Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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The testing room resembled an interrogation chamber plastered entirely in white.
The moment the door opened, a space crammed with machines came into view, and beyond a glass window that offered a full look inside sat a single device that looked like a massage chair, standing all by its lonesome.
What the heck.
I was scared for nothing. This is no big deal.
"Please have a seat over there. The scan should only take about two to three minutes."
One of the two staff members in the room guided her in with surprising friendliness.
The scanner looked plenty cushy and comfortable, just as it appeared.
"If the scan detects an awakener's wavelength, your skill window will pop up automatically, and it'll be registered with the Association right away. You can pick up your Awakener ID upstairs."
"Ah, got it."
"We're required to inform you that if no awakener wavelength is detected, you can't retest for at least thirty days—but looking at your preliminary report, that shouldn't be an issue here."
"Yep."
"Just relax, sit back, and it'll be over before you know it."
The staffer spoke in a gently reassuring tone.
It felt awkward receiving such kind treatment for the first time at the Association, but the real reason for her tension was something else entirely.
What if all my skills get exposed?
She knew it in her head.
This was the very early stages of Sejong's End.
The Association's scanners still couldn't detect beyond S-rank skills.
But that didn't stop the anxiety from kicking in.
Right then, a low whirring hum started up as the machine came to life.
Okay, fine—the info window skill can show up. But the dark addiction healing skill absolutely cannot!
If that got out, someone would snatch her away, and she'd never see the light of day again.
This world was full of lunatics who would pull that kind of stunt!
She gripped the armrests of the chair tightly and prayed nonstop.
How much time passed like that?
The faint vibrations humming through the machine gradually died down.
"Shit."
The curse slipped out before she could stop it.
Through the glass window across from her, things were getting hectic.
The staffer who'd guided her earlier and the one fiddling with the machine were taking turns staring at a printed sheet, suddenly looking very busy.
"Nayeo-ju-ssi, scan's done. Could you step out for a sec?"
She got up from the chair as the staffer beckoned and headed outside.
"The results show you as a healer with healing abilities. But..."
"But?"
"You're A-rank."
"That's it?"
"Pardon?"
"Ah, no—can I see the printout?"
The results sheet handed to her had her skill window printed out.
1.Strengthen Body and Mind (A)2.Squeeze Water from a Dried Squid (A)3.[Empty]
👜 Equipped Items:None
"Phew, what a relief."
No info skill. No dark addiction healing skill.
And no mention of a familiar, either.
I got worked up over nothing.
"This is more than a relief. You're an A-rank healer."
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah... oh man, that's awesome."
"A-rank, and not even buffer-type—healer-type. Those don't come around often. Plus, you've got a skill that boosts byproduct harvest rates. You're really lucky."
Lately, she kept hearing how lucky she was.
"Thank you. Must be all the good deeds I've done in life."
"......"
The doctor last time had made the same face. Why did everyone look like that when she said it?
She was the one who was going to save this world, after all.
"Mind waiting here a bit? I'll get your Hunter ID made up."
"Huh? I thought we had to go upstairs for that..."
"Nah, think of it as special treatment for an A-rank healer. We're not busy anyway."
Doesn't seem like it.
The lobby was packed.
Whatever. If they were bringing it to her, she sat back in the chair they'd offered and reviewed her results sheet again.
Yeah, they still can't detect addiction levels yet.
It was a huge relief that she'd possessed the body right at the start of Sejong's End.
At this point in time, hunters could only gauge their addiction levels by how their bodies felt.
When levels rose and they felt off, they'd take it easy for a while until a brutal flu-like frenzy hit and passed.
Plus, since everyone's tolerance to the 'darkness' leaking from gates varied like body constitutions, it only added to the confusion.
"Works in my favor, though."
Until the watches that measured addiction levels came out later, even if she used her darkness purification skill, they'd just think a regular heal had lightened their bodies.
"Nayeo-ju-ssi, your Hunter ID's ready."
More time had passed than expected when the ID ended up in her hands.
It was the size of a standard employee badge, complete with a precise scan photo from the wavelength test.
Her name 'Nayeo-ju' and the Korean Awakener Association's mugunghwa emblem were crisply engraved.
That's when it finally started sinking in.
She'd really possessed Sejong's End, and now she was a hunter.
Yeah.
She'd thought it was suspicious when they suddenly offered to make her Hunter ID right there with all that kindness.
And sure enough, the culprit was that testing room staffer from earlier.
"Hello, Nayeo-ju-ssi. We're the King Guild..."
"I'm Park So-young, vice master of the Innocent Guild. Could we have a quick chat..."
The moment she stepped out of the testing room, this was the scene.
Guild headhunters who'd been idly checking their phones in the waiting area all swarmed her.
"Ah, small guilds, make way! You think you punks can snag an A-rank healer? Healer-nim, you know the Nuri Guild, right? If you join us..."
They already knew her rank, class, and name fresh off registration.
The problem was how loud these people were.
"A-rank...?"
"An A-rank healer?"
From the moment the guild headhunters rushed her, hundreds of eyes in the waiting room locked on, and now whispers of "A-rank healer" filled the air, turning the place rowdy.
"Ha, seriously."
She let out a deep sigh, then looked straight at the crowd encircling her.
"Hand over your cards."
"......Pardon?"
"You didn't grab me to hand over business cards? Then beat it."
The headhunters buffered blankly for about two seconds before fumbling out their cards and passing them over.
"Yes, yes. Oh, even the Magma Guild's here. Thanks."
Collecting them one by one made for a pretty thick stack.
These folks sure used fancy cards.
Someone might ask why bother collecting cards from guilds when she only wanted Justice Guild.
Why not?
Even if she was killing time out here like she had nothing better to do, these were influential guild reps with authority to offer contracts to rookies.
Their contacts were valuable assets.
Then, a sheet of paper thrust right in front of her.
But it was too big for a business card.
"A contract?"
Looking up at the hand offering it, a tall man smiled down at her.
"Whoa, Sama Guild."
"Figures an A-rank healer draws even Sama Guild..."
"Damn, jealous."
Ah, that explained the different vibe.
The man from Sama Guild flashed a perfectly polished smile.
Yeah, no rookie would turn down a contract from one of the Big Four.
Especially from Sama Guild, notorious for throwing money around.
"Ah, crap."
"Sama Guild again."
The other headhunters openly showed their disappointment, figuring the game was over.
The Sama Guild rep's smile—more idol than hunter—deepened with pride.
They really carried themselves with immense guild prestige.
"Hmm."
Did Sama Guild recruit based on looks?
One thing was clear: this guy hadn't been in the waiting room before she entered the testing room.
Someone with that face would've stood out.
They stalled until he got here.
The overly friendly testing staffer hadn't just sold her info to the guilds waiting upfront.
Likely tipped off Sama Guild about a high-rank rookie and held her until they arrived.
Damn this corrupt Sama Guild.
Everything they did rubbed her the wrong way.
She took the contract they boldly offered.
The other headhunters' faces fell with lingering hope dashed.
Flip.
She skimmed through, page by page.
Gate raid obligations, veto rights, free loans of B-rank-plus items.
Checking each clause, she turned to the Sama Guild headhunter.
"How high did they authorize you to go?"
"......Pardon?"
"Come on, money's the key part. It's blank."
He stiffened at her question, then recovered his smile.
"Of course. Sama Guild always welcomes hunters with the absolute best terms. Especially rare talents like Nayeo-ju Hunter."
"So, what's the number? My price tag."
"You're refreshingly direct. Why don't we head to the guild for some tea and discuss..."
"I'm kinda busy right now? Skip that—just whisper it."
She leaned in subtly.
"Ah, that's a bit... Let's go to the guild. We'll set up a meeting with Sama Young-nim."
"Like I said, I've got a tight schedule."
Are you insane?
Why would I meet that creep Sama Young?
She was dodging him like the plague already.
Her firm stance, acting like she'd bolt any second, put him on the spot.
"......How about 50 billion for a five-year contract?"
Huh, so that was her market value.
She nodded.
"I'll be in touch."
His mask-like smile vanished instantly.
Anyone with office experience knew it.
"I'll be in touch" was code for "let's grab dinner sometime"—empty rejection.
Whatever. She turned and headed for the escalator without a backward glance.
She'd never planned to join Sama Guild anyway.
She just wanted an objective number on an A-rank healer's worth in this world.
This world wasn't easy enough to let her coast through averting apocalypse by joining some guild.
"Haa, alright."
I tried to play it cool, but nah.
She couldn't stop grinning.
Clutching her Hunter ID, she savored the rising joy.
Now everything was finally in place.
The existence that would stop her money from turning into cyber cash.
She was ready to meet this world's protagonist, Kang Han.
How many years since our last healer awakened...
All the guilds in the waiting room rushed her—wonder where she'll go lol
I was there yesterday too—saw Woo Jun-kyeong from Sama Guild offer a contract
Before dawn broke, in the still-dark hours.
She arrived at Yeongdeungpo.
"Whoa, this place has changed so much."
It used to be home to a massive shopping mall.
One of the busiest spots in central Seoul for foot traffic.
Until the first gate ripped open right smack in the middle.
After that, civilians steered clear, and it turned into a sort of awakener-only zone.
Item markets from dungeon finds and low-rank awakener labor pools all congregated here.
The jobs available at the labor market were mostly day gigs mining mana stones in cleared dungeons.
"Hunters must rake in tons of tax revenue. Least they could do is demolish the place."
She muttered while eyeing bombed-out buildings riddled with holes and blast scars.
The black rift had appeared out of nowhere in the mall's heart. People had no clue how to react, leading to a dungeon break as monsters poured out.
Dozens died or got hurt.
Until a random office worker passing by awakened as an S-rank and soloed the horde.
Korea's first awakener, first S-rank hunter, and the hero who single-handedly ended the break.
"That was Kang Han's grandfather."
After him, to organize the flood of awakeners and handle things effectively, Justice Guild was born.
While other countries devolved into chaotic guild wars over turf, Korea kept casualties low—thanks to him and Justice Guild.
Then Kang Young-won, awakening as S-rank too, turned Justice into Korea's undisputed top guild.
Even after the Association formed and other guilds settled in, Justice always led the pack.
And the heir to that legacy, Kang Han, was...
"Ah, there he is."
A wide open lot covered in coarse sand, dotted with bonfires to fend off the chilly predawn air.
Amid the noisy crowd, one man sat alone on a chunk of busted concrete, warming himself by the flames.
Kang Han, still sporting fresh bruises on his face.