Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Power of an SSS-Grade Hunter (3)
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Im Hyeji first met the friendly folks from her old guild who came over to her.
"Hyeji, congrats so much."
"I'm just thrilled we get to raid dungeons together like this."
"Don't sweat the jealousy from the others. They're just envious."
"Thanks, everyone..."
She knew not every guild member was jealous of her, of course. But the atmosphere had made it awkward even to chat with her old friends.
They must have felt the same way.
"Ever since you hit SSS-grade and started hanging out with the other SSS-grade hunters... even Hana feels a bit distant to talk to. You're still as kind as ever, Hyeji. Thanks for the snacks."
She'd come over just to share some simple snacks, and it felt like the right call.
The Hunter Gallery reactions and all that had made her self-conscious, but talking face-to-face brought back the old vibes.
Not completely, though.
"Hyeji, is that rumor true? About Kang Jik awakening your abilities...?"
"Why ask about that? Hana's the real impressive one."
They treated her warmly, just like before, but there was this subtle wall.
Still, it wasn't a bad thing.
In the old days, that distance might have felt hurtful, but now it gave Im Hyeji a strange sense of pride.
After all, she only needed to stay close to Kang Jik, and with Hana and Lee Sua, they shared secrets no one else could know. That inner bond was plenty.
Once she got past that, she'd craved people who would envy her new powers and show interest in them. Seeing those reactions from folks she used to know filled that void perfectly.
She'd asked Kang Jik if it was weird, but he'd said it was totally natural.
'Nothing boosts your self-esteem like the inferiority complex of people you know. Go brag your heart out.'
A few guild members she wasn't close to were whispering while watching her chat with C Team.
It didn't faze her.
Kang Hana seemed unfazed too.
The power of being an SSS-grade hunter—doing what she wanted, saying what she pleased, without a care for the stares or whispers—felt more satisfying than ever.
Han Semi, the Semi Guild Master, added to that satisfaction.
"Hyeji, you did great. I'm heading to see Jik for a bit. You're at the tent, right?"
"Yeah, the four-person one."
"Got it. Enjoy your chats, and let me know if anything comes up."
"Sure thing, Sis."
Im Hyeji was a guest.
An SSS-grade hunter hired as a mercenary, entering as Semi Guild's VIP to clear the dungeon with minimal casualties.
She'd more than fulfilled that role, leaving no reason for uncomfortable looks.
Not like she'd pulled an Um O-su stunt.
So she could chat more freely, almost like old times.
Not quite the same vibe anymore, though, so she soon headed back to the eight-person tent.
Lee Sua was gearing up to leave.
"Sis, where are you off to?"
"My turn. Be back soon."
"Ah... okay..."
She'd come back brimming with self-esteem, but seeing Lee Sua enter Kang Jik's tent soured her mood a bit.
The biggest ego boost was still getting Kang Jik's semen, after all...
Envious eyes locked on Lee Sua as she slipped through the tent flap.
@
The dungeon was cleared without a hitch.
The first day's battle had been the real hurdle for this S-grade dungeon, so the remaining monsters were handled by Semi Guild on their own.
No need for us to step in.
Their SS-grade hunters could manage one or two S-grade monsters just fine, and since we were here to train, us taking all the kills wouldn't mean much anyway.
Kang Hana kept joining briefings to sync up, but staying back in safe spots for those wasn't risky.
So the three-day S-grade raid boiled down to grinding hard on day one, then chilling in tents for dungeon sex the rest of the time.
"These five levels should wrap up before the SS-grade push."
Lee Sua, fresh off a rock-paper-scissors win, had grown her Ember enough to get the 'Ember Lv5 growth is imminent!' message. Kang Hana's Precision Search was close too.
Im Hyeji had hit Resurrection Lv5 early and was evolving her abilities, so she yielded a bit and lagged slightly. But she'd hit Lv5 before the SS-grade dungeon.
If we held out through the next S-grade, I'd finally have SSS-grade abilities and skills worthy of pulling my weight.
Already looking forward to using Ember.
No more trailing Kang Hana with earbuds, guessing 'here? there?' for magic stones. I'd handle Precision Search myself for safe, sure farming.
It stung that it'd been nearly two months since learning Resurrection—the benchmark for SS-grade—and I still hadn't used it once.
Finally learning a skill I could use in dungeons.
"Great work, everyone!"
And with that, Han Semi's due date was approaching.
We headed home after clearing the dungeon.
Han Semi stayed to wrap things up with her guild.
Not our first rodeo, so it was routine now, but waiting for this 'natural birth' miracle felt extra special.
"Should've shoved one more magic stone in at the end."
The Pregnancy Support Program was ruthless, popping messages about miracle odds rising with SS-grade stones every time I injected Han Semi. It tortured with hope, saying adding mana from stones might trigger it.
I knew it wasn't wrong.
I'd seen the odds climb with more stones, better skills probable, and disabled skills less likely.
But I couldn't get blinded by that spark of hope.
I'd been a total NEET gamer, scrolling galleries full of life-ruined sob stories.
Not saying it'd go that far, but in probabilistic pregnancy and birth, you compromise at a sweet spot unless chasing 100%.
Dumping all my stones into Han Semi for one miracle shot would be laughable.
Even one SS-grade stone was a huge investment for me.
The odds were decent for a natural birth, and I managed daily injections.
If it didn't pop after this, oh well.
Overinvesting and failing would leave a lingering regret.
Jik... Delivery in 1 hour, was gonna call but... DM instead. Thanks so much... I know I've been lacking, showed you my immature side a lot, but you treated me like an adult and showed me happiness I'd never have known. Hoping for a great skill, of course... but I'm older... crappy womb and all. If a disabled skill comes, it's NEVER your fault, okay? Don't worry. And the other kids... I feel so bad, so if it's disabled... no, not never again, but just when you miss me... [Read More]
"...What the...?"
Killing time flipping through Hunter Gallery, then this DM from the Hunter Association hit like a lucky chain letter.
Han Semi's heartfelt wall of text brimmed with worries and touching thoughts for me.
Overreacting might burden her, but she always projected that bold Semi Guild leader vibe—even in S-grade dungeons—yet shrank and peeked at me around me. Kinda cute.
Even wondering if calling her cute was rude? That's the charm of this dynamic.
So I deliberately left it on read.
Well, not fully read.
Too scared to tap [Read More] and dive into that emotional abyss, I ditched it for Hunter Gallery shitposting.
40s Super Career Woman Obsessed Only with Me...
She keeps saying she can't live without my dick. Bombastic outside, but begs me only. Wtf do?
Don't release her into the wild. Keep her.
We agreed to shove our noses in that kinda thing.
Why spell out 'old spinster hag' so fancy?
If you got a woman that age acting up like that, your dick must be decent.
Just breathing, reading and typing.
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst before my eyes.
A miracle has occurred!
Time was up, and messages flooded in.