Chapter 119

It wasn’t that I actually fainted, but rather that I had received a shock akin to losing consciousness.

Even after that, I continued to offer flowers to the elders.

“Why they like my flowers so much, I don’t quite get it…”

But out of gratitude for their warm affection, I tried my best to give them flowers despite feeling incredibly bashful.

“Thanks to Hae-un, I feel 300 years younger.”

“Hae-un, how about taking over one of Grandpa’s old buildings? It seems perfect for you.”

“Mr. Kim? These days, kids prefer Bit-coin over buildings.”

Excessive offers kept popping up, trying to be transferred under my name. Of course, I firmly rejected them all, but the elders exchanged mischievous glances with Han Arin, as if conspiring to gift me something behind my back.

Watching this, I couldn’t help but wonder…

“Isn’t this gift too expensive?”

“Wouldn’t giving away something like a building be too burdensome?”

I may just be a commoner, but usually, wouldn’t such things require immense deliberation before being given away? Or is it meant only for someone truly cherished (yes, that’s true)?

While pondering these thoughts, Han Arin easily clarified my doubts.

“Hae-un, you’re an incredibly rare and precious newbie who hasn’t appeared in ages.”

“…Huh?”

“To put it simply, without you, we’d probably be heading toward ruin. Anyway, Hae-un, you’re our last hope!”

When she put it that way, I felt like I had been entrusted with some monumental task, which was kind of scary.

As I wondered whether it was okay for me to keep living like this and thought I should work harder from now on, one elder gently patted my head and chuckled.

“What are you talking about? We’re just giving it because you’re pretty. Hae-un, you don’t have to do anything—just grow up healthy.”

“Nya…”

“That’s right. Our granddaughter is far too cute.”

With that, the elder cast a dizzying spell on me and seemed extremely pleased.

Floating aimlessly in mid-air, I gazed ahead blankly.

“I want to repay them…”

Though I didn’t know what I could do, I still wanted to give something back. While swaying here and there, Chae-a approached me and spoke.

“Chae-a-two! Chae-a-two wants to fly!”

At that, one of the elders said, “Then let me lift you,” and hoisted Chae-a high into the air.

Seeing this, Yuna and Seoa also seemed eager to join in and rushed over. The elders, seizing the moment, lifted Yuna and Seoa as well, playing with the children.

Listening to the cheerful laughter echoing all around, I hoped this peace would continue forever.

* * * * *

Three days after the central government awarded Hae-un…

A serious voice reverberated through the largest conference room within the association.

“First, let me conclude by saying that we’ve successfully uncovered the terrorist group’s next plan.”

Seong Na-yeon clenched her fists while listening to the report. After rescuing Yuna, not only had they failed to obtain any relevant information, but they hadn’t even found any traces.

However, thanks to the Dragon faction releasing intelligence to the association for some unknown reason, they had obtained far more information than expected.

“And furthermore…”

Recently, they had even managed to make contact with someone suspected of being involved in terrorism, successfully uncovering their next plan.

“Their next plan is to carry out a terror attack targeting the World Tree, which prevents the creation of gates and dungeons.”

Upon hearing this, the hunters seated there exchanged tense glances. If the World Tree were stolen or destroyed by the terrorists, the potential damage to the city would be unimaginably catastrophic.

Some skeptics doubted the enormity of the issue, but since it had already been rumored quietly and was being discussed in the presence of the association president, there was no reason to doubt its authenticity. Despite wanting to disbelieve, they had no choice but to accept it as truth.

The announcer continued, observing the reactions of others.

“Since we don’t know when the attack will occur, we’re monitoring their movements continuously. However, the analysis team concludes that we need to increase surveillance personnel…”

The problem lay in resource allocation. The fact that gates weren’t opening in the city implied that they were still opening in unprotected external areas.

“Moreover, since our economy relies on the byproducts obtained from monsters…”

They couldn’t abandon monster hunting just to wait for an uncertain terrorist attack. Thus, the hunters gathered in the meeting room wore grim expressions. No matter how high the priority of combating terrorism was, they couldn’t halt everything they were doing to prepare for an eventuality.

Just as everyone was exchanging opinions, deep in thought, the association president made a decision.

“It would be best to station Han Arin there. With Han Arin, she can hold off any surprise attacks by the terrorist group until reinforcements arrive.”

If Han Arin decided to block them, using all kinds of magic, she could certainly handle it. Upon hearing this, Han Arin gave a faint smile and briefly responded.

“Me?”

This caught the other hunters off guard. They hadn’t expected her to outright reject it without hesitation. Although Han Arin was an irreplaceable top-tier hunter, rejecting without reason raised ethical concerns.

Han Arin briefly explained her reasoning.

“If I’m not there, who will protect Hae-un, Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa?”

Another hunter brought up the association, but Han Arin smirked and replied.

“Well… I personally want to protect the kids. Sorry. If you need protective magic formations, I can set them up sufficiently. Perhaps you should choose someone else for the stationed position?”

“The matter will be reconsidered.”

Seong Na-yeon noticed Han Arin’s unusually cold demeanor during the discussion and felt puzzled. No matter how adorable and lovable the children were, it didn’t seem like Han Arin to prioritize personal feelings over a situation where countless lives could be at risk.

In that moment of confusion, Seong Na-yeon realized something.

“The sudden release of information by the dragons, the appearance of a traitor within the previously elusive terrorist group, and Han Arin’s absolute refusal…”

Perhaps it was a stretch, but connecting these three points led Seong Na-yeon to intuitively suspect a mole within the association.

* * * * *

After receiving the award, I was supposed to learn Cleaning Magic as promised…

But due to Han Arin’s increasingly busy schedule, I was only practicing magic repeatedly. Since the only things I could do were mana circulation and light magic, I was solely focused on mastering those skills. Just then, Somtul came over and said something.

“Piiiii!” (Playground!)

Her sudden proclamation startled me. Confused, I tilted my head, and nearby Chae-a giggled and informed me.

“Hae-un, there’s an enormous playground downstairs!”

Downstairs must refer to the underground city. I widened my eyes, wondering when such a thing had been built, when Seoa, standing beside me with pride, chimed in.

“Playground… cool! Let’s go!”

Now able to use more words, Seoa enthusiastically described how amazing the playground was. Intrigued, I decided to take a look.

‘This will be fun.’

Curious to see what had the kids so excited, I moved forward with anticipation. When I reached the underground city, I saw a surprisingly large playground. Wondering when this had been constructed, I admired it in awe. Nearby, Yuna revealed the truth.

“A Spirit Master uncle made it for us.”

Ah, now I remember—the Spirit Master seemed to enjoy creating the underground city. Understanding the general context, I nodded approvingly and wagged my tail.

‘I should thank him later.’

While thinking this, I noticed an interesting piece of equipment.

“There’s a horizontal bar.”

Technically, a horizontal bar might not count as a proper plaything. After all, a playground is for “playing,” and hanging on bars didn’t seem particularly entertaining. Though others might think differently, I wasn’t sure.

In the midst of my musings, Chae-a confidently ran up to me.

“Watch me! I’m good at this!”

Her statement surprised me. The bar was at least two to three times taller than Chae-a.

‘Wait, why did the Spirit Master place an adult-sized bar instead of a kid-sized one?’

As I pondered this, Chae-a stood beneath the bar, stretched her arms upward, and began jumping energetically.

“Here I go!”

Of course, she didn’t reach the bar, let alone grab it. Watching her fail to even touch the bar, I blinked in concern. Contrary to my worries, Chae-a looked proud and turned to me.

“See!?”

“…”

It seemed Chae-a didn’t quite know how to use the horizontal bar. Seeing this, I decided to teach her the proper method and stepped forward cautiously.

---