Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Obtained Insight Eye
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That day onward, Siwoo spent his days in a whirlwind of relentless activity, barely having a moment to catch his breath.
Every morning, he donned a crisp suit and traversed every guild in downtown Seoul.
In his hand was always Lee Jia's profile.
[Name: Lee Jia / Rank: F (Non-Combat Support)]
It was the kind of profile that screamed straight for the trash bin, no matter who looked at it. But Han Siwoo always flashed a confident smile as he shoved it toward the guild representatives.
"Hello! I'm Han Siwoo, representative of Miracle Management. This is our promising hunter. Could you take a look at her profile?"
They say you can't spit in the face of a smiling person, but the hunter industry was the exception.
The guild scouts would glance at the profile and grimace without fail.
"...F-rank? And support? Are you kidding me?"
"Hey, I'm swamped here. Don't bring me crap like this. Get out."
"Miracle? Never heard of it."
Every guild turned him away at the door.
One representative even crumpled his business card and tossed it in the trash right in front of him.
He faced rejection dozens of times a day and got chased out repeatedly.
His legs swelled so much his shoes barely fit, and his throat felt like it might give out from exhaustion.
His mouth was parched dry; he could hardly speak without water.
Yet Siwoo never stopped.
All of this served two purposes.
To Lee Jia, it was a silent message that he would never abandon her. And on another level, it clearly demonstrated that every guild in Korea had rejected her.
In the end, it ingrained the fact that in this cold world, Siwoo was the only one on her side.
Even late at night, dragging his exhausted body home, Siwoo always called or messaged Lee Jia.
[Had a meeting with Sun Guild today. The rep showed interest. Just needs a little polishing for good results.]
[Jia, you're doing well with mana control training, right? Don't push yourself. Health first.]
[Meeting Daesung Guild's rep tomorrow. Positive talks ahead—let's keep pushing!]
All bald-faced lies.
Sun Guild had him cut off at the entrance, and Daesung's rep treated him like a peddler. But it didn't matter.
These white lies were what kept Jia, teetering on the edge, from falling.
Two weeks passed like that.
The office door creaked open cautiously as someone entered.
It was Lee Jia.
Still in her rumpled gray tracksuit, her face far more gaunt than two weeks ago.
Dark circles hollowed her eyes, and her lips were cracked and bleeding.
"Oh? Jia. What brings you here without calling?"
Siwoo greeted her warmly in surprise, but she didn't sit. She stood by the door, head bowed, shoulders trembling faintly.
"President... please stop now."
"Stop what? How could I? We're just getting started."
"I know you're suffering because of me. I've heard the rumors. Other guilds chasing you out, ripping up your cards..."
Her voice quivered, thick with tears.
She already knew the gap between his hopeful messages and harsh reality.
"Please stop lying for my sake. I beg you."
She looked up.
Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at Siwoo.
"Every guild's rejected you. Who'd take a worthless failure like me...? You're suffering alone because of me... I heard you used your severance and took loans to invest in me. I'll... somehow cover the penalty fee, so let's end the contract."
She finally burst into tears.
Drops splattered on the floor.
"Cancel the contract, please. Stop before you ruin yourself more. I'll pay the penalty somehow—even if it takes my lifetime, manual labor, whatever. So please, just abandon me."
She pleaded with Siwoo.
She couldn't bear watching him crumble because of her anymore.
She loathed her own incompetence to her bones.
Siwoo rose, approached, and gripped her shoulders firmly.
"Lee Jia."
"...Hic, yes."
"Look at me. Look straight into my eyes."
Siwoo spoke in a low, warm, yet resolute voice.
Jia looked up at him through tear-soaked eyes.
"I told you. My eyes don't lie. I've seen countless hunters over ten years."
"But... reality is F-rank. No one accepts me."
"Don't worry. It just wasn't time yet. Like flowers blooming at different times, yours is coming a bit late. I won't give up. No matter what others say, even if the world points and laughs, I believe in you. So trust me, trust my judgment—just once more."
Siwoo stared deeply into her eyes, offering his gentlest smile.
"No more weak talk. Go home and rest. Never mention canceling the contract again."
"President..."
"Eat well, sleep soundly, train hard. When you succeed, buy me something expensive. I'll milk it for all it's worth."
Jia bowed her head, tears falling like chickpea drops.
No longer tears of despair and guilt.
In the deep, dark abyss of hopelessness, Siwoo had believed in her, never letting go.
That unyielding faith melted her frozen heart.
"I'll do my best."
She wiped her tears and looked up.
"Yes. That's it."
"I absolutely won't disappoint you. I'll succeed and make you live like a king."
She clenched her fist.
Her eyes had changed.
Defeat gave way to venom and hope in her gaze.
Siwoo clenched his fist too, seeing it.
'Good. That's it.'
She couldn't despair.
Re-awakening changed the body, but the vessel to hold that immense power was the mind.
Without fortifying her mentality beforehand, the shock of sudden re-awakening could lead to rampage and self-destruction—as reported overseas.
Siwoo had to be her sturdiest pillar to keep her from breaking.
"Now go home and rest. Never let the world's noise sway you. You're special, Jia."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sixteen more days passed.
Exactly one month since Lee Jia's awakening assessment.
The fateful day Siwoo had glimpsed with Insight Eye dawned.
Siwoo stood by the office window, gazing at the street below, calmly sipping coffee.
The TV droned with morning news.
Then it happened.
[Breaking News] Unidentified mana explosion in central Gangnam! Citizens, evacuate immediately...
The announcer's urgent voice cut in as the screen switched.
The news showed Gangnam streets in chaos.
Roads cracked, street trees uprooted.
In the shaky camera angle, a woman lay collapsed in the road's center.
Azure mana rose around her like heat haze—or a massive pillar of fire.
"Finally."
Only Siwoo knew this would happen today.
Unfazed, he took another sip of coffee, turned off the TV. What was coming had arrived.
Moments later, his phone blared.
Caller: Lee Jia.
"Hello?"
[P... President...]
Jia's voice trembled in terror from the other end.
Her breaths ragged.
"Jia?"
[S-Something's wrong... My body's... hot. Like it's gonna burst. I was just walking... then suddenly... power...]
"Calm down, Jia. It's okay. Where are you?"
[Hospital. St. Mary's ER nearby... Association people... say I have to go now... I'm scared, President...]
"I'm heading to the Association right now. Don't worry—just wait a bit. I'm coming."
Siwoo grabbed his jacket and bolted out.
In the taxi to the Association, his palms dripped sweat.
Heart pounding, but he forced his mind cool.
Upon arrival, the assessment room entrance was pandemonium.
Media and streamers swarmed, hearing of the mana explosion's source at the Association.
"Excuse me! I'm her guardian! Let me through!"
Siwoo shoved through the crowd.
The lobby buzzed with Association staff, guild scouts, and agents sniffing opportunity.
Park Manager was there, face grim, on a call.
Inside the staff's cordon, in a dim corner, Jia huddled, trembling with an IV.
Mana detectors wailed alarms around her.
"Jia."
Siwoo called loudly.
She jerked her head up from her knees.
"President!"
Ignoring the IV tug, she sprang up and ran to him.
Staff tried restraining her but hesitated against the surging mana.
She clung to Siwoo's clothes like a lifeline.
"Hic, President... I-I'm dying... It exploded suddenly... Light from my body... I'm scared...'
Her body burned like a fireball.
Mana boiled inside, raging without outlet.
"Jia. Look at me. Calm down. You won't die. It's fine. Your time has just come."
"Huh? Time?"
"I told you. Yours comes a bit late. This is it."
Siwoo patted her back soothingly.
Her ragged breaths eased at his calm voice.
"Let's go. Show them. Who the Jia they mocked really is. Their huge mistake."
Siwoo gripped her hand tight.
In that firm warmth, her trembling stopped. She nodded.
"Yeah... let's."
Hand in hand, Siwoo led her to the assessment room.
Countless eyes pierced them.
Staff thanked Siwoo for calming her and prepped swiftly.
Weeeeng-!
The assessor hummed massively, like a preheating engine.
All held breath, eyes on the board.
Then—
Beep-! Beeeeeep-!
The machine screamed shrill alarms.
Red letters blazed on the board.
⚠️ RE-AWAKENING ALERT ⚠️ [Lee Jia - Magic Type]
[Rank: A]
The lobby erupted like a bomb at the 'A'.
"R-Re-awakening! No way!"
"A-rank too? Insane!"
"F to A? Impossible!"
Korea's first re-awakening—F to A vertically—shocked all.
Park Manager collapsed, dazed.
The woman he'd mocked as trash was A-rank.
His yearly salary couldn't touch her monthly now.
The door opened; Jia emerged.
Her face flushed.
Staring at her hands dreamily, eyes brimmed with overwhelming joy and disbelief.
Blue mana flickered at her fingertips like flames.
"Congratulations, Hunter Lee Jia."
Siwoo smiled, extending his hand.
"P-President... I... really..."
"Talk later. It's about to get noisy."
He was right.
Scouts and agents lunged like zombies, eyes ablaze.
Staff's human barricade barely held.
"Back off! Back off! Protective measures per protocol!"
Following re-awakener manual, they blocked forcibly.
Post-re-awakening minds unstable; rampage risk demanded rest.
"Jia, take the Association car home. Rest today."
"What about you? Aren't you coming? I'm scared..."
Jia clutched his sleeve.
"I have cleanup here. Go ahead—no worries. I'll call soon."
Siwoo patted her hand reassuringly.
Reluctantly, Jia left under escort, glancing back.
Confirming her safe exit, Siwoo slipped out a back emergency exit.
Alone, he whispered shakily.
"Status Window."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Growth Synchronization effect activated. Affiliated Hunter 'Lee Jia' has re-awakened from F-rank to A-rank. Due to the target's rapid growth, you share a massive amount of experience. User's rank rises: D → C User's mana circuits expand. Messages flooded his vision.
Warm energy suffused his body, unblocking vessels with refreshing clarity.
Beyond money, Siwoo himself grew stronger.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Siwoo returned to the office late evening.
At the empty window, he gazed at the city nightscape.
A shabby office atop 300 million won debt, yet it shone brighter than any mega-guild HQ.
'Now Miracle Management holds Korea's sole re-awakened A-rank hunter.'
He suppressed surging emotion, stroking the desk.
The cold touch grounded his victory joy.
This was just the start.
Starting with Jia, unearth all hidden gems and upend the board.
Then—
Phone buzzed in his pocket.
Vrrr.
Lee Jia.
Siwoo checked the message.
[President. Not asleep? I have something to say. Can you come to my place now...?]
[Now?]
[Yes. Words I must say now. I'll wait.]
Siwoo stared, then donned his jacket.
Her voice—no, the desperation in her text—called him.
An A-rank hunter summoning him at midnight.
Contract revision? Swayed by a mega-guild?
But Siwoo felt no anxiety.
He trusted her eyes.
His steps toward her home cut the night air with certainty.