Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The D-Cup Fixates on Me (3)
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"How many times do I have to tell you before you get it? How long do I have to keep bending over backwards for you?"
"Ha... I really don't want to party with someone like you."
"Let me hit it once. Be honest, you've let guys everywhere else do it plenty of times, right? It doesn't wear out or anything, so let me too."
"Hey! Stop chasing tail everywhere. You rude bitch!"
"Ha... Let's call it here. It seems like you just don't mesh with our guild."
Lee Hyun-ah's days were pure agony.
She had awakened as a hunter and come to Seoul dreaming of a bright future where she could finally get revenge on those loathsome monsters.
But what greeted her was a brutal reality.
Talent that didn't live up to her expectations no matter how hard she pushed it, filthy desires from people who valued everything but skill, and the envy and jealousy that came with it...
Day by day, she grew exhausted, and her self-esteem hit rock bottom.
The drive that had once made her feel like she could do anything had vanished long ago, leaving her to limp along on inertia alone.
And even that inertia snapped when her guild fired her.
'Maybe I should just give up and go back home like Min-woo said...?'
But she couldn't bring herself to quit.
She was terrified that giving up now would make all the mocking words thrown at her come true.
Yet continuing as a hunter felt impossible—she was already worn to the bone.
...And that was when she met Gam Deok-bae.
"Ah-ha! So that's how it works!"
"Wow! You really know your stuff. Thank you so much."
A total rookie who had jumped into hunting without knowing the basics.
Someone more clueless, foolish, and gullible than her.
And yet a good-hearted guy who never said a harsh word.
For the first time since her firing, she smiled.
'Pfft! What an idiot? How does he not know something this basic? Guess I have no choice but to teach him.'
'No way! You do it like that? Do I really have to explain even this?'
'That's right. Now it's looking better. Wait, what's with that face? Pfft! What happened to make him look so smug?'
For the first time in ages, she felt genuinely happy.
She, who had always been the one getting scolded, now got to be the teacher—and it felt fresh and fun.
He was a lousy student with terrible study habits, but watching him reduce his mistakes little by little filled her with pride.
Knowing there was someone inferior to her.
Knowing that person depended on her.
Knowing that person followed her every word.
Her rock-bottom self-esteem started to climb, bit by bit.
"Ah, I see. So if I register my card here, the magic stone sale money comes in automatically?"
"You rent the gear from over there, right?"
"Huh? No? What's this... Ah! This is it! Right?"
"Exactly. Hyun-ah, you really know your stuff. Thanks to you, no one can call me a sucker anymore."
Every word from Gam Deok-bae sent a thrill through Lee Hyun-ah.
His thanks had this strange addictive quality.
So she refused to let him go.
To keep hearing the praise and gratitude, she fussed over every little detail for him.
Before she knew it, time had flown by, and it was closing time for most of the shops.
"Hyun-ah, thank you so much for today. It must've been hard to go out of your way for a total stranger like me, but you listened to my selfish requests. I'm truly grateful."
"Ah... N-no! I didn't do it for free or anything."
"Still, it was my pushiness. You even let me keep a few magic stones."
"That's... because you're F-rank... Seniors always look out for juniors, right? Hunters do the same. Yeah, that's it."
"Not everyone does, though? I'm lucky I got to party with you, Hyun-ah. I'd love to team up with someone like you again next time."
"Uh... Huh?"
She was genuinely flustered.
There was still so much to teach him, so much to look after.
She needed more of that 'gratitude'...
But he seemed ready to find a different party member.
"You said you usually only party with same-rank D-ranks, right? I'll level up quick so we can party again."
"Ah..."
That was right.
She hadn't known him well at first, so she'd put up a hard wall.
She hadn't wanted to party with an older F-rank healer whose face wasn't much to look at, so she'd said this would be a one-time thing.
But that had been her mistake. In person, he wasn't the low-quality guy she'd imagined.
"That's not true!"
"Huh?"
"I mean... Deok-bae, you've got skills and an artifact, so you don't seem like a typical F-rank... And... right! It doesn't feel safe. You'll probably forget it all by tomorrow..."
"You mean...?"
"So... I'll help you until you rank up to D! It's hard to find party members you click with anyway. You could run into shady ones who steal your artifact or something!"
She had no idea what she was even saying.
She was just blurting out whatever came to mind to keep Gam Deok-bae around.
"It's not a loss for me either—finding a healer isn't easy! You've still got a lot to learn, and partying with random hunters could make you a nuisance... No! I don't mean you'd be a nuisance to me..."
"Ah, I'd love to keep partying with you, Hyun-ah. It's reassuring teaming with a veteran."
"Veteran... Yeah, exactly! Good choice!"
'I did it...!'
Thankfully, he accepted her party request with no hesitation.
Her tense expression relaxed.
Being called a 'reliable veteran' confirmed he was relying on her, and her heart raced.
"Give me your contact! I'll prep dungeon strategies and schedules ahead of time and get back to you!"
"Ah, that'd be amazing."
'Aah... He's thanking me again!'
Lost in the joy of securing another party, she didn't realize it.
This was the first time in her life she'd asked a guy for his number.
Whoa... First time ever getting a girl's number.
Is this the payoff from investing points in looks?
Nah, probably more because healers are hard to find. Still, getting the number feels great.
But I can't get ahead of myself—Lee Hyun-ah has a boyfriend.
She'd dropped hints about him before we met, and today she was straight-up wearing a couple's ring.
It's like, 'Don't get the wrong idea and start hitting on me.'
So I kept my guard up all day, and it must've worked.
By the end of the raid, her wariness had melted away.
Honestly, I didn't have time to worry about that stuff anyway.
I thought dungeons were just 'enter, kill monsters, grab stones, done.'
But there's so much to pay attention to... Timing for entry and retreat, memorizing every monster's weaknesses—they're all different.
Plus magic stone collection fees, gear rentals, and a ton of other hunter basics I never expected.
I was too naive, just going off random internet crap.
Still, thanks to Hyun-ah's tutoring, I picked up all the bare minimums.
I worried she'd think I was hitting on her, but she was cool about it and taught me everything with care.
She seemed rude online, but in person, she's actually nice.
Some people are just like that—their tone changes offline. Guess Hyun-ah's one of them.
Anyway, thanks to her, I cleared my first dungeon safely, got hunter crash course 101, and locked in future parties.
All in all, a super positive day.