Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: I'll Introduce You to a Good Person
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Mid-sized Storm Guild's successful conquest of an S-rank dungeon made the headlines.
It was the first time a small guild of fewer than ten members, without a single S-rank, had cleared an S-rank dungeon.
Following the hopeful news came a grim update.
-Storm Guild's Guild Master Joo Seon-yeong has lost consciousness after being caught in a magi storm.
The report detailed how Guild Master Joo Seon-yeong had been injured by the magi storm that erupted as an aftereffect following the S-rank dungeon clear.
Ki Chan-seok, Storm Guild's action captain and vice guild master, clenched his fist as he watched the news.
"It's because I wasn't good enough... It's my fault that the Guild Master..."
A magi storm was a phenomenon where lingering magi from the dungeon went berserk upon clearing it.
It didn't happen in every dungeon.
It was essentially a failure pattern in dungeon conquest—proof that not every element had been perfectly cleared.
In the end, this accident stemmed from their imperfect conquest of the dungeon.
He had been the one to plan and push for this S-rank dungeon raid.
Convinced that Storm Guild had the strength to pull it off, he had taken action.
He should have analyzed the strategy thoroughly and executed it flawlessly to the end.
But something had slipped through in the process, and as a result, Guild Master Joo Seon-yeong had been hurt.
And not just anyone—it was to save him.
If she hadn't blocked it and had dodged instead, he, standing right behind her, would have taken the hit.
With his inferior skills, he wouldn't have gotten off with just losing consciousness.
Once again, he owed her his life.
"Guild Master..."
Overwhelmed by self-reproach, he couldn't lift his head.
He had sworn that no one would get hurt and that they'd succeed.
Joo Seon-yeong was the guild master he trusted and followed.
Though three years younger than him, no one in Storm Guild looked down on her.
She led by example, always charging ahead and taking care of her guildmates.
She had even turned down a team leader scouting offer from Celestial Guild, refusing to abandon her "siblings" or the guild.
Five years ago, during the monster wave that hit Pyeongtaek, her words still lingered in his heart.
-We can't abandon our hometown just because it's dangerous. We protect the land where we were born and raised.
Those were her words before she blocked the gate that had appeared in Pyeongtaek, while other guilds were absent on raids elsewhere.
That was when he resolved himself.
To follow this woman to the end.
To honor her as "big sis," just like the other guild members.
Yet because of his shortcomings, that guild master had been injured.
How shameful was that?
That was why Ki Chan-seok hadn't budged an inch from in front of the operating room.
"Hyung-nim, even you should go in and rest first. Who'll lead the guild if you collapse too?"
"You guys go rest. This is where I belong. The Guild Master fell because of me."
"Hyung-nim..."
-Acute magi addiction. We'll perform surgery first to remove the magi threatening her life. We can't guarantee success. She might never use mana again.
Those were the doctor's words before she entered surgery.
The magi storm she couldn't fully deflect had clogged her Mana-Way, potentially ending her life as a hunter forever.
If the surgery failed, she could even die.
"Please..."
Ki Chan-seok clasped his hands in desperate prayer.
How many hours had passed already?
It felt like at least ten hours since she had been rushed in as an emergency patient and straight into surgery.
Still no word.
Was something going wrong?
Just as anxiety gripped him...
The operating room door opened.
"D-Doctor! How did it go?"
"Big sis is okay, right?"
"Tell us!"
Ki Chan-seok and the guild members shot to their feet almost in unison as the door swung open.
The hunter surgeon, wearing a surgical mask, let out a deep breath and removed it.
"The surgery was successful."
"Ahh."
Sighs of relief echoed everywhere.
Thank goodness.
She's safe.
Our guild will endure.
"But I have one piece of bad news."
All eyes focused on the doctor.
"Joo Seon-yeong will no longer be able to hunter."
Despair settled on everyone's faces.
"...She can't hunter anymore?"
"That's what they say."
After surgery to remove the magi lodged in her Mana-Way, Joo Seon-yeong lay in her hospital bed, listening to reports from Ki Chan-seok and the guild members.
The bad news that she could no longer perform as a hunter.
"What was the reason?"
"They couldn't remove all the magi from her Mana-Way. Surgery has limits, especially on the magi settled in her dantian—they couldn't touch it."
"The magi has taken root in her dantian?"
"Yes. They say using mana will be nearly impossible now."
Acute magi addiction.
The worst mana disease among hunters.
Rare, but once contracted, it was tantamount to a hunter's death.
If the magi rooted in the dantian like in her case, nothing could be done.
The magi there blocked proper mana flow, preventing even A-rank hunters from performing at full strength—or worse, dropping them to D-rank or below.
"Can't I just blast the magi out myself?"
"Well... The sudden magi influx weakened her Mana-Way's elasticity and durability. It's a miracle it didn't rupture during surgery."
The room fell somber.
"Guild Master... I'm sorry."
"Don't blame yourself too much, Vice Guild Master. I chose to go ahead with the raid. It's my fault for not being thorough enough."
Ki Chan-seok couldn't meet her eyes.
Storm Guild's central pillar, Joo Seon-yeong, could no longer act as guild master.
All these veteran hunters knew how debilitating it was to lose mana.
Mana wasn't just physical enhancement—it was the energy for mystical powers.
If you never had it, fine. But losing it after reaching a high level as a hunter? The sense of loss was immense.
Many retired hunters had withered away rapidly or spiraled out of control after losing mana.
Knowing that, no one in the room could speak.
"Guess I need to think about life after retirement. It's sooner than I expected, which is a shame... For now, Vice Guild Master, you take over as guild master and lead us."
"No way. You're our eternal leader, Guild Master."
"A non-hunter can't be guild master. Everyone else will just laugh."
Everyone bristled at that.
"We'll beat down anyone who says that!"
"How dare they insult the Guild Master!"
"Who else could represent Storm Guild if not her?"
"Right! Right!"
"No one but our Seon-yeong big sis, who sweeps enemies like a typhoon, can represent Storm Guild!"
Angry shouts filled the room from all sides.
Their fierce loyalty to her brought a smile to her face.
But Joo Seon-yeong knew better.
Wrong was wrong.
For Storm Guild to grow, a non-hunter couldn't lead.
It might be fine internally, but outsiders would see it differently.
'They'd just dismiss us as having a regular as guild master.'
Guilds couldn't afford to lose trust.
Lose that, and subjugation requests would plummet.
That was when it happened.
"Seon-yeong!"
The door burst open, and Yang Deok-chun strode in.
The Pyeongtaek native hunter freshly promoted to C-rank.
Kind-hearted with wide connections, he'd supplied Storm Guild's goods many times.
Even now, like a father figure, he provided raid supplies beforehand.
Worry was etched on his face as he entered.
"Uncle, you're here?"
"Heard the news. Caught in a magi storm?"
"I got a little hurt from my inexperience."
"'Little'? You're hospitalized and in surgery!"
He carried a fruit basket and juice box.
"Here. Couldn't come empty-handed. This juice box is from the orphanage director. She was shocked watching your news."
"Thank you. How are the kids?"
"They were all worried hearing their tough big sis who visits got carted to the hospital."
She fell silent.
"Here's letters from the kids. They said sorry they couldn't visit and each wrote one."
"Thank you."
"Once you're better, swing by the orphanage. The kids would love it."
Just talking to him eased her mind.
A genuinely warm, down-to-earth person.
He'd helped like this when she first founded Storm Guild.
"Congratulations on C-rank promotion, by the way."
"Ah, thanks to the grace of my benefactor, I awakened potential I didn't know I had."
Yang Deok-chun puffed out his chest proudly, a smile on his face.
"Uncle, I'm planning to retire."
"Retire? Why would a young thing like you retire?"
The room went quiet.
"So it wasn't just a regular injury."
"They say I can't use mana anymore. My hunter life is over."
Joo Seon-yeong forced a smile to lighten the mood, but no one returned it.
"Maybe I could learn the supply business under you? You don't need to be a hunter for that, right?"
"Don't say that."
Yang Deok-chun asked her,
"So there's no other way?"
"Probably not. Even the best hunter hospital in Korea gave up."
Seoul's top hospital had already ruled it impossible.
Unless going to America, no hope.
She had no intention of clinging to false hope.
At least she wanted to end it cleanly.
"Then, Seon-yeong, come down to Pyeongtaek with me one more time."
"Pyeongtaek? Why there?"
"Why? To introduce you to my benefactor."
"For a job?"
"What job? You're not just any hunter—you're headed for A-rank. Nah, it's not that."
Yang Deok-chun shook his head and continued.
"Think of it as your last lifeline. Let my benefactor give you a check-up."
"A treatment?"
"Yeah. I only made C-rank because of him."
She couldn't understand.
What did his promotion have to do with her disease?
"Hard to explain. You'll see once you try."
"..."
"No other options anyway. Trust your uncle this once."
Looking at Yang Deok-chun and the guild members, Joo Seon-yeong nodded.
"Yeah. Okay. Let's discharge right now."
Yang Deok-chun brought another guest.
Behind him stood a fierce female warrior with a bob haircut and solid muscles.
Seven rough-looking men loomed behind her.
"We really need your help, Doctor."
Yang Deok-chun pleaded earnestly.
"What's the issue?"
The woman who followed spoke up at my question.
"Diagnosed with acute magi addiction—might have to retire as a hunter. Had surgery, but my Mana-Way is too weakened by magi to remove more. Some even rooted in my dantian."
Ah.
"You're Storm Guild's Guild Master Joo Seon-yeong, who conquered that S-rank dungeon recently."
"Yes."
I'd heard Storm Guild's guild master had fallen into critical condition from a magi storm during the raid—acute magi addiction.
'One of the worst cases from rushing a high-rank dungeon.'
A disease that could kill in the worst scenarios, but since she survived, she must've seen a skilled doctor.
"Can it be treated?"
"How many days since the magi addiction collapse?"
"About three days."
Three days.
"Three days is treatable."
"Really...?"
"Yes. I don't lie about things like this."
Joo Seon-yeong smiled at my words.
"C-Can we start right away?"
The men behind her erupted.
"Whatever you need, we'll fetch it!"
"Please treat our Guild Master!"
"We're begging you!"
So noisy my ears hurt.
"Then go buy some fruit juice from outside?"
"Fr-Fruit juice?"
"Why...?"
"Too noisy—can't focus."
"Eep!"
"W-We’ll be quiet!"
Finally some peace. I looked around and said to Joo Seon-yeong,
"Just the patient, follow me to the exam room. No time to waste."