Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Exam (6)
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Cha Su-ho blinked up at the pristine white ceiling before snapping his head toward the sudden bang of the door flying open.
Men in crisp white gowns filed in through the doorway. Among them, one stood out above the rest: Trevor.
Su-ho tried to prop himself up, but his body refused to cooperate.
Trevor noticed and adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
"Please, stay lying down."
Trevor gave Su-ho a quick once-over before shifting his gaze to the chart in his hand.
"Cha Su-ho Helper, how's your body feeling?"
"Fine, aside from not being able to get up."
"The tests show you've depleted not just your physical stamina but your mental energy as well. Rest up, and your condition should return to normal."
Su-ho nodded lightly, then a sudden curiosity struck him about Ji-young's status.
"Uh, what about An Ji-young Hunter?"
Trevor shot him a cold, piercing look.
"Cha Su-ho Helper, how exactly did you know that Hunter was An Ji-young?"
Su-ho froze for a split second. There was no way an F-grade Helper like him could have crossed paths with an SS-grade like her. Aside from Jin Seong-hyeok—the celebrity Hunter even Civilians idolized—no one, not even fellow Awakeners like Hunters or Helpers, knew the identities of SS-grades offhand.
Besides, A-grade Helpers and S-grade-plus Hunters lived in entirely different worlds, from their living quarters to their fieldwork. Encounters were rare.
Yet Su-ho knew. Her name, precisely.
"Cha Su-ho Helper."
Trevor called his name again, and Su-ho finally spoke up.
"Oh, I heard it somewhere before."
"Heard it? An Ji-young Hunter doesn't operate domestically, so not many people know her."
"Yeah, I heard it from Jin Seong-hyeok."
Trevor's head tilted at the name.
"SSS-grade Jin Seong-hyeok Hunter?"
"Yes."
Trevor had no way to verify it. Jin Seong-hyeok was dead, after all. And it was technically true—Jin had been the one to tell him her name.
Still, Trevor didn't drop his suspicious glare.
"I didn't realize you and Jin Seong-hyeok Hunter were close enough to chat like that."
"Haha, well, we're both one-of-a-kind in our worlds. He's SSS-grade, I'm F-grade, but we just clicked somehow."
Su-ho let out an awkward laugh, and Jin Seong-hyeok snorted internally.
*'We clicked so well that here I am, camped out in your head.'*
*'Don't tease. Trevor’s eyeing me like a suspect right now. If he catches on...'
*'He'll crack your skull open to fish me out.'*
Crack his skull open?
*'Don't say creepy shit like that!'*
Jin Seong-hyeok chuckled lowly.
"Cha Su-ho Helper."
Su-ho snapped out of his internal chat.
"Sorry. An old conversation with Jin Seong-hyeok just popped into my head."
"Must've been a funny one. You were smiling."
Su-ho flashed another awkward grin at Trevor's sharp question.
"Uh, anyway. Are we done here? I'm still wiped and could use some rest."
"I've taken enough of your time. Get some rest."
Su-ho's face relaxed in relief as Trevor turned to leave.
"Oh, there's one thing I haven't answered yet."
"Huh?"
Trevor half-turned back toward the bed.
"An Ji-young Hunter is recovering. Her condition has stabilized."
"That's a relief."
He'd sensed it during the Clean, but hearing confirmation lightened Su-ho's heart.
Jin Seong-hyeok felt the same.
*'Good. Nothing more pathetic for a Hunter than dying to overload.'*
*'Yeah.'*
Trevor's heavy voice cut through Su-ho's relief.
"But, Cha Su-ho Helper."
"Yes?"
"How did you Clean a Hunter who was already in full overload—not just on the brink?"
Cold eyes bored into him from behind Trevor's glasses.
"Governments and Associations worldwide have poured endless resources into reversing overload states. Never once succeeded."
It was no surprise. Cleaning overload meant absorbing the raw clump of energy from the Hunter's body and purifying it yourself.
Few Hunters even had absorption abilities, and even if one absorbed from an overloaded Hunter, they couldn't purify it—the absorber would overload instead.
There simply was no way to revert a full overload.
"How did you do it?"
Unless you could absorb, Clean, and self-purify like Su-ho and Jin Seong-hyeok—it was Su-ho's unique feat.
Su-ho met Trevor's probing stare.
"I don't know."
"What?"
Su-ho got Trevor's disbelief, but he couldn't explain. Not without revealing Jin Seong-hyeok was inside him. Jin agreed.
"I don't know. I just Cleaned. Then blacked out."
Trevor stared him down, weighing the truth. Su-ho blinked innocently.
"Rest well today. Your secretary will brief you on the remaining tests once you're back in form. Excuse me."
Trevor left with lingering doubt clouding his face. Su-ho finally exhaled deeply.
"Whew. At this rate, I might not die of old age."
He'd noticed Trevor's scrutiny since before the A-grade test. An F-grade jumping to A-grade was curiosity bait enough.
"I'll meet more Hunters, hit more fields... You think I'll be okay?"
Anything could happen out there. He might need Jin's power to survive.
*'What, scared Trevor'll really crack your head open?'*
Su-ho let out a dry laugh at Jin's teasing.
"Don't even joke about that."
*'Worrying about hypotheticals just breeds anxiety. Besides,'*
Jin continued in a low voice.
*'Who cares if they find out? Just play dumb like before. Unless they crawl inside you like me, no one's spotting it.'*
True. Without Su-ho spilling it, no one could know Jin was there. Suspicion? No proof.
"Still, I'll play it safe. Sticking to Clean for a while."
*'Suit yourself.'*
"I'm crashing again. You too, Jin Seong-hyeok."
*'Fine.'*
Su-ho's eyelids drooped heavily as he stared at the white ceiling.
Even after waking, Su-ho spent three more days cooped up in the room. Regeneration had healed all internal and external injuries, but they kept him pinned under the guise of peak conditioning.
The room—meant for A-grade Helpers and S-grade-plus Hunters—had every amenity, and requests were promptly met. Except for one issue.
The food.
Su-ho's face fell at the breakfast tray.
"...Ha."
Two slabs of chicken breast, a salad, sweet potato soup, and a protein shake. His mouth already tasted like poultry.
"This is too much. So many tasty things in the world, and it's chicken breast every damn day."
*'The ideal meal. Can't comprehend your complaints.'*
Su-ho shook his head at Jin.
"I can't comprehend you. How's this ideal? Ideal's spicy stew or juicy steak... Oh, fried chicken would be perfect."
*'Disastrous.'*
"Disastrous? Jin Seong-hyeok, you've never had chicken? How...!"
A knock interrupted before he finished.
*'Someone's here.'*
"Yeah. Discharge maybe?"
Su-ho tilted his head and called out.
"Come in."
The door eased open, revealing a familiar face.
"Good morning, Cha Su-ho Helper."
It was Min Gi-uk, impeccably suited and polite as ever. Su-ho replied.
"Morning."
"Here to brief you on the next schedule."
Gi-uk swiped his tablet.
"You're cleared for discharge. Change into your Helper uniform, head to your room, and rest up."
Finally. Su-ho brightened.
"The paused A-grade test resumes tomorrow morning."
"Solo room again?"
Su-ho dreaded another nightmare Clean in isolation, but good news followed.
"No. Field test this time. You'll Clean Hunters on-site."
"On-site?!"
"Yes."
His heart raced at "field." The real deal he'd craved.
His first outing—with grotesque monsters, brutal scenes, near-death—could've scarred him. Instead, it fueled him.
Jin Seong-hyeok was with him. Fear? Long gone. Plus, he was A-grade now. Capable of Cleaning most Hunters.
"Got it!"
His voice brimmed with energy.
"I'll pick you up at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Prep by then."
"Understood."
"Change and I'll escort you to your room."
Gi-uk bowed politely, tablet lowered. As he turned, Su-ho grabbed him urgently.
"Wait... One favor?"
"Of course."
"I wanna eat the second I get to my room..."
Gi-uk's eyes flicked to the untouched chicken tray.
"Name your cravings. I'll have them ready."
Su-ho lit up, rattling off.
"Half saucy, half fried chicken. Tuna mayo rice bowl. Ooh, gamjatang sounds good... And spicy pork stir-fry."
"All set."
"Thanks!"
Gi-uk gone, Su-ho whooped. Jin sighed pitifully, then burst into incredulous laughter.
Back in the A-grade Helper quarters, Su-ho thanked his stars again.
The table groaned under half-saucy half-fried chicken, tuna mayo bowl, gamjatang, spicy pork— all steaming temptingly. Chopsticks flew into his hand.
His hands didn't stop.
Until Jin nagged him to quit stuffing his face.