“······So, you were lucky enough to kill Na Jucheol. After that, Team Leader Seokwoong and the others arrived, right?”
“Yes, it seems to be fine now. I apologize for immediately asking for cooperation after that incident. Thank you for your hard work.”
“No problem. Thanks to the doctor, I’m back in shape.”
Swinging his right arm, still aching from the lingering pain, Jeonghyun winced and returned it to its original position.
Although he was still tired and felt some residual pain, it was a healing from a C-rank hunter compared to the injuries he sustained inside the gate.
However, Yerin’s eyes gleamed.
“From what you’ve mentioned, it seems like you were severely injured. Yet, you seem to have healed quite quickly.”
“······Excuse me?”
“You said your attribute allowed you to naturally heal, but your body seems robust… Hm.”
Is this how it turns out?
Jeonghyun swallowed his saliva, unable to predict what Yerin was about to say next.
If it were her, she might casually mention, “You’re hiding that you’re an EX-rank!” This wouldn’t be surprising for Jeonghyun, or maybe it would.
However, Yerin’s speculation was much less significant than Jeonghyun’s concerns.
“Did you awaken again?”
“Cough. No, I didn’t.”
Actually, Yerin had no reason to suspect Jeonghyun’s abilities. EX-rank? He had never even heard of such a classification in conspiracy theories.
He had awakened shortly after the procedure, but the registration after reawakening—this was the maximum deduction based on common knowledge.
Jeonghyun raised his head, releasing the tension that had accumulated throughout his body.
Even if he hadn’t been caught, was it difficult to avoid the eyes of investigators until now?
“Excuse me, but do I have to answer that?”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
Even though Jeonghyun strongly conveyed his displeasure, Yerin continued to smile and stepped back.
However, she didn’t give up easily.
“I’m not suspecting you to that extent. I was just wondering if you’ve ever considered working at the Association.”
“What?”
“I may be young, but I have a good eye for people. You seem to be capable. The salary is around this range.”
Yerin typed some numbers on her laptop and turned the screen to show Jeonghyun.
Jeonghyun’s eyes widened.
“This much for me?”
“For an unregistered individual who has captured a D-rank, it’s not excessive, especially you caught two.”
Yerin had a confident look in her eyes.
She was confident that Jeonghyun was hiding a secret.
The amount she mentioned was also beyond the rumored salary of government officials, although the hunter world was different from the normal public sector.
Jeonghyun, however, shook his head.
“I’ll pass.”
“Oh, so you’re confident you can earn more than this?” Yerin showed a teasing smile.
“What are you talking about…”
Jeonghyun wanted to refute immediately, but the more he did, the more he felt he was getting entangled in something.
Given some time, Yerin’s words were accurate.
“Let’s call it a day here.”
“Do we have to meet again?”
“I think so. Of course, not here.”
Jeonghyun’s eyes looked at her strangely.
What did she mean by that?
Was she going to continue scouting him?
Although Jeonghyun found Yerin’s gaze uncomfortable, he nodded for now.
“Can I leave now?”
“Sure.”
The woman, as if stating the obvious, opened the door and led the way outside.
Together, they walked side by side through the corridor.
“Hey, aren’t you busy?”
“I am.”
“But why…”
Jeonghyun’s eyes was full of suspicion toward Yerin.
Even her subordinates seemed busy with work until a while ago. How could their leader have time to casually guide him outside?
However, Yerin replied, “Well, this is a confidential facility of the Association. If I send you out alone and something gets stolen, what should I do?”
“Why would I steal anything?”
“People can be unpredictable. Just like an unregistered hunter defeating two D-rank villains.”
A witty response from Yerin.
Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh but didn’t add anything more.
In reality, the doors lining the corridor all had stern warnings: ‘Unauthorized Entry Strictly Prohibited.’
“So, if you don’t want me to bother you, you’ll have to come into the Association, right?”
“I, well… I won’t!”
It seemed that her persistent scouting wasn’t over yet.
As Jeonghyun shouted, Yerin chuckled and avoided eye contact.
“People are unpredictable.”
Eventually, Jeonghyun had Yerin accompany him all the way to the front gate.
***
“Ugh, I’m exhausted, seriously.”
While he never thought much about it before, being back in his own one-room apartment felt incredibly welcoming and familiar.
Jeonghyun naturally tossed himself onto the bed, feeling the fatigue accumulated from dealing with Jucheol and Heesoo at the Gate, and then being mentally drained by Yerin at the Association.
The lingering, somewhat disappointed gaze from Yerin even after chasing him to the gate.
“Why is that person doing this?”
Jeonghyun took out his phone and searched for ‘Cha Yerin.’
In the era of hunters saving the world, if a hunter was somewhat famous, one could find basic information about them on portal sites. Even those followed by fan clubs wouldn’t escape public scrutiny.
A mid-ranking official in the Association would likely have have some page.
“Found it.”
Indeed, the profile of Cha Yerin appeared on the screen, accompanied by her photo.
“Twenty-five… Two years older than me?”
As he was reading information about her, he was surprised by her age. Although she seemed to be around the same age, the difference was not significant.
No matter how the era emphasized individual abilities and attributes, achieving such rapid promotion suggested that she was truly exceptional.
At least, she was in a much better position than Jeonghyun, who was lying in his narrow one-room apartment, staring at his smartphone like a vagabond.
“Tsk!”
With a click of his tongue, Jeonghyun’s eyes widened as he scrolled through her profile.
- A- Rank
At the bottom of the profile, it was all because of the two characters written next to the Hunter grade that made Jeonghyun in disbelief.
A- Rank was practically the limit an ordinary hunter could encounter.
Above that, there is the S -rank, but there are only a few hundred of them in the whole world.
Each individual is classified as having top-secret information, and they rarely reveal their faces unless necessary.
“So, that person just approached me like that…”
Jeonghyun suddenly remembered Yerin, who had been trying to scout him for the Association.
Even if he defeated a D-rank villain, to the an A-rank hunter he probably didn’t stand out.
Why was that?
“Hey, what are you thinking about this?”
However, Jeonghyun eventually shook his head and scrolled down.
How could he understand the thoughts of someone who was A-rank?
Even if he knew, realistically, there was no way to stop it.
Below the profile, news articles continued to flow.
It wasn’t surprising, after all Yerin was an A-rank hunter.
Various events solved, rapid promotions, and so on.
Her attribute was probably of the non-combat type…
In the end, Jeonghyun, with a lack of interest, put down his smartphone and called up the Attribute Shop.
He had intended to check the new list that he hadn’t seen because of Yerin’s interruption earlier.
It was a moment when he involuntarily hummed.
“As expected, lottery is the best. Always exciting.”
However, just looking at it blandly would reduce the fun.
Closing his eyes tightly, Jeonghyun slowly opened his eyes as he called up the store window.
[Store List (Refresh Cost: 2 Coins)
“Mediocre Movement Speed” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Decent Endurance” (E, Lv.1), 2C
“Tolerable Swordsmanship” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Worthy Endurance” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Equipable Slot Expansion Ticket” (E), 2C
Current Coin Balance: 7]
Although the probability had increased, it didn’t mean that Attributes that benefited Jeonghyun would come out.
For him, they were just mediocre.
“If I knew it would be like this, I should have just gone for a complete tank.”
The endurance attribute appeared more frequently than he had thought.
Especially this time, it didn’t come out until E-rank.
Adding a little more, movement speed was one of the least popular attribute among hunters.
It was in the agile category, similar to the body movements Jeonghyun already possessed, but it simply increased ‘movement speed’ itself.
It was useless in combat, and hunters who awakened with that characteristic usually worked in supply teams under guilds or even just did delivery jobs in society.
Although higher grades seemed to earn a lot of money, it was close to incompetence if it was an F grade.
“You can’t even go to the Olympics with these attributes… What?”
However, as Jeonghyun scanned the list, he smirked.
“Equipable Slot Expansion Ticket” (E), 2C
“Slot expansion ticket? Could it be?”
And as Jeonghyun recognized this item, a new notification window popped up.
[You have confirmed the Slot Expansion Ticket.
Unlocking related information.]
[Slot Expansion Ticket: Can expand equipable/saveable attribute slots.
Equipable slot expansion tickets: E grade can be expanded to 4 slots, D grade to 5 slots, C grade to 6 slots, B grade to 7 slots, A grade to 8 slots, and S grade can be expanded indefinitely.
Saveable slot expansion tickets: F grade can be expanded to 9 slots, E grade to 10 slots, … S grade can be expanded indefinitely.]
“Crazy…”
