Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C65

Chapter 65

A cold draft swept in through the front door. Won Iheun had returned from going out. After meeting Dr. Richmond, the man revealed a shocking conclusion.

“Judging by everything, this one was likely raised in an illegal breeding facility.”

“An illegal breeding facility…?”

There were places where magical beasts were forcibly bred through artificial mating—illegal facilities that raised, bred, and slaughtered beasts without government or Association approval. In such facilities, violations of the Magical Beast Protection Act and abuse were rampant.

“A few years ago, the government formed a dedicated task force to wipe out monster factories and illegal breeding sites nationwide. Some brokers blinded by money broke regulations and colluded with criminal organizations, sharing the locations of rifts that could evade the eyes of the government and the system.”

“Those insane bastards…!”

“In truth, Richmond and Bertrand planned to enter Korea even without our request. Their real objective was to purge the defectors involved in this operation.”

[Breeding facility?]

Startled by his familiar’s voice, Yeongung shot Iheun a look. It would be better to talk about this away from Pepper.

“This water has potion mixed in. Pepper, drink this little by little for now. I’ll bring food you can eat as soon as possible.”

As Yeongung tried to take Pepper outside, Iheun caught his arm.

“I should’ve said the conclusion first. I found Pepper’s food.”

“You found it?”

“It was hard to get on short notice, so the amount is small.”

The man pulled out a small container. The moment Pepper sniffed it, the kitten sprang up.

[Butler! That smell—it’s familiar!]

“As expected. It’s a cooked feed made from insect-type monsters.”

Iheun broke off a small piece and held it near Pepper’s mouth. After sniffing a few times, Pepper cautiously licked it—and then ate it.

“Thank goodness… It really ate.”

[It’s delicious!]

‘Mrrrow.’

Pepper licked Iheun’s fingers insistently.

“Meow.”

Jaehee beamed at the crying cat.

[Since I’m in a good mood—Dough, this big brother will play with you.]

Pepper used its tail to play a tail-chasing game with the child. When Iheun tossed a small mouse-shaped toy, Pepper dashed after it. Yeongung watched, relieved, as his familiar regained its energy.

“It seems this is all they fed it at the facility. For now, we’ll replace its meals with this cooked feed and gradually guide it back to its natural habits.”

A magical beast stripped of its instincts, thoroughly conditioned by humans. Pepper’s mother may already have been slaughtered at the breeding site.

“So that’s why it didn’t look down on humans—but feared them…”

Creatures that had abandoned humanity. For the first time in a long while, anger boiled up from deep within Yeongung’s core.

“Tell Richmond and Bertrand I’ll cooperate if needed. Rotten trees should be uprooted from the roots.”

“They’ll be thrilled to hear that. Those two have to deal with defectors quietly, without catching the government’s attention.”

Wherever Yeongung went, Iheun followed—an overwhelming advantage for Richmond’s side. Thinking it would be a noisy purge, Iheun lowered his head and buried his nose in Yeongung’s crown, wanting to reclaim his scent washed away by sea wind.

Muhaedo Passenger Terminal

“Next news. Reports say insect-type monsters are swarming eastern Seoul and the greater metropolitan area.”

Elderly locals gathered around a monitor watching the main broadcast. Footage showed mutated foreign insects—Purpleheart Moth Larvae—devouring bamboo forests in moments.

The larvae, insect-type monsters about the size of a child’s fist, had purple, heart-shaped wings. They didn’t directly attack humans, but their massive swarms caused widespread discomfort.

“Good grief. Mainland folks have it rough.”

Behind the elders, a young man with a bucket hat pulled low walked past, humming.

“Heh. This’ll be fun.”

Kim Seokchil, newly arrived by boat, couldn’t contain his excitement. Today, on this remote island, he would be the star.

“Now where should I do it?”

From his side bag, Seokchil pulled out a collection case containing thirty monster larvae—Purpleheart Moth Larvae, the very ones on the news.

“Bullshit. The whole country’s suffering and this place has zero monsters? That makes sense to you?”

Muhaedo—an island he’d never even heard of until recently. He’d learned by chance it was gate-clean, thanks to a blind date who rejected him and happened to be from here.

“Guess these people eat tuna every day. Faces all shiny with grease.”

Seokchil muttered nonsense, unaware of himself.

Bullied throughout school, a lackey in the military—Seokchil had always been a punching bag. When the Awakening Era began, he hoped he’d awaken as a hunter and take revenge on those who tormented him.

But the world was cruel. Nothing happened to him. His tormentor awakened as a B-rank hunter.

Life never turned around—rejected at blind dates, mocked by matchmakers, crypto investments crashing to nothing. Meanwhile, that former bully became an influencer, preaching justice online.

Seokchil’s resentment twisted elsewhere.

“In the Great Awakening Era, shouldn’t you at least meet a monster before dying, huh?”

He checked the larvae, then flung a handful into the air.

“Let me spice things up!”

‘Kyaooong.’

[Insects!]

“…?”

The larvae vanished midair.

Again.

“W-Wait—again!”

As the purple larvae wriggled in the sky—

‘Kyaooong!’

[Butler! This place is a buffet!]

A black cat leapt up, snatched the larvae, and swallowed them whole. Seokchil screamed.

“A-Aaaah!”

A man—clearly the cat’s owner—approached with an apologetic tone.

“Were those your bugs? Sorry. My cat’s practicing hunting.”

Despite the hat and mask, Seokchil felt the man’s overwhelming presence.

“Are you insane?! Those aren’t normal bugs—they’re monsters!”

“Ah, that explains why it went wild.”

[So good! Got more? Give me more!]

The man picked up another larva, eyes sparkling.

“If you don’t mind… how many more do you have? Seems like great nutrition for Pepper.”

Seokchil shrank back.

“D-Didn’t you watch the news?! They’re everywhere except here—and d-don’t come closer!”

“What’s it called?”

“P-Purpleheart Moth…”

“Oh. I haven’t been keeping up.”

The man scratched his forehead awkwardly, then lifted the cat.

“Thanks anyway. I learned something useful.”

As he turned toward the parking lot, he paused.

“These aren’t bugs just anyone can handle. You’re a late-blooming awakener—go to the Association and get tested. In this field, insect tamers are rare. You’ll make a decent hunter.”

“…Huh?!”

“Remember—justice downward, power upward.”

The man left behind the Association’s creed and vanished.

“An insect tamer… Justice downward, power upward…”

Only then did Seokchil realize—the man knew. He knew Seokchil had released those larvae with malicious intent.

“…That was cool as hell.”

That day, Kim Seokchil, who nearly became a villain, instead walked the path of an insect tamer. That the man who changed his life was the Absolute, Yeongung, he would learn later.