Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Return
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Several days had passed.
Shin Seha was meticulously cleaning her room.
It was the first major cleanup in years.
She sorted through discarded delivery containers and tossed the scattered clothes into the washing machine.
Today, she planned to go out for the first time in ages.
She intended to visit the graves of her former colleagues, whom she hadn't dared to see due to guilt.
That was when it happened.
Vrrr.
The smartphone on the table vibrated.
The caller ID showed Park Sang-chul.
It was the association president, who hadn't contacted her in a while.
The moment she saw the name, Shin Seha's shoulders instinctively hunched.
A conditioned fear.
"Hoo..."
But that lasted only a moment.
Shin Seha glanced down at the ring on her ring finger.
The cool metal touch soothed her racing heart.
[Hunter Shin Seha? Long time no see! How have you been?]
A booming voice exploded through the receiver, loud enough to make her ears ring.
"What is it?"
[What do you mean? We're preparing a press conference in a few days. It's a petition signed by all the A-rank hunters. You have to join too, Hunter Shin Seha! Otherwise, those government bastards won't hesitate to ignore us, right?]
"Haha..."
Shin Seha let out a dry laugh.
A conversation similar to before.
How had she responded last time?
Right. She'd said she was sick.
"I'm not feeling well. Sorry."
[What's wrong with you?]
"Pardon?"
[I asked what's wrong.]
She remembered.
They'd had this exact same conversation before.
She had always been dragged along.
And there was always something she'd wanted to say.
"That's none of your business, is it, Association President?"
[...What?]
Park Sang-chul seemed flustered, unable to continue for a while.
Finally regaining his composure, he replied in a sly, ingratiating tone.
[Haha, are you upset because I haven't called in so long? That's no good... Can't be that narrow-minded.]
[This doesn't look good. I've explained it all before, but rumors don't always spread truthfully, you know?]
The old Shin Seha would have trembled and listened to him.
But not anymore.
Shin Seha quietly opened her mouth.
"Get lost."
[...?]
"Don't contact me again. It's disgusting."
Shin Seha hung up.
Moments later, her phone began ringing wildly again.
Persistent.
Shin Seha went ahead and blocked the number.
She had no more time to be dragged around by someone like that.
***
Park Sang-chul's face turned beet red with rage.
"This... this crazy bitch...!"
How dare she ignore him?
A shut-in who'd been holed up in her room for years?
Park Sang-chul ground his teeth.
"If it weren't for Daejeon..."
Because of the mysterious faction that had reached into Daejeon, he'd kept a low profile for a while.
Worried about potential further actions, he hadn't even slept properly for days.
But he couldn't stay cowed forever.
He had ambitions.
If he did nothing, he'd lose even his position as association president.
He couldn't let that happen.
Park Sang-chul had gradually expanded his activities, testing how far the Daejeon faction's interests extended.
"It's clear. If it's not Daejeon, they don't care what I do."
That's why he'd planned to resume full activities today.
And yet, this brat dared to ignore him?
It must be because he'd been inactive for so long.
The other hunters were probably mocking him too.
This wouldn't do.
He needed to reassert discipline.
"Hmph, what can a girl like her do to me?"
Park Sang-chul decided to go to her house personally and set her straight.
It wasn't Daejeon; it was Incheon, so no problem.
***
A pounding shook Shin Seha's front door as if it might break.
"Open the door! You think I can't get in?!"
Park Sang-chul's shouts echoed down the hallway.
Moments later, the doorknob rattled.
"If you're in there, you won't get away!"
He was trying to force his way in.
But the moment Park Sang-chul gripped the knob with all his strength—
Zzzzzap—!
"Arghhh!"
With a scream, Park Sang-chul's body stiffened and convulsed.
His hair stood on end, smoke rising from his mouth.
A powerful current surged through him.
Creak—
The door opened.
Shin Seha stood there.
Her face, backed by sunlight, was coldly set.
"What... did you... do..."
Park Sang-chul groaned from the floor, barely able to speak.
His body was completely numb.
Shin Seha looked down at him silently.
A small blue spark danced at her fingertips.
"I told you not to contact me again."
"You... how dare you...!"
"Quiet."
As Shin Seha flicked her finger, Park Sang-chul's body jerked again.
"Show up in front of me one more time... and prepare yourself."
Her voice was ice-cold.
Park Sang-chul trembled.
"Get lost."
Park Sang-chul fled in panic, stumbling on shaky legs.
He wouldn't look back.
Only after confirming he was gone did Shin Seha close the door.
A satisfied smile curved her lips.
The exhilaration she felt for the first time in years.
The sense of accomplishment from protecting something with her own power.
Shin Seha gazed quietly at the ring on her left ring finger.
She was no longer afraid to use magic.
This small token of hope had made all these changes possible.
She wouldn't run anymore.
Her life hiding in the shadows was over.
With firm resolve, Shin Seha picked up her phone and dialed a number.
It was the company that had given her the shield last time.
[One Star Management]
* * *
I opened the system and checked the sandworm's status.
Time remaining until resummon: 0 seconds.
I could finally call it back.
"..."
Beside me stood Cheohogi.
Holding snacks the sandworm liked.
As if preparing a welcome party.
Fortunately, they seemed to get along.
"Sandworm."
At my call, the basement floor stirred slightly.
Soon, a tiny worm the size of a pinky finger poked its head through the dirt.
It looked around, spotted me, and wriggled happily.
The sandworm grew in size instantly.
It lengthened like a snake and tried to slither up my leg.
"Really."
This guy was doing it on purpose.
I recalled the first time I'd summoned the sandworm.
It had been the same back then.
I'd freaked out and stomped on it.
Pure mischief.
"Long time no see."
I casually grabbed and lifted its body.
It wrapped around my arm like a snake.
Bored by my reaction, it shrank in size instantly.
Soon, it coiled into its familiar ring form.
[The sandworm protests why it took so long.]
Its voice echoed in my head.
"Sorry, I had some business."
[The sandworm says it'll let it slide this time.]
It was right.
The summon cooldown had ended long ago.
I'd just been distracted handling Shin Seha's issue and forgotten about the sandworm.
"Good thing your memory's intact."
I let out a sigh of relief.
I'd been worried that resummoning might produce a different entity or reset its memory.
[The sandworm says that's not impossible.]
[It speculates that repeated summons as a simple skill would have reset the memory.]
It answered as if reading my mind.
[The sandworm expresses thanks.]
[It predicts that without the essence raising its rank, that would have happened.]
[The sandworm explains that because its rank was elevated, it maintained memory continuity as a unique entity.]
"Ah, so that's it?"
Now I understood.
Why it had insisted on being resummoned while feeding on my mana from the first summon.
Even why it yearned to raise its rank.
The sandworm had feared losing its memories.
"Guess I need to gather more essence diligently."
Cheohogi and the sandworm.
Both were surprisingly affectionate deep down.
The chance of losing them forever was dwindling, but it would still hurt.
"..."
[....]
Then, Cheohogi approached and offered snacks from behind its back.
The sandworm stared at them for a moment.
Seemingly surprised that Cheohogi had thought of it.
It soon devoured the snack in one bite.
[The sandworm evaluates Cheohogi as someone who will grow big.]
Cheohogi nodded in satisfaction.
I chuckled.
[The sandworm asks what happened to the black mage.]
"I was just about to deal with that guy."
I pointed to the hourglass I'd just taken from the fridge.
The mixer and centrifuge had already arrived.
Today, I planned to interrogate it calmly.
That was when it happened.
My pocket phone rang noisily.
It was the broker uncle.
"Hello?"
[Representative? Do you have time right now?]
His voice was unusually urgent.
Feeling uneasy, I asked seriously.
"Yes, what's up?"
[We just got a call from One Star Management...]
The broker hesitated.
[Do you know Shin Seha, the A-rank hunter who quit years ago?]
"Shin Seha? Yeah. But why...?"
[She wants to join our management!]
"...What?"
I doubted my ears.
"You're kidding, right?"
[I confirmed several times. Her resolve is firm. Was it you who sent the shield last time?]
I was speechless.
How should I explain this?
"For now... hold off. I'll look into it and call back."
I hurriedly hung up.
Shin Seha joining our company?
It had to be a joke.
My mind reeled from the unexpected news.
"What is she thinking...?"
I quickly logged into the mage gallery.
The first post that caught my eye was Jung Tae-yeon's.
[Title: Do I need to meet a noob to get a ring fitted too?]
[Author: Magic is Firepower]
[Content: I like in-person consultations too. When are you free?]
Jung Tae-yeon seemed to have grasped everything and was full of anticipation.
"Ah... Did I throw it out there too carelessly without thinking ahead?"
I might really have to meet all four mage gallery members.
I'd been focused on pkaechu's mentality and overlooked the rest.
"No, that's not important now."
I skipped that post and searched for others.
I found exactly what I wanted right away.
[Title: Someone just died in our apartment.]
[Author: pkaechu]
[That was the frail 'me' of yesterday.]
[From tomorrow, I'll be reborn as a new 'me.']
[I am regeneration.]
Unaware commenters from other mages filled the bottom.
Fridge: Your deaths are frequent.
Wind beetle: Long time no see.
Magic is Firepower: Thought something happened when you suddenly left the gallery.
I cautiously added a comment.
ㅇㅇ(222.222): Thinking of resuming hunter activities?
pkaechu: (Roughly holding up a cone)
"Is she serious...?"
I stared blankly at the screen.
I'd only given a little help.
But things had grown bigger than I'd imagined.