The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log - Chapter 71

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 71

It was by a hair’s breadth.

And contrary to being tense, Hana’s body very lightly crossed over the crevasse and landed softly on the intact ground on the other side.

‘Did I… make it?’

When solid ground touched beneath her feet, Hana slightly opened one eye.

And seeing intact ground spread around her, she let out a sigh of relief while simultaneously.

Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the ground.

“Whew, I really thought I was going to die.”

Gradually regulating her breathing and regaining composure, Hana looked back toward the direction she had jumped from.

And her eyes widened in surprise.

She had thought she barely made it across by the skin of her teeth.

Barely, my foot.

Between the crevasse and herself was a much more generous distance than she had thought.

“…Huh?”

She had definitely just squeezed her eyes shut and jumped recklessly.

But looking at the actual result, it was a surprisingly clean landing. Even while holding Popcon in her arms.

Hana alternately looked down at her legs and the width of the crevasse.

What was this. Was this the result of practical muscles trained through farm work?

The corners of Hana’s mouth slowly rose.

“I’m kind of… amazing, aren’t I?”

This actually worked.

Come to think of it, in the Simulation Room and afterwards too.

Her body often moved quite smoothly for someone in the production category.

Hana reflected on that fact anew.

At the time, she had just thought it was strange. Maybe it was because some memories had returned.

She wondered if this was muscle memory or something like that.

In the memories she saw in dreams, she was also good at shooting guns and such.

“Maybe I originally had exceptional athletic abilities?”

At this point, her curiosity about her lost memories grew more and more. Along with it, her desire to recover those memories steadily grew as well.

“Maybe I was really an incredible ability user…?”

Just as Hana’s nose was about to rise smugly.

As if to say “not a chance,” a sudden gust of wind blew and her scarf fluttered away.

“Ah! My scarf!”

Hana jumped up and tried to catch her scarf.

Of all directions, it had flown toward the crevasse she had just crossed.

Fortunately, the scarf dropped right in front of the gap.

As Hana went to pick it up, she casually looked down and was left speechless.

The crevasse was so deep that the bottom couldn’t be seen.

It felt like a deep darkness that even light couldn’t reach was gaping open.

If she had failed to jump across and fallen straight down—

“Ugh.”

Just the thought made her shudder, and Hana trembled all over.

Then Popcon in her arms also trembled along with her.

“Puheu.”

Finding that cute, Hana finally burst into laughter.

“Why are you trembling along with me?”

After gently scratching Popcon’s chin, Hana securely tied her scarf back on and looked around.

“How do I find the other people?”

Seriously, what kind of place is this.

No matter where she looked, she couldn’t even gauge the direction.

She couldn’t even spot a single strawberry.

All she could see was snow, snow, snow.

Nothing but snow.

“I didn’t know the explanation about easily getting lost meant something like this.”

But rather than being discouraged, Hana actually puffed out her chest proudly.

“I knew this would happen, so I prepared something.”

Specifically, the Antarctic documentary she had watched at Kang Hyeon’s penthouse a few days ago was still fresh in her mind.

It had taught survival tips on how to find direction.

Actually, she hadn’t known to watch it beforehand—it was purely coincidental.

But so what.

Good is good.

However, Hana’s confidence didn’t last long.

“A compass! …I don’t have one. In situations like this, you’re supposed to use the sun to determine direction?”

Recalling the documentary’s narration, Hana looked up at the sky.

Ah. Right. This is the White Night Zone.

“In cases like this, you use a stick’s shadow… Ugh. When would I have time to do that?”

Remembering the narrator’s comment about needing to check at intervals of several hours, Hana quickly gave up on this method.

“What should I do? Should I spit and use that to determine direction?”

It was nonsensical talk. Just her mouth moving on its own.

But somehow a pitying light seemed to flash in Popcon’s black bean-like eyes.

“Hey, no way.”

Hana chuckled and lifted Popcon up high.

“Our Popcon wouldn’t look at me like that, would you?”

“…”

Popcon remained silent as always.

Just speaking with its eyes.

What kind of nonsensical solution was she proposing?

“…Popcon.”

Hana asked quietly.

“Am I pathetic?”

Then an answer came from an unexpected source instead of Popcon.

Ding!

Along with that familiar notification sound.

【SYSTEM】

【’Sweet Corn Sprout’ has high intelligence even among monsters!】

【So there’s a high possibility it found the user’s earlier thought pathetic! ᡣ(】〰【๑)】

…Could you not hit me in the bones so refreshingly unnecessarily?

“Hey, as if I would use such primitive methods. Ahaha! …Ha.”

Hana, who had been laughing awkwardly, suddenly brightened up.

This time, a truly productive method had occurred to her.

Hana lifted Popcon up a bit higher.

“Come to think of it, Popcon, you can detect artificial gate cores, right?”

“Kyang?”

Right. That was it.

Seo Ganghyeon would somehow head toward the core, so if she went there, she figured she’d meet him.

After all, the other hunters would have no choice but to go there to clear the gate anyway.

“Good.”

Hana nodded.

“If I don’t have a compass, I can use Popcon.”

When you don’t have teeth, use your gums.

Thus, Hana’s destination was decided.

“Alright, Popcon navigation. Let’s go!”

“Squawk!”

And so Hana began moving while holding Popcon, following the direction where the core’s energy felt more intense.

* * *

How long had they walked like that?

Hana entered an area right next to the snowy mountain.

“The distance where the core is detected is getting closer and closer. Are we almost there?”

Hana’s expression brightened noticeably as she walked while looking around.

“Oh! Strawberries!”

Next to a snow mound piled up ahead, plump strawberries were clustered together.

Hana temporarily set Popcon down and approached the strawberries.

“Whoa, finally found them. Really, if these could just be cultivated outside, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.”

Hana reached out toward the strawberries with a moved heart.

However, worried that touching them wrong might cause the ground to crack again, she couldn’t readily pick them and tried to examine the surrounding terrain first.

Something white and fluffy popped out from behind the snow mound.

“Hmm?”

Thinking it might be a new monster, Hana’s body tensed and contracted momentarily.

But the moment she recognized that the twitching white objects were ears, her strength drained away.

“What, it’s just a Snow Rabbit.”

But suddenly Hana’s eyebrows furrowed.

It was strange.

Seo Ganghyeon had definitely dealt with all the Snow Rabbits.

Then what was that?

The moment doubt crossed her mind.

The ears that had been sticking out from behind the snow pile shot up high.

And the body below followed up.

The rabbit stood up.

On two legs.

You might think rabbits can naturally stand on their hind legs, but this wasn’t at that level.

Hana’s jaw dropped at the rabbit’s muscles that were as bulky as Han Tae-ho’s.

Thud! Thud!

The ground shook heavily with each step the rabbit took.

【SYSTEM】

【’Snow Rabbit (Stage 2)’ has appeared.】

Hana doubted her own eyes.

That’s… a rabbit?

In what way?

And why doesn’t it ominously have a grade!

“No way. That’s a lie. How could something like that be a rabbit? Ahaha.”

Goosebumps rose on Hana’s neck as she waved her hands and laughed.

But even if she looked at it upside down, what was attached to that hideous thing’s head were rabbit ears. Cute and adorable ones.

“Kyu?”

A thick, low cry flowed from the rabbit as it tilted its head.

“Kyuuu?”

“Squawk! Squawk!”

Popcon, frightened by this, jumped up and nestled into her arms.

And almost simultaneously with that, boing.

The rabbit’s massive body rose into the air.

Does everyone know?

That a rabbit’s hind legs are much longer than its front legs.

And how good the propulsion power of those legs is.

Hana stared as if mesmerized at the rabbit floating in the air.

When the rabbit that had been floating for a while fell to the ground with a thud, the entire area shook.

Not just the ground, but even the snowy mountain next to it.

And from that impact, the snow that had settled like sugar on the snowy mountain came tumbling down.

That was the beginning.

The snow that had been piled on the mountain all collapsed at once.

“…This really can’t be happening.”

Hana muttered unconsciously.

Humanly speaking, they only give 3,500pt and there’s even an avalanche?

The lament was brief.

Hana immediately turned around and began running at full speed.

With a roar, a cloud-like avalanche came rushing from behind.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————