Exchanging Numbers with a Famous S-Class Beauty
I exchanged phone numbers with an S-Class hunter famous for her beauty. Hmm. Is this a dream? I used to be pretty confident in my lucid dreaming skills, but it seems I failed to realize it this time. There's no way something like this would happen in reality.
After returning home, I stared blankly at the phone number saved on my smartphone and tried a few Reality Checks.
Pulling my middle finger back toward the top of my hand, trying to push my index finger through my palm, spinning around with my hand on my nose like an elephant trunk, spinning a top like in that movie, checking the time on my watch... I tried them all, but they only pointed to one conclusion: this was reality.
Why is this reality?
Seriously, why? How? Why?
"...Is she just an incredibly kind person? To the point of looking out for me even after I was discharged from the treatment room?"
No matter how much I thought about it, that was the only conclusion that made sense.
In truth, the hunter Han Haneul was just an exceptionally nice person. So nice that she felt immense guilt over a porter getting injured due to her failure as an escort. That must be why she exchanged numbers and kept checking in on me.
Just how warm-hearted does someone have to be to do that?
This is why you can't trust the internet. How could someone so sweet be misunderstood as having a bad personality?
"Ah, I should contact my club president Sunbae too... Huh?"
Just as I reached that conclusion and was about to call her, a message arrived from an unfamiliar profile.
Please beware of impersonation and phishing.
Ah. It seemed Han Haneul had added me on the messaging app after getting my number. Or maybe her contacts automatically synced with the app. Yeah, probably the latter. After all, messaging apps are way more convenient than standard texts. You can use emoticons, too.
I added her back and sent a reply.
"She really is so kind..."
At this point, isn't she basically an angel descended to earth?
Her consideration was so overwhelming that it actually made me think so. I had only become a porter using my connections to gain experience for my dreams, so having her fuss over me like this made me feel a bit embarrassed and apologetic.
Is this what an S-Class hunter is like?
The only other S-Class hunter I know is a total nutcase. Though Sunbae is nice, too. Ah, speak of the devil, she's calling.
"Hey, Siwoo."
"Yes, Sunbae."
"I heard there was an accident at the Gate? Man, I'm sorry. You ended up suffering because of me."
"Aw, don't worry about it. I did it because I wanted to."
The Guild Leader of Changcheon Guild, the Holy Light Yu Sua.
Famous as the highest-paid Holy Knight in South Korea, she was my college senior and club president. An S-Class Holy Knight, no less.
Though to me, she was just a close older sister.
Ah, by the way, our extreme sports club in college was called 'Changcheon.' I heard some senior who loved skydiving named it. Plastering that name onto her own guild was incredibly typical of her.
"Of all times, a Gate Mutation had to trigger when you were inside? Talk about terrible luck."
"Haha... Well, I've always had a knack for surviving bad luck."
"Ah, that's true. I heard you protected the other porters too?"
"Yeah. You heard about that?"
"Yeah. They were buzzing about giving you compensation, so I told them to go right ahead. Pfft. You're set for life now. I told them to give you enough so that no one could complain."
"Ah, thank you."
If even Sunbae is saying that, it must be a massive sum.
It's not like I'm hurting for money, but receiving a large sum is always a great feeling.
"Ah, by the way, Sunbae, do you know Han Haneul?"
"Huh? Of course I do. She's the face of our Changcheon Guild. Against monsters, she's probably stronger than me. In PvP... hm, fifty-fifty?"
I only asked if she knew her, but evaluating her combat power first was classic Sunbae.
"I talked to her in the treatment room today, and she seemed really kind and nice."
"Huh? Her? Kind?"
"Pardon? Yes."
However, Sunbae's reaction to my words was a bit strange.
"How did you guys even end up talking?"
"She was waiting in the treatment room until I woke up. I guess she felt really guilty because she was our escort and I got hurt. She seemed really worried. Oh, and she was the one who let me use that treatment room."
"...Tsk, you're talking about the S-Class hunter Han Haneul, right? The Ice Witch?"
"Yes."
"That's weird... She's not the type to be that warm."
"What?"
"Did you two know each other beforehand?"
"Uh, no? It was our first time meeting..."
"Hmm. Well, she's on the news a lot, so maybe she's managing her public image. I mean, she's not a bad kid, she's just cold."
"Cold?"
"Yeah. Because of her ice-attribute mana, she barely shows any emotion. She's basically a robot. That's why her manager handles all her public activities."
"Ah. Really?"
So the attribute of one's mana can affect their personality. It was my first time hearing this, but it didn't seem like a lie. Sunbae had no reason to deceive me about something like this. It was likely true. That must be where her reputation for having a bad personality came from.
But then, why was she so kind to me?
"Anyway, take care of yourself. Just because you got treated in the treatment room doesn't mean the damage is completely gone. It drains a lot of stamina, so you'll probably have a massive appetite for a few days."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you. Anyway, I'm hanging up."
"Sure, talk to you later."
I thought about mentioning that I got her phone number, but decided against it, feeling it was too personal. There was also a slight, nagging feeling of unease.
'Is it really just... image management?'
It didn't seem that way. Besides, giving out her phone number just for image management made no sense. It couldn't be... an impersonator, right? We had exchanged them directly in the Changcheon Guild's treatment room.
'...Whatever. I should just sleep.'
A lot had happened, but a regular sleep schedule was more important than anything. For a healthy life and pleasant dreams. I lay down on my bed and drifted off into dreamland.
"—Hero!"
"Huh?!"
The porter, who surely should have run away first, was standing far down at the end of the hallway. Why? How? Was he still in the Demon King's Castle?
Barely dodging the attacks of the Demon King, who was shrouded in pitch-black energy, I stared at the porter.
What should I do?
Should I lure it in the opposite direction?
Why did the porter call me?
"—This way!"
'Go over there?'
Did he sense my hesitation? The porter called out to me once more. He raised his voice, shouting more clearly for me to come toward him.
Why? It would be dangerous if he got caught up in this. I was anxious and afraid, but...
'Let's trust the porter.'
Still, I decided to trust the porter's judgment.
Because the porter was always righter than me. It wasn't that I was the Hero, but the two of us together were the Hero. That's why... this time, too, I will trust the porter.
"...Hero! Faster! This way!"
"Okay!"
And so, I ran in the direction the porter was calling me.
Channeling mana into my legs, I dashed through the hallways of the Demon King's Castle.
"What's the plan?!"
"Traps!"
"Traps?!"
"The ones we disarmed! I reinstalled them all! I marked them, so dodge them as you come!"
"Ahahaha!"
I see. Even while running away, you were thinking of how to help me. You always find a way, don't you?
A laugh escaped my lips.
To think that while I, the Hero, had almost given up on winning, the porter was already figuring out how to achieve victory.
"Porter! I'm faster, so get on my back!"
"Ugh, fine."
Heaving the porter onto my back, I sprinted down the hallway.
One by one, the marks the porter had left came into view. Behind us, a giant skeleton crawled down the hallway with a deafening roar, giving chase.
"If we had destroyed all the traps on our way in, we never could have pulled off this plan!"
"Exactly."
"I'm so glad you're here, porter!"
As expected of the Demon King's Castle, the traps were no joke.
Flames infused with mana, spears forged from legendary metals, collapsing floors, and nets woven from mysterious threads. While they weren't strong enough to kill the Demon King, they were enough to hinder his movements and inflict damage.
Every time the Demon King was held back, I swung my sword aura to attack before resuming our escape.
Black energy seeped from the Demon King's wounds, and his overwhelming aura gradually weakened. He was still far more powerful than me... but even so, it felt like we might win at least once out of a hundred battles.
If so...
Then we just have to make that one time happen right now!
"Hero! This time, over there!"
"Okay!"
Because I have my porter.
We can win. Definitely.