These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me-Chapter 166

"You arrived earlier than expected."

Raisu, seated on a luxurious sofa, gave a languid smile. The man sitting across from him raised an eyebrow in response.

"With how much you were rushing me, how could I not come? I was originally planning to hole up in the casino."

The man swept his scarlet hair back with one hand and smiled. At first glance, it looked like an innocent smile, but Raisu just stared at him with indifference.

Max Bryan. He was an investor and the de facto guildmaster of Surtr, one of the top guilds in the American villain alliance. He stayed away from fieldwork simply because he hated dealing with bothersome tasks.

There was no need to explain just how much influence he held behind the scenes.

Max Bryan, with his crimson eyes, was also known for his short temper. He looked weak and kind like someone who couldn’t even kill a bug, but his actions were the complete opposite. That angelic face of his hid a ruthless nature. He was pure evil. Even Raisu saw him that way. With his explosive temper, Max Bryan didn’t mesh well with Raisu, who was always calm and cold.

“So, is it true?”

“Yes.”

Max Bryan was obsessed with collecting things, so people called him the Collector. Raisu knew how to deal with him—by giving him interesting information and using it to his own advantage. Even though Max knew what Raisu was up to, he always fell for it. Willingly, of course.

"Yeah. Not long ago, an S-class dragon summon had turned into a human."

"Oho."

A spark of curiosity flashed in Max Bryan’s eyes. He took a sip of red wine, its deep crimson hue matching his eyes, and raised a hand to stroke his chin.

“Even having a dragon-type as a summon isn’t exactly common, and now it’s transformed into a human?”

“This is the first time anything like that has happened in ‘this world.’”

“And it’s not common on the other side either.”

Max Bryan answered Raisu with a grin, then licked his lips and asked.

“Was he involved?”

“Of course.”

Raisu set his glass down on the table. He was drinking dark whiskey with no ice or water. But his eyes stayed focused, showing no signs of intoxication.

“So, if I take that dragon summon, will you let me keep it?”

“If you can.”

“Haha.”

Max Bryan let out a hearty laugh at Raisu’s provocative remark. He knew Raisu was deliberately trying to provoke him, but he still took the bait—gladly, as always.

“Assign Evan or Si-hoo to me.”

“That’s not difficult, but…”

“Why? Is there a problem with the Hounds?”

“Hmm.”

Raisu raised his glass again, staring into the dark whiskey. His blue eyes lingered on the shimmering liquid as he spoke.

“Well, nothing serious. Just a bit of a screw-up.”

“Screw-up?”

Max Bryan echoed the word, sounding puzzled. He stared at Raisu, as if trying to make sense of what he’d just heard.

“You’re not the type to mess up handling a bunch of hounds.”

“Sounds like you’re giving me too much credit.”

Raisu let out a forced laugh and shook his head. Though his words sounded modest, there was a trace of arrogance in his expression. Max Bryan chuckled and took a sip of his wine. RáꞐÒΒÈȿ

“So, are you going to lend them or not?”

“Don’t rush me, Max.”

Raisu answered with a friendly smile. Max Bryan, impatient by nature, often pressured him like this, and each time, Raisu stayed completely unfazed—only making Max Bryan more agitated.

“Of course I can send someone. This time, I’ll give you Si-hoo.”

“What about Evan?”

“Well… you know he’s kind of a loose cannon.”

“Why? Do we need to keep things quiet this time?”

“Huhu.”

Raisu’s lips curled into a smile at that. He certainly wasn’t one to shy away from making a scene—like the time he turned the Association’s headquarters into a complete mess. But that had only been possible because the Alliance had just arrived in Korea and had let their guard down.

Now, with the final dungeon’s appearance just around the corner, they were bound to be on high alert. It was smarter to carry out this operation quietly. Still, he wasn’t sure that hothead would really get why they had to lay low this time.

“Well, handle it however you like. I’m not getting involved.”

“Hearing that just makes me even more excited.”

Max Bryan licked his lips out of habit. A dragon summon that could take human form—he didn’t know what it looked like, but that didn’t matter. Just knowing how rare it was was enough to ignite his desire to capture it and make it his.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t you say the owner’s no pushover either? I heard some big-name guilds are doing everything they can to keep him on their side because of his S-class auxiliary skill.”

“You mean Han Yi-jin.”

Raisu spoke the name with a hint of amusement. Catching the excitement in his voice, Max Bryan tilted his head. The Odin Guild’s members had been gaining attention in the U.S. as well, thanks to YouTube, but Max had never cared much about people. That’s why he hadn’t paid any real attention to the summon’s owner.

“Well, if you want, should I bring the summoner along too?”

“Hmm.”

At Max Bryan’s words, Raisu paused as if in thought. His deep, unreadable eyes darkened until they looked almost navy. Then he looked up and stared at Max Bryan.

“No, no need for that. What I have is already enough.”

“Sure then.”

Max Bryan simply shrugged. If Raisu said he didn’t need it, there was no point in insisting. As long as he got what he wanted, that was enough. With that thought, he stood up, looking satisfied.

“Then I'll be in touch.”

“Sure.”

After a brief farewell, Max Bryan left the room without looking back.

Raisu, staring at the door that clicked shut, murmured quietly to himself.

"Still, there's not much I can do about a dog that's off its leash."

Before he knew it, his blue eyes were gleaming with anticipation.

"Huh? Me too? I'm going to the pop-up dungeon?"

"That's right."

I blinked in surprise at Park Yoon-sung’s sudden words. Not long ago, Kang Yoo-hyun had entered a pop-up dungeon. He said he was looking for a pair item for me, which was why I hadn’t seen him around the accommodation much lately.

From the looks of it, he was still going in and out of those dungeons—and now, out of nowhere, I was being told to go too? Why? When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Park Yoon-sung’s gaze shifted—not to me, but to someone else. It was Yong-sik, who was clinging close beside me.

"That's for Yong-sik… to help train his ability."

"Training?"

"Yes."

"…?"

Park Yoon-sung nodded with a calm expression. Even when he found out Yong-sik had turned into a human, he hadn’t batted an eye. He treated Yong-sik like any newly awakened hunter. Aside from sounding a bit awkward when saying his name, he didn’t seem the least bit thrown off.

After hearing Hae Song-ha’s suggestion, Park Yoon-sung willingly helped register Yong-sik at the Awakened Center—and even arranged a fake identity for him.

As of now, Yong-sik was officially registered as my adopted son. The whole process went so smoothly that I couldn’t help but wonder—had Park Yoon-sung known about this beforehand?

But ultimately, it was all about strengthening the Odin Guild’s forces. Even in human form, Yong-sik was still an S-rank, and Park Yoon-sung had acted swiftly to make sure that kind of talent didn’t slip through his fingers.

Still, thanks to that, both Yong-sik and I ended up benefiting. The guild wasn’t just handling his registration and ID—they were also providing full support for all his training.

Like Eden, Do-gyul, and me, Yong-sik had signed a temporary contract with the Odin Guild.

Park Yoon-sung seemed to be quietly hoping we’d all eventually join as official members… but for some reason, I felt hesitant to give a clear answer.

Probably because I still had no idea which of the Asgardian gods were on my side—and which weren’t. It was probably best to figure that out slowly after clearing the final dungeon. If I didn’t go with a local guild, joining a foreign one might work too. Or I could just go independent, once I figured out how to deal with the Laufey Guild.

“Hmm…”

While I was caught up in my thoughts, I missed the chance to ask Park Yoon-sung a question. But he seemed deep in thought too, quietly staring at Yong-sik with an unreadable expression. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“It’s more like leveling up than actual training. I think hunters who play games usually call it ‘getting carried.’”

“Ah, getting carried.”

It was one of the first things I did after possessing this body. To survive as a hunter, raising one’s level and stats was essential. I nodded in understanding, then looked at Park Yoon-sung and asked.

“Then… who’s going to carry Yong-sik?”

“No need to worry. We’ve got just the right person for that.”

“Uh…”

Please don’t tell me it’s who I’m thinking of. A cold sweat trickled down my back as I looked at Park Yoon-sung’s gentle smile.