Retired S-Rank Hunter (5): Carrying the Sobbing Woman Home
It was nearly 11 p.m. by the time I carried the sobbing woman home. Just two fences away from my place, I slipped my hand into the secret pouch under the mailbox at the front door of Kang Hyeun's house and pulled out the spare key always kept in the same spot. I unlocked the gate.
"Drurrrng, click…."
Kang Hyeun's mother had cried her heart out after her loud karaoke session and now seemed completely exhausted, having fallen asleep. To avoid waking her, I carefully supported her hips with one hand while punching in the door code with the other. The lock on the front door of Hyeun's house clicked open with the four-digit code and asterisk.
"Mm, hmm…."
"We're here, ma'am."
"Mmm…."
She showed no signs of waking, still limp against my back, so I carried her inside as she was.
"Mom's home…? Oh, Taekyung?"
Hyeun, who had come out to greet her mother the moment the door opened, locked eyes with me.
"I brought your mom."
"Y-yeah. Come in first."
She naturally took her mother from me at the entrance and carried her off to the bedroom. I kicked off my shoes and followed Hyeun inside.
"Mom, seriously. I keep telling her to stop drinking so much, and look—she comes home wasted from outside…."
I'd thought it was odd she wasn't passed out at home like usual. Turns out it was because of Hyeun's nagging. After confirming her mom was sprawled out on the bed, we moved to the living room.
"Sorry about my mom…. Must've been tough carrying her…?"
"She wasn't that heavy, but singing at the top of her lungs in the middle of the street was a bit embarrassing."
"Next time, I'll make sure she drinks at home…."
Seeing Hyeun bow her head in shame even though it wasn't her fault, I wrestled with whether to spit out the words circling in my mouth.
S-Rank Hunter Kang Eunyoung
She's been drowning her sorrows in alcohol night after night, missing her hunter husband who passed away 20 years ago.
In his place, relieve her pent-up sexual desires and rekindle her will to live.
🎁 Special Reward: Awakening Points +300
⏰ Remaining Time: 167:05:35
This had popped up the moment I ran into her—Hyeun's mother, S-Rank Hunter Kang Eunyoung—in the middle of the street. How was I supposed to explain this emergency quest attached to her?
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
In the end, I said nothing to Hyeun or her mother that day and just headed home. It wasn't like I regretted missing a chance to speak up or anything.
Who would lament passing up a shot at sleeping with someone basically like a mom? Even if she wasn't my real mother, she wasn't not either.
That said, one of my early thoughts after getting the Hunter Libido Manager System was whether it worked on retired hunters too.
Retired hunters usually had enough money to snag a good guy and get married. Popular ones often lived the alpha male life even after hanging up their gear. But that was just the general rule—not true for everyone.
Take Choi Hwayoung, who was too busy post-retirement for even dating. Or Kang Eunyoung, Hyeun's mom, whom I'd just carried home on my back.
Coming face-to-face with a case like hers—losing a partner to a tragic accident and never dating again—made it clear my ability wasn't limited to active hunters.
Unlike Choi Hwayoung, whom I'd barely known, Kang Eunyoung had been in my life since childhood. Imagining hooking up with her wasn't easy.
Not that she lacked appeal as a woman. No clue how she did it, but at her age, S-Rank Hunter Kang Eunyoung still looked peak-condition. She could pass for Hyeun's slightly older sister.
But that alone wasn't enough excuse to jump into bed with her. She'd raised me like her own son. A mom is a mom, no matter how hot.
Forgetting over a decade as "mom" and seeing her as just a woman overnight? Impossible. The system's one-week grace period must account for that.
Somehow, make her a 'woman,' not 'mom,' within the week. It felt like the system was telling me exactly that.
'Esilla, what do I do here?'
"Esilla does not interfere with the master's final choice in any way."
'Even if I ignore this emergency quest and let it pass without doing anything, that's fine?'
"Emergency quests from the system are not mandatory, but we recommend completing them if possible."
'Why? For some measly awakening points? Tell me to fuck someone basically like my own mom just for 300 points?'
Was she defending this absurd quest because she was an SI spawned by the system? I snapped back irritably, but her response threw me off.
"Looking at the system's ■■■■, the reason emergency quests appear is highly likely due to ■■■■. For hunters facing ■■■■, ■■■■, ■■■■, etc., it's an ■■■■ quest…."
Her response came back garbled, parts of the sentence slurred beyond recognition. Naturally, suspicion arose about this unusual situation.
'What the hell are you even saying?'
"Sorry. Some information has been omitted due to system censorship."
Irritation bubbled up at this system that pulled every damn trick. Fine, whatever—getting stronger by fucking female hunters? No complaints since I started using it properly. Hell, I was thrilled to awaken as a guy.
But today's stunt crossed the line. Issuing an emergency quest targeting someone like a mom, holding points hostage? And when I complain, no answers—just censorship?
With no physical form to punch, my rage had nowhere to go but fester inside. My heart raced like never before, emotions tangled.
If I'd heard Esilla's full intent, I'd have more to judge on. But the system gave nothing, just "fuck Hyeun's mom," leaving me confused.
"Analysis of censored expressions complete."
'…What?'
"Ready to convey information bypassing system censorship. Shall I proceed?"
She'd gone quiet, but she'd been working on this? More intel was better, so I mentally agreed.
'Go ahead.'
"Please recall previous instances when emergency quests occurred."
'Previous emergency quests?'
"For reference, the Hunter Libido Manager System has issued emergency quests a total of three times so far. They all share a common factor."
…….
Three times. Three…. Setting aside today's—the most recent—I dredged up the prior two.
The first was saving Cha Yuri in the Ancient Tree Tomb. The second, rescuing Do Sihee in the abandoned village.
Finding their common thread was easy.
'I saved their lives from monsters?'
But linking that to Kang Eunyoung? Nothing. I'd only ever been saved by her, never the reverse.
Something felt off….
"Please carefully recall the behavior of A-Rank Hunter Cha Yuri and A-Rank Hunter Do Sihee after you saved them."
'After I saved them…?'
It'd been a month—memories fuzzy. Still, I replayed from first meetings to quest triggers.
'I want to die….'
'D-don't say that! Your powers came back this time, so they'll come back next time too!'
'Who knows when…. It's meaningless….'
'Do Sihee! You need to head back to the guild!'
'Mind your own business! I'm still fine! You think I'm going back empty-handed?!'
'You got hurt bad in that last fight—what makes you think you can go back in with those injuries?!'
'I said don't worry about it!'
"Ah."
Their post-rescue reactions hit me, sparking a grim connection.
If emergency quests triggered for that reason….
Then Kang Eunyoung—practically my mom—was facing the same issue.
'No way… is it what I think?'
"The probability is very high."
Esilla's firm confirmation plunged my mind into deeper chaos than when the quest appeared.
If I'd ignored Cha Yuri or Do Sihee's needs back then, the fate awaiting them….
Maybe that same doom was closing in on her now.