Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Have You Ever Seen a Saintess This Good with Magic?
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Section Chief Jang Hansu of the Hunter Management Bureau was wrestling with his monitor again today.
He was steadily monitoring the results of the large C-rank dungeon.
As quitting time approached...
The section chief checked the monitor again, clenching both fists and leaning forward.
In an instant, his face lit up with joy as he nodded vigorously.
"Kuh, as expected!"
The dungeon had been cleared!
It was Sihyun, just as he'd thought!
A large dungeon was inherently a dungeon that hunters avoided like the plague.
On top of that, this one had a nasty reputation circulating.
It was the kind of place that gave him headaches because no one would sign up easily.
And yet, Sihyun was different.
She'd agreed on the very day he'd asked, and just two days later—today—she'd conquered it in half a day.
A hunter this reliable and trustworthy!
He even thought others could learn a thing or two from watching her.
'Come to think of it, she's an academy professor now.'
She was literally a shining example for the students.
He had to keep up good relations going forward.
The section chief leaned back in his chair, savoring his satisfaction.
At that moment, his smartphone vibrated in his pants pocket.
"Yes, this is Section Chief Jang Hansu of Management."
It was a call from Sihyun—the very person he'd just been thinking about.
The section chief grinned from ear to ear as he listened intently to the other side.
And then...
"...Understood. I'll handle it properly, so please don't worry too much."
After hearing the explanation about what had happened in the dungeon, he ended the call.
"Whew..."
The section chief sighed deeply, his brow furrowed.
The good mood from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
He'd just heard about those filthy thieves.
It could've passed as an accidental death by monster.
But the diligent Sihyun had reported the full truth of the incident.
The rogue party's crimes and the ensuing fight.
Due to the sudden spike in stress, the section chief massaged his temples with his fingers.
Not all thieves were criminals.
In fact, a skilled thief in a high-rank dungeon raid could dramatically boost the party's survival rate.
But wherever crimes between hunters occurred, there was a high chance a thief was involved.
It was a poorly kept secret in the community.
'I need to add new thief-related rules to the safety guidelines.'
Incidents like this couldn't happen again.
What if Sihyun had fallen to those thieves this time?
'Of course, that wouldn't have happened...'
He shook his head sharply to dispel the intrusive thought and gritted his teeth.
Deep in thought, he began planning his next steps.
All safety rules were written in blood, after all.
A day passed, and it was lunchtime.
I was sprawled on the sofa, legs propped up on the armrest.
Wiggling my toes idly, I mentally sorted through my schedule.
The Wings Guild commission was done, so now I just had to wait for the items.
There was still plenty of time until my next academy lecture.
Which meant the most important thing right now was...
'What to have for lunch...?'
Deciding on today's lunch menu.
Siyun was out meeting an old acquaintance for the first time in ages.
Since it was just me eating, something simple would do.
But nothing jumped out as a perfect "this is it!"
"Oh, right."
I vaguely remembered seeing some kind of lunch menu decision chart online before.
I grabbed my phone and typed in a search term.
I scrolled quickly through lists categorized into Korean food, Japanese food, instant meals, and more.
"Hmm..."
Convenience store bento, sandwich, ramen...
Ramen.
Perfect, you're the one!
I'd been thinking of challenging a new spicy flavor anyway—great timing.
Time to graduate from fried udon or whatever.
Still lying down, I nodded and entered a new search term.
There had to be a ramen community or something.
And sure enough, there was.
I searched within the community for "how spicy."
There had to be spice wimps like me, so following their picks should be foolproof, right?
Unfortunately, there weren't many posts, so I couldn't gather enough info.
Try a different search term?
Oh, no need to limit it to community searches.
I combined various keywords to dig up what I needed.
And that's when I found one that seemed decent...
But Why Do People Even Eat the Mild Flavor?
What flavor is that even?
- Because it's cheap
- Old folks eat it
- Throw in some garlic and it's light and tasty
Busted
- If it tastes good, you eat it. Not for me though
For real lol
......Shouldn't have looked.
Suddenly, it didn't appeal anymore.
On second thought, "mild" flavor felt like starting off on the back foot.
This was a new challenge—time to shove weak thoughts aside. Yeah, yeah.
Time to scout a new target.
Dakmyeon’s First Bite Is Pure Bliss
That first bite—sweet and spicy—is legit heavenly.
Once you try it, just thinking about it makes your mouth water.
- Yup yup
- Flavor expert lol
- How spicy? I'm a spice wimp, safe to try?
Less than Buldak
Spicier than Buldak for me
???
- Tried it cuz the ad model's Ye Do-hyeong, and damn it was good lol
That Dawn Guild S-rank spear hunter Ye Do-hyeong?
Yup that's him
The pioneer looked flustered amid all the conflicting opinions.
But there were no further updates.
Hmm, a first bite that blissful...
That's the kind of hype that gets you motivated to try.
I etched the cup ramen's look and name into my mind and got ready to head out.
Any convenience store or mart should have it, right?
If not, I'd just go with that first one I saw.
......Not because I'm scared or anything.
Just a backup plan. Yeah.
...I bought it.
I ended up buying it.
Like any ad product, it was screaming for attention in the most eye-catching spot.
At this point, it felt like fate, so I grabbed the dakmyeon.
Got banana milk too—I'm invincible now.
A handsome guy's bright smile beamed from the cup ramen lid.
I think I saw a comment back on the forum calling him an S-rank hunter.
Talented and good-looking—total alpha male material.
Setting aside my quick impressions, I checked the cooking instructions.
Nothing special, so standard procedure it was.
I filled the coffee pot with water and turned it on.
While waiting for it to boil, I zoned out staring at the ramen.
For a split second, I imagined myself as the ad model.
"Pfft..."
Me, an ad model? As if.
Boredom really brings out the weird thoughts.
Chuckling, I picked up my phone and opened chat.
I scrolled the message list and tapped into one that caught my eye.
- Cooking this up to eat. Tried it? How spicy?
Attached a pic of the cup ramen lid.
No immediate reply, so I continued prepping.
Dumped the boiling water over the noodles.
Then calmly snapped my wooden chopsticks in two.
"Whew."
Good start. Split perfectly into two.
No splinters. Textbook perfection.
Satisfied nod. Mixed in the sauce and finished the stir-fry noodles.
The spicy aroma wafting from the red noodles tickled my nose.
Alright, dig in!
Slurp——
"Whoa..., so this is what it's all about."
I get it now!
The great pioneer's words!
Spicy, yet chased by this sweetness.
To think such ecstatic flavor existed in this world!
I've been missing out on half my life...
Tears welling up, I took another bite.
......Yeah, it is kinda spicy.
Feeling my brow furrow slightly, another bite.
"Kuhk..."
Huh, something's off?
Another bite.
"H-Hngh...!"
...Why are my eyes watering?
Right, these are tears of joy. Too delicious, that's all.
Slurp—
Tentatively, one more bite.
"Cough, cough!"
A-Any more might be impossible...
Insane. What the hell is this?
First bite was pure heaven, top-tier taste.
Why does each extra bite drag me to hell?
I frantically bit open the banana milk and gulped it down.
No time for straws.
"Hngh, hng... Wh-what is thiiiis..."
The burn won't quit.
Lingering on my tongue, tormenting me endlessly.
Like it's mocking my bravado, stabbing relentlessly.
I felt beads of sweat forming on my scalp and forehead.
In a panic, I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and chugged more milk.
"Ah, please..."
I've barely eaten half.
Why won't the pain stop?
Make it end... Too spicyyy...
"......"
As I debated cowardly using holy power...
The ad model on the ramen lid caught my eye.
Grinning innocently.
Daring to smile like that while plotting my demise.
You Hero bastard.
Hiding your sinister intent behind that smile...!
If our paths cross someday, revenge will be mine.
This tongue torment—I'll pay you back in full.
Face and name, locked in.
"Kuhng..."
The spiciness wouldn't fade.
I'd stopped eating, but my tongue kept suffering.
In the midst of this torture...
My phone chimed with a new message.
A reply to the one I'd sent Jia earlier.
- Sihyun, that thing's super spicy... You sure?
- Did you eat it already?
With trembling fingers, I laboriously typed back.
- Yeah... Never again....
I glared at the assassin on the ramen lid again.
Ye Do-hyeong. Remembered.
In front of a gate leading to an A-rank dungeon somewhere in Korea.
A young man holding a long spear chatted with the staff.
Yu Byung-jun, Korea's S-rank spear-wielding hunter.
"Undead dungeon?"
"Yes! And according to the advance team's report, the mana density inside is off the charts."
"Hm, works for me. It'll take half a day at most—get the interview ready."
"Got it!"
He nodded approvingly at his subordinate's energetic reply.
'Half a day? I'll clear it in half that.'
Chin up, Yu Byung-jun strode confidently into the gate.
After he entered alone...
Some of the watching staff whispered among themselves.
"A-rank dungeon. That mana level usually means something weird's going on, right?"
"Yeah. Probably a special dungeon?"
"He insisted he was fine, so they approved it..."
The two stared at the gate entrance.
"Still, S-rank should handle it, yeah?"
"No issues for an S-rank, right?"
Exchanging similar sentiments, they returned to their duties.