“I know it’s shameless. It’s not your fault, owner. You didn’t help expecting this to happen. If you hadn’t helped Mo Gyeon back then, he probably wouldn’t be here now.”

Keeeng, Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon looked up at me with sorrowful eyes.

“With this penalty, I can’t even do raids, let alone expeditions. If the Hwarang guild leader stays in this state, Hwarang will probably…”

Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon couldn’t finish his sentence and hung his head.

‘This seems to have gotten messed up somehow…’

The situation was more serious than I thought.

“Can’t you change the imprint target? If someone else saves Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon in a dangerous moment again, wouldn’t it change?”

After all, this whole situation was because of that skill.

“It might be possible to change the imprint target, but that would require deliberately exposing Mo Gyeon to a dangerous situation. I don’t think such a flimsy method would work on the system…”

That seemed likely. The system was quite particular in subtle ways.

Deceiving the system that oversees all hunters was nearly impossible.

“Then what do we do now…?”

Saving Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon ended up being the lesser of two evils. Suffering from all kinds of ailments was better than dying, after all.

Or maybe… with this level of penalty, would it be better to just die?

My head was getting complicated.

“I think it would be fine if Mo Gyeon could just return to a stable state. Getting along well like before is… not possible, right?”

As my expression hardened, Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon hurriedly changed his words.

“I’ve never even seen Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon’s face in person. How can I get along well with someone I don’t know starting today?”

It’s not like I’m a machine that inputs things at the press of a button. It’s not something to say in front of the person involved, but isn’t this the truth?

“I know… Ah! How about this?”

He clapped his hands together as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.

“How about using Mo Gyeon as a part-timer for a few days?”

“What?”

“Since you don’t know Mo Gyeon as a person, experience him for yourself. This guy is kinder than you’d think. He’s actually simple-minded and upright to the point of being frustrating, a foo-”

“Woof!”

“…I have trouble with him.”

“…”

Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon corrected his words at Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon’s protest.

But Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon is kind…? He might be simple, but upright…? Isn’t that a lie?

It didn’t match up well with the image I had of Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon, as he spoke so differently from what I knew.

“He’ll need lodging, but of course we’ll pay the tent rental coins. You can even use him as an unpaid part-timer. We can’t impose on you indefinitely, so let’s set a period of about a month. If he returns to a stable state within that time, I’ll have Mo Gyeon come back.”

“Then if he doesn’t become stable within that time…”

“There’s nothing we can do. We’ll handle it ourselves from then on.”

It seems they’re asking because they don’t have any good solutions either. Then does that mean Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon has to live with that penalty for the rest of his life?

The thought made me uncomfortable, even though I didn’t know him well. As my expression grew darker, Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon spoke again.

“Owner, please don’t feel burdened at all. You don’t have to do anything. This is his own doing, so he’ll take care of it. Don’t feel any pressure, just think of it as having a part-timer for a month and use him as you see fit.”

“Still, is that okay…? He’s the Hwarang guild leader.”

“Guild leader, what guild leader? If he can’t fight, he’s just a dog- I mean, a puppy.”

Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon was panting with his tongue out and wagging his tail vigorously. He seemed to quite like Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon’s opinion.

Are you seriously telling me to use the Hwarang guild leader as a campsite part-timer?

Are you for real…?

Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon soon couldn’t contain his excitement and ran in circles on the table. He hesitated as he tried to show his belly to me affectionately, as if by habit.

‘He’s cute, but… this has become troublesome.’

“Hah… Alright.”

“Really?”

“Yes… There’s no other way, is there?”

Looking at the conditions, there was no reason to refuse. They said they’d keep paying for lodging, and he’d help with the work.

Above all, although they told me not to feel burdened, I felt somewhat responsible, so I couldn’t refuse as firmly as before.

‘Since it’s come to this, let’s try to raise him to a stable state as quickly as possible.’

It had been a series of strange events since falling into the dungeon. Now I’ve even ended up using an S-rank hunter I barely know as a campsite part-timer.

The future looked bleak.

The next day, the guild leaders gathered before me.

“Owner, we’re sorry. We’ve committed a mortal sin! We’re truly sorry!”

“I will take my own life, bearing all curses… Alcohol is the enemy, I knew this would happen someday.”

“I’m sorry, owner. I must have been possessed by an evil spirit. I can’t believe I caused such a disturbance…”

The guild leaders of Cheon Ye Han, Black Star, and O Bit Na bowed their heads in turn, blaming themselves.

Fortunately, the campsite guests were all high-ranking individuals, and thanks to Guild Leader O Bit Na and the Sunshine guild members immediately providing treatment, there wasn’t much damage.

The campsite, which had been turned into a wasteland, was cleaned up by them all night long. While it couldn’t be said to have returned completely to its previous state, it wasn’t to the point where business couldn’t continue.

“As long as you understand… It could have been a real disaster.”

“We apologize once again, owner! We’ll accept any punishment!”

Instead of punishment, I told them to leave the campsite now. They had no choice but to nod.

“We’re… not going on the blacklist, are we?”

“It’s not just because of you, owner, but we’ve really grown attached to the campsite… Sniff.”

Guild Leader Cheon Ye Han made an uncharacteristic crying sound. As much as I wanted to tell them never to come back, I didn’t want to be cold to them, perhaps because I had developed some affection for them over time, albeit grudgingly.

“If you want to drop by when you’re passing through next time, you can. But from now on, I’ll immediately expel anyone engaging in unnecessary power struggles, recruitment offers, or drinking. Understood?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Owner, you really are an angel. I’m truly sorry in many ways.”

They all left, with regret in their hearts. With the long-term residents gone, the campsite felt a bit empty.

‘Getting used to something is truly a scary thing.’

And Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon returned to human form. He emerged from the tent awkwardly after changing clothes.

“Hello…”

“Hello…”

It was a suffocatingly awkward greeting.

Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon had slightly brownish, wavy hair and fierce-looking eyes.

‘I thought he had a pretty face from the photos I saw online…’

The corners of his mouth were turned up, making him look like a fresh-faced boy if he smiled even a little, but he was definitely not pretty-faced.

Above all, his build was bigger than I expected, and even just exchanging greetings, there was a feeling of overflowing human energy.

‘Is it because he’s an S-rank hunter?’

Come to think of it, Hunter Chae Dong Hwa also gave off that kind of aura at first. There must be something about high-ranking hunters that makes it difficult to approach them.

“Now, this is Hwarang’s guild leader, Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon. This is Owner Yu Bom. Why don’t you two shake hands?”

Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon approached and introduced us to each other as if he were a matchmaker.

‘Why suddenly introduce ourselves…?’

He must be deliberately stepping in because we looked too awkward, but this felt even more unnatural.

“Please take care of me.”

“Please take care of me, Yu Bom… nim.”

When I extended my hand, Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon cleared his throat and shook hands.

His hand was very warm. Almost to the point of feeling hot.

Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon’s earlobes seemed to turn slightly red.

‘Did he really come to like me because of the skill?’

It was clearly written on the paper. The beast unconditionally loves and protects the one who saved them in a dangerous moment.

Love… just thinking about it makes me blush. It’s a word I haven’t used since I was young.

“Then I’ll be going now, owner. Thank you so much. Please take good care of our Mo Gyeon! If you need any help, feel free to contact us anytime!”

“Yes, take care.”

Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon left the campsite after seeing Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon return to human form. The rest of the Hwarang guild members had already left yesterday after apologizing.

Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon said he would come back in a month to check on the progress. Of course, if the relationship entered a stable period before then, Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon would return on his own.

And before leaving, Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon made one last appeal about Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon.

‘Mo Gyeon really isn’t a bad kid. He’s rather simple-minded and kind.’

‘Yes, I understand…’

‘You don’t believe me, owner. You’ll see when you experience it slowly.’

Is being kind or bad important? It’s someone I won’t see again once we raise him to a stable state anyway.

In any case, even without him saying so, I felt a sense of responsibility and planned to make an effort to raise him to a stable state.

“But does the relationship stay the same? Pet and owner? Does the relationship change now that he’s turned human?”

I asked Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon after we saw off Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon together.

“It just shows a question mark now. Is it an error…”

The system wouldn’t make an error.

They said the relationship takes the form desired by the imprint target. It’s probably because I haven’t decided how to perceive him.

“Um, about that. How about an owner-guest relationship?”

“What?”

I spoke about what I had been thinking all night yesterday.

“Hunter Ji Seok Hyeon said to use you as a part-timer, but… I thought about it, and I don’t think we need to go that far. Don’t you think we could quickly raise you to a stable state with a good owner-guest relationship? Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon, you can just camp and rest well like the other guests.”

“But…”

I thought it was quite a good idea, but Hunter Seol Mo Gyeon’s reaction wasn’t very positive.

“I want to help with the campsite work.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to help Yu Bom nim.”

“…”

Is this also because of the imprint skill? From my perspective, I couldn’t quite understand why he insisted on working when I told him to rest and not work.

“You can use me however you like. Can’t you use me as an unpaid part-timer like Ji Seok Hyeon said?”

Does he have no resistance to the idea of using an S-rank hunter as a campsite part-timer?

No, isn’t he rather too eager…?