Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Han Seung-woo
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"By the way, you've saved up quite a bit of money, right? So why are you still sticking to F-rank gates? Don't you risk overlapping crew members soon? You could gear up and tackle the next rank..."
Jin Mi-seon fired off her questions without pause, but Lee Ru-ri just smiled quietly, offering no real answer.
The worry about crew members overlapping and leaking info about Lee Ru-ri was unfounded.
She never forgot a crew member.
"For now, let's settle this with two goblin claws, and make up the rest with potions."
"Thank you, as always."
"What thanks? But seriously, the Association keeps asking for you. If it weren't for that An Young-hoon mess, they wouldn't be watching you like this."
Jin Mi-seon's words brought back the memories from today's gate—the events of that day flooded in again.
"Are they... doing well?"
"After that incident, the Association went all out—treating the injured, covering living expenses, even assigning a dedicated hunter from their ranks. An Young-hoon just ranked up recently, too. Right after, he joined the Association as one of their own."
Suddenly, the metallic tang of blood from that day assaulted her senses.
It was the day an unexpected accident struck: one lost a leg, another gained a secret power.
The gate they entered for cleanup at An Young-hoon's invitation had been unusually lucrative for a lowest-rank one, packed with monster remnants.
As they focused on clearing, a sharp scream echoed from deeper inside.
The crew bolted toward the sound.
At the end of their frantic rush, they faced countless goblins... and one crew member groaning with a leg torn off.
Panic gripped them all at once.
Crew leader An Young-hoon snapped out of it first and shouted at Lee Ru-ri.
"I'll pull that guy out first! Heal him right away!"
Lee Ru-ri tensed up at An Young-hoon's words.
Following his orders, the dealer-positioned crew members attacked the goblins.
As one or two goblins fell, the horde hesitated and fell back.
An Young-hoon seized the moment, swiftly supporting the injured crew member and laying him before Lee Ru-ri.
Everyone watched her heal and regeneration.
But soon, they all thought the same thing.
Healer Lee Ru-ri couldn't heal. He'd die like this.
That realization ignited An Young-hoon's rage—he shoved Lee Ru-ri aside.
She tumbled onto nearby monster remnants, suffering a serious wound herself.
But no one cared about her injury.
They all clustered around the crew member bleeding profusely from his mangled leg, growing cold, and fled the gate en masse—leaving her behind.
Her thighs and both hands pierced by monster debris, she couldn't keep up with their pace.
Limping toward the gate entrance, she glanced back to find goblins encircling her.
Foul breathing drew closer.
"Hic...!"
Terror crashed over her.
For a typical F-rank hunter, goblins were tough but manageable.
But as a healer, she had no skills to fight them.
That thought unleashed the resentment she'd bottled up.
Grief at being abandoned for being useless.
Fear that her pathetic skills might truly kill the injured crew member.
Despair that her efforts to be useful in low-rank gates would amount to nothing.
Misery at facing death by the lowest monsters, limbs torn apart.
Two years of striving since awakening as a hunter... all crumbling to dust.
"Yeah... if I can't improve, maybe dying is better. If someone else gets hurt because of me, that'd be even worse."
She severed her last thread of hope and squeezed her eyes shut.
The goblins, sensing victory, hurled stones wildly.
Struck by them, she thought:
If she only got torn apart by their sharp teeth, that'd be lucky.
She'd heard certain intelligent goblins ravaged female hunters cruelly before dismembering them.
That flashed in her mind—she couldn't die in such humiliation.
On death's doorstep, animal instinct surged.
Before she knew it, she bellowed something.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
'What sound is that?'
A sharp alarm rang, halting the goblins' assault.
Peeking her eyes open, she saw unfamiliar messages scrolling rapidly below her HP gauge.
'Favorability?'
It was a message she'd never seen or heard of before.
On that day when one crew member lost a leg mid-clearance, Lee Ru-ri accidentally discovered something astonishing.
Her heals worked on monsters, too.
Using heal on damaged monsters made them feel affection toward her.
She'd confirmed it with over a hundred monster types in F-rank gates.
Monsters that felt affection no longer attacked her.
Even more shocking: reaching certain favorability thresholds granted their unique skills.
Her first was the goblin's stone-throwing.
She unleashed it mercilessly on the goblins, venting all her pent-up rage.
The bloodlust that consumed her then—wanting to slaughter everything breathing—still sent chills down her spine.
Snapping out of the memories, Lee Ru-ri said to Jin Mi-seon,
"No choice. I'll contact the Association myself soon. Pretend you don't know a bit longer."
"Got it."
Jin Mi-seon wired the payment with extra on top. Seeing the amount, Lee Ru-ri looked up at her.
"Eat properly, okay?"
"Still, this is too much..."
"Boss, I'm here! Oh? Hello."
Kim Young-man entered with a shopping bag of abalone porridge, spotted Lee Ru-ri, and bowed.
She bowed back.
"Hello."
Jin Mi-seon strode to Kim Young-man, took the bag, and handed it to Lee Ru-ri.
"Ru-ri, take this."
"Thank you."
"Anyway, I'll keep stonewalling the Association like you asked."
"But Ru-ri, you really clear an F-rank solo in under a minute?"
"You and your nonsense again!"
"Ah, why? I'm curious!"
Jin Mi-seon and Kim Young-man bickered playfully.
Lee Ru-ri smiled quietly, gazing at them with affection.
'Honestly, a minute's too long. One skill wipes all standard F-rank monsters.'
Her mind drifted to the dagger in her bag.
"Oh, Boss."
"Yeah?"
"Got a dagger, too."
Jin Mi-seon took it and slotted it into the weapon analyzer.
A brilliant light flickered inside before fading, and the monitor lit up with the dagger's info.
"Durability's solid."
As Jin Mi-seon eyed the Association's gear trading list to appraise it, a message pinged on Lee Ru-ri's status.
[Han Seung-woo (A): This is Han Seung-woo, Director at the National Hunter Association. Contacting you regarding a crew activity investigation. Please provide available dates and times to visit HQ, and I'll schedule it. Your cooperation is requested.]
Noticing Lee Ru-ri's darkening expression, Jin Mi-seon gently patted her shoulder.
"What'll you do?"
"Han Seung-woo's contacting me directly... looks like no dodging it now."
"That's what I think. But five years since then... you've bought a good chunk of time."
"Yeah, thanks to you, Boss."
"Plan? Need any help from me?"
"Gear up for now, please."
Lee Ru-ri transferred funds to the A-Market account. Jin Mi-seon checked the amount.
"This should cover a B-rank orb and a cube nicely."
"Yes."
"I'll prep the best ones."
"Thank you. Let me know when ready."
Lee Ru-ri bowed to Jin Mi-seon and Kim Young-man, then stepped out.
'Han Seung-woo... long time no see.'
Meanwhile.
Han Seung-woo, who'd messaged her, leaned back in his chair, recalling Lee Ru-ri's face from five years ago.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
"Director, the documents you requested."
"Vice Chairman?"
"Tackling an S-rank gate."
"Keep him on gates for now. Until I meet Lee Ru-ri and set a course."
"Won't Chairman notice?"
"Han Ho... better if I talk to him myself. Eun-woo?"
"With the Vice Chairman on the same gate."
"Good work."
"Appointment with Lee Ru-ri set?"
"I messaged directly. Won't take long."
"Detention in Surveillance Division... you won't really do it, right?"
"A little scare's necessary."
Choi Si-jin stared at Han Seung-woo's cold expression with a queasy look.
"Why the face?"
"You look so damn unlucky like this."
"Get out."
"Then I'm off."
Han Seung-woo watched Choi Si-jin bow and leave, then reopened his status window.
Waiting anxiously for a reply, the alarm chimed quickly.
[Lee Ru-ri (F): I'll visit the Association this Friday.]
"She's here."
Han Seung-woo immediately replied suggesting lunch together.
Lee Ru-ri read his response over and over with a grave look.
"Lunch? With me?"
Stunned by the unexpected reply, another new message alert popped up at the top of her status.
[Cheon Ye-jong (D): Hello. Cheon Ye-jong here, prepping to conquer an E-rank gate near Anguk Station. Seeking a healer for a 2-man clear—sorry for the intrusion. If interested, please reply!]
"They approve 2-man clears?"
Lee Ru-ri replied 'Got it' to Han Seung-woo, then messaged Cheon Ye-jong.
[Lee Ru-ri (F): When do you plan to head out?]
[Cheon Ye-jong (D): Waiting near the E-rank gate! Head out as soon as you're ready!]
"Right away might be too much."
After a moment's thought, she replied that she lacked prepared gear.
[Cheon Ye-jong (D): Heal amount doesn't matter! I can handle standard mobs solo. Just in case the third is a boss-grade, that's why I need company! Too tough?]
"If he's this insistent, maybe check how E-rank differs from F-rank early?"
Lee Ru-ri got the gate coordinates from Cheon Ye-jong, confirmed the location, and hurried to the entrance.
Arriving, she saw a muscular man impassively polishing his shield.