Chapter 37: Terrorism (4)
Seonwoo-yeon lived a normal life.
It was the kind of life that wouldn’t even make the first line of a resume, raised under a strict father and a gentle mother.
However, Seonwoo-yeon was satisfied with her life.
She would wake up in the morning and go to school.
After finishing her studies, she would help her parents with their work.
Since her family ran a tea farm, she often found herself in the vast tea fields.
Seonwoo-yeon especially loved the green tea fields.
As twilight approached, she enjoyed the smell of roasted green tea that lingered on her hands after touching the young leaves all day.
“My daughter, don’t think about me, and just do what you want.”
Although she gave up on continuing the family business, not wanting her child to endure the hardships of farming.
In her younger days, Seonwoo-yeon still liked tea.
So that day, as soon as the weekend morning arrived, she was diligently helping her parents.
“Mom?”
That day from seven years ago still felt vivid.
Her mother’s wrinkled face beaming with a smile.
A monster darting away, biting her mother like a quick tiger.
Her father shouting at the monster.
For her mom’s sake, dad ran into that blindingly bright passage.
She was following behind.
“Dad!”
What should she have done back then?
Should she have stopped her parents from tending to the tea leaves until the weekend?
Or should she have stubbornly insisted that they abandon the field and escape somewhere far away together?
“……”
There was a deep hole in Seonwoo-yeon’s memory.
No matter how many times she tried to recall it, that fleeting moment eluded her.
When she finally opened her eyes,
the life she had loved with all her heart, her family, lay sprawled in a pool of blood inside the Gate…
“Mom.”
A globally occurring Dungeon Shock.
That day was the day Seonwoo-yeon awakened as a B-Class Hunter.
It was also the day that left an indelible scar.
Seonwoo-yeon no longer liked the green tea fields.
She no longer loved her life.
*
This is terrible.
Hik, heeek.
“Ms. Seonwoo-yeon, can you hear me?”
I thought having a B-Class Hunter meant we were safe, but who knew things would turn out like this?
Even at this moment, Seonwoo-yeon couldn’t stop breathing and was engulfed in anxiety, and Kim Gi-ryeo thought,
‘If I can’t calm her down, we’re all dead.’
We can’t abandon the B-Class Hunter like this.
Among everyone present, only Seonwoo-yeon could face the monsters from the B-Class Gate.
“Huuh.”
Determined, Kim Gi-ryeo decided to act.
First, he aimed to save the poor mage who was being overworked.
“Ms. Seonwoo-yeon! Stop breathing through your mouth.”
Huh?!
“Breathe out slowly through your nose, stay calm!”
Thump.
Kim Gi-ryeo firmly grabbed her shoulder. Showing his finger, he repeatedly instructed,
“Take a deep breath to fill your lungs. Now, I’ll count to four, so slowly!”
To be honest, it was half a life-threatening act.
If Seonwoo-yeon felt threatened by this and retaliated, his arm bone would be shattered in an instant…
‘I’m scared to death. I really don’t want to see Kim Gi-ryeo’s breakdown show.’
Fortunately, the situation he feared did not unfold.
Seonwoo-yeon, flustered, grabbed her clothing and soon regained a normal breathing rhythm after following Gi-ryeo’s counting.
“Have you calmed down?”
Kim Gi-ryeo cautiously let go of his hand and observed her expression.
She was still pale, but communication seemed possible now.
“Now that you’ve calmed down, listen carefully. This is a B-Class Gate.”
“……”
“However, that police officer is D-Class, and I’m F-Class, meaning you’re the only one who can effectively hunt the monsters!”
Kim Gi-ryeo conveyed the fact that she was their only hope.
That made Seonwoo-yeon shake her head as tears welled up.
“I can’t do it. I can’t!”
“No, why can’t you? You were hunting just fine outside. Like a Beginner Killer, right?”
“That’s because it’s C-Class! I’ve never fought against monsters of the same rank!”
This situation is worse than I thought.
“Can’t you just let Kim Gi-ryeo help? Please.”
“Seonwoo-yeon Hunter, stay calm. I’m F-Class.”
“Is that what you say after coming all the way here? What are you saying to me? Help me! Please!”
Seonwoo-yeon began to raise her voice in anger.
She resented Gi-ryeo for not resolving the situation.
What was the point of calling him in the first place?
As mentioned earlier, it’s conventional not to involve an Appraiser in a dangerous scene.
However, Kim Gi-ryeo was suspected of being a rank-disguised intruder in high-level Gates.
Seonwoo-yeon thought he was hiding his abilities. So she had summoned him here hoping to get help in an emergency.
‘No, why doesn’t he believe that after reassessing my awakening, I’m still only F-Class?’
But Kim Gi-ryeo was just as bewildered.
After all, she was indeed a low-grade Awakened.
Therefore, all he could do was calmly explain the situation.
This Gate had very few monsters, and if he stayed nearby to assist her, she could certainly succeed in the raid.
“Ugh…!”
However, despite his efforts, her attitude did not change.
“You know this! I can only use Seocher! What do you expect me to do with that?”
As she shouted this, silent tears streamed down her face.
Unfortunately, Gi-ryeo was unmoved by her emotional turmoil.
He became angry instead.
“Can you really not do it? If you don’t step up, everyone here will die!”
“I can’t do it.”
“No, you can!”
“I can’t, I can’t! I can’t!”
Because this Earthling was currently telling a significant lie.
‘If I just sit here like this, I’ll die too.’
Right now, there were no enemies near the lakeside, but if even a single B-Class monster showed up, it would be the end for them!
The fear of death blinded him just as much.
‘What the heck is wrong with her?’
So, in frustration over Seonwoo-yeon’s futile behavior, Gi-ryeo gripped her shoulders and shouted,
“Snap out of it, Seonwoo-yeon! You didn’t awaken as Seocher!”
“……!”
“Your true awakening type is wind attribute. Am I wrong?”
At those words, Seonwoo-yeon’s eyes widened, and she held her breath.
Right. It’s true.
“Where on a planet with such thick atmosphere could there be an Awakened as powerful as you!”
This human had hidden her innate attributes all along.
She was a naturally born aerial manipulation mage from the core of her being!
Kim Gi-ryeo had known this since their first meeting, but he felt there was no need to mention it until now, so he had kept silent.
“How do you know that…!”
But Seonwoo-yeon’s reaction was not what he expected.
“I… I’ve never lied!”
“What?!”
“I can’t use the skill! My awakening ability doesn’t trigger!”
The B-Class Hunter’s pale face was streaked with tears.
“It was the wind-using monster that killed my parents.”
“…!”
“If I try to use a skill, it reminds me of that moment, and I can’t activate any technique… I really can’t use it.”
Oh my God.
‘There haven’t been any cases like this in my hometown.’
Gi-ryeo froze at those words.
To think that magic wouldn’t come out at all due to emotional issues. Truly a characteristic of a primitive mage who had just awoken to magic.
After a moment of thought, Kim Gi-ryeo knelt down on one knee. He locked eyes with the B-Class Hunter.
“Seonwoo-yeon Hunter.”
His once casual tone from earlier had vanished.
“I see no physical issues with you. That means you can use your awakening ability whenever you decide to.”
Seonwoo-yeon was the key player in this Gate raid. He had to persuade her.
“If you restore your skill, you’ll easily be able to kill the monsters in this Gate.”
“…”
“You’re the strongest Hunter among Awakened of the same class. We can survive this place! Trust me.”
His voice was unwavering.
Still, Seonwoo-yeon couldn’t easily change her attitude because of the thoughts flashing through her mind.
‘Is Kim Gi-ryeo a trustworthy Hunter?’
She thought the answer to that question was ‘no.’
‘Why is he just standing by in this situation when he’s not just a simple F-Class Hunter?’
It was at that moment.
“Huh!”
“Kyaaaah! Run away!”
A scream erupted from where the missing persons were gathered.
Looking up urgently, a monster was flying out from the dark cave.
“Huh!”
A damp cave. A massive beast with its wings spread wide.
It was exactly like the accident from her past. She felt paralyzed.
“Ms. Seonwoo-yeon, run away! Hey, run away already!”
Meanwhile, Kim Gi-ryeo shook the frozen Seonwoo-yeon a few times before giving up.
‘Tch, those who are alive should survive. There’s no other way.’
But the problem was that the monster in this Gate had cunning behavioral patterns.
“Huh?”
It wouldn’t recklessly attack a strong opponent, but would first hunt weak prey.
‘Why is it coming for me, leaving a delectable B-Class Hunter behind?’
A gray-scaled, one-eyed monster swooped in.
He fled as fast as he could, but the distance to the monster was narrowing.
Finally, cornered, Gi-ryeo shouted one last plea.
“Seonwoo-yeon Hunter! Please help me!”
She fell into a panic and couldn’t hear his voice.
But the scene that unfolded right after brought her consciousness explosively to the surface.
“Kuk!”
Blood splattered in the air.
The flying monster pierced the man’s shoulder with its hook-like tail.
Even from this distance, she could vividly hear the sound of his scapula breaking.
“Gi…”
At that moment, Seonwoo-yeon suddenly had one intense thought.
“Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter.”
What is happening?
“Gi-ryeo!”
Could it be that man really was weak?
Confusion began to engulf her.
Just a moment ago, she had been scrutinizing his previous actions, full of tangled doubts, but the fresh red blood spilling from Gi-ryeo’s body was enough to cast all those suspicions aside.
Seonwoo-yeon stood in shock and began to rise.
However, Kim Gi-ryeo was already being lifted high by the monster’s hook.
“Oh, oh no.”
If this continued, that monster would escape with its meal.
It would then brutally kill him deep in its cave.
Just like those she loved had been killed.
‘Stop it.’
The horrific scene from that day reoverlayed with reality.
Seonwoo-yeon dashed towards the monster without hesitation.
A burning pain swelled explosively in her chest.
“Please, stop!”
This wasn’t merely pain.
It was the backlash caused when her condensed mana interacted with the exposed atmosphere.
In other words, Seonwoo-yeon was so shocked by the situation unfolding before her that she unconsciously cast magic.
If she could go back to that day seven years ago, she would use the very ability she wished to wield to protect her parents.
“Kreek?”
A gust of wind blew from somewhere.
“Kaaah!”
The flow of air sharpened into claws, slicing through the beast’s armor-like scales like paper.
The B-Class monster was brutally torn apart, meeting a gruesome end.
But Seonwoo-yeon couldn’t afford to check it.
She rushed forward because Kim Gi-ryeo was falling down.
