Chapter 44 – The First S-Rank Supporter (1)

“Some of you may have already seen the news.”

Im Jae-joon had gathered every guild member he could currently summon.

“Effective immediately, all personnel are on emergency standby and will be deployed. As all team leaders are currently absent, I will be taking command on-site.”

At Im Jae-joon’s words, the guild members began to murmur. There were ten members gathered, six of whom were supporters.

With Teams 1 and 2 in the middle of a gate clear, this was everyone they could muster.

“Um, the guild’s elite are all out clearing the gate. Will we be okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to face the monster head-on with our current numbers. This is purely…”

Im Jae-joon looked at the surrounding guild members, especially the members of Team 3, as he spoke.

“To support the Team 3 Leader, who has engaged the enemy on-site.”

Another round of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Thanks to an SBC reporter illegally filming the battle and broadcasting it live, many people were already aware of the situation.

Though it seemed government agencies had now put a stop to the live broadcast.

“Um, is the Team Leader alright?”

“Don’t worry.”

Im Jae-joon smiled gently and continued.

“He’s not the kind of friend to die from something like that.”

The people were skeptical.

Even on video, the scene was beyond tragic—it was a living hell.

The sight of one man fighting a monster alone while trying to rescue dying people everywhere was unsettling for anyone to watch.

In particular, Lee Hyunbin had vanished after being struck by a massive blast of fire right before the video feed cut out.

Though no one said it aloud, everyone assumed that Lee Hyunbin, the Team 3 Leader, had died on the scene.

“I don’t care what it takes, I want to go now.”

The man who spoke in a somewhat rude tone was blond with a sturdy build.

As if unwilling to waste a single second, his eyes burned with intensity.

He was still low-leveled and inexperienced, but he was, indeed, the man the Hero had taken notice of.

Im Jae-joon could see at a glance that Kim Tae-yang was an exceptional talent.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Even excluding the S-Rank Seo Hyun-ji, Kim In-ho’s prowess was well-known since his time at the Tushin Guild.

“We’re about to leave anyway. Hunters summoned from other guilds have also gathered.”

Im Jae-joon spoke as if to reassure Kim Tae-yang.

Just as he said, a joint operation between the military and the hunters was about to begin.

* * *

“Seo-yeon, what are you doing here?”

Seo-yeon didn’t answer, even when her classmate, Hye-kyung, called out to her.

“Seo-yeon. The teacher said to get on the bus. You’re the only one left.”

“…”

Still no reply.

She had been acting strangely ever since she saw the emergency news broadcast.

Anyone would be terrified to suddenly encounter a monster rampage like this, even a student studying to become a hunter.

Hye-kyung misunderstood the pale look on Seo-yeon’s face.

“I’m not going.”

“What?”

Hye-kyung couldn’t believe her ears.

“What? Why not? There’s an evacuation order. We have to go now!”

“You go ahead. I’ll handle myself.”

“Huh, Seo-yeon? Where are you going!”

Hye-kyung cried out, startled by Seo-yeon’s sudden and unexpected actions.

The atmosphere was like that of a warzone, with people fleeing for their lives. Citizens who couldn’t find a vehicle were anxiously pacing, some even trying to force their way onto the bus carrying the students.

In other words, the school bus could no longer wait for Seo-yeon.

Hye-kyung grew anxious.

It wasn’t because of the scene that was turning into a living hell, but because of the unfamiliar expression on Seo-yeon’s face.

The Seo-yeon she saw now wasn’t the usual bright and gentle girl she knew.

“Oh, what do I do…”

Flustered, Hye-kyung hesitated, watching her friend walk away and the bus pull out.

Seo-yeon, no, Karin, was walking in the direction from which people were fleeing.

The Earth Dragon itself was incredibly dangerous, but the parasites constantly emerging from its body were terrifying as well.

They spread all sorts of diseases, attacked and devoured people, and even controlled them.

The Earth Dragon was, quite literally, a walking disaster.

Still, Karin headed toward the center of that disaster. The reason was simple.

The Hero was there.

Without the Hero, she wouldn’t exist.

The only reason she could smile in a world where she knew no one was because of the Hero.

In short, she couldn’t be without him.

Karin tried calling him again. But the phone seemed to be off, as she only heard a message and a tone connecting her to voicemail.

She called again and again.

This was him, of all people.

The broadcast footage made it look like he had died, but he wouldn’t die that easily.

In the other world, the Hero had faced even greater crises and stronger foes and survived. And he had grown that much stronger for it.

Most importantly.

‘He can’t be dead.’

Karin was certain. The future she had seen with blind devotion since she was a child.

That future had not yet come to pass.

There was a time when she nagged and tormented the Hero as a child because of that future. But now, her certainty about it brought her a sense of relief.

But she was still anxious. She had seen him injured in the video.

In that case, what he needed was her power.

The power of healing.

That cursed power which had helped the Hero so many times.

“Student!”

A loud voice made Karin flinch.

It was a soldier. He was gesturing at her.

“This area is off-limits! The other way! Go the other way!”

She wanted to ignore him and push through, but the military had already acted swiftly, setting up barricades to block civilian access.

‘What do I do?’

She couldn’t just ignore them and force her way through. She would probably be stopped and detained.

Moreover, the grim determination of the soldiers, who had overcome their fear of death to hold their guns, was like a sharp blade.

Their appearance reminded Karin of the warriors from her domain who had died gloriously in battle.

As she briefly wondered what to do, Karin felt a vibration and took out her phone.

Among the countless missed calls and messages was a newly updated phone number.

It was Olivier’s number, which she had saved recently.

“Hello?”

-Seo-yeon? Where are you right now?

Karin replied to Olivier’s urgent voice with a certain coldness.

“Why.”

She was angry.

That they, who had just promised to join hands with the Hero, had failed to help him properly and left him to fend for himself.

Of course, her anger was also directed at herself.

-We’re trying to support the Hero, and I think we’re going to need your help.

Olivier’s words made Karin’s heart waver.

There was only one situation in which her power would be needed.

“Where is he? Where do I need to go?”

-I’ll send you the location now. And if you could just wait a moment, our team members will be on their way. It’s dangerous, so please wait for a…

Karin didn’t answer Olivier’s urgent plea. Instead, she saw the Hero’s current location and quickened her pace.

For her, who had no combat abilities, to rush into a disaster zone alone was nothing short of a suicide mission. That was why Olivier had tried to send guild members with her.

Karin hung up the phone and immediately started moving.

The horrifying sound of artillery fire.

The giant Earth Dragon revealed itself, and parasitic worms poured out, swarming to hunt humans.

A barrage of shells tore the parasites’ bodies to shreds. But they didn’t stop, lunging forward to tear at human throats.

*Rat-a-tat, boom!*

Amidst the hail of bullets, the Earth Dragon’s breath created a sea of crimson fire.

In an instant, many soldiers were incinerated and vanished in the flames. Even modern weaponry was ineffective against the Earth Dragon.

All that was left was a tactical strike.

“Retreat! All units, retreat!”

All they could do for the people still unable to evacuate the city was buy time. But for the first time, the soldiers felt a bitter sense of powerlessness.

Because their lives weren’t even enough to buy a moment.

Karin was soon blocked by corpse worms. The creatures bounced in place, their jaws gaping at the sight of fresh prey.

She had expected to encounter monsters. Therefore, Karin wasn’t flustered at all.

A magic circle, embroidered with runic characters, began to form on the ground around Karin.

After coming to this era, she had awakened as a Lord, and in the other world, she possessed the power of a priestess. She, too, was a dual-awakened individual, just like Hyunbin.

“Healing Factor.”

The runic characters around her glowed green.

The corpse worms briefly faltered at the flashing bright light.

In that moment, something began to stir, one by one.

The corpse worms grew wary of the new enemies that had suddenly appeared.

In an instant, dozens of figures had risen. Some were missing arms, others had their entrails torn out.

The dead, looking like zombies, rose as if to guard Karin.

“Please help me, just until I find Ajeossi.”

Karin healed the dead and raised them. It might be a desecration of the dead, and it wasn’t like her usual self, but she didn’t care.

Right now, there was someone she had to save.

Reflected in Karin’s cold eyes was the sight of the dead and the corpse worms tangling together, tearing each other apart.

* * *

A gentle hand caresses his hair. A soft smile, like sunshine.

She held the child in her arms and whispered.

The child answered her question.

I’m going to be a hero.

She smiled softly at the child’s words.

She asked again.

Hearing her words, the child smiled and replied.

I want to always have a lot of people around me.

She hugged the child tightly, as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

She told the child she was sorry.

“…jeossi…!”

A familiar voice calls from somewhere.

A sharp voice. As I forced my terribly heavy eyelids open, I saw Karin looking down at me.

How long was I out?

I was dazed for a moment, unsure of what had happened, but I quickly came to my senses and looked around.

“Ajeossi.”

I saw Karin’s grinning face. Her face was completely covered in soot.

“You’ll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this.”

“…I was just resting for a bit, okay? Who said anything about sleeping?”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

I got up from Karin’s lap pillow. Thanks to her stroking my hair, I’d had a strange dream.

I couldn’t remember who it was, but it felt like a dream from when I was very young.

Checking the time, it seemed I’d been unconscious for about twenty minutes.

“Is the monster caught?”

“No. But it should be soon. They said the military and hunters are going to subjugate it together.”

I wonder if it’ll be caught that easily.

Having fought it myself, I knew better than anyone. Waking up, my body felt refreshed. The aches all over my body had mostly healed.

My HP Shield was also completely full.

I felt like a car with a full tank of gas.

“Ajeossi, back in your prime, you used to handle Earth Dragons like they were toys. I guess you can’t fight old age.”

“Hey. I can still play with it like a toy right now, you know?”

“Not without that one privilege you used to have. Let’s just go home, Ajeossi.”

Hmm. Just go back?

For the sake of the people packed into my inventory, I should. But I couldn’t just turn back with nothing to show for it after taking such a beating.

Not when there was a walking pile of experience points right there.

“Ajeossi?”

Sensing something was off, Karin called my name again.

If it were the same situation as before, even I might have gone back. But things were different now.

-Hero’s Privilege has been activated.

-The Hero’s status window is activating.

-Porter Hero Lee Hyunbin LV 30

-Strength: 42 + 99

-Agility: 62 + 99

-Stamina: 30 + 75

-Mana: 10 + 51

-Luck: 30 + 55

-Unallocated Stat Points: 30

The cap for stats was 99.

The stats I used to have were now added to my original system stats.

The reason my body felt so light wasn’t just because Karin had healed me.

-Hero of Salvation has been activated.

-Attack power increases based on the number of lives you are protecting.

-Attack power has increased by 150%.

Due to the increased synchronization rate, many of the Hero’s privileges had been interpreted and synchronized.

As long as I had a weapon, I could definitely fight.

-Are you alive?

Just then, a message came in from Olivier. Perfect timing.

“Hey, you got any weapons?”

-Seeing as you haven’t answered until now, you must have just scraped by death. What do you mean weapons, don’t tell me you’re planning to go hunting now?

“Yeah.”

I took a short pause before continuing.

“I’m just getting warmed up.”