Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Se-bin's Embrace
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“Kang Se-bin...?”
It was Se-bin. My one and only childhood friend, someone as dear to me as family.
Everyone at the reception desk stared at me wide-eyed, and Se-bin slowly walked toward me.
“How did you get here? Did Dad call you...? Mmph.”
Thud.
Se-bin yanked me straight into her arms. My face ended up completely buried in her chest, my eyes barely peeking out over her shoulder.
“Whoa, no way, seriously?”
“What the...? Huh?”
“That's Kang Se-bin the hunter, right? What's her deal with that patient?”
Over her shoulder, I could see the nurses and staff gaping in shock. They averted their eyes the second they met mine, but then started whispering among themselves.
We're not like that...
I tried pushing her shoulders to create some space, but my body was way too weak to budge a five-year veteran S-rank attack hunter.
“Good thing you're okay.”
Se-bin murmured then, her voice tight and strained, like she was gritting her teeth.
“Can you let go first and then...? Mmph.”
“I thought I'd really lost you.”
Oh...
Se-bin's arms around me were trembling.
She'd already lost her parents at ten in the San Francisco S-rank gate explosion. Nearly losing her closest friend on top of that must have terrified her.
Losing someone precious is an experience you never want to repeat.
“...I'm fine. Totally unharmed.”
I patted her back to reassure her, and only then did she finally loosen her grip.
Oof, she looks like she's about to cry.
Shadows clung to Se-bin's face. The light behind her made it worse, but her brow bone and the bridge of her nose seemed darker than usual today.
One poke, and she'd burst into tears.
I dragged her into the hallway and sat her down in a chair.
“Feeling better?”
“...Yeah.”
Doesn't look like it.
Se-bin clutched the sleeve of my patient gown with her fingertips, staring at me intently. She looked like a giant dog refusing to leave its owner's side. It was oddly cute, but I held back a laugh for now.
“You awakened, huh.”
“Yeah, how'd you know?”
“Your dad called. Said you were in the hospital.”
“So Dad told you.”
I hadn't wanted to worry her too... Well, she was the only person my parents knew here anyway.
“What's your rank and attribute?”
“...SS-rank light attribute.”
Thud.
“Whoa!”
“Mr. Joon-seok, you okay?”
“Why'd a perfectly fine phone just drop like that?”
What timing.
The reception desk erupted in chaos right as I told Se-bin my rank.
“...And the type?”
“Type? Oh, attack type.”
Clang.
“Ouch, what now?”
“A chart fell!”
“This is ridiculous. Just plug it back in for now.”
Why's it so noisy?
I glanced at the desk, then turned back to Se-bin.
“Attack type...”
She forced a smile, but her quivering lips betrayed how little she liked it.
In our country, D-rank awakeners had to register as hunters, and C-ranks were mandatory for dungeon raids. Especially for practical types like attack or defense—once you had those skills, you were dragged straight into the dungeons, no escape.
That must've been why Se-bin was so shaken.
“Anyway, I'm getting officially tested tomorrow. Kim Kang-hee the chairman stopped by earlier today.”
“Already that far along...”
Se-bin dropped her head.
“I didn't know a thing.”
Bangs hid her face, but her sunken voice told me how much she was blaming herself.
“You just got back to the country. Don't beat yourself up.”
“...You're really gonna be a hunter?”
“Huh?”
Se-bin slowly lifted her head and leaned in close, her breath brushing my skin. I flinched involuntarily.
“Dungeons are way more dangerous than you think. Even top hunters lose their lives if they let their guard down for a second.”
Thud.
She rested her forehead on my shoulder.
“If that happened to you, I'd...”
“Se-bin.”
I cut off her spiraling thoughts. She stopped mid-sentence and let out a long breath. Her cool exhale tickled the back of my hand.
She knew it too—there was no stopping me from becoming a hunter. It was just hard to accept, so the words slipped out.
“Don't worry. Nothing like that'll happen.”
I gave her the cliché line, and she looked up. Her dark eyes, brimming with unshed tears, reflected me perfectly.
“...Promise me you'll keep that.”
“I will.”
With that, Se-bin burrowed back into my arms.
I'll never leave her alone again. I won't die, no matter what.
I patted her back, vowing it to myself too.
* * *
Se-bin's car glided smoothly past Cheonggyecheon toward Gwanghwamun.
Right in front of Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2, amid towering skyscrapers, stood a sleek black building jutting out awkwardly—the Korean Hunter Association headquarters. Its glassy exterior gleamed under the city lights like polished gemstone.
Instead of heading to the underground lot, Se-bin parked at the lobby entrance. A suited valet opened the door.
“Thank you.”
He bowed with a gentlemanly smile and even pressed the automatic door button for us.
Inside the high-ceilinged lobby, marble furniture was arranged impeccably. Straight ahead was the information desk.
Welcome to the Hunter Association.
Black holographic letters orbited a shield-shaped object in the lobby's center.
Thud.
“Oof!”
I'd been gawking like a tourist when Se-bin stopped abruptly, and I face-planted right into her back.
“You okay?! Oh, Mi-rae-ssi! Over here!”
Se-bin fussed over my face while waving at someone. I rubbed my stinging nose and peered past her shoulder.
“I'm swamped as it is, and now they want me to run a test out of nowhere? Damn it.”
A woman in a rumpled white coat snapped at Se-bin with sharp irritation, but Se-bin just smiled amiably as always.
Her black hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, strands sticking out everywhere. Her sharp, slanted eyes were crinkled in annoyance. A name tag on her coat read 'An Mi-rae'.
She shoved past Se-bin, looked me up and down, then smacked my shoulder a couple times.
“An Mi-rae. Call me whatever.”
“I'm Shin Ji-ui.”
Mi-rae-ssi stuffed her hands in her coat pockets and strode toward the elevators. Her slippers slapped loudly with every step. I glanced up at Se-bin, who just grinned.
She led us to her personal lab.
'Personal' my foot—the place was massive, way too big for one person. Machines lined the walls, and a huge desk in the center was littered with dozens of pricey tablet PCs.
“Mi-rae-ssi is the head of the Hunter Association's byproducts research lab. She's the one who first extracted advanced materials from dungeon byproducts.”
“No way, really?”
I'd pegged her as just a rude type, but she was a big deal.
Mi-rae-ssi fiddled with a capsule-like machine, grumbling curtly.
“So, you're S-rank? No way the chairman would've rushed a test otherwise.”
“SS-rank.”
“Ehhhh?”
She whipped her head up at me, making a weird noise. Curiosity gleamed through her cracked glasses, but it quickly turned to dead-fish eyes.
Hiss.
The capsule door slid open.
“Whatever, we'll see if it's real once you're inside. Get in.”
I cautiously stepped into the intimidating capsule.
Whirr.
A circular ring on the wall descended slowly from top to bottom, then dinged and rose back up.
“Come out.”
As I emerged, Mi-rae-ssi pointed at a large screen. 'Processing' blinked with a spinning gray circle.
“You got in without even knowing what it was?”
“Yeah.”
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue, eyeing me pitifully.
“It's an awakener scanner. The pinnacle of cutting-edge science.”
“Impressive...”
“It measures five things.”
Mi-rae-ssi spread her fingers wide.
“Your attribute, combat suitability, unique skill grade, skill types, and...”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Your destructive power converted to a number: DF—Destruction Figure.”
Oh, I've seen that on the news.
DF showed how many monsters you could take down solo at once. Since it only factored attack power, A-rank attackers sometimes outscored S-rank defenders.
Global hunter rankings were unofficially based on it.
“Can't wait to see your rank and DF, Ji-ui.”
Feels a bit snarky.
Whirr.
A screen popped up with my photo and a status window. Everyone in the lab turned to look.
[Ranking updated.]
Transmit to WHDB? [Yes / No]
Bam!!
The alert popped up on a tablet, and Mi-rae-ssi slammed her fist on 'No'. It crumpled into the screen's corner.
“What the fuck is this?”
What kind of number gets that reaction?
I knew what DF was, but not how to read it, so S5 meant nothing to me.
“S5...?”
Even Se-bin?
Se-bin shot up from the sofa, craning her neck toward the screen.
“You don't know how to read DF, do you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Letter's the monster rank, number's the count.”
So that means...
“You can solo five S-rank monsters. You're a freak.”
Thud.
My heart dropped to my toes, then rocketed back up. One S-rank could wipe a city—or a country. And I could take five alone?
Is this from the regression too?
Probably my past timeline's combat instincts plus the awakening. I licked my dry lips in a daze when Mi-rae-ssi spoke again.
“The girl next to you started at A87. Latest's S2 A75.”
I looked up at Se-bin. She was wide-eyed, flicking between the screen and me.
“Highest ever's some American guild master's S2 A99. She didn't start there either.”
Click.
The screen went dark. Mi-rae-ssi tucked a tablet under her arm, muttering.
“Light attribute S-rank alone would've caused a stir, but SS-rank with S5 DF...”
Se-bin nodded, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.
“Is light attribute that rare?”
“Yeah. Far fewer light and dark awakeners than others.”
“Especially light. Before you, only Japan's 'Sen' was S-rank light.”
Mi-rae-ssi tapped her phone on the desk, then held it to her ear.
“Yes, Chairman. Yes, yes. You should come down.”
Calling Kim Kang-hee?
She tossed the phone back on the desk and looked at me.
“Chairman says he's on his way down.”