Chapter 328. From Today, the Isekai Munchkin Hunter (2)
“Achoo!”
By the way, it’s already a season change.
As the alien creature basked in the rising morning sun and looked down on Earth, it thought.
This time, the thought that arose was different from the evaluations he had been recording in his notebook so far.
‘The food at this hospital is too bland. Should I schedule to eat out for lunch today?’
Surely the solar system he had settled in was a place where the proverb “After dinner comes sightseeing” was well known.
But worrying about food in a situation where complete annihilation was at hand? That seemed a bit much.
The alien, wrapped in blond leather, continued to ponder wildly, thinking of concepts that would give Earth natives a heart attack.
Meanwhile, as he contemplated on the rooftop railing.
At a similar time, some of the subjects of that notebook were facing special troubles.
*
A few hours earlier.
Exactly 8 hours and 13 minutes before that blond alien bought a spring notebook at the convenience store in front of the hospital.
“Hhhhp!”
“Esther Hunter, would you like a handkerchief?”
Drrr.
Suddenly, the sliding door moved down the white hallway.
This was due to several people hurriedly leaving the room they had entered.
Room 301, located on the top floor, was the most private hospital room for big shots like corporate chairpersons, filled with a subtle floral scent.
At that moment, it was when the temporary owner of that grand room, the patient, had shouted for everyone to get out.
‘Is it a curse to be a guest as soon as I arrive….’
Jeong Ha-seong. Seo Esther.
Seeing the number one in Korea’s hunting industry and the head of the giant guild unceremoniously expelled felt somewhat ridiculous.
They probably were called VIPs somewhere.
Gu Seo-hyeong, who had been chased out of the hospital room, stepped into the hallway and looked around dejectedly.
But what could he do?
‘Looks like he really is sick. Gi-ryeo doesn’t usually get that angry.’
Even if the one in the hospital room wasn’t a great hunter (Kim Gi-ryeo), the status of visitors is always dictated by the patient’s words.
So, the three people present, including an enchanter, sensed that it was best to follow the patient’s wishes for now.
“Excuse me, Seo-hyeong…”
“Yes, yes. Mr. Seo.”
“Excuse me, but due to the earlier talk, may I ask you a quick question?”
However, Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t say they couldn’t chat on their way home.
“To be clear, I heard through the grapevine about your friendship while handling the Go Byeong-do matter in the past. So let’s set that aside for now, what exactly was the story you just shared?”
“What?”
“Memory… loss? So, Gi-ryeo has amnesia?”
“Oh, that….”
“I’m surprised enough that he was brought in by ambulance! Now he’s having symptoms fit for a drama.”
“Please calm down.”
The expelled Awakened ones made their way to the elevator at the end of the hallway and began their chit-chat.
“From your reaction, it seems Hunter-like Esther didn’t know about this?”
“Hah…”
“Did you completely hear for the first time that Gi-ryeo got injured badly enough during work to lose his memory?”
“Yep!”
“I thought he would’ve told me about it since he sees industry insiders more often than me….”
In the midst of that conversation, a short sigh escapes.
“But what if I guessed wrong? What if this was something he desperately wanted to hide?”
While Ahn Yoon-seung, the last one remaining, lingered by the patient’s bed.
By now, the three Awakened had arrived at the elevator.
“It’s okay.”
Leading the conversation was Esther.
“After all, Gi-ryeo isn’t the type to harshly criticize a classmate for a slip of the tongue.”
“Hmm.”
“It’s understandable if he wanted to keep secrets, not wanting to show weakness as a hunter. But let’s be honest, in a situation like this, what does amnesia even matter?”
“‘What does amnesia matter?’”
“Something significant must have happened.”
For reference, the current matter refers to the CT scan incident involving Kim Gi-ryeo’s lung; on top of that, this S-Class hunter was present when that secret was revealed.
Ha-seong and Esther’s expressions darkened.
‘Is the lung issue we heard in the hospital a concern?’
Noticing their complexions, Seo-hyeong refrained from digging further into the identity of the unknown incident, instead choosing silence.
But no matter how much he wished to keep his observations subtle, he couldn’t avoid this action if they were going back to the hospital’s ground floor.
Dding.
At the end of the hallway, Gu Seo-hyeong pressed the round button on the wall and waited.
Before long, a softly humming elevator arrived.
“Hmm?”
Now they just had to ride it back home…
“Not getting on?”
It was the moment a round-glasses-wearing figure stepped inside.
For some reason, the other two were frozen in place.
Gu Seo-hyeong glanced at his unmoving companions while holding the elevator door’s open button.
‘Gi-ryeo is the patient.’
But even when the enchanter inquired about joining, silence reigned for a while.
‘And how unfortunate that he’s dealing with such a difficult problem.’
Like the opening thought, some characters at that time were still caught in a whirlwind of shock.
Notably, Esther was among them.
To what extent? Even she, who usually acted with quick agility, was momentarily lost in thought before the arriving elevator.
‘Oh my goodness…’
Wasn’t this some unfair situation?
In that brief moment, Esther contemplated.
Honestly, this world has enough rotten things that deserve to die.
Yet, of all those options, why was it Kim Gi-ryeo’s crisis that struck her?
Replaying the situation in her mind made tears well up in her eyes again.
‘He’s really a great hunter.’
Yet in the midst of this, another feeling she felt was…
‘What would this industry do without that guy?’
Ironically, it was surprise.
It was a little embarrassing to reveal to others.
But truthfully, Esther had never felt so sad for someone else’s misfortune before.
The master of the Magic Tower had been dealing with high-ranking criminals for several years and had genuinely cared about citizens’ safety.
Still, all those actions stemmed from twisted ideology.
Moreover, the source of her benevolence was surprisingly easy to explain.
‘Ah… How could there be such a thing in the world?’
In fact, Seo Esther was an awakening supremacist.
To go into detail, she’d believed that superhumans were superior beings since the Northern Mariana Islands’ False Aurora observation period (where strange rays of light appeared without spatial continuity at the early peak of Dungeon Shock) — the year mana’s existence was not yet revealed in this world.
A superpower user is, fundamentally, a superior species.
It was because such thoughts underpinned her beliefs that she was always kind to citizens.
Of course, the ideology of awakening supremacy would be plainly criticized by anyone.
Who, if not me (an Awakened), would protect these weak, unlucky, useless beings?!
With such a firm personal doctrine, ironically, Esther took good care of non-Awakened individuals.
Giving much.
Moreover, the fact that she had intimidated the former Hunter Association president, Go Byeong-do, into stepping down with her skills stemmed from that arrogance.
After all, as a substantial predator, when she finally lowered her stance and treated him nicely, how dare he try to rise against us (the Awakened)?
While it’s not entirely accurate, she felt such grievances towards Go Byeong-do, which allowed her to be even more resentful.
Logically speaking, without that aspect, an ordinary person would not engage in violence against another.
In summary, it could be said that the 20-something female was not exactly a very sympathetic type.
“Hah.”
And yet, with such an emotionally deficient personality, the day she would suddenly cry had come.
“……”
Just before taking her step, Esther paused for a moment again.
Previously, she had thought of S-Class Kim Gi-ryeo as ‘still a bit awkward’ or ‘honestly, the relationship seems a bit odd to be called close’ and so on…
But perhaps in her heart, she had regarded Kim Gi-ryeo as somewhat special?
Or was her underhanded flattery—trying to cement ties with a strong Awakened—now backfiring?
‘Now I’m starting to feel angry too.’
Whatever the truth, reactions from the Curse Mage’s side remained the same.
‘I’m still so young; why do I have to think about the funeral subsidy for someone I know.’
What a shocking situation for her.
Even though she had covertly anticipated such events, she couldn’t maintain her calm.
Drrr.
I wonder how surprised they were to see Kim Gi-ryeo coughing up blood for the first time…
“Mr. Seo?”
Since the D-Class Awakened had pushed the open button, the machine’s door was about to close.
Esther set aside her rising anxieties and moved her feet.
She joined the elevator before the overly timid enchanter had time to hesitate.
“Excuse me! I got lost in thought for a moment. I’ve been swamped with so much today…”
As the head of the Korean Magic Tower began to move, the man in white standing behind her silently entered as well.
When the door closed, the elevator panel displayed a number close to one.
There was a brief hesitation, but after that, there was no interruption in their conversation until they reached the lobby.
Only Esther exchanged a few words with Gu Seo-hyeong to firm up her conviction.
‘A robust adult who seemed unaffected by anemia suddenly bled profusely from the nose in the hallway…’
At this moment, the heroic figure in the corner of the elevator kept quiet.
‘The scariest thing in this world is brain-related diseases. What would it feel like to suddenly lose your memory at such a young age that you can’t even remember your own name?’
Naturally, the two people in front were not really interested in whether the number one was quietly present.
‘And Kim Gi-ryeo, having had that kind of injury, what guts does he have to return to the hunting industry? If it were me, I’d be terrified of everything.’
The conversation continued.
“… So, let’s start wrapping up the bad news. Uh, by the way, how did you get to this hospital, Seo-hyeong?”
“By my own car.”
“Did you drive yourself?”
“No, unfortunately, I’m terrible at driving. I always go with my bodyguard.”
“Then where’s the bodyguard now?”
“Right out in front of the first floor. This elevator directly connects to the VIP floor, so the hospital insists that visitors get a permit one by one, making it kind of tricky…”
“Hmm?”
“…But thinking about it, S-Class individuals’ faces serve as their ID, so they probably wouldn’t have gone through that process.”
For those with low magic levels but rare abilities, the enchanter’s safety issues are certainly major.
Following suit, the head of the Magic Tower stood protectively next to the relatively weaker Gu Seo-hyeong.
Ding.
But according to the enchanter himself, he said they had adequate security personnel accompanying him.
To pursue any further would just be nosy.
“First floor.”
The group crossed the significant distance of the elevator and soon reached their destination.
However, due to the nature of the place, there were always plenty of ordinary people in the hospital.
Gu Seo-hyeong vanished into the parking lot with the waiting security team on the first floor.
Esther, stating she still had many things to handle regarding the Beast incident, moved on.
And of course, the quiet number one Awakened would follow suit, almost drastically in demeanor.
The few superhumans who had gathered in a narrow space dispersed quickly, worried for the burden they would put on senior citizens.
“Ah! Chief Guild Master, have you finished your hospital visit?”
“Yep~ But I still have work to do. The chief told me to come quickly.”
“Sure. Hop in; I’ll take you right away.”
“Phew.”
Yet despite returning to familiar surroundings, a lingering feeling of unease lingered.
The solemn-eyed Awakened, Esther, settled into the front passenger seat of the car driven by her secretary.
And as she closed her eyelids, she secretly admitted.
‘Looks like I unexpectedly grew fond of that hunter~’
Thus, she found herself concerned about someone else’s physical condition.
——————=
[◎How can I assist you?]
Your recent search list:
: Awakeners and Cancer
: A case involving mana point awakening and…
——————=
I hope the fourth S-Class gets treated soon.
Based on that thought, she began various searches on her phone.
With her exceptional skills in English and Japanese, Esther read materials from various countries that appeared on her screen.
However, the content of the posts did not deviate greatly from expectations.
‘All it says is that hunters are done for if they get terminally ill…’
She wondered if anything would differ based on the timing of awakening. But, might this be proof that one shouldn’t search for symptoms online?
‘What a waste to look.’
Seventeen-year-old Jang Mo.
Due to awakening, the target treatment drug he was prescribed stopped working, and he died.
Twenty-nine-year-old Namgoong Mo.
In this case, he thought he was completely healthy when a dormant pancreatic mass was discovered late, leading to death as well.
Superhumans primarily emerged among the youth demographic.
And, the cancer rates were significantly higher only for those aged 50 and over.
Thus, cases of awakened cancer patients in the country were so rare they were practically nonexistent.
However.
‘Though still just a hypothesis, it suggests that Awakened individuals don’t get colds and have abnormally strong immune systems, meaning cancer cells have a lower chance of developing into diseases…? No, but that’s useless for someone who’s already symptomatic!’
The real issue is that every single case reported has ended in death.
No matter how much one searched, modern medicine seems unable to resolve humanity’s long-standing enemy when intertwined with this ability.
So, despairing, Esther started typing out the word that was the last hope for every patient.
[Elixir]
Mainly pursued via alchemy in the medieval era.
Furthermore, in today’s context, made famous as a dungeon item name.
‘Hmm.’
Elixir, or elixir.
And at that moment, as the head of the Magic Tower recalled a specific expression.
In this city, at a similar point in time, someone resembling her was falling into a similar plight.
‘What if that item exists?’
A certain 20-something male was contemplating, eventually arriving at the same drug name.
The country’s highest-ranked hunter and practically the representative of S-Class Awakened worldwide.
‘No, but now calling for an elixir…’
With so much at stake, he remained the only one who had not received forewarning of disaster when compared to Gu Seo-hyeong and Esther.
That is, the only individual who had never witnessed Kim Gi-ryeo’s abnormal bleeding.
