LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 47
Hunter Management Agency’s Jang Han-soo was taking a break, sipping coffee in the lounge.
Lately, he had been swamped with work, but overall, the situation wasn’t too bad.
Kim Ji-a Hunter, already famous, was riding a significant wave of success recently.
Perhaps influenced by her exploits, high-rank Hunters were suddenly increasing their activity.
In fact, not just high-rank Hunters, but the general activity among all Hunters was on the rise.
Thanks to this, things got quite busy and incidents became more frequent.
Still, it was much better than the chaos of gates going out of control.
“That was terrible…”
He reminisced about events from the past.
It wasn’t long after the great upheaval had occurred.
Before the first returnee from the United States launched his inventions, dungeons going out of control happened quite often.
While they would gradually reduce the number of monsters inside the dungeon, a dungeon going out of control would release all the monsters at once through a gate.
To properly handle such a situation required a massive number of people.
At least 15 or even 20 Hunters of the same level were needed.
It was difficult to meet that number, leading to significant damage each time.
Thinking back to those times, the frequency of high-rank dungeons appearing had risen, but things had become much more peaceful now.
‘This is assuming high-rank dungeons won’t go out of control…’
Thankfully, there were people like Kim Ji-a Hunter.
To be honest, even now, tackling dungeons in the provinces was still a precarious situation.
The lack of high-rank Hunters was felt not just in Korea, but globally.
That’s why, even though he was tired from work, he felt grateful for the recent atmosphere.
– Zing…
“Hmm?”
Noticing a vibration in his pants pocket, he pulled out his smartphone.
It was a message from a Hunter he was keeping an eye on lately.
He slowly read the message.
“Hello, Director. This is Si-hyun. I’d like to take an E-rank Hunter to a C-rank dungeon. Is that possible?”
It was an entirely reasonable request.
Such requests were commonly made by guilds when training newcomers.
‘Oh, this works out perfectly.’
He quickly started thinking.
There was a troublesome dungeon on his mind.
He had been in the lounge to clear his head because of it.
If it’s Si-hyun, she might be able to handle it smoothly.
She would certainly agree if I asked politely.
He believed they had built that kind of relationship.
Finishing his thoughts, he called Si-hyun.
– …Hello?
“Hello, Si-hyun. I got your message and reached out.”
They exchanged formal greetings.
Then he got straight to the point.
“The E-rank Hunter’s participation in the C-rank dungeon you mentioned is absolutely possible. Before that, can I ask you for a favor?”
– …A favor?
“Yes, it shouldn’t be a difficult task for you, Si-hyun.”
He summarized the situation and conveyed it to Si-hyun.
Not long ago, a large C-rank dungeon had appeared in Seoul.
Two Hunter parties, mostly made up of C-rank Hunters, were deployed, totaling 8 members.
However, one party was completely wiped out, causing a delay in clearing it.
He wanted to ask for her help in tackling that dungeon.
“I’m not forcing you under the pretext of the accompanying expedition. It’s merely a request. What do you think?”
– …I see.
There was a brief pause after her response.
The silence indicated she was deep in thought.
He inwardly prayed for her agreement.
Large dungeons were typically avoided by Hunters.
Depending on the scale, it could be challenging to clear them in a day.
Furthermore, rumors had spread about this dungeon.
The one about a party being wiped out.
Because of that, it had become a dungeon everyone was overtly avoiding.
Fortunately, if the existing party could meet their numbers, they expressed a willingness to continue clearing it.
If Si-hyun joined, they could surely push through easily.
No, even she alone would probably be enough.
‘Please, please…’
With bloodshot eyes, he gazed at the ceiling of the lounge.
What felt like 10 minutes passed in the span of 1.
He gulped down the remaining coffee.
Tilting his head back, he stared at the ceiling.
After a short but lengthy moment, he finally heard a response.
– …I’m fine with it. However, it’s not just my decision. Can I discuss it and get back to you?
“Of course! Please talk it over and contact me when it’s convenient for you.”
It was a positive response!
His mouth couldn’t help but stretch into a smile as he concealed his joy.
Though it wasn’t a full agreement yet, there was finally a glimmer of hope for the bothersome dungeon.
After they ended the call, he left the lounge behind.
There was still a lot of work left to do, but he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
With a grin, he headed back to his office.
He thought that he had done well to steadily forge a relationship with her.
* * *
Si-yoon, sprawled out on her desk, slowly lifted her head.
The bold “Game Over” letters on the monitor loomed large.
As soon as they saw the opportunity, viewers dived in excitedly.
– AHAHAHAHAAHA
– Aah…
– Died again…
– LOLOL
– Seriously haha
With her mental state crumbling, Si-yoon stared blankly at the chat room.
“Guys, I’m just going to use the bathroom…”
She turned off the microphone and flopped down onto her bed.
Though she occasionally played games that the viewers loved, every time she did, it felt like pure hell.
And recently…
– Just avoid and hit well haha
“Huhhh….”
Her sister’s mental attacks were piling on.
It doubled her psychological damage.
If you look at her usual life, she would never display that kind of behavior.
Even her comments on Tube were always pretty.
But once live chats come along, she gets infected by the viewers and turns into that.
‘What if she starts writing weird comments too…?’
The chats weren’t like that at first.
She still kept her line, but she was scared she might one day turn out like the other viewers.
Is this the fall of the saint or something?
Why is my broadcast the starting point of the corruption…!
Si-yoon pouted in frustration and pounded her fist on the bed.
“Guess I’ll just hit the bathroom…”
Letting out a heavy sigh, she stood up.
As she stepped into the living room, she spotted her sister on a call.
As expected, the TV was playing MomoBean’s broadcast.
She let out another relentless sigh and went to the bathroom.
Then suddenly, Si-yoon felt mischievous.
‘Just avoid and hit well, huh?’
Let’s see if she can say that after trying it herself!
I can’t be the only one suffering! My sister has to feel my anguish too!
With a smile, Si-yoon approached her sister, who had just finished her call.
It’s a low-cost game that barely costs a few thousand won.
It could easily run on her sister’s work laptop.
“Sis, sis.”
“…What?”
Si-yoon called out to her sister in an excited voice.
Si-hyun looked up from her laptop to see Si-yoon.
“Wanna try that game yourself?”
She pointed her finger at the TV.
As Si-hyun looked at the TV, Si-yoon quickly fired off her words.
“I’ve played that game before, and surprisingly, it’s fun to try it yourself! The game isn’t even expensive, so if you’re interested, wanna give it a shot?”
“You’ve played it before?”
Si-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
She couldn’t imagine her sister playing a game like that.
“What’s with that? Is it so weird that I’ve played it?”
“No, no. That’s not what I meant.”
As Si-yoon puffed up her cheeks, Si-hyun waved her hands hurriedly.
“That’s a tough game, right? It must have been hard.”
“Yeah, super tough…”
She just had a session of it. Si-yoon swallowed the rest of her words.
“Aren’t you curious if you just watch? You should try it out too.”
Si-yoon tempted her sister again.
If the fallen saint experiences the game’s difficulty firsthand, maybe she would revert to her original self.
She wouldn’t be able to make weird comments like ‘Just avoid and hit well’ anymore.
She would realize how incredibly hard that really was.
Just the thought of it made Si-yoon giddy with delight.
However,
“Hehe…, look at this.”
Si-hyun turned her laptop around to adjust the angle so Si-yoon could see it well.
She lowered the document that was open and opened the game library.
‘What did she want to show me?’
Si-yoon quietly watched her sister’s actions.
Her sister scrolled through the library and clicked on a particular game.
The very game Si-yoon had just recommended.
‘She’s already played it…?’
Her eyes widened as she naturally noticed the playtime displayed.
Playtime: 1 hour and 50 minutes. Refundable time too.
Si-hyun clicked on the achievements next to the playtime and pulled up the list.
With her head slightly raised, she posed in a proud stance, puffing out her chest.
“What do you think? Amazing, right?!”
“Uh, uhhh…”
Her sparkling eyes looked at Si-yoon.
A look begging for compliments.
Si-yoon rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Looking back at the laptop screen.
Achievement rate: 85 percent.
The reason she was struggling live was precisely because of those achievements.
Before she knew it, Si-yoon found herself scrolling through the list with her own hands.
‘Wha-, what the heck…?’
All but the grind-heavy achievement of ‘do it this many times’ were complete.
In other words, she had crushed them all in just 1 hour and 50 minutes.
‘Why have I been at this for hours…?’
It was a complete defeat.
Her sister could say ‘Just avoid and hit well’ without issue.
With her skill level, she could laugh at her in chat.
Unlike the other viewers.
Gazing back at her sister, Si-yoon found her grinning eagerly, waiting for praise.
Even as her facial muscles twitched with disbelief, Si-yoon ignored it and forced her mouth open.
“…W-Wow! You’re amazing, sis! You’re good at games!”
“I used to play a lot back in the day!”
At her sister’s sweet words, Si-hyun puffed out her chest with a bright smile.
She stood proudly.
Si-yoon couldn’t help but glance at Si-hyun’s confidence.
Looking down at her own chest.
Once again, Si-yoon experienced the feeling of defeat.
“…Sis, you’re good at everything. What can’t you do?”
“Hmm? No way. I can’t do many things.”
Si-hyun’s answer met with Si-yoon’s skeptical gaze.
With that intense look, Si-hyun tilted her head but answered dutifully.
“For this game, it’s normal to struggle with unknown things. I just forget if I saw it once.”
“…”
“Even if it’s not a game? I’m no good at cooking, I can’t organize well, and I don’t know much about outfits or styling.”
Si-hyun listed her shortcomings.
Si-yoon listened in silence.
And then.
‘I’ve found the crack…!’
Si-yoon placed her hand firmly on her sister’s shoulder.
The sudden action made Si-hyun look at her, puzzled.
“Sis.”
“…What?”
“If there’s something you don’t know, shouldn’t you learn?”
“Uh…, right?”
Feeling an unusual vibe, Si-hyun’s eyes began to twitch.
Si-yoon grinned widely.
“Let’s learn about outfits?”
“……Okay.”
The expressions of Si-hyun and Si-yoon flipped.
With a light tap on her sister’s drooping shoulders, Si-yoon returned to her room.
Seated in her chair, she slowly savored the joy of victory.
Though a voice in her head suggested it was all in her mind, she chose to ignore it.
Si-yoon began resuming her broadcast.
“Sorry for being late! Let’s start again.”
That day, having regained her spirit, MomoBean successfully wrapped up her game completion and achievement hunting.
* * *
Right after finishing dinner, Si-hyun messaged a student she was tutoring.
– Ah-reum, are you free the day after tomorrow?
– Yes! I have lots of time!
Seeing Ah-reum’s enthusiastic response, Si-hyun nodded in satisfaction and sent another message.
– We’re going to the large C-rank dungeon with the Wings Guild. Let’s go and take a look together.
The moment she sent that additional message, the number “1” next to it vanished.
That meant Ah-reum had read the message.
But she didn’t reply right away.
“Hmm…?”
Tilting her head, Si-hyun took a drink from the refrigerator.
Just then, a response came back.
– Yeah…
It was a very lackluster reply.