Queen of the Shadows

12. Bigger Problems

"Can't we just leave it here?" Erebus asked coldly.

"Mmh!" The Kraken furrowed its eyebrows, piercing its lips forward.

"Doesn't seem fond of your suggestion." Jinwoo noticed. "What do you think, Cale?"

The Kraken clung onto Cale.

"Can't we take it with us?" Cale suggested. 'It reminds me of a child.. I can't possibly leave a child in a dungeon where it can be killed by hunters or the other monsters...'

"How will we take it with us? It's too big." Jinwoo didn't mean to insult it.

"Beu! Beu!" The Kraken looked like it had something to say.

Suddenly, a blinding glow, similar to when.. Erebus transformed.. emitted from the Kraken...

'Ah.. fuck...' Cale closed his eyes, covering his face with his arms. He already knew what's about to happen, he had already been there once. This was the worst thing that could happen to him twice.

The light dimmed down. Then it disappeared.

A child.

A child.

A child?!

'Damn, it really was a child!' Cale cursed. 'How could they leave a child in a dungeon!?'

"Mama!"

'Mama?'

The child ran forward to Cale, hugging him tightly with their two human arms. The former Kraken, now in the form of a female child... She had long red hair, similar to Cale's color but more dull, chubby cheeks, and gray pupils.

"I thought you befriended it, not adopted it!" Jinwoo was taken aback by shock, a bit exaggerated.

"M- my q- queen..? This- this isn't t- true.. right...?" Erebus shuttered. He was clearly misunderstanding something.

"What do you mean?" Cale asked, confused.

Erebus pointed at Jinwoo. "You had a secret child with that bastard?!"

"What...?"

"Me?" Jinwoo asked. "I would be happy if I did, but sadly no."

Cale sighed, letting the stress fly. 'What are they talking about.' Cale knelt down to the child's height. "What's your name?" He asked the kid.

The two turned towards them, watching quietly.

"..I don't have one..." The child answered back nervously.

Cale flinched. 'She doesn't have a name?' He frowned. "Do you want a name?" Cale patted her head.

Her eyes widened. "Yes!" She excitedly exclaimed.

Cale smiled. "How about Soo-ah?"

"Soo.. ah. I like it!" The girl smiled.

Cale got up. "Let's get going then."

They exited the gate together.

"There they are!"

Click! Click!

"The new S-rank hunter and the S-rank Sung Jinwoo!"

Reporters. How did they know they were here? They definitely entered the dungeon secretly.

"Mr. Sung." A man, with orangish slicked-backed hair, wearing a black suit and heavily black-tinted sunglasses, approached them, unbothered by the security pushing away the ferocious reporters. "It's been awhile since we last met." He smiled, a fake and professional one.

"What's happening here, Jinchul?" Jinwoo asked.

"The Korean Hunter Association received word of a newly formed double dungeon." The man, "Jinchul", spoke smoothly. "We would've prepared extra measures, but when we saw the list of hunters inside the dungeon, we thought it would be fine."

Jinwoo nodded, not commenting any further.

"Why don't we take this conversation to somewhere more private?" Jinchul suggested.

The four agreed.

They entered Jinchul's car, quite spacious and not too grand.

They shortly arrived at a cafe.

Cale looked around. 'Isn't this the place Jinwoo and I met at?'

'This brings back memories.' Jinwoo smirked.

They sat down at a fairly large table that accompanied all of them.

"Mr. Sung." Jinchul took off his sunglasses. "May I ask who those other people next to you are? I've heard of the famous Cale Henituse, but not the other two." He smiled slyly.

"It's best for Cale to introduce them." Jinwoo rejected.

"Huh?" Cale didn't understand why, it's not like he knew anymore than him. He nervously glanced at Jinwoo, then at Jinchul. "This is Erebus." Cale motioned to the taller one, then to the short one. "And this is Sooah."

"Is she perhaps you two's child?" Jinchul suddenly asked, seeing the similarities.

This was the second time someone had mistaken them for Sooah's parents.

"No." Cale replied without a fight. "Although I am taking care of her currently, we are not written on paper or biologically related." He clarified.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Jinchul apologized. Then his gaze sharpened. "But I must ask, why have you, someone who's not her legal guardian, taking her inside a dungeon? Don't you know that civilians are not allowed inside dungeons without a permit from the association?"

"..."

Cale sweated heavily.

There was no argument against his claim. And everyone saw it, it was on cameras, everyone saw them coming out of the dungeon with a child in his hands.

Jinchul sighed. "Since it's you, Jinwoo, I know she'll be safe, but how will I explain to the public about this?"

"You don't have to." Jinwoo smiled slyly. "Just stop the media from posting about it."

"Easier said than done." Jinchul groaned. "But serious, I wouldn't expect you to take a child into a dungeon."

Jinwoo crossed his arms. "We didn't take her into there. We found her inside there."

Jinchul's eyes widened. "What do you mean? How could a child possibly get near a gate? Especially one deep inside a forest?"

'Because she's a dungeon monster.' Cale spoke inside his head.

Jinchul furrowed his brows, hand on his chin, thinking. "This might be related to the massive serge in missing children lately..."

"What?" Cale unconsciously let out a disgusted expression.

They turned to Cale, confused.

"What's wrong?" Erebus asked.

"What do you mean there's missing children?" Cale frowned. 'Does that mean more children are stuck inside those gates...?'

"I can't disclose this information to just anyone, even if you're a new S-rank hunter." Jinchul stood firmly.

Jinwoo watched quietly, watching the situation unfold and how Cale reacted. 'Is he worried for them?'

Cale furrowed his brows, backing down. "Fine."

"Anyways," Jinchul bent down to Sooah's height, "do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" He asked in a friendly tone.

Sooah looked at him as she clung onto Cale's clothes. "Okay.."

Jinchul smiled. "Thank you. It won't take long."

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