Upon hearing Lee Sooah’s words, Hunter Class 6 collectively flinched.
As if they had been given a significant shock.
They exchanged glances, communicating silently through their expressions.
‘Wait? Hunter Sooah?’
I could clearly see their realization.
“Um, Team Leader. Is it possible to take it down? Right?”
I looked at Sooah and reaffirmed my statement.
“Ah~ no. Jihoon, I’m a little hurt by your words. What do you think of me?”
She appeared slightly annoyed.
Well, the provocation was a success.
“I am Lee Sooah. S-Rank No. 1! Formerly… the Lee Sooah…”
She suddenly took on a solemn demeanor.
“Hmm~ I’ve heard so much about you, Ms. Sooah. But I’ve never gotten to see your skills properly…”
I casually let it slip.
“I’ll take care of it. You and Hunter Class 6 should count yourselves lucky. You know I usually don’t do this, right?”
“Yes!!!”
Hunter Class 6 responded with an exceptionally loud chorus.
This made Sooah slightly grimace.
“Alright then. Today, we’ll get to witness Hunter Sooah’s prowess. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing my words, Sooah’s eyes sparkled. She seemed focused, as if realizing she had a task to accomplish.
Huff huff.
‘Huh? Who is it?’
Heavy breathing could be heard behind us. Everyone from Hunter Class 6 was right here, so who could it be?
They all turned around at once.
And everyone gasped in shock.
“Yoo Hana…????”
Everyone’s expressions went blank.
“Yoo Hana? What brings you here? Is that really you?”
Manager Cha hurriedly approached Yoo Hana.
‘What? Why is Yoo Hana here?’
Huff huff.
“No… Ha… Jihoon? Why aren’t you answering my calls? It’s so annoying. Seriously.”
Yoo Hana looked extremely frustrated.
“Um, we’re in a dungeon, you know.”
It’s customary not to answer calls while inside a dungeon. It’s not just me; everyone feels the same way. Except for emergency calls…
“Ugh, I know that…”
“But Yoo Hana, are you coming from the broadcasting station right now?”
“Haah… yes…”
She was clad in what appeared to be filming attire.
‘What? Did she come here because of me?’
She must have run all the way deep into the dungeon.
‘Ugh. Unbelievable.’
“No, but Yoo Hana, what’s going on?”
I heard Sooah’s irritated voice.
I could read her expression well.
It was an opportunity for her to shine in front of Hunter Class 6 and me, but suddenly a disruptor had appeared.
“Hey. Quickly turn back. It’s dangerous here. This isn’t a place for a celebrity.”
“Excuse me, Ms. Sooah? I’m Yoo Hana. I’m also an S-Rank Hunter. And when I was in the Blue Guild, I used to outshine you daily, remember?”
“Wow… look at you casually spouting nonsense. You’ve really become thick-skinned, haven’t you?”
Sooah and Yoo Hana began a fierce verbal sparring match.
Thanks to that, Hunter Class 6, stuck in the middle, was anxiously watching the situation unfold.
“Um… Jihoon… could you, maybe, mediate a little here? This might end badly for all of us…”
Baron was currently howling, while Sooah and Yoo Hana were going head-to-head between Hunter Class 6.
“It happened before where things went south like this. Whenever these two clashed in the Blue Guild, poor souls caught in between almost ended up dead…”
Manager Cha sidled up to me, visibly desperate.
“I’ll take care of it.”
I had no choice but to step in.
“Um, Yoo Hana, can you take down Baron too?”
I approached Yoo Hana very naturally, twisting my body as if I had no interest in Sooah whatsoever.
“Of course!!!”
“Then could you handle that? The reason I couldn’t contact you is because of that guy.”
Of course, that was a blatant lie, but I decided to throw it out there.
“Oh, is that so? Sigh. Baron would be a bit much for Hunter Class 6, right? I’ll handle it.”
Yoo Hana showed no signs of hesitation. It felt like she would do anything for me.
“Sigh. It’s been a while since I checked my status window.”
Yoo Hana began to warm up.
“Wait… hold on???”
From behind came a very urgent voice, and it was Sooah.
“Hey! I promised I would handle this, remember? I’m stepping in instead of Hunter Class 6, and I’ll show you my skills. So that should be fine, right?”
“Ah, but it seems like we could also see Yoo Hana’s skills today. This isn’t an everyday opportunity, you know?”
I spoke while completely turning my back on Sooah, just slightly tilting my head to address her.
“Ah… no!! B-Baek Jihoon… let me do it. I want to. Please give me the chance.”
She then began to gear up earnestly.
These two S-Rank Hunters, Sooah and Yoo Hana, were intensely staring at their status windows. They began pulling out items one by one, preparing for a full-blown competition.
EP.71
“Oh…”
Everyone in Hunter Class 6 appeared to be in shock, mouths agape at the unfolding situation.
“I’m ready!! I’m going!”
Sooah quickly prepared herself and dashed out.
“Wait! Someone stop her! I haven’t remembered where I put my items in a long time!”
Yoo Hana suddenly exclaimed in frustration, looking quite urgent.
“I… I’m ready too!! I’m going!!”
She seemed to be rushing out even though she wasn’t fully prepared.
“Wow… this is a historic moment, isn’t it?”
Assistant Manager Kim looked astonished, unable to close his mouth.
“Shouldn’t we be filming this? What is happening right now…?”
“Those two have never attacked the same target. Whenever they entered a dungeon together, they ended up fighting each other so much that the Guild Master had to separate them every time!”
Manager Cha clung to me, providing further explanation.
“This situation just doesn’t make sense!”
He also looked completely bewildered.
*
“Ha. Seriously…”
Sooah looked back at Yoo Hana chasing after her, exhibiting a perplexed expression.
“When she was in the Blue Guild, she never helped me at all. Why is she here today? Seriously? Ugh.”
She seemed quite irritated.
“That’s okay. I’ll show her what I’m made of. This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that I can take down Baron better than Yoo Hana and earn points with Jihoon.”
Finally, she had a chance to take down a notable monster in a while.
“Ah. Why is Sooah here of all places? Well, A Team might take on such jobs, I guess. But isn’t this usually handled by Hunter Classes 1 and 2? Why is Hunter Class 6 doing this?”
Yoo Hana was confused about the current situation.
Though she had been to the Blue Guild, she was surprised to hear that Hunter Class 6 was taking on a dungeon raid.
That’s why she had rushed over.
“Ha… No, it’s okay. This is my chance. I need to show off my abilities here. I think Jihoon has been leaning toward Sooah. What can I say? Jihoon is a Hunter too, after all. It makes sense for him to find a Hunter’s prowess appealing, especially since many men aren’t that interested in celebrities.”
Lost in her thoughts, Yoo Hana moved hurriedly.
Though her celebrity attire was somewhat inconvenient for Hunter activities, there was no choice.
“Today, I’ll leave a lasting impression.”
She tightly clenched her sword.
“Hey, Yoo Hana, I can handle this alone, so please don’t follow me. It’s dangerous.”
“Oh, really? Ms. Sooah? You used to lag behind me all the time in the Blue Guild. You can’t say that to me!”
“Excuse me, Yoo Hana? I was S-Rank No. 1, you know? Wasn’t your rank third?”
“That’s completely separate from guild activities!”
Sooah and Yoo Hana continued to bicker.
It seemed they were more focused on competing with each other than on Baron.
“Please just go and don’t interfere. I’ve got this.”
“Just keep chatting away, Ms. Sooah. I’ll handle it while you talk.”
They leapt toward Baron.
*
“Wow…”
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Hunter Class 6 was mesmerized, applauding as they watched Sooah and Yoo Hana.
“Where do we pay for this? I can’t watch this for free!”
“Wow… that’s the dignity of an S-Rank Hunter. When will I become an S-Rank Hunter?”
“Can you believe we’re witnessing those two attack the same target?”
Before us laid an astounding scene.
Baron, an A-Rank boss, was being mercilessly beaten.
Baron had a very high social image; most Hunters wouldn’t dare approach him.
But today, he looked pitiful.
He was being completely overrun by the two S-Rank Hunters.
It almost seemed like a competition on who could make Baron look more pathetic.
“I… I feel sympathy for Baron…”
“Yeah… Baron is so pitiful…”
“What a sight…”
As time passed, everyone began empathizing with Baron.
“It’s like we’re watching ourselves being bullied by Hunter Sooah.”
“Right? There was that time when Hunter Sooah and Hunter Yoo Hana attacked us from both sides.”
The members of Hunter Class 6 covered their mouths, appearing sorrowful.
We were nearing the final moments of the Baron raid.
‘It’s the finishing blow.’
Sooah and Yoo Hana shared the same thought.
‘I have to do this.’
In the grand finale, the last strike.
They locked eyes, silently communicating.
Their expressions conveyed they wouldn’t allow each other to lose.
“I’m going!!!!”
“Where are you going!!!!!”
Sooah and Yoo Hana dashed towards Baron, aiming to land the final blow.
It was an intense moment, each desperate to claim the last hit.
“Oh……”
Hunter Class 6 gasped in unison.
They were utterly captivated by the extraordinary spectacle happening before their eyes.
—
To be continued…