Chapter 76: Agon’s Reluctance and a Disturbing Discovery

Chapter 76

“Get away from me, you nuisance. Seriously, how can this bastard be so utterly shameless? He clings on like the most disgusting leech.”

As he pushed Agon’s shoulder with his foot, a fierce growl echoed over the water.

It had been days since they started like this. Ever since the day he successfully used , Agon had reverted to his previous stance.

In short, he wasn’t accepting Dokyeom’s requests.

Of course, Dokyeom understood his feelings. The skill revealed far more than he had anticipated.

Agon’s emotions, his mood, everything he saw and felt, flowed into Dokyeom like water, becoming part of his very being.

Within that influx were many thoughts and feelings concerning Dokyeom. Worry, pity, apprehension, and torment — these emotions intertwined, solidifying into regret.

From the moment he assimilated with until his body finally separated, Agon had regretted and blamed himself for the decision he had made.

‘Perhaps it’s due to the skill’s after-effects,’ Dokyeom mused.

The agonizing pain. After using , an excruciating, bone-deep agony would set in once the skill was dispelled.

It was likely the price for wielding such immense power. These after-effects burdened both Dokyeom and Agon significantly.

The problem lay in their differing capacities to endure such pain. Even with pain of the same intensity, the tolerance limits for an AA-rank Agon and an E-rank Dokyeom were vastly different.

It was enough to make Agon become so wary, defensive, and resistant.

‘Did he consider me a protected species?’

Judging by the memories and emotions that had flowed into him from Agon, it seemed Agon regarded Dokyeom as an endangered species in need of protection.

Agon would frown if Dokyeom didn’t eat on time or get enough sleep, and he would even pull Dokyeom out of the water himself if he stayed in too long, showing extreme caution.

Yet, his ‘meals’ were quite savage.

‘What kind of demonic bastard is this?’

Dokyeom idly scrutinized Agon from head to toe. ‘At this rate, it feels like a primal instinct to hoard food.’

Nevertheless, it was a means to dramatically boost all his skills. Rank was a secondary concern.

Even the newly acquired skill , which had now plummeted to B-rank, was a testament to how exceptionally good it was, making any discussion of high risk seem moot.

Of course, it wasn’t a certainty. That was why he had been requesting the skill from Agon for days, but Agon remained completely unresponsive, just as he was now.

Dokyeom gnawed at his tongue, then attempted to initiate a conversation just as Agon frowned and pushed his foot out of the water.

“Agon, think carefully. Assuming you can’t go your whole life without using that skill, why not practice now…”

A growl erupted!

“…Fine, you bastard. Go ahead and starve today. What, are you going to bite me now?”

Dokyeom splashed water onto Agon’s fiercely wrinkled snout, then rose to his feet. He grabbed a nearby towel and vigorously shook the water from his hair, prompting Dal to cautiously get up and approach, having been uneasily observing him.

Dal’s innocent eyes, nervously flickering like a cat watching its owner in water, suddenly brought someone to mind.

‘Come to think of it, I’d completely forgotten about Beom Yeonhu.’ What should he do? Dokyeom pondered for a moment.

His phone had broken, and two days had already passed since then. He hadn’t even had time to meet Taeseongyeon or get a new phone, so it was possible Beom Yeonhu had tried to contact him.

‘Would he be digging himself into a hole, thinking I’m ignoring him?’

As that thought crossed his mind, Dokyeom placed the towel aside and extended a hand to Dal.

“Dal, shall we go see another big brother? Maybe get some tasty treats from him? Let’s ask him to buy us some milk.”

Dal immediately perked up their ears, reacting instantly. The way they twitched their eyes and looked up, though silent, clearly showed their delight.

Perhaps missing the scent of Agor’s milk, who had cared for them, Dal was particularly fond of milk. It was also the only food they savored.

“Big brother will be out after a quick wash, so just stay still for a moment. I’ll be right back. If you get bored, ask Agon-hyung to play with you. Bother him as much as you like.”

*Squeak!*

Dal cautiously settled back against the wall, responding with a tiny sound. Only after seeing that did Dokyeom stride into the shower room.

By the time Dokyeom had quickly showered and emerged, Agon had also exited the water and was ready to leave. Both of them waited for Dokyeom outside the pool area.

Dokyeom rubbed his pale lips and headed for the elevator. He scanned the departmental directory listed on the signboard.

“Hunter schedules… is that managed by the Administration Team?”

It was the place where all schedules for hunters affiliated with Sahyeon Guild were managed, and where instructor schedules could also be checked.

It had already been half a month since Han Yuseong left for his business trip to China. It felt like he should be returning soon, yet there had been no news, let alone contact, from the Chinese business trip team.

Of course, that was merely on the surface; Taeseongyeon would likely have received separate communication. Consequently, Beom Yeonhu’s training, which Dokyeom had previously entrusted to Han Yuseong, was now temporarily under the care of other instructors.

Dokyeom intended to inquire about Beom Yeonhu’s whereabouts. The answer he received, however, was a preposterous piece of news that felt like a slap to the back of his head.

“It appears that Team A currently has no external hunter training scheduled… Are you looking for someone specific?”

‘None? Absolutely none?’

As Dokyeom blinked silently, the Team 2 Administration Assistant scratched the back of their head, then offered a printed file, gesturing for him to read it.

“As you can see here, after Hunter Han Yuseong left for his business trip, all previously trained external hunters were either transferred or had their training canceled, according to the records. The handwritten date… ah, it was exactly two weeks ago.”

“And you don’t know where they were transferred?”

“One moment, let me check. Due to Mr. Han Yuseong’s absence, the instructor hunters are all mixed up from Team A to Team D, none of them being the original instructors. But since external hunters aren’t guild members, I’m not sure if any records will show up… Ah.”

The employee, who had been diligently searching for something on the monitor, suddenly gasped and tilted their head. With a hesitant expression, the employee turned the monitor towards Dokyeom, showing him the search results.

“Here, you see the listed training teams, right? It shows the instructor roster and trainee profiles, but it indicates no external hunters in any other teams either. Still, they might have been recruited into the guild in the meantime, so please take a look at the roster.”

Dokyeom leaned in, meticulously scanning the names displayed on the monitor with frightening intensity. Beom Yeonhu’s name was nowhere to be found.

His gaze shifted back to Team A. There were three instructor hunters in total. Among them, the name of one instructor who had taken Han Yuseong’s place during his absence seemed familiar.

As Dokyeom mulled over the name, he suddenly seemed to awaken, recognizing its owner.

It was absurd that he hadn’t recognized the name immediately, considering their deep-seated connection. It was Lee Sanghyeon, the instructor hunter who had abandoned the trainees and fled during the Eulwangri Gate incident.

Dokyeom involuntarily let out a hollow laugh. Seeing Lee Sanghyeon’s name, he instantly understood what had happened.

“Is he not there?”

“N-no…”

“Then why did they bother writing ‘transferred’?”

The employee scratched their head, muttering with a puzzled expression. While it said ‘transferred,’ it was practically a dismissal.

But then, why hadn’t Beom Yeonhu contacted him? If the transfer had occurred two weeks ago, he should have received some form of contact before now.

Even assuming Dokyeom’s phone broke two days ago, it made sense that Beom Yeonhu would have communicated his situation or the circumstances of his transfer earlier. But why hadn’t he?

Dokyeom stared intently at the phrase ‘transferred’. Why did that word feel like a mere formality, a pretense? The moment this realization struck him, Dokyeom urgently asked.

“If it’s a transfer, is it possible he was sent to a low-tier gate managed by Sahyeon Guild?”

“That’s a possibility, but… we can’t search that far, so I won’t be able to help you. Low-tier gates are simply set up as territorial grabs, used by us only when the situation is favorable to assert our influence, so their management is mostly entrusted to the instructor hunters.

We just review the reports they compile and submit, and that’s how we organize things.”

If this unsettling suspicion was correct, Beom Yeonhu’s ‘transfer’ was likely to a low-tier gate. Specifically, to a low-tier gate connected to a corrupt, festering subcontractor.

The only place where *that bastard’s* influence would be so pervasive was a location he managed.

“Then, can you check the low-tier gates managed by Instructor Lee Sanghyeon?”

“Excuse me? Ah, just a moment…”

Just as the employee turned the monitor back and was about to type on the keyboard, someone sauntered out from behind, interjecting with a sneer.

“Hunter, you seem to be prying too much into other hunters’ affairs. We don’t just hand over instructor hunter data so carelessly. You seem new here, and asking questions like this puts us in a very difficult position, wouldn’t you agree?”

The tone was rather mild, yet it was laced with thorns. A glance at the name tag on their chest revealed they were the Administration Team Manager.

Over the manager’s shoulder, Dokyeom could see someone who looked like a team leader glancing over and clearing their throat, and the gazes of other employees were not particularly friendly either.

To them, demanding various things abruptly while they were busy would naturally appear annoying and irksome.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

My Disciple Grants Me a Year’s Worth of Cultivation Every Day

ComedySlice of LifeTransmigration

Read Now →
Not interested