CH 14

Seo-ah tilted her head.

‘Did I hear it wrong? How could I…’

She looked at him quizzically. “Do you have a prophetic skill or something? No, how would it even be possible to kill you?”

How could an E-class healer such as herself, or even an S-class supporter, be able to kill someone with such monstrous abilities? And why would she do that?

“I’m not a prophet. But in any case, that future indeed exists.”

“Does that mean that there are many futures?”

Yoo Ji-an nodded. “That could be the case,” he said curtly, seemingly unwilling to divulge any more details.

“Still, why would I kill you… And why would you even want me around if that’s a possibility?”

“As I said, your hidden abilities are valuable.”

“But if you stay with me, you might die. I mean, I’m not saying I’m going to kill you, but it could be dangerous anyway.”

No matter how much she thought about it, the idea of her killing him was strange and impossible, but Yoo Ji-an’s attitude was even odder.

“I’m also curious. How are you going to kill me? Aren’t you intrigued too?”

“So you’re just curious?” Seo-ah silently doubted his mental state.

He only smiled in response, and it was so attractive that she shut up in turn.

‘It’s unfair for him to smile with that face.’

She quickly shook off her thoughts and returned to the matter at hand. “So, the reason why you sometimes look at me like that is related to that future you speak of.”

“It’s just an instinctual response to someone who might kill me. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Fine.”

She didn’t know if she really could avoid worrying about it, but at least she now knew where that eerie sensation was coming from.

Seo-ah moved on quickly, reading the rest of the text.

[ Inspiration: The strength and agility of anyone in contact increase by ten percent for five minutes. Can be applied to oneself as well. As the skill levels up, the percentage and duration will increase accordingly. ]

“It’s just as dangerous as it is useful. Don’t tell anyone about it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Except for me.”

“…Yes,” Seo-ah answered, though she was still thinking of telling Baek Eun-hee.

A knock.

“We’re coming in.”

Baek Eun-hee and Kang Soo-jung entered the room. The former, who had gone out to answer the phone, looked a little weary.

What was it that could make S-class hunters look like that? Was there a sudden gate?

“Hah, Seo Ah-hyun found out that I went to the D-class gate. Where in he world did he get his intel?”

It seemed that the deputy leader was the only one who could wear down Baek Eun-hee, as the person who actually operated and managed the Royal Guild.

Seo-ah just smiled.

“Well, how are you feeling? How about staying here for a few more days? You’re weak, especially right now, so if you go and get hurt again—”

“No, I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine now, and I still have to do some things when I get back home.”

Seo-ah realized that her choice was right. If she’d asked her for training, she’d be spending more time recuperating than learning.

“I’m glad if that’s the case.” Baek Eun-hee sat by the bed again and held her hands.

‘I think her strength went up before because of ‘Inspiration’. Now that it’s an active skill that I can control, she won’t be affected even if she touches me, and in that way she’ll know that something has changed.’

Seo-ah looked at the older woman, who smiled as if she knew everything.

“Darling, as you may have seen from this incident, there are a lot of bad hunters in the world. No, all hunters are bad. Except for me,” she said, mirroring what Yoo Ji-an had told her earlier. “Don’t trust anyone who calls themself a hunter. I’ll protect you from them and everything else unconditionally.”

“Thank you.” She smiled slightly.

***

Baek Eun-hee and Yoo Ji-an left first, but Seo-ah could only get discharged after her IV drip was depleted, unwilling to waste the expensive nutritional supplements that had been bought for her.

Additionally, she went back home comfortably in a car provided by the Royal Guild, bringing Soo-jung along with her to drop her off.

“Eonnie.”

“Hm?”

After a moment of hesitation, Kang Soo-jung pulled something out of the air. In her palm was a smooth pebble. “Take this.”

“What is it?” As Seo-ah accepted it, a window popped up.

[ Pride of the Stone Knight: A crystal containing the pride of the D-class boss ‘Stone Knight’. Ignores the enemy’s defense and multiplies own muscle strength by 100 when the user’s life is at stake. ]

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“It’s… an item from the boss that time. It’s a D-class item, so it should be quite expensive if you want to sell it. Or you can use it.”

“You’re the one who beat it, Soo-jung.”

“Um, no, I think it’s only right for you to have it, eonnie. I’ve already gained a lot from the raid.” She looked at Seo-ah with a smile.

Seo-ah suddenly realized something. Had her new skill ‘Breakthrough’ affected Soo-jung?

“By any chance…”

Kang Soo-jung suddenly held her arms and stared with earnest eyes. “Eonnie, will you meet me again?”

“Huh? Ah, well, if you want to.”

“Then please put your number on my phone!” She held out a phone with a broken corner excitedly.

Seo-ah typed in her number and pressed the call button, but the call couldn’t pull through. Her phone’s power was off, having lost power over the 36 or so hours that she was in the hospital.

“Just send me a message. I’ll save your number later.”

“I will, eonnie! Also, ajussi, please stop in front of that alley.”

Kang Soo-jung quickly got off, with no signs of fatigue in her step, perhaps because she was young, or a hunter. The neighborhood in which she lived was not so different from Seo-ah’s own, or even a bit worse.

‘Of course, seeing that she’s participating in raids when she should be in school.’

More and more, she saw herself in the younger girl, and resolved to ask carefully about her situation next time.

“Miss Hunter, can we leave now?” The Royal Guild driver was very polite, probably because he’d been coached by Baek Eun-hee.

“Yes, please go to the nearest public hospital.”

“Public hospital? Alright.”

The car started smoothly.

Burdensome as it was, the excessive hospitality being shown to her was convenient.

Knowing that nothing in the world was free, Seo-ah wanted to be of assistance as soon as possible.

‘The only way I can repay them is by unlocking my supporter status.’

[ If you don’t activate your capabilities as an S-class supporter within the given time period, you will die! (D-94) ]

[ Mission 2: Listen to Compliments inside a Gate ]

The threat of death was still there, and she had a new mission.

‘By the way… Compliments? What is this?’

It was a rather embarrassing mission. Not to mention, she would only be able to fulfill it if she joined raids and did something worth praising. Would that even be possible if she went with high-ranking hunters?

‘I don’t think it’s going to work if I ask them to tell me those things.’

After a short while, the car stopped in front of the public hospital. On the way, Seo-ah had sold all the things she’d obtained from the raid, except for the pebble from Soo-jung. Then, she exchanged almost all of the gold she’d received for Korean won.

“Geon-hoo, it’s me.”

“Ah, noona!” Geon-hoo smiled warmly. “When will I be discharged? I’m tired of hospital food now.”

“About that… Sooner or later?” Seo-ah pretended to be busy organizing the things in the room.

Geon-hoo opened his mouth, “Noona.”

“Yes?”

“I know the truth.”

“What?” She managed to keep her voice from trembling.

He smiled and lowered his gaze. “I’m quite sick, aren’t I? I found out because the nurses always look…”

“Geon-hoo.”

“Tell me, noona. I should know.” His face was exhausted, but his eyes were firm.

Seo-ah put a hand to her nape. “Well, you need to have surgery.”

“Surgery? What disease is it? Is it cancer?”

“…”