Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Top Secret Counseling Begins
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S-Rank Hunter, Cheok Yunhwa.
In the early 2000s, when she was still just a middle schooler, she cleared a whopping 50-floor mid-level dungeon all by herself, shocking not only Korea but the entire world as a super rookie.
And her family background was just as extraordinary.
The 32nd-generation descendant of Cheok Jun-kyeong, the S-Rank Hunter known as Goryeo's Greatest Swordsman.
Her family was a living human cultural asset registered with the state—a true noble house among noble houses.
After reaching adulthood, she shattered countless dungeons solo and earned the title of Sword Princess from the Hunter Association. Riding that momentum, she even founded her own guild loyal only to her.
Korea had hunter guilds dating back to the Gojoseon era.
In a landscape where most guilds boasted histories spanning centuries, plenty of people doubted how long a new guild founded by an individual could survive.
But the results were the exact opposite.
She devoured established guilds one by one, and now reigned as the inaugural guild master of Moonlight Sword House, one of Korea's four major guilds.
In a word, a living legend straight out of a textbook.
And among the mere 100 S-Rank Hunters in existence, she ranked in the top tier.
'A woman like that... is my first patient?'
Hunters could suffer from PTSD and various other mental illnesses too.
For internal injuries untreatable by skills, magic, or cutting-edge medical tech, psychiatric care was the only answer.
And oddly enough, rumors swirled that a male healer was preferable.
Thanks to that, the job fell to me—a fresh psychiatry grad who hadn't even done a single internship.
Whether it was a sense of duty or just fate's cruel joke, by the time I snapped out of it, I was already riding in a luxury limousine, being whisked away somewhere.
"K-Kim Seungbin Counselor! H-Here... This is the questionnaire filled out by Guild Master Cheok Yunhwa!"
"Questionnaire?"
"Yes! This is a secret known only to a handful of top executives in Moonlight Sword House, but... the truth is, the guild master has been suffering from stress-induced internal injuries for the past three months and has been preparing for counseling in advance!"
"Ah, I see..."
After parting ways with the National Intelligence Service agents, inside the limousine heading to the Association.
Sitting side by side in front of me were a girl in plain clothes that looked like she'd half-taken off a costume mask, and a buff big-sis type decked out in military gear with a muscular build.
The one in the girl outfit handed over the questionnaire, while the muscle sis next to her provided commentary.
"Sorry for the late introduction! A-Rank Hunter Cha Yunha. Loyalty!"
"I'm... B-Rank Hunter Yoo Soyun too..."
They both already knew my name, it seemed.
Leaving me sitting there awkwardly by myself.
Well, anyway—these two were apparently close aides to Cheok Yunhwa, so I started skimming the questionnaire.
"Counselor!! Please, save our guild master...!"
Yoo Soyun grabbed my arm desperately, her voice choking up.
Tears were already welling in her eyes.
"We've had several counselors before, but they all gave up halfway...!"
"You mean they abandoned the treatment?"
"Yes... They all said the same thing. 'This is outside my expertise. There's nothing I can do...' Waaah..."
"Enough, Yoo Soyun. Don't burden the counselor any more."
Cha Yunha grabbed the tear-streaked Yoo Soyun with one hand and sat her back down.
She let out a deep sigh, veins bulging on her muscular forearm, then clicked her tongue softly.
"I hear you two are close executives to the guild master. Has there been anything unusual lately?"
Of course, the patient's handwritten questionnaire mattered, but in psychiatry, observations from those around them were even more crucial.
Especially when symptoms started relatively recently—the people who spent time with them could pinpoint the trigger most accurately.
At my question, Yoo Soyun hesitated like she wasn't sure if she should say, but Cha Yunha nodded quietly and spoke up.
"Well... it actually started three months ago."
"Yes."
"Ever since that day, the guild master... has been too scared to pick up her 'sword' anymore."
"......Yes?"
The incident happened exactly 89 days ago—three months back.
A mid-to-low-level dungeon, 40 floors high, that suddenly popped up smack in the middle of Incheon.
The chaos it unleashed across the city made national news, and I remembered catching it on TV.
And right on cue, they showed up.
Moonlight Sword House, operating out of Seoul.
They were looking to expand into Incheon's territory, and as part of that strategy, Cheok Yunhwa herself deployed.
She already had a track record of solo-clearing a 50-floor dungeon back in middle school.
The executives on-site weren't worried at all—they were convinced this raid would go smoothly too.
And indeed, they crushed the final boss without issue, the dungeon collapsed, and everything seemed wrapped up.
But the problem came right after.
Cheok Yunhwa returned to the surface... and suddenly collapsed to the ground, trembling and declaring, "I can't hold a sword anymore."
The two executives said there'd been no special signs or abnormalities before that.
The questionnaire said the same.
From that day on, she'd completely broken down over something.
'Looks like the only way is to meet her in person.'
I mulled it over, staring blankly out the window.
It felt like a puzzle that made no sense. Where had it gone wrong?
And just like that, we'd arrived.
The Hunter Association.
This sanctuary of heroes loomed like an ancient temple.
Taller than the 63 Building or Lotte Tower, its silhouette evoked Dubai's Burj Khalifa.
Overwhelmed by its grandeur, I instinctively swallowed hard.
Right then.
"Counselor, from here on, please wear this bracelet."
"Bracelet?"
Cha Yunha, one of the two executives who'd stepped out of the limousine with me, held out an intricately crafted bracelet.
"It's a Unique-grade artifact. Wear it, and people around you won't perceive your presence."
"...Yes?"
"Think of it as near-invisibility. But it doesn't work on anyone you're physically touching, so you'll need to hold my hand while we move."
"Ah... Yes...?"
The explanation sounded plausible enough, but I was growing more clueless about why I'd been dragged here in the first place.
They'd called me a counselor, yet now I was holding some stranger sis's hand like I was on a top-secret mission, sneaking into the Association.
The moment we entered the lobby, a weird feeling crept up on me.
I'd been here once as a kid for a school field trip.
Back then, just for being a boy, the hunter noonas had fawned over me, and I'd strutted around basking in the attention.
But now, no one even glanced my way.
'This artifact really works like a charm. Insanely well.'
A few gazes did land nearby, though.
All aimed at Cha Yunha, whose hand I was holding.
But those looks were... off.
Not mere curiosity—something shady, uncomfortable.
Hard to pin down exactly, but... hostile.
We hurried through the lobby and into an elevator, just the three of us.
"That must've been tough, huh? Getting dragged around without a word of explanation..."
"No, it's fine."
Maybe because the mood had eased a bit.
In the sealed, enclosed space, Cha Yunha bowed her head apologetically for a moment before dropping a bombshell.
"The truth is... all the previous counselors we brought to the guild master were smuggled in like this—'top secret transport.'"
"What? Why would—"
"We're still a new guild, even if we're top-tier in Korea. Our foundations are weak, and we have plenty of enemies."
"...Ah."
I was at a loss for words.
It was so sudden, and the whole situation still felt unreal.
But the more I chewed on it, the picture sharpened.
This guild was basically built on Cheok Yunhwa's solo rampage, and the old hunter world wouldn't take kindly to that.
It was a hierarchy-obsessed scene.
Plus, if word got out that their ace needed psychiatric help?
Rival guilds would swarm like bees—it was only a matter of time.
That's why every counseling session had been kept under wraps.
I didn't know if I was the first or the fifth, but previous counselors had gotten hefty pay under strict NDAs.
"So... even if things don't go well, please. At least keep this a secret."
"Of course. Anyone who leaks that isn't a doctor."
I meant every word.
Breaching confidentiality was a clear ethics violation—a doctor's license to practice down the drain.
It might be rare among intern docs my age, but I was prepared to uphold whatever honor and duty I could.
Maybe my sincerity got through—Cha Yunha's eyes welled up as she looked at me, then she broke into a bright smile.
And finally, the elevator chimed with a 'ding' and stopped.
'Top floor.'
As the doors opened, a scene unfolded unlike any office space.
Sky-high ceilings that seemed to pierce the heavens, with ornate, artistic lighting.
As we walked slowly, a hallway lined with doors of every color and texture appeared.
Each customized 1:1 to match individual hunters' personalities and tastes, apparently.
"A-Ranks and below usually use standard rooms on the mid floors, but S-Ranks and up? They're national assets. So the Association gives them VIP treatment."
"...Impressive."
"The one in the middle, behind the steel door—that's the guild master's counseling room. You'll have to go in alone from here."
With that, Cha Yunha gave a polite bow and vanished back into the elevator.
Left alone, I took a deep breath in front of the door, then knocked lightly.
"Excuse me."
The steel door slid open smoothly.
And there.
A room fit for a king overlooked Seoul's skyscrapers in one panoramic sweep.
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls for the city view.
Leaning against the window was a figure with snow-white hair.
Golden eyes.
Smooth, refined shoulder lines that gleamed in the light, and a voluptuous figure so sensual it was almost embarrassing to face head-on.
S-Rank Hunter, Sword Princess Cheok Yunhwa.
She turned gracefully, slowly meeting my gaze.