Kang Yeon-su and Choi Gang-han.
Excluding transcendent-level strong ones, these are the best of the best in our country.
“The front line should be fine. We just need to focus on our own stuff.”
“And I’ve also found out about the A-rank Hunter assigned to our team.”
“Ooh… who is it?”
“Her name is Shin Young-ah. She’s quite experienced in A-rank.”
“Shin Young-ah…? That dark circle?”
A vague image of Shin Young-ah floats in my mind.
An extremely gloomy atmosphere with slumped shoulders. Dark circles that look like she’s never gotten a good night’s sleep. Long, wavy hair that seems like it’s never been cut, always bringing the mood down with her pessimistic words.
I vaguely recall a time we once explored a dungeon together in my previous life.
She was quite peculiar, a freelance who couldn’t fit into any guild or party.
“As Yeon-young gets better, we end up with someone even worse. But her abilities are outstanding, so what can you do?”
I remember her as a typical supporter, casting a magic barrier that positively affects her teammates while casting powerful restraints on enemies. Her physical abilities were surprisingly good too.
“Well, our team isn’t exactly lacking in firepower. The combination itself isn’t bad.”
“I searched her up… Well, her reviews aren’t that great. She has excellent abilities, but the parties she was in always ended badly. There were plenty of deaths and disappearances, which makes others hesitant to party with her.”
“That’s a bit much…”
“In short, she has a hex on her.”
“Then… why would we have someone like that in our party? We’re the weakest rank, after all.”
“Apparently, the hunter who was supposed to lead our party had some sudden trouble, so they changed it up.”
“Last night, Yeon-su had called to apologize. But they say her abilities are truly impressive… and her leadership skills are excellent too.”
“Leadership skills…?”
“Ugh… What’s the point of good abilities? There must be a reason people are wary of her. It’s just bad luck. Seriously.”
“We, we have to step up. Right?”
“Yes, we can only rely on ourselves!”
“Let’s go!”
The overwhelming feeling that the hunter we depended on had significant flaws darkened our spirits from the start.
But I never intended to rely on the A-rank Hunter, so I wasn’t too worried.
While I was calmly crafting bone daggers, my companions regained their composure and focused again on Joo-ah’s briefing.
“And this is the typical appearance of the monsters…”
“Ugh – I thought they’d look like Ents. Not at all, right?”
“Appearance aside, just tell us the other information…”
Riding on the Sword Dragon, listening to my companions’ chatter, we quickly arrived at our destination.
Swoosh–
In a quiet clearing near the station, we could sense a strong presence nearby.
A pair of eyes peeked out cautiously from behind a wall.
Don’t look at us like you want us to notice; just come over and say hello…
She stared at us intently before shyly approaching and greeted us.
“… Hello….”
“…….”
Even if a close friend had a terminal illness, they wouldn’t look that gloomy…
With her bangs covering her face entirely, Shin Young-ah looked a lot more like a ghost than a maiden at this point.
“Of all things, she chose to dress all in white.”
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Baek Ah-rin!”
Shin Young-ah silently watches as my teammates greet her brightly.
Instead of answering, she pointed ahead, signaling us to move towards the gathering spot.
“How about if we ride on my summoned creature…”
“Ah… a Drake… so cool…”
[……]
It wasn’t until after Yeon-hee proposed it that she worried if the Sword Dragon wouldn’t let Shin Young-ah ride.
But the Sword Dragon didn’t show much resistance to her sitting on it, surprising considering how much trouble our companions had the first time.
“Ugh…”
Holding onto the thorns sprouting from the Sword Dragon’s back, Shin Young-ah crouched down tightly, eyes shut tight and trembling.
Seeing her as the leader of our team didn’t inspire much confidence, but she seemed unbothered by it.
“If you’re afraid of heights, just say you want to jump off… was that too much to ask?”
Afterward, we exchanged silent glances, sensing that our journey ahead wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
“We’re here.”
Not long after, we arrived at the gathering place where all the hunters participating in the hunt were converging.
“Wow—there are already this many people?”
“I guess some arrived early yesterday.”
Hundreds of hunters watched us as we descended from the sky.
Thanks to the Sword Dragon’s presence, many immediately recognized us.
– Oh, it’s Lee Yeon-hee. Over a year since she awakened, and she’s already at B-rank?
– They say she’s a genius, but I think otherwise. She’s just lucky to have the unique class. Have you seen her fight? She does nothing and leaves it all to her summons.
– Do you understand what it means to control all those summons one by one? So pathetic…
– Even so, it’s not like we’re just messing around. What can B-rank kids do anyway?
– She’s an A-rank Hunter who handles summons. Rank doesn’t matter. She’ll definitely help take out the outer area soldiers.
– I like that party. With Noh Ha-yoon and Lee Yeon-hee… it’s a literal flower garden, isn’t it? That bunny girl next to her is so cute!
– That’s not bunny ears; that’s a Rabbit Beastman, you idiot.
– Who would even want to deal with someone like you?
Various stories from humans reached my ears, but the most prominent was Choi Gang-han, the Association Head, conversing with high-ranking hunters near the podium.
An elegantly dressed elderly gentleman with immaculate silver hair.
In reality, he had surpassed his sixties; he was a true elder.
Standing at nearly 190 cm and wearing a perfectly fitted suit, he presented more of a model than a hunter.
His mere appearance made it hard to believe he used to bicker about money with Kang Yeon-su, but as soon as we landed, his intrigued gaze alternated between Yeon-hee and me.
‘In a different way, he’s impressive. He holds his aura well enough that you wouldn’t think he was an Awakened One…’
“Oh! The Examiner is also here.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap…”
And right beside Choi Gang-han was a familiar face—Maeng Seong-yong, known for his imposing physique.
‘Maeng Seong-yong…’
He was the examiner who had overseen our promotion twice.
He was also the one who proposed the Great Beast hunt and scouting for the association to Yeon-hee, showing he had some insight.
The Flame Mark I left on his shoulder still rested there, and his characteristic confident expression and bare upper body remained unchanged.
‘He’s walking around like that outside; he’s definitely not all there.’
When I first saw him, he had a presence that seemed impossible to surmount, but now I was starting to see a flicker of possibility.
Even if we were to fight right now, I didn’t feel like I’d be at a disadvantage, reflecting that I truly have made steep progress.
“Heh heh heh, you’re here early? Hmm? Is that kid the one who was with that Skeleton Guy before?”
Immediately discovering us, Maeng Seong-yong leaped down from the podium.
His physique was almost as impressive as an Orc fighter, causing my companions to instinctively hide behind me.
“Heh heh, I can see a few kids who passed my upgrade test. Let’s see if you can fight the Great Beast without pissing yourselves.”
Peeing──!
Suddenly, Maeng Seong-yong’s fiery presence spread across the area, and my companions, including Yeon-hee, instinctively enveloped themselves in magic to push back against the aura.
“Whoa— this is surprising. In just a few months you’ve all grown this much… It seems you’re not all normal either. If placed in extreme situations, interesting things will happen. Heh heh—”
‘As if you’re one to talk… you, who has also grown as much as us at your age.’
As he approached, I could particularly see Maeng Seong-yong’s combat power had noticeably increased.
According to Yeon-su, he had recently quit his examiner job to focus on TF activities and training, and it was said the Association Head was the one helping him train.
It seemed a successful one-on-one guidance, with his magical aura built up to such a degree it felt like it could explode at any moment.
However, Maeng Seong-yong gestured for Shin Young-ah, who was standing off at a distance as a third party, to come forward. She scurried over to stand in front and gave a shy smile.
“Young-ah, please take care of the kids.”
“Yes… don’t worry…”
‘Did they know each other?’
Maybe it was just my feeling, but Shin Young-ah’s gaze towards Maeng Seong-yong seemed unusual.
‘There’s probably a significant age gap…’
Receiving a passionate look from Shin Young-ah, Maeng Seong-yong soon got called back by the Association Head and left, while Shin Young-ah gazed at his back and muttered softly.
“What a beautiful body… chi mol… formalin… one day for sure…”
‘………’
It felt like I’d heard something I shouldn’t have, but when she met my gaze, Shin Young-ah showed me a coy smile, placing her finger on her lips.
‘There were a lot of deaths and disappearances among her previous party members…’
She was someone who hadn’t shown any issues while we formed a party.
Time to focus on reality and not get swayed by senseless rumors.
“There are a ton of people… it feels even more than the tournament.”
As time passed, more hunters gathered.
For some reason, we became pushed to the front.
[… Lastly, I wish everyone good luck.]
And the Association Head’s incredibly boring speech commenced.
Despite his gentle appearance, his lengthy, droning monologue was nothing but old-fashioned.
“Sigh— is he some elementary school principal or what?”
“I’m so sleepy.”
After dragging on in dullness, the actual mission was about to begin.
Teams 1 and 2 were set to depart first, and in front of the large gathering of Team 3 hunters stood a man.
“Solo action is strictly prohibited. Keep your groups tight at six per squad. Do not waste time chit-chatting with civilians. Our job is simply to take down the Great Beast’s soldiers. Think only of that. Leave the follow-up to the dedicated team.”
To my surprise, the leader of Team 3 was Maeng Seong-yong.
Considering how many more powerful hunters were in Team 3, this confirmed his standing even further within the Association.
‘He’s surprisingly politically savvy? What an interesting person.’
“As you approach the main body, your magic recovery rate will drop steadily. If you feel you cannot assist in battle, turn around calmly and retreat. We are not here to die.”
Maeng Seong-yong calmly announced the warnings.
Hunters are treated as national assets, and thinking about the future, it was a sensible stance to take.
‘We’re not here to die. That’s obvious.’
Teams 1 and 2 took off first, with Team 3 scheduled to follow thirty minutes later.
Following the path laid out by the top hunters, how sweetly convenient is this expedition?
“Team 3 consists of over two hundred squads. Including supply and follow-up teams, there’s over three thousand troops.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
“Really? It seems like fewer than I predicted. How many hunters do we have in our country?”
“Is that so?”
“If this plan goes wrong even once, it’ll truly be chaos.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
Joo-ah playfully hit Ha-yoon’s back, warning him.
I couldn’t help but feel Ha-yoon’s words were more than just a joke, and I kept glancing back.
‘Going wrong… It doesn’t necessarily have to be us.’
I was gradually solidifying the troubling thoughts in my head but tried to brush them aside.
‘Even if my theory is correct, I should believe in our country’s hunters. Uncle Joong-gil is here too, after all.’
[Five minutes until departure─!]
‘Hwa-ryeon has now arrived.’
The party led by Hwa-ryeon and Shin Hee-won arrived last, taking the rearmost position.
Hee-won waved at us when she spotted us.
Only Yeon-hee warmly responded to her.
‘Let’s just focus on our target. Contribution… As many soldiers as possible to save the civilians and earn our rewards. That’s all we need.’
I tried to simplify the goals and concentrate on them.
* * *
We took some delays due to personnel checks along the way, but we arrived slightly ahead of schedule at a fork in the road called ‘Duru-sum.’
In a world where traveling to other countries became extraordinarily difficult, everyone’s eyes sparkled as they took in the somewhat run-down scenery of North Korea.
“From here on out, we’ll be entering the Great Beast’s territory… cough cough— uh, we are… the lowest-ranked group, so… we’ll take a route that’s slightly further from the main body…”
Just saying a few words ended up taking a long time for Shin Young-ah.
Noh Ha-yoon, frustrated by her slow directives, looked like she was about to explode, while Ham Eun-young seemed quite intrigued to meet someone so similar to herself in disposition.
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