Chapter 43

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 43

Chapter Title: Special Good News (2)

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I'd been sticking to our usual emoji-only chats, but with this special day, I figured it was time to mix things up a bit.

I sent all the messages, but there was no reply from Yi-rin Shin.

'Hmm.'

With the announcement just breaking, she was probably about to dive into a whirlwind of non-stop busyness.

Waiting patiently without nagging was the mark of a true fan.

Come to think of it, I'd been having Lan Mei scout Yi-rin Shin for a while, so the timing felt oddly perfect.

While no one in the Chinese Hunter scene paid Yi-rin any mind, Lan Mei alone had seen through her talent—it was like a perfectly staged scene.

Thanks to that, Lan Mei was being hailed in China as a visionary with divine foresight, and it seemed she'd started building some mysterious image of me too.

Well, truthfully, I had no idea about any of it.

But good is good, so no harm done.

A quick scan of the external communities showed three main reactions dominating: joy, surprise, or suspicion.

'Fair enough.'

Even in her own channel, where fans adored her, there was plenty of shock. The general public couldn't be expected to take it kindly.

Hell, even I was curious about what changes she'd undergone.

'...Did she have some kind of epiphany?'

As the scheduled press conference approached, I tuned into the live stream. The prepared venue came into view under a cloudy sky that looked ready to pour any second.

'Hmm.'

Couldn't let gloomy weather ruin such a special day.

With that thought, I raised my hand, and a subtle shift began in the air currents.

'...Again.'

I'd brought an umbrella expecting rain, but now that familiar sensation faintly tingled, and the overcast sky started regaining its natural hue, bit by bit.

This wasn't the first time. As I'd mentioned before, Yi-rin Shin had been sensing these whims of the sky around her lately.

And today, it seemed the heavens planned to bless her new beginning with warm sunlight.

"Ah, Yi-rin. You ready?"

"...Yeah."

"Alright, let's go. Don't get nervous. If a tough question comes, just answer calmly, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Leaving her manager—who was a year younger—behind with words of encouragement, Yi-rin Shin reflected on the dramatic changes she'd undergone recently.

As an Enchanter class Hunter, basing her swordsmanship on attribute imbuement, she'd reached A-rank through her unique sense and innate talent.

But like most Hunters, she soon hit a massive wall: her standard attribute imbuements couldn't drive any more dramatic growth.

"......"

Fire, water, wind, lightning, and so on.

She could imbue weapons and her body with those elements to wield diverse, personalized abilities, but in A-rank territory, she couldn't shake the feeling of hitting a limit.

That's why she needed it—something beyond conventional wisdom, a whole new level of attribute imbuement.

"Okay, everyone, quiet down! We're starting soon!"

The press conference kicked off, and the once-cloudy sky had cleared enough for sunlight to warm the ground below.

Frankly, this wasn't a goal achievable overnight. But that 'higher-dimensional mana' which had persistently shown interest in her began rapidly awakening her senses at some point.

'It feels... closer and closer.'

Like a creature adapting to its environment, or evolving from external stimuli.

It soaked into her senses relentlessly, like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rain on clothes, elevating her to a higher realm. In the end, Yi-rin shattered the wall before her far sooner than expected.

Click!

Click, click!

"...Hello, I'm Yi-rin Shin."

Even now, it felt like it was right there.

Was that strand of will something only she could sense?

Or did she just have an unusually good affinity for it, drawing deeper influence than others?

"I'll take questions."

Truth was, she still didn't fully understand.

And maybe it didn't matter if she never did.

It was warm and comforting—she trusted it would light her path endlessly.

After the conference, Yi-rin Shin announced her new S-rank status through various activities. Ultimately, at a gathering of key guild figures, she solo-cleared an A-rank dungeon, extinguishing all doubts.

The channel's history dated back to when Yi-rin Shin was still B-rank, so users couldn't help feeling nostalgic.

I'd awakened late and joined late, but having history from her unknown days made me something like a senior member.

Riding the wave of her promotion buzz, I drew some aggro too. With the channel so lively, days were more fun than expected.

Then, another incident rocked the channel.

Yi-rin Shin never got tangled in scandals, so everyone was scratching their heads over this one.

Did Emma Russell challenge her S-rank promotion as unfair?

Speculation flew wild in the channel, mixed with worries about Yi-rin's mental state.

With two days left in the exchange meet, no one could rule out more friction.

Hitting the A-rank ceiling meant surpassing ordinary Hunters by leaps and bounds.

But Yi-rin Shin was now a full-fledged S-rank, so honestly, what more could Emma do besides throw a tantrum?

As I nodded to myself, convinced, a message suddenly pinged from Yi-rin Shin herself.

What the hell was going on over there?

A wave of dizziness hit me as I swallowed a groan full of bewilderment.