Chapter 96. You Think I Can't Do It? (Revised)
Chapter 96. You Think I Can't Do It? (Revised)
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That night.
After dropping Lee Chae-hyun off at her house and returning, we finished showering and sat in front of the computer, toweling off our hair.
[ World's Strongest Hero : The Noob I Raised ]
It was a bit early to go to sleep, so I figured I'd chat with the viewers for a while.
[You're here, my dopamine lolol]
[Wow, watching the manager struggle was so fucking funny]
[Fr I ordered 3 chickens]
[You pig;;]
This stream had been different from the raids other hunter streamers did.
It hadn't been a hunt based on a concrete plan.
"Hmm... our manager's cool, right?"
It had been a raid carried out as if she had dozens of lives.
There's an internet meme for that kind of thing.
The headbutting dinosaur.
[But where'd the manager go?]
[Yeah don't people usually come to the after-party?]
Everyone was looking for Lee Chae-hyun, the star of this stream.
Well, she had passed out the moment she got in the car.
Laila had carried her into her house and laid her down on her bed.
[Oh? Then the manager's not here?]
[She's dead lolol G-Cards incoming]
[Fus Ro Dah you!!!!!!]
"That's a permanent ban..."
[...]
[Gasp]
[(Tactical silence con)]
I rewatched the raid footage from today with the viewers.
After finishing some brief feedback about Lee Chae-hyun, I ended the stream.
---
The community buzzing about Song Hoon and Laila wasn't the usual one.
It was the nation's largest community, the 'Hunter' community, which always stirred up hot topics.
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: So how high a rank could that Lee Chae-hyun person reach? ]
[ Content: If the two Unknowns personally carry her, is S-rank possible? ]
└ Just because Song Hoon shits on other S-ranks, you think S-rank was a joke?
└ For real lololol Just because they talk about S-rank on TV, you think it's easy
└ Still, if the Unknowns teach her directly, A-rank should be possible at least, no?
└ Honestly B-rank would be generous
└ An E-rank killed a C-rank monster, so A-rank seemed plenty possible
Everyone was curious about her.
Just how far would Lee Chae-hyun grow?
Someone wrote a post about it.
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: Lee Chae-hyun's Growth Potential (Long Post Warning) ]
[ Content: First, the two Unknowns are teaching her.
Skills and technique, she'll obviously learn those.
So did that mean she lacks a systematic curriculum?
Of course, if Song Hoon and Laila personally teach her, it could be insufficient, but Song Hoon's parents were the masters of the Hanul Guild.
Practically, with the two Unknowns teaching her, would the masters of the Hanul Guild just stand by?
She's the person their son was raising, you know? ]
└ You said long post but it's short as hell lololol
└ OP: Anything over 3 lines was long
└ But watching the video, the systematic curriculum seemed severely lacking
└ What's that supposed to mean?
└ Watching the video, she trusts Laila's heals and just rams in like a headbutting dinosaur
└ You want me to heal you too while you get your limbs broken, ribs shattered, and holes in your thighs?
└ lol sorry
Her name was constantly mentioned in the news, on SNS, in communities, and everywhere else.
The kind of news that normally would have been nothing more than a simple gate clear article.
Even that kind of news now had dozens of comments.
If the Unknown Hunters' teaching was involved, wouldn't something be different?
Was there some special ability to massively increase mana in a short period?
Such baseless speculations ran rampant.
In fact, rather than on broadcast TV, it was on Nutube that videos interviewing relevant experts were appearing.
"Let's discuss the name that's recently been heating up the internet, Hunter 'Lee Chae-hyun'."
A clean-cut anchor in a suit smiled toward the camera.
"This incident was a simple C-rank gate clear, but the reason the public paid attention was that she, an E-rank hunter, single-handedly took down a C-rank monster."
On the right side of the screen, a short clip of the scene after the gate clear played.
The scene of her, covered in blood, barely driving her sword into the C-rank monster's neck and collapsing as if passing out.
"Today, we have an expert with us to discuss this matter. He is Dr. Jeon Seok-hyun of the Korean Hunter Research Institute."
The camera turned to a dignified middle-aged man.
The doctor calmly met the anchor's eyes, nodded, and greeted him.
"Doctor, from what we can't see, is there perhaps a special ability or hidden parameter in Hunter Lee Chae-hyun?"
"No. There appears to be nothing at all."
Contrary to expectations that there was some hidden special power, there was nothing.
"...Then a hunter with no special traits defeated a C-rank monster? There are opinions among the public that she might have received help from the Unknown Hunters."
At that moment, the doctor's expression hardened solidly.
He paused briefly, then spoke shortly.
"If I had to pick something... it would be... ferocity."
"...Pardon?"
"Many people already know about Laila Hunter's healing ability. It was shown in the spar with the Chinese S-rank hunter as well."
The anchor nodded as if he knew it too.
But healing ability had nothing to do with combat.
At least, that was what the anchor thought.
"Anchor, if you were in a situation where you absolutely could not die, could you fight a monster?"
The doctor's question was out of the blue.
But the anchor smiled and answered immediately.
"Well, if I couldn't die... hmm, it would be worth a try, wouldn't it?"
As if he had expected that answer, the doctor chuckled quietly and asked again.
"Then could you keep fighting while enduring the pain of your arms being twisted, holes being punched in your body, and your bones being crushed?"
The anchor, who had briefly imagined that situation, felt his eyelids tremble.
"...That... just imagining it is horrifying..."
But the doctor looked at the anchor and smiled deeply.
"No matter how much you're attacked, you won't die... isn't it worth a try?"
The anchor put down his cue card for a moment and shook his head from side to side.
"Ugh... I don't think I could."
"That is the secret. With the conviction that she would not die, she gave her flesh and took their bone."
On the screen, the footage of Lee Chae-hyun taking hits while dealing deep wounds to the monster played on repeat.
Those eyes like madness, her split lips, her trembling hands.
"That is neither skill nor talent. It is simply ferocity."
"..."
"Well, now the public will be curious. 'Without a healing ability, what level is her skill really at?'..."
One minute before the video ended, Dr. Jeon Seok-hyun threw another log onto the fire.
---
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: So is Lee Chae-hyun just a foam warrior? ]
[ Content: (Interview link) The doctor says without the Saintess's healing she's just foam? (Slightly fabricated) ]
└ That's just a total fucking fabrication lololololol
└ Trying to straight up bury the doctor lololol
└ She only pulled it off because the medic kept healing her from behind
└ You think you could endure that pain? I felt like I'd die if I just stubbed my toe on a corner?
└ Stubbing a toe? I scream like a little girl fr
With the Saintess's healing, that headbutting was possible.
If there had been no healing, she would have hunted more cautiously and seriously.
These two opinions were locked in a tense standoff in the community.
[ Author: Modmin ]
[ Title: No Galde Cup gallery chaos, discuss here ]
[ Content: She's just foam VS Even without heals she could win with quick reflexes and sharp situational judgment ]
└ The mod himself was full of bias, for fuck's sake lolololol
└ Real crazy bastard lololol
└ No but a lot of people were saying it's thanks to heals... but even considering that, her mentality was insane
└ I was telling you, it's possible if you get healed?
└ Ugh I really wanna slap you fr, you'd seriously bawl your eyes out if you got hit once
└ Bawling lol
It wasn't a power matchup between A and B.
In that kind of case, they could just have a clean fight and settle it, to put it bluntly.
While the community was burning brightly, someone else threw out another piece of bait.
[ Author: LeeChae-hyunFootWiper ]
[ Title: So is our Chae-hyun going to the tournament? ]
[ Content: Stop picking on our Chae-hyun!!! ]
└ Likeable fixed nick, fuck
└ Rare nickname
└ Now that I thought about it, wouldn't it work if she went?
└ Fr if she went and won, all the foam talk would disappear instantly
└ But honestly, if she were just C to D rank it'd be worth trying, but E was too...
The 'Tournament' mentioned in the community.
It was a competition for rookie hunters, jointly hosted by the government and the Association.
A competition to check the skills of rookie hunters for their growth and connect them with sponsors.
Winning or placing in the rankings there was the dream of all low-rank hunters.
And Song Hoon, who always lurked in the community, also checked this post.
---
"Hahuk... hup...!"
I stared quietly at Lee Chae-hyun, who was sprawled on the floor, breathing roughly after an intense spar.
I raised my hand and paused the spar for a moment.
"Song Hoon...?"
The woman who had been consistently sparring with Lee Chae-hyun at my mother's request looked at me.
Meeting her eyes, I pointed a finger at Lee Chae-hyun.
"Could she participate in the Tournament?"
"..."
She folded her arms, closed her eyes, and sank into deep thought.
"Hmm... participation is possible, but... just how far are you aiming, Song Hoon?"
"First place."
"Realistically, it won't be easy..."
My eyes met Lee Chae-hyun's as she lay still on the ground.
"Heuheu..."
"...!?"
At my smile, Lee Chae-hyun's body trembled.
I planned to push her up to at least the rankings.
'I've beaten games with Magikarp as a finisher... couldn't I say that?'