evidence, so it'll just end up as a rumor, right?”

“Aoh, the problem is that there’s no evidence left.”

Leaving behind a major student struggling against the harsh realities, Hyeon Gyu-ha got up from his seat.

“It's time for the guard shift, so I'll be going now. I just wanted to see Master’s face before I left, but our conversation went on longer than expected.”

“Ah, should I go with you?”

“It’s cold, so just stay. Even just talking feels nice.”

Hyeon Gyu-ha wrapped In Yoo-shin’s loose scarf and gave him a last kiss on the crown of his head before floating into the air. It seemed like he was probably standing guard at the edge of the forest. Even if the demons don’t spawn directly near the gate entrance, there are cases where the spawned demons approach.

After seeing Hyeon Gyu-ha off, he walked around the forward base looking for 8-se.

8-se, who had fainted, came back to his senses, and Choi Jin-hyeok exclaimed when he found him stuffed in a pouch.

8-se didn’t mind, so I put it on my palm, so he must be okay with me now. The forward base was secretly noisy with people gathered in groups of three or five and talking.

Choi Jin-hyeok was found among the people sitting in front of the camp shelter’s brazier. The people he was with were Gong Tae-seong and Han Jun-su from the Narsha Guild.

“What about Hunter Song Chan-young?”

“Chan-young went to bed early because he was tired. Healer is a precious person who doesn’t need to stand guard.”

On Choi Jin-hyeok’s palm, 8-se was munching on a leaf.

“Squeak!”

Even while eating, he recognized his owner and greeted him by wagging his cotton-swab-like tail. Animals that wag their tails in joy would be dogs or wolves, but now it didn’t seem to matter much now.

“The plants in the dungeon have a small amount of mana in them, so they are better to eat than other foods.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know you liked mana more.”

In Yoo-shin sat down in the empty seat next to him.

“Did you have a good dinner?”

He was about to greet Han Jun-soo, who was looking at his daughter’s photos on his phone, and Gong Tae-seong, who was looking at his daughter’s photos on his phone, but the moment he saw him, he suddenly felt strange.

‘What is it?’

A strange sensation of both unfamiliarity and familiarity coexisting at the same time passes through his brain.

"Bye-oh."

Since Hyeon Gyu-ha didn’t have any reprimands for saying that it wasn’t the sound of a mouse, 8-se tilted his head, making a whining sound.

“No. Eat slowly.”

He shook his head and stroked 8-se’s back on Choi Jin-hyeok’s palm. The brief sensation soon disappeared. It must have been an illusion. Maybe he was sensitive because he was inside a dungeon.

“It’s all done, guild master.”

Han Jun-soo, who had the skill to polish iron, wiped the blade with an oiled cloth and held out the sword. Gong Tae-sepng took the sword with a sigh, putting his phone in.

I didn’t know because I had never seen his sword up close, but now that I look at it, it was a Japanese sword.

‘You use a Japanese sword. Is it a normal artifact?’

He just thought that, but Gong Tae-seong flinched noticeably when he realized that In Yoo-shin was in front of him.

“It's the only artifact that works with the one I have implanted in my ear, so I'm forced to use it. I really have no other option.”

“Ah, yes.”

In fact, In Yoo-shin didn’t think much of it. While it is a bit odd that it was specifically a Japanese sword, given that Japanese swords were used in the Joseon Dynasty as well, couldn't it be that they had no other option due to the situation?

At that moment, Choi Jin-hyeok whispered in a voice that Gong Tae-seong could hear, saying that he had caught the gun. It was strange that he had such a boring life, but he was so lively when Gong Tae-seong was looking for something.

“Native Japanese.”

“No, shit. Why am I the one who was dragged into a dungeon tour that didn’t even cost a penny and got cursed at?”

“In Yoo-shin, do you know what that hunter artifact is?”

“There’s no detailed information about the hunters’ artifacts on the internet.”

“Hey! Choi Jin-hyeok!”

“It’s called ‘the east-blooming daisy’.”

It was unexpected.

“Isn’t that lyrical? Last time you liberated some artifacts, I thought it was related to the battlefield because the sword had a murderous aura."

"It's true that it's related to the battlefield."

Gong Tae-seong's face looked like he wanted to beat Choi Jin-hyeok with the back of his sword or something, he said.

"If you know Japanese history, you've probably heard of the name, but the dungeon where that native Japanese obtained the artifact is Sekiga Hara (a civil war in Japan after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death)."

“Ah, ah. That, that thing that the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans fought over……………….”

“Damn it! It’s a bound item, so I don’t know its name or identity until I get it, so what do you want me to do! So you want me to throw away the artifact?! Another unique item that I might not get again?!”

“If you had realized that the dungeon was Japanese territory, you shouldn’t have taken it.”

“I told you how many years it took to win the first round! You made such a fuss that I even changed the guild name to pure Korean!”

I've also learned about the secret story behind the guild's name change from Uranus to Narsha.

Han Jun-soo was calmly polishing the weapons of other guild members, as if he was familiar with the sight. In Yoo-shin sighed heavily. Just how much did Choi Jin-hyeok need to tease him for Gong Tae-seong to be so embarrassed by his own words?

“If it’s a daisy, then it’s the Tokugawa family’s emblem, right? At least it's Tokugawa."

"If that guy was fed by Toyotomi, then he's not just a collaborator, he's outright a traitor."

"If there's a way to remove the bound item, I'd be the one to take it out and throw it all away right away!"

"So In Yoo-shin, if you find an artifact in a dungeon, make a careful decision. If you're unlucky, you'll end up like that guy."

“Will I ever get that chance? It’s like winning the lottery.”

“I think Hyeon Gyu-ha will give it to you someday, sooner or later.”

In Yoo-shin slyly changed the subject.

“I think Japan is drooling over the guild leader’s artifact.”

“It was a dungeon that opened in the middle of our country and Japan and was recognized as our country’s property. Apparently, Narsha won the bid for that, and when Japan found out, they were so envious they were practically green with envy.”

That was a bit messed up. But since Gong Tae-seong's sacrifice gave the Japanese hunter community a small payback, isn't it a good thing in the end?

‘I’m starting to think this way too.’

Until recently, if you mentioned the guild master of Narsha, it was like talking about someone from another world.

It was a big deal that he'd become so familiar, so easily seen as just a neighborhood hyung. If it weren't for Hyeon Gyu-ha, he wouldn't have exchanged even a single word with Choi Jin-hyeok or Lee Hye-yeon. Reflecting on the world that had expanded because of him, In Yoo-shin took a bitter breath.

However, In Yoo-shin didn't know that he would be facing a 'big problem' the very next day.

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