Clear
“Cough! Ack! Ptoo!”
“Aaah! What are you doing spitting it out?!”
“It’s not potion. It’s dead blood.”
“Huh?”
I figured it was only natural for the blood to back up into his mouth while drinking a potion, since the blade had pierced through his gut from behind.
But Yoo Eunha seemed to think differently, showing quite a shocked reaction.
“There’s no need to drink any more now.”
“No, there are still wounds on the outside!”
“Yes. Take out another potion and pour it directly on the wounds.”
“…So that’s two more vials?”
“No. Just use half of each.”
And like that, we used up two recovery potions to heal the external wounds.
The internals were still in the process of recovering—I could feel them improving quickly, but…
‘To fully heal the internals right away, it’d probably take one more vial.’
But with only two potions left, it seemed better to save them for emergencies.
The Regeneration skill would handle the rest over time anyway.
“One vial for you, Junior Eunha. I’ll take the other.”
“…For just in case?”
“Yes. To prepare for something like this happening again.”
This time I’d been able to speak, but if not, I could’ve bled out and died.
If we’d split the potions from the start, we wouldn’t have had to worry about that.
“So, what now? We could abandon a mission gate midway and leave…”
“We’re not giving up.”
“You sure you’re okay? Even with potions, your body isn’t back to normal.”
“If you do well, Junior Eunha, we can clear it no problem.”
I could just hang back and use skills, but she’d have to tank up front.
Of course, I could skip the EXP and rent an S-rank telekinesis to block the waves.
“But you’re not doing that for my sake, right?”
“Yes. Opportunities like this don’t come often.”
“…You said it’s fast enough already.”
“True, but faster is always better.”
Regular tanks didn’t grow as quickly as Yoo Eunha.
Even a tank who could handle B-rank monsters wouldn’t gain EXP just from blocking them like she did.
“You want to get back to Korea as fast as possible, right, Senior?”
“Yes.”
“…You like Korea that much?”
Yoo Eunha’s face openly showed she had no desire to return to Korea.
We both had plenty of reasons to hate the place, but going back was the right move now.
“Revenge. We have to do it, don’t we?”
“…!”
“Sure, we could get revenge without going back. But do you think it’d feel as satisfying from abroad?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Exactly. That’s why we go back.”
She wanted revenge on the country that had discarded her parents like trash.
I wanted to make the parents who abandoned me feel regret.
“Revenge is your goal too, right, Senior?”
“It was once. Not anymore.”
“But all that contempt you endured…”
“That revenge ended the moment I revealed I had the status ailment removal skill.”
“…Isn’t that too weak?”
If it were her, she’d have rounded up everyone who’d mistreated her and punched each one at least a few times.
“Then you’d get arrested.”
“…And that matters?”
“Of course. You know what happens when a hunter becomes a criminal…”
“Agh… Fine, fine. I get it now~ I know exactly what kind of person you are!”
For some reason, Yoo Eunha started grumbling, leaving me clueless and shutting my mouth.
‘I don’t think my thinking is wrong…’
The waves from 6 to 9 went as smoothly as the first four.
For the final wave with only the boss monster, I applied Energy Coating to Yoo Eunha beforehand.
“Senior! No more EXP coming in!”
“Then I’ll handle it.”
Shuu shuu shuu—Kwaaang!
You have defeated a monster.
Omni (EX) Lv.5 EXP has increased by 0.02%.
Due to the effect of Link (A), EXP has increased by an additional 0.01%.
You have successfully endured the final wave.
[(Mission) Block the Monster Waves! (10/10)]
Mission success! Unique ability EXP increased by 25% as reward.
Special gate clear bonus: Unique ability EXP increased by an additional 15%.
We’d cleared a wave-based gate, but my final EXP had barely crossed 75%.
Even that was thanks to the extra EXP from maintaining Link.
Yoo Eunha had hit Lv.4 and reached A-rank, so my growth looked slower by comparison.
‘Well… she’s SS-rank potential, so she gets four times the EXP I do. Can’t be helped.’
“Senior! Need me to support you?”
“…Yeah. Please. For now… Hm?”
“Senior?”
“Look, where the boss died… there’s something there.”
I’d caught a glint out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a small orb rolling on the ground.
“…! It’s a skill stone!”
“Even for a special gate, a skill stone from a mere B-rank gate…”
“I’ll go grab it!”
“Wai—!”
-Thud
“Whoa?! S-Sorry!”
With Yoo Eunha suddenly dashing off while supporting me, I half-collapsed to the ground.
She quickly picked up the skill stone and came back, helping me up with deep apologies.
“Ugh… What’s the skill rank?”
“Um… It’s a B-rank skill.”
“Disappointing, but what can you do? A skill stone from a B-rank gate is rare to begin with. What’s the name?”
“It’s a bit weird, but… it says Aura.”
“…Aura at B-rank?”
“Yeah. Weird, right?”
Aura skills required free manipulation of energy and were mastered by only a tiny fraction of A-rank+ melee hunters.
“…Why is aura B-rank?”
“Uh… it says ‘Incomplete Aura.’ Wanna see?”
“Let’s have a look.”
◈ Allows use of faint aura.
◈ Resource consumption: 5/m
It was definitely different from the aura skills listed in the Hunter Association database.
A-rank aura skills didn’t have words like “incomplete” or “faint.”
“And the resource cost is half, too.”
“Ah! It’s normally 10, right?”
“Yes. So the power’s probably half or less… but.”
“Senior?”
Yoo Eunha looked flustered, but I silently handed her the skill stone.
I had no interest in melee skills, and more importantly, she needed it.
“You know this, but Holy Aura from Holy Armament Lv.7 requires a base aura skill to unlock.”
“It’s B-rank, but it’s still aura! Even if not A-rank, it’ll be crazy expensive!”
“You confident you can learn aura on your own?”
“…”
Even some active S~SS-rank melee hunters hadn’t mastered aura.
Expecting her to do it solo was just wishful thinking—bordering on torture.
“Learn it.”
“…I’ll repay you later for sure.”
“Repay me later? In exchange for the stone, I take all the gate profits.”
“Eeeek?!”
Yoo Eunha let out a ridiculous yelp, but I stared at her blankly and spoke.
“What’s with the ‘eeeek’?”
“But usually in situations like this…!”
“I’m tired. Wanna go rest.”
“Grr…!”
She grumbled but supported me out of the gate. The waiting medical team spotted us and rushed over.
“Ah! As expected, bringing a D-rank hunter got you…!”
“…That’s not it.”
Maybe because of what I’d said before entering, a Hunter Association staffer was waiting.
She seemed to think I’d gotten hurt because of Yoo Eunha, so I corrected her first.
“Then why’s only Hunter Han Seojun injured?!”
“The mid-boss had invisibility.”
“What? Invisibility?!”
“…Can I explain the details tomorrow?”
“No, that’s important—Oh! You’re exhausted from closing the gate? Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
She apologized profusely and booked us the penthouse suite at the Park Heritage Hotel, a five-star hunter spot.
I was curious about the price, but since the NZ Hunter Association was covering it, I didn’t worry.
“But… is it okay to use association funds like that?”
“Oh… Are you worried about me?”
“I just asked if it’s fine…”
“Better late than never—let me introduce myself. I’m Lucy Bennett, director of the New Zealand Hunter Association.”
“Ah…”
“For the benefactor who freed Mana Bay, this much budget is fine.”
“…Thank you.”
Her promise to handle the rewards made sense now—she was a director.
Nothing like certain other directors. Honestly, intriguing.
“Hmm… I’d love to chat more, but you should rest first, right?”
“Yes, please.”
“Such a shame. Alright, then… lunch tomorrow?”
Lucy Bennett only left after dropping us at the Park Heritage Hotel.
“…Honestly, I’m beat.”
“Think of my position—I have to deal with her directly.”
“No, not that… Didn’t you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
“That Lucy Bennett lady. She’s got her eye on you, Senior.”
I’d gotten that vibe, but not romantically—it was more like coveting a “powerful hunter.”
“…Senior, you thinking of naturalizing in New Zealand?”
“If I finish everything in Korea, it’s not out of the question.”
As we talked, the concierge arrived to guide us to our room.
Lucy must’ve considered we weren’t a couple, as she’d connected adjacent suites with two bedrooms.
“You’re crashing right away, right, Senior?”
“…Yeah. Just get me to the bed in that room.”
“Oh! Uh… I’ll take this one then.”
“Sure.”
Yoo Eunha helped me over, said to rest well, and closed the door as she left.
‘First things first… need to update her rank tomorrow. Gotta have a serious talk with NZ’s Lucy Bennett.’
Pondering what to say to Lucy Bennett, I passed out cold.