A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 13
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 13: Hunter Registration (1)
Late at night.
“G-Guild Leader.”
Someone came to visit the office that overlooked all of Seoul through the glass window.
“Oh, what’s the matter? Haven’t you gone home yet?”
“Well…”
Choi Yu-kyung asked while letting down her platinum blonde ponytail. The Eden employee in a white suit hesitated.
“It’s an urgent report… regarding the B7 Gate clear.”
“…Bring it here.”
The staff member handed over a document file. Unlike usual, the disorganized report seemed hastily written.
Flip.
Yu-kyung turned the paper. The moment she read the first sentence, she reflexively asked.
“What happened?”
“…”
“…Why are there casualties in a B-rank Gate that the Vice Guild Leader entered?”
“It was a zombie… dungeon.”
The staff member hung their head.
Life Dungeon. A place more widely known in the industry by the name Zombie Dungeon.
It was a notoriously dangerous place where everyone would be wiped out unless a high-rank awakener with matching compatibility was lucky enough to enter.
‘Eden has few fire attribute users, making it the worst possible match…’
Choi Yu-kyung’s hand holding the report trembled. No matter how large a guild Eden was, losing affiliated hunters was something she could never get used to.
“Hah…”
However, she couldn’t afford to waver. She soon regained her composure.
It was an attitude befitting Eden’s guild leader and S-rank hunter, truly like Choi Yu-kyung.
“Then let me ask the opposite question.”
Choi Yu-kyung spoke in a calm voice.
“Why are the casualties so few?”
Though it seemed cold, it was an important question.
Choi Yu-il was a nature attribute awakener, and naturally didn’t match well with zombie dungeons.
The reason and method for why a raid he participated in as leader resulted in so few casualties.
She needed to know this to prevent future accidents.
Thud.
Choi Yu-kyung closed the report. The content wasn’t written inside.
‘It couldn’t be left on record.’
Sure enough, the staff member revealed shocking information.
“There was testimony that an outsider entered the gate.”
“What?”
Choi Yu-kyung frowned. How could someone get into a gate managed by Eden?
‘Someone sent by another guild?’
The possibility that a rival guild tried to find Eden’s weakness couldn’t be ruled out either.
In the serious atmosphere, the staff member’s explanation continued.
“It’s testimony from A-rank Hunter Baek Kyul, who participated as a healer. He said it was a hunter who used ice attribute and fire attribute, and seemed quite high-ranked… He passionately testified that if it weren’t for that hunter, they would all have died, I mean, all would have perished. He spoke with unusual fervor.”
“…”
“An outsider’s intrusion is a major security issue, so we were going to protest to the Association, but…”
“But?”
The staff member squeezed their eyes shut. Then, as if saying ‘whatever, I don’t know,’ they blurted out.
“The Vice Guild Leader said it was his friend… so…”
“…Huh?”
“S-sorry! It could have been a hypnosis item, but we made a hasty judgment…”
“…Hahaha! Ahah, no no.”
Laughter burst from Choi Yu-kyung. Due to the sudden timing, the staff member could only look bewildered.
“Ahaha. He definitely said it was his friend, right? Yu-il did?”
“Yes, yes.”
Choi Yu-kyung wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes while continuously smiling.
“Then there’s only one person. Yes, so that’s what happened.”
“Uh…”
“It’s fine. The report is sufficient. You can go now. Tell everyone to go home.”
“Ah, yes!”
The staff member nodded. After finishing their bows, they left the office.
“Hmm.”
Choi Yu-kyung stood up from her seat. And she looked beyond the window.
‘It’s definitely about Hae-dam.’
That guy said he was going to register, but he’s taking a different path.
…It reminded me of a certain time when someone said they were going on an errand but ended up sneaking off to a stationery store with their younger brother.
‘The scale of his troublemaking has gotten bigger…’
Yu-kyung lightly leaned her shoulder against the glass window and muttered.
“This is just the beginning, Hae-dam.”
Awakening was no different from opening a new door in life. No one could know what lay beyond that door.
Still…
When they met, she felt she should praise him after such a long time. And express great gratitude as well.
* * *
“Mmm…”
Blink.
I opened my eyes. The scenery filling my vision was unfamiliar.
It was a hospital. A private room with no one else in it.
‘Why am I here?’
I tried to recall my memories.
The memories filling my head had such a disconnect from reality that I needed time to organize them.
I rubbed my face and took a breath.
“Whew…”
After exhaling again, some sense of reality returned. I felt dazed.
So, I awakened as a Hunter, went to a dungeon for the first time and…
‘Ah, this is ridiculous.’
But it was definitely real.
I rubbed my eyes lightly. The scenery visible outside the window was bright daylight.
It seemed I had collapsed right after clearing the dungeon and was brought to the hospital.
‘What happens now?’
I remembered an Eden staff member asking me about some procedures. However, I knew absolutely nothing about that.
‘The worst case scenario would be charges or compensation claims.’
It had already been 20 years since Hunters appeared. It was hard to expect the related laws to be lax.
I ruffled my hair.
‘Ugh, but what would change by worrying about it?’
I called up my status window to do a mid-check.
Ding—
Immediately, a golden square window filled my vision.
Even the last remaining dream-like sensation crumbled to ash and disappeared.
Unlike when I received Fire Virtue True Lord, only my modest basic stats remained. My mana had increased, but there was no change at all in health, strength, and agility.
Still, the fortunate thing was that all three skills had leveled up? I didn’t feel bad about the sense of growth.
I closed the status window and flopped down on the hospital bed.
“I wonder if Choi Yu-il and those three are okay…”
I couldn’t check if their Four Pillars had changed again. I should contact them later and take a look.
By the way…
“Who brought me here?”
Suddenly, I heard the sound of the hospital room door opening.
Creak.
“Sister’s here!”
A cheerful voice. It was Sister Yu-kyung.
“Good thing you woke up quickly! It’s been about half a day.”
“Ah…”
I looked toward the door in bewilderment.
Yu-kyung was walking toward the hospital bed with a smile.
Yu-kyung, who had pushed her pale platinum hair behind her ear and stood in front of me, lifted one of my eyelids.
…Lifted it?
“Mm. You look fine. Doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong?”
“Ack!”
When Yu-kyung let go, my eye immediately started stinging. Tears even welled up a little.
“Ugh…”
Her aggressive personality hadn’t changed at all. I clutched one eye.
Ah really, who checks a patient’s condition like that? Yu-kyung said nonchalantly.
“I heard all the news. It’s fortunate that you don’t seem to be seriously injured.”
“I’m fine… Choi Yu-il is the problem. How is he? Did he die?”
“Yeah. He’s sleeping like the dead.”
“What a shame.”
I joked lightly.
Well, after getting hurt that badly, if he woke up already, he wouldn’t be human.
“Hmm, then. What about the others…?”
“Everyone’s fine. Hardly any injuries. But…”
Yu-kyung’s expression turned bitter. She seemed to be thinking about the Hunters who lost their lives.
“We have to hold funerals.”
I couldn’t find words to add and could only lower my gaze.
Even though these were deaths of people I’d never met, the shock of witnessing them up close was quite significant.
Yu-kyung changed the mood. She smiled lightly and crossed her arms.
“I watched everything, even Hae-dam going into the Dungeon. I’ve lived too long.”
She even wiped away tears as if she was proud. I couldn’t tell if she was a friend’s sister or a mother…
Still, it was a familiar sight I’d seen since childhood, so it wasn’t that awkward.
I sheepishly raised the corners of my mouth and straightened my posture.
“How did I get here?”
“They said you suddenly collapsed. Our Office Staff rushed you here. This is a Hospital sponsored by Eden. It mainly handles treatment for Hunters.”
Yu-kyung sat in the chair that had been prepared beside the Hospital Bed.
“Anyway. You seem to have recovered quite a bit, so let me ask you something now.”
“Ah, yes.”
“…Why did you enter that Dungeon? I thought you’d go to the Association alone to register or something… You don’t know how shocked I was when I got the report.”
Yu-kyung asked with worried eyes.
Well, someone who had just awakened entered a Dungeon without permission. It was natural to be curious about the reason.
“…”
…But what should I explain?
‘The tiger sitting on my head controlled me…’
No, that’s not it.
‘So, I can see people’s fates with my eyes…’
I’d sound like a crazy person.
‘I’m a Shaman, you know? Some kind of energy…’
Right. This is it.
“Ahem. Well. Since I’m a Shaman, you know? I felt some kind of ominous energy at that Entrance. It was so strong that I ended up going in without realizing it.”
At least it wasn’t a lie. It was the truth.
“Hmm… I see. That could happen. Do you have a Detection Skill?”
“Haha…”
Sharp as always.
Yu-kyung tilted her head and pondered. Then, not long after, she seemed to understand and didn’t ask any more questions.
I let out a small sigh of relief. Talking about seeing other people’s Status Windows probably wouldn’t be good if it got out.
“Originally, if you’re not part of a Priority Guild or aren’t registered as a Hunter, entering a Dungeon is illegal, you know?”
When Yu-kyung spoke seriously, I got a little nervous.
However, Yu-kyung soon smiled mischievously and ruffled my hair.
“But who am I? I can handle this much within my authority. You worked hard.”
“Not at all. It was nothing…”
“Yesterday’s thing. It was a Zombie Dungeon, right? Resolving a Zombie Dungeon without a Dungeon break is extremely rare. Even if your attributes happened to match, it’s really amazing.”
I sheepishly scratched the back of my head.
Since I rarely received praise from others since childhood, my reaction was a bit broken.
“And…”
Yu-kyung put her arm around my shoulder.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“That was what I most wanted to say. If it weren’t for you, I might never have seen Yu-il again.”
Yu-kyung smiled gently. It was a smile filled with sincerity.
Even if they bicker and fight every day, family is ultimately like that.
“Oh, right. I’ll give you this.”
The warm atmosphere was brief as something was placed on my hand. It was a white pouch.
‘What is this?’
I lightly pulled the string.
“…!”
Inside were two Magic Stones. They were from the mid-Boss and Boss Monster.
A mysterious light rippled inside the pouch.
‘When I woke up and didn’t see them, I thought they’d been returned.’
Who would have thought it would multiply into two and appear. Yu-kyung said in a pleased tone.
“Congratulations on becoming a Hunter. The work is tough, but the rewards definitely follow.”
“Is this a congratulatory gift?”
“Eh? That’s just yours. I’ll give you my gift separately.”
“Thank you, sis.”
Good. I pulled the string again to close the pouch. Holding the magic stone in my hand outside the dungeon really made it feel real.
‘…I’m really a Hunter now too.’
The days when fortune-teller Hunters stole my livelihood and I spent nights in tears seemed like a distant past.
After receiving my thanks, Yu-kyung stood up as if she was about to leave the hospital room. Then she said casually,
“I’ll take your shaman robes to your house. They were too burnt to fix, sorry.”
“You could just throw them away…”
I won’t have any use for them in the future anyway…
“Hae-dam.”
Yu-kyung smiled cheerfully as if she knew everything.
“Those are your grandfather’s keepsake.”
“…”
I pressed my lips tightly together.
I should say thank you, but the words just circled around in my mouth without being able to come out.
* * *
Among the items Yu-kyung had put in the drawer, there were also some clothes. The notable thing was that they were daily hanbok.
Of course, that wasn’t a problem for me. This was my sister accommodating my taste.
I immediately took off the patient gown and put on black pants and a short-sleeved shirt, then slipped on the outer garment. I liked the comfortable texture.
“Should I go to the Association now?”
Since Choi Yu-il was hospitalized, it seemed I’d have to go register alone.
Step.
I left the hospital room and walked down the hospital corridor.
Perhaps because it was a Hunter Hospital, unlike ordinary hospitals, I could see patients with colorful IV drips.
“Huh?”
Then a familiar hair color caught my eye. Or should I say “became familiar”?
Sky-blue hair was running around here and there in the corridor.
“Baek Kyul?”
“Oh, sir!”
“What are you doing?”
It was a reflexive question.
My comrade who shared life and death with me, Baek Kyul, saw me and made a screeching sound like brakes being applied as he stopped.
“Weren’t you a middle schooler?”
“…? That’s right.”
At his nonchalant answer, I looked Baek Kyul up and down. What he was wearing was a white doctor’s coat.
It looked like a middle schooler had stolen a doctor’s outfit, but no one was stopping him.
Moreover, the ID card hanging around his neck proudly displayed Baek Kyul’s photo.
“Ah, they said you were unregistered and it’s real. This coat is really mine.”
“…?”
“I’m an A-grade healer! Age is just a number.”
Baek Kyul said proudly.
Right, that could be possible. I was a shaman too, so a middle schooler could be a doctor… I guess.
But more than that.
“We returned yesterday.”
“Right. But I don’t have any major injuries. Healers are always short-staffed.”
Then he shrugged his shoulders.
“What about sleep?”
“I can last 5 days without sleep.”
“What kind of crazy…”
Hey, isn’t this a violation of labor standards law? Doesn’t it violate child and youth protection laws or something?
I made a bewildered expression. However, Baek Kyul didn’t seem to understand what the problem was.
‘This is ridiculous.’
A middle schooler working without sleep…
“…Shouldn’t you rest a bit?”
“What for. I need to make money.”
Baek Kyul answered with a slight laugh.
“Sir, sorry but I’m super busy. Let’s talk later. Take care.”
“Wait…”
Baek Kyul ran past me like that.
‘Oh right.’
Pushing aside my complicated thoughts, I looked at Baek Kyul’s running back and activated my Spiritual Sight.
I needed to check if his Four Pillars reading had changed again. It was good timing.
…Still, it was Wol-sal.
It was a divine star also called Go-cho-sal.
‘Why?’
Surely his Four Pillars reading should have changed.
If I hadn’t intervened, they would have all lost their lives in that zombie dungeon.
Since I had saved them, they should have returned to their original fate.
This situation meant only one thing.
The Four Pillars reading called Wol-sal was…
‘Originally Baek Kyul’s own Four Pillars reading.’
He was a child with a complicated fate.
You too.
Just as I had been.
* * *
“It’s hard to even register once…”
I arrived in front of the Association building. When I looked up, I could see a building that clearly screamed government office to anyone who saw it.
I thought Sister Yu-kyung might send someone to help me again, but surprisingly no one came.
Well, it was awkward, but.
‘I’m not too young to handle this kind of thing alone.’
I scratched my cheek.
“Should I just go in and say I came to register?”
Hmm…
“Well, I don’t know.”
I started walking for now. When I reached the glass door and peeked inside…
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
FadedStringed
“Age is just a number.” This child is crazy 😭