The Leader's Worries
Two hunters from the company finished their daily routine and headed home. Kang Hyeun and Han Mina, who had just completed a rare duo dungeon run without the rest of their party, set off together in the early evening.
"So, do you know what that Sung Taekyung guy said back then? Something like, 'At least it won't be boring hanging out with another guy'..."
"Yeah... I see..."
"Seriously, my fist just flew up on instinct. Who the hell mistakes something like that..."
Kang Hyeun walked along, half-listening to Han Mina's usual nonstop chatter. But her mind was elsewhere, tangled in other worries that left no room even for conversation with her closest friend.
These days, Kang Hyeun obsessed daily over how to raise the rank of her A-rank hunter party, Sky Blue Shield. Han Mina's idle gossip wasn't high on her priority list.
Sky Blue Shield, the A-rank hunter party. If she didn't seriously figure out a way to level them up soon, the party would stall out at A-rank forever.
Her current lineup of four A-rank hunters had decent results within the company. But after several close calls lately, Kang Hyeun, as party leader, had to consider adding new members.
Like when ranged DPS Cha Yuri nearly lost her awakening ability and quit. Or when beast-type hunter Han Mina skipped out due to her heat cycle. And that upper dungeon run with two S-rank hunters where Sky Blue Shield barely scraped by alive.
Any one or two of those incidents could have shattered the party's balance this year, leaving them disbanded or limping along. Luckily, the first two resolved somehow, but just patching immediate crises without real growth wouldn't cut it—otherwise, she wouldn't be agonizing like this.
Kang Hyeun wanted to retry that failed A+ dungeon conquest. She needed to push this party to the next level somehow.
Ideally, every member hitting A+ or higher. But she knew better than anyone that was unrealistic.
She and ranged DPS Cha Yuri had no issues. With regular libido relief partners now, they could focus purely on personal growth like before—no more retirement worries.
The problems were the other two: melee DPS Cheon Jihee and scout Han Mina.
Cheon Jihee could retire anytime, really. At twenty-six, late twenties loomed, and it was a miracle her awakening hadn't faded, keeping her at A-rank prowess.
Was she secretly seeing someone for relief? That was the only explanation for her sustained peak performance—it was impressive either way.
But if not, she'd likely retire within a year or two. That was the typical max lifespan for active hunters, after all.
If Cheon Jihee, Sky Blue Shield's solid frontline like herself, vanished overnight, tackling A-rank dungeons would get trickier. Unlike Kang Hyeun's defense-heavy kit, Cheon Jihee's versatile awakening blended offense and defense seamlessly.
Filling that spot could take ages. Maybe they'd never find a replacement.
And Cheon Jihee aside, Han Mina had her own hard limit: the middling nature of beast-type awakenings.
Boosted muscle density for power, animal-sharp senses for detecting foes and traps, crisis-honed instincts—they shone in party hunts. But beast abilities never broke animal limits, a nagging doubt in Kang Hyeun's mind.
Han Mina had climbed to A-rank despite being beast-type, a rarity. Most stalled at B-rank; over 70% scraped by as C-ranks before retiring. No beast hunter had ever hit A+ historically.
Even as her close friend, Kang Hyeun had to judge coldly. Not that it meant kicking out their scout—high-level parties like Sky Blue Shield needed one, and Han Mina was the best.
Just... her combat stalled at A-rank. She could dodge A+ monsters now, but in S-rank dungeons, she'd join Cha Yuri in protected mode.
That was why S-rank parties were so rare. Protecting scouts and mages demanded extra S-rank firepower, requiring even larger rosters than A-rank ones.
With S-ranks so scarce, parties often formed as guild alliances rather than single-guild teams.
Even S-rank might be a stretch, but I want to hit A+ somehow.
Her childhood friend's dream of becoming the strongest hunter. She'd leaned on it after realizing she couldn't achieve it herself, but chasing it had pulled her closer to that dream too.
So for Kang Hyeun, realistically advancing Sky Blue Shield was a constant headache.
"Hey, Kang Hyeun!"
She flinched. Han Mina's sudden call jolted her.
"Y-yeah? What's up?"
"I'm heading that way. Gotta say bye, right?"
"Oh, yeah. Got it..."
Only now did she realize they'd reached their usual split point, lost in thought.
"Hey, you've got something bothering you lately."
"...Huh?"
"I can tell. Again. How many times have I told you not to stew alone when you're worried?"
Han Mina had noticed her subtle frowns all day since morning dispatch. Before parting, she clocked the serious issue and pressed.
Kang Hyeun's expression faltered.
"It's not the kind that fixes itself by telling others."
"Does brooding alone fix it?"
"...No."
"If it's not something you can share with me, fine. But if there's no solution anyway, just shake it off."
"...Yeah, you're right. It wasn't even a problem solving itself with worry."
Right—what if Sky Blue Shield never hit A+? She, Cha Yuri, and Han Mina would keep hunting together. Someday, when childhood friend Sung Taekyung joined the company, he'd fill Cheon Jihee's spot.
Han Mina's words made her realize no urgent fix was needed.
"Thanks, Mina. I feel lighter now."
"Good. No more stiff faces over dumb worries."
"Got it."
"If you can't tell me, vent to that Sung Taekyung guy or something."
"Nah, I'm good. It'll sort itself out with time—no more dwelling."
"Cool."
They chatted a few more minutes at the fork, then parted with waves.
"See ya, Mina!"
"You too, Kang Hyeun!"
Her chest lighter, Kang Hyeun headed home. She pulled out her smartphone on impulse to check for messages.
"...Ah!"
The endearing name in her KakaoTalk chat melted her lingering unease.
A welcome message from her boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen lately amid their busy schedules. Her heart fluttered for the first time in ages at the cozy KakaoTalk note.