After the Dungeon Shock, South Korea established a strong diplomatic relationship with one particular country—Singapore. In this world, there once existed a vast and troublesome gate known as the Ice Palace. Its appearance was limited exclusively to Singapore and South Korea. As both nations engaged in exchanges to conquer this dungeon, a natural sense of cooperation developed over time. While South Korea and Singapore had never had a bad relationship to begin with, the Ice Palace incident certainly brought them even closer together.

And the level of intimacy is such that when troublesome gates appear in each other's countries, they are at the point where they send hunters urgently.

The hunter dispatch system between the two countries. The most famous example is Jung Haseong's conquest for the White Tower. The next most notable example is the dragon hunting of an individual named Choi Jin. Singapore had long been known for the frequent appearance of dragon species.

'A dragon hunter.'

Choi Jin, the flagship member of the 'Faith' guild with an office in Chuncheon. She's said to be a first-generation hunter who played a key role in the Northern Seoul reclamation battle. Some even say she's the one who has hunted the most dragons. Anyway, the rumors surrounding this hunter were diverse and extravagant, but none of them sparked as much interest as this one sentence.

[The Top 90% Tears of the Awakened...

The Story of How She Transformed Into an 'A-Rank Overnight' Jeongseong Ilbo: 20XX-12-22]

As can be seen from an article from a few years ago, she was the first case of someone whose innate rank was changed.

'Oho.'

I kept my eyes on the Awakened approaching from the opposite side. A stylish short cut that fully revealed her ears. A large scar crossed her jaw. And a woman wearing a kizariman leather outfit wrapped tightly around her neck.

Given the current circumstances, it's likely that the person either hates wasting time or is simply lazy. The fact that an A-rank hunter, who earns a lot of money, hasn't removed an old scar suggests no reason other than inconvenience. And if you make that assumption, the short hair can also be interpreted in a similar light.

'Noona! Over here. Over here!'

When Ahn Yoonseung spotted her, he even raised his hand high in greeting.

That's right. Today, I borrowed the strength of this A-rank hunter. It was something that had come up in conversation once—just in passing—but as it turns out, Hunter Ahn here is actually cousins with that Dragon Slayer over there.

'Good bloodline. For so many outstanding magicians to come from the same family.'

The woman approached with the sound of her loafer heels clicking. As she drew closer, I offered a polite greeting to the Awakened.

'Hello. Hunter Choi Jin.'

At that, Choi Jin stopped just a couple of steps away from me.

'Hmm.'

So this is what it looks like when [Dragon's Heart] is in effect? I scanned the figure in front of me. Without a doubt, the person's heart was radiating an extraordinary amount of magical power, easily noticeable at a glance.

'This is less like a dragon hunter and more like...'

Half-human, half-dragon. As I looked at the woman, a particular word came to mind, but then, from the corner of my vision, a new shadow suddenly appeared.

'Hello!'

A long-haired Awakened, as if they had taken Choi Jin's hair and attached it to themselves. The sharp fangs of the person were striking, and they were almost clinging to Choi Jin, arms crossed. In that position, they peeked their face out and spoke.

'I'm Choi Jinhee!'

'Choi Jin, you say...? Do you two have the same name?'

'No. It's Choi. Jin. Hee.'

Why did they make their children's names so confusing? Anyway, the two of them look similar, and since they share the same surname, that woman is probably the Awakener that have been talking about online.

'She's the younger sister.'

It's already a well-known story in the industry that Choi Jin works with her sister. After hearing the introduction from the other party, I belatedly revealed my own name.

'Yes. Choi Jinhee-ssi. Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Gi Ryeo.'

But when I reached out to shake hands, Jinhee's eyes suddenly widened.

Red eyes like crushed pomegranates. Now that I think about it, could an Earthling's iris show such a color?

'What?!'

Tuk.

Jinhee immediately grabbed my wrist and shouted.

'Why does it look so delicious? Wow, it really looks so tasty... Amazing, can I just take one sip?'

'Huh, yes?'

'My goodness. Oppa, your blood looks incredibly delicious!'

'What are you...'

'Jinhee-ya! Stop it!'

Just as I was beginning to panic from the sudden situation, Hunter Choi Jin quickly reacted, stopping her. She pulled her younger sister away from me.

'It's rude to act like that toward someone you just met. Have you already forgotten the scolding from last time?'

'No...'

'What's wrong with you? Seriously!'

It seemed that Choi Jin was quite taken aback by her sister's sudden behavior. As I quietly watched, Ahn Yoonseung began to explain the situation.

'H, Hyung, I'm sorry. I heard that Hunter Jinhee has a desire to suck blood because of her awakening ability. But it's definitely not dangerous...'

'Awakening ability?'

'Didn't you know?'

Sharp teeth and red eyes. As an alien, I didn't find such a physical difference particularly strange, but it seems that those are actually her unique abilities.

'Jinhee Noona is a shapeshifter awakened. It's like having two different forms, similar to a werewolf?'

'Aha.'

'In reality, she looks exactly like a vampire, though.'

So there is transformation magic here too. As an alien, I became quite interested in the idea of a magician who can mimic beings from fantasy. But then, just as I focused my gaze to observe the other party, a murderous intent began to slowly seep from across the way.

'Huh?'

Hunter Choi Jin is glaring at me. It shouldn't be a big deal just to briefly glance at her younger sister, right? Why the fierce look?

'Hunter Kim Giryeo, I apologize for the interruption. Anyway, you said you had something to ask me today.'

I was holding my breath, intimidated by the Dragon Slayer's gaze, trying to stay quiet. But beyond that silence, a sudden nose broke through.

—Ding— Ding—

It was the alarm sound from Choi Jin's smartwatch.

'Oh, tsk.'

Is it a call from the guild?

'I told them to double-check properly. Why is this still making people come and go...?'

Choi Jin checked the message she received and furrowed her brows. Then, she apologized, saying that some work-related matters had come up and she had to leave for a moment.

'Ahn Yoon-seung. Take good care of your sister until I get back. Don't leave her alone, got it?'

'Yes!'

Choi Jin said that and turned to walk away. In that brief moment, she shot me another glare, just as a bonus. How strange. I have no idea why that hunter is so hostile toward me.

'Is she just hot-tempered or something?'

Well, these kinds of pointless power struggles were just a part of everyday life in Alphauri, so it wasn't anything new to me.

We decided to stay in the nearby lounge and have a drink until Choi Jin returned. By the way, this is the lobby of the Fath Guild's first floor. And there's a great culture on Earth. Most guilds of this size have vending machines within their buildings.

***

We finally arrived at the break room.

—Clink, clink. Rattle!

Giryeo pulls out his share of soda from the vending machine, and next, Ahn Yoonseung presses the button for the sugar coffee he'll drink.

'Oh my!'

'Why?'

But before the coffee he purchased could even fill the paper cup, Ahn Yoonseung suddenly shouted.

'As expected, it looks like I left my phone in the car after all.'

'Is that so?'

'Hyung, I'm sorry, but could I quickly go to the parking lot?'

'Why do you need to ask for permission like that? Go ahead.'

Slurp.

While Yoonseung left the room, Giryeo retrieved the coffee from the vending machine and sat down at the table. Choi Jinhee, with her thin, straight hair, was already sitting at the round table.

'Hmm.'

Now I found myself in a situation where I was alone with someone else's relative. In the awkward silence, the other person fidgeted with their empty hands, and as I watched, that Giryeo suddenly had this thought.

'The act of transforming and fixing the body into a different form is quite a complex spell. How could such a mammal naturally be born with such magic...?'

Is she a genius? Giryeo thought highly of the other person's talent. But soon, the loud voice that followed forced him to set aside his thoughts.

'Excuse me!'

For a while, Jinhee hesitated, choosing her words carefully. Giryeo wondered what could be the reason for her hesitation.

'I haven't had lunch today.'

'Yes?'

'So, I'm feeling a bit weak. Could I please have just one sip of blood?'

'Blood?'

'I'm really hungry. Seriously.'

Gulp.

The modern-day vampire, disguised as an Awakened, was now looking at the other person while drooling.

'Is there some kind of smell coming from me?'

It's only natural to be bothered when someone suddenly treats you like food. Giryeo raised his arm to check if there was any scent coming from his body, but as expected, there was nothing particularly noticeable. That's why it puzzled him even more. Why was she asking for his blood specifically, when she hadn't made such a request from Yoonseung?

'Is it because Yoonseung is family, so you don't drink from him?'

'Yes!'

Since there was nothing else to do anyway, Giryeo decided to take this opportunity to clear up his curiosity.

'You've been saying my blood would taste delicious earlier, so I'm wondering what your standard is...'

When he asked, the shapeshifter quickly responded.

'I don't know.'

It was a somewhat embarrassing answer.

'But I just have a feeling it would taste good? Everyone has a different feeling. As for Yoonseung, he's really not good.'

'Not good...'

'According to my sister, she says I seem to like higher-ranked ones. But last time, a B-rank was actually tastier.'

The woman lowered her head.

'It's hard to explain. Anyway, I'm sure Oppa's blood will definitely taste good.'

It's not exactly a flattering compliment. Before long, she pouted and mumbled to herself.

'Ah, but really, can't I just have one sip? Ugh, because of that scary old man... now my sister's always scolding me.'

It was almost like she was talking to herself, but still, it was loud enough to be heard in this quiet space.

'Scary old man?'

Giryeo was about to take a sip from the canned drink he got from the vending machine, but the name that followed stopped him in his tracks.

'The Awakener named Changho.'

The shapeshifter continued.

'I met that person once! I felt this delicious vibe I've never felt before in my life. So without thinking, I bit his arm.'

'No way.'

'I got hit hard.'

Of course. That person wouldn't just let a Hunter who revealed their fangs go without any consequences.

'And Oppa is just like Changho!'

But he didn't know the conversation would flow like this.

'Is it the same?'

'I can't hold back just the same.'

'Ugh, just asking in case—do you feel the same way about Jung Haseong or Esther?'

'Jung Haseong? A little. And as for the person you mentioned after, I don't know who that is.'

It seemed like, as Choi Jin had guessed, it wasn't necessarily related to rank. Jung Haseong, who was at the lower end of S-rank, got a slight reaction, whereas Kang Changho, who was stuck at the lower end of S-rank, got a much higher evaluation. It was hard to make sense of it. But then again, people's tastes are always unpredictable. Giryeo decided to shift the topic of conversation after briefly mulling over the vampire-like creature's preferences.

'Yeah, a person should eat what they want and live.'

He couldn't ignore the sad gaze he had been feeling since a while ago.

'Hunter Choi Jinhee, could you show me your wallet for a moment?'

The next request was somewhat unexpected. The other party hesitated for a moment but eventually pulled out their wallet, revealing yellow bills peeking out from the leather.

One, two, three... Around 150,000 won in cash.

'Let me see, if you give me all that cash, I'll give you a sip of blood.'

'Yes?'

'This could be considered providing food, so in that case, you should pay for your meal.'

He was highly skilled in restoration magic, so losing a bit of blood wasn't an issue. However, he wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to make a profit. But he's been pouring all his earnings into magic tools lately, but these days, even lunch money had become something he needed to save up.

'I'll buy beef with that.'

Giryeo decided to accept the small payment while offering a bit of sympathy. Of course, Choi Jinhee was delighted to agree to the offer. Honestly, 150,000 won was nothing to a B-rank hunter, so it was a small price to pay for her.

'Really? Can I really drink it?'

Choi Jinhee's eyes lit up as she stood up from her seat. Seeing this, Kim Giryeo nodded and rolled up the sleeves of his arms. A magician sacrificing his own body for the hungry. Up to this point, it seemed like a quite heartwarming scene.

'Go ahead and bite as hard as you can. I'm in a bit of a tough spot adjusting my defense right now.'

For reference, in South Korea, Article 3 of the Blood Management Act strictly prohibits the sale of blood. However, since she is an alien, then they may not be familiar with our laws.

'Whaa, thank you!'

Again, in this country, selling blood is illegal. Those who violate this law can be subjected to up to 5 years in prison or fined up to 50 million won. However, there was no one present at this moment to point that out.

Author's Thoughts: Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)