Chapter 47: SSS-Rank Underwater Hunter

Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 47

EP.47 SSS-Rank Underwater Hunter

The current Hunter Association President, Igarashi Natsuko, arrived at the first-floor lobby using the executive elevator.

As usual, she had just raided Seo Sunwoo’s office, stolen some green tea, and planted a bug before leaving.

Strangely, Seo Sunwoo always found and destroyed the cameras, reporting to Natsuko, “Those Silo guys must have planted cameras again.” However, he never noticed the bugs, no matter how many she planted.

So Natsuko gave up on the cameras and only planted bugs to monitor him.

It wasn’t that Seo Sunwoo was receiving special treatment. Most of the Hunter Association’s executives were being bugged and monitored by Natsuko.

Seo Sunwoo’s case was just a bit more extreme.

She would barge into his office without notice.

It was her intuition and judgment that made her keep a close eye on him.

Considering Seo Sunwoo’s true identity, it made sense.

Anyway.

As Natsuko was about to walk out of the lobby after finishing today’s ‘business,’ something very conspicuous caught her eye.

A suit, hat, sunglasses, and even a mask.

…Was that a bodysuit underneath?

Natsuko, who always pursued spontaneity and hedonism, immediately approached the bewildered Parang.

Because she was curious. And it looked interesting.

‘Suspicious.’

That was Natsuko’s first impression of Parang.

And for good reason, as it was someone walking around the first floor of the Seoul branch of the Hunter Association in the middle of summer, wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a hat.

Did she really think that was a disguise?

Upon closer inspection, her hair wasn’t just black; it had hints of blue and aqua.

She seemed familiar, somehow.

So, trying to remember who she was, Natsuko stared blankly at Parang for a few minutes. Coincidentally, Parang was also staring blankly at the directory by the elevator.

Finding her suspicious and interesting for various reasons, Natsuko decided to speak to Parang.

‘Oh, she’s pretty.’

Meanwhile, Parang didn’t think much of Natsuko. After all, Parang didn’t know that Natsuko was the Association President.

‘A Hunter who doesn’t know the face of the Association President?’… Well, yes.

Igarashi Natsuko had only recently come into the public eye.

She had ascended to the position of President without much fanfare. This was during the chaotic time of the Slayers’ ascension, so it went largely unnoticed. Natsuko had somewhat intended it that way.

The point is, Natsuko remained a veiled figure.

And Parang rarely visited the Hunter Association except to sell materials.

She didn’t even know the face of the Pohang Branch Manager, let alone the distant Association President.

It was natural for Parang not to recognize Natsuko. Moreover, Natsuko didn’t have any bodyguards, so she looked like an ordinary employee.

However, Parang did feel a slight unease. She was pretty, had a good figure, and her personality… well, that was still unknown. But something felt off.

Nevertheless, their encounter seemed uneventful.

A slightly suspicious passerby and a seemingly ordinary but oddly unsettling employee. That was it.

“Are you looking for the General Branch Manager’s office? It’s in the East Wing, not this West Wing. It’s quite hot outside, so you might want to go up to the third floor and use the sky bridge.”

“Oh, thank you!!”

Just then, the elevator arrived, and Parang jumped inside as the doors opened.

Natsuko waved kindly until the doors closed.

As the elevator ascended smoothly, Natsuko’s smiling expression turned cold before it even reached the second floor.

Her face became as cold as a steel plate, almost evoking the uncanny valley.

Suddenly, three men in suits and sunglasses stood behind her.

They stood silently behind Natsuko in a formal posture.

Then, with a single word from Natsuko,

“Follow her and report everything to me.”

They disappeared even more unnaturally than they had appeared.

#

Meanwhile, at the Hunter Association Asia General Branch, East Wing, 13th floor, Branch Manager’s Office.

Knock. Knock, knock.

At the sound of knocking from beyond the door, Seo Sunwoo, who had been sipping green tea, opened his eyes.

The clock showed 1:55 PM.

When he opened the door, Parang, wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses, walked in.

“…Did you really come all the way here like that?”

“Yes.”

“…I’ll give you a mask when you leave.”

“Oh.”

Parang sighed.

Why hadn’t she thought of a mask?

The Hunter Association provides masks for free to Hunters who wish to conceal their identities.

They are plain, featureless red masks without even eye holes.

Of course, they allow clear vision.

Many Hunters wear them, and sometimes even celebrities use them at airports or while traveling.

So a mask would have been better than that pathetic disguise.

Such is the sad habit of a reincarnator.

Anyway, Parang and Seo Sunwoo sat down.

It was the same place where Natsuko and Seo Sunwoo had previously sat.

As soon as Parang sat at the desk, Seo Sunwoo pulled out two stacks of papers.

One was about the establishment of a test to determine the rank of underwater Hunters.

The other was just a blank sheet of paper.

Seo Sunwoo greeted Parang with a friendly smile, took out a pen, and wrote something on the paper.

“Nice to meet you, Hunter Yu Parang.”

“Would you like some tea?”

‘Wow, his hand is really fast.’

How could someone write so quickly?

Having to converse and write notes simultaneously required immense concentration.

But as a hero destined to save the world, Yu Parang decided to give it her all for the noble mission.

Still, she thought she might need some hydration.

“Ah, water will be fine for me.”

Seo Sunwoo’s expression briefly showed bewilderment. However, he soon called someone to bring the water.

A burly, muscular man’s eyes sparkled as he disappeared to fetch the 20 liters of water.

Why?

Anyway, the conversation between Yu Parang and Seo Sunwoo began.

“I’m Seo Sunwoo. I’m the Branch Manager of the Asia General Branch.”

“I’m Yu Parang. Nice to meet you.”

She could only write short sentences due to the concentration required. How was he managing this?

“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve been quite free lately, and thanks to you, I got to tour Seoul.”

Gulp, gulp.

“The reason we invited Hunter Yu Parang today is because of these documents you see here.”

“Uh… What is this?”

“As you can see, the ranks of underwater Hunters have been underestimated until now.”

“That’s… certainly true.”

“For instance, you, Hunter Yu Parang, are a B-rank. There are virtually no Hunters on land who can match your power.”

“That seems… likely.”

“That’s why we’re establishing this ranking test for underwater Hunters. We need your help, Hunter Yu Parang.”

“I see.”

“We need your assistance in setting the ranking criteria for underwater Hunters.”

“I see.”

Parang nodded with a slightly uneasy expression.

“As you know, there is very little information about underwater Hunters. And some of them far exceed our usual classification standards.”

“Hmm, that’s certainly true.”

“So, we’ve decided to introduce a new rank above S-rank for underwater Hunters on a trial basis.”

“Ah… I see.”

Parang’s confidence seemed to waver suddenly.

Tests had shown that the space created by ‘Departure’ was too small to summon the Kraken.

Of course, even without the Kraken, Parang was incredibly strong.

She could easily overpower the current top 1-10 S-rank Hunters simultaneously.

But fighting against the military force prepared by Silo without the Kraken was honestly challenging for her.

Silo knew this too.

They didn’t know exactly what Parang’s personal skill was, but they knew the difference between using it and not using it was enormous.

“What we want to ask you is to help set the criteria for S, SS, and SSS-rank Hunters. Since this is a new attempt for us, we decided to seek the help of an expert.”

“Uh, I understand. But… wouldn’t it be unfair if I set the criteria for the test I’m going to take?”

“Of course, we won’t leave everything to you. And… whatever test we prepare, it’s certain you’ll pass as an SSS-rank.”

“Ah… I see.”

Now that she thought about it, it made sense.

Just as ‘Departure,’ originally used as a debuff skill, had its purpose completely transformed in Parang’s hands, ‘evidence,’ which originally served the role of a USB, became the world’s most powerful assassination weapon when used by Parang.

A terrifying weapon that could shatter a target’s mind just by being brought close to their body.

“You don’t need to worry about it now. Today, we just wanted to ask for your cooperation. So, will you help us?”

“Alright. I’ll cooperate.”

“It was nice meeting you today. How about a cup of tea? It’s really good.”

“Then just one cup, please.”

Ah, it’s my fault.

Parang took a sip of her tea.

“…The tea is good.”

“Thank you.”

Seo Sunwoo handed a USB to Parang. She held it tightly in her hand.

“The tea is good.”

“Thank you. I knew you’d like it.”

A moment later, Parang left the Branch Manager’s office.

“Phew…”

She sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead.

Her head hurt.