Chapter 175: Affection

The next day.

“Here, I’ll give you the gas money. Now get out of here quickly.”

Ahn Yoonseung was sent back to Seoul without even getting to share a meal with his relatives. It was because they were all busy with work. And soon, the Choi sisters returned to their usual daily lives...

Choi Jin, as a high-ranking A-class Hunter, immediately set out for a Blue Gate raid once her relative left. By the time she cleared the dungeon during the day, it was already evening. After having dinner, she began her night shift. Today, a high-level Red Gate had appeared nearby, and her guild, in partnership with Chuncheon City, was in charge of handling Red Gate situations as well.

“Unnie, this one’s huge!”

“Yeah, it really is. It must be A-rank.”

She quickly went to the scene. The gate had yet to open. During this brief waiting period, Choi Jin double-checked her equipment. At that moment, a man strode toward them from a distance.

“Oh, hello.”

A man with blond hair, holding a popsicle in his hand.

“We met again?”

Anyone could see that this was the unwelcome guest from earlier in the day!

“What, what is it?”

Choi Jin was so shocked to see Giryeo approach without a sound that her eyes nearly popped out. After all, she had assumed he had returned to Seoul with Yoonseung.

“Wait, Hunter-nim. Why are you still in Chuncheon?”

Choi Jin asked without realizing it. Then the blond hunter said.

“This is my first time in Chuncheon, and I heard the dakgalbi here is really that good, so I wanted to try it.”

“Yes?”

“I was just going around some good restaurants on my own.”

Rustle.

Giryeo said that and showed the chicken galbi packaging in his hand. He claimed that he hadn’t gone home yet because he was curious about the local specialty. Honestly, it seemed like he was crazy.

“Oh! It smells good!”

Meanwhile, her younger sister smelled the food in the plastic bag and insisted that they should buy chicken galbi when they finished work... but Choi Jin wasn’t in the mood for such small talk.

How uncomfortable. No matter how much he claimed to be here for sightseeing, what are the chances of running into someone so coincidentally in the city like this? Could it be that this S-rank Hunter has been tailing them all this time?

“It’s annoying...”

She wanted nothing more than to quit and leave immediately, forgetting about work and everything else. But given the circumstances, that was simply not possible.

“Excuse me, Hunter Kim. Just to let you know in advance, don’t lift a finger in this gate. Unlike Seoul, this area has ownership rights even over Red gates.”

Choi Jin pointed a finger at him, warning him sternly.

“Yes.”

At that, Kim Giryeo nodded and continued eating his ice cream. Choi Jin felt a mix of emotions. At least with Kang Changho, he would give off some signs of danger, making it somewhat easier to deal with.

“Haa.”

That person, just by looking at him, it’s hard to tell what kind of actions he might take, which makes him even scarier...

“Unnie, the gate!”

Choi Jin, who had been frowning, turned her head at the voice calling her. The monster wave was about to start.

Crack, crack, crack.

A monster like a lump of twisted wire appeared on the ground.

Such a non-living creature would probably be immune to the Hydra’s poison, regardless of its rank. But that was fine. The one leading today’s operation wasn’t him.

Whoosh...

A wide expanse of flame erupted in the open area. The sudden burst of light pressured the enemies from all directions, like three snakes flicking their tongues.

An awakened one who has swallowed the Heart of the Dragon and can summon flames at will. This was akin to a mythical being, one whose very lungs swell with power to spew forth the fires of devastation.

“The most common attribute on Earth.”

Kwaaaaah.

This intense heat was Choi Jin’s awakened ability. Moreover, it was an element that allowed her to truly feel how significant her growth had been.

Choi Jin was once a borderline Hunter, barely scraping by at the lowest ranks of B-class. However, after obtaining the [Dragon’s Heart] by chance, everything changed. Now, she had risen to an undeniable position of strength that no one could refute.

“Right side, monster breach!”

“I’ll stop it!”

The Hunters dispatched from Chuncheon’s Faith Guild moved in perfect coordination. At last, the monster’s advance was halted. It was smooth sailing as usual. Everything was going well.

“Ugh.”

But... Why has she been feeling so uneasy since earlier?

“I’m doomed.”

Hiik.

Choi Jin turned her head to check something. Then, through the wavering haze, she felt the gaze of someone silently watching her.

“Damn, as expected, he really is watching...”

S-rank Hunter, Kim Giryeo. He was watching the battle from a slightly distance away from the scene.

For reference, Giryeo had deliberately stayed in Chuncheon because he genuinely wanted to learn more about how a dragon’s heart affected a sorcerer. His thoughtless actions had turned into nothing short of a nightmare for a certain A-rank.

“There’s no way he’s not close to Kang Changho! His actions are exactly the same!”

It was a terrifying thing for Choi Jin that an S-rank Hunter showed interest. Having caught the attention of Kang Changho with her exceptional abilities, she had gone through countless hardships, so she had a strong aversion to being observed.

Her body tensed up instinctively. If she showed even a slightly ‘decent’ skill here... Could it be that she would be marked again, just like back then?

Her movements gradually became more passive. Choi Jin had no choice but to continue the hunt using only simple basic techniques. After all, for some reason, she wanted to avoid revealing her full power to Kim Giryeo.

“This is why I hate Red Gates! It’s not even my land, so I can’t just tell them to get lost. Haa, so annoying.”

Slash!

Choi Jin struck the approaching iron-like monster with the tip of her weapon. Still, as she steadily took down the enemies, she was able to reach the boss without much trouble using just her basic skills.

“Kieeek, kiieeek...”

The boss of this Red Gate was a grotesque giant with a massive bell embedded in its torso.

As soon as it appeared, the hunters immediately opened fire as if they had been waiting for this moment. But that was where the problem began.

The boss possessed a defense befitting its rigid joints. Thanks to that, it endured the hunters’ skill barrage and launched a counterattack.

“Deeng, deeng, deeng!”

Before long, the massive bell rang. Choi Jin had faced this monster before, so she knew exactly what that action meant. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“It’s a mental attack!”

However, it was actually a relief because of that. Unless it was a special case like a Siren, the monster’s mental attacks rarely affected hunters of the same rank.

Whoosh.

Choi Jin aimed her skill at the monster’s weak point—the thick rebar connecting its massive bell to its head. After a long while, the fragile structure melted and broke apart from the fire, causing the boss to collapse like a creature losing its spine. Since it was a monster she had faced before, she was able to finish the hunt with minimal magical energy.

“Finally, I’m off work.”

Ssark.

With the closure of the glowing red gate, the death of all monsters was confirmed. Choi Jin took out a hunter’s chisel and scissors from her belongings. Now that the raid was over, it was time to collect the spoils.

“Jinhee-ya, could you move aside over there? This monster is tough, so I’ll handle the dismantling myself...”

But then.

“Ack!”

As Choi Jin approached the boss’s corpse, she was struck by a completely unexpected attack. Her younger sister, who had been standing in front of her, suddenly clawed at her with force.

“J, Jinhee-ya!”

Choi Jin grabbed her torn nose bridge with a shocked expression. But her opponent was just as horrified.

“---AHHHH!”

“Jinhee-ya!”

Whoosh!

Before long, a pair of membranous wings spread from the person’s back. The transformation-type Awakened let out a shriek as they activated their skill, swiftly taking off into the air with their altered body. It was as if they were fleeing in fear. But what reason could they possibly have to be so terrified?

“Ah!”

Only then did Choi Jin realize the situation. This was the aftermath of the boss monster’s bell strike. Her sister had been completely affected by the monster’s [Confusion] status effect!

“That didn’t happen last time, did it? C, could it be because I held back on my skills? Is that why I couldn’t stop the monster’s bell strike sooner?”

This was the danger of an A-rank gate. A little bit of arrogance could change the damage in an instant. Moreover, when she turned around to ask for help, the situation on that side was just as bad. There was a healer with a status effect removal skill here, but...

“Waaaah, don’t come near me!”

“Wow, this is driving me crazy.”

“What kind of healer doesn’t do the healing they’re supposed to and ends up getting hit themselves!”

As you can see, that B-rank healer also fell victim to the [Confusion] status, breaking through the low probability. Soon after, the team’s healer began swinging his staff wildly at his teammates. He was an Awakened who only possessed healing skills, so, fortunately, he was quickly subdued.

But the real problem was with her sister. Jinhee was a talented individual capable of flying so fast that it could be compared to the speed of a bullet if she pushed her abilities to the extreme.

“No.”

When she looked up, the shapeshifter had already flown so high that it was hard to even spot them. Fleeing while under the influence of a mental attack... What if she goes down into the city and hurts a civilian? Or worse, what if she flies into an airplane or helicopter and gets hit?

“Jinhee-ya, Jinhee-ya! Come down right now. Hurry. Please!”

A few seconds later, Choi Jin, with a look of panic, shouted up desperately. At this rate, her growing worry for her sister was going to drive her crazy. But whether the figure in the distant sky knew her distress or not, the shadow just aimlessly fluttered its wings.

“Come down. Choi Jinhee!”

The hunters on the ground were at a loss, anxiously pacing in place. But as time passed, something felt off. Contrary to their worries, the shapeshifter had been circling above their heads in the same pattern over and over.

“What is this? What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t she doing that because her older sister is down here?”

The hunters of the Faith Guild guessed. It must be because of her family that she doesn’t leave this area. Of course, that was an incorrect hypothesis. The current hunter was in such a severe state of unconsciousness that she couldn’t even recognize her own parents. Therefore, her actions should be interpreted this way.

In this park... there is something else that triggers the desires of that vampire-like creature.

***

This is a big problem. I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened just this year, but either way, it’s definitely bad.

‘I just wanted to observe the dragon’s heart a little more.’

Crunch.

I shoved the last piece of the popsicle into my mouth. Even now, an Earthling who had lost their sanity was still spinning through the sky.

‘She’s in a state of confusion.’

To explain, Choi Jinhee was a mutant Awakened with vampiric urges as a side effect of her awakening. If her judgment has deteriorated to that extent, she won’t follow social norms anymore.

‘That Earthling... She has been hovering over my head this whole time...’

Shivering.

Is this how a field mouse feels when it encounters a hawk? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have fed her blood earlier. Looking back, that was practically a lasting event that only whetted her appetite. That hunter was now guarding this area, lured by the temptation of a delicious snack.

‘Save the wizard.’

Of course, as long as the [Sacred Tree Seeding]’s defense boost effect is active, a A-rank attack should be easily withstood.

But the real problem was my emotions. I knew in my head that the barrier was strong... Yet, when my life was actually being targeted, I couldn’t help but worry—what if something went wrong due to some freak accident? That’s just how people are.

‘Uhm.’

Should I ask Choi Jin for help, just in case? But that thought never turned into action. Perhaps she had the exact same idea—because instead, she came rushing over in a panic and shouted first.

“K, Kim Giryeo! Wait, could you help for a moment? I’m worried she might cause an accident... You’re an S-rank hunter, right? I’m sorry, but please, catch Hunter Choi Jinhee!”

She’s at least 100 meters away, and you want me to catch her?

‘Is that possible?’

If I were a real S-rank... Well, maybe I could’ve jumped across the nearby buildings and somehow caught her. Honestly, at that level, they’re all monsters beyond common sense.

But even if it were possible—why on earth would I go through all that trouble?

In that brief moment, I racked my brain, searching for a way to make use of the situation. And thus, the grand magician’s final decision was—

“K, Kim Giryeo?”

Tuk

. I unbuttoned the cuff on my left sleeve and rolled up my sleeve.

“There’s an easier way.”

After that, I gave a brief explanation and held out my right hand to Choi Jin.

“I’ll just call your sister down. But when she gets close, you take responsibility and catch her. She’s your family, after all.”

“Yes?”

“And lend me some scissors for a moment.”

“Scissors?”

“Yes. Those sharp dismantling scissors you’re holding in your hand.”

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