Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: How the Rank 1 Hero Protects the World
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And so, for a while, I watched the 'show' that Lee Woo-yeon was putting on alongside everyone else.
And rightly so—it was nothing short of a show.
With a single swing of his right hand, blue flames licked out and swept through the monsters. Those climbing buildings to escape the fire had their heads sliced off by the sword in Lee Woo-yeon's airborne left hand.
Since the monsters in the first wave were low-rank, a powerful area-of-effect attack like that was basically game over for them.
The street, once swarming with monsters, was now littered with their half-burnt corpses.
What is this? A magic show?
Cheers erupted from the buildings where civilians had taken shelter, echoing through the streets.
“Lee Woo-yeon! Lee Woo-yeon!”
“Awesome, Monami!”
Who just called him Monami?
Even among the hunters, a sense of relief was spreading.
The hunters had now crossed the defensive line and begun finishing off the monsters that had luckily dodged or only grazed Lee Woo-yeon's spells, staggering around ineffectually.
I joined in, taking down monsters trying to break into buildings.
As I dealt with a beetle-like monster crawling through the glass door of one building, my eyes met someone inside.
A woman with her mouth agape pointed desperately at a person lying at her feet.
Following her finger, I saw a man badly injured on the ground.
What, does she want a potion?
I paused for a moment and read her lips.
“The person…you saved earlier…? Ah.”
Right, before the monster wave started, I'd saved someone from getting hit by a truck.
I nodded and rushed off to the next monster.
Good, he made it.
- The 1st Monster Wave has ended.
- Top Contributor: Lee Pil-yeon
- Wait time until the 2nd Monster Wave: 00:20:00
Finally, the system message I'd been waiting for appeared.
The announcement popped up for everyone, drawing another wave of cheers from the streets.
Everyone chanted Lee Woo-yeon's name as he finally descended to the ground amid the roar.
Like an angel alighting from the sky, Lee Woo-yeon landed near the ragged defensive line and looked around at the gathered hunters.
“This isn't the time for introductions, so I'll skip them. Given the situation, I ask that even hunters not affiliated with Eternal Guild follow my lead.”
“Ah, got it!”
“What should we do?”
Answers poured in from the hunters, who had been brimming with distrust just moments ago. It was a dramatic shift.
Well, after a display like that, it was only natural.
I landed on the ground and quietly observed Lee Woo-yeon as he moved about.
Up close, he was even more refined and beautiful, shadows accentuating his sharp features. The type who looked better in person than in photos.
More than that, he was taller and bulkier than expected. As a magic swordsman, he had a seriously well-trained physique.
His limbs were long, and the tight black turtleneck he wore showed off his arm muscles perfectly.
Damn it. I clenched my fist. Me too, if I hadn't lost my muscles…!
Now Lee Woo-yeon was moving through the hunters, issuing orders. He exchanged glances with a few, probably acquaintances.
Makes sense—he'd been active in Korea all this time.
“Unfortunately, neither Eternal Guild nor the Hunter Store main branch is within this zone.”
“Gasp, so these are all the hunters we've got?”
“Yes. So first, mages and hunters with area skills, gather on the left. Melee specialists, right. Healers, come to me. We'll form teams for the second wave.”
With a face like an angel, smiling like an angel, and giving sensible orders, it was no wonder everyone followed.
I headed to the right side.
In a situation like this, no one had a choice but to obey Lee Woo-yeon. His entrance had been straight out of a drama.
The timing was so perfect it felt staged—like a savior descending when everyone was despairing at the defensive line with no one stepping up.
Of course, it was efficient. After showing off like that, no hunter could claim, as they had to me earlier, that no one would step forward.
But thinking about it, with those wing-like mobility tools, he could've appeared sooner.
Monster wave zones weren't usually that big.
Even now, I could see the transparent dome over the buildings. That was the zone boundary.
Lee Woo-yeon said Eternal Guild and Hunter Store weren't included, and this was near Gangnam Station… With Nymph's Wind, it'd take about 15 minutes to cross the zone.
“...Around 5 minutes.”
Ambiguous. Not deliberately late, but not his fastest either.
Not enough evidence yet to judge the Rank 2 player's tendencies...
“Excuse me, over here.”
A hunter next to me tugged my sleeve. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up.
“Yeah?”
“Uh, Lee Woo-yeon Hunter is calling you.”
“Huh?”
Only then did I notice Lee Woo-yeon had come right up beside me.
It was true. Hunters around us stared with curiosity, like they'd spotted a celebrity.
And in the center of those gazes, Lee Woo-yeon extended his hand toward me.
“Hello, I'm Lee Woo-yeon.”
What the hell, this guy.
I eyed the outstretched hand with deep suspicion.
Why's he offering a handshake to me? I stepped back with a reluctant expression.
“My hands are dirty right now.”
“Doesn't bother me.”
Lee Woo-yeon kept smiling and holding out his hand. If it were me, I'd have pulled back after the rejection, pride wounded, but not him.
“Come on, handshake.”
I stared at his hand.
The hunter who'd called me poked my side, like, what are you doing?
But I didn't take it. Instead, I looked straight up at Lee Woo-yeon.
“...Yeah, well, it bothers me.”
Gasps rose around us—from the other hunters. Monsters incoming in 10 minutes, and they're all spectating.
Truth be told, I didn't particularly want the attention from refusing his handshake.
The issue was something else. Rarely, some hunters had skills that activated on physical contact.
I'd been burned badly once in Tartarus, so I avoided touching strangers.
More than that, the situation felt off.
Why would Lee Woo-yeon go out of his way to shake my hand?
If he knew who I was, sure—he might resent me for overtaking him as Rank 1.
But without knowing, I was just another hunter in the crowd. No reason to single me out... Unless he fell for me at first sight?
Ridiculous.
“What's your name?”
...Is this for real? Never heard Lee Woo-yeon was the type to fall fast. Gotta search it later.
I started backing away slowly. But Lee Woo-yeon advanced exactly matching my retreat.
“...Didn't you say no time for greetings?”
“Just curious about the name of someone I'm meeting for the first time.”
His narrowed eyes gleamed sharply as he asked.
A chill ran down my spine.
Forget falling fast—this guy... he'd noticed something. No idea what.
No way he had a skill to view others' status windows or player names, right?
No such cheat skill could exist... Wait, with the System, nothing was impossible. Dimensional travel proved that.
Sweat trickled down my back.
Normal me—with full stats—could've taken that sly fox in a fight.
But now? No guarantee against the fox. One wing flap, and I'm toasted.
The crowding hunters backed away from us, misunderstanding the tension.
Our exchange—no, standoff—continued.
“You don't know every hunter in Korea.”
“True.”
“Then why ask my name specifically?”
“Hahaha.”
Lee Woo-yeon laughed suddenly. The kind of pretty laugh that wins anyone over. Smiling, he bent down to meet my eyes.
Tilting his head cutely in that blatantly acting pose, he asked,
“Are we fighting right now, by any chance?”
I grinned back and replied crisply.
“No way, first time meeting.”
“Right, so is a simple handshake such a big deal?”
“How do I know what skills you have?”
At that, Lee Woo-yeon's smile vanished, his face going blank for a moment.
Unreadable.
Did I hit a nerve, or was that what he wanted?
“Oh, that's what you were worried about?”
He smiled again like nothing happened, raising both hands and stepping back.
Pulling back cleanly after dragging it out. Guess the handshake's off.
“In that case, sorry. It was just a friendly gesture since you seemed new. Anyway, you. How old are you?”
“Probably older than you.”
“Haha. Doubt it.”
“Guess we compare to find out?”
At that, Lee Woo-yeon pointed at his feet.
My eyes flicked down instinctively, then back to his face.
“What was that?”
“See? Wherever you look, mine's longer.”
This guy?
“What, an elementary school fight?”
Someone muttered that, and both Lee Woo-yeon and I whipped our heads around.
The hunters all averted their eyes.
- Wait time until the 2nd Monster Wave: 00:05:26
Lee Woo-yeon glanced at the floating system message and turned back.
“Fine. We'll settle this elementary school spat after the second wave.”
Did he just call it an elementary school fight himself? As I stared in disbelief, Lee Woo-yeon clapped to draw the hunters' attention.
“Above all, protecting civilians and our own safety comes first. To do that, we all need to hold our positions together.”
This time, every hunter applauded his words. Facing a monster wave, yet the mood was downright cheerful.
Hey, you bastard... You were in elementary mode with me a second ago, and now you're acting all normal solo?