Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: E-Rank!
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E-Rank!
Clack clack
"Phew, my items... they're all safe..."
I checked my game accounts on the computer the moment the elves restored my suspended profile.
Ah, actually, I think I mentioned it wasn't the elves who suspended it in the first place?
Whatever. All's well that ends well.
My heart ached seeing the items in my inventory that had rotted away after their expiration dates, but I could understand that much.
But even though it's an RPG, playing solo makes it kinda boring.
I never thought much of it before, but maybe because I've been feeling so much human warmth lately?
Soloing boss mobs felt utterly lonely.
"A PC bang?"
"Yeah, it's no fun alone. Bet it'd be a blast together."
"I'm honored."
And so, Brüel and I headed to a PC bang.
I figured if I handed her my event alt account and we ran dungeons together, we could even tackle higher levels than usual.
"So, has Brüel played any games before?"
"Back at HQ, I did a lot of wargames. Our team handles simulations for Team 6."
"Ah, okay."
Team 6...? Anyway, it was clear she had zero experience with actual games.
We arrived at a nearby PC bang and grabbed seats at an unmanned kiosk.
I'd originally planned to park Brüel outside and snag a comfy corner spot, but her helmet and outfit made that impossible.
"It reminds me of our homeland. How nostalgic."
Brüel wandered around with the account I'd logged her into, murmuring wistfully.
"Similar to home? Must be the medieval fantasy vibe."
"No, honestly, the clothing and civilization level are way off. But it has that distinctive atmosphere."
"I see."
Once Brüel had her fill of hometown nostalgia, I taught her the basics, and we dove into a dungeon together.
"Kuh, ugh, this guy's, grr...!"
"...Can you please not make those embarrassing noises? And I told you to just support from behind—why do you keep rushing forward?"
"Sorry. But right before we left, we were short-staffed, so everyone from executives to kids had to fight on the front lines regardless. Old habits die hard..."
"..."
This girl, a supposed supporter, kept grabbing her club and charging ahead.
She'd rush in whenever it looked like I was in danger.
Anyway, she charges.
And she fights pretty well... before dying.
...Is she a moth to the flame, somehow surviving and getting stronger each time?
Or does she charge without a care because she's that strong?
We couldn't clear higher dungeons, but it was fun enough.
'Huh, Ga-eun's little sister? No, daughter...? Nah, couldn't be.'
Park Min-ji, Ga-eun's friend whom I'd bumped into at the student cafeteria with Su-hyeon.
While working her part-time shift at the PC bang, she spotted a familiar mint-green head of hair.
"Enjoy your meal!"
"Thanks."
She double-checked as she set down the ordered food and headed back—yep, no doubt.
There couldn't be two kids with hair like that.
She looked adorable, glued to the monitor in the corner seat.
Wonder if she'll get sucked right in?
The natural predator of introverts.
Min-ji approached Su-hyeon without hesitation.
"Hey! You're Ga-eun's little sister... right?"
"Y-Yes!?"
Su-hyeon practically leaped into the air.
As if she'd ever imagined getting approached out of nowhere in a PC bang.
"Uh, well, y'see...?"
"Don't you remember me? From the student cafeteria with Ga-eun."
"N-No, I do."
"Whoa, knew it! Su-hyeon, right? Here to game?"
"Y-Yeah."
'Gotta game...'
A quick glance at the screen—thankfully, Brüel was holding the line.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, different family names from Ga-eun...? N-No way."
Her actual daughter? Kims take the husband's...?
"Ah, no! W-We’re just friends. Not mom. More importantly, I—"
"Phew, thought so! Sis was freaking out! Even knowing it was a joke, I was like 'what if?' Unni's Park Min-ji. Park. Min. Ji."
'Not unni.'
Min-ji cackled wildly, but Su-hyeon just rolled her eyes awkwardly.
Su-hyeon lacked the guts to douse someone beaming at her with cold water, so she sat frozen, waiting for this fearsome predator to lose interest and move on.
"Excuse me, who might you be?"
"Eek...! Oh, there's someone there. Sorry, was I too loud?"
Min-ji barely stifled a scream.
A pitch-black helmet in the corner was staring straight at her. The outfit was equally dark—no wonder she'd missed it.
Su-hyeon clasped her hands tightly to calm Brüel, whose vibe had gone from chilly to outright murderous.
Hee hee hee.
The tension dissolved instantly.
"Sh-She's a friend of a friend... N-Not Ga-eun's sister. Real college student. No ID on me right now, but..."
"C-College student!? Haha, another joke? Like the daughter bit?"
"Ah."
Had the joke ruined first impressions?
I rattled off my birthdate and student ID to convince her, but she wasn't buying it.
Yet the second Brüel vouched for my adulthood, she believed it instantly.
...Why?
A tidy reception room.
The walls proudly displayed news clippings, records of high-grade gate clears, and commendations touting their achievements.
A strikingly beautiful woman scanned them coolly.
C-rank Awakener and streamer Lee Ga-eun, who’d drawn eyes during the department store incident.
There was a reason she’d come all the way to this guild she despised—the HQ of a major one, no less.
"Ah, Miss Ga-eun. Sorry to keep you waiting. Haha, so much work... Feel bad dragging you here."
"...No, nice to meet you."
A man burst in moments later, panting.
"Still, you could've ignored us, so thanks for coming! Heard you're a freshman—super busy, right? Korea University?"
True to a B-rank Hunter polished in image management, he was impeccably polite and courteous, but an undercurrent of pressure laced his kindness.
'Making it impossible to say no.'
He'd just casually slipped in that he'd dug into her personal life, not mere pleasantries.
They'd cleverly gone public on stream, praising her heroism and requesting a meetup.
She'd refused at first, but that backfired.
Viewers got hyped, and with the guild's stellar public image, refusing grew harder.
"So, what does Camellia Guild want with me?"
"Just had to see the legend myself. Got stubborn. Haha!"
He chuckled shamelessly, but Ga-eun's response was icy.
"Hm."
Unlike A-ranks treated as state secrets, B-ranks made perfect guild figureheads.
But could one represent a major guild's full consensus? Not quite.
With Ga-eun unresponsive, the Hunter awkwardly dropped his grin and spoke again.
"You're amazing, Miss Ga-eun. Brimming with justice, and so beautiful... We need more like you in the industry."
"Uh, thanks."
"No empty words. That incident was tragic, but your actions stood out. Other Awakeners—even pro Hunters—died horribly in that gate, yet you escaped unscathed, protecting civilians too. And you're not even a Hunter."
The Hunter still smiled, but now openly probed.
Ga-eun nearly deflected like in other interviews—credit others—but realized the circumstances didn't fit.
"R-Really! Just got lucky. That Chan-seong guy with me—he's a recovery-type Awakener! That's how we pulled it off."
As Ga-eun floundered, the Hunter smiled thinly again.
"Hm, I see..."
He pulled a black briefcase from under the table.
"Actually, we reached out to him. E-rank. Great potential, but nothing special. Database was locked tight—someone else's claim, maybe."
Doesn't add up.
"Straight to the point, then."
Click.
Swish.
The case opened, and Ga-eun's face twisted.
"How'd you do this?"
Inside: chunks of the monster corpse from the gate.
Shattered to bits by Su-hyeon.
"Damage pattern shows internal rupture. And I couldn't scratch its hide. Frontline Camellia material, haha. Gotta train harder."
"Ha... ha. Dunno?"
"At first, thought you hid your rank. Dug into your past a bit—sorry. I get the disappointment, aversion to Hunting."
"..."
"Figured C-rank was a lie—probably B or higher. But anything above means 3 years mandatory service if not Hunter or Guard! Hated that, so faked it... or so I thought."
Doesn't seem so.
"Physical enhancer, right?"
"...Yes. Instant muscle boost."
"An A-rank physical Hunter we ally with secretly scarred it. But doesn't look like you hid that power."
Ga-eun squeezed her eyes shut, racking her brain desperately.
Kim Su-hyeon—that airheaded, timid, prideful brat. Adorably childish despite being older.
If she spilled the truth, what would befall Su-hyeon?
Not all bad, maybe, but unlikely all good.
Better one major guild's attention? What do I trust about Camellia? Public image means squat.
If aptitude test wasn't machine error, but real Awakening? Burst an A-rank-scarred monster without even Awakening?
They'd dissect her by any means.
Could Su-hyeon refuse inhumane treatment? Survive media spotlight?
"Miss Ga-eun?"
The Hunter's call snapped her back.
Fluster gone, back to cool composure.
"Do I have to answer?"
"No obligation. Just seeking advice for guild growth. Generous compensation, of course! Here..."
The contract's end: 30 million.
"Dollars, FYI."
Twitch.
Ga-eun's composure nearly cracked.
'Crazy—300 billion lump sum?'
Enough for a mid-sized firm's market cap.
She glimpsed a global guild's might and felt a chill.
But money wouldn't sway her.
"Sorry, really don't know anything."
Su-hyeon would've snatched it—lifetime off work.
"Reconsider. New gate type, unseen monster. More like this? Crisis for Hunters—and humanity!"
"Wh-Why the dramatics? I really don't know!"
He'd shoved the contract coolly, now begged pathetically—Ga-eun flustered.
Appeal to emotion with humanity's peril, but...
Failed to convince.
He escorted her out, resigned.
"Change your mind or need help? Call anytime."
"Ah, sure. Thanks."
She refused the ride, so he called a taxi.
As her cab vanished, he dialed.
"Yeah, me. Seems she really doesn't know. Check her circle. Focus on incident folks."
"Ta-da!"
Next day at school, Su-hyeon proudly flashed Ga-eun the Awakener registration card she'd gotten.
"...You have no idea how much I agonized all night!"
"Eek, why the freakout!!"
Who kept me up all night?
She'd breezed through registration during freshman orientation and somehow scored an ID already.
E-rank to boot?
Low for a Hunter, but plausible enough deniability.
Ga-eun, seething, mashed Su-hyeon's fresh green scalp.
Drag her there now—get that 300 billion?