Chapter 66

Water Droplet: I apologize . Those guys don’t seem like it but their abilities are good .

Tree: It’s water that’s past staying still for a while, to starting to rot . Water change doesn’t happen at all here, you know~ . [1]

Water Droplet: The second reason is, it is a beginner-use auxiliary system to a certain point .

Honey: Beginner-use?

Water Droplet: Yes . The people in Honey’s world are like that . Take for instance, an ability to fly appearing one day . How would you realize that? Would there be anybody who would be like ‘ah, I should try flying!’?

That was so . Who knew if you were a young kid, but if normal adults attempted to fly by themselves, they would be sent to a psychiatric hospital .

Water Droplet: That is why the thing applied that seemed the most suitable for Honey’s world is exactly those status windows . A game-like system with rectangular windows that show levels, abilities, skill, and even rewards .

Tree: But since it’s beginner-use to a certain extent, it’s not far until it disappears .

Water Droplet: The adjustment level will be examined and in roughly 10 years, give or take, it will gradually go away . Sequentially, starting from the windows of the people who have already Awakened .

Honey: Do you have to take them away? If the status windows disappear, afterwards, it will be difficult for Awakened People to realize they have Awakened .

It was convenient in various ways having a system .

Water Droplet: Please do not worry about that . They have not adjusted enough right now, so people cannot feel their own abilities . And even if they felt it, they would be confused about if it was real or just a delusion .

Tree: Even now, if you’re about S-Rank, you can slightly sense others’ abilities . Once the system disappears, that sensation will become stronger . Among them, sensitive people will probably be able to sense even Unawakened People’s abilities . That’s why Honey’s Seed-Leaf skill rank is on the lower side, compared to the current usefulness .

At any rate, I had been wondering if it wasn’t too good to be an S-Rank . When the ability to check expected Awakening status windows became common, it would only leave the optimized Awakening effect once per month, so it was exactly S-Rank level .

Tree: Also, the beginner system may be a comfortable guide, but it’s a restriction that draws limits too .

Water Droplet: It is similar to only being able to move within the system in a game, unlike reality . I suppose it feels convenient right now that ranks and skills appear clearly . But if it is determined like that, it becomes harder to escape .

Tree: F-Rank Awakened People can never become S-Ranks . Since, in the view of the system, the amount of growth for an F-Rank is determined . No matter how much you try, B-Rank is the limit . On top of that, initially, the system has a safeguard too, so it’s hard to grow at all as a skill-stat both F, outside of exceptional cases .

Water Droplet: Since people keep on changing . There is nothing determined . Of course stats, but skills too .

Tree: And, we and the system aren’t accurate either . Especially lately, our accuracy has fallen a little because of Honey .

…Because of me?

Newcomer: That is true! Can’t you please decrease the frequency of use for the Seed-Leaf-skill? Just even 20% is fine . I think I will die from overwork!(ㅠ◇ㅠ)

Tree: Each time you use the Seed-Leaf skill on a new person, we have to examine them and put in the expected rank and skills . Our side’s time is regulated appropriately, but still it’s a little hard . The time we can use in a day isn’t infinite .

Honey: …I apologize .

I didn’t know they were actually doing it manually in real time .

Honey: I will decrease it to about half .

Water Droplet: Please do . If the accuracy falls too much, it would be difficult for Honey too .

That was obvious . I couldn’t wrestle with a wrong skill .

Honey: Can’t you possibly add the skill names intuitively?

Water Droplet: It is possible for new skills, but it is hard for skills whose information has already been saved . We can only touch a few of them . And, it is incredibly rare for skills to have never shown up before .

Tree: Truthfully, there’s hardly any .

Hardly any, they said . New skills being rare when the number of current Awakened People wasn’t that much, meant that there were other worlds, as expected .

Like the place where the Gold Forge’s past owner lived .

Honey: Speaking of, it seems like solely the explanation for the Gold Forge’s Owner skill is detailed . On top of that, you gave items too .

Tree: Ohh, that was the previous skill holder using his power . A cost was needed, and he sacrificed himself . For the future of others .

Water Droplet: He was a good ahjussi . As all the outstanding blacksmiths were, he was good at cooking too .

Tree: I miss him . Good people really do leave quickly .

The thing called cost seemed to be a type where you had to give your life, no matter how I looked at it . Seeing how it was sent as an item, it should have been thanks to a characteristic of the skill, too .

Tree: We can’t explain in detail, but it’s a really rare case . It’s impossible with a mediocre ability .

Water Droplet: And it was 1-time only so the next skill holder would be normal .

Myeongwoo lucked out[2] .

Water Droplet: For us too, something like detailedly writing down skill explanations is possible, but like I said earlier, this is the first time the Perfect Caregiver title came out . There is no information .

Tree: Just the Caregiver is also an incredibly rare title compared to rank .

Newcomer: That is true, this was my first time seeing the Caregiver title too!

Caregiver was? That was a surpise .

Honey: Isn’t it just from being an S-Rank Awakened Person’s guardian?

S-Ranks were rare, but it wasn’t a small number, and there were a lot of cases where the parents had survived . So I had thought that there were a few other people with the Caregiver title who were just not revealing it like me .

Tree: It’s a little different . To explain, we have to tell you about high rank Awakened People . It’s okay right?

Water Droplet: Yeah . Since it would be good for Honey to know the information too .

Tree: You can only receive the Caregiver title if you are regarded as a caregiver by a born S-Rank Awakened Person instead of an ordinary S-Rank Awakened Person .

Honey: Born?

Tree: If you use the Seed-Leaf skill, the expected Awakened stat rank comes up, right? That’s S . Not A or A~S . Among the Awakened People right now, there’s exactly five… there are three who met Honey?

The two I had checked were Yoohyun and Riette . The remaining one was probably Sung Hyunjae . Then did that mean that all the other S-Ranks I had met thus far were all expected stat rank A~S?

Water Droplet: Truthfully, the abilities people are born with are not equal, right? Even in Honey’s world, before Awakened People appeared, there were a lot people who alone stood out . Expected stat rank S are kind of irregular even among those amazingly endowed people . In the view of the system, rank S is the relevant world’s main species’ threshold . For skills, there are a lot of abilities that go past the body, so SS-Rank and higher can come out, but it is not so for stats . It is not impossible to break past the limit through effort, but of course it is difficult, and it takes a long time . At the least, in units of ten years .

The highest for stats was definitely S-Rank . So, even 5 years later, there weren’t any SS-Rank Hunters .

Water Droplet: And expected Awakening stat ranks are, to a certain extent, the ranks of a novice who has just Awakened and has the possibility of growth left . Even looking at just the Seed-Leaf skill, it is optimized Awakening, not maximum amount or threshold Awakening, right? So being at the level of being between A and S is that species’ maximum Awakening stat rank .

Tree: In other words, born S-Ranks are outside of the standard . Honey’s is on the side of having a large population, so there are already five, but usually it’s just two to three per generation . This minority outside of the standard, how should I say it, can’t mix well with their own kind .

Water Droplet: A~S-Ranks also tend to look down on people with low abilities . But in extreme cases, S-Ranks could get to the level of not even treating them as the same kind . At the same time, their own kind, especially normal people, instinctively regard the S-Ranks as unpleasant . Somehow they feel cowed and it is a little uncomfortable to talk with them – it is about that level, but that small difference is quiet large .

Tree: It’s hard to properly play the role of parent if you’re cowed by a young kid .

As I read the words on the window, I remembered when I was young . Yoohyun was cute . I didn’t think I had ever felt him unpleasant .

Tree: So the Caregiver title doesn’t come out much . And, that title holders’ lifespans are usually short .

Honey: Sorry?

Water Droplet: It is just that the probability of being killed is high . They are cases where people could not touch the S-Rank, so instead the family was targeted . Disposition-wise, there are a lot of tyrant types . It is a relief that Honey’s world is stable in that regard .

Tyrants, they said . It didn’t seem like there was much of a difference from the other guild leaders . Not just Yoohyun, but I couldn’t feel any weird points from the other two .

Honey: You said that I met three born S-Ranks, but I did not really feel that they were different . I do have Fear Resistance, but their attitudes themselves all seem fine .

I didn’t need to say anything about Yoohyun, and Riette was also past being friendly to excessively clinging . Though it seemed like it was largely due to the Dragon Slayer title for Riette, even Sung Hyunjae, who didn’t have anything like that, was nice .

Tree: That’s because it’s Honey .

Water Droplet: Your stats are low so you are not threatening, but your special skills are high . Combat-aptitude high rank Awakened People like that kind of thing . If you are S-Rank, you can directly feel that, so they like it even more . Besides Honey, there is one other person like that .

Yoo Myeongwoo? Or were they talking about the saint-nim? Then again, the saint-nim was popular among the high rank Hunters . She was something like the doyenne of the Hunter community .

Tree: Just imagining it, it’s really cute . I also □□□□□□□□□□□□ those past guys . Ah, oops . Sorry .

Water Droplet: Newcomer, thanks for the quick handling .

Newcomer: You are welcome!

Were those □ for blocking excessive information? Though it was a different atmosphere from Deer and Wolf .

Tree: Our stories are useless information, though . I just thought of past things .

Water Droplet: There’s not much left now, so be careful . Still, Honey, please be careful of high rank Awakened People . They may fundamentally have goodwill toward Honey, but the difference in strength is so large that the goodwill could become violence . Generally, there are a lot of selfish and self-centered aspects, so it is even more dangerous . We want Honey to safely gather S-Ranks .

Tree: That’s right . Safety is the best . It’s okay if it takes a bit of a long time . About 5 years? Originally, there was enough room for about 10 years, but as you know, 5 years disappeared .

Water Droplet: Anyways, it would have been hard to find a different method within the time, so even if it decreased 5 years, please do not mind .

Honey: Yes .

If it was 5 years, then it was sufficiently enough time . When Peace grew soon, it would be three, and one more baby monster was planned to arrive . And I thought I would bring over from Seseong, too . And if I put in Riette and her brother and the Breaker Guild Leader, it was already eight, and if Kim Sunghan also safely grew, then it would be nine .

Even if I was relaxed about it, wouldn’t I gather all of them in two to three years?

Honey: Are monsters also included in the 50?

Just in case, I asked them . If it was limited to humans, it could get a little harder .

Water Droplet: As long as the keyword is applied, there is no problem .

Then it was easy . I was relieved of a big worry for now .

Tree: Is there anything you’re curious of outside of that?

Hm, what was there?

I more or less knew the reason why they showed interest in me, which bothered me the most . I didn’t hear in detail, but they said I only had to fill up with 50 S-Ranks . And I got enough information about the system . About skills, Awakened People… ah, dungeons .

Honey: Are the dungeon formation laws the same as they were originally? I am doing the related investigations .

Newcomer: They are the same! Only the speed became faster . Sometimes 5-years-later dungeons come out, but we are working to handle them immediately!

Then I only needed to make up for the speed .

Honey: Would it be difficult for me to hear information about monsters or dungeons?

Tree: The relevancy is too big, so it’s dangerous . Some day, you’ll be able to know, even if you don’t want to .

Water Droplet: That is right . Honey will be able to know it all in the end . In due time .

……I mean, it didn’t matter even if I didn’t know . The meaningful words were completely making me uneasy .

Besides this, there really wasn’t anything else, right? Even if I asked about those people, it probably wouldn’t be allowed . They had already been blocked with □ . It seemed like I had found out more or less everything I needed to know .

Honey: I have one last thing . Could I possibly tell my younger sibling about the system? That guy is completely uneasy and I would like having one person to reveal it to . We happened to have come into the dungeon together, and it would be even better if you would sent a message window to my sibling .

If he got a message from the system, he would probably easily believe me .

Tree: To your sibling? Wait, wait . It’s dangerous for the information to spread, so not a lot…… if it’s at the level of saying you’re helping us, then it’s okay . When you send a signal, we’ll send the promised message . Simply something like ‘sstm’?

Honey: Yes, please take care of it .

It would be good if I could pacify that Yoohyun with this .

Newcomer: As expected, you think a lot about your younger sibling! Brothers and sisters[3] who get along well, are really great˘▽˘

No, he was a younger brother, though .

Deer: My love!! Don’t just take care of your sibling and call me unni!♡ε♡

Wolf: I’m oppa!!

Newcomer: The two of you really have no conscience . Oppa is correct for me!

……What were these people saying .

Honey: I am a man .

The chat window was silent for a moment . Then .

Water Droplet: Ohyeahohyeahohyeah!!!!! I won! Newcomer, bring over the saw! To cut off Deer bastard’s antler! Whooo!!

Excuse me, it seems like your character changed a little .

Water Droplet: The weight on my chest I had for a thousand years is all disappearing![4]

If they had a weight for a thousand years, then it was enough for them to change .

Newcomer: Will you really cut it?

Water Droplet: If you staked it, then it has to be cut! What did Wolf stake? Why is it quiet? Did both of them run away? Ah, I apologize, Honey . Of course you are a man . I thought you were so . I apologize for the bet as well . Those guys kept on insisting so I lost my temper .

Honey: It is alright .

Tree: If you don’t have any other questions, should we send you back? For us, it would be fine if you hung out for longer .

Honey: Yes . Hasn’t a lot of time passed?

Tree: Probably?

What do you mean, probably? Several days couldn’t have passed or something, right? If it did, then there would be a huge commotion . Even now, it was a little uneasy .

Newcomer: It has not been long! I am not sure, but it would be about 30 minutes at best?

…More time had passed than I had thought .

Honey: Is it possible to shorten the time, or something?

Newcomer: It is a state where we are connected, so it is difficult . Should we send you right away?

Honey: Yes .

Still, if it was about 30 minutes, then it should be okay . Now, I could explain about the system too .

The lights that were forming the chat window and the keyboard dispersed again, and the surrounding darkness turned blurry . Then, the scenery in front of my eyes changed back .

To a large field .

There was definitely a thick forest between the seashore, but it had all disappeared . I could clearly see the sea .

‘Did… all of it burn?’

The ashes scattering around on the wind was ominous .

-Keuhang!

Just then, I suddenly heard the cry of a ferocious beast . When I reflectively turned around, a magic beast that was bigger than a lion, with red and gold fur mixed together, dashed to me . I unconsciously stepped back and used the Seed-Leaf Skill .

[2nd Rank Unicorn subtype[5] – Horned Flame Lion(Adolescent) Peace

Current stat rank B

Growth possible stat rank A~S

Optimized Initial Skills

Flame Breath(S) Achieve after growth

Blaze Run(A) Achieve after growth

Giant Fire(A) Achieve after growth

Flame Resistance(A) Acquired

※No growth without an adult’s help]

……It was Peace?

[1] what this whole part is referring to metaphorically is when an organization doesn’t change up its members so it declines, sort of like the eng ‘bringing in fresh/new blood’ . Esp ‘water change’ is used metaphorically to refer to changing the members/execs of an institution on a relatively large scale . I didn’t know how to put that in eng without completely changing it in order to make sense, so I’m putting the explanation in the footnote .

[2] back in the olden(?) times, ppl would form a 계, which is a group where the members chip in a certain amt of money and then they takes turns with one person taking the gathered money each time they meet up . It being your turn is called 계 타다 and that’s the expression used here . It’s used metaphorically to mean you (suddenly) got a lot of money, or depending on context, that you got lucky, since if it’s your turn to take the money, it’s a lucky thing .

[3] this is a word for ‘siblings’ but specifically ‘brother and sister from the same family’, which is why yj is surprised in the next sent, bc it’s implying one of them is a woman .

[4] from the idiom ’10-year old indigestion is going down’ which is similar to eng ‘a weight is being lifted off one’s shoulders/chest’, but here they changed it to a thousand years

[5] there was no change in the krn but i’m using ‘subtype’ here from now on, instead of ‘subspecies’ since i’ve been calling everything else ‘type’