These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me-Chapter 182

“Does it hurt a lot?”

I looked at Do-gyul with a worried expression. I didn’t know whether he would suffer any side effects from receiving my auxiliary skill or from overusing his mental ability, so I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“My head hurts… please stroke my head.”

“What?”

“Hyung-ah.”

“Oh…”

I was quite surprised that a kid who never acted like this was suddenly being so cute. I guessed it meant Do-gyul was struggling under the strain. I reached out and gently stroked his head.

“All right, all right.”

“Hehe…”

“Is there anywhere else that hurts? Do you want another healing?”

“…”

For some reason, Do-gyul pressed his lips tightly shut in response to my question. I turned my head with an awkward expression and asked again.

“Hunter Guseul, can you use Heal multiple times?”

“Yes, of course. It’s possible.”

“Then please…”

“I don’t need healing anymore.”

“Huh? Really?”

His blunt words left me puzzled. Didn’t he just say his head hurt a moment ago? I tilted my head, unsure why Do-gyul was acting this way.

“You said your head hurt.”

“Well… it’s not bad enough to need healing.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

I looked down at Do-gyul with a doubtful expression. He averted his gaze slightly, looking a bit guilty. Something felt off. Was he still in pain but pretending to be fine on purpose? I thought for a moment. Knowing Do-gyul, he was more than capable of pretending he was okay.

“Then, should I cast a skill other than Heal on him?”

“Huh? You have something like that?”

“It’s a buff skill, and getting it will make him feel better.”

“Oh.”

Does a skill like that really exist? I marveled as I looked at Guseul smiling. Seeing her speak so maturely now filled me with pride. I still remembered how hesitant she had been back in the Sæ Dungeon.

Even the Valkyries had worried about her, choosing to go into the dungeon at such a young age. But now, she was the one stepping forward to check on the injured hunters. It would be wonderful to have a kind and gentle younger sister like her. I caught myself thinking that for a moment before snapping back to reality.

“Oh, then could I ask you to use that buff skill?”

“Yes, of course.”

Guseul nodded and lifted the staff she was holding. Then, a sharp voice rang out.

“Enough! I said I don’t want it!”

“Do-gyul?”

His sharp voice was full of refusal. I stared at him in surprise.

Do-gyul was huffing and glaring at Guseul. For a moment, I was so shocked that I couldn’t say a word. Then he shouted again.

“I don’t need it! Go away, I said go away!”

“Do-gyul, you…!”

Startled by Do-gyul suddenly shouting at Guseul, I raised my voice as well.

“Can’t you stop?”

“I said I don’t want it. Even though I said no, Hyung keeps…”

“Sigh…”

I almost forgot—Do-gyul had been acting so mature lately, but this kid actually had a really bad temper. Even when we first met, he had started cursing at me without warning. No wonder he’s Han Yi-jin’s younger brother. I let out a deep sigh and looked at Guseul, trying to appear as apologetic as possible.

“I’m sorry, Hunter Guseul. He’s still not in his right mind, so I guess he’s being sensitive.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you for understanding, Hunter Guseul.”

She really was kind. How had she grown up to be so well-behaved? Her parents must have been good people too. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of people her parents had been.

“Do-gyul, you should apologize to Hunter Guseul too.”

“Why should I…?”

“How can you talk so badly to the person who healed you? Huh?”

“…”

Then Do-gyul looked dissatisfied and kept his mouth shut. Was it because I had spoiled him too much? Seeing Do-gyul so stubborn—unlike Guseul—I let out a sigh. I had been impressed by how mature he acted in the dungeon, but seeing this, I wondered if he still had a long way to go.

Then Do-gyul’s face suddenly scowled as he looked toward Guseul. Blinking in surprise at the sudden change, I watched as he shouted with a fierce expression.

“Get lost! You ugly…!”

“Do-gyul…!”

Startled, I covered Do-gyul’s mouth and quickly turned to Guseul. She looked a little surprised, her eyes widening, and then gave me an awkward smile.

“Hunter Guseul, so…”

“I’m fine.”

“But still…”

“I’m really fine, so you don’t have to be sorry.”

“Hunter Guseul…”

Guseul waved her hand dismissively and smiled, then bowed her head.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“S-sure.”

I figured it was best not to let Do-gyul run into Guseul again. I hadn’t expected him to be so harsh with her. Could it be that his first impression of her was bad? That didn’t make any sense.

Guseul, who had lifted her head, glanced at Do-gyul, who was fuming. For a moment, a strange expression flickered across her face. Seeing that, Do-gyul got even more worked up.

“You really aren’t going to stay still, are you?”

“She was the one who stuck her tongue out at me first!”

“What did you say?”

I glanced at Guseul as she hurriedly walked away at Do-gyul’s words.

Stuck her tongue out… Guseul did that to Do-gyul? But there was no way she would do something like that. I clicked my tongue and looked at Do-gyul again.

“There’s no way Hunter Guseul would do something like that.”

“No, I’m serious. I really saw it.”

“Uh-huh, sure, sure.”

“I’m telling the truth…”

Do-gyul pouted and grumbled as if he’d been treated unfairly. I shook my head while watching him.

“Stop blaming innocent people, and when you meet her next time, make sure you apologize. Got it?”

“…”

“Do-gyul.”

When I spoke firmly, Do-gyul flinched. Then, reluctantly, he answered.

“…Okay.”

“You promise?”

“Y-yeah…”

I watched Do-gyul nod for a moment, then reached out and patted his head. He was probably sensitive after using his mental skill to the limit, I thought, as I comforted him.

***

The raid team had set up camp, and we decided to spend the night here. Everyone was exhausted anyway, so we needed a break. When I checked the time with an item, it was already midnight—perfect for getting some rest.

Now that we had taken down the mid-boss monster and overcome the part that had been a major crisis in the original story, we should be facing the boss monster next. Suddenly, the image of the boss monster I had seen in the vision came to mind.

–Foolish creatures…

–You all still…

Since I came to possess this body in this world, I’ve faced formidable boss monsters—but never one like that. And I hadn’t even seen it directly; only through a vision. Yet even so, the feeling it gave me was truly chilling.

“Hmm…”

I felt a little uneasy. Maybe it was because I knew I would soon have to face that boss monster. Tossing and turning, I got up from where I had been lying.

“Mmm… mmnya…”

“Pyuu… pyu…”

“…”

Beside me, Yong-sik—back in human form—and Do-gyul were fast asleep, lying close together. They looked just like brothers with a small age difference, and I couldn’t help but smile. I adjusted the sleeping bag around them before getting to my feet. Everyone else was asleep, except for a few hunters keeping watch.

Glancing around, I quietly made my way toward Kang Soo-hyun. It was his turn to stand watch. He must have already been exhausted from spending the entire day scouting the path with his detection skill, yet he had volunteered to keep watch through the night as well.

“Hyung? You’re not sleeping?”

“Ah, I just woke up.”

“Go back to sleep. We’ll probably be leaving early.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I replied awkwardly and sat down beside Kang Soo-hyun. I couldn’t bring myself to admit to someone younger than me that my restless thoughts were keeping me awake. Instead, I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to speak.

“Thanks for earlier.”

“For what?”

“For helping Do-gyul.”

“Ah…”

Even with my auxiliary skill amplifying his ability, Do-gyul had struggled a lot. Without Kang Soo-hyun’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to calm Yong-sik down.

And after that… things would likely have unfolded just as in the original story. I couldn’t be sure yet, but if we could prevent the destruction ending, Kang Soo-hyun would have played the biggest part in it.

“I just did what I was supposed to do.”

“Even so… I couldn’t do anything, even though I was right there.”

That was part of what made me feel so uneasy. I hadn’t been able to do anything during all that chaos. I couldn’t stop Yong-sik properly, nor could I help Do-gyul when he was struggling. It made me feel completely useless.

“No, Hyung. If you hadn’t cast your auxiliary skill on Do-gyul, my help wouldn’t have made any difference. I certainly couldn’t have done anything on my own.”

“That’s…”

“Hyung, how many times have you saved us? How can you say something like that?”

“…”

Kang Soo-hyun’s reassuring words left me silent. Sometimes, he caught me off guard with things I never expected him to say. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck.

“You’re good at comforting people.”

“Am I? But I don’t do this for just anyone.”

“Oh… really?”

That made sense. Even in the novel, Kang Soo-hyun was kinder than his older brother, Kang Yoo-hyun, but as an S-class, he tended to keep his distance from others. I had never seen him say something like this to anyone. Thinking about that, I nodded.

“Hyung, do you know what time it is?”

“Huh? What time is it?”

“It’s past twelve.”

“…?”

Has it really gotten that late already? I was a little surprised.

But why did he bring up the time all of a sudden? Was he telling me to go back to sleep because it was late?

Puzzled, I tilted my head, and Kang Soo-hyun smiled before speaking again.

“I’m an adult now, Hyung.”