The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 5

The monster, enraged by the pain, charged at her again. Joo-ah barely dodged its attack, stomped on its leg, and leaped high into the air.

 

While airborne, Joo-ah fired the taser gun once more.

 

Bang!

 

Bang!

 

The monster was only D-rank. If she had been using her original body, a single shot from the taser gun would have killed it instantly.

 

Grrrrr!

 

However, Seo Joo-ah’s body was incredibly weak. Her attack power was significantly lower, so even after firing the taser gun repeatedly, the monster remained unharmed.

 

Click, click.

 

On top of that, her mana was so low that the taser gun ran out of power after just three shots.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Joo-ah muttered a curse under her breath and carelessly tossed the taser gun into her inventory.

 

As she watched the monster curl up into a ball, she took out a longsword.

 

The soft fur covering the monster’s body instantly transformed into sharp spikes. It rolled across the ground and charged straight toward Joo-ah.

 

Watching the monster approach, she quickly pushed off the ground and leaped into the air.

 

Joo-ah kept her eyes fixed firmly on the monster. With her blade pointed straight down, she descended rapidly.

 

Her sword plunged deep into the center of the monster’s body. Along with its agonized cry, the longsword cut straight through it.

 

“Haa…”

 

Joo-ah let out a shallow breath and turned around.

 

The monster lay dead, its body brutally cut apart by her sword.

 

She returned the sword to her inventory and checked the information displayed in her system window.

 

―Stamina: 23 / 263 (-240)

 

―Mana: 43 / 193 (-150)

 

To think she was this exhausted after fighting just one D-rank monster…

 

She was reminded once again of just how frail Seo Joo-ah’s body was.

 

As she paused to catch her breath, an alert sounded before her eyes. A system window soon appeared in the air, and words materialized on it.

 

【Hidden Quest, ‘Battle Against a Monster,’ Completed!】

 

【The secret mode has been partially unlocked, and the hidden skill has been activated.】

 

【Check ‘Personal Information’ for more details!】

 

“A hidden quest?”

 

Joo-ah furrowed her brows and reread the words displayed before her.

 

It definitely said quest.

 

Normally, Hunters received quests when they entered a Tower. But why had these words appeared in the middle of the street?

 

Joo-ah immediately opened her personal information and checked her skill.

 

【Special Skill: Angel’s Blessing】

 

A particularly bright white light shone around the Special Skill section. Joo-ah touched it with her finger.

 

【Special Skill: Angel’s Blessing】

 

―First Awakening: ??? (Defeat 2 monsters. 1/2)

 

―Second Awakening: ??? (Defeat 100 monsters. 0/100)

 

New text appeared beneath her Special Skill.

 

It seemed that the skill had not been fully unlocked yet, as the details were filled with question marks. Joo-ah casually scanned the information before frowning.

 

“…What is this?”

 

At Joo-ah’s indifferent reaction, the Constellation seemed frustrated and opened a message window.

 

【The Anonymous Constellation vents its frustration, asking why its big sister pays so little attention to it.】

 

Only then did Joo-ah realize that the hidden quest was related to the Constellation.

 

She gave an awkward, embarrassed smile.

 

“No wonder it seemed like such a powerful skill.”

 

Her reaction had come a little late, but the Constellation seemed satisfied. Words quickly appeared in the status window.

 

【The Anonymous Constellation proudly declares that if its big sister awakens properly, she can become the strongest Hunter not only in Korea but also internationally.】

 

The strongest Hunter.

 

Perhaps the moment she achieved her second awakening would be the perfect opportunity to fight the Administrator.

 

【The Anonymous Constellation expresses concern, asking whether its big sister is being a little too relaxed right now.】

 

At the Constellation’s sudden remark, Joo-ah stopped as she was about to leave the alley and looked puzzled.

 

However, it did not take long for her to understand what the Constellation meant. Right before her eyes, a huge tree was suddenly uprooted.

 

【The Anonymous Constellation nags at its big sister, saying she has become less sensitive to her surroundings since changing bodies and should pay more attention to what is happening around her.】

 

A quiet curse slipped from Joo-ah’s lips. She had never expected another monster to be waiting just outside the alley.

 

BANG!

 

The monster struck a tree trunk with a powerful kick, crushing it completely.

 

―Level: B-rank

 

―Attribute: Earth

 

―Special Skill: Claw Thrust

 

―Special Note: Appears to be a monster that emerged from the Gate on Floor 321 of the Fourth Tower.

 

The monster, with a bizarre appearance and two legs like a human, turned its head. Its eyes met Joo-ah’s immediately. Its feet, which had been pointing forward, shifted toward her.

 

Joo-ah stepped backward with a flustered expression.

 

“W-wait a second… You can’t just show up out of nowhere like that. My stamina and mana are practically depleted…”

 

Joo-ah muttered as she continued retreating.

 

She looked around to see if any other Hunters were nearby, but most were busy evacuating people or fighting other monsters. None of them even glanced in her direction.

 

In other words, no one was coming to help her.

 

Joo-ah bit down on her lower lip and took a dagger from her inventory.

 

At least a dagger required very little stamina and mana to use.

 

The monster charged toward her in an instant. Its grotesque face and strange, humanlike movements on two legs were absolutely horrifying.

 

“Are you insane?!”

 

Joo-ah barely dodged its thick claws and swung her dagger. However, the monster easily blocked her blade and sent her flying with its enormous hand.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Joo-ah gasped and coughed. It felt as though a heavy boulder had slammed into her chest.

 

―Stamina: 6 / 263 (-17)

 

She had almost no stamina left. Her frail body was so weak that she felt as though she could collapse at any moment. She realized that if things continued this way, she might die a meaningless death.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Joo-ah gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand.

 

From a distance, the monster charged recklessly toward her once again.

 

Joo-ah immediately tried to dodge, but the monster’s heavy foot came down even faster, pinning her to the ground. She could barely breathe.

 

Was she really going to die this pointlessly?

 

Was this body really so weak that she couldn’t even defeat a monster like that?

 

Joo-ah clenched her fists. Her hands trembled violently, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

 

Just as her consciousness began to fade, a loud gunshot rang out from behind her.

 

Bang!

 

The bullet struck the head of the monster pinning her down.

 

BANG!

 

The monster fell sideways and died instantly.

 

Joo-ah coughed repeatedly and looked ahead through her blurred vision.

 

Someone stood outside the alley, holding a taser gun.

 

A tall figure wearing a neatly fitted uniform.

 

Broad shoulders.

 

Lips curved into an expressionless line.

 

And…

 

A black eyepatch covering his left eye.

 

That was the last thing Joo-ah saw before she lost consciousness.

 

When Joo-ah opened her eyes, she found herself in the infirmary inside the training center.

 

She stared blankly at the white ceiling before turning her head. Yeon-joo was sitting nearby, letting out a long yawn.

 

“Oh? You’re awake.”

 

She looked at Joo-ah and smiled brightly.

 

“Are you feeling okay? Hunter Yoo Chan-hee brought you here after finding you collapsed in an alley.”

 

“…Hunter Yoo Chan-hee saved me?”

 

Joo-ah frowned and raised her upper body. Yeon-joo looked surprised and quickly helped support her.

 

“What are you doing, sitting up already? You should still be lying down.”

 

“I’m fine. More importantly, was it really Hunter Yoo Chan-hee who saved me?”

 

Yeon-joo tilted her head at the question before nodding.

 

“Yes. Don’t you remember? I heard you were fighting a monster.”

 

“No, that’s not what I mean. Was the person who saved me really Hunter Yoo Chan-hee? The person I saw at the very end was definitely someone else…”

 

Yeon-joo glanced around for a moment, then spoke as if she had remembered something.

 

“Now that I think about it, they said another Hunter was standing outside the alley. The monster was already dead, too. Was that the person who helped you?”

 

Only then did Joo-ah release the breath she had been holding and lower her gaze, breathing quietly.

 

She had not imagined it.

 

The person who had helped her was definitely Se-hyeon.

 

The familiar elite uniform. His tall stature. His neatly styled hair.

 

Everything had been the same.

 

Except for the eyepatch covering one of his eyes…

 

Joo-ah let out a hollow laugh.

 

She had never once visited Se-hyeon since then. She had not had the courage to face him.

 

She did not want to know just how despairing he might look.

 

She was afraid that if she saw him like that, she might give up on everything herself…

 

Joo-ah let out a quiet sigh.

 

She had never dreamed she would see Se-hyeon this way.

 

It seemed Se-hyeon had arrived just in time to save her, and Chan-hee, who happened to be passing by, had brought her to the infirmary inside the training center.

 

“Anyway, you really need to train harder. Shouldn’t you at least be able to protect yourself? You’re a Hunter, after all.”

 

Yeon-joo clicked her tongue as she spoke. Still, since Joo-ah had become part of her team, it seemed she had stayed by her side until she woke up.

 

Joo-ah slowly nodded and looked around the infirmary.

 

“Where is Hunter Yoo Chan-hee? I want to thank him, at least.”

 

Yeon-joo shrugged.

 

“He left grumbling that you ruined his date. He’s probably in the special-class room.”

 

Yeon-joo walked toward the door as she continued.

 

“I should head upstairs, too. Get some rest before going back to the dormitory. We’ll start training tomorrow.”

 

As Yeon-joo opened the door and waved, Joo-ah hurriedly called out

to her.

 

“Thank you, Hunter Choi Yeon-joo.”

 

Yeon-joo responded with a small smile before leaving the infirmary.

 

A quiet silence settled over the room now that Joo-ah was alone.

 

She let out a deep sigh, lay back down on the bed, and closed her eyes to rest.