Ch. 33 - Chapter 33

Lee Yechan, a rookie hunter of ‘Orenoton’.

He was dreaming.

A dream where countless people were praising him in unison, finally having become the top hunter.

Lee Yechan, with a confident face, was waving to them.

Behind him, dozens of orchestra members began a magnificent performance.

Whiing, whiing, whiing.

“Ahhh!!”

In an instant, Lee Yechan's vision turned blood-red.

His head throbbed as if it were about to split, and relentless dizziness and nausea tormented him.

The applauding crowd and the orchestra were nowhere to be seen.

All that remained for Lee Yechan was endless pain and a constant ringing in his ears.

His body and mind were reduced to rags by the unbearable sensations that threatened to make him lose consciousness.

And a moment later,

Shaaa...

A warm sensation enveloped Lee Yechan’s body, like when he was growing up in his mother’s embrace.

It felt like he'd gone through hell and encountered paradise.

His body, which had been trembling like an aspen tree in the wind, gradually began to calm down.

A gentle sensation far too profound to be described as merely warm.

Overwhelmed by the emotion, Lee Yechan’s eyes began to well up with tears.

“Mmm…”

With his eyes brimming with tears, Lee Yechan slowly opened his eyes.

He was lying face down on a vast green plain.

Why?

When did he get here?

One by one, the corpses of harpies came into view within his sight.

"!!!!!!!"

Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end.

Only then did he realize that he had been in the middle of a battle.

“Th…. the boss mob?!”

Lee Yechan shot up and stared at the sky like a madman.

But there was nothing in the sky.

Not only the swarm of miserable harpies were gone, not even the trace of the ‘Singing Harpy’, the source of his nightmare, was to be seen.

“Looks like the healing worked well, since you're up and lively.”

“?!”

A familiar voice.

Lee Yechan's gaze dropped from the sky to the ground.

Standing before him was the impressive person who had immediately ranked ‘S’ after taking the qualification test.

Hunter Chun Haesun.

“H-Hunter Chun Haesun!!”

“Shh.”

He raised a finger to his lips, as if to say Yechan was being a distraction.

Chun Haesun was moving from person to person, repeatedly healing them.

Lee Yechan was the only one standing upright.

The other hunters lay sprawled on the ground, just like he imagined himself had been unconscious moments ago.

He was probably the first to receive healing.

When he was struck by the ‘Singing Harpy’, Lee Yechan’s final thought was this.

'We're all doomed.'

But what the heck?

The ‘Singing Harpy’, which had been unleashing deadly sonic waves, was nowhere to be seen, and only Chun Haesun remained, healing the survivors alone.

“What happened…. to the boss mob?”

Instead of answering, Chun Haesun pointed in one direction.

The corpse of a huge giant, about three times the size of a person.

After blinking several times, Lee Yechan finally realized that it was the ‘Singing Harpy’.

“This can’t be…!!”

Lee Yechan dashed over and inspected  the harpy’s corpse.

It was definitely the boss mob’s body.

Its eyes were still gleaming with shock, but its limbs were already stiff and cold.

There were also frozen blood stains on the corpse.

Most importantly, there was a gaping hole in the creature’s chest.

The ‘core’, known as the heart of monsters, was gone.

A monster’s death is classified into two types.

One where the core remains, and one where it has been extracted.

If a monster dies of natural causes or in fights among themselves, its core remains intact. But if the core is extracted like this, it means the monster was definitely ‘hunted’.

By a hunter, that is.

“Who in the world…?”

The ‘Singing Harpy’ had clearly been hunted by a hunter.

The marks where the core had been carved out were far too precise to be anything else.

Was there anyone in their party capable of killing a 6-star (★★★★★★) boss mob in the second-tier dungeon?

No, there wasn’t.

The highest-ranked knight hunters among them were only B-rank, after all.

Even the senior Espers, capable of far-ranged attacks, had collapsed before he did.

So then, who in the world took down this boss mob?

“No way…”

It was incomprehensible, but all the conclusions pointed in one direction.

The man who remained after everyone else had collapsed, calmly healing the others.

The S-rank healer, Chun Haesun.

The only logical conclusion was that he defeated the boss mob, then stayed behind to care for the others.

A healer took down a 6-star boss mob?

That’s enough to make a passing dog laugh.

Healers, by nature, aren't suited for dealing damage.

No matter how exceptional they are, it was common knowledge in this field that even a top-tier healer couldn’t take down anything above a 2-star (★★) monster alone.

‘No… there’s no way…..’

Lee Yechan remembered.

Right before the boss mob appeared, Chun Haesun had been slaughtering the lesser harpies with ease.

It felt like a ridiculous question even as he thought it, but he couldn’t help but ask Chun Haesun.

"Did…. Hunter Chun Haesun defeat the boss mob?"

"Yes."

Maybe it was because the answer was so simple and clear.

Lee Yechan lost even the timing to be shocked.

Right.

With everyone else unconscious, who but him could’ve taken down the boss mob?

It made perfect sense logically, but emotionally, he was still in turmoil.

“H-How… did you do it?”

Then, Chun Haesun replied with a blank face.

“Shouldn’t you thank me first in situations like these?”

"Huh?"

Soon, Lee Yechan's cheeks flushed bright red.

That's right.

Chun Haesun was undoubtedly his ‘savior’, even though he didn't know the how.

Lee Yechan bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle and shouted fervently.

"Thank you for saving my life! I will definitely repay this favor!”

Come to think of it, he realized he had said something similar before passing out.

While Lee Yechan was lost in that thought, Chun Haesun’s lips curled into a strangely twisted smile.

“You can repay the favor right now.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ask how any of this happened. That’ll be your way of repaying me.”

While healing another hunter, Chun Haesun spoke as if stamping a seal.

***

"Well then. Shall we go?"

"Yes...!!"

The matter was resolved more easily than expected.

In this line of work, it was an unspoken rule that whoever defeats the boss mob gets exclusive rights to its core.

No one in the 'Orenoton' guild had any interest in the boss mob's core.

Well, even if they did, it was something they couldn't possibly have anymore.

After taking down the ‘Singing Harpy’, the first thing I did was absorb its core.

Forget healing the other hunters, I had to survive first.

If I hadn’t used its body as a cushion, there probably wouldn’t have been a single survivor from this second-tier dungeon.

It was a blessing in disguise, I suppose.

Since all the hunters were unconscious, no one saw me absorb the core right away.

[You have absorbed the core of the ‘Singing Harpy’.]

[Black Aether increased by 250BA.]

[New Skill Acquired: Lion’s Roar (獅子吼)

Level - 1 

Infuse your voice with Aether to restrain the enemy’s mind.]

[The user's Psychokinetic sensitivity has increased greatly.]

A 6-star (★★★★★★) is indeed a 6-star.

Even absorbing just one core yielded significant rewards.

Aside from the Black Aether increase, the true gain was something else.

It was the dissonant voice used by Yaksha and Gu Gyeon.

The skill known as the ‘Lion's Roar’, which naturally instills intimidation in the opponent. I could now use it as well.

Not only ordinary people, but even hunters vulnerable to mental attacks can be driven back with just ‘Lion’s Roar’.

‘I wonder what exactly this psychokinetic sensitivity is?’

Could it be because the ‘Singing Harpy’s’ abilities were psychokinetic in nature?

When I absorbed its core, V1 conveyed some meaningful information.

Since there was no message about a new ability being unlocked, it didn’t seem like I was about to become an Esper anytime soon.

If I keep absorbing psychokinetic-type cores, could I eventually shoot fire too? I couldn't rule out the possibility, but I decided to put it aside for the time being.

Just taking down the ‘Singing Harpy’ was a near-death challenge.

There was one thing I learned during the probation period.

‘Regular’ dungeons are definitely not beneficial to me.

Because I'm inherently resistant to poison, the 5-star (★★★★★) Poison Dungeons felt as easy as the 2-3-star regular dungeons.

On the other hand, the 6-star (★★★★★★) ‘regular’ dungeon I faced today was truly... difficult in many ways.

“Please keep your promise.”

“Of course I will...!!”

Team Leader Choi Inho nodded vigorously at my request.

Not only had I defeated the boss mob, but I also flawlessly healed the entire team afterward, so it was no wonder his face was filled with reverence.

There was only one thing I promised with the 'Orenoton' guild.

The second-tier dungeon was solely and entirely cleared through the efforts of the 'Orenoton' guild.

Some might harbor doubts during the investigation, but after all, a second-tier dungeon is a battlefield you can’t verify unless you’re inside it.

By dialing down the difficulty just enough and attributing the success to their efforts, the ‘healer’s’ role wouldn’t stand out.

Hunters are a breed of people who exaggerate their accomplishments, never diminishing them.

There were four B-rank hunters and one S-rank healer, so if we say the difficulty was around 4-star (★★★★), the investigation would be wrapped up smoothly without any issues.

“Um... I have a question.”

As the dungeon entrance came into view, Lee Yechan hesitantly asked,

"Why do you go so far to hide your achievements as a hunter? If it were me, I would have been itching to show them off.”

You think the whole world’s like you?

But now that he’d asked, it was actually easy to answer.

“I don’t like being in the spotlight.”

“Huh?”

“I’m introverted by nature, and being the center of attention makes me uncomfortable. That’s also why I haven’t joined a guild yet. If words got out that I took down the ‘Singing Harpy,’ people’s curiosity would explode. And along with that, so would the number of expectations.”

"Ah... I see."

“Hahaha. Hunter Chun Haesun, don’t worry. I’ll make absolutely sure everyone keeps their mouths shut about today. Listen up, all of you! Once we’re out of this dungeon, if I hear even the ‘Chun’ in Chun Haesun’s name, you’re out of the guild!”

I flashed a sharp, mean smile toward Choi Inho, who was laughing loudly.

“Will that really be enough?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, expulsion is a bit too light.”

"Then...?"

“It was a promise made in exchange for saving your life, so if you don't keep that promise, I'll confiscate the payment.”

I will take away the life I saved.

In plain terms, it means killing them.

The hunters of ‘Orenoton' turned pale in an instant upon hearing me.

These people.

They were more naive than I thought.

“Just kidding. But I do trust you’ll keep this secret.”

“Ah, hahaha! Of course! This Choi Inho here may be a B-rank, but when it comes to trustworthiness, I’m an S-rank! Once I say something, I always follow through!”

Choi Inho forced an awkward laugh and thumped his chest with his fist.

He was indeed a trustworthy man.

Seeing how he led the team through the crisis, he definitely had solid leadership skills.

Besides, the proposal I made was something the ‘Orenoton' guild wholeheartedly wanted as well.

The dungeon, originally intended for training novice hunters, had been upgraded to a ‘second-tier dungeon’, and clearing it without a single casualty was a tremendous achievement.

Naturally, the reputation of the ‘Orenoton' guild would rise, and depending on the circumstances, they might even receive rewards.

Who would refuse to have the credit funneled their way?

I expected from the start that they would keep their promise.

“Wahahahaha!! I just did what needed to be done!!”

Look at him.

Even amidst the flashing cameras, he shamelessly spouted his lies without a trace of shame.

Choi Inho appropriately downplayed my achievements just enough, saying, “The only reason we survived that endless war of attrition was thanks to the nearly limitless healing from Hunter Chun Haesun”.

This time, people paid more attention to the Orenoton guild that cleared the second-tier dungeon than to the S-rank healer.

“The probation period is finally over.”

I completed all five mandatory requirements.

Now, as long as I notified in advance, I could freely enter any dungeon.

I never imagined I’d encounter a second-tier dungeon during my probation period.

Though things have quieted down recently, many people were still curious about where I live.

Ultimately, there were suggestions that I should join the Glory Guild.

Others wondered if I would continue going it alone as a lone wolf.

There were even opinions that I might head somewhere outside the country.

“Ah, this is it.”

However, my actual decision was quite different from what people expected.

The reason I came to this dungeon in the first place was because my ‘destination’ was nearby.

A dilapidated two-story building, with the concrete peeling off in places.

At least the second floor had a sign, but the first floor was a barren vacancy, making the whole place feel bleak and desolate.

[Cleanup Clan]

Before me stood the first option for an ‘S’-rank healer who had just shed his probation tag.

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