Retired S-Rank Hunter (3)

"Then... shall we do that?"

The moment those affirmative words—not denial—tumbled from Choi Hwayoung's lips, I silently cheered to myself. Somehow, a way always presents itself. If our relationship had started out purely as hunter and client, advancing to the next stage might have been quite difficult. But now that I'd agreed to visit her shop, Choi Hwayoung and I were connected by at least one thing beyond the commission. That alone was enough to establish a sense of closeness right from the start. From here on, deepening our bond would be entirely up to me.

It was actually a stroke of luck that she'd already learned I was a male hunter beforehand. With no preconceptions about male hunters, I'd imprinted the fact that I was a man from the very first impression. That meant no need to reveal it again when we grew closer later.

"Where's your shop located? And when should I visit?"

"Oh, hold on. Let me... give you my card..."

With that, Choi Hwayoung rummaged in the inner pocket of her white robe and pulled out a slightly crumpled rectangular business card, handing it over.

"...Sorry. This is all I have right now."

"It's fine. As long as I can read the info."

The card bore clear signs of having spent a good long time tucked inside her robe. Still, it fulfilled its basic purpose of conveying information perfectly well, so it was sufficient.

"The address is what's written there, and you can call the number below. The shop phone might be hard to reach if I'm busy, so text my mobile if possible. I'll reply as soon as I see it..."

"You're busy a lot? Must be all those customers lining up for potions, huh?"

"N-not really customers... just, yeah, busy..."

"......"

For some reason, she suddenly seemed a bit unreliable, but it was probably just my imagination. Whether her shop was swamped or dead quiet didn't really matter to me anyway. All I needed was the address and number on this card. That alone created a tenuous connection between us—a far more intimate starting point than some high-volume monetary transaction.

"So, when should I deliver the next batch of Black Slime materials?"

"W-we still have about half of the last batch left, so... o-one, uh, week? If you're busy, a bit later is fine! B-but ideally within two weeks..."

"Got it. I'll hunt some down in a week, fresh-caught that day if possible."

"Yeah, thanks."

Come to think of it, if we're bartering anyway, there's a better way than going through the guild middleman.

"How about instead of you coming to the guild to pick them up, I deliver straight to your shop at Lakeside Pharmacy?"

"Huh?"

"I'm getting paid in your shop's goods anyway, so why not handle it all in one go while I'm there?"

She pondered my suggestion carefully, then nodded quietly.

"Good idea. I'll tell the guild I'm leaving deliveries to you."

"When's a good time for visits?"

"Anytime for me. Sometimes I'm up days, sometimes nights. Call ahead, and I'll be awake. ...Probably."

"Really? Even late evening or the middle of the night?"

"Doesn't bother me, but you should be careful, right?"

"Me?"

I tilted my head at her puzzled expression as she pointed at me.

"You're a guy, so wandering alone late at night could be risky. Well, if you're strong enough to harvest Black Slime materials solo, maybe not..."

"What's to worry about? In safe, secure South Korea."

"Still, animal awakening hunters in heat cycle sometimes lose all reason and pounce."

She added, You might even get eaten if you're unlucky.

"No need to worry."

I couldn't imagine losing one-on-one to any ordinary animal awakening hunter. And if one did pounce, I wouldn't be the one getting devoured.

"I don't have a card to give you, is that okay?"

After finishing our talk in the side room and stepping out, I realized I hadn't given her my contact yet.

"No big deal. All unknown numbers look the same on my phone anyway. I'll just figure it's you."

She's so laid-back. It made things go smoothly, at least.

"I need to wrap up commissions before leaving the guild, so I'll hit the request counter first."

"Alright, contact me soon. Within a week if possible."

"Yes. Take care, sunbae."

"You too. Work hard on your B-rank promotion."

She knew all along. Why I was taking bottom-barrel requests. After watching her shuffle away, robe dragging on the floor, I donned the Mystery Mask from my subspace pocket and headed to the counter.

"Request completions for 120012, 140127, and 149932, please."

"One moment... Cave Centipede core collection, Skeleton skull collection, White Slime core collection—correct?"

"Yes."

Unlike my first completions, the guide processed my materials routinely, checking each one.

With my record of multiple B-rank requests already, even incognito as C-rank hunter Kim Sungcheol, my rep had spread among staff. Otherwise, they'd never accept a C-rank knocking out B-ranks so casually.

"All three requests completed. Cash payout like last time?"

"Yes. And appraise the rest too—settle everything at once."

"Understood... Wh-what?!"

She hadn't expected the material bag—already emptied of request items—to spill out over a hundred more. Like the previous clerk, she panicked at the mountain piled on the counter.

"...Cash for all these too?"

"Yes."

"S-su... Supervisor! Open the vault!!"

Even B-rank monster parts added ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up big in hundreds. A familiar scene by now.

By the time I'd finished all requests and settlements, it was past 10 p.m. Even in long summer days, plenty of time had passed for dusk to deepen.

Outside the guild, streetlights cast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their dim glow; the only other noise was rowdy drunks stumbling about late-night bars. A common Friday evening sight, past life or this one.

No need for the Mystery Mask anymore, so I ditched it after a short walk, stowing it in my subspace pocket. I quickened my pace home before too late. South Korea's safe, sure, but a guy getting jumped by a woman wasn't impossible—especially an animal awakening hunter in heat cycle.

With those around, scumbags like "rattlesnakes" or "hornet males" thrived too, preying on heat-cycle hunters for hush money or to launder slutty reps. Common enough.

Such night scenes naturally brought Han Mina to mind. She's probably fine. I'd relieved her pent-up lust twice during peak heat with creampies. No strict guy would trigger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her for a while. Per Jina and Seona, cycles hit every three weeks-ish. Time to clear my schedule for her soon.

Amid the cacophony of drunks, cars, and bikes, as I trudged silently home through the crowd, a familiar voice pierced the din.

"Hey? Son~~~!!"

So familiar it was like family once. I halted, turning to pinpoint the source.

"Son~!! Over here, here~~~!!!"

Focusing, I turned precisely toward the sound and spotted a woman who resembled someone, waving at me. Her outdoor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠table was littered with empty bottles.

"...Hyeun's mom?"

My childhood friend's mother—practically my own mom too. The retired former S-rank hunter, Kang Eunyoung.