Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Still, there was one thing I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about.

‘If I’d gotten out of that garden even a little faster, I could’ve at least spared these two some of their hardship.’

If I’d saved even the time I spent having that almost childish conversation with the doll, maybe I could’ve reduced the danger they’d faced, even just a little.

My lips twitched with guilt I couldn’t pretend away, but in the end I gave up on voicing an apology for it. Even if I brought it up now, I doubted their reactions would change.

‘Then I’d rather…’

“Then at least let me say this. Thank you both for holding on safely.”

“Huh?”

“Ah.”

“I know it probably sounds ridiculous coming from a mere C-Rank hunter, but… still, if either of you had been badly hurt because of me… or if the worst had happened.”

For a moment, I recalled that day I’d experienced once with Mr. Yoon Juyeong.

The memory of that day — a human body cooling in my arms, breathing growing weaker and weaker, holding a life slowly fading away with nothing I could do but endure right there in that spot.

‘…Someone getting hurt or dying because of me…’

I hate that more than dying myself. Instead of forcing out the words I couldn’t finish, I bowed deeply toward them both to express my gratitude.

How long had I been bent over? Suddenly, from above my head, Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s clear laughter burst out.

“Pfft, ahaha, ahahahak…!”

“…Hunter Jeong Soyeon?”

“I never thought I’d live to hear someone say ‘thank you for surviving’… Pfft, ahaha, ahaha. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you. It’s just, I never imagined I’d hear something like that in my life.”

Was my remark really that funny?

Hunter Jeong Soyeon roughly wiped away the tears that had squeezed out during her laughter and continued.

“No, I should be the one thanking you for coming back safely, Seohee.”

“I also think it’s a great relief that you returned safely, Seohee.”

For some reason, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong cut in, wiping the inside of his sunglasses with a handkerchief he’d pulled from his jacket’s inner pocket.

“And thank you for what you said. Since hunters live with the threat of death constantly at our shoulders, I never expected to hear words like that…”

…Was he actually crying right now? I looked up at the bear-sized man who kept wiping the inside of his sunglasses with his handkerchief, my expression bewildered.

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong carefully folded the handkerchief he’d used to dry the tears inside his sunglasses, put it back in his inner pocket, then pulled out a pack of pocket tissues — how he’d managed to store that too, I had no idea — and blew his nose lightly.

So it seemed he really had been crying after all.

“Oh my god, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong. Were you actually crying? Geez, what deep emotions you’ve got.”

“A-ahum. H-Hunter Jeong Soyeon. I wasn’t exactly crying… I was just wiping off sweat…”

“Who in the world wipes sweat by focusing on the corners of their eyes! Honestly, for an A-Rank hunter, you’re so soft-hearted I wonder how you survive.”

Despite saying that, Hunter Jeong Soyeon gently patted the back of Hunter Kim Seongmyeong, who was still sniffing as if traces of tears remained.

…It was just an offhand thought, but these two seemed to suit each other really well. Not that I was trying to link it to romance — just as people, their personalities felt like a good match.

Hunter Kim Seongmyeong was still sniffing as he calmed the remnants of his tears, Hunter Jeong Soyeon was patting his back, and I was blankly watching the two of them — until the person who’d been observing the whole scene from a step back put an end to it: Hunter Yoon Juyeong.

“Can we consider this touching reunion over now?”

“H-Hunter Yoon Juyeong. Ahem, I-I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“Haha, not at all. Just listening to the three of you talk made the time pass quite pleasantly.”

…Was I the only one who felt a subtle barb in Mr. Yoon Juyeong’s words?

I glanced cautiously at Hunter Jeong Soyeon.

Hunter Jeong Soyeon’s expression was similarly subtle, as if she’d picked up on the same feeling. Of course, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong, as always, seemed completely oblivious.

“Th-Then I’m glad. Ahem, l-let’s finish clearing the dungeon. I’ll take the lead!”

“I’d appreciate it if you would, but… are you sure you’re okay on stamina? It must have been tough holding out on your own for a while.”

“I may not look it, but I’m an A-Rank hunter! As you can see, just holding out was no problem at all. The only injuries I’ve sustained so far are a few scratches, and even those can be healed up with a single cheap potion.”

“Ah. In that case, I suppose I can trust you to take the vanguard.”

This time, I was sure of it. Right now, Mr. Yoon Juyeong was maneuvering Hunter Kim Seongmyeong exactly the way he wanted, twisting him this way and that.

I’d already felt like he was subtly steering the conversation in the direction he wanted even when dealing with me, but seeing him do it to someone else too… hmm.

‘So he’s always had this kind of tendency, huh.’

We weren’t exactly close before he got hit by my skill, so… everything I knew about Mr. Yoon Juyeong was just fragments.

Things like, from a distance, he seemed really nice, really kind, always had a smile on his face, stuff like that.

So it wouldn’t be strange to discover a new side of him now. Even if the relationship between him and me right now was one neither of us had wanted.

“Then let’s get moving. You two must be exhausted, and there’s no point in lingering inside the dungeon any longer than we have to.”

After that, clearing the dungeon went smoothly without a single hitch.

Whenever a monster appeared, Hunter Yoon Juyeong stepped up and dealt with it immediately, and the occasional traps set up inside the dungeon were either handled skillfully by Hunter Kim Seongmyeong or bypassed with Hunter Yoon Juyeong’s help.

Thanks to that, we managed to break through the mob section between the mid-boss monster and the final boss monster in just thirty minutes.

‘Sure, the field in this dungeon is a bit shorter compared to other dungeons… but even so, that’s incredible.’

Even I, a C-Rank hunter with almost no experience in proper dungeon raids, could tell for sure that this situation was far from normal.

Normally, when you think of a dungeon raid, the common understanding is that at least four, up to eight people each faithfully perform their roles to get it done, but…

‘This is practically just getting carried by Mr. Yoon Juyeong.’

To describe a situation where one overwhelmingly strong person takes the lead while the other three follow along with maximum safety, the word “carry” really was the most fitting.

“We’ve approached the final boss monster’s domain. This time as well, Hunter Yoon Juyeong will take the main attack, and I will take the position of protecting Hunter Jeong Soyeon and Hunter Yoon Seohee.”

Right at the boundary line to enter the final boss monster’s domain, Hunter Kim Seongmyeong dusted off the dirt on his shield and summarized the situation.

The three of us, including me, immediately nodded or gave affirmative answers. Hunter Kim Seongmyeong checked each of our reactions one by one, then gave a light nod and readjusted his grip on his shield.

“Then we’ll enter immediately—”

“Hold on a moment.”

This time, the one who suddenly stopped Hunter Kim Seongmyeong was none other than Hunter Yoon Juyeong. I halted my steps, which had been about to follow Hunter Kim Seongmyeong into the domain, and looked at Hunter Yoon Juyeong.

“Hunter Yoon Juyeong?”

“…Sorry, but please wait a moment. It seems like something is tracking us from behind.”

“Tracking us?”

For a moment, I thought he might be talking about Blackie, but then I shook my head. I’d already told Blackie to keep a bit of distance and follow us before we met Hunter Kim Seongmyeong and Hunter Jeong Soyeon.

And since Mr. Yoon Juyeong already knew about that, there was no way he’d use the word “tracking” for that.

‘So there really is something else?’

We’d already had one major unexpected incident because of Blackie. Avoiding another one was the sincere wish of all of us.

But at the same time, it was true that we couldn’t just ignore an unexpected presence that had come this close, so in the end, each of us prepared to respond to the unidentified entity approaching.

About thirty seconds later. Even from a distance that my C-Rank hunter eyes could make out, something was coming toward us.

“Huh?”

I’d naturally assumed it was a monster inside the dungeon, so the strength drained from the hand gripping my weapon. That was because what was approaching us from afar was clearly a human. And not just any human…

‘I’ve definitely seen that face before… No way?’

Hair that was closer to ash gray than silver, a black coat neatly covering a well-trained body, and, most decisively, a sleek silver sword resting at the man’s side.

He was a man that any hunter living in South Korea would know without fail.

‘The Sword Emperor?’

In the hunter industry, there exists something called the “Ranking System.”

As the name suggests, this Ranking System is a system that quantifies the combat power, contributions, influence, and other factors of every living hunter into numerical values, ranks them, and makes them public.

Of course, this system, which clearly has major issues regarding privacy protection, was not promoted by the national or transnational Hunter Associations.

The one who created this system, which ruthlessly exposes the combat power of every hunter living in the world without concealment, is none other than the Administrator — the bane of you, me, and all of humanity in this world.

One year after suddenly unleashing a Monster Parade. When the existence of Awakened Ones was made public and the word “hunter,” signifying a new profession, had become firmly established, the Administrator, as it always did, appeared out of nowhere and began explaining the “Ranking System.”