S-Class Hunter Heals with Monsters - Chapter 226



Only Krnovel

226. Coconut Expedition to Find the World Tree

* * *

Dodaki doesn’t know what a festival is.

But he understood that his assistant was having fun, and he felt good when he saw his assistant laughing at him.

“It’s the finish line now. In this case, I guess Dodakki should go first.”

-Huh?

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Cheon Do-woon pushed the foot that had tied Dodak-i across the finish line.

[The Coconut Family has reached the finish line! The winner has emerged!]

As Dodak crossed the finish line, fireworks went off everywhere.

As the welcome spell was activated, flower petals were scattered all over the playground.

-Phew, phew…!

Dodaki’s eyes widened at the splendid sight.

When that image appeared on the screen, cheers erupted from the audience.

“Dodak is the winner!”

“Dodak won!”

“Dodak, the winner of the Spring Festival!”

The winner was, of course, the Coconut Family team. The flow was as expected.

Still, the crowd was confident that there would never be another game as entertaining as this year.

“Dodok won? Congratulations.”

-Huh, huh?

“Yeah. You win.”

Cheon Do-woon untied his ankle strap and lifted the stick.

Dodaki looked around the playground where flower petals were falling and jumped onto Cheon Do-woon’s shoulder.

“The dodak jumped!”

“Dodak is jumping!”

The audience cheered again at the sight on the screen. Before they knew it, Dodak had become a popular star who could attract attention even with just a yawn.

[Then we will bring the winning team up to the podium. Team members, please come up!]

At the host’s words, Cheon Do-woon and his party went up to the stage.

[Here is the winner’s trophy. Now, please tell us how you feel about winning.]

“My thoughts. It was fun.”

There was a moment of silence. The host, who was waiting for Cheon Do-woon to speak next, was taken aback when he didn’t say anything.

[Is that all?]

“Daji. Do you need anything else besides this?”

The host laughed at the simple and clear comments.

The Spring Festival is not just a simple festival. It is also a scouting ground where companies and governments come to find talent.

As such, the winning team would often emphasize the abilities of its team members during their acceptance speeches.

They are trying to look good to government and corporate officials.

It was an appearance not found in the coconut family.

‘These people really came to have fun.’

They came to have some fun and ended up crushing the other team.

The host laughed when he realized that. The audience laughed, but the people who came to do the headhunting didn’t laugh.

“I need to scout them before they get taken away by someone else. Does anyone know their contact information?”

“No one. No one even knows where I live, let alone my contact information. Not even my name is known.”

“Does that make sense? It’s not like he fell from the sky. Since he’s a human, there should be traces of him. You should have done some background checks on this!”

I did it. I did it, but I couldn’t find it. The subordinate who said that seemed aggrieved.

In the end, the people who came to scout out talent were left with no way to contact them, so they just stamped their feet.

The host said, holding back laughter at the sight.

[The winner will receive a prize and the right to propose legislation. Please get the brochure here.]

The host handed over a booklet.

Baekho Lee, who played the role of manager, took the initiative and received the booklet on his behalf.

[Documents are attached to the booklet. Please write down the account number to receive the prize money and the proposed bill and submit it.]

“That’s what they say. Baekho Lee, you take care of the documents.”

“All right.”

Baekho Lee nodded. At that, people’s faces turned pitiful again.

“I thought I finally found out Samgakdae’s address this time.”

Since he appointed a proxy, Cheon Do-woon’s personal information has not been revealed.

The host also felt regretful, but continued the interview without showing it.

[Every year, various laws are proposed. Do you have any bills in mind?]

“Yes.”

Before opening his mouth, Cheon Do-woon thought of Chairman Lee Un-soo.

He had a bill in his mouth that he would propose if he won the Spring Festival.

“Creating chimeras will be prohibited.”

[yes…?]

“Of course, production and research, and even the rental business of chimeras that have already been created should be prohibited. That is the law I propose.”

The surroundings became quiet after Cheon Do-woon’s words. Even the host was speechless at the unexpected words.

The chimera business had deep roots. It was something that had been going on since ancient times.

‘I think there will be a lot of opposition to this.’

The host opened his mouth with a worried expression.

[If public opinion against it is strong, the bill will not pass.]

“know.”

[If you know, why such a bill… Is there any special reason?]

“Lee Yu-ra. You ask an interesting question. Is there a reason to ban biological experiments?”

The surroundings became quiet as the words flowed out softly.

It’s not wrong to anyone. The problem is that people who make money through chimera business are flocking to this place.

Cheon Do-un’s words could not have sounded kind to such people.

“There is no need to ban the creation of chimeras!”

Someone jumped up and shouted.

Starting with that, the people in the industry around him nodded their heads.

“That’s right. Vivisection has long been outlawed. The current chimeras are made from dead bodies, living beings that are destined to die from disease, or inanimate objects. It’s done within the legal boundaries.”

“Really? Then I’ll ask. Which laboratory created the chimera that ran wild in Gold City?”

Silence followed the question that suddenly popped out.

Those who had raised objections looked at each other and said nothing.

“There’s no answer. The source should have been revealed by now. Why don’t you know?”

“That, that….”

“Even if you investigate, it probably won’t come out.”

Cheon Do-woon looked around at the people.

“A chimera without a government registration number. In other words, a creature created through illegal experiments. That means the source is unknown. That means that biological experiments are still being conducted somewhere. Am I wrong?”

The surroundings were filled with noise at Cheon Do-un’s words.

The Chimera’s rampage in Gold City was a famous incident, so it attracted a lot of attention.

“There must be animals being sacrificed alive somewhere right now.”

“That, that can’t be….”

“The chimera business is profitable, so biological experiments are constantly being conducted. If we ban their production itself and even ban the rental of existing chimeras by law, the problem will be solved.”

Even if chimeras are made illegally, there is no company that will sell them.

Since renting is illegal, you can’t do business privately.

If there was no money to be made, the illegal research labs would eventually disappear naturally.

“Ha, but… without the Chimera, many Hunters will die.”

Someone shouted. Industry insiders nodded and said.

“That’s right. Chimera rentals are directly linked to the survival of the hunters.”

“Many hunters have returned alive thanks to going with Chimera when they went on a subjugation mission.”

When people’s lives are at stake, there is nothing to say. That is what industry insiders were certain of.

Of course, it was a fallacy that would not work on Cheon Do-woon.

“At that point, you should just die.”

“yes…?”

“If you were going to die without Chimera’s help, you shouldn’t have crossed the gate. You should have known better than anyone that you lacked skill. If you crossed the gate knowing that, then it’s right for you to die. Isn’t that right?”

The surroundings became quiet. The people in the industry were silent.

I thought you would take a step back when it comes to human life. But I didn’t know you would actually say that it was right for you to die.

‘Hey, can a hero say something like that?’

The trio who were watching clicked their tongues as they were embarrassed.

“You don’t know your teacher’s personality at all.”

“That’s right. Don’t you know what an old-time hunter means?”

A living hero of the old days. In other words, it meant a survivor who survived the hellish chaos.

There was no way that whining about dying without a chimera would work in front of such a person.

“In today’s world, being a hunter is nothing more than a means of making money. You’re forcing a tough creature into a dangerous situation for personal gain. Is that right?”

Industry insiders were silent.

If the opponent was an ordinary person, I would have used my power to pressure them into keeping their mouths shut.

But the opponent is an old-time S-class hunter.

There was no one braver than him who could argue with him.

Baekho Lee, who was watching the situation, smiled with an excited face.

‘It’s definitely different from when my grandfather said it. That’s why awareness is important.’

What Cheon Do-woon said just now was something that Chairman Lee Un-soo had said several times in the past.

Every time this happened, the opposition party controlled the media, so it was buried and not even an issue.

It used to be different now.

“If Mr. Samgakdae is going to say something like that, then there’s no need for a chimera, right?”

“That’s right. When a hunter crosses the gate, he’s just going to make money. If he’s dying because of the Chimera, he should change jobs.”

“That’s right. You can do other things. Why are you stuck on the floor, turning a tough creature into a chimera?”

Every single word of Cheon Do-un spread across the Internet through people’s ears and hands.

The video has already been uploaded and the real-time search rankings are filled with Cheon Do-woon’s remarks.

The negative effects of the chimera business are also starting to surface one by one.

The remarks of someone who enjoys the support of the entire nation also had considerable ramifications.

[I have listened carefully. Then, please write down your proposal and submit it in writing.]

The moderator concluded the questions at an appropriate time.

Industry insiders were dissatisfied but said nothing more.

‘Grandpa must be really enjoying himself watching TV right now.’

The board was set by Cheon Do-woon. All that remained was how well Chairman Lee Un-soo would lead it.

‘As expected, the boss is amazing.’

I guess I’m really lucky to have met someone like that. Lee Baek-ho thought to himself and smiled.

* * *

Cheon Do-woon, who came down from the stage, took out the return stone.

“I got a trophy. Now that I’m done playing, shall I go home?”

-Whew!

With Dodaki’s answer, he broke the return stone.

When the group had all entered the gate, Cheon Do-woon looked back at Lee Baek-ho.

“What do you want to do?”

“I’ll stay here. I have to submit some paperwork and clean up.”

“Okay. See you next time then.”

Cheon Do-woon waved his hand lightly and entered the gate.

When he arrived at the yard, he looked around to see if anything had happened while he was away.

First, the weed field and the fire field with mandragora.

-Ugh.

-Okay, okay.

The roots were rising above the soil and basking in the sun. They were all plump, indicating that they had been well fed.

There was nothing unusual in the garden area. I turned my head and this time I saw young chimeras.

Among them, a fox discovered Kim Na-ri and ran towards her.

-Nariya! Where have you been?

“I went to the sports day.”

-field meet?

“Yes. I dived into the water. I guarded the dominoes with my uncle. We won!”

Kim Na-ri held the fox in her arms and told a tale of bravery.

Before we knew it, young chimeras had gathered around Kim Na-ri.

‘Even the little ones are strange.’

Cheon Do-woon smiled. His eyes were drawn to the fox, whose eyes sparkled as he listened to Kim Na-ri’s tale of bravery.

“Before, he would be gloomy all day long when Kim Na-ri wasn’t around. He’s changed quite a bit.”

– Right? So I’m not the only one who feels that way.

Gu-u came up behind Cheon Do-woon and said. He looked back and smiled at Gu-u.

“It got smaller again?”

The Goo that had grown huge due to the effect of the White Swamp was successfully reduced in size.

The current size is about Kim Na-ri’s height.

It didn’t get any smaller than a soccer ball, but it was big enough to live in the yard.

-You guys had a hard time losing weight while you were at the festival. But now that you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can adjust it quite freely.

“Oh? That’s good. Did anything special happen while you were away?”

“It was there. Why wouldn’t it have been there?”

The answer came again later.

When I looked back, this time Joseph was approaching, carrying Phuongi on his back in a sling.

“While you guys were at the festival, I was studying the World Tree fruit. I found something interesting.”

Joseph placed the box containing the fruit of the World Tree on the table.

“This fruit contains the energy of the cave area.”

“What does that mean?”

“The tree was rooted in the cave area when the fruit grew.”

At Joseph’s words, Cheon Do-woon’s face turned curious. The siblings also seemed curious and came closer.

Joseph looked around at them and said,

“This is just my hypothesis, but the World Tree may be closely related to the cave area.”

“The cave area? That’s strange. That’s not a good place for plants to live.”

Not only is the air dry, but the sun doesn’t reach there very well.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Joseph’s hypothesis is denied.

There are definitely plants that live there, like fluorescent mushrooms or thornbush vines.

“If Mandragora transforms into the World Tree… it may be that it lives in caves when it is small.”

“When you become an adult, you move?”

“That’s right. It’s narrow there. When you think of trees, you think of them as rooted in one place, but… The World Tree that was discovered 60 years ago was walking, right? It wouldn’t be strange if it moved around.”

Joseph’s words made Cheon Do-woon think of the cave area.

The cave area is a place of avoidance in the Demon World. It is a labyrinthine area whose end no one knows.

A place so vast that no one has ever reached the center, much less the end.

Cheon Do-woon saw Dodak.

Since there were signs that Dodaki would turn into a world tree, it was necessary to know about its habitat.

“I guess I should go. I can catch D anytime… I guess I should prioritize this one.”

Yu Ji-ah stepped forward at Cheon Do-woon’s muttering.

“Then I will go and catch D.”

“you?”

“Yes. Because Brother Cheon Do-woon’s mana is buried there. If you track it, you can find it. It would be better to move separately rather than moving all together.”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

“Then I will go and help.”

“I want to go too. If that guy is really the instructor in charge, I have to go and step on him.”

Seok Woo-hyuk and number 49, victims of the lab, joined.

Nam Ki-seok, who had been watching, also quietly raised his hand and joined Yoo Ji-ah’s team.

“Yoobeom, aren’t you going with me?”

“I’m fine. There’s no need to rush to catch a loach. Leave D to Yujia. I’ll go to the cave area.”

Yoo Beom was interested in the cave area.

Even the siblings who lived within the gate for decades have never reached the end of the cave area.

I wanted to go this time and see how it ends.

“I’m going with you too, sir. Let’s find the habitat of the World Tree!”

Kim Na-ri, who had come closer without me noticing, shouted.

“Oh really? Then it seems like the team is divided.”

The team that catches D and the team that goes to find the habitat of the World Tree.

Cheon Do-un looked around the World Tree Expedition.

“Me, Kim Na-ri, and Yoo Beom. We’re a team.”

-Whew!

“Yeah. Four of them, including Dodak.”

-Beep!

“Five until the end?”

The king and his horse supported. This brings the total number of people going to the cave area to five.

An expedition was formed to find the habitat of the World Tree.