Chapter 161

We gathered at the Huang family villa that afternoon—a location fraught with delicate implications, no matter how you sliced it.

The mere sight of the pope, the emperor, and the tower master emerging together from a dungeon was scandal enough. We had to politely send away our tails.

If word got out that the three of them were heading off for an afterparty, things would get messy fast.

“The three of you are badly injured.”

And handling that excuse fell to this world’s walking comprehensive hospital: His Holiness the Pope.

“But how did the three of you end up emerging from that dungeon…?”

On the way back, a curious mage piped up, and Tower Master Clona Eisen stepped in.

“We observed it from afar. The gate’s mana levels were off the charts. So we got in touch discreetly.”

That was enough to convince everyone.

“As expected of the tower master!”

And I, the captain of the guardian knights, unwittingly ended up escorting the trio… damn it all…

Of course, that only lasted until we reached the estate.

Click.

With the excuse that the four of us had urgent business, we shooed everyone away, leaving the sprawling villa empty save for us.

“What about the servants?”

Shouldn’t a place this size have butlers and maids lined up in droves?

The villa’s owner, Shin Jae-heon, gave a curt reply.

“Told them all to scram.”

When the hell did you do that?!

But better no onlookers than an audience.

“Alright, let’s start by setting up a barrier…”

Hunter So Yeri’s hands moved busily.

This wasn’t about monsters bursting in and wrecking the place.

We needed to cut loose without dodging penalties—and prying eyes would ruin that.

Whoosh!

In the meantime, Shin Jae-heon and I moved to draw the curtains.

“Stay put.”

But Hunter Joo Yian’s stern voice had us meekly sitting back down.

Truly, the scariest thing after a dungeon was the healer waiting at the exit.

While she handled the curtains for us, Hunter Joo Yian returned and thrust out her hand toward Shin Jae-heon without preamble.

“Hand it over now. Hunter Shin Jae-heon.”

I was wondering what this sudden debt collection was about—then I saw her gaze locked on his hand.

Ah, the gloves?

“…I figured you’d forgotten.”

Shin Jae-heon started to peel them off reluctantly, then paused.

“Can’t I return them after treatment?”

He looked at Hunter Joo Yian with a serious expression.

I’d have handed them over by now, but he had his reasons.

He was pretending it didn’t hurt, but right now, those gloves’ battle-will buff was numbing the pain anyway.

Every now and then, Shin Jae-heon’s status window would flash, revealing his HP steadily draining. His condition was dire.

“…You must return them once treatment’s done.”

Hunter Joo Yian sighed.

That was Shin Jae-heon’s diagnosis. It meant standard intensive treatment skills wouldn’t cut it.

I froze as the diagnosis hit me too.

My state was no better.

Hunter So Yeri, watching on, furrowed her brow.

“Our DPS duo came back as ground meat.”

“You ever see ground meat moving?”

Shin Jae-heon grumbled, but she pointed at the gloves on his hands.

“There’s these magic gloves that make ground meat move.”

“That’s…”

Shin Jae-heon started to retort.

“Stay put.”

We followed Hunter Joo Yian’s sharp(?) gaze and ended up lying side by side on his deluxe bed.

“Huh?”

She’d used it against Madam Maiden too—now again?

We tried to sit up, but Hunter So Yeri pressed down on our foreheads.

“No way. When it hurts, you get treated.”

“Hunter Joo Yian already burned through a ton of Field Hospital earlier.”

No telling how much it’d shave off her stats if she pushed further.

Hunter Joo Yian let out a deep sigh.

“No helping it if you’re both hurt.”

At that, Shin Jae-heon and I clutched our heads in unison.

Just curse us out instead—!

Yell at us for coming back beat to hell—!

Don’t look all self-recriminating—!

“F-fine.”

No choice now but to make sure she minimized the Field Hospital usage.

Hunter Joo Yian’s face paled in the stark white glow from the skill. Tormenting our healer—who couldn’t even swear—was a sin.

The Field Hospital skill was something else.

No clue which battlefield hospital outdid top-tier hunter facilities in the city center, but the effects were undeniably real.

Paired with Intensive Treatment boosted to L+, the flood of healing skills restored us to peak condition in seconds.

Mental fatigue was another story, but our bodies were pristine.

“Phew.”

Hunter Joo Yian was no different.

Field Hospital shared healing effects with everyone in range.

Still, she kept a stern face.

“You’re good for the afterparty. But just in case there’s internal damage.”

Clink clink clink.

Three bowls of the dreaded “emergency measure” soup appeared before us.

“Why me?”

Hunter So Yeri protested, looking wronged.

Hunter Joo Yian glanced at her, then replied a half-beat late.

“…Just in case.”

She clearly hated even mentioning how So Yeri had barely survived.

Hunter So Yeri pouted.

“Ugh.”

No one could refuse in front of someone who’d just deployed Field Hospital.

As we choked down soup that summoned verdant mountains with a single sip…

“Ack.”

Hunter So Yeri, unused to such trials as a support, couldn’t down it in one go and set her bowl down.

Tsk tsk. Sipping only prolongs the agony.

As I clicked my tongue…

Hunter So Yeri took a deep breath and shouted.

“For A-rank Shin Yuri!”

“Pfft.”

Congrats poured in, but celebrating my “promotion” to A-rank—when I’d started at S—was surreal.

I botched my one-shot thanks to it, grimacing wildly.

Of course, I appreciated it.

The rewards from the Guest (SS) dungeon were top-tier.

We each got bonus gear and stats, plus personal extras.

Hunter Joo Yian got a brooch boosting healing skills; Shin Jae-heon, a sword ornament for attack skills.

Maletia’s blade now jingled with tassels.

It wasn’t crude to begin with, but the red blade and black hilt gained golden-red flair, looking even more ornate.

My rank-up went without saying. The issue was Hunter So Yeri’s reward.

“I’ve been dying to talk about this—my mouth’s been itching.”

She shared a skill.

My eyes went wide at the description.

“No way—this rewinds time?”

“Yep! Clear notification popped up!”

Hunter So Yeri flashed a V-sign.

“But what’s ‘Power of Time’…?”

Hunter Joo Yian asked cautiously.

Shin Jae-heon, mid-jerky chew, stopped to listen.

She held out her hand.

“Ring any bells?”

She revealed the ‘Distorted Tree Heart’ I’d once entrusted to her.

An unappraised item back then.

“Ah, no way?”

“What’s that?”

Shin Jae-heon and Hunter Joo Yian looked puzzled—they were seeing it for the first time.

“Got it from that forest dungeon. Came up unappraised. Even when Hunter So Yeri tried appraising it, still couldn’t.”

“‘Still’?”

Shin Jae-heon tilted his head. She nodded.

“But now it appraises!”

Clearly needed a prerequisite—acquiring Rewind (SS).

A C-rank dungeon, yet the reward was ridiculously potent.

“Power of Time? You get it by breaking items that ‘represent elapsed time,’ like this.”

She tossed and caught the heart.

“Figured I’d stockpile once I got the power.”

Excited, Hunter So Yeri pinched the heart between thumb and forefinger. Tiny against her hand, it looked adorable.

“Yup.”

Crunch!

The moment it shattered in her grip…

Fwoosh!

A brilliant golden light—like Hunter So Yeri’s eyes—bloomed where the heart had been.