Chapter 4

I could practically see Shin Jae-heon smacking his lips right in front of me. What a jerk.

His face, clicking his tongue in disappointment, was vivid in my mind. Come on.

Can’t I just meet Hunter Yian to get treated, then head to the palace and become Shin Jae-heon’s vassal?

Right on cue, chats from Shin Jae-heon and Yian popped up simultaneously.

In other words, I’d end up stuck between the liver and the gallbladder? What a headache.

Can he just say that out loud? I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

That made sense. Even the hallway I was in right now had the Shinsian Church emblem plastered on it.

“Senia?”

That’s when my family called out to me. I jumped in surprise and wiped the grin off my face.

Whew, almost broke the RP dungeon rules.

“Is something hurting?”

That Kikal or whatever his brother asked with a worried look.

If it hurt, would I be grinning?

“You fool!”

Viscount Pourlang, catching his meaning, smacked him on the back.

In the meantime, the hunter chat updated again.

Shin Jae-heon replied without hesitation.

DPS lives and DPS dies? Then an info window popped up.

Weakest sword skills, frail body, dumb? That was yesterday’s news.

Now that Shin Jae-heon was emperor, Carman was set to thrive. This stock was a buy.

Hunter So Yeri, now the Mage Tower Lord, stayed silent.

Still, as tower lord, she probably brought all her support skills.

So just me in this sorry state?

I couldn’t drop my benevolent smile.

Later, I’d have to check out the god’s shop or whatever. See if there’s anything useful.

In the end, we decided to meet Hunter Yian secretly.

Whoa, jackpot?

But why do I feel like I’d be the one getting resurrected?

The meeting with Hunter Yian was set for two days later.

And those two days flew by as I cleared some miscellaneous quests.

The quests I’d knocked out were things like: leaving the hallway, walking 100m without stopping, attempting push-ups, etc.

Each time, my max HP shot up steadily.

So now, two days later, my max HP was a whopping 30!

Wow, impressive!

“You’re going out today, right? I’ll get your outing prep done in a flash!”

—Bang!

Thanks to the hyper maid slamming the door again today, my HP dropped to [29/30].

Still, it was more manageable than before. Even exiting the mansion with support felt easier than expected.

“Don’t go too far. I’ll assign knights to escort you.”

Viscountess Pourlang seemed worried about her daughter heading out far(?) for the first time in ages. Though it was practically right outside the mansion.

And by carriage, no less.

“I’ll be back.”

I waved to the Pourlang family and boarded the carriage.

I ditched the brother tagging along.

Something suspicious like smoke was rising behind that DPS mark of his. Couldn’t trust it.

My hard-earned lesson from clearing countless dungeons as an S-rank hunter: avoid anything shady.

So, compromise.

Ending up with four high-level knights instead of B-rank pure DPS…

“We’ll protect you with our lives, miss.”

The knights, overflowing with loyalty, seemed genuinely pitying me.

It was natural. A talent who could’ve been heir to a knightly house, ruined by illness.

“Please do.”

I replied in a pitiful voice.

B-ranks, so cute. Later, I’d transfer some vitality to them.

…Once I got my skills back.

I thought of my skills slumbering safely on the Galaxy Server and closed the carriage door.

—Thud.

There was one tiny issue with my plan to meet Hunter Yian.

How were we supposed to meet naturally in this massive market?

If the Pope and Pourlang lady suddenly acted like old pals, it’d violate RP dungeon rules and we’d both be toast.

More precisely, in S-rank+ RP dungeons, violations come with harsh penalties: skill rank drops or even death.

But the hunter chat was silent.

So Yeri Hunter and Shin Jae-heon said they were busy today, so I got it.

But what was Yian doing?

The mystery solved the moment I arrived at the market.

A large confessional booth was set up in the market. Who was inside was obvious.

A huge sign stood in front of the confessional. People were going in and out.

Ian? Way too on-the-nose hint.

Yian had a cute side.

I headed straight for the confessional.

“To the confessional, miss?”

One of the cute B-rank pure DPS… no, Pourlang knights asked cautiously.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll escort you.”

The knight tentatively offered his hand.

Looking ready to follow me inside.

Escort or whatever, but no way was I bringing a knight into the confessional.

How could I have a secret chat with Yian then?

“No, I can go alone.”

I gently pushed his hand away.

The knight bowed awkwardly.

“…Are you sure? Your condition is still…”

He seemed truly concerned. So cute, like a B-rank. I’d definitely transfer vitality later!

“I’m fine. Hey, what’s your name?”

Gotta know the name to transfer, right? He looked touched.

“Edith, miss!”

“Got it, Sir Edith. I’ll remember.”

I flashed Sir Edith a bright smile and proceeded to the confessional.

Thankfully, the line wasn’t long.

Meaning Hunter Yian and I met without much wait.

—Flutter.

Stepping into the pitch-black space like a real confessional, a familiar voice greeted me.

“Welcome. Lord Shinsian is always watching over you mercifully.”

Wow, even as an atheist, Hunter Yian’s voice was hypnotic.

“Ahem.”

Yian seemed flustered. Then he whispered.

“Hunter Shin Yuri?”

The entrance notice said the confessional was soundproofed by divine power.

In other words, only we two could hear.

“Yep, Yian.”

As I replied, the thick blackout curtain swished open.

Revealing Hunter Yian with light brown hair and monocle.

But his outfit was different.

He usually rocked crisp white suits, but now it was ornate priest robes with gold embroidery.

“Wow… Yian’s fantasy localization is on point.”

Adaptability off the charts. He burst out laughing.

“Hunter Shin Yuri, you…”

He started to say it suited me, then trailed off remembering my state.

Then smiled brightly.

“You’ll look the part soon enough. I’ll cure your illness. Have a seat.”

He gestured.

I sat carefully, wary of HP loss.

The dim confessional light glinted off his monocle.

“Your wrist.”

Yian had a skill called ‘Examination’.

Just checking the pulse revealed certain abnormalities.

Knowing that, I offered my wrist immediately.

“Hm…”

The familiar vibration of vitality flow came, with white light enveloping my wrist.

Examination skill.

Results should come quick. That’s how Yian’s skill worked.

But he stayed silent.

“How is it? Incurable? Terminally screwed?”

He shook his head. Chuckled briefly at my words, then opened his eyes seriously.

“This isn’t an illness, Hunter Shin Yuri.”

“?”

What then? Not consumption? I checked my status window.

“Huh?”

The part that used to say terminal consumption had changed oddly.

Did knowing the truth update the status window?

As I frowned,

Yian tilted his head and said,

“This is poison.”

What? My eyes went wide.