Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: B-Rank Hunter Jeong Yujin
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I squeezed my eyes shut at the sudden approaching hand.
But when no sensation touched my body, I cautiously opened them again.
There, I saw Kim Taesung's pot-lid-sized hand gripped in a slender one.
It felt like some physics-defying phenomenon was unfolding right before my eyes.
Following that hand blocking Kim Taesung, I slowly shifted my gaze.
A woman with purple hair and form-fitting clothes came into view.
She even wore a leather hood, but it didn't hide her pretty face.
"Um, excuse me..."
Cautiously speaking up, the woman's fierce glare softened into something friendly as she turned to me.
"You okay, kiddo?"
"I-I'm not a kid..."
"Ahaha, really? Sorry about that. I'm Jeong Yujin. So, what's your deal with this creep? Looked like he was about to hit you."
"Jeong Yujin...?!"
The one shocked by her words wasn't me—it was Kim Taesung.
The moment he heard her name, he stepped back and struggled desperately to free his hand.
But Jeong Yujin's grip was stronger; his captured wrist trembled violently, yet he couldn't break free.
"Why the hell is a B-Rank Hunter doing here...?"
"Heard an Irregular Gate popped up. This is our guild's turf."
Irregular Gate.
These rare gates were estimated to house monsters stronger than their rated level.
So that's why a B-Rank Hunter came all the way here.
B-Rank—impressive.
I'd heard C-Rank was the limit for most Awakeners.
Which meant Jeong Yujin was a precious talent who'd broken through that barrier.
"So, what were you trying to pull on this girl? Your emblem says Yeohae Guild. Want me to blast this story to the press?"
"Mind your own business! Just 'cause you're a B-Rank doesn't make you hot shit."
"Who said I was showing off? I caught a criminal red-handed, so I was just saying I'd report it to his guild."
"Fuck, who're you calling a criminal... Gahhh?!"
Krunch—
A sound that should never come from a wrist echoed out.
Kim Taesung screamed as his grotesquely twisted wrist sent him crumpling to the ground.
Wow, taking down a C-Rank Hunter that easily.
Just one rank apart, but B-Rank and C-Rank really were worlds apart.
"Where does a criminal punk get off flapping his mouth? Be grateful I didn't slice your wrist off."
"You... you bitch...! Messing with a Yeohae Guild member?! Wanna end your hunter career?"
"Yeohae Guild, huh? Well, I'm with Titan Guild myself."
"Titan...!"
That familiar name made my eyes light up.
Titan Guild.
The nation's No. 2 guild, right below Yeohae Guild.
While Yeohae had bulked up by gathering standout talents from non-combat fields and beyond,
Titan Guild was called an elite combat unit, assembled purely from battle-class jobs.
Wow.
Her stats are insanely high.
Comparing her to Kim Taesung earlier would just be rude.
"Go ahead, try making me quit hunting. But I'm curious."
Jeong Yujin looked down at Kim Taesung, sprawled on the ground with a crooked stance.
She stared at him with sharp eyes and added a chilling remark.
"Between some creep trying to lay hands on a middle-school girl and the person who just broke his wrist to scare him off, who do you think your guild will side with?"
"Who said I tried anything with that brat...!"
"Then explain it. What was that hand doing?"
"She came to an Academy Party dressed like a noob, so I was just gonna scare her a bit!"
"Noob cosplay?"
Kim Taesung muttered the unfamiliar term while glaring murderously at me.
Jeong Yujin shifted her gaze to me as well.
"Kiddo, is that true?"
"I-I don't even know what that is. I said no, but he got super mad all of a sudden..."
"Do you carry your hunter registration? Mind if I see it?"
"Sure. I just got it today, so I have it on me."
I rummaged in my pouch and pulled out my hunter registration card.
Jeong Yujin examined it closely and let out a dry laugh. "Huh."
"Yeah, registered today."
"W-what?! No way..."
"Eyes work fine? Check it yourself. You bullied a kid without even glancing at her card? You're a total psycho."
Jeong Yujin grabbed Kim Taesung by the hair, yanking his head up to shove the card in his face.
His eyes shook wildly upon seeing it.
"Hey."
"Y-yes...!"
She called him softly, and he replied in a far more servile tone.
"Wanna head to your guild like this? Or slink away quietly? Or should we hit the station? Give you a taste of jail rice?"
"I'm sorry...! I'll leave right now, please, anything but that...!"
"Apologize to her, not me."
She patted my shoulder and gently pushed me forward.
Kim Taesung, still on his knees, bowed deeply to me.
"Sorry, kiddo...! This uncle lost his mind... Could you let it slide just this once?"
"I-It's fine. You didn't actually hit me or anything."
Honestly, I wasn't really angry—just flustered.
I waved it off, forgiving him.
He repeated his thanks nonstop and vanished from sight in seconds.
"If you only forgave him 'cause you saw me watching, you didn't have to."
"No, I really wasn't mad. I just got confused 'cause I didn't get what he was saying... I thought maybe I did something wrong. Glad it worked out."
Hehe, a silly laugh slipped out.
Jeong Yujin reached out and gently ruffled my hair.
"Aigoo, what a good kid. So mature for your age."
"I-I'm not a kid... I'm te-... Ah."
Right. For now, I was twelve.
"...Twelve years old."
"Pfft, okay, okay. Twelve, huh? Sorry, sis. That's plenty grown-up."
...She's definitely treating me like a kid.
But I couldn't fight it.
I really was a kid right now.
"Still, you're pretty small for twelve. Thought you were like ten."
"That's mean...!"
"Ahh, sorry. I'm just too honest sometimes."
She apologized right away, so I'd let it slide.
And it wasn't just me—most kids my size probably weren't much different.
My height was probably under 140 cm or so.
Definitely on the small side for twelve.
"Yang Hayang, right?"
"Yes."
She must've remembered from my registration card.
Staring down at me, Jeong Yujin stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment.
"Sorry to ask out of the blue, but did you see anything weird in the dungeon? Like monsters swallowed by black energy..."
"Oh, yeah. The monsters we took down had this black aura around them."
Her body froze at my words.
Her face screamed, What did I just hear?
"What?! You guys took them down? Not that guy from earlier?"
"Yeah, it's an Academy Party, so the party leader just hung back."
I nodded, and this time she gaped at me.
Why's she so shocked?
'Noobs cleared an Irregular Gate by themselves?'
Jeong Yujin couldn't hide her shock at the tiny girl blinking up at her with huge, round eyes.
Irregular Gate.
Its exact origins and conditions were unknown.
But sometimes, gates spawned monsters wreathed in dark purple auras.
Those were called Irregular Gates.
'At least Rift-grade or higher.'
And the monsters inside had specs at least one rank higher than a normal gate of the same level.
If luck was bad, 1.5 to 2 ranks higher.
That's why Irregular Gates were deemed dangerous.
When one appeared, they'd call in hunters above the gate's rank—like her—to clear it.
And yet, such a gate was cleared...
Not even by lowly F- or E-Rank hunters.
By total rookies barely taking their first steps?
An unprecedented phenomenon.
'I figured Kim Taesung cleared it for them.'
Academy Parties had high-rank party leaders called "teachers."
So she'd assumed Kim Taesung noticed the emergency and cleared it himself.
'Should've snapped that bastard's neck.'
That's why she'd only broken his wrist and let him go.
Knowing better now, she ground her teeth, pulled out her phone.
Of course, far enough that Hayang couldn't hear.
"Yeah, it's me."
- Yes, what's up?
The voice belonged to Titan Guild's HR staff.
Specifically, headhunting.
Scouting promising rookies for the guild.
"Get someone to look into three newbie hunters. Can you track 'em down quick?"
- Possible. But why?
"An Academy Party of rookies cleared an Irregular Gate. I'm handling one, so check the other three. At least one's gotta be special."
- Ooh, good news for once. I'll look into it and call back.
"Thanks."
Click.
Ending the call, Jeong Yujin returned to Hayang.
The girl stamped her feet like a lost child but looked utterly adorable waiting for her.
Still, maybe she wasn't just cute. Probing gently,
"Hayang, right? Wanna grab coffee with sis and chat a bit? Irregular Gates are serious business—I wanna hear more about what went down inside."
"Oh, sure. That'd be fi— Ah."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Hayang sighed like something just hit her, tilting her head.
She frantically waved her hands.
"N-no, it's nothing. Should be okay."
"Alright?"
Maybe she needed to get back to her parents? Or someone waiting nearby?
Puzzled but undeterred, she led Hayang to a nearby café.
Ding-a-ling—
"Welcome."
"Hello...!"
What polite manners.
Bowing properly to the clerk.
It brought warm smiles to Jeong Yujin and the clerk alike.
Nothing cuter than a polite, adorable kid.
"What'll you have? Menu's right here—pick anything."
She was dragging the kid along, so drinks were on her.
Cake too, if she wanted.
Handing over the acrylic stand menu,
Hayang stared at it forever, eyes widening.
'First time at a café?'
No way.
Even elementary kids these days mobbed takeout spots for drinks.
Probably just overwhelmed by all the tasty options.
That innocent kid reaction brought a smile—
Then Hayang started digging in her pouch.
And...
"C-can I just get a glass of water...?"
"...Huh?"
She held out a single, crumpled, grimy 1,000-won bill.
That pitiful sight short-circuited Jeong Yujin's brain.
"No, no! Sis is buying! Get whatever."
"N-no, can't. Grandma said not to take stuff from strangers."
"Even so..."
What elementary kid worries about that?
Just good upbringing?
Her questions deepened as she eyed the girl's outfit.
'Now that I look, her clothes...'
Her cute face had distracted from it.
Hayang's attire was shockingly plain and worn.
Her white tee was threadbare, neck stretched out.
Pants had holes everywhere.
Her exposed arms were stick-thin.
No matter the age, she had zero fat on her.
'That's why she panicked earlier...!'
Memories clicked, suspicions mounting.
Jeong Yujin had a rough idea of Hayang's situation now. She yelled to the clerk,
"One Americano and one iced chocolate latte! And every kind of cake—one of each!"
For this moment, it wasn't investment in a promising talent.
Purely the desire to feed this kid till she was stuffed.