Chapter 3 – Meeting the S-Class Hunter

In her joy at finally being alive, Hee-na tried to hug the woman.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.”

She took a step back, and only then did Hee-na realize her own condition.

Drenched from falling into the swamp, her entire body was covered in dirt from plucking grass, with leaves stuck all over her. There was no beggar who looked more wretched than this.

Dirty grime was probably running down her face.

“The whole area is in chaos after being caught up in the dungeon gate. The nearby hunters were urgently called in on emergency duty to rescue civilians.”

“Thank goodness. Did you clear the dungeon boss?”

“That ended a long time ago. This is a dungeon that is only E-rank.”

Ah, she had survived so desperately, yet it was only an E-rank dungeon?

She thought that perhaps the reason she was able to survive with only a D-rank skill was because the dungeon rank was low.

‘Sigh. In the midst of this, I guess I was lucky if anything.’

Hee-na got her stiff body up and followed behind the woman. Perhaps because the distance to the dungeon exit was quite long, the woman engaged in small talk.

“By the way, are you an awakener?”

Surprised by the direct question, Hee-na answered reflexively.

“Y-yes, I am. How did you know?”

“Seeing as it was detected right away, it seems your rank is low, but you were hiding your presence. You can’t do that without an awakening skill.”

Hee-na nodded blankly at the sharp observation.

“Ah, I see.”

“There was no awakener on the missing persons list. Were you the type to hide your abilities and pretend to be an ordinary citizen? You know you can get fined for that, right?”

The woman spoke as if she would report Hee-na as soon as they left the dungeon. Hee-na quickly made an excuse.

“No! I awakened just before I fell into the dungeon!”

“Really?”

“Really! I awakened while working overtime in the early morning…”

At the sorrowful story, the woman sighed, “Oh…”

“You almost got into big trouble, but it turned out well. What type did you awaken as?”

Contrary to her fierce impression, the woman was quite easygoing. Even though they had just met for the first time, she asked all sorts of things.

Hee-na replied in a voice that sounded like she was crawling into a rat hole.

“…A -maker.”

“What? What maker?”

“…Ho— Homemaker.”

Her face heated up at having to confess such a bizarre title.

The woman also opened her eyes wide, as if Hee-na’s answer was unexpected.

“Homemaker? I’ve been doing hunter work for quite a long time, but I’ve never heard of such a class!”

“They said it is a Hidden Class. The stats are extremely low and the skill names are all weird, so I don’t know what’s good about it… but still, I barely survived thanks to the ‘Cozy Bed’ and ‘Herb Gathering’ skills.”

“Puhaha. Cozy Bed? Herb Gathering? Those are the skill names? Those names are completely lifestyle-oriented!”

As if Hee-na’s reply was incredibly funny, the woman stopped for a moment and laughed, holding her stomach.

She felt a bit embarrassed, but Hee-na thought it was a relief that she could at least bring laughter as a return for saving her life…

While she was staring blankly at the laughing woman, a man’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

“What are you doing here?”

Hee-na was first surprised by the sudden appearance of someone, and secondly, she was shocked by the identity of the person.

“H-Hunter Kang Jin-hyun?”

The man nodded his head slightly, as if accustomed to the gazes sent by people like Hee-na. It was a very brief and arrogant self-introduction.

‘Well, that man doesn’t need an introduction.’

Hee-na accepted his arrogance.

If someone was South Korean, they would know this man’s face without fail.

The man’s name was Kang Jin-hyun, and his occupation was a hunter. Moreover, the most powerful hunter in South Korea!

There were embarrassing modifiers used to describe him, such as ‘Hand of Disaster’ or ‘Hand of Destruction.’

Yet, no one criticized those titles, which was due to his formidable martial prowess and handsome face.

A handsome person suited whatever they did, and above all, fists were stronger than the law.

Anyway, he approached the laughing woman with a businesslike face.

“Hunter Woo Min-ah. The civilian rescue operation is not finished yet. Time is of the essence, so what are you doing here?”

Only then did Hee-na learn that the name of the person who had saved her life was Woo Min-ah.

‘Once I get out of here, I should search her on the internet.’

She wanted to send a wreath to her guild as a token of gratitude.

“Ah. There’s a newly awakened fledgling awakener here… I just found her ability interesting as I listened to her story.”

The woman, namely Woo Min-ah, answered while calming her shoulders that were shaking with laughter.

Kang Jin-hyun frowned slightly, as if displeased with that reply.

At that, Hee-na, who was merely a D-rank Homemaker, felt her knees go weak. The momentum of an S-rank hunter, one of only a few in the world, was indeed formidable.

“It is dangerous to carelessly reveal one’s awakening information or stats to others.”

He advised Hee-na. At the same time, he did not forget to give Woo Min-ah a piece of his mind.

“What are you doing to a novice who knows nothing? I don’t even expect the mindset of a high-ranking hunter. You should at least observe basic manners.”

“You sound like a strict old man. Are you saying I’m going to suck her dry? I’m not that kind of cheap person.”

Woo Min-ah grumbled. After hesitating, Hee-na also chimed in to take her side.

“I’m fine. My rank is low, and it’s not that grand of an ability. It’s just a bit unique.”

At that, Woo Min-ah winked one eye as if thanking her for taking her side.

Kang Jin-hyun let out a soft sigh, as if displeased by that sight.

“Even so, for safety, it is better to keep your awakening information hidden as much as possible.”

“I understand, Hunter Kang Jin-hyun…”

Hee-na answered submissively.

She knew that Kang Jin-hyun was only two years older than her, but she didn’t know why she felt like she was being scolded by a much older adult rather than by her brother, who was four years older.

However, Woo Min-ah did not yield to his nagging and excitedly rattled her tongue.

“But her awakened class is really interesting. Do you want to hear it too? You’re not the type of guy to go around blabbing about someone else’s ability, right?”

Kang Jin-hyun flatly refused.

“No, thank you. I don’t really want to know about someone else’s awakening information.”

It was an incredibly businesslike and rude way of speaking.

‘He is so cold.’

In fact, Hee-na also did not want to reveal her abilities to such a scary person.

A D-rank Homemaker in front of an S-rank hunter… She thought she would only be ridiculed.

“Tch, how cold. Anyway, if you’re done talking, go. I’ll stop slacking off and do my work too.”

As if she was not even afraid of Kang Jin-hyun, Woo Min-ah shooed him away with her hands like chasing a bug.

‘Is a fight going to break out at this rate?’

It was a heart-wrenching moment for Hee-na.

However, Kang Jin-hyun unexpectedly nodded cleanly, spun around, and disappeared.

“He is a really uptight person, right?”

As soon as Kang Jin-hyun disappeared, Woo Min-ah talked behind his back.

Hee-na could not answer and just showed a tired smile.

“Ha… Haha.”

“Well, actually, this isn’t something to ask carelessly. I acted a bit immaturely. Sorry.”

At the hearty apology, Hee-na shook her head while scratching her grime-stained cheek.

“No, it’s fine. I can at least tell that much to the person who saved my life. Besides, my awakening class is so bizarre that I would have had to tell someone eventually, even if it wasn’t you, Hunter Woo Min-ah.”

Woo Min-ah was impressed by the gentle reply.

“Wow. You speak so nicely.”

“Pardon? Me?”

She didn’t know since when a standard social tone of modesty had become ‘nice words,’ but it seemed to have made a deep impression on Woo Min-ah.

“There isn’t a single bastard around me who speaks as gently as you do.”

“I’m sure you hear many expressions of gratitude for saving lives…”

“Usually, they are not in a state to express gratitude because they are wetting themselves and crying. You are the first calm one I’ve seen.”

“Aha…”

Hee-na realized that her courage might actually be surprisingly strong.

Woo Min-ah tapped Hee-na’s shoulder and pulled a business card out of her pocket.

“You, I like you. Give me a call sometime. Let’s have a meal. And ask me if you have any questions about awakening.”

Hee-na replied dazedly to the unexpected kindness.

“Oh? Thank you. You really didn’t have to go this far.”

“It’s fine. I’m not a person who makes empty promises. Make sure you call me later, okay? I haven’t had much to laugh about lately, but it was nice because I got to laugh a lot thanks to you.”

As she offered the card once more, Hee-na very carefully accepted it and placed it inside her shabby pocket.

Woo Min-ah looked down at that sight very warmly and clapped her hands.

“Then let’s stop chatting and I’ll take you outside the gate. There are emergency rescue personnel outside, so get examined there and also receive consultation regarding disaster damage.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Woo Min-ah strode through the jungle.

Hee-na ran hurriedly after her, fearing she might lose her.

* * *

“Ah, how can this be?”

Hee-na dropped to her knees at the sight of the completely devastated surrounding scenery.

She had somehow managed to survive the monsters inside the dungeon gate, only for reality to drag her down.

“Excuse me, is your leg injured? Should I call a stretcher?”

A passing rescue worker asked, grasping the shoulder of Hee-na who had slumped down.

Without even noticing his question, Hee-na muttered blankly.

“My workplace… My home… How could both disappear at the same time?”

The Homemaker of the Dungeon