Chapter 39
A luxurious residential area somewhere in Seoul.
Eun-byul, a student hunter in the magic realm, who is taking the “Introduction to Monster Studies” course at the academy.
She was reviewing material related to her major in her room.
Then, upon hearing her mother call her for dinner, she headed to the living room.
“Oh, when did you get here?”
“Just now.”
Not only her father but also her brother, whom she rarely sees due to his busy schedule, were at the table.
Yeo Do-hyung, one of the few S-rank magic realm hunters in Korea.
Eun-byul sat down, and her father picked up his spoon.
The whole family began their meal.
As they continued eating in a moderately harmonious atmosphere,
Eun-byul suddenly voiced a thought that came to mind.
“Brother, do you know about this?”
“Hm? About what?”
“That goblins have intelligence. Did you know?”
Eun-byul recalled what she had learned in today’s “Introduction to Monster Studies” lecture.
In response to his younger sister’s question, Do-hyung answered indifferently.
“Well, they’d have some intelligence, wouldn’t they? They’re living beings, after all.”
“No, not that simply! I mean, like learning or training and stuff.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I’ve never really paid much attention to it.”
“Right?”
Hearing Do-hyung’s dismissive answer, as if it didn’t matter, Eun-byul nodded lightly.
Before taking the “Introduction to Monster Studies” class, she thought the same way.
“What made you curious about this?”
“Well, I attended a liberal arts lecture at the academy today.”
“A liberal arts course? What kind?”
“It’s called ‘Introduction to Monster Studies,’ taught by a part-time lecturer.”
“Aha, a part-time lecturer.”
Do-hyung nodded.
During his academy days, he took “Understanding and Exploring Monsters” from a male professor.
Though his personality wasn’t great, he was a well-known magic realm hunter, which was why Do-hyung took the course.
It’s probably still available as a course now.
“That’s different from the curriculum I recommended, isn’t it?”
“What, do I have to do exactly what I’m told? That’s up to me.”
“Haha…”
Do-hyung chuckled awkwardly at his sister’s cheeky response.
Whether he reacted or not, Eun-byul continued to say what she wanted.
“They say goblins exhibit similar patterns in each group. So, it seemed plausible when I saw it in the dungeon. But since they’re E-rank, I’m not entirely sure.”
“Similar patterns in each group, huh…”
Come to think of it, that might be true.
Do-hyung touched his chin with his fingers, adopting a serious expression.
“A part-time lecturer, you said? What’s their rank?”
“They’re a D-rank and a Holy Knight by profession.”
“Really? Their rank isn’t much despite their knowledge.”
“That’s what I thought too. Actually, could you check if it’s really true later?”
“Sure, it’s not that difficult.”
In the dungeon, goblins are everywhere.
Lower ranks spawn their own, while higher ranks bring out their superior variants.
“Thank you for the meal!”
After quickly finishing her meal, Eun-byul returned to her room.
Watching her back briefly as she left, Do-hyung fell into thought.
“Does it bother you?”
“Ah, yes. It’s something I’ve never heard before.”
At his father’s words, Do-hyung nodded in response.
He intended to have his assistant investigate it further.
If what she said about goblins turned out to be true…
He’d need to see if there’s more valuable information and if the lecturer might be interested in guild work.
Although being D-rank was a bit disappointing, knowledge itself held immense value.
If they’re a part-time lecturer, they might be tempted by a proposal from the Dawn Guild, a major guild.
Talent is always in short supply, a common issue not just for the Dawn Guild but for guilds worldwide.
Meanwhile, back in her room,
“Of course, he doesn’t know.”
Even her S-rank hunter brother seemed unaware of today’s lecture material.
Of course, goblins were trivial monsters that could be easily dealt with.
‘But if there’s information like this on C-rank monsters as well?’
Eun-byul licked her lips.
It was just a liberal arts course she chose out of convenience, yet her expectations kept rising.
The quality of the lecture seemed excessively high for one by a D-rank hunter.
Naturally, Eun-byul had already printed out the next lecture materials for “Introduction to Monster Studies.”
***
The day after helping with the Wings Guild’s C-rank dungeon tour.
Since the next tour was scheduled for tomorrow, today was a day off.
She finished lunch with Si-yoon in the living room.
Her stomach was full, and the weather was nice, making her feel drowsy as she yawned.
“Yaaawn…”
“Hey, are you going out?”
“Yeah, I’ll be out for a bit. I can use the empty space under the TV, right?”
“My personal stuff’s all in my room, so go ahead!”
“Fufufu…”
Her hands had been itching lately anyway.
Finally, the time had come.
“I’ll decorate it as soon as I get back.”
“What are you going to buy?”
“Momobin merchandise! I’m meeting someone for a second-hand trade.”
“Oh, uh…”
Si-yoon awkwardly scratched her cheek at my answer.
Hm, did I come off too otaku-like? Well, still…
“…They were sold out of all the Momobin items on the merch platform.”
“Oh, really?”
“Honestly, I wanted a mug or something, but even second-hand ones are nowhere to be found. So I’ll settle for stickers and a keyring!”
“Ah, I see! That, makes sense!”
Si-yoon clapped her hands in response.
“Is there anything you need? I can pick it up while I’m out.”
“Let me see…”
Si-yoon rolled her eyes in thought.
What’s with that expression? It’s a bit cute.
“…I’m fine, so go ahead!”
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
After saying goodbye to Si-yoon, I stepped outside.
The meeting place for the trade was in Daehangno, right next to the academy!
Since I was familiar with the route, I could easily take the subway.
Anyway, this subway thing is okay if I’ve been there before, but I get confused every time I go to a new place.
There weren’t many people, so I sat comfortably in a corner seat.
I pulled my smartphone and earphones out of my pants pocket.
Naturally, I launched the TriTube app.
The recommended videos were filled with VTubers and hunters.
It seemed the algorithm was firmly fixed in this direction. Well, whatever.
As I was scrolling through the recommendations, a video titled “Summoner” caught my eye, and I clicked on it.
A summoner, huh? That was a rare profession even in the other world.
I’m quite curious about how Earth’s hunters manage it.
A spirit? A golem? Or maybe a monster?
Surely, it’s not a necromancer?
…Ah, it came to mind naturally, just by association.
I unknowingly rubbed my forehead, which was starting to furrow.
A female necromancer who often lingered around the hero’s party came to mind.
Why are all the women around the hero like that…?
What on earth do they see in that hero? Every time they see me, they act all creepy and pick fights, really…
How come there isn’t a single person who’s left a good memory?
Ah, I should exclude the porter. She probably kept her distance to avoid getting caught up in the hero’s drama.
Though different from Earth’s systems, if I were to compare, she was around the level of a C~B-rank hunter.
Anyway, the necromancer suddenly disappeared at some point, though honestly, I’m not curious about her whereabouts.
Instead of thinking about these memories, I should watch something entertaining.
Shaking off my random thoughts, I focused back on the smartphone screen.
In the video, the summoner activated a skill.
Then, the ground started squirming, and a large earth golem emerged.
Following the summoner’s gestures, the golem charged forward and began battling zombies.
The golem was about twice the size of a grown adult man.
It was massacring the zombies one-sidedly.
A regular person might have cheered, going, “Whoa!”
‘…What is this.’
Sure, it was a summon.
But the quality was far too low.
It’s probably because the hunter filming the video was low-rank, but still…
Honestly, if I were asked to mimic this with earth magic right now, I could easily do it.
…Oh, really? That might be a good idea.
Da-young said she’d send me video equipment soon.
Separate from that, maybe I should make something like a goblin and show it moving in front of the students?
Originally, I was just going to show them a video and move on since combat techniques are taught in the major course.
But maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest a bit of time.
It might feel like I’m getting too caught up in the flow of consciousness, but it’s not a difficult task for me.
Couldn’t I just brush it off as a magic tool?
Monsters can only be seen when entering dungeons or during break incidents when they pour out of the gates.
They’re creatures you don’t see in everyday life on Earth, so it would definitely be a good teaching material for the students.
I turned off TriTube and put my smartphone back into my pocket.
Until I arrived at my destination station, I organized the thoughts that had just popped into my head.
Arriving at Daehangno next to the academy.
I met the second-hand trading partner I contacted through a safe number.
“There… there are other VTubers too! Do… do you need anything more?!”
“…No, this is enough.”
I smoothly finished the trade with the persistent man.
Aside from Momobin, did I really need other merch? I parted ways cleanly.
Haha, finally, I’ve got Momobin’s merch.
When I get home, I’ll make sure to keep it clean and store it properly.
As I walked along, chuckling to myself,
a large bookstore happened to come into view.
Since there was no need to rush home, I entered the store with a light heart.
The unique smell of books tickled my nose.
Whenever I smell this, I feel a bit intellectual. Haha…
They say there’s a library at the academy, so I should visit sometime.
I looked around and moved toward the section divided by categories, searching for my hobby area.
Novels, novels… Ah, found it.
Since the bookstore’s pretty big, they’ve got a lot of different books.
I walked over to the bookshelf with genre novels.
Fantasy, romance, martial arts, light novels, and so on caught my eye.
“Oh…”
I found a novel I’ve seen before.
So it was published too? It was a pretty enjoyable read, so I guess it’s popular.
Reaching for the book I found, I admired the cover.
At that moment.
“…Hm?”
“Uh, uh?”
Someone else was reaching for the same book.
Our fingers bumped, and when I turned my head,
“P… P-Professor?!”
“…Areum?”
A female support-type hunter student who takes my class gasped softly.
She flinched backward and adjusted her glasses.
“What… what brings you here…?”
Areum blinked rapidly.
Her lips and chin trembled, and her complexion turned pale.
Though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt as if I wasn’t supposed to be here…
…No, that can’t be right.
“I have a lot of interest in genre novels.”
“Wow…”
Areum covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.
“Th-Then, have you read this novel too?”
She pulled out the novel we had just bumped hands over.
It was a romance fantasy novel.
Although it focused more on the protagonist’s growth and social position changes than the romance aspect.
Basically, it was a female protagonist fantasy novel.
“Of course, I enjoyed reading it. Have you read it too?”
“Y-Yes, yes! It’s a masterpiece! Especially that scene where the protagonist gains recognition from those around her! I nearly cried reading it!”
Suddenly, Areum clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes sparkling.
She looked like a puppy, in a way.
If she had a tail, she’d probably be wagging it enthusiastically.
“Th-Then, have you read this one too?”
“That one was fun too.”
“How about this one?!”
“Oh, that’s new to me. What’s it about?”
It turned into a place for book recommendations all of a sudden.
But, this student…
“This… this one is a real masterpiece! It’s the work that changed my life!”
“Oh?”
We might actually have similar tastes…
It seemed like she felt the same way.
Before I knew it, her gaze toward me was filled with warmth.
“…What was your number again?”
“It’s… it’s this one!”
We exchanged numbers naturally.
Though I have a registry, I didn’t register everyone’s contact information individually.
“W-Would you mind sharing your thoughts when you’re done reading…?”
“Haha, sure. I’ll send you a message.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it!”
I unexpectedly gained a book friend.
Even though it was just a student, my contact list, which had only six people, had now grown to seven.
It was a historic moment.
***
After spending a pleasant time with Areum,
I took the subway back home.
Since it was the time when Si-yoon would be busy working, the living room was empty.
“Hm?”
Something was placed on the desk in the living room.
Curious, I approached it for a closer look.
“W-Why is this here…?”
It was a mug. A Momobin merch mug, no less!
Why is this here? What’s going on?
As I turned the small box containing the cup around, I noticed a sticky note attached to one side.
– I remembered what you said, and it seems like I bought it back when I used to watch the streams! It’s a gift!
“Gasp…”
As expected, my younger sister is the best in the world…
Feeling unexpectedly moved, I wiped a small tear from my eye with the back of my hand.
…But, did she really watch Momobin streams enough to buy merch?
She does seem to know a lot about VTubers usually.
Is she just hiding it out of embarrassment, but actually watches Momobin’s streams often…?
—
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