Chapter 19
As the gate break ended, Cha Yaeun spotted the flames that had pierced the ogre's chest flying straight toward her. She reflexively tried to dodge, but her body, pushed far beyond its limits, couldn't respond. She was engulfed in fire.
Am I... gonna die?
In that instant, she rolled across the ground desperately trying to minimize the damage, only to realize something was off.
It doesn't hurt. It's not even hot. What the hell...?
Flames clung to her body, blazing fiercely. The crimson blaze burned like the sun itself—yet it did her no harm. Instead, as the battle raged on, the minor cuts and scrapes across her body began to heal.
No, this isn't healing...!
It was burning away the very fact of the wounds, erasing them. But unlike a healer's restorative magic that replenished what was lost—like ashes left after a fire—it didn't restore the blood she'd shed or her depleted stamina. It was more like emergency triage.
It's just like...
Hayunha from Lebalheonda.
As that thought crossed her mind, Cha Yaeun looked up to see Seo Dami stifling a laugh and Lee Seoryul looking utterly perplexed. The ogre crumbled to dust, leaving behind only its mana core—that final sight made it real. The tension snapped like a cut thread.
Cha Yaeun slumped over, still rolling to extinguish the flames clinging to her.
Lee Seoryul hurried to her side and checked her condition. She'd been holding on through sheer willpower, but now that the adrenaline faded, the backlash hit hard.
Confirming Cha Yaeun's exhausted collapse, Lee Seoryul pulled a recovery potion from her belt and held it to her lips.
"Here, drink this. It should help a little."
"Th-thanks..."
Cha Yaeun rasped out a greeting in a feeble voice as she accepted and gulped it down. The potion's immediate effects kicked in, somewhat restoring her wrecked state. But full recovery was still far off. She'd pushed herself too hard, repeatedly. Intense muscle pain would sideline her for days, no doubt. Even with a healer's help, she'd need serious bed rest.
Still, it had been worth it.
I protected my siblings... the people.
Back when a sudden gate had swept her family away, all Cha Yaeun could do was hide from monsters inside, clutching her siblings and sobbing until rescue arrived. Her father had died luring the beasts away to protect them. Her mother fell into a vegetative state from a severe mana allergy reaction.
The helplessness from that day had left a deep scar on her heart. Now, it felt a little washed away. In its place sprouted a positive mindset and confidence that she could do it.
As if to prove that belief and self-assurance weren't mere delusions,
"Looking good again, Hunter Cha."
Seo Dami approached with a beaming smile.
"Surprised you a bit?"
"A little, yeah... but thank you for the help."
With some energy back from the potion, Cha Yaeun's voice sharpened as she expressed her gratitude. A star hunter like Seo Dami was addressing her not as a porter, but as a proper hunter. What better proof was there?
"I saw you holding your own against the boss. Impressive stuff."
That's why I want her.
"My previous offer still stands. Changed your mind at all?"
Cha Yaeun's eyes widened—she hadn't expected recruitment pitches right here, right now. Not to be outdone, Lee Seoryul jumped in.
"Any interest in becoming a national hunter, by chance...?"
Lee Seoryul pitched the perks: tax breaks, national support, welfare benefits. Great for her siblings' education, too.
Watching her, Seo Dami smirked with amusement. Was she seriously trying to compete for recruits?
"After today, I think I misjudged you. Hunter Cha? Join Crimson Guild, and I'll offer way more than before—"
"Public service is stable, no matter what. Serve your term, quit if you want, and still get pensions and benefits—"
"You know better than anyone how tough this world is. Grind hard, save up for life, retire early and enjoy it. No one wants to work into old age—"
"High guild pay isn't free. If they give you 100 million, you gotta earn them a billion back, and—"
"Oh? If the work's the same grind, might as well get paid more. Association salaries are peanuts—"
"Factor in the tax cuts and perks—"
The two bickered like rice cake givers debating the best way to eat it, ignoring her input entirely. Cha Yaeun stared in bewilderment. She appreciated the high regard, but this was awkward. Besides, she wasn't in any shape to think about it.
In the end, she turned them both down. She already had a firm goal.
An idol. A role model she aspired to become. That resolve had only strengthened through this ordeal.
Seo Dami had half-expected it, but it still stung.
Damn, what a waste. Talents like this never join.
Sour grapes style, she turned to Lee Seoryul.
"Hey, Agent. You're probably turning us down too, but hear me out: wanna transfer to our guild? Executive... no, the open vice-guild master spot's yours."
Crimson Guild had no vice master. Seo Dami's secretary filled the role informally. Most guilds split external reps and internal ops between master and vice, but Crimson ran on Seo Dami doing both. She was the core, so no one else warranted power-sharing. The spot had stayed vacant.
She tossed out the offer lightly—but meant it.
Lee Seoryul thought of her old boss, Seo Dami, and a fond smile tugged at her lips. Spotting that flicker of hope, Seo Dami perked up—Could this work?
"I'll pass."
But Lee Seoryul refused in the end. She was building power within the association, seizing authority to use the nation as a tool against the coming apocalypse. Crimson Guild and Seo Dami had roles in her vision, but no need to join for that. If anything, she needed to stay in the association for the big picture.
To drain the festering corruption from within. Surgery too delicate for outsiders—had to be done internally. Past regrets stemmed from failing that.
This time, for sure...!
Crimson would roll fine without her. The association wouldn't. Priorities.
"Ugh, killing my vibe."
Seo Dami pouted, deflated by back-to-back rejections. Fresh off S-rank promotion, she'd brimmed with confidence that anyone she targeted would fold. Pipe dream. And the ones who would fold? She had zero interest.
Fine, whatever.
Scratching her head vigorously to shake it off, she pivoted. No more guild pitches for now—but keeping ties with Cha Yaeun couldn't hurt. Who knew how the world turned?
"Hunter Cha, hit me up if you need anything. Training roadblocks needing advice, hunter life troubles, whatever."
"Huh...?"
Cha Yaeun, rising unsteadily, blinked in confusion. Why the kindness after rejecting the guild?
"Hehe, I just like promising kids."
Like a hobby—no calculating gains there. She winked playfully. Though it doubled as smart investment; newbies with potential always paid dividends eventually.
Not to be outdone, Lee Seoryul handed over her business card.
"If you need help or have something to report, feel free to contact me."
Still dazed, Cha Yaeun swapped contacts with both. Who'd have thought risking her life to save her siblings would land her this? Bitter end to sweet reward? Joy mixed with complication.
And heavy responsibility.
So this is what it means to be scouted.
Why else would Seo Dami or a top association agent eye her? They saw potential. Expectations. Something porter-era Cha Yaeun had never felt—but now weighed on her.
What if she fell short? They'd drop interest like it never happened.
...No. Don't get weak.
Her dream was to become a hunter like Kim Min. Freaking out over this much pressure? No way.
Embrace it. Use it.
Like novel protag Kim Min leveraging high-rankers' attention, Cha Yaeun vowed to turn it into growth fertilizer.
With resolve hardened, she tried reviewing the ogre fight for training—
"My bones... joints... throbbing...!"
Overexertion had torn muscles; her body creaked like an unoiled robot. Straight to the hospital she went.
Now bedridden, she studied Lebalheonda like a textbook instead.
Then,
"Whoa? Steel Guild and the association have a black connection? Ahh... so that's why they acted so cocky."
As national debates on closing Black Gates heated up, the episode exposing association corruption via Steel Guild bridge plotline made her eyes widen.
A bit worrying. Even for popular Lebalheonda, painting the association like this felt risky.
"Hope the association president's diehard fans don't flip out...?"
And her worry nailed it. Korea's notoriously toxic hunter fandom—association president's hardcore stans—erupted over the latest episode, starting to dox the author.