Chapter 7: Chapter 7

[Title: Aren’t E-rank Dungeon Counts Dropping These Days?]

[User: Y/N]

Is it just me, or...?

- Nope, it’s just you imagining things.

- Damn, all the dungeons near my place got cleared in just a day yesterday.

- Looks like high-rank dungeons are increasing instead.

└ We’re talking about E-rank dungeons; stay on topic, dude.

---

[Title: Recs for Works Featuring White-Haired, Golden-Eyed Girls?]

[User: Y/N]

Been obsessed with this lately.

- Why are you asking for this on Hunter forums? LOL. Go somewhere else.

- What’s wrong with it, though?

└ That’s actually allowed now.

- Ever seen a saint who can wield magic like this? (link)

└ Bringing baby characters into this? You pedo...

└ Don’t judge till you read it. It’s good.

- Hold on, I’m also into this recently. I’ll post a summary soon.

---

Section Chief Jang Han-su at the Hunter Administration Bureau stared at his computer screen. Files related to the apps used by hunters were neatly organized and displayed before him.

With administrative privileges, he could access the data he wanted—specifically the gates within Korea, especially in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

Recently, he’d noticed a peculiar pattern. It was the sort of thing you’d only catch if you were a government employee monitoring such things closely.

"Someone’s been clearing clusters of gates on a regular basis."

Gate and dungeon spawn locations are random; no one knows where they’ll appear.

It’s only thanks to an invention by a returnee from America that advance detection is even possible.

Someone was clearing these gates as if saying, “Let’s just get rid of them all at once because they’re a hassle.”

Section Chief Jang pulled up a hunter’s data.

Jeong Si-hyeon, E-rank hunter, Paladin. Although the details hadn’t been fully disclosed yet, she was only the second returnee worldwide.

In the past week, she’d cleared one D-rank and thirteen E-rank dungeons. For the average hunter, this number of dungeon entries was typical. She was simply diligent.

However...

“Wow, sir, who is this hunter?” one of his team members asked as he walked by, his eyes wide with curiosity.

“Oh, a recent awakener.”

“She’s cleared four dungeons in one day, taken a two-day break, and then repeated the cycle?”

“Seems that way.”

“Pretty unique, right? Isn’t that exhausting? It’d be more practical to enter one dungeon consistently every day.”

“I guess it’s a Paladin-specific thing.”

“Ah, I see. Impressive, though! Of the thirteen E-rank clears, twelve were solo.”

The team member, impressed by Si-hyeon’s stats, walked away. Section Chief Jang returned to scrutinizing his monitor.

From a purely statistical view, she appeared ordinary. But with more detailed data, it felt like she was practically shouting, "I’m just an ordinary hunter! No need to worry about me!"

Could he be imagining things? He rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

... Maybe it’d be better to make a call.

He got up and moved to the break room to make the call in a quieter spot.

Si-hyeon didn’t pick up.

Was she in a dungeon? If so, it’d be impossible to reach her.

No… that wasn’t it. There was no indication of that on the recent checks.

He decided to send her a message instead and then returned to the break room with his drink.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

“This is Section Chief Jang Han-su. I see you returned my call.”

- ...I got your message.

A soft, clear voice came through the phone, gentle and soothing.

“Yes, since you’re Korea’s first returnee, I thought it would be good to offer periodic check-ins. Are you busy at the moment?”

- ...Yes, a bit.

“I see.”

For a moment, Section Chief Jang was at a loss for words. She sounded like someone who wasn’t busy but didn’t feel like socializing. Her tone was just too calm.

“Then I’ll keep this brief, so as not to trouble you.”

He cleared his throat and continued.

“I wanted to recommend the academy enrollment we discussed earlier. If finances are an issue, student loans are available, just like for college.”

- ...I’m still unsure about it.

It seemed she wasn’t interested in academy enrollment. Jang decided to offer his backup plan.

“How about a mentor then?”

- A mentor?

“I could assign a hunter from the Bureau to work with you. You’ve already tried a D-rank dungeon, so isn’t the E-rank restriction a bit inconvenient?”

- Hmm... I’ll think about it.

She was slightly interested. Jang breathed a small sigh of relief internally. He’d leave it at that for today.

“Understood. I’ll check in again later then.”

- Thank you. Goodbye.

As the call ended, Jang Han-su leaned against the wall, rubbing his forehead.

Offering a mentor from the Bureau was a form of special treatment. Any hunter without a large guild would jump at the chance.

But her response was a lukewarm “I’ll think about it.” Clearly, she found the idea of a mentor unnecessary.

She had outstanding abilities, but also seemed averse to hassle.

The words “Hero’s Party” suddenly flashed in his mind.

"...It wouldn’t be wise to push too hard."

If he provoked her too much, he could end up with nothing. He’d have to take things slowly, building a gradual rapport.

It’d be a long journey, no doubt.

“Phew...”

There was a long way to go.

But he couldn’t give up. Dungeons of higher ranks were appearing worldwide with increasing frequency.

They needed to secure as much talent as possible. It wasn’t a time to let abilities and potential go to waste.

---

After a quick trip to the bathroom, Si-yun glanced toward the living room. Her sister was lying comfortably on the sofa, absorbed in her phone.

Her smartphone hovered mid-air, adjusting its position whenever she shifted. It was almost magical.

Had her sister, who used to be her brother, really been living with her for about a week now?

Her sister had said she needed some rest, but she was leading a pretty disciplined life.

Each day began before dawn with hours of prayer.

At first, Si-yun hadn’t realized this.

She’d just assumed her sister liked to wake up early, until she awoke to use the bathroom one morning and saw her sister quietly praying in the living room.

Checking the time, she’d been surprised. It was just after 5 a.m.

Si-hyeon continued praying, without so much as a slight movement, until Si-yun woke up for breakfast.

Curious, Si-yun had asked her about it.

“We’re not in that other world anymore, right? Do you still have to pray? You were originally an atheist, weren’t you?”

“Well, it’s partly a habit. And it makes me feel stronger. Maybe God does exist?”

She had returned as a believer. Other than her devout prayers, though, she was just the same as when she was an atheist.

After breakfast, if she wasn’t going out for the day, she’d spend her time lounging around, watching TV, or fiddling with her phone.

Sometimes, Si-yun would hear her muttering strange things to herself.

“I wish I had a status window… New skills!”

Was that hunter business? Not understanding, she just let it pass.

Recently, with her new ID, she’d even opened a bank account and had started paying for their delivery dinners herself.

The menu was always chosen by Si-yun, though.

Just as she was about to head back to her room, Si-hyeon looked at her.

“Si-yun.”@@novelbin@@

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m in trouble.”

“Huh?! What happened?”

Startled by the sudden statement, Si-yun jumped in place. Seeing her reaction, Si-hyeon blinked a few times with a slightly awkward expression.

“Oh, sorry! It was nothing, really.”

“Well, now I’m curious...”

“Uh, well, there’s this V-Tuber I found, and they’re just too cute.”

“...Huh?”

Si-hyeon blushed.

“It’s... what do they call it, a ‘favorite’? A character I like the most. They talk so sweetly, it’s adorable.”

“Uh... sure. Could you show me who?”

“Here!”

Smiling brightly, Si-hyeon handed over her phone. Feeling a sense of dread, Si-yun glanced at the screen.

She lowered her head, her face turning red with embarrassment. She couldn’t bring herself to look up.

“Uh, do you… dislike V-Tubers?”

“No, it’s not that...”

She had tried steering her sister’s interests toward novels. Now, she regretted not getting her a computer or laptop, maybe even leading her into games instead.

Peeking through her fingers, she glanced at her sister’s innocent expression.

It seemed her sister hadn’t realized the V-Tuber’s identity yet. A small relief.

“The voice reminds me a bit of you when you were younger. They act cute sometimes, but in a charming way.”

“...”

‘Acting cute’... Hearing that made her cringe.

“At least you don’t dislike it. Do you mind if I hook it up to the TV?”

“...Sure.”

So that’s why she brought it up. Si-yun nodded slowly. Her sister’s acting skills seemed to be on point.

Honestly, she wanted to say no.

But

looking at her sister’s bright, hopeful face, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

After all, her sister had been through years in another world.

And it’s not like she knew the truth. Watching it was fine.

Still, she felt she had to set some ground rules.

“Then, once I’m done working, let’s watch something else on TV.”

“Huh? Of course! It’s not like I’m the only one using it.”

Relieved, Si-hyeon smiled brightly. After all, she was living off her sister, and she was just grateful for her understanding.

On top of that, her sister kindly explained all sorts of things to her and helped her do what she wanted.

If only the Hero’s Party had been even a fraction as supportive...

“...I’ll go get back to work.”

“Alright!”

As Si-yun shuffled back to her room, Si-hyeon watched her, tilting her head slightly.

“Work must be tiring.”

When I go to dungeons, do I look like that, too? I should pay attention to that, she thought, before turning her gaze back to the TV.

On the main screen of the video app were several recommended videos, one catching her eye.

[Hunter Arrested for Assaulting a Civilian]

Hunter assaulting a civilian.

The incident with the stalker crossed her mind. After thoroughly “repenting,” she hadn’t seen the man again.

“...That’s dangerous.”

Her pretty, cute sister might attract another unwanted admirer. And if it were another hunter? If she wasn’t around to help?

Frowning slightly, her gaze shifted to the business card lying on the table.

The one given by that nice guild member—a guild run by crafting hunters.

Maybe it was time to visit that guild while tackling some dungeons.