Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Dream of Owning a Home
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What did you just say? What? You piece of shit?"
"Pardon? What’s… Don’t do this."
"Hey, don’t threaten the Saintess! You filthy bastards."
"These punks who were slacking off are pulling this crap now?!"
"No, this bitch just cursed at me…!"
"Bitch? You crazy son of a bitch?"
"The Saintess cursing? Cut the slander, Kim Ho-jun."
Playing the innocent victim to Kim Ho-jun's shouting, the other hunters who'd fought alongside me in the gate rushed over like a pack and laid into him.
Kim Ho-jun protested with an extremely aggrieved look on his face, but it fell on deaf ears for these people already fed up with his usual antics. If anything, they accused him of scheming in the current situation and hurled more abuse.
"Abyss Guild's Kim Ho-jun. Can you take responsibility for those words? As representatives of Abyss, is it okay if we mention your negligence, deliberate interference, and slander against the Saintess at an official press conference?"
"Ugh, you're all in cahoots! This is a setup!"
"Well, if anyone's in cahoots, it looks more like you lot who were comfortably sitting this out."
Jin Tae-san's icy gaze swept over the hunters, and those with guilty consciences averted their eyes like they'd been struck dumb.
Kim Ho-jun glared at me with bulging eyes, but what could he do? I was the healer who'd supported the S-rank gate subjugation, backed by the Association and Heavenly Flame Guild.
I put on a slightly intimidated expression at his stare, and the nearby hunters piled on Kim Ho-jun with murderous intent.
Now's my chance to heal the wounded.
"Let me take a look."
"Ah, Saintess… Thank you."
"No need. It's what I should do."
"Hold still. Excuse me."
"This is holy power… Thank you."
"You're our lifesaver."
This quest… Does it have some philanthropic streak? It only shows up outside the Tower when I'm saving people.
After healing all the wounded and finally straightening my back, the people around me bowed theirs.
I'd planned to play healer outside and milk the perks while clearing up misunderstandings, but somehow things were escalating…?
Feeling a bit like a cult leader emerging, I gave an awkward smile and stepped back, when Lee Jae-hoon approached and handed me something.
"Please take this."
"Pardon? What's this?"
What he handed me was a silver metallic orb about the size of my fist.
But when I held it, it was almost weightless, and the texture wasn't cold at all. Interesting.
"It's called an Orb. A rare item said to be found in S-rank gates. It supposedly transforms into a weapon suited to the user or provides automatic defense."
"…This?"
Isn't this that broken, scam-tier item? And they're just handing it to me?
"You probably won't need it as a weapon… but the auto-defense alone will be a huge help to you, Iroha. You'll run into trash like that countless times ahead."
Lee Jae-hoon's contemptuous gaze flicked toward Kim Ho-jun before softening again.
"Uh, but isn't this the boss reward? It doesn't feel right to just take it."
"If you hadn't come, Iroha, we wouldn't have gotten any rewards—we'd have been wiped out. Oh, and there was another S-rank material, but we'll process that separately and give it to you."
"Another one besides this?!"
Well, it's great, but still.
Humans have a sense of shame, so I felt a bit flustered.
Technically, I did land the finishing blow, but that was only possible because the other hunters had created the opening at the cost of their lives.
Cheon I-ryeong had carved a deep wound allowing us to breach the inner area, Choi Kang-in pierced its ironclad defenses, the ranged hunters added firepower while Lee Jae-hoon and the melee fighters pinned the boss down.
And now they're handing me all the rewards… It's too good to be true.
'If they're offering, refusing would make me the fool.'
Plus, an S-rank item. Something you might never touch in a lifetime. Who'd turn down a freebie like this?
"For now… I'll hold onto it. Let me know if you need it back anytime."
"Understood. Haha, if that's more comfortable, we'll do that."
Lee Jae-hoon chuckled softly, a faint smile lingering as he walked away. That guy… Has his character changed a bit? I remember him being all sharp and stern.
Anyway, my work here was done, and Heavenly Flame was handling the cleanup, so time to head out.
But then Jin Tae-san approached after wrapping up the confrontation.
"You're truly unpredictable. Coming here and entering the gate in the meantime. What were you thinking? When I got your message and arrived, I panicked seeing only those incompetents."
"Ahaha, it just kinda happened…?"
The text I'd sent Jin Tae-san was a support request. To somehow get hunters in there.
I'd entered believing reinforcements would come soon.
"Thanks to you, we can make it a dramatic story. Looks like we'll need to go public sooner. Any thoughts on the Association President position?"
"Ugh, no thanks."
Persistent old man.
I have no idea what he expects from an clueless newbie like me in that role.
"Shame. Ah, after going public, you'll draw a lot of attention, so I've prepared something special for you, Iroha. Shall we go?"
"Prepared what now…?"
"Nothing much. A secret passage to the Association, you could say?"
Secret passage?
I can't resist this.
I'd been wondering how to come and go without drawing eyes.
We rode a large van with Jin Tae-san to the Association area, but upon arrival, what stood before us was a fancy house in an upscale residential neighborhood.
"…?"
"Come on in."
Before I could ask, I was led inside like a lamb, revealing an interior decked out with luxury furniture.
No signs of inhabitants, but tidy enough to move in immediately without discomfort.
But he said passage… Why here?
"This house is under your name, Iroha. Ready for you to use anytime."
"Pardon?"
"After a year, when you decide on permanent residence and leave, we'll help with the sale too."
"Pardon?"
"It's more convenient than a regular apartment in many ways. South-facing windows, full HVAC, overlapping three subway lines but good traffic flow."
"Um, about that passage… you were going to show me…."
"Ah! This way?"
Jin Tae-san, who'd suddenly turned realtor, pointed at the wall by the stairs to the second floor in response to my flustered question.
"Try placing your hand here."
Not grasping the situation, I absentmindedly followed his instruction and placed my hand—
The wall glowed and hummed in the shape of my palm, and the stairs sank into the ground, transforming into a descending staircase.
"Whoa…."
This is awesome…! Like a spy flick!
"You like this stuff more than expected. Too early to be surprised—let's head down first."
Isn't this every guy's dream?
A secret personal space—pure romance.
As I eagerly descended, Jin Tae-san smiled and continued.
"Regular entrances would be problematic, so we prepared this discreet method. The passage only opens in response to you, Iroha."
So the house itself is the secret passage? And I can live here too?
My dream of owning a home fulfilled in an instant.
For free, no less—I was speechless as we pressed on, revealing a long straight tunnel with rails on one side and a mini train car.
"You can zip through on this vehicle or stroll leisurely. The ceiling uses special seismic shielding that can withstand even nuclear strikes. In case of natural disasters or nukes, the passage becomes a bunker with wall-mounted facilities."
"Uh… What happens when I sell this place later…."
"We'll dispose of it. Until then, use the passage for your protection."
Crazy—they dumped national budget into this.
It screamed overkill investment for one person.
Ugh, taxes… Is it okay to blow them like this!
Suppressing a laugh at all this prepared just for me, I got off the vehicle at the tunnel's end. Opening the door led to what looked like a normal elevator.
"It's inside the Association, linked to the existing framework and operations via this passage. Even if the Association loses function to attacks or fire, you can return via this elevator."
A ding, and the doors opened to a sleek interior with just two buttons.
20th floor and basement tunnel level.
The dedicated elevator shot up smoothly, dropping us on the 20th floor in seconds.
"The 20th floor is still under prep, so it's empty now, but it'll be fully equipped by next week."
As Jin Tae-san said, the 20th was a bare, unfinished space.
Sitting in a makeshift lounge area, he explained using "Saintess" as my codename for identity, and that I wouldn't need to appear publicly on official occasions.
I'd thought it was just hype at first, but somehow "Saintess" became my official title.
All thanks to that Philanthropist status window.
"Did you have prior ties to Heavenly Flame Guild, Iroha?"
"Uh… Something like that?"
They'd approached for recruitment, but we'd gotten entangled since. Now that I'm with the Association, it might feel awkward looking their way.
"Care to take a look at this?"
Jin Tae-san slid a tablet across the table with a subtle tone.
It was filled with info on Heavenly Flame Guild. Hidden dark side? But they gave me a precious item—what else could they want?
Unable to resist curiosity, I picked it up and read the first page.
'Special Notes on Cheon I-ryeong Hunter's Gate Subjugations.'