No Sane S-Ranks
There are no normal people among S-ranks. Do Yun-ah, Do Hyun-ah. Twins born just a minute apart. The first two hunters Yuseong Guild ever recruited. They look so identical that you can't tell them apart if they wear the same clothes. Even I've known them for nearly ten years and still get confused sometimes. Hunters' bodies halt all changes, including aging, after all.
Do Yun-ah's the timid one, Do Hyun-ah's the crazy bitch. Luckily, unlike their looks, their personalities are polar opposites, making it easy to distinguish them. Despite being S-rank, timid Do Yun-ah hesitated to take over as team leader from me because she thought her tenure was too short. As if. She's got ten years under her belt. She's only a year behind me.
...This ain't easy. But Do Hyun-ah was the complete opposite. The fact she was in the medical team was proof enough. Hell, she might even be more of a psychopath than Lee Seon-yul. I took a deep breath in front of the medical team office before stepping inside.
Unlike the R&D or marketing teams, there were no security procedures. It was just a clinic, after all. Even non-hunter staff could come here for treatment if they got hurt. One of our guild's welfare perks.
Welfare, right...? Well, it counts as welfare. I heard they just treat regular staff without all the extras. That's why the medical team looked like any ordinary hospital. At least on the surface.
I approached the receptionist.
"What brings you here?"
Her tone was polite, but her voice was ice-cold. The classic exhausted office worker.
"I'm Yoo Sung, guide from the guide team."
"Ah... okay."
She glanced at my employee ID and asked, "Where are you feeling unwell?"
This woman wasn't a hunter. Regular staff, probably a newbie. Any hunter would know my name, and even regular staff pick it up after a while. With tens of thousands of them, it's no surprise. I wasn't exactly a company poster boy hunter anyway.
I told her, "Is Team Leader Do Hyun-ah in right now?"
"...You can't just see the team leader."
"Tell her Yoo Sung's here. That'll do it."
"......"
"Hurry up."
"Ah, sure."
The receptionist sluggishly reached for the phone like it was a hassle.
"Yes, Director. Someone from the guide team is here..."
"Name? Yoo Sung... What?!"
"Ah, got it!"
She slammed the phone down. Her face, full of annoyance and fatigue moments ago, was now pure panic.
Is this that thing? Hiding your power level like a total nerd...? Felt pretty good, but picking on an clueless newbie felt kinda off.
"S-sorry. I'm new here, so..."
"It's fine. So, what'd she say? Can I go in?"
"Y-yes. L-let me show you to the team leader's office..."
The receptionist led me down the hall in her Crocs. To a tucked-away corner of the medical team—the team leader's office, in a spot that made you wonder why the hell it was there. She bowed her head.
"I-I'm really sorry..."
"No worries. Company's a shitshow, right?"
"P-pardon?"
"Mine's shit too, but I stick around. Nowhere else like it. Got it?"
"Ah, yes..."
"Alright. Keep up the good work."
I sent the still-bowing receptionist off and knocked on the team leader's door.
"Come in."
A cold voice from inside. I opened the door and went in.
Do Hyun-ah. S-rank, magic-type ability. Specifically, recovery mage. She glared at me from under her white coat.
"...What is it, sunbae?"
White coat on the outside, but sweater and jeans underneath. Sunglasses perched on her forehead. Anyone would think she was dressed for a day out, not a doctor heading to work.
"Business. Mind if I sit?"
"Sure. Whatever. You're sunbae, after all."
"...What the hell does that mean? D-ranks don't deserve chairs?"
Her sloppy outfit hugged some serious curves. That was the one thing Do Yun-ah and Do Hyun-ah had in common.
"No. It's for patients. And you don't look sick."
"I'm a patient too, you bitch."
"Where's it hurt?"
"My heart. 'Cause my junior's being stingy."
"Want some meds? Cyanide or rat poison—which one's your pick?"
"Both would kill me."
"Quickest cure for a broken heart."
Unlike Lee Seon-yul, another psycho, the difference was you could banter with her like this. Problem was, her deadpan delivery made it impossible to tell joke from threat. Seon-yul at least sounded annoyed; Hyun-ah's voice was flat as a board.
"That was... a joke, right?"
"Of course. Don't have enough to kill a hunter."
"Lucky me. Anyway, you up for some guiding?"
"Guiding? From you?"
"Yeah."
"How long does it take?"
"Depends on the case."
"Can't be too long. But... I've got some time now."
"Cool."
I gave a vague reply and scanned the office. Just Do Hyun-ah in here.
"You still doing human experiments these days?"
"No."
"Not busy 'cause you're not grabbing people for tests?"
"Pretty much. No work."
An S-rank hunter awakened to recovery magic. True to form as a strategic weapon, her ability was transcendent. Even an atheist like me wondered if it was divine grace. She could revive someone who'd just died. I'd come back from the dead a few times thanks to her.
"But sunbae, can you rephrase that?"
"......"
"Not 'experiments.' It's 'treatment.' You know."
Do Hyun-ah reached out her hand. Her slender finger's nail grazed my neck.
...Crazy bitch.
In that instant, Do Hyun-ah's desire flashed before my eyes. Bound limbs. Her only free right arm holding a knife to her left arm. Blood-soaked floor. Contact too brief—the vision cut off.
A chill hit me, like a blade nicking my skin.
"...Right. Treatment."
Do Hyun-ah's 'recovery' was miraculous. You could watch flesh regrow in real-time on a severed arm, veins sprouting, bones forming. And this bitch... she got off on watching the process.
How an arm regrows when cut, how skin regenerates from burns, why scars form... She'd told me it was unbearably thrilling and pleasurable. That vision was probably her desire to slash herself, heal it, and feel that rush.
If Lee Seon-yul was a 'freak' kind of psychopath, Do Hyun-ah was the real deal.
"Lately, it's been boring though."
"...Yeah?"
"Yeah. So I'm researching something else. Beauty stuff."
"Beauty? Well... that's kinda 'recovery' if you squint."
"Right? Wanna see what I made?"
Do Hyun-ah reached for a metal can on her desk corner, about 30cm tall. She sprayed it straight onto my hand. White cream oozed onto my skin.
"...The hell is this? It won't melt my flesh, right?"
"Told you, beauty."
"Regrowing melted flesh counts as beauty too."
"Come on, sunbae. You think I'm that crazy?"
Yeah. You are. I held my tongue after nearly dying.
"Depilatory cream. This one hunter who was hospitalized long-term... wouldn't shave with a razor, just yanked his beard out by hand."
"Long hospitalization? Why?"
"Didn't want my treatment. Anyway, hunters' tough bodies don't cut with razors. So I made this."
...Makes sense. Her 'recovery' comes with pain.
"Got me thinking—why not stop hair growth entirely?"
"...And you sprayed it on my hand?"
"Hand hair's gross. You aiming for that gorilla look?"
"Nah."
"Right? Kids only have peach fuzz anyway. This absorbs into pores, resets them to kid levels—no more hair. Wanna wipe it off?"
Do Hyun-ah handed me a wet wipe. No razor needed? I wiped the cream off my hand. The barely-there fine hairs—gone, like they'd been swept away. Smooth as hell.
Do Hyun-ah stared intently at my hand.
"As expected, sunbae's specs give solid data. Rare even among hunters, that alpha male build."
"Wha...? Anyway, what's with making something actually useful?"
"I'm a doctor, sunbae."
But you didn't go to med school... I swallowed the words.
"Looks good even to you, right? Take it."
"Can I?"
"Sample. I can make more anytime. Gave some to male hunters, but none came back to report. Can't test on other staff—they're non-awakened."
"Ethics from you? I'm touched."
"Want me to spray your head too?"
"Sorry."
I pocketed the spray can and got to the point.
"So, guiding—you in?"
"Weren't we just doing it?"
"Well... this counts as guiding. I mean regularly."
"Sure. Data on you helps me too."
Meaning experiments on my body. Feeling uneasy, I stood.
"Call or text however. I'm out."
"Okay, sunbae."
Her voice never changed once, from start to finish. I left Do Hyun-ah's office.
Ugh, crazy bitch. My mental strength was draining in real-time. Proof: my dick didn't even twitch. It reacted to pitch-black-hearted Kim Hee-jeong, but not here. Does this guild have zero normal people? Last one left...
Guide team leader Choi Mi-ra. My direct boss. The only S-rank you could call normal.
#
"Team leader, got a sec?"
"Yoo Sung? Hang on. Come in and wait."
I knocked and entered her office. Choi Mi-ra was deep in work, eyes on her monitor, fingers flying over the keyboard. Nothing like Shin Ji-hye, who obsessed over dying. A real career woman.
Used to be a psych counselor. Got swept into a gate while working. That's why she was older. Physical age 29, real age 35? Older than me.
...Oh, reaction incoming.
Short bob exposing her forehead, chin-length. Awakening turned her hair and eyes purple. Suit barely containing her ample chest. My dick, wilted from Do Hyun-ah, started stirring.
I pinched my thigh to calm it and waited for her to finish.
"Sorry, urgent stuff. Wait long?"
"No. It's fine. Team leader, question for you."
"Shoot, Yoo Sung."
"...I'm handling the in-house S-ranks, right? For now."
"Yep. Guild master's orders."
"You're S-rank too. Ever thought about... getting guiding from me?"
Dumb question. She's a guide and S-rank—rare as hell. Mental types at S-rank are human weapons. Choi Mi-ra was unique. Her old job fit perfectly, so she kept guiding post-awakening. She probably knew her own mental state best. Not like me, a guide wannabe who needed lessons.
"Hmm. What do you think, Yoo Sung?"
"Uh..."
I studied her face. A subtle eye smile—charming. Experience? Unlike my childish ass, she'd worked a real job before becoming a hunter. Exuded poise. Opposite of her tight blouse drawing my eye. I controlled my gaze, but couldn't stop the reaction.
Wanna pull those tits out.
'Ripe' fit her perfectly. Womanly allure intact, plus that maturity. Fucking hot.
"You're a rare case in the guide team, so I'm curious about you too."
"Ah... yes."
"Heard you're a mental awakener. What ability? No details—just rough idea."
"Physical contact... shows their thoughts."
"Huh. Similar to mine."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I can too."
"You too, team leader?"
"Yeah. But I don't need physical contact."
"Then..."
"......"
Choi Mi-ra just crossed her legs. Her smiling gaze told me exactly what she meant.
"Just by looking...?"
"Yep."
"Ah."
So she read my brain-fart about her tits and milf vibes. Fucked.
"S-sorry, team leader."
"No biggie, Yoo Sung. I'm used to it."
"Uh..."
I shut my mouth. No excuses left. Before looking crazier, I bowed.
"Sorry, team leader. I'll go."
"Okay. Good work, Yoo Sung. See you tomorrow after clock-out."
She gave her trademark eye smile, then turned back to her monitor.
"...Heh."
Right before the door closed, her laugh slipped through the crack.
#
My eyes hurt, forcing them open. Bright light shining right in her face. Jin Seong-ah stared up at it blankly before snapping to.
"...Ah."
How long had she slept? She grabbed her phone out of habit to check the time. 2 a.m.
"Ah......"
Sunbae beat her and she crawled back to her room around midnight... Fourteen hours?
"Fucking hell..."
Naked too. Her abdomen still bruised purple. Memory from right before sleep hit: punching her own gut to relive getting hit by sunbae...
"Nngh..."
Couldn't tell anyone. Lucky she lived at the company, not home—no one to question why she was here so late.
Throb. Headache like a spike in her skull. Clutching her head, Jin Seong-ah muttered.
Did I really feel it... from that?
Irritation bubbled up. She hated admitting it. The moment his fist slammed her gut, kneeling to that weak-ass sunbae, head bowed—bliss so total she blanked out.
Even mimicking it with self-harm felt good...
"...Annoying."
Gritting her teeth, she chucked her scattered clothes into the laundry bin in the corner. Care team would pick it up in the morning.
She opened her closet for fresh ones. All similar: lacy, flashy stuff. She dressed to stand out on purpose.
...Crunch.
Still no relief from the headache after changing. Jin Seong-ah left her room for the elevator.
Late night—most had clocked out. Eerily quiet company. She craved smashing something.
"Fuck..."
Usually sweets curbed it, but not tonight. She wanted to destroy everything in reach. The urge whispered.
Headache worsening.
"Fuck, for real!!"
In the empty lobby, Jin Seong-ah screamed, panting.
......
Smash anything. She left the company.