Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Inspection (4)
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Good cuisine should be savored.
But the atmosphere wasn't quite right.
Han So-ra, declaring she would verify me.
The words of an S-Rank Hunter—no, the words of a sister worried about her little sibling.
A demand she could make as family, a natural right.
I had to comply with that demand.
I had no right to refuse.
Still, I could at least ask if it was that urgent.
"...Tomorrow?"
"The sooner, the better."
"Hm."
Han So-ra seemed eager to learn more about me.
She said "seems," but she was already half-deciding the date.
The vibe was like it had to be tomorrow, no question.
Han So-ra glanced sideways at Han A-ra, who was sitting next to her.
"So A-ra can let go of any empty hopes."
Han So-ra had no intention of allowing Han A-ra to form her own guild.
She even seemed dissatisfied with her hunting as a hunter in general.
"Sis! I told you, I'm going to make a guild? I can succeed too."
"Being an ordinary hunter and becoming a master are completely different. You have to carry a heavy responsibility. What if someone gets hurt or dies because of you? You think you could just brush it off?"
"......"
Han So-ra scolded Han A-ra like a immature little sister getting a talking-to.
As an S-Rank Hunter at the top of her game, Han A-ra couldn't even squeak in response.
She had no choice but to listen quietly.
A guild master had to shoulder a weight utterly different from a regular company president or CEO.
From the moment you entered the Tower, real people started dying.
You couldn't approach it lightly.
"Even this time, you almost died in the dungeon. No, you were in danger. You really nearly died."
"...Sorry."
The more she spoke, the louder her voice grew.
Han So-ra's emotions were heating up.
It wasn't the composed Han So-ra usually shown in the media.
Han A-ra hung her head low.
"Honestly, I want to just take away your hunter license, but I'm holding back."
There was nothing to say, even if she had ten mouths.
This feeling, like she was some criminal.
I lowered my gaze along with Han A-ra.
Honestly, I hadn't done anything wrong, so I felt a bit wronged too.
So I cautiously slipped a piece of steak into my mouth.
I chewed the meat slowly.
Juices flowed from the well-done fat, melting away tenderly.
Delicious.
'Even I would have done the same as Hunter Han So-ra.'
Let's imagine I had a precious little sister.
It wasn't easy to immerse myself since she'd have to be as crazy as Choi Da-eun!
But my acting skills could fool even that psycho bitch, so I gradually got into the emotion.
Even if she was a shitty little sister, family was family. Blood is thicker than water.
What if I nearly lost her because of a dungeon...?
'Fucking perfect.'
No, no.
I shouldn't think it was perfect.
I accidentally slipped out of character.
This was supposed to be a terribly sad thing.
Mom and Dad would lose their daughter.
They'd probably sob their hearts out, tears and snot streaming.
I didn't want to see that.
Even if I was just an F-Rank rice waste hunter, an unworthy son!
There are lines you can't yield.
I still hadn't given up on the dream of filial piety.
Someday, I'd return home in glory and hand over pocket money while living it up.
Thoughts of family.
If even a guy like me felt this way, how much more must Han So-ra?
"So this is my maximum concession."
Han So-ra stared at me intently.
A strange fighting spirit lurked in her eyes.
Han So-ra was serious.
She really intended to test my abilities.
I swallowed hard.
The steak sauce was salty, utterly delicious.
I wanted to take some home.
'No chance, huh?'
Hotel sky lounge, a restaurant with an incredibly upscale vibe.
No way they'd pack it to go.
Even if they did, I couldn't bring myself to ask.
My face wasn't that thick-skinned.
"What time tomorrow works for you?"
"Tomorrow..."
I had time to spare, but no need to say that.
I wasn't enough of an idiot to advertise what a loser I was.
"After lunch?"
I wiped the sauce from my mouth with my hand, like brushing it away.
There was a napkin right there...
Am I an idiot?
'Whatever.'
That wasn't important right now.
The showdown between me and Han So-ra.
Whenever, wherever we met, I was already prepared.
Prepared to get utterly crushed...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I treated Park Sun-woo to a meal.
It was payback for saving me in the Skeleton Labyrinth.
But things got messed up.
Because of my sister Han So-ra, we couldn't even have a proper conversation before parting.
That wasn't the plan at all.
It was supposed to be time to turn my built-up inner affection into real personal closeness.
I'd even prepared thirty-two excuses in case he rejected joining the guild.
But I couldn't get a single word out.
All Han A-ra managed was nodding along, answering questions, shrinking back, and picking at her asparagus.
'A guild master needs to show leadership!'
Han So-ra had ruined everything.
On the way home.
Han A-ra glared at Han So-ra's back and grumbled under her breath.
"It's all because of you, sis. What if Sun-woo refuses to join the guild?"
I hadn't even asked.
Nothing was set in stone.
But Han A-ra blamed Han So-ra anyway.
First strike wins.
Still, it wasn't a harsh reproach.
Just the whining and coquetry a little sister could throw at her big sister.
She knew Han So-ra's intentions in holding her back, so there was no real venom in it.
Han So-ra let out a scoff.
She replied without even turning around.
"It's not that I don't believe you. Hunter Sun-woo must have some power if you made it back alive from the dungeon."
"Right?!"
"Even so, I can't trust it. I didn't see a thing with my own eyes."
At S-Rank Hunter level, you could spot a person's potential in an instant.
Whether this hunter had talent or promise, it jumped out at you.
Han So-ra hadn't seen anything in Park Sun-woo.
F-Rank Hunters like Park Sun-woo were a dime a dozen in this world.
"You really took down a Dark Knight?"
"...Y-yeah! A Dark Knight..."
"Not a Death Knight?"
Dark Knight, Death Knight.
There was a clear difference between the two.
Dark Knight was living flesh; Death Knight was undead.
They looked similar, but...
In reality, Dark Knights were overwhelmingly stronger.
Han A-ra hesitated, mumbling her answer.
She'd never seen either in person before.
The ones in the Skeleton Labyrinth were her first.
'It really was a Dark Knight...'
It felt hazy now.
The harder Han So-ra pressed, the more Han A-ra lost her confidence.
Her certainty about that memory faded.
Maybe she'd seen wrong—her momentum deflated in an instant.
"We'll check tomorrow anyway. If Hunter Sun-woo really took down a Dark Knight, that means at least C-Rank potential. I just need to match that much power."
"......"
Tomorrow, Park Sun-woo's true bottom would be laid bare.
Was the prowess he showed in the Skeleton Labyrinth just an illusion?
Could Park Sun-woo pass Han So-ra's test?
Han A-ra couldn't answer readily.
She didn't know much about Park Sun-woo either.
They hadn't met or done anything since that day.
'I have to believe.'
That was all Han A-ra could do.
If Park Sun-woo earned Han So-ra's recognition?
It would open a path.
With an S-Rank Hunter's recommendation, Han A-ra could form a guild faster and easier than anyone.
If Park Sun-woo got miserably crushed?
Han A-ra would lose any say.
Forget forming a guild—she might not even continue as a hunter.
She let out a deep sigh.
For some reason, her chest felt tight, her breath short.
—A-ra, you're a virgin, huh?
Park Sun-woo had this utterly ridiculous skill.
A skill that only activated when there was a virgin in the party.
If she could fully explain that...
She could skip all the hassle.
But it was too embarrassing to say.
Especially to her sister.
'Sun-woo...'
Please show her what you're made of.
You probably won't win, but that's impossible anyway.
'...Please!'
Han A-ra prayed and prayed.
And the next day arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Han So-ra had borrowed the Joseon Guild's training room.
She'd rented it with her executive privileges.
Even though they'd failed the 47th floor assault and the guild mood was down.
They hadn't stopped individual training.
Lots of hunters came in sporadically during their mandatory leave to train.
"Whoa..."
Park Sun-woo looked up at the Joseon Guild building.
The entire 15-story structure belonged to the Joseon Guild.
Majestic amid the modern cityscape, an overwhelming presence that drew involuntary applause—Park Sun-woo felt like peeing a little.
"Sun-woo, you confident?"
Han A-ra, who had arrived at the Joseon Guild headquarters with Park Sun-woo.
Her sister was waiting in the underground training room.
"Confident?"
Park Sun-woo chuckled.
A relaxed smile that couldn't help but stir expectations.
Han A-ra gazed at Park Sun-woo with sparkling eyes.
He answered.
"If Hunter Han So-ra isn't a virgin... then maybe there's a chance."
"Huh?"
"Unicorns despise non-virgins, you see."
Park Sun-woo grinned.
'S-Rank Hunter Han So-ra, age twenty-seven.'
The average age for a woman's first experience in Korea was early twenties.
'The odds that a total knockout like Han So-ra is still a virgin.'
Zero.
"Not confident."
No confidence in her virginity.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...This fucking asshole."
Now he's just straight-up skipping without a word?
I thought he was finally acting like a person.
Now he's pulling some other kind of bullshit.
"If I even praise this motherfucker in my head..."
Choi Da-eun ground her teeth.
Crunch crunch.
"Then I'll be the dog, the dog. I'll just be Park Sun-woo's fucking mutt."
"......"
The Training Team 4 members waited for Park Sun-woo in tense silence.
But he never showed.
No calls, no KakaoTalk, no texts.
He was ignoring everything.