Usually, guilds either set up training grounds underground or buy an open lot outside the building to use as one. But in Seokyoung, floors 180 to 200 were designated as training grounds. There were underground training areas as well, but S-rank hunters mainly used floors 195 to 200.
"Floors 195 to 200 are exclusively for Perfect, and among them, the 200th floor is reserved for S-ranks, so hyung can use this starting today. If you scan your hunter ID, it'll recognize your S-rank status and open the door."
"I'm a B-rank."
"Oh, right. Seriously, why did you bother faking your rank? Then hyung will have to use the underground or outdoor training grounds. The outdoor one is spacious enough, so it should be fine. Just don't forget to apply for the rank reassessment in October."
"Hunter Soo Jaehee."
When Yoon Seo called out his full name, Jaehee, who was about to scan his hunter ID on the pad, flinched and turned to look at him. Yoon Seo spoke with a deliberately serious expression.
"I'm not an S-rank. Really. Truly. Absolutely not."
If he just let it slide because correcting it was a hassle, he had a feeling people would just assume he was an S-rank for real. So he made sure to emphasize it. Jaehee blinked, then gave him a look of exasperation.
"Come on, why are you saying this now hyung? Jihan hyung doesn't pick fights with people who aren't S-rank."
"Think about it. If I were really S-rank, would Seokyoung just sit back and do nothing? They would've immediately announced it to the world that the 18th S-rank had appeared. An S-rank's existence is a matter of life and death for all of humanity, there's no way to hide it, even if I wanted to."
"That's true, but…"
"Kwon Jihan is just mistakenly thinking I'm S-rank and picking a fight with me."
"There must be a reason why Jihan hyung made that mistake."
Yoon Seo calmly explained what had happened in the Homyeongsan Dungeon. He had received an incredibly good item as a first-entry reward, used it without knowing any better, and ended up being suspected of being an S-rank because he became the highest contributor.
"Oh, well, the first-entry rewards are completely random, after all."
Jaehee still looked unconvinced, but Yoon Seo's reasoning made sense, so he nodded.
"If hyung is really just overestimated, then you should leave Perfect before entering the next dungeon. S-rank dungeons aren't the kind of places where S-rank hunters can afford to babysit a B-rank."
"I'd like to do that too, so please explain it well for me, Soo Jaehee."
"I still can't be sure that you're weak…."
"You still doubt me?"
"How could I not? Normally, a B-rank hunter wouldn't even be able to speak properly in front of me. Because of my passive skill…. But hyung didn't just stand firm, you even called me 'Team 1 Member' and talked back. How am I supposed to believe you're weak?"
Grumbling, Jaehee stepped into the training ground.
'What kind of passive skill does he have for this? Ah, I should've checked his profile first.'
Following him inside, Yoon Seo belatedly activated
[Encyclopedia of People: Soo Jaehee, 20 years old, Male
Rank: S
(Item 'Sweet Jelly' increases summoned creatures' attack power.)
(Passive skill
Trait: Summoner
(Protected by the God of Wild.)
(Protected by the Beasts.)
Skills:
Special Skills:
*Additional statuses can only be viewed in dungeons.
'Passive skill
Yoon Seo felt a little frustrated. From the moment he entered this space, he should've acted intimidated by Soo Jaehee, but he hadn't.
'Team 1 Member, may I go inside now?'
Far from looking scared, he'd said something like that instead. No wonder Jaehee had looked at him with a mix of shock and fascination.
"This place is sturdy, but for attack skills, you need to control the power. Hyung doesn't have to worry since you're defense-type anyway."
Soo Jaehee bounced around inside the training ground. The spacious area was surrounded on all sides by an S-rank shield trap. It was definitely a solid place.
"No one except those with attack skills use the outdoor training ground, so you should have plenty of space. Do you have a lot of attack skills hyung?"
"This much space is more than enough. Like Hunter Soo Jaehee said, since I'm defense-type, it wouldn't matter even if it were smaller."
"What shield skills do you have?"
"I have
Yoon Seo listed the skill names written in the profile fabricated with
"..."
Yoon Seo let out a small sigh before speaking.
"I also have a skill called
"Ohhh, never heard of that one. What rank is it?"
"B-rank."
"Ah, that was a dumb question. Hyung is faking his rank anyway."
"..."
"Can't you be honest with just me? I'll keep it a secret from everyone else."
"It's B-rank."
"Tch, so stingy."
Of course, Yoon Seo's
"Can I attack your shield with my skill?"
"Yes, that's why we're here."
Yoon Seo nodded.
Even if he showed some of his abilities, assessing a teammate's combat power was crucial.
Jaehee positioned Yoon Seo near the wall and then activated his skill toward the open space.
['Soo Jaehee' has summoned
Kuwaaaa—
With a thunderous roar, a massive beast covered in white fur appeared out of thin air.
Its head was shaggy with thick white fur, and its eyes were sharp and piercing. It had a large nose and thick lips. Its back was covered in scales so tough that they looked impenetrable, while its long tail lacked scales and was covered in fluffy fur. Its four legs were long and sturdy, wrapped in flame-like manes. Since they were the only parts that were red, it looked as if its legs were on fire.
Kraaaang!
[Haechi roars!]
[It does not affect you.]
Standing in front of the roaring Haechi, Jaehee lifted his chin proudly.
"How is it? Impressive, right?"
"Indeed. It has a different presence from monsters."
"It's on a whole different level. Haechi is a sacred beast. Right, Chichi?"
As soon as Jaehee approached, Haechi, despite its majestic appearance, flattened its massive body, stuck out its tongue slightly, and panted. For all its size, it was acting just like a big puppy.
"Phew, so cute. My little Chichi."
Krr. Krr.
"This is Yoon Seo hyung. You'll be seeing him often, so say hi."
Krrrr.
Haechi's large eyes turned to look up at Yoon Seo.
Yoon Seo had looked into Haechi after obtaining the skill
[Haechi stares intently at you.]
[Haechi senses your soul.]
Even while lying down, its black eyes were still above Yoon Seo's eye level. He glanced at Jaehee's smiling face before reaching out toward Haechi. Its white fur wrapped softly around his fingers. Yoon Seo's expression unconsciously relaxed.
"Super soft, right?"
"It is."
"If there were a skill or item to shrink him, I'd carry him around all the time. Too bad there isn't. I keep pestering Seokyoung's item crafting department to make a miniaturization item, but no luck so far."
"How much mana does it consume while summoned?"
"It's the least out of all my summons. I have a skill called
Yoon Seo was curious about Jaehee's total mana pool. Since status screens were only visible inside dungeons, even using
"Wow, but…."
Jaehee alternated between looking at Yoon Seo's hand stroking Haechi's fur and Haechi's relaxed expression, his face filled with wonder. He looked even more amazed than when Yoon Seo hadn't flinched in front of him earlier.
"Hyung, you've been petting him for a while."
"Oh, I'm sorry. That was rude of me."
"No, no, that's not it. You can keep petting him. It's just… I've never seen Haechi this comfortable before."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Usually, with anyone besides me, he starts growling after just five seconds. This is insane. Hyung, you must be a really good person. Haechi can tell good from evil, you know."
"..."
Yoon Seo suddenly felt bitter.
Calling him a good person was laughable. How could someone who hid for ten years despite having great power be considered good?
'The most arrogant thing in the world is someone with power who just wants to live quietly.'
Kwon Jihan had been right. Yoon Seo had been arrogant. He had been complacent. He had no right to be petting Haechi. Feeling bitter, Yoon Seo withdrew his hand.
Kkuuuung.
"Now he's even acting cute since you stopped. Wow… This almost never happens."
"Don't exaggerate."
"I'm serious. Before you, the longest anyone besides me has pet him was Jihan hyung, 10 minutes."
"…Who?"
"Jihan hyung. Yeah, that Kwon Jihan."
"..."
Yoon Seo's eyes widened at the completely unexpected name.
Haechi, the beast that only allowed kind souls to touch it, had let Kwon Jihan pet him for ten whole minutes?