Accelerating Changes (2)
'Currently, Soo-ah's score is 550 points, ranking her at 33rd place.'
Her rank, which had climbed up to 29th, slipped to 33rd after she fumbled the second mission.
Although the drop in rank was not severe, considering the mass eliminations that occurred at the second mission, it was essentially a position where it was faster to count from the bottom.
'To advance to the finals, she needs to be within the top 16.'
Judging by the current rate at which scores were rising, she would need about 2,000 points to just barely squeeze into 16th place. The first-place contestant, Ju Ji-sang, already had over 2,000 points and was running away with it, but beyond that, the others were relatively bunched together, so it was still doable.
"Will I really be able to guard someone properly......?"
Soo-ah fiddled nervously with her hands.
It was only natural—Soo-ah was still awkward when it came to protecting or rescuing people.
In truth, there was nothing strange about Soo-ah being like this.
In the past, and up to recent times, most Hunters primarily hunted monsters at locations where dungeons or gates appeared. There was rarely any need to rescue or protect regular people.
"Well, everyone faces the same conditions anyway."
I looked around as I spoke.
Unlike me, who stayed relatively unfazed, the other management personnel who had been paired with Hunters didn't look happy.
The mission hadn't even started yet, but they already looked exhausted.
'Still, at least the escort targets were all set as non-awakened individuals.'
If there had been differences by management, guild-based groups like Mirae Guild would have had an advantage. After all, Mirae Guild's managers and executives were mostly Hunters themselves.
For a management team made up of non-awakeners—just ordinary civilians—it was a disadvantage, as they'd have to deal with two Hunters. Honestly, the outcome was already clear before it even began.
"S-Still, I'm really worried."
Despite my attempt at comfort, Soo-ah's expression was still full of anxiety.
"After episode 1 of 'Super Hunter Case' aired, I can already feel so many people targeting me......"
"Ah, right."
Now that she mentioned it, the first episode had just aired.
Soo-ah had been thoroughly cast in the role of a villain, and Hunters, who weren't even mentioned properly, would probably have a sore spot about that. Or, lots of Hunters likely thought that getting involved with 'villain' Soo-ah would naturally give them their own moment in the spotlight.
If it were just a couple, it would be one thing, but if multiple Hunters were after us, I could understand why Soo-ah was so anxious.
"...... Why are you worrying about things like that?"
Just then, a light voice spoke up from behind.
When I turned my head, Shin Ah-yeon, bundled tightly in layers, was approaching us.
"Ugh, it's cold. Instead of worrying about him, just go after one of the others."
From Shin Ah-yeon's nonchalant way of speaking, I noticed something had changed.
"When did you start speaking informally to Soo-ah-ssi?"
She'd been using honorifics until just recently.
"We sorted it out yesterday when you weren't around, oppa."
"I thought you said you never dropped honorifics with people."
"That's when they're older than me. If they're younger, it's okay to slip up a bit, isn't it?"
She spouted off some old-fashioned logic as if it were obvious.
When I looked at her with that kind of expression, Shin Ah-yeon wiggled her hand as if telling me to lower my head.
Wondering what was up, I bent my head toward where hers was, and she tiptoed and whispered in my ear.
"It's hard for me to drop the honorifics with strangers too, you know? But since it's for the show, wouldn't it be better for the industry-senior look and image, rather than us both acting all stiff and distant?"
"Well... I suppose you're right."
"See? If I kept up the honorifics here, people wouldn't even know who was talking to whom."
Anyway, it seemed Shin Ah-yeon had made a rational broadcast decision in her own way.
Besides, she was three years older than Soo-ah, who was twenty-one, so there was nothing particularly strange about it.
Actually, most mentors addressed their affiliated Hunters informally, so being overly formal might even have felt awkward.
"Ahem. Anyway, Lee Soo-ah."
"Y-yes."
"As your mentor, let me give you some advice—everything has its right time and place. Besides, your defense is pretty poor, isn't it?"
"P-pretty poor...?"
"So instead, aim for the targets being guarded by other Hunters. If you attack recklessly, make them think you'll only become a target yourself."
At Shin Ah-yeon's words, Soo-ah slowly nodded her head.
"Right, and it's not just lip service—don't worry about Jung-woo oppa. He's come back safe from far worse places than this."
"Worse places than this?"
"Inside a rift."
Soo-ah blinked her big eyes for a moment at Shin Ah-yeon's casual words, then let out a soft laugh.
"Pfft, I never thought Hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim would joke at a time like this."
"I told you, just call me unni."
"I felt like it would make you uncomfortable."
"Even if it's awkward, you'll get used to it..."
Replying reluctantly, Shin Ah-yeon seemed to think Soo-ah had finally relaxed a bit and turned her gaze to me.
"I guess she really has faith in people like us for things like this."
"Well, of course she would."
"Anyhow, so this is Daechongbong... right? It's already fall, so coming to a place like this makes it even colder. We'll be watching from a little ways off. You don't need anything in particular, right?"
For reference, Daechongbong was the highest peak in Mount Seorak.
The space was not very big, and it looked almost dangerous with how densely people were packed in.
"I do."
"Okay, then I'll just... huh?"
Shin Ah-yeon stopped turning away, surprised I actually said I needed something.
"...... Don't tell me something's up again?"
"We don't know if a dungeon might appear. Did you hear anything about that in advance?"
"No. I heard the monsters that had escaped from mountain dungeons or gates were dealt with already."
"So you haven't heard about a new dungeon potentially appearing?"
"No. That's actually why they scheduled filming for today. Today is one of the days when hiking is officially permitted."
I see.
I looked down at the scenery of Mount Seorak below Daechongbong.
I'd had a subtle feeling from the moment we started up, but now it was much more pronounced.
"...... Keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious."
"Is this connected to a possible dungeon appearance?"
"I don't know. But at the very least, I don't think it's a normal dungeon."
"I see."
When I say something isn't 'normal', it's usually related to the 'other world.'
Shin Ah-yeon seemed to pick up on that, slowly nodding her head.
"I'll watch from where the mentors are gathered, so if anything happens, call me."
"Okay."
After saying that, I checked the area again.
Among the gathered Hunters and civilians, no one was acting particularly suspicious.
'The distance from Daechongbong to the entrance is about 5km.'
It's a short distance for a Hunter, but with a non-awakened escort target and mountain slopes, it shouldn't be taken lightly.
"Okay, everyone, the third mission is about to start, so please gather at the starting point!!"
At Hojun's call, Soo-ah and I exchanged a glance, then began walking slowly.
There were a lot of things bothering me, but for now, I needed to focus on the third mission.
***
'Target Lee Soo-ah first.'
C-rank Hunter Shin Bong-gu quietly observed his surroundings in the forest of Mount Seorak.
There were hiking trails in Mount Seorak, of course, but since this was a mission, he couldn't take the obvious paths.
Otherwise, it would be like sticking his neck out and saying, "Come catch me."
"But what if, when you go to attack Hunter Lee Soo-ah, the other Hunters target me?"
His manager, half-dragged along for the third mission, seemed nervous, constantly glancing around. Well, to a regular person, hiking off normal routes was certainly frightening.
"Don't worry, manager-nim. I've already tipped off the Hunters nearby."
"You've tipped them off?"
"I plan to snatch all of Lee Soo-ah's bells first."
Most of the Hunters involved in this raid had similar scores to Lee Soo-ah.
The impact Lee Soo-ah had made in the first mission meant she would be tough to challenge alone, but if left alone, she could recover points lost in the second round and surge ahead again.
'Besides, fighting Lee Soo-ah will give me more screen time, too.'
While Soo-ah was being vilified and cursed in the public eye for playing the villain, even that was enviable to Hunters who weren't appearing on screen at all.
And if he could be the one to defeat the 'villain' Lee Soo-ah, he might even get the attention of the people.
"The top rankers will likely fight amongst themselves, so now's our chance."
At Bong-gu's words, his manager didn't seem very comfortable but nodded.
From a management perspective, Lee Soo-ah was definitely not someone they could just let be.
'It's better to knock her out quickly and try to scout her.'
If she did well, tier 1 managements would snap her up.
Given the impact of her first mission, that was a real possibility.
So for second- or third-tier managements like his, knocking Lee Soo-ah out as soon as possible was the best way to improve their chances.
"So... huh?"
Bong-gu trailed off as he suddenly stopped.
"What the..."
A flash of blue flame had briefly flickered.
That flame was a phenomenon typically seen when magic power was dispersing.
"Why is Lee Soo-ah already here?!"
Had she gotten into a fight earlier than expected?
No, that couldn't be. If a fight had broken out, he wouldn't have missed the noise.
'Besides, where's her manager?'
In this mission, attacking other Hunters' escort targets to steal bells was critical. But even more important was not losing your own bells.
According to Hojun's explanation, each bell was worth 50 points, so just holding onto the five bells you started with guaranteed 250 points.
Trying to earn more was greedy, and only the higher-ranked contestants could really manage it.
Lower- and mid-rank Hunters knew that, so they tended to avoid fighting the top contestants. In addition, like those attempting to raid Soo-ah now, they formed temporary alliances to target others, making it difficult to steal bells at all.
"Damn! I can't believe she struck first!"
So, it was something Bong-gu couldn't have foreseen.
To think she'd ignore her own manager and instead target someone else's escort.
"... No, actually, this might be better. We're both C-rank Hunters, so why should I be scared?"
Because of the first mission's result, people forgot—but Soo-ah was a C-rank Hunter, just like Bong-gu.
So, all things considered, their capabilities should be about the same—or so Bong-gu desperately told himself.
'Even if I get overwhelmed, I just have to hold out.'
That way, the others would hear their fight and come help.
Just as he thought this and raised his sword toward Soo-ah in front of him—
KWAANG!!
'Huh?'
An explosion. Then, ringing in his ears.
The scenery of Mount Seorak flashed by upside down.
'This can't be...'
How could this be the same C-rank?
That was Bong-gu's last thought as he fell unconscious.
"Where's Lee Soo-ah's manager?!"
"You said she was alone here!!"
There was one thing Bong-gu had mistaken: Even if the fight had lasted longer and made noise, no other Hunter was going to help him.
All the other Hunters were too busy chasing after Jung-woo, who was wandering around alone.
'This is kind of fun.'
While hiding in the bushes and watching the Hunters search for him, Jung-woo felt a sense of nostalgia.
It had been years since he'd gone sneaking and hiding like this.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Other managers: Please protect me.
Jung-woo: This is fun.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】