Sung Jinwoo, the man known as the weakest hunter in history and one of the six miraculous survivors of the Double Dungeon felt utter confusion as he conversed with the agent of the Association named Woo Jinchul.
It was only a few minutes ago that the young man awakened in a panic, searching his body for injuries that no longer existed.
Something that should not be possible due to the heavy injuries he sustained at the hands of the statues, such as the loss of his leg, his body pierced continuously by several of the weapon-wielding statues, and the cleaving of an axe.
And yet, none of those injuries were to be found on his body.
After talking with the strangely respectful agent, he contemplated his current position as he stared at the anomaly that had been floating in front of his eyes ever since he woke up.
A glowing blue window with various notifications on it.
Given how the agent and his subordinate had not reacted to the floating window, Jinwoo theorized that he might be the only one who could see it.
(System Panel: Click to see image)
Reaching out to the window, he touched the glowing icon, causing it to unfold and reveal several points of information that continued to confuse the young man as he could not make sense of any of the information on the window.
(System Panel: Click to see image)
And those glaring red question marks were not helping either.
However, the young man did not have much time to contemplate this new phenomenon as the door to his room opened, revealing his haggard sister and adoptive uncle, who burst into the room with a short run.
"Jinwoo! You are up!"
Sung Jinwoo held onto his sister tightly as her body trembled a bit, his mind dominated by terror at how close he came to leaving his sister behind in this world, which would no doubt scar the girl even more than she already is.
However, that terror was soon replaced by a different kind of terror as he turned to his uncle and saw the expression on his face, which was a mix of thunderous fury and pure relief.
Everything Jinwoo wanted to talk about vanished from his thoughts as he put on a brittle smile for the older man.
"H-Hey, Uncle-"
"Sung Jinwoo."
Jinwoo immediately clammed up as Jinah stiffened on reflex at the utterance of his full name.
"I heard everything about what happened in the dungeon from the other survivors. Tell me, what drove you to take such a huge risk? Why did you wish to explore the Double Dungeon when they called for a vote?"
Jinwoo looked away guiltily as Jinah joined her uncle in glaring at her brother when she realized that her brother had made another stupid mistake and got himself injured as a result.
"What reason did you have to do something so reckless? Did you even think for one second what would happen to your sister should you die? What would I say to Kyung-Hye? How would I feel?"
At his Uncle's words, Jinwoo started to reflect on the choices he made. Starting from his first Dungeon raid up to the recent event.
As he reflected on everything, his resolve became stronger and stronger.
With a firm gaze, Jinwoo began talking.
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"I did it because I don't want to be a burden. I want to provide for Jinah and you on my own."
For the first time in years, my anger exploded as the room shook under the weight of my power.
"Is that what this is about? IS IT ABOUT YOUR DAMNED PRIDE?? FOR SOMETHING SO STUPID YOU NEARLY KILLED YOURSELF???"
I never intended to shout at him, I never intended to explode like this. But this has gone far enough.
If he refuses to stop being reckless in the name of his pride, then I will rein him in no matter the cost.
Even if I end up being hated by the children, I must do this.
As the target for my sudden burst of mana, Jinwoo hunched over under the pressure as Jinah looked between us with a scared expression.
I am sorry, Jinah, but I need to do this to make your bullheaded brother see reason.
"From today onwards, you will not go out on another hunt. I will have your license canceled, and you will go to college-"
"NO!"
I felt shocked as Jinwoo resisted my mana pressure and pushed himself up. My enhanced senses picked up the strain on his muscles that he was putting to do what he was doing. Immediately, I reduced my pressure drastically so that he did not end up getting injured, but I still maintained a little pressure to make sure he understood the gravity of the situation.
"I WILL NOT BE A BURDEN ON THIS FAMILY! I WILL NOT BE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO IS ALWAYS BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY HIS FAMILY. I WILL EARN MY PLACE WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"
"….Jinwoo. Do you even understand what a family is? For family, you will never be a burden, no matter what you do. You never were a burden to your parents or me, and you are not a burden to your sister either-"
"I am a burden. Uncle."
The self-deprecating smile on his face made me pause as he continued speaking.
"I was a burden when I failed to look after Mom after Dad died. I was a burden and a failure when I did not notice the symptoms of Eternal Slumber in Mom when you were away on business in France."
"Jinwoo-"
"I was a burden when I failed to clear the entrance exam to the university with enough grades for a scholarship. I was a burden when you had to use your connections in the association to get me a license because I was so weak that the mana measurement device failed to even register me as a proper hunter. I am a burden on Jinah because I am a useless brother who can't even help her with her studies or help her out in any meaningful way. I am a burden because I failed to fulfill the promise I made to Dad-"
The sound of a slap rang out across the room as Jinah glared at her brother with tears streaming down her face.
"You idiot!! You are not a burden on me. You will never be a burden on me! I don't care if you can't get into a university, I don't care if you are the weakest hunter, and I don't care if you end up as a stay-at-home person with nothing to his name!! I just want you to be alive!!"
She broke down crying as Jinwoo hugged her with tears of his own.
I moved forward and embraced the siblings as well, letting myself go in the emotional turmoil as I realized that I had misjudged Jinwoo's actions.
It was not recklessness or pride that drove him on his path.
No, it was love. Love for his family, for us, and his feelings of being a burden made him take such extreme actions. To be so reckless with his life.
Why must things always be this complex?
"…Very well. I won't stop you, Jinwoo. However, you must promise me. From now on, you will not take any risks with your life. You will not do something as foolish as you did this time. That is my only condition."
"I promise, Uncle."
"Good. In that case, once you are released, you will come to my shop to pick up some gear."
"But-"
"Jinwoo. If you want to continue on this path, I will not allow you to do it without a proper weapon and protection, not anymore. Am I clear?"
"…Yes Sir."
With those words, I nodded in satisfaction as plans already began to form in my mind for what kind of weapon and armor I should forge for him.
After truly understanding Jinwoo's determination and the lengths he is willing to go to for the sake of his family, I felt a flame within me that had long since gone out.
Looks like it is time for me to bring out my full skills as a blacksmith who learned the art from someone as great as Andre of Astora, the Giant Blacksmith of the Gods, and other such legends, for the sake of my adopted nephew.
So what if my true skills are exposed? So what if people start seeking me out for the exotic materials I would use for him?
For me, his safety is more important than anything so trivial.
And if someone dares to harm my family to get their hands on these weapons and armor, or to coerce me in some way.
They will face the same calamity that the gods of Anor Londo faced.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1