Chapter 214

So Yeri looked down at the item in her hands.

The conditions for an item that granted a lot of Time Force.

It must have been carried around for a long time and gone through numerous dungeons. It probably wasn’t something obtained within this gate.

Since it was an item brought in from outside a sudden gate, it at least satisfied the final condition.

But this parasol had never been through multiple dungeons.

Even so, So Yeri was convinced that this parasol held a great deal of Time Force.

She had discovered this while trying to gather Time Force by any means, using other items.

When she had rewound Hunter Joo Yian’s time.

She had depleted all the Time Force and tried to scrape it together again.

Even when she put in the sword used by Hunter Shin Yuri.

Even when she put in the accessories she herself had used.

The Time Force barely budged.

This was even though most of the items were S to SS-rank.

But.

The Plated Necklace was different. The hole-ridden parasol she held was the same.

The reason the Plated Necklace and the hole-ridden parasol held more Time Force than Hunter Shin Yuri’s weapon, which had been through far more dungeons.

It was probably because real time—someone’s memories—had truly seeped into those items.

That was why So Yeri had come searching for this parasol, searching for her past self.

Of course, it was also essential for clearing this “Memory – So Yeri” dungeon, and within this dungeon, no other item had as much Time Force as the Plated Necklace or the hole-ridden parasol.

Just 13 more, and I can save Hunter Joo Yian.

So Yeri looked down at the parasol in her hands.

The childish handwriting of young Shin Yuri was visible.

Someone she was grateful for, a grateful person.

A beautiful person.

Whispering that, she gripped the parasol tightly.

—Crack!

Then the parasol burst into golden light and vanished.

So Yeri smiled brightly amid the golden glow.

Lee Jin-ah left without spotting us.

“Running… she’s incredibly fast.”

Maybe she was meant to be a dealer instead of a support after all?

I stared at the spot where Lee Jin-ah had passed.

Just then.

“It’s done!”

Hunter So Yeri came rushing up the stairs.

“It’s done?”

All other thoughts flew from my mind. Hunter So Yeri was waving her arms excitedly as she ran over.

“I gathered 100 Time Force!”

“…!”

I saw Hunter Joo Yian turn toward the sound. A smile finally appeared on Shin Jae-heon’s face.

I clenched my fists tightly in tension.

Could it really work?

No. It had to work.

It absolutely had to.

“Hunter Joo Yian, stay right there!”

Hunter So Yeri ran over with a joyful face. For some reason, her expression looked relieved.

As if she had resolved something beyond just the Time Force.

It was probably related to Lee Jin-ah.

Hunter So Yeri, who had rushed over in one bound, unleashed her Regression skill on Hunter Joo Yian.

Shin Jae-heon and I watched him tensely.

“……”

Hunter Joo Yian, bathed in brilliant golden light, slightly opened his eyes a moment later.

And when those brown eyes clearly focused on me.

—Vmmm…!

A resonance spread from the dungeon exit. As if it was time to leave.

Our gazes all turned to the dungeon exit at once.

“Huh?”

I unknowingly widened my eyes.

Normally, unless it was a lower-rank dungeon than one’s own, the outside shouldn’t be visible.

But even from an SS+ dungeon exit, the outside was visible.

And there stood Lee Jin-ah.

「…!」

She was frantically explaining the situation to the reporters who had rushed over.

Hunter Times reporters.

They were probably desperate to get the scoop on what rank and class the gate survivor Lee Jin-ah was.

「What is your name?!」

A voice seemed to carry from afar. At that, Lee Jin-ah hesitated before answering.

「…Lee Jin-ah.」

The moment she said that name.

The clear message appeared.

Past So Yeri Hunter—no, Lee Jin-ah—seemed to have made a choice without regrets.

As we watched the fading Hunter Lee Jin-ah, Hunter So Yeri whispered softly.

“Now Jin-ah will live on just like that.”

Meeting the three hunters and learning how exciting the world is.

With those words, the system windows poured in.

These were the system windows we had waited so long for.

The system window flashed.

I was too busy to even keep up with the system windows flashing back and forth.

Huh?

What did that say?

Not only were there tons of rewards, each one was ridiculously overpowered.

But that wasn’t the end.

The moment I widened my eyes, the final reward appeared.

—Flash!

My vision flashed brightly.

My field of view, which I thought couldn’t get better than S-rank eyesight, expanded dramatically.

My senses, now sharper to every movement, picked up even the tiniest shifts around me.

The sound of wind rushing in through the hole blasted in the building by the explosion. The sound of small debris swaying in the wind, even the dirt brushing past.

That was when I slightly parted my lips.

Q. Are these human stats?

A. Yes!

I gaped wide.

“SS-rank hunters really exist.”

This would be the world’s first SS-rank hunter.

The prevailing theory had been that only monsters reached SS-rank until now, and I’d just overturned that.

No.

We had overturned it.

This was the moment the world’s first SS-rank hunter team was born.