Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Good Person
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“Ugh……”
As consciousness returned, a throbbing ache spread through my entire body.
Where the hell am I, anyway?
I could tell I was lying on a heated floor like an ondol, but my vision was blocked. Breathing felt a bit labored, too.
Rustle.
As I slowly raised my upper body, I realized a large windbreaker had been covering my eyes. It slid smoothly off my thighs.
My mind was foggy, like waking from a deep sleep, but I didn’t feel like I was dying anymore. Just heavy, all over.
I’d passed out hard in that A-rank dungeon in Jeonju earlier. I remembered someone picking me up, and locking eyes with them right before blacking out.
“Is your body feeling any better?”
“Ah.”
Before I could even recall the details, the person who’d brought me here—Choi Min Hunter—spoke up. She was resting her chin on her hand, eyeing me sidelong. Maybe it was my imagination, but her sharply slanted eyes looked even fiercer today.
“You were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.”
“Ah, yeah. Haven’t eaten properly in a while.”
“Meals are one thing, but it looked like you hadn’t had water either.”
Clink.
Choi Min Hunter lowered the hand propping her chin and stared straight at me.
“What on earth happened?”
Whoa, she’s actually pissed.
It wasn’t my imagination—her gaze really was sharper today. She was scolding me in a remarkably calm and composed tone. As I racked my brain for an excuse to cover for the sudden raid command, a more fundamental question popped up.
“But how did you know I was here, Choi Min Hunter?”
[Eloquence Increase]
[Awakener ‘Shin Ji-ui’s statement causes Awakener ‘Choi Min’ to waver.]
[Speech Result: Flustered]
“I saw it on Hunter Net.”
A blatant lie. Hunter Net can tell you if a dungeon is currently being cleared, but not who’s inside.
She’s hiding something from me. Is it that causality thing from witnessing the Savior’s death? Did it show her something?
“Let’s eat first, anyway.”
Choi Min Hunter tapped the table with her fingertip, changing the subject. The intensity she’d been glaring at me with vanished, and now she was the one avoiding my gaze.
Well, whatever. I’ll figure out how she knew once I recover all my memories.
It’s a traditional Korean restaurant, huh.
A floor-seating ondol room with paper-screen doors. Even a call bell attached to the table. The classic setup. I scooted up to the table, and a dizzying array of side dishes plus steaming porridge awaited me.
“While you were out, I got some stamina potions and water down your throat. You should be recovered enough to eat right away.”
“Thank you……”
I thought I’d blacked out completely, but somehow I’d swallowed the potions and water. That explained why I felt somewhat alive now.
Clink.
I carefully scooped up some plain porridge with the spoon. Blew on it once and slipped it into my mouth; it slid smoothly down my throat.
Man, it’s been forever since I last ate.
My stomach was so empty I could vividly feel the porridge traveling down.
A bite with squid jeotgal, one with braised beef, a sip of barley tea, then one with fish. If I were a bit less embarrassed, I might’ve shed a tear by now.
“Eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”
“Aren’t you eating, Choi Min Hunter?”
“I’m fine.”
Come to think of it, there wasn’t even a place setting in front of her.
She really brought me here just to feed me.
“Thank you. I keep owing you, Choi Min Hunter.”
[Awakener ‘Shin Ji-ui’s statement causes Awakener ‘Choi Min’ to waver.]
[Speech Result: Confusion]
“I haven’t done much to help.”
Both in the previous timeline and now, Choi Min Hunter always wavered greatly whenever I expressed gratitude. She could stand to take a little more pride in her kindness.
“It’s a huge help. I was this close to starving to death.”
I broke off a piece of galbi patty with my chopsticks and popped it in. Salty-sweet soy and smoky grill flavors danced on my tongue.
“……Shin Ji-ui Hunter.”
That’s when Choi Min Hunter rolled her eyes toward me. Her eyelashes fluttered beneath half-closed lids.
“Sometimes, you remind me of my little brother.”
“Your little brother……?”
“Yes. He was four years younger than me.”
Same age gap as me and Ji-yu.
This was the first time Choi Min Hunter had directly brought up family, so I set down my spoon and listened closely.
“He was a bit of a rascal, but good at heart. Knew to be grateful for everything.”
“Sounds just like my little sister. She was thankful even for the tiniest things.”
Ji-yu, who was grateful just for being alive. Thinking of her smile made my chest ache.
“Haa……”
Choi Min Hunter averted her gaze again and let out a long sigh.
“Sorry. That was pointless talk.”
“No, no.”
Her opening up about family was proof she was warming up to me. No way I’d dislike that.
It felt like our relationship was progressing toward ‘trusted comrade,’ just like in the previous timeline. My lips twitched. I couldn’t hide my grin and beamed as I spoke.
“I’m happy we’re getting closer, Choi Min Hunter.”
[Awakener ‘Shin Ji-ui’s statement causes Awakener ‘Choi Min’ to waver.]
Choi Min Hunter’s eyes widened, fixed on the napkin on the table.
Was my answer that surprising?
“With……me……”
Her eyes softened a bit. Even her usually emotionless lips seemed to flicker with a faint smile.
I’d hardly ever seen such a warm expression on her……
Thud.
[Speech Result: Fear]
Huh?
Choi Min Hunter clamped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes wide, she glanced at me before quickly dropping her gaze.
She was clearly trying to suppress a smile. Like getting caught smiling would be a disaster.
“There’s nothing good about getting close to me.”
She lowered her hand, revealing her usual emotionless lips. Her words stabbed at my heart.
“Just eat.”
Why the sudden change? What was she so afraid of?
Choi Min Hunter filled her glass with water and downed it in one go. The warm atmosphere froze in an instant. I scooped up the cooling porridge and shoveled it back in.
Something was controlling her emotions. And it had been the same in the previous timeline. She always seemed suppressed, rarely letting feelings show on her face.
…Could it be the Harmonizer?
Choi Min Hunter must have made a wish when she contracted with the Harmonizer. Maybe that empty wish was connected to this behavior.
Clack.
I set down my spoon and turned my head slightly toward her.
“I’m not trying to get close to you for some ulterior motive.”
[Eloquence Increase]
[Awakener ‘Shin Ji-ui’s statement causes Awakener ‘Choi Min’ to waver.]
“I just want to get close because you’re a good person, a good comrade.”
[Speech Result: Confusion]
I didn’t know what wish she’d made, but I couldn’t just watch a comrade of mine corrode herself from within.
At my stubborn words, she seemed about to retort, lips parting, but then clamped them shut.
“Do you still dream about me dying these days?”
I switched topics abruptly. Might as well probe how I died in the previous timeline while the mood was already down.
Choi Min Hunter nodded, still staring at the table. I’d died at least ten times in front of her that I remembered—if she’d seen them all as dreams, her sanity must be in tatters.
“How did I die?”
“……You expect me to tell you that?”
I nodded, and she stared at me in disbelief before sighing deeply.
“Variously. Sometimes killed by monsters, sometimes already dead when I got there.”
Already dead…… She must’ve found my body mid-loop with the Power of Words.
I leaned forward, closing the distance with Choi Min Hunter.
“Did I ever die in the Greece S-rank dungeon?”
“Greece……?”
She furrowed her brow and shook her head.
Good. Didn’t seem like it, but I had to check.
“It bothers you, doesn’t it.”
“Huh?”
She spoke coldly then.
“You told me it was just a dream.”
“Ah.”
Could come off like I was overly concerned.
Choi Min Hunter’s face hardened icily.
“It’s because I didn’t want you worrying, Choi Min Hunter.”
[Eloquence Increase]
[Awakener ‘Shin Ji-ui’s statement causes Awakener ‘Choi Min’ to waver.]
Her eyes rounded at my response. She shifted her gaze to me, waiting for more.
“I’m planning to go to the Greece S-rank dungeon.”
“……Hm.”
“If you dreamed I died there, you might worry. Like with Geumcheon.”
Talk about self-consciousness overload.
[Speech Result: Acceptance]
It was an embarrassing answer, but I borrowed the power of eloquence to convince her. She let out a breath like a hollow chuckle, then slowly closed and opened her eyes.
“Why go to the Greece S-rank dungeon?”
“To get some armor.”
“……Ither’s Robe?”
I nodded. Being such a legendary item, even she knew of it.
She rubbed her chin with a finger and looked my way.
“Got your entry ticket?”
“Not yet.”
For popular dungeons like Greece S-rank, securing a ticket is the first hurdle. You apply directly via the owning association or guild site, but even reservations months in advance are hit-or-miss.
Blessing of the Demon Heart lasts a week……
I had to snag a Greece S-rank ticket and clear it within that week.
My vision darkened at the hopelessness, but it wasn’t impossible. There was one sure way in this situation.
Time Attack.
Form a team of domestic hunters for a time attack challenge, and you get priority entry.
Break the record for unlimited Greece S-rank entries as a massive reward, but fail and you pay for all entry tickets of teams reserved at the challenge time.
Classic high risk, high return.
But it’s my only option now.
“I’m doing a time attack.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
My firm tone left her without much to argue.
“Time attacks broadcast the clear process worldwide. You know that, right?”
“W-what?”
“You get in fast, but it’s entertainment value. The Greece Hunter Association makes a killing selling broadcast rights to networks.”
News to me.
Hunters in this timeline’s Europe are more ruthless than I thought.
“Time flows slower inside dungeons than out. Even just boss fights would take days to air……”
“Greece S-rank has the same time flow inside and out.”
Thud!
Another first-time fact. In this timeline, the Greece S-rank was practically a show dungeon.
World must be bored out of its mind. They added all sorts of crap.
…But in my situation, it might actually work in my favor.
A time attack team with an SS-rank DF S5 hunter. Sweet deal for the Greece Association. High buzz means broadcast rights sell like hotcakes.
They might even fast-track priority tickets.
“Doesn’t matter. As long as I can get in quick.”
Lots of skills would be exposed, but it was a gamble worth more gains than losses.
Clink.
I dumped the water from my glass down my throat in one gulp.
If it means saving the world and bringing Ji-yu back, I’d gladly be the spectacle.