9. South Korea's First SS-Rank Hunter, Choi Seol
The Hunter Association building — a place every hunter in South Korea would eventually find themselves visiting. And on the very top floor of that building, a muscular man whose face was covered in scars was watching the news on an enormous screen.
"Honestly, you should quit hunting and become a celebrity instead. You're pretty enough to look this good on camera."
Beep—
"Aww, I was enjoying that. What's the point of turning it off?"
"I don't think it's proper etiquette to watch the news after summoning someone all the way up here, would you agree, Association President?"
"And here I am, an old man just trying to show you how monumental your achievement is, and you won't even indulge me..."
Association President Ju Daesan clicked his tongue, muttering under his breath about the younger generation these days.
"I can hear you even when you mutter. Just get to the point."
"When a young person rushes an elder like that, it's downright disrespectful..."
Zap—
As if to say the joking had gone on long enough, the young woman standing before the president fixed him with a terrifying glare.
"Ahem... I'll drop the jokes, then."
Having gotten a taste of her bloodlust, even just for a moment, Ju Daesan cleared his throat and straightened up slightly.
This was Ju Daesan — one of the few S-Rank hunters in South Korea, a man bearing the very title of Association President. Had any employee of the Hunter Association witnessed him cowering before a young huntress who seemed not even half his age, they would have refused to believe their own eyes.
But Ju Daesan had no choice. Regardless of age. Regardless of title.
"Even jokes have their limits."
"Hah hah hah! My apologies, then."
The woman speaking with Association President Ju Daesan was the Rank 1 hunter — none other than Choi Seol, South Korea's first SS-Rank hunter, the very person the news had been reporting on just moments ago.
At Ju Daesan's apology, Choi Seol, who had been radiating silver light from her eyes, let her intensity subside.
And here I thought I hadn't fallen behind the young ones yet...
Having tasted Choi Seol's killing intent, however briefly, Ju Daesan broke into a cold sweat internally.
"To get to the matter at hand — the reason I called you here is because of what we discussed last time."
"Last time... you mean—"
"Your words that the S-Rank Gate wasn't perfectly conquered."
The sly old man from moments ago now set a heavy tone to the room.
"Explain to me properly what that's supposed to mean. Because of what you said, I went all the way to Busan myself to see where the S-Rank Gate had been. And the gate was gone — wiped away so cleanly that not even a trace remained."
Just days ago, South Korea had assembled a raid force to reclaim Busan. Ever since the S-Rank Gate had appeared there, Busan had been a place no one even dared think of touching. The cold, hard reality was that the hunter pool of a small country like South Korea simply couldn't handle an S-Rank Gate.
And so, while the nation had spent decades wringing its hands over the Busan problem, a rising star hailed as the strongest hunter in South Korean history — the young Choi Seol — declared that she would conquer Busan herself. For the government and the Association alike, it was welcome news beyond measure. They spared no support for her whatsoever, determined that this time, at last, the Busan situation would be resolved.
Under Choi Seol's leadership, the S-Rank Gate raid was a success.
...Or so everyone had believed — until, for some reason, Choi Seol reported to Ju Daesan that the conquest had been anything but perfect.
"The gate vanished, and yet the conquest wasn't perfect? What is that even supposed to—"
By common understanding, if a gate's entrance disappeared some time after its master — its boss — was defeated, then the gate had been conquered. That was the common sense Ju Daesan had always known.
"To be precise, the gate's boss was not perfectly defeated."
"According to the other hunters, that gate's boss was something called a Slime Queen?"
"It was no ordinary slime. Perhaps in appearance, yes — but it was absolutely nothing that deserved the name of a low-grade monster."
As the events of the raid flashed through her mind, Choi Seol found her fingers drifting to the hilt of her sword without her noticing.
"I cut it down again and again, but it just kept splitting, endlessly. I did manage to slice through its core by sheer luck, but... something about it felt off. Unlike anything I've ever finished before. There was no sense of completion."
"And yet I don't see this Slime Queen anywhere, and the gate's gone, so... honestly..."
Ju Daesan clicked his tongue, looking as though he had no idea what ought to be done.
"It's nothing more than my own intuition, so I can't claim certainty... but this lingering unease simply won't go away."
Deep down, Ju Daesan desperately wanted to wrap up the Busan affair — a problem that had given him headaches for years — cleanly and quickly. But the person stirring up this unease before him was the strongest hunter in South Korea.
"If it were the intuition of some ordinary person, I'd disregard it. But coming from Choi Seol? That's worth trusting. In any case, just to be safe, I'll take responsibility for reinforcing security around the old Busan gate."
"I'd be grateful if you did, Association President."
"Now, the next item — the Americans have requested your services..."
Ju Daesan informed her that a gate dispatch request had come in from the United States, but Choi Seol refused on the spot without hearing so much as a word more. Though his face showed disappointment, Ju Daesan was in no position to force her.
Bow—
With all the important business concluded, Choi Seol offered the president only a light bow and left the office.
"Boss!"
As she stepped out of the president's office, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair cascading past her waist was waiting, as if she'd been standing there the whole time. It was Rina, the S-Rank hunter who was one of Choi Seol's precious few friends — and who had fought alongside her in the recent Busan raid.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
"What else would I call the raid leader if not Boss?"
"...Haah. Do as you like."
When Choi Seol pulled a disgusted face, Rina only grinned wider and latched onto her.
"You were talking about Busan, weren't you?"
"Yep."
"Ugh... even thinking about it now gives me chills. Seriously, if it weren't for you, Boss, we'd all be completely wiped out."
At the memory of the Busan raid, Rina shuddered and hugged her own body.
"I mean, sure, it was an S-Rank Gate and all... but it was truly absurd. Every single hunter who went with us got mind-controlled by that slime. It was practically a solo conquest on your part, Boss."
And "every single hunter" included Rina herself.
"I blink once, open my eyes, and suddenly you're announcing the raid is over. I nearly had a heart attack. How on earth did you avoid getting caught by that slime?"
"I simply dodged every attack."
"That wide-area attack that even reshaped the terrain was impossible to dodge, though... You really are something else, Boss, you know that?"
Despite Rina's stream of exclamations and admiration, Choi Seol gave no particular reaction.
Then, after chatting away about Busan for a good while, Rina suddenly looped her arm firmly through Choi Seol's.
"You're done talking with the Association President, right? You got time to spare? We could go shopping together, or—"
"Sorry. I have to go back and train."
"Huh... training again? How much stronger do you plan on getting exactly...?"
"I'm... still not enough."
"You know that line is basically an insult to me and every other hunter out there, right?"
At Rina's self-deprecating joke, even Choi Seol let a light chuckle escape her lips —
Click, clack—
Choi Seol stepped out of the building once more and headed for her personal training ground. So that she would never again be left with that same lingering unease — the kind the slime had left behind.
"Queet~"
"Is the water tasty, Lime?"
"Queet, queet!"
Like the opening ritual of my daily routine, I poured out a generous amount of fresh bottled water for Lime. Though from the look of her, she'd much rather be drinking something other than water — namely, my semen.
Sorry, Lime, but I'm going to ration that for now.
Ever since Lime had made things happen between Hari and me, I'd resolved to stop masturbating entirely. If I wasted even a drop of stamina, it would only mean less when I finally got together with Sia or Hari.
"You've got your water, so maybe I'll get some morning exercise in too."
"Queeu~"
Having realized just how important stamina and vitality were, I'd recently taken up working out. After getting a taste of Hari's strength — surprisingly powerful for someone who looked so delicate, a lingering proof that she'd once been a hunter — something inside me had ignited as a man.
Granted, no amount of half-assed exercise was ever going to make me stronger than an actual hunter like Hari...
But hey, it beats doing nothing!
If only so I could last even longer with those women, I would never stop building my strength.
"Forty-one... forty-two..."
I used to exercise a little back in the day, but... I guess I really had been on a long break. Barely pushing past forty push-ups in proper form, and my arms were already shaking like crazy. In my school days I'd have knocked these out while yawning.
Times like this, I can't help but wish for an awakening. I'd settle for the lowest hunter rank, honestly... couldn't I just awaken with something that boosts stamina and vitality?
"Phah... can't do any more."
I might die of muscle soreness tomorrow, but I'd squeezed out every last drop of what my body could give. Thanks to that, my whole body was trembling — it was all I could do just to lie still.
"Queeuuut! Que, que!"
"Are you... giving me a massage?"
Lime, as if determined to treat my trembling body, started patting me all over with her squishy little form. Tap, tap, tap—
Actually, this feels pretty good.
My limbs, which had genuinely been shaking, slowly began to feel better. Seriously, Lime, just how many things are you capable of?!
"Come here, you gorgeous thing, and take my kisses. Mwah mwah mwah mwah."
"Queuung! Queung!!"
I scooped Lime up and pressed my lips against her squishy body again and again. She let out happy little cries, delighted to be showered with kisses.
And so, after doting on Lime for a good long while...
"Whew... I'm too worn out for sex today, so hold down the fort, alright?"
"Queet...?!"
"Don't give me that despairing look. I'm genuinely too tired."
I got ready to head to the convenience store to buy something to drink. It was Sia's shift today, but since I'd burned through all my energy exercising, I left Lime at home and headed out alone.
She'd looked as though she was mourning her lost chance to mate with me... sorry, but your owner is just an ordinary human, weaker than even the lowest-rank hunter.
Guiding my still-trembling legs, I made my way down the stairs.
"Oh my, Seojun. Where are you off to?"
"Ah, Hari. Hi there. Just heading to the convenience store for a bit."
I ran straight into Hari, who was lightly sweeping the front of the villa with a broom.