Her Secret

Kim Eunji stared at the translucent status window hovering before her eyes. Hunters who awakened with a B-rank skill right out of the gate were extraordinarily rare.

Mind's Eye in particular was scarce across the globe, so much so that few in South Korea even grasped its true value. At least, that was what Guild Master Lee Miseon had told her. To Eunji herself, the practical benefits had never felt particularly tangible.

It's not a combat skill, after all.

All it did was grant a sharper perception of mana flow, allowing her to view the world in finer detail. Her physical body had never been able to keep pace with that vision. Fortunately, the Acceleration skill she awakened second had helped offset that glaring weakness, but because her abilities lacked direct offensive power, she had never received the spotlight typically afforded to B-rank awakeners.

And yet... I defeated a devil?

Devils were transcendent entities that humanity had never once succeeded in slaying. No one could triumph over them without reaching the realm of gods. The best modern hunters could manage was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply holding the line, minimizing casualties until the creature's time limit in the mortal realm expired. Over the years, countless apex hunters had perished after underestimating that grim reality, blinded by overconfidence in their own strength.

And yet...

Skrrrkkk...

An impossible feat that the entirety of human civilization had failed to achieve had just been accomplished by her own hands. That realization snapped her perpetually drowsy eyes wide open.

Across the ground lay the mangled remnants of the devil. As the gate collapsed, the creature's corpse began disintegrating into ash—a pathetic, pitiful sight. Looking at it now, one could hardly believe this was the very monstrosity that had terrorized humankind for years.

"Whoa..."

Even now, a tempest of violent mana surged through her veins, leaving her head spinning. It felt as though the slightest lapse in concentration would trigger a cataclysmic detonation within her core. And at the epicenter of this overwhelming power were her eyes.

Purple Celestial Eye.

The status window designated it as 'Unmeasurable Rank'—a phrase she had never seen or heard of in her life. This was the work of Lee Siwoo's EX-rank support skill.

Extremity, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was it?

Now she understood what that word truly meant. It represented a pinnacle attainable only through blood-soaked effort, bone-carving agony, and a miracle of divine fortune. If only for a fleeting moment, he had elevated her into the realm of the transcendent.

I... can become this strong?

With a single sweep of her hand, she had annihilated the worst nightmare known to humanity. Could she truly possess such potential?

"Heheh."

A triumphant smirk tugged at Eunji's lips as a rosy future flashed through her mind—one where China revered her, the United States feared her, and Japan bowed before her. She had never considered herself anything special before; all she had ever wanted was to become a hunter worthy of someone dedicating their entire life to supporting her.

"Wait."

Only then did Eunji realize something. Terribly late, at that. The person she considered the greatest supporter in the world was currently walking straight toward her.

"Eunji-ssi. Great work. That was incredible."

With a bright, gentle smile, Lee Siwoo closed the distance between them.

"Ah...?"

"Pardon?"

As Siwoo tilted his head in confusion, Eunji's face flushed crimson. He might have already noticed her bizarre expression, but she desperately prayed he hadn't. Trapped in a storm of self-inflicted embarrassment and conflicting emotions, her overloaded brain finally gave out.

Her knees buckled.

"Huh?"

The strength drained from her legs—no, from her entire body. With a floating sensation as if she were detached from her physical form, Eunji plunged toward the ground.

"Whoa there."

Anticipating the collapse, Siwoo swiftly reached out and caught her in his arms, pulling her against his chest.

Aaaaack!

Enfolded in his firm, solid embrace, Eunji screamed at the top of her lungs inside her mind. Miraculously, none of it showed on the outside; she didn't have enough stamina left to twitch a single facial muscle.

"The aftereffects of Extremity will leave you immobilized for a while. A healer would speed up the recovery, but..."

Siwoo was saying something, but not a syllable registered in her ears. Her thoughts were entirely consumed by sensory overload.

He smells so good. A man's body. Muscular. Handsome...

Her ultimate bias, the hunter she had idolized for years, was inches from her face. How could she possibly keep her sanity intact?

It felt so unreal that it didn't even seem like reality until now.

The fact that Lee Siwoo had joined her guild. Her cherished dream of becoming an elite hunter guided by his unmatched support. She had treated it all like a fleeting spring daydream, never truly believing it was happening.

This is actually real?!

Though she had briefly surpassed mortal limitations through an EX-rank support skill, a far more monumental reality now dawned on her.

Does this mean Lee Siwoo and I are going to be working together, just the two of us?!

Two years had passed since she became a hunter, yet in this moment of sheer ecstasy, Eunji completely forgot the existence of her two teammates who had shared life and death with her. Overwhelmed by the crushing exhaustion of Extremity and a lethal overdose of dopamine, her consciousness snapped.

"Rest up. You did great."

The last thing she remembered was smiling faintly at the soothing cadence of her idol's voice.

"Hmm..."

Because Saebit Guild's finances were in dire straits, hiring an external healer wasn't an option. In the end, I decided to let Kim Eunji rest in her dormitory. Guild Master Lee Miseon had texted me saying she would handle all the administrative aftermath of the raid herself, so I carried Eunji to the lodgings the Guild Master had directed me to.

A healer would have had her back on her feet in no time, but she had no urgent schedule and bore no physical injuries. Natural rest would suffice.

Beep-beep-beep.

The accommodations turned out to be a clean, well-maintained high-rise studio apartment, suggesting the guild took decent care of its hunters despite its shoestring budget. I punched in the passcode and stepped inside. I intended to greet the other members while dropping her off, but the apartment was dead silent.

"Which one is Eunji's room?"

Three hunters belonging to Saebit Guild shared this residence, which meant there were three bedrooms. Standing in the entryway, I saw the living room straight ahead, two doors on the left, and one on the right. I had no idea which belonged to her.

"Ugh."

With no other choice, I decided to peek inside one by one. Surely one of them would have an obvious Kim Eunji vibe. I knew snooping around wasn't polite, but I couldn't stand here holding a twenty-year-old girl in my arms forever. The lesser of two evils, as they say.

Creeeeak.

The first room was virtually empty. Aside from a thin white mattress laid flat on the floor and a small cloth bundle in the corner, there was nothing. What in the world?

"If they're roommates, they must all be women..."

This stark, ascetic chamber was far removed from any girl's room I had ever imagined. It certainly wasn't Eunji's.

Creeeeak.

Crossing the hall, I cracked open the door opposite the first, and a riot of vibrant decor instantly assaulted my senses. This was unmistakably the room of an outgoing, hyper-social trendsetter. Glossy fashion magazines cluttered the desk, the soft, floral scent of expensive perfume brushed the tip of my nose, and a plush ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pink canopy bed dominated the space.

Doesn't fit her at all.

I had only met Eunji today, but this aesthetic was the polar opposite of her personality. That left only one possibility.

I walked across the living room and turned the knob of the final door. The sight that greeted me completely defied common sense.

"What... the hell is this?"

Blown up across an entire wall was a massive poster of me from my teenage years, back when I had first awakened as a hunter. And it didn't stop there. Every single wall was plastered edge-to-edge with photos of me taken from countless angles across various stages of my career.

"..."

My brain ground to a dead halt. How was I even supposed to react to this? Just as my thoughts turned entirely blank, my gaze locked onto an object resting atop the bed: a long body pillow.

Printed vividly across the fabric was an oversized picture of myself.

"Uh..."

The fabric around my printed face and crotch was visibly frayed, but my survival instincts adamantly refused to ponder why. I slammed the door shut and immediately carried Kim Eunji over to the living room couch.

Right. I could have just laid her on the sofa from the very beginning. Why had I bothered opening any doors? A moment of pure stupidity had burdened me with knowledge I never wanted to possess. Was this what people called the curse of wisdom?

How was I supposed to face the members of Saebit Guild after this? And more importantly... who on earth owned that room?

As a tangled mess of questions swirled in my head, my eyes fell on Eunji's peaceful, sleeping face.

She really is gorgeous, though.

And not just in an ordinary sense. During the early days of supporting Kim Seolyeon, I had accompanied her on numerous broadcast shoots and rubbed shoulders with plenty of female celebrities. Yet Kim Eunji possessed a breathtaking beauty that made even top-tier idols and Seolyeon look painfully ordinary. One could easily believe a goddess of beauty had hand-chiseled every contour of her features with tender devotion.

"Nnn..."

A pained groan escaped her lips as her brow furrowed tight. The shock of having her consciousness thrust into a realm beyond human limits was staggering; the rebound was naturally hard to endure on a first attempt. She would grow accustomed to it with time, but for now, the strain was heavy.

I quietly reached down and took hold of Eunji's wrist. Because I had awakened as a supporter and funneled nearly all my experience points into Seolyeon over the years, my own mana pool was pathetic—scarcely more than a thimbleful. But having lived with that limitation for an entire decade, I had mastered the art of microscopic mana control.

With delicate precision, I channeled a tiny thread of mana through her wrist, guiding it gently across her pathways. I worked through the stiffened channels, soothing the inflamed meridians and steadying her mana core, which had been violently rattled by the sudden leap in power.

"Haaah..."

Seeing the tension melt from her face as her breathing smoothed out, I rose to my feet. I had agreed to serve as her exclusive supporter, but that didn't mean I could loiter in her dormitory indefinitely.

"Man, I'm exhausted."

Interviewing for a new job, passing on the spot, and then neutralizing a devil from a runaway gate—it had been a ridiculously packed day. I headed straight home to my familiar studio apartment in an aged residential complex, took a quick shower, and collapsed onto the bed before pulling out my phone.

"Let's see what the community has to say."

I navigated to the official Hunter Association forum. Tucked deep within it was a private board accessible only to verified veteran hunters: the Veteran Hunter Gallery, affectionately dubbed the 'Vet Gallery.' The name sounded goofy, but the contents were anything but. It functioned as a massive collective think tank where seasoned professionals shared high-grade operational intel and breaking international news. Naturally, rookies were desperate to gain entry, but the screening process was brutally stringent.

"Let's take a look..."

Given that the world's very first devil had just been eliminated, the forums should have been in total uproar. Then again, less than a day had passed, so the news might not have fully disseminated yet.

"Already?"

News that Kim Seolyeon could no longer cast White Night Ice Palace had already leaked onto the board. If it was openly discussed here, it meant the entire Deungcheon Guild was well aware of her decline.

"Not that it matters to me."

Even if Deungcheon realized the truth behind her success and came begging, I had zero intention of ever returning. They might try to pull some petty scheme behind the scenes, but...

Frankly, Kim Eunji alone looks strong enough to flatten their entire guild.

Once word got out, premier guilds across the globe—not just within Korea—would be lining up to court her. A local outfit like Deungcheon Guild didn't frighten me in the slightest.

For now, it seemed Kim Eunji's historic feat hadn't hit the boards just yet.

Right as that thought crossed my mind, a fresh thread popped up on the gallery feed.

"Oh."

It was footage recorded from afar by one of the fleeing hunters. Thanks to modern camera technology, Kim Eunji's face was captured with stunning clarity.

"Looks like we won't be short on commission requests anytime soon."

With a considerably lighter heart, I locked my phone and let sleep wash over me—completely unaware that the world outside was already turning upside down while I slept.