Chapter 8

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 8

Chapter Title: Hidden Tutorial: My Little Sister?

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This was where countless people were divided into passers and failures. Those who succeeded shouted in joy,

while those who failed wept in sorrow.

Everyone shared their happiness and grief with family, friends, and lovers.

I...

"I'm lonely even here."

I shook off the melancholic feeling creeping in from somewhere.

It's fine.

Raising a lonely toast after passing is far better than seeking comfort after failing.

Above all...

'Skillbook'

...

I'm not sentimental enough to wallow in solitude with such sweet rewards right in front of me.

'Sweet as can be.'

A skillbook is each person's narrative.

The skills on each page grow stronger according to that narrative.

This narrative was apparently enough to grow my skills.

Poor Strike became a little less poor,

and Dark Screen could now block the enemy's vision more effectively.

'The problem is that it blinds me too...'

That'll sort itself out once I level up Dark Screen.

The important part is that I've finally got a blank page.

Every blank page I acquire lets me record one of the abilities from the monsters I've hunted as my own skill.

It's like something out of a roguelike game.

'The question is how to use it.'

The condition is 'killing' the monster.

Thinking back to how the author of Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy phrased it, that probably means I have to personally finish them off.

Risk my life taking down strong monsters for great abilities?

Or compromise with reality and settle for decent ones?

"Hmm."

The answer was already set in stone.

To survive in Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy, I can't waste blank pages on filler.

Besides, the tutorial is [Tutorial: Encounter with C-grade or higher boss monster].

That seals it.

'I'll have to use the blank page after the entrance ceremony anyway.'

Professor Sin So-ah took an interest in me as planned.

After the ceremony, I can use her to get a shot at a C-grade boss monster.

With the entrance exam done, there's a week until the ceremony.

I don't plan on wasting it.

"Ah... ah..."

My whole body aches like it's been beaten with a hammer.

"Feels like I've been tenderized for some pork cutlet."

Resting for today should be fine.

I'm running.

Running to the hospital.

The time is this morning.

Nine a.m. the day after the entrance exam.

A perfectly casual response without any awkwardness.

The woman on the phone seemed to know Kim Si-woo well.

[Look, I know your situation, Si-woo...]

A bad feeling washed over me.

[Your little sister's hospital bills are now three months overdue. Can you come to the hospital today?]

Why is it the bad feelings are always spot on?

"Haa... haa."

Is this the place?

Not quite big enough to call it large,

but too big to call small.

'The naming's pretty quaint.'

Being the guardian means Kim Si-woo is obligated to pay.

Which means if I don't settle the overdue bills...

Red stamp!

Jail time!

Game over for life!

'...'

This could derail my plans big time.

With that thought, I pushed open the hospital doors and stepped inside,

only to be met with an unexpected sight.

'This is...'

It looked just like a psych ward in a university hospital.

A small sign inside the hospital read:

'Right, this.'

The world of Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy is one where mana-tech has advanced to extremes.

But some people are born rejecting mana.

They're called 'mana incompatibility patients.'

They have to live in facilities completely sealed from mana.

'Gotta cost a fortune.'

As I stood in the hallway, a young woman emerged and greeted me warmly.

'This must be the nurse from the call.'

"Si-woo! Did you run all the way here? You're sweating..."

I don't know how much the bill will be.

Every penny counts.

"Hello, noona. I'm here to pay the overdue hospital bills."

"Good thinking! Come inside first, let's talk."

Passing through triple-layered glass doors revealed patient rooms and a lobby.

Every lightbulb and gadget was free of mana-tech.

Less efficient and performant, but custom-made, so not cheap.

The nurse handed me some documents with a worried look.

"The director said just paying the backlog is fine for now."

1,290,000 won for three months.

Is this why Kim Si-woo was trying to get into the Hunter Academy?

'What an idiot.'

For someone like Kim Si-woo, who didn't even finish college, it must've been crushing.

I know that better than anyone.

"I'll pay it all at once. Including next month's."

The nurse looked shocked at my response.

"What?! Where'd a kid like you get that kind of money?"

"Worked my butt off and saved up. Haha."

"You didn't do anything illegal, right?"

"What do you take me for? It's honest sweat-earned cash."

I have no idea, but sure, let's go with that.

Otherwise, I'm in trouble.

"Speaking of, weren't you prepping for the Hunter Academy entrance exam...?"

'........Did Kim Si-woo tell her?'

"It's fine. They say it's a tough exam to pass anyway."

"Huh?"

The nurse seemed to misread my expression and tried to comfort me.

"What? Didn't you fail?"

"No."

I'd have to.

After all the hell I went through? No way I'm settling for failure.

Take backs? No returns? Absolutely not.

"Then... you don't mean... you passed the Hunter Academy?"

"Of course."

I smiled as I answered, and she patted my shoulder.

"Congrats! I knew you could do it, Si-woo!"

In Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy, hunters are high earners.

Getting into a Hunter Academy is a big deal, cause for celebration.

'Even so, unlike past-life professions, it's pure meritocracy here. Kim Si-woo passing wouldn't change much.'

The nurse beamed happily.

"Even if you're in the provinces, come visit your sister often during breaks."

"Huh?"

"Most Hunter Academies are outside Seoul, right? Don't tell me..."

"Ah, I got into the National Seoul Hunter Academy."

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"What?! Seoul?!"

"Guess I got lucky."

She gaped, forgetting to close her mouth.

"Luck? That's not even a story! Tell me all about it later—my little bro's aiming for one too."

"Haha. If I can help."

A bit exaggerated, maybe.

But having someone share the joy isn't half bad.

I answered cheekily, signed the papers,

and transferred the full amount via phone.

Kim Si-woo's savings plus the anomalous gate incident compensation.

It's his by right.

I'm not scummy enough to steal it.

I'm not Lee Seong-hyeon, after all.

That said, I'm not nosy enough to cover someone else's little sister.

I paid Kim Si-woo's share.

The rest is mine.

"All transferred. And..."

I was about to say I wouldn't be her guardian anymore when

someone burst out of a room and ran toward me.

"Oppa!!"

"Yeon-i?"

A face all too familiar.

My little sister from my past life, whom I'd seen countless times.

Why is Yeon-i here?

I froze for a moment.

When I came to, Kim Ma-ri was hugging me tight.

"Oppa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You've gotten so pretty since the last time."

She grinned at my words,

stepped back with her hands on her hips, and pointed to the ribbon in her hair like she was showing off.

'What kind of pose is that?'

"Thanks to this pretty, cute ribbon you gave me?"

"Haha, don't remind me. She's been bragging about it to everyone here even though you gave it ages ago."

A puffy ribbon stuffed with cotton.

Did Kim Si-woo give her that?

The nurse waved it off and continued.

"When it frayed and tore, she wouldn't let me buy a new one—insisted on learning to sew from me instead."

"Hey, sis! You weren't supposed to tell him that!"

Kim Ma-ri puffed her cheeks in cute protest.

"So what? Your bro just passed the Hunter Academy. Ask him for a new one."

"Passed? Oppa, really?"

Kim Ma-ri's eyes sparkled as she looked at me in surprise.

"..."

"Yeah, for real."

I forced a smile.

She gaped, staring at me with huge, galaxy-shining eyes.

"My oppas the best! So cool! Number one!"

A neat 2:8 part.

Big, sparkling eyes.

Above all, that radiant smile.

Especially

that forced cheerfulness.

Mana incompatibility brings excruciating pain.

She's trying hard to look bright.

'Doesn't want to worry Kim Si-woo.'

It's more than admirable—it's heartbreaking.

Considering her situation, I want to help.

Honestly, from the first glance, my eyes kept going to her.

"..."

'Think rationally.'

I have reasons to stay alive.

I absolutely cannot die yet.

Taking Kim Ma-ri along is a huge risk.

Lee Seong-hyeon of the 8th run, with [Myth of Ashte] and [Empty Skillbook].

Even he couldn't lay a hand on her and got killed.

No matter how strong my abilities get, facing the 'Queen' is uncertain.

So I can't slack even a moment.

Every second must go to getting stronger.

I can't miss a single detail from any run or plot in Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy.

Taking Kim Ma-ri with me?

That'd be suicide.

I'm not emotional enough to risk that much for a total stranger.

I get it logically.

But something keeps making me hesitate.

The chains binding me.

"Oppa?"

"..."

At that moment,

sentences appeared before my eyes.

Hidden tutorial?

Intervention?

Unfamiliar phrases.

But they didn't feel trivial.

A massive tutorial emerged amid rippling blue light hovering around.

'This is...'

In Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy, info too classified shows as '?'.

It's just a setting—never actually appeared in the novel.

Not even when Lee Seong-hyeon used [Piercing Gaze] on the 'Queen'.

A setting even the Queen didn't trigger has appeared.

As my reward.

What does that mean?

I must

absolutely

by any means

whatever it takes

'clear this hidden tutorial.'

A smile crept onto my face unbidden.

Now I had a reason to take on the risk of Kim Ma-ri.

My next plan was set.

Kim Ma-ri looked up at me with big eyes, tugging my sleeve worriedly.

"Oppa, are you sick somewhere?"