Bang!!! Bang!!!

The dungeon was exploding with deafening noise from all sides.

“What… what’s happening…?”

The situation was so chaotic that Lee Sooah couldn’t even collect her thoughts.

“Manager, what on earth is going on right now?”

The members of Hunter Class 6 were slightly confused.

This was a sight completely different from usual.

“No. Lee Sooah Hunter is moving way too fast. What’s gotten into her?”

“She wasn’t like this before. An S-Rank Hunter acting out like this…”

Everyone appeared to be struggling to gather their senses. The situation was unfolding with an urgency not typical of their usual operations.

Leap. Leap.

Lee Sooah was skipping around effortlessly, engaging in combat techniques.

Before the Class 6 members had even arrived, she had already dispatched all the enemies.

“We can’t do anything.”

“It’s not just that we can’t do anything; the real problem is that we can’t even keep up. Hah, hah.”

Everyone was barely keeping up with the frenzied pace of Lee Sooah.

They were doing their best to follow her, but the distance was progressively widening.

“Hah… Hah… Why is Hunter Lee Sooah so fast?”

Manager Cha clutched his stomach, panting.

“Hah… I never thought things would escalate to this point. Hah…”

“Manager Cha, what have you done this time?”

Doubtful glances were cast toward Manager Cha, infamous for causing trouble in Team A.

“I didn’t do anything special.”

“What on earth did you do that suddenly had Lee Sooah acting like that?”

Everyone’s expressions were a mix of brightness and gloom. While it felt good that an S-Rank Hunter had actively engaged in dungeon operations, keeping up with her was becoming too much.

“Honestly… I just mentioned that I know Baek Jihoon’s ideal type.”

He scratched his head.

“Hah… That must be a lie, right? Isn’t it?”

“Well… it’s not exactly a lie… but it’s not entirely the truth either…”

“Ugh. Manager, I can’t take this anymore… seriously.”

Everybody shook their heads in disbelief.

“What are you all doing? Aren’t you coming quickly? I had to turn back already!”

Lee Sooah looked incredibly furious. She had the air of someone who was going to harshly criticize her team members.

“Um, Lee Sooah Hunter, could you please slow down a bit? It’s hard for us to keep up. We’re just A-Rank Hunters, after all.”

They were composed of one A-Rank Hunter, two B-Rank Hunters, and four C-Rank Hunters.

“You guys. The monsters won’t wait for you. And we are Hunters, right? We need to do what we must as Hunters. If you keep dawdling, you might have to use your skills to stabilize our unity.”

Lee Sooah opened her status window to check several things.

“Ugh, please don’t do that. I’ll manage to follow along.”

“Great. Then hurry up and catch up with me. What’s so difficult about me clearing the path?”

With a very cold and sharp remark, she immediately refocused on the dungeon operation.

“Haa…”

Manager Cha seemed to slightly regret his mistake.

“Ugh. Manager, take responsibility. What’s this? You provoked such a strange reaction, and now we’re all struggling.”

“I had no idea it would have this kind of effect… I just thought that since Lee Sooah was so out of it… if I hadn’t said that, we would have been stuck outside all day long.”

He was desperately trying to justify his actions.

*

“Hah… Hah…”

At the end of the dungeon, the Class 6 members were all sprawled on the floor.

They hadn’t experienced such an intense dungeon raid in a long time, leaving everyone exhausted.

“No way… was dungeon raiding this tough… I don’t think I’ve ever struggled like this in my life…”

“When we adjust our standards up to the S-Rank Hunters, this is what happens…”

All of them lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, catching their breath.

“Phew. It’s finally over.”

Lee Sooah looked down at her team members, slightly frowning.

“Everyone.”

“Yes?”

“I’m quite disappointed in you today. It seems like you’ve been living too comfortably as Hunters up until now.”

Upon hearing Lee Sooah’s words, everyone flinched. They were starting to get nervous about what she might say next.

“I think we need to start some special training from today.”

“Special… training?”

“Yes. I plan to make our Class 6 into an elite team.”

“Whaaaat???”

Everyone screamed, springing up from their spots.

“Why?”

“Why am I even asking why?”

Lee Sooah looked at her team members, who were all glaring at Manager Cha.

“Hahaha… it’s not my fault…”

Manager Cha went pale, clearly embarrassed.

“From now on, we will significantly increase our physical training. And up until now, we’ve had a lot of paperwork and office work, right? I’m thinking of restructuring everything. You’ll all be put through a very Spartan regimen.”
“Y-Yes? T-Team Leader, could you reconsider… why are you suddenly saying this…?”

“Let’s become the best. The best as Hunters. I’m going to reclaim my number one spot, and I hope you all want to be the best too, right?”

“No, I don’t really want to be the best…”

Lee Sooah shot a terrifying glare at the B-Rank Hunter. He had no choice but to stop mid-sentence.

“I thought you all performed pathetically today. I’m going to train you rigorously so that you can at least match S-Rank level. All right, let’s make a fresh start with this opportunity.”

Lee Sooah was suddenly fired up.

“No, why should we work like S-Rank Hunters when we’re not… Isn’t that a bit much?”

“It’s impossible for us. Do we have to do this every day from now on?”

“Isn’t that too harsh?”

Everyone was grumbling in low voices.

“Of course, it shouldn’t just be all hard work, right?”

Lee Sooah smiled brightly.

“I’m planning to raise your pay by one rank. I’ll negotiate with the Guild Master.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, then we should do it~ Yes.”

“Goodness~ If you’re offering money, I’ll even lick your feet.”

“I’ll do my best. I actually wanted to be the best!”

As soon as the topic of pay came up, the mood swiftly changed. The exhausted expressions on everyone’s faces vanished instantly.

“Manager, you’re the best. Was this all part of your plan?”

“Uh…? No, I just…”

“Wow~ As expected of Manager Cha. We might become rich!”

“I thought my chance at Gangnam was lost, but it’s not dead after all!”

“Indeed, money is everything.”

Everyone seemed to have regained their spirits.

“Okay, then let’s all cheer up. Fighting!!!!”

Lee Sooah motivated everyone.

*

“Lee Sooah Hunter…? Do you really think this plan is feasible…?”

The executives of the Blue Guild had incredulous expressions on their faces.

“Yes, it is.”

“So you’re saying you plan to make almost all the team members up to S-Rank Hunter level?”

“Yes. But I hope for salary raises to make that happen.”

“Ha… Lee Sooah Hunter, from the perspective of running a guild, I think this is a rather unrealistic plan.”

Of course, everyone was very negative about it. The proposed future activity plan sounded like they would operate as an elite group composed mainly of S-Rank Hunters.

That seemed impossible.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“You, Lee Sooah Hunter, will take care of it?”

Everyone was taken aback.

“Yes. I’m going to step up now. I’ll endure the pain.”

She clenched her fists to express her determination. The meeting room buzzed with excitement at Lee Sooah’s words.

“No way. Is Lee Sooah Hunter really stepping up? Usually, S-Rank Hunters don’t come out, right?”

“Exactly. Not just in our guild but in others as well…”

It seemed that the world of Hunters was somewhat stagnant. All the S-Rank Hunters who had achieved that rank had eventually stopped their activities due to mental trauma.

They either left for other fields or stepped back altogether.

“Why the sudden change? I thought you said it was hard until now.”

Someone asked, sounding quite suspicious and strange.

“Oh, that’s because… no, Hunters should always aim for the best.”

Lee Sooah showed a slight hint of having almost slipped up.

“Hmmm…”

*

“Officer Cha?”

Lee Sooah approached the Class 6 side, wearing a rather subtle expression.

“Yes…”

Everyone looked at Lee Sooah with trembling expressions.

“It has been approved.”

“Wowwwww!”

Everyone cheered as if they had been waiting for this response.

“What? What’s happening?”

People from the neighboring department peered in, puzzled about what was going on.

“From next month, salaries will change incrementally. Naturally, you all need to work hard.”

“Yes!! Of course!!! We’ll work hard for what we’re given!!!”

“Nice. Thank you!!”

The atmosphere was festive.

“Hmmm. Now I just need to bring back Baek Jihoon…”

Lee Sooah was thinking about Baek Jihoon, who was dispatched. She believed that everything would be perfect once he returned to Class 6.

“I’m going to elevate Class 6 into an elite group…”

“And then if Jihoon becomes S-Rank from E-Rank… it wouldn’t be strange for us to be together every day, right?”

Her mind began to fill with thoughts related to Baek Jihoon while planning various future scenarios.

[To be continued in the next chapter…]