PETRICHOR

The title says it all. I’m a Korean who’s been reading ORV in its original language, which is as everyone knows: Korean. And after coming across the English version I was rendered speechless by how horribly it was translated, like how the hell did this make it as an official version????? I am fully aware Korean is one of the hardest languages to translate into English and ORV is especially so, but the problems I could see in just the free chapters are more than that. Thinking about English speaking readers being misinformed by inaccurate translation of my favourite webnovel makes my blood boil so all I’m going to do now is a full-on rant. If you have problems with me nitpicking, keep in mind that this translation is official and people are paying actual money to read it. So it better be done right. Period.

< My Dongsaeng is Weird (2) >

I’ve returned to the past. Shouldn’t it have stopped existing?

‘Is it that things that happened before I returned still affect me?’

Was that why the Caregiver title also changed?

Before checking the title, I examined the remaining stats.

[Level 1

Stamina : 6  Strength : 4  Agility : 5  Mental[1]: 4  Mana: 2]

Mm, this was still the same. Besides Mana, Level 1 and stats that don’t even reach an average of 5, that kind of F-Rank.

Besides Mana, which has dirt slow growth, the stat ranks for Awakened People were determined to be the average stats of the same level.

So there often were instances where the stat rank changed following the amount of growth, but for the most part, if you did well, you could increase directly by two levels, but more than that was impossible.

A kitty doesn’t grow up to be a tiger, after all.

[Skill

Mental Up(E) : the target’s Mental +5%(immediate effect, similar and identical skills cannot be overlaid), Duration time 30min

Agility Up(E) : the target’s Ability +5%(immediate effect, similar and identical skills cannot be overlaid), Duration time 30min]

The basic skills were also same as before. Before, it was Strength instead of Mental but the situation with my Awakening changing is probably why that also changed.

For the basic buff skills, the skill rank is E, one step higher than the very bottom. But it was an easy skill that could go up to D-Rank if you promoted growth well.

'Though I couldn’t raise my rank because Yoohyun kept on hindering me.’

Even if the stats were F, if the skills became D, it was possible to raise the Awakened Person Rank to E. So eeevery so often there were people with F stats who became B-Rank due to their skills. Around one in every 50 million?

There was exactly only one in the whole world who had become A-Rank by having SS-Rank skills despite having F-Rank stats. A saint who can save you as long as you have breath, Emily Spence. An impressive grandmother[2] who people said must be S-Rank. Though, she couldn’t help clear an S-Rank dungeon, so she stayed an A-Rank in the end. It’s too dangerous beating an S-Rank dungeon while protecting someone with F-Rank stats.

‘I guess I’ll just barely qualify to be a Hunter this time too.’

In the world, there are a lot of Awakened People. Even normally, it was common, but after half a year when the Awakening Center is created, the world would become one where every single one of your neighbors[3] becomes Awakened. But among those many Awakened People, 999 out of 1000 had F-Rank stats, F-Rank skills. In other words, basically a normal person.

On top of that, growth was impossible for F-Rank skills, so you couldn’t raise your rank.

So, Hunter licenses were issued only if one of your stats and skills were above E-Rank. This was why where were many Awakened People, but only a few Hunters.

‘Then now, the title……’

I unconsciously gulped[4]. Not A, not S, but L. As many as two legendary grade titles.

Though besides that, there wasn’t anything different about the stats.

‘Is ‘Dragon Slayer’ a skill title too?’

Titles were separated into skill titles and stat titles.

Stat titles were, as the name suggests, things that raised stats, and skill titles were things that came with Supplementary Skills.

If it were an L-Grade stat title, it would probably raise my stats to B-Rank even if I did poorly; what a pity.

‘If I had B-Rank stats, Yoohyun wouldn’t excessively try to protect me. Will I have to just anticipate[5] my skills?’

Defensive skill come out, defensive skill come out.

I prayed as I opened the Information Window for the ‘Dragon Slayer’ title.

[Dragon Slayer(L)

The proof of a soldier who has hunted a 1st Rank Dragon Type[6] alone.

Title Supplementary Skills

Poison Resistance(L)

Curse Resistance(L)

Fear Resistance(L)

Lauchtas’ Natural Enemy(SS)]

Already 4 Supplementary Skills, as expected of a Legendary Grade. Usually for initial Supplementary Skills, S-Grade had 2-3, A-Grade had 2, and below that had 1. And beyond B-Grade, it was possible for titles to grow so the amount might increase.

‘The skills are all related to Lauchtas. Is it that if you take out a fire dragon, you get fire resistance; take out an ice dragon, you get ice resistance?’

Lauchtas was a type of dragon known for poisons and curses.

I could guess the effects of the resistance skills by looking at their names, but I checked anyways.

[Poison Resistance(L) – Complete immunity to poisons less than Legendary Grade]

[Curse Resistance(L) – Complete immunity to curses less than Legendary Grade]

[Fear Resistance(L) – No pressure[7] from lower than Legendary Rank[8]]

They were amazingly great fraud skills. That is, if I were a A-or-higher-Rank Hunter on the frontlines.

‘Where would I even use these.’

It’s not that there weren’t any dungeons that were primarily poisonous and cursed with barely any physical force, but for the most part, the bases were physical attacks. Even with Lauchtas, if you didn’t follow up the poison and curse immunity with agility or physical defense capabilities, you’d be finely chopped by their claws.

‘On the other hand, if an S-Rank Hunter got these skills, it’d really suit them[9].’

It’s basically casting pearls before swine, oink oink[10].

After heaving a sigh, I checked the last skill, SS-Grade Lauchtas’ Natural Enemy.

[Lauchtas’ Natural Enemy(SS): All skills 2x effect while against Lauchtas and similar types of dragons]

It sucks! It totally sucks!

All the skills I have were immunity and buffs; in front of that huge lizard, even they were doubled, I’d just become its snack! Same for similar types of dragons. Even the weakest 5th Rank Dragon Type has ‘dragon’ in its name, so it wasn’t something an F-Rank should even think about.

‘Shit, what a freaking waste! This, if only an S-Rank got this instead of me! Is there a way to pass this over to Yoohyun?’

Yoohyun, if that guy had his amazingly good skills doubled, he’d be able to seriously beat up the Lauchtas!

“Ah crap, crap[11]-”

It seemed like such a waste I wanted to cry and my stomach twisted. Ah, what a waste!

After lamenting[12] for a long time, I calmed down and peered at the Status Window.

‘At least ‘Perfect Caregiver’ should be usable.’

That’s right, I decided to live quietly anyways. Instead of uselessly crawling into a dungeon, let’s just live giving out growth buffs.

[Perfect Caregiver(L)

Proof of a caregiver who raised a world-class strong person. It is even more perfect because your past ability was +100% of current ability of the person you raised.]

……What?

Wait, what is this title explanation?

The first part was the same as my previous title. Proof of a caregiver who raised a world-class strong person. But ‘Perfect Caregiver’ had an extra part after that.

‘+100% of the current ability of the person you raised’ means… it can’t mean when Yoohyun died and I got double his power? Is it because of that that my title changed to ‘Perfect Caregiver’?

It was the past, but the disappeared future was affecting the present. Thinking that, my mood was weird. Would it be alright? I wasn’t sure if other side effects besides the title would appear.

‘But since it’s a real Legendary Grade, it’s worth it.’

Achieving the qualifications for the title was super hard after all.

In addition to raising a world-class strong person, at least S-Rank, you had to have been twice as strong as that S-Rank in the past.

‘It’s something I got because some trick like returning to the past, but originally it should be something like an SSS-Rank munchkin[13] raising an S-Rank.’

Even if you get a doubling buff after the person you raised dies, it’s not something from the past, so that situation falls short. It might be possible if you raise another S-Rank after that, but is that easy?

I was the only one I knew who was a ‘Caregiver’ that had raised an S-Rank.

Though there might have been other people who were hidden and unseen like I was.

‘Then the skills are…’

What had changed? I lowered my gaze a little and checked the Supplementary Skills.

[My Brat is the Best(L)

Last Repayment(L)

My[14] Kid is This Amazing(SS)

Auspicious Seed-Leaf[15](S)]

The number of skills was 4, like with ‘Dragon Slayer’, but the grades were lower. Two L-Grades and one each of SS-Grade and S-Grade. Of course, by itself, it was impressive, but compared to its fellow L-Grade title, it was a little lesser.

‘But this is a lot more useful for me.’

With a pleased heart, I opened the Information Window starting from ‘My Brat is the Best’. The skill name sucks.

[My Brat is the Best(L) – The growth rate of the target who becomes influenced[16] after hearing the keyword +100%

Duration time: 3 days

Already influenced target can use without keyword

Overlap[17] use for same target is not allowed

Reuse standby time for the same target: 30 days

Keyword: I love you

※Inapplicable while the target is aware of the effect of the keyword

Influence completed targets(1)

Han Yoohyun(S)]

Good. All good, but.

‘That’s crazy, why is the keyword this?’

Before, it was definitely ‘do your best[18]’! Was it because I told Yoohyun I loved him? Because that guy was moved by that?

Shit!

‘How am I supposed to use this!’

Family is one thing and if I’m dealing with a grown woman then it might still be okay but if it’s a man? Or a kid? I might get the silver bracelet trying to raise an Awakened Person who’s a minor!

Even worse, it wasn’t just that I had to go around randomly saying ‘I love you’ to anyone. If the conditions to influence for the skill were the same as before, I have to spend a certain amount of time on the other person. You have to chat with them, listen to their interests, and have an emotional exchange, and then look for an appropriate time to say to the keyword.

Or, in an extreme situation, confessing while saving your life…or something like that.

Confession. That’s right, it would become a confession. Hahaha.

‘……Let’s just use it for Yoohyun.’

It’s a waste but there’s no helping it. Thankfully I just have to say the keyword once for the influencing skill.

……Since it’s once, if there really is someone worth raising, should I pretend I was crazy? Uuugh.

Falling into agony, I opened the Information Window for ‘Last Repayment’.

[Last Repayment(L) – Upon the death of a keyword-influenced target, receive all the skills and abilities of the target with twice the effect

Duration time: 7 days]

It was a higher-ranking skill than my previous skill ‘Last Repayment[19]’. 7 days is quite a long time but it’s still 1-time use so why is it L-Grade.

‘I’m not going to use this.[20]’

Not being able to use it would be better and it was a skill that you couldn’t tell others.

Just think. Who’d welcome a skill where you kill someone and steal their abilities? Rather, they’d feel uncomfortable and the back of their heads would feel itchy[21] when working with you. They would think things like ‘in a dangerous situation, that guy will probably stab me in the back to survive’.

So even before I regressed, I didn’t reveal it to anyone.

Continuing on, I checked the ‘My Kid is This Amazing’ skill. This one’s name also sucks, huh.

[My Kid is this Amazing(SS) – while supporting the keyword-influenced targets with the keyword, in front of 5 or more people[22] who can understand the keyword, both the targets’ abilities and skill effects +number of people%(max 100%)[23]

Duration time: 30 min

Use standby time: 10 days

※Inapplicable when both the target and surrounding people are aware of the effects of the keyword]

Keyword. That freaking keyword.

I thoroughly looked over the Information Window, but there wasn’t another specified keyword. Which meant.

‘This time it’s a public confession?!’

Frick[24], I can’t use this even for Yoohyun!

The skill itself was great. It’s really great. It’ll shoot up to double if you gather around a hundred bystanders.

But why was it a love confession. Did it want me to die of embarrassment?

‘And since the duration time is 30 min, that means I have to be right next to him.’

After calming down and thinking it over, it was skill I couldn’t use properly anyways. The duration time for ‘My Brat’ was 3 days, so I could apply it before he goes into a dungeon, but if I apply ‘My Kid’ right outside of the dungeon, it’ll wear off not just before the boss, but before getting through half the dungeon.

And there’s a limit on the number of people in a dungeon.

‘Whew, this is also a pie in the sky[25].’

I really wanted to give it to someone else. If I passed it onto a pretty buffer or healer with B-Grade or higher stats, it wouldn’t be very repulsive and it’d suit them.

A skill that raises both abilities and skill effects even +10% would be A-Grade. There were a lot of skills increasing stats, but skills increasing skill effects were rare. The restriction on S-Rank dungeon admission was usually 30 people, so if you cram in as many as possible, it’d be as much as +30%. It’d be super useful before the boss, what a waste.

From ‘Last Repayment’ to this were all skills I couldn’t use, so a sigh escaped my mouth.

‘Only the rank is good, the rest sucks.’

Without much expectations, I checked the last skill, ‘Auspicious Seed-Leaf’.

[Auspicious Seed-Leaf(S) – possible to check an Unawakened Person’s predicted Awakened Rank, aptitude optimized Awakening for keyword-influenced targets

Optimized Awakening use standby time: 30 days]

……Huh? Wait.

‘This is awesome, actually?’

Just being able to check someone’s predicted Awakened Rank was already awesome. I meant I could pick S-Rank and A-Rank Awakened People in advance. But what was even more awesome was the aptitude optimized Awakening.

In about 3 years, it would be revealed that after Awakening, abilities were changed according to conditions at the time of Awakening. For example, if you Awakened while drowning to death, you’d develop underwater-related skills, and if you Awakened while falling to death, you’d develop flight-related skills. Not only that, if you Awakened while farming, you could develop plant-manipulation skills, and if you Awakened while dealing with a bad customer in the call center, you could develop hypnosis skills.

In my case, I Awakened in a different situation than before, so didn’t a part of my title and skills change?

On top of that, there was also research that showed that Awakening conditions also affected Awakened Rank. There was a theory that even if your highest Awakening Rank aptitude was A, if your Awakening conditions weren’t good, you would Awaken lower than B.

But it’s not easy trying to match your Awakening conditions to your tastes. Obviously so now, and even 5 years later, it was possible to optimize Awakening conditions.

But the ‘Auspicious Seed-Leaf’ skill says it’s possible to optimize Awakenings.

‘Compared to aptitude, the highest rank and the best skills!’

It meant I could pick up one great rookie each month.

Wow, this was really great, it’s impressive even as an L-Grade……

‘……This also uses the keyword?’

Ah, seriously. It’s seriously nasty! Seriously, I, I!

……But I still have to use it. Heukheuk[26].

[1] 정신력: it means mental strength or willpower, but I’m not sure what it’s called in Eng game terms. This is not 'Intelligence’, which is 지능

[2] doesn’t necessarily mean a real grandmother; “grandmother” is also used to refer to old women who are at that age. It’s not meant to sound rude/flippant the way “granny” would be in Eng. This is especially so here since the actual word used is 할머님, which is 할머니(grandmother) + -님(an honorific used to denote respect, like somewhere between -san and -sama in Jpn).

[3] lit. ‘grandfather from the front neighbor’s house and kid from the side neighbor’s house and ajuhssi from the back neighbor’s house’ where ajuhssi (아저씨) is what you call middle-aged men (of if you’re young, then someone a generation older than you I guess – it’s kinda like calling someone ‘mister’ but a lot more prevalent). Like with “grandmother”, “grandfather” doesn’t necessarily mean an actual grandfather – it’s also used to refer to men at that age.

[4] lit. “swallowed dry spit” = to be anxious/“hold one’s breath”. This expression appeared before and I translated it as “with a dry mouth” because it conveys the meaning & is close literally but I couldn’t make it work in this sentence. I guess I could’ve also tl’d as “swallowed with a dry mouth” – that’s a phrase used in Eng, right? Why do I feel like my one (1) fluent language is getting worse…

[5] this part confuses me because it doesn’t really make sense. It would make sense if he said “count on”. The sentence here is ‘스킬에 기대해보는 수밖에 없나’. 기대해 is the conjugated form of 기대하다 (to expect, anticipate); whereas 기대어 is the analogous conjugation of 기대다 (to lean on, count on). Either way, the verb types are different so using 기대해 is slightly wrong and should be 기대를 해, grammatically (according to my dad, whereas my mom says it’s fine). But, I can’t tell how you would mix up 해 with 어 so maybe the author really means ‘anticipate’ here. Idk. I spent like 15 min discussing this w my parents and then decided it’s too much trouble.

[6] ya I finally figured out what 용종 means & it’s not polyp. 용 = dragon (which I already knew), 종 = species (which I finally had the foresight to look up by itself since 용종 kept on giving me polyp in the krn-eng dict)

[7] i.e. coercion/overpowerment

[8] reminder that the word for “rank” and “grade” are the same so I’m just switching between the two. If I’m a little inconsistent with that, well, I don’t actually care.

[9] lit. ‘[they’d] really fly around’ which means it would make them an expert, it would really suit them, it would make them happy

[10] 꿀꿀 = ggool ggool, what pigs say in Krn. And the expression is lit. ‘pearl necklace on a pig’ but it’s based off the same thing as the Eng expression, which is from the Bible. It means ‘something valuable in the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate or understand it’.

[11] He’s not actually swearing; he’s saying 아이고 (aigo) which is something you say when you’re frustrated/exasperated. It’s kind of like “oh my god” but, like, there’s no god involved so I thought it would be weirder if I used that so I didn’t.

[12] lit. ‘hit the ground’ because back in the old days, if something was unfair or they were angry or despairing, they did that, I guess

[13] yeah, he literally says munchkin transliterated into krn. Idk.

[14] it’s actually “our” but in Eng it makes more sense to say “my”, I’m assuming because Western culture is more individualistic and Krn culture is more collectivist. Yes, I know saying “our kid” also makes sense in Eng, but it doesn’t give the same feeling/connotation as when you say it in Krn, so “my kid” is more suitable. Saying “our kid” in Eng implies that there is a certain “we” that you are referring to whereas in Krn it is more of a general, undefined “we”, if that makes any sense. The ‘my’ in ‘My Brat’ is really “my” though.

[15] from the saying 될성부른 나무는 떡잎부터 알아본다/”An auspicious tree recognizes from a seed-leaf” which means “genius is shown starting from childhood” or “a fine child becomes a fine man”.

[16] also means “to be touched (by)” or “to be moved (by)”

[17] technically the word I tl’d as ‘overlap use’ (중복사용) means the same thing as ‘reuse’ (재사용) but then, the 2 lines would be contradictory, so I used ‘overlap use’ since 중복also can mean ‘overlap’

[18] lit. “have strength” but it’s a really common encouraging phrase, hence the tl being a really common Eng encouraging phrase. I guess “cheer up” also could work, but imho that doesn’t really cover the vast range of situations this is used in.

[19] the word for repayment in the skills are different; for the L-rank skill, it’s 보은 (repayment for kindness), whereas for the previous skill, it’s 보답 (which is just ‘repayment’ in general)

[20] lit. ‘this is sealed’

[21] in Krn, ‘getting stabbed in the back’ is ‘getting hit in the back of the head’. In the next sentence, the lit. tl is, then, ‘…hit me in the back of the head to survive’.

[22] he uses a really uncommon word for this. My dad thinks it’s made up (지성 = intelligence, 체 = body) but the dict says it’s ‘intelligence’ as in ‘extraterrestrial intelligence’ so maybe it does exist. Either way it means the author is really making this technical/complicated.

[23] the author is really doing the most to make this sound complicated but anyways it means ‘if you say the keyword in front of 5 or more ppl & the influenced targets, the skills&stats of the targets goes up by (# of ppl)%’

[24] in this case, he says 시바, which is really close to “fuck” but not quite, hence the ‘fuck’ substitution

[25] lit. “rice cake in the picture”, i.e. ‘pot of gold at the end of a rainbow’, something ridiculously unrealistic & illusory

< My Dongsaeng is Weird (1) >

I was perched on a bed that wasn’t that dragon’s corpse. The strong smell of blood was also cleanly wiped away. Even the clothes I was wearing had changed.

’……Did I really return to the past?’

First, the Status Window wouldn’t open. The Inventory didn’t exist either. If it was 5 years ago, it would be before I Awakened.

‘Yoohyun[1] would already be an amazing Guild leader.’

Guild Edge of the Earth[2]. This is the guild that will establish itself with a few prioritized special people as the best in Korea through a steep growth rate in 5 years, and live up to its reputation. Oh course, I couldn’t get in. …And a lot of the guild members disliked me.

'And I was told stuff like 'stop loitering around the guild leader’ around a hundred times.’

Whew, assholes. Fine, this time I’ll live obediently.

Rummaging around in my pockets, I found a cell phone. The date was… oh, it’s really 5 years ago. The latest text was-.

'Wait, isn’t this the Awakening broker?’

There was evidence that I had contacted the Awakening broker this morning. When I saw that, I suddenly remembered the past events.

'So I’ve returned to that time.’

It’s been 3 years since things called 'dungeons’ and Awakened Hunters first appeared around the world. The period when the rapidly changing world gradually became stable.

It was a time when I was struggling with the peak of my inferiority complex against my amazing S-Rank Awakened dongsaeng. Harboring a hope that I could be like him if I also Awakened, I had contacted an Awakening broker.

Awakening broker. In other words, a swindler.

Saying even Unawakened Person could Awaken if they clear a dungeon, these brokers would take large amounts of money and illegally send people to dungeons. For the most part, they were villains who would just take the money and disappear, or even if they take you to dungeons, would refuse to protect you.

'In the first place, you don’t Awaken by clearing a dungeon.’

The possibility of Awakening in response to the dangerous environment of dungeons is high, but clearing one doesn’t have anything to do with it. In half a year, disclosing this truth to the public, the Korean Hunter Association would make Awakening facilities, and so brokers will disappear.

Anyways, I had taken money to the broker.

'Then, my dongsaeng’s subordinates had found and dragged me back.’

Right, I remember clearly. This was one of my rooms at Haeyeon Guild’s building.

Soon my dongsaeng will come find me and nag me with an intensely unhappy[3] face. At the same time as I thought this, the door slammed open. Han Yoohyun came in. This guy’s not a noble.[4]

“Hyung.”

My alive dongsaeng called me. The face I was looking at was very young. 5 years later, he wasn’t that old, but now he was even younger. He was 20 years old, now.

Just barely labelled an adult, if this was a peaceful world, he would be at an age where he would be a student. Or just entered the army[5]. Of course, the army still existed.

'He was exempted since he’s an S-Rank Awakened Person.’

I had already gone and come back. In the army, there were so many guys who had Awakened and were discharged early, but I didn’t Awaken. Even if I did, as an F-Rank Awakened Person, I would’ve only been discharged after completing my military service. Exemption from military service only started at E-Rank.

Anyways, this guy was so amazing[6], he didn’t go to the military… ah my inferiority complex is about to explode again.

Let’s throw away my greed. Throw away my earthly desires. Namu Amita Bul[7]

Standing up, I moved closer to face Yoohyun, who was wearing a sullen look on his face. Looking closely, the feeling of being 5 years in the past was stronger.

Before regressing, at this time I didn’t think it, but now that I’ve returned, I thought that this young guy must have struggled a lot. Even if he was S-Rank, creating and building up his own guild wouldn’t have been an easy task.

And in the midst of that whirlwind, his one and only hyung went and got into trouble.

……I was the one in the wrong.

"Dungeon brokers are-.”

“Sorry.”

First, I apologized. My dongsaeng, who was going to start nagging, shut his mouth.

This guy stared at me as if he was encountering a new lifeform.

“I won’t do it from now on.”

This and that, all of it. I’m just going to stay in my lane and live quietly. Yoohyun had a confused expression, before carefully opening his mouth.

"Did you, maybe, get into big trouble……”

“It’s not anything like that.”

This brat won’t believe his hyung. Though it makes sense not to believe.

I smiled as I punched this guy’s arm.

“Just, after sitting and thinking for a bit, I felt like I was being immature.”

The dragon’s carapace was cool, making it easy to cool my head.

At my slightly sheepish words, my dongsaeng was flustered.

“No, calling it immature… it wasn’t that bad.”

“What do you mean 'not that bad’. Hey, can I hug you just once?”

“Uh, huh?”

“It’s been a long time.”

It might have been a long time for this guy but it wasn’t for me. The feeling of his cooling body was vivid under my palms.

“……If you want.”

Yoohyun nodded his head, despite hesitating. Brat, what’s so embarrassing about a hyung wanting to hug his dongsaeng?

Though I was also getting goosebumps.

Stretching out my arms, I dragged over and embraced my dongsaeng who had grown bigger than me. Before Awakening, he was a lot smaller.

“My dongsaeng, Han Yoohyun.”

Inside my two arms, his body was warm. I could hear his slightly faster heartbeat and breathing.

With a deep feeling of relief as well as a choking feeling rising up within me, something I never would have said normally slipped out of my mouth.

“I love you.[8]”

This guy’s body was trembling. Hey, I’m embarrassed too, so don’t say anything. Just-.

[The registration of Awakened Person 'Han Yoohyun’ has been completed.]

…Huh?

[Legendary Grade Title 'Perfect Caregiver’ granted!]

Uh, huh?

[The effect of Title 'Perfect Caregiver’ will be displayed.

Perfect Caregiver Supplementary Skill - My Brat[9] is the Best.

The growth rate of Awakened Person 'Han Yoohyun’ will double.

Duration time - 3 days]

Euouk?!?

That’s crazy, what is this scam skill?

The caregiver skill was common. If you were siblings or parents who took care of and raised Awakened People, it was easy to get. It was possible even if you weren’t related by blood.

If the person you raised was higher than C-Rank and your relationship was amicable enough, 8-9 times out of 10, the title would appear. For those whose kid was C-Rank to B-Rank, it was 'Clumsy Caregiver’. A-Rank, 'Easy Caregiver’. And lastly, S-Rank was just 'Caregiver’.

There wasn’t anything beyond S-Rank, so I thought that the 'Caregiver’ title was the highest rank.

'Perfect Caregiver? Just what is this?’

Furthermore, the growth rate buff is as much as double.

In the past, my title as 'Caregiver’ gave up to a 10% growth buff. It was only maintained for just one day. But now it’s double. Doesn’t that mean I can raise the level the same amount in half a year as I used to be able to in one year?

'No, rather than level, skills are more important. The higher the grade of the skill, the excruciatingly[10] slower the growth rate!’

Wow, this is a total scam. If it gives out a buff before even going into a dungeon, the growth rate would be at the speed of light.

“…Hyung?”

“Uh, mm. It’s nothing.”

I was so surprised, I was still holding onto him.

As I let go and stepped back quickly, Yoohyun cleared his throat with a reddish face.

“……There were a lot of times I acted controlling, so thank you for saying those words, hyung.”

“N-no need for thanks.”

“……”

“……”

There was an awkward silence. Mm. Ahem, hm.

Just as I couldn’t bear the awkwardness anymore and wanted to open the window and jump out, Yoohyun talked first.

“……Do you want to eat dinner together later? It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that.”

“Ok. Then, I have something to do.”

“Oh yeah, go on then.”

My dongsaeng left and shut the door. I grabbed and pulled my hair.

'Wow, shit[11]. Super awkward[12].’

Is it going to be like this at dinner too? Why did I agree. I can still-

All of a sudden.

“I forgot.”

Yoohyun, who I thought had left already, opened the door. Ah that surprised me.

“Delete the Awakening broker’s contact information.”

This guy said, looking at the cell phone on the bed.

“At any rate, I’m going to make it so that they won’t be able to pick up even if you call.”

“……What?”

It must be an illusion that it sounded like he was going to go beat up the broker.

Yoohyun finished talking but didn’t leave and stared at me. …Did he want me to delete it right now? As soon as I picked up the cell phone and deleted the broker’s contract information, this guy put on a satisfied expression and left.

This dongsaeng’s attitude felt a little shady, but anyways.

'My Status Window!’

I quickly opened my Status Window.

[Awakened Person Han Yoojin[13]

Title - Dragon Slayer(L), Perfect Caregiver(L)]

W-Wait a minute. Dragon slayer?

'Why is this here?’

[1] ok from now on I’m not gonna tl whenever MC follows up Yoohyun’s name w 이놈/이녀석/이자식/other variations of ‘this guy/brat’ bc it’s really getting clunky in Eng, but know that MC is habitually ribbing on his little brother

[2] 해연(垓埏): a name made up of hanja (chinese characters). My Korean is bad enough, I can’t translate Chinese on top of that. Also, my dad was no help so I really don’t know. It means something like 'edge/boundary/end of the earth/ground’. Anyways it’s pronounced “Haeyeon” and I’ll be using that instead from now on.

[3] lit. “so displeased/dissatisfied/unhappy he could die”

[4] I didn’t really know how to make this make sense in Eng. Basically it’s just something you say when someone (usually who you’re talking/thinking about) just appears. Because nobles back in the day would announce their arrivals and such, so when someone walks in without much fanfare, then you say ‘oh guess he’s not a noble’.

[5] young adult men have mandatory military service in Korea

[6] MC uses formal speech for this part, so he’s being particularly mocking

[7] apparently a type of Buddhist chanting for meditation

[8] 사랑한다: there is a nuance compared to just사랑해 that I’m just sure how to describe bc it’s something I understand implicitly (or maybe I’m making things up?? haha). If you’re being strictly literal, it’s more like “I’m loving you”. It’s like a reminder, or when you’re telling someone who hasn’t realized it yet.

[9] I’ve been translating 새끼 as “bastard”, but in a different context, it can also be used as a term of endearment(?). Like with Eng, you can use swear words to refer to your friends, but what I mean is people also call their children 새끼since the lit. tl is “offspring/young”. Because of that and given the context, I thought “brat”, which I’ve also been using for 자식/짜식, would make the most sense. 자식 can also be considered rude if you’re swearing at someone but all previous instances were MC talking abt his brother so I figured “brat” was the best way to convey that. Rule of thumb, if 새끼/자식 is preceded by my(내)/our(우리), then it’s likely to be a parent referring to their child; if it’s preceded by this/that(이/그/저), then it’s likely to be meant as a swear. There are exceptions; for ex, MC called Yoohyun 이자식previously. Also, since both 새끼 and 자식 lit. mean “offspring”, they can also be used to refer to an animal’s offspring – don’t use it for human offspring that aren’t your own, that’s rude (and now we cycle back into talking abt it being a swear word).

[10] lit. “dirtily” which sounded awkward in this sentence even though Eng has a similar expression (“dirt slow”). The narration in this novel is very casual and colloquial (which you can probably tell from the cursing) but I’m not sure how to properly express it.

[11] 씨: this and other variations (아 씨, 아이씨) are vague bastardizations of 시발/씨발, i.e. fuck

[12] lit. “dog-awkward”

< Regression(2) >

I dragged a long line down my arm with the tip of a dagger. The seeping blood clumped together to form a dark red spear. The blazing flames that flowed from the end of the spear and wrapped around the shaft were blindingly black.

-Keurrr

The three heads of the Lauchtas that looked down on and ignored me lifted at the same time. As if on alert from the spear that snatched its eyes, its hunched back rose up. In its widely opened mouth, there were tons of sawtooth-like teeth.

If it was the usual me, I would’ve collapsed, overwhelmed, before I even met its eyes. But right now, I didn’t feel even the slightest bit nervous. I was confident. That guy was weaker than me.

“Damned lizard bastard, bring it on.”

-Keuahhh!

As if answering, that guy howled. The roar filled with bloodthirst shook the entire space. The 3-headed dragon[1] raised its huge red body all the way up. It didn’t have wings. Instead, its leopard-like sleek body was surrounded with strong curses. Its long spotted tail whipped back and forth and raised its thorns[2].

Bam![3]

This guy’s four feet slammed on the ground. Its claws that were like a death god’s scythe left long gouges on the ground. Its speed seemed unbelievable due to its large body. The movement of crossing half of the wide space in just one leap, if it was the usual me, I wouldn’t have been able to perceive it.

But it was the current me.

“Why don’t you crawl around[4]?”

It felt like a little puppy was bouncing over. Of the world’s strongest, the third place in speed among the top 10 rankers was my dongsaeng. Compared to my dongsaeng, who wouldn’t have allowed this 3-headed lizard bastard to attack if he were alone, in this moment, I was even faster.

Tap!

I gave a twisted sneer as I leaped into the air.

Kadeudeudeuk!

That guy’s claws smashed into where I used to be. Looking down leisurely at that sight, I used the overflowing skills.

“Azure[5] Willow Leaf.”

Leaves that were only visible to the user fluttered around. I shot back up by tiptoeing on those leaves.

The Lauchtas rose up and followed me up into the air but I lightly evaded its claws. I blocked the curses that flew out like poison darts with the shield.

Boom![3]

The lizard bastard that fell to the ground growled. If you’re upset, grow some wings and come up!

My dongsaeng didn’t have a flight skill. But that guy stepped on these azure willow leaves as if dancing in the air. Flawless[6] asshole.

“No, he couldn’t cut off his useless hyung.”

As I muttered, I lifted the spear to the side. As wavering black smoke[7] wrapped around it, I drew it back as if drawing a bow.

Swehck!

-Keuahhh!

The thrown spear pierced through the Lauchtas’ left-side head. The black flames surged out and the pierced head melted in a moment. Crazed with pain, the lizard thrashed around and swung its claws and teeth but it was too late.

Bam! Bam!

Jumping around while constantly hitting the ground made it look like a eel that was dragged out onto land. It was a funny scene. That bastard was funny but so was I.

Drawing blood, making a new spear.

Kwadeuk!

-Keuouk! Keuouhh!

I also crushed the right-side head. The eyeless middle head couldn’t grasp the situation and moved limply. This scale-covered guy stopped jumping around and curled up. It seemed like it was overcome with fear.

“……This is too easy.”

It was so easy I felt like crying. This quickly frightened[8] bastard.

If I burn up the remaining head, however strong the vitality of this polyp[9] was, it wouldn’t be able to endure, but I aimed at the legs instead of the head. One by one, I cut off the limbs of this guy who was powerless like a fish drying out on hot sand.

Slowly, throroughly.

The shriek became a scream, became a groan, and then dwindled into a dying gasp. The ground was wet like a bloody swamp, but the Lauchtas was still alive. I crouched down on the dying[10] giant.

The time was almost up. When the skill’s effect was over, the noxious gas flowing from the Lauchtas’ corpse could kill me.

I’m really a useless guy.

“But what would I do if I survive and leave anyways.”

If it comes out that Yoohyun died because of me, wouldn’t I face a public execution? For example, I would be tied to a public plaza and the whole world would crowd around to stone me.

“Like, I would do down in history, come up in a textbook. Even before, I’ve been cursed at a lot, but for generations now I’d be rich in shame. Haha.”

So why did you die in my place, stupid dongsaeng. It was so pointless. Ah, fuck. I should’ve just died instead of being rescued that time when I broke my leg. Then I wouldn’t have to see such a nasty thing and Yoohyun wouldn’t have died. Just what kind of guy uselessly rescued me?

I smacked the scales of the Lauchtas that was gasping its last breath.

“I’m probably going to suffer too so don’t feel depressed. Anyways why did you come out of a D-Rank dungeon? Unless those administration guys measured it wrong.”

Either way, it wasn’t my problem anymore. I didn’t even have the energy to leave before the skill’s effect wore off, so I just lied down and sprawled out[11].

“Should I have just meekly lived waving a cheering stick behind Yoohyun?”

I should’ve just relaxed[12], protected by my amazing dongsaeng; ‘inferiority complex’ or whatever.

Just then, the Lauchtas must have died, because a Reward Window popped up.

[Impossible Acheivement! You’ve hunted a dragon by yourself!]

Yoohyun gave one blow so why 'by myself’? Is it because of the time difference?

[Legendary Grade[13] Title 'Dragon Slayer’ granted!]

'Dragon Slayer’. It sounded like a title with an impressive ability but I didn’t check. So what. A potato is a potato[14]. The level went up and items steadily appeared.

[Gate Stone x 10]

[1st Rank Giving Potion[15] x 5]

[Red Dragon Supreme Sword]

[Wish Stone]

Hm? Wish Stone?

I was skimming over the Item Window but the Wish Stone caught my eye. It was an item I haven’t seen before.

“Just looking at the name, it seems like something that grants wishes.”

No way. What kind of fraud item.

I thought that it’s probably nothing big but I still bolted upright. When I opened the Inventory, I saw a red marble smaller than a fist.

With a dry mouth, I took out the marble and checked the information.

[Wish Stone - Myth Grade

Grants one wish for the user.]

For real?!

“Then, my dongsaeng-!”

[※Exception: a dead person can’t be revived]

“……Oh shit?!”

A last warning arrived too late. Can’t even save one person, myth grade, what myth grade! If you’re a god you should be able to control life and death as you please!

“Shit, so then what! Besides saving someone, everything else is ok? I, I just…!”

I tightened my fist to crush the Wish Stone.

Things I could use it for popped up in my head. If it could grant anything, then it’s possible to make me stronger than Yoohyun. It could probably keep this state for me too.

Then, I wouldn’t have to endure being cursed at by everyone. People quickly forget past heroes and praise new ones.

From now on, I could have that position that I’ve always envied. From an even more glorious position, I can go higher than anybody else. I was in the grip of these delusions, but then I sighed.

“……Yoohyun, you. You really are taking advantage of me all the way to the end.”

I might regret it. No, I’m definitely going to regret it. Then, might as well regret. I already have so many regrets, adding one more layer isn’t going to change much.

“Hey, Wish Stone. Can you rewind time?”

As if in answer to my question, the red marble started to glow. So it can’t revive a dead person but it can do this. It’s funny; rewinding time sounds more impressive.

“Then, the time before I entered here, no. Just take me back to 5 years ago. With my memories intact. This time I’ll live quietly.”

If I don’t put myself forward, I wouldn’t be in a position to be shamed, my leg will be fine, and Yoohyun won’t have to worry his brains out over me. It’s all good.

I just have to live off of[12] my amazing dongsaeng like extra baggage.

[Will you rewind time?]

“Yeah.”

The marble’s light became even stronger. Red flooded my eyes, and then flickered into white.

Then.

In my recovered sight, a scene in a strange room was set before me.

[1] 삼두룡: 삼=3, 두=head, 룡/용=dragon

[2] it is also an expression that means “to be aggressive or about to attack”

[3] it says “koong” but the Eng equiv is “bam/boom” so I used that instead

[4] with the connotation of “if you’re going to leap/prance around like that”

[5] this color is used for both blue and green, so I just picked a cool-sounding shade

[6] lit. “there isn’t anything he can’t do” which is why the next sentence is talking about the one thing he couldn’t do

[7] 흑염: 흑 = black; given that the context makes it highly likely that 염 = smoke, all past instances of 염 probably = smoke, and especially since this is Yoohyun’s skill, his nickname (footnote 17 in ch. 1) probably really is Black Blood Smoke Emperor

[8] lit. “curl up its tail” because apparently dogs curl up their tails when they are scared

[9] again, like with ch 1, idk bruh. It’s what the dictionary says.

[10] lit. “with its tongue out and bitten (off)” which can mean literally or “dying” because historically, some people used to bite off their tongues to bleed to death as suicide

[11] lit. “lie down like the (chinese) character 大”

[12] lit. “suck honey”

[13] the word for rank/grade is the same (급 or 등급)

[14] lit. “even if you draw lines on a squash, it’s still a squash”. From the expression “Even if you draw a line on a squash, does it turn into a watermelon?” which means, no matter how much you try to change something’s/someone’s appearance, they’re still ugly. In English, I thought it made more sense to use “potato”.

tn: i’m not a real translator, nor am i a fan translator. in fact my (1.9 gen) korean is p abysmal. i just translated this for fun while i was reading, since there’s no tl out yet. i’m putting it up bc it’s better than mtl at least, since a lot of nuance gets lost in mtl and this author happens to use a lot of slang/expressions. also, i asked my dad anything i didn’t understand & that the dictionary didn’t help me w so that probably helps. idk any game terminology though so some of the names & such are probably wrong.

F-Rank Hunter.

The useless and pathetic F-Rank hyung[1] who dragged down[2] his amazing[3] S-Rank dongsaeng[4].

The title given to me, who halfheartedly lived my life that became a disaster and eventually consumed his dongsaeng’s life: “Perfect Caregiver”.

That’s right, this time, instead of putting myself forward, let’s just calmly look after that amazing guy.

Or that’s what I thought, but the S-Ranks are a little weird.

< Regression(1) >

“…Hyung, are you alright?”

That guy said. His side was bitten into and torn up so that his insides were spilling out, and he was asking if I was alright. The face of this nonchalant guy, who only turned a little pale despite dying, irritated me. Collapsed on the floor, I speechlessly looked up at my dongsaeng.

This guy was someone who constantly hindered me. Annoyingly amazing; all i ever heard[5] was to not drag down[2] this amazing guy. In the end, I dragged him all the way down[6] so it wasn’t all that wrong.

But anyways.

“……Why did you come here.” Having been saved, a curt voice spilled out of my mouth.

Why did you[7] do something like coming to find me, when you could’ve just pretended not to know what was going on and left me to die.

Rather than getting along well, we would be cold to each other every time we met[8]. When my leg was shattered, he didn’t visit me even once; when I asked for help with my limp, he coldly rejected me. That day, after telling me to stop exaggerating and just take the money, and then throwing me out, we haven’t properly spoken since.

At my question this guy smiled bitterly.

“‘Why did I come here’, fuck.”

He cursed, thinking of how I was getting angry when I was at fault. How high are the expectations I’m shouldering that you’d give away your life to save this one useless brother[9]. Crazy bastard.

Since when were we so close. If the news come out that you[10] died, damn it, I’ll get cursed at several times over.

But who are you to save me. I was angry. I was angry and frustrated by my pathetic-ness, not him. That’s right, I was always a terrible[11] hyung. Immature trash filled with insecurities who would harp on with complaints even in this kind of situation.

So just, leave me to die in a dungeon corner, why did you come find me!

“Listen well, hyung,” this guy ignored my question and said. “Lauchtas[12] fall asleep at 5 hour cycles. From now on, if you hide for just one hour, they’ll go into a slumber state. At that time you can leave through the entrance. I’ve already handled the smaller monsters, so as long as you don’t disturb the Lauchtas, you can be safe.”

Then this guy pushed a small blue stone towards me. It was a Gate Stone that makes an exit for leaving closed dungeons. You can only use it near the entrance, and it was a precious 1-person 1-time-use item.

I didn’t take the Gate Stone and said, as if I didn’t need it, “No thanks. You use it.”

At my words, this guy smiled. “I have one too. Though I probably won’t need to use it.”

…So having become one of the strongest hunters in Korea, he carries around a few of those precious Gate Stones, huh. I reluctantly took the Gate Stone.

Only then did that guy take his gaze off me and look at his wound. If it weren’t for the strength of his skills, he would’ve already collapsed and been on his dying breath.

“……If you have Gate Stones, don’t you have something like an elixir too.”

“Mm, I don’t. I have small potions but I don’t think they’ll be much help. Lauchtas have powerful curses on their claws.”

This guy smiled again. I didn’t know how he could smile right now.

But that nonchalant attitude soon reached its limit. This guy’s knees crumpled and his body collapsed forward. Reflexively, I caught his upper body.

The smell of blood that I couldn’t smell until now hit my nose. It was strong. I thought I had gotten used to it when I was going around the dungeon, but I still retched. I felt nauseous.

I had an impulse to throw the body I was clasping and run away.

“…..Hey.”

I could barely hear the sound of his breathing. There was no answer. He also didn’t smile.

“……Did you die?”

My voice trembled. First of all, this guy dying shouldn’t have anything to do with me.

“Han Yoohyun. Did you die?”

Shit, this stupid bastard. If I come out alive alone, I’ll be cursed out. Meddling guys will crowd around to incinerate the trash bastard that destroyed his amazing brother.

“Are you taking advantage of me[13] to the end?” I muttered dejectedly.

So he was going to continuously bother me to this day. Now, I had to hide away. Nasty to the end,really.

[The Title “Caregiver” is in effect. Caregiver Supplementary Skill - Last Repayment The skills and abilities of Awakened Person “Han Yoohyun” will double in efficiency. Duration time - 1:00]

An announcement window confirming this guy’s death[14] appeared. One of my title’s Supplementary Skills, a growth buff giving the skills and abilities of the other person after the other person’s death for one hour. Not to mention, getting double the effectiveness.

Strength burst through my body and at the same time a part of that guy’s memories was transferred.

'My hyung is an F-Rank Awakened Person.’

This bastard, seriously, to the end-.

'So he can’t get tangled up with me.’

Yoohyun was talking to someone. He sounded a little sad.

'Our relationship has already broken down but from now on we have to get farther from each other. Since, an Awakened Person qualified to be a Hunter doesn’t receive the protection of the law compared to an ordinary person.’

'If hyung becomes my weak point, those guys will definitely look for him.’

…Who are 'those guys’.

'Shit, deal with[15] all those jerks[16]!’

It was when my leg was broken. This guy was angry. And also sad at the same time.

'No, tell him healer support is impossible. That would be better for him. First let’s kick him out… but say that since we’re brothers, it can’t be helped, help is…….’

'Hyung, I’m sorry.’

'Sorry…’

'Please, don’t go into a dungeon.’

'Hyung.’

My throat tightened at my dongaeng’s memory. The surroundings were quiet but that guy saying 'hyung’ hurt my ears. The body I was clasping was cold and stiff.

I felt like I was going crazy. Of course, this guy made trouble for me to the end. Who are you to protect me. I’m the one who is the hyung. After losing our parents early, it was me, the hyung, who dropped out of school to take care of and raise my young dongsaeng.

“Asshole. Do you think I’m going to feel sorry if you do this?”

You’re the one at fault, by not saying anything.

I slowly lowered my dongsaeng’s body, which had lost its warmth, to the floor. This guy’s face looked relaxed. You think it’ll all be ok if you leave peacefully by youself?

“I’m not going to cry for you.”

Why would I cry for a guy who did as he pleases to the end. It’s a waste of tears. I raised my body. Checking my Status Window, I saw the new skills. They were all the highest grade and even buffed to double.

Laughter spilled out.

Just one hour. With the price of my dongsaeng’s life, for just one hour I was stronger than anyone in the world.

“Shit, what do I do with just one hour.”

Black Blood Smoke Emperor[17] Han Yoohyun should’ve lived 40, 50 more years. Yoohyun, this guy, would’ve been several times stronger than me even as a shriveled grandfather. How is one hour of 1-time-use any comparison.

“Idiot. Damned idiot.”

At my dongsaeng’s stupidity, I even shed a few tears. The label of 'genius’ was wasted on him. The world’s biggest idiot.

“Gigante Shield.”

With the skill’s use, a faint golden light surrounded my body. It was a shield that usually didn’t block the Lauchtas’ claws but with the doubling buff it’ll be able to withstand it even when bitten.

“Since this is all yours. So, I’ll avenge you.”

I slowly walked out of the crack in the wall I was hiding behind. I saw a huge beast lurking at the end of the wide space[18].

Lauchtas. 1st Rank polyp[19]. The dragon king of poisons and curses. The undefeatable judgement monster who appeared two times so far and both times handled the situation by enduring until the dungeon closed.

The 3-headed red dragon looked towards my direction. Of the 3 heads, the middle one had eyes that were burnt off. Lauchtas had immense regeneration powers but it looked like it couldn’t heal from Yoohyun’s bloody[20] injury in such a short time.

That’s right, my dongsaeng is pretty impressive. Right now I’m twice that impressive dongsaeng.

Fuck. You’re dead.

[1] hyung = a word used by men to call their older brothers or older male friends of a close (generational) age

[2] lit. “grabbed onto ankles”

[3] 잘나가다/잘나다: translating both to “amazing” but it’s slang that basically means awesome/exceptional/good&smart but sometimes used in a negative light (i.e. when you are jealous or when the person is acting conceited). 잘나가다 specifically means that one has become famous or does well in one’s job. 잘나다 lit. means “born well”

[4] younger sibling

[5] lit. “hear until ears are stingly hot” = when you hear too much of something (usually negative)

[6] see [2], as a play on words, “grabbed onto [his] ankles until they broke [and let go]”

[7] Korean rarely uses pronouns and rely on context. Given the tone of the story, I thought using “you” instead of “he” would fit better

[8] lit. “whenever we met, a cold wind blows”

[9] lit. “blood vessel”, but here it’s used to refer to a close blood relationship

[10] this time he does say “you”

[11] direct opposite to [3], i.e. lit. “born bad”

[12] idk what this is but it’s 라우치타스, pronounced “ra-oo-chee-ta-s”

[13] lit. “make me eat water” but it means to “make someone get into trouble” or “take advantage of someone”

[14] lit. when in a battlefield, you shoot someone you’ve already shot dead to make sure they’re really dead

[15] means “handle” but can also mean “dispose of”

[16] lit. means offspring, so the closer definition is probably “brat” but that doesn’t sound serious enough in English

[17] 흑혈염제: idk what it means, just that it’s probably a nickname/title. 흑 = black, 혈 = blood, 염제 means salt but that makes no sense and the dictionary also says “avulsion (in medicine)” which. what. though that does make more sense than “salt”. or, it could be 염 = 연기 = smoke, 제 = emperor (someone who reached a high/the highest level in martial arts in martial arts fantasy novels)

[18] 공동: normally it means association/union/cooperation or collective/joint/communal/public… but that doesn’t make sense so I’m assuming it means something like “space”; it might be something like cave where 공=empty, 동=동굴(cave)

[19] idk!!! that’s what the dictionary says

Felltale_Moth and Ghost. [Napstablook / Muffet (male)]

Chinese Glory Team & basketball 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

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