EP.2 Yu Parang (2)

 

 

 

Parang’s house was located by the pier. Not just any pier, but built as close to the sea as building regulations allowed. This meant that if diving into the sea was considered her commute, her entire commute took less than a minute. It was the dream job.

 

The same went for her return home.

 

A part of the churning seawater bubbled, and with a splash, Parang’s face emerged. She climbed the pier ladder with a bag twice her size, a task she was clearly accustomed to.

 

Standing tall on the dock, Parang fixed her gaze on a person sitting far away with a fishing rod and immediately ran over, waving her hand.

 

“Ah! Elder!”

 

Parang was known for her bright greetings. On her first day in the neighborhood, she was so polite that all the elders wanted to make her their daughter-in-law. Though she had to decline, given that she was actually a man inside.

 

Now, she was almost the village’s love. After all, she was the only young person in the village. The next youngest was the youth association president, who was 46 years old. With Parang being the only young girl in the village, bright and pretty, it was inevitable that the entire village became her fan club.

 

“I’m not old enough to be called ‘elder’ yet…”

 

The middle-aged man sitting in the chair grumbled, setting his fishing rod aside and greeting Parang lightly.

 

“You went in this morning and are just coming out now? I waited for hours and thought you might have drowned.”

 

Parang had been diving for eight hours today, about an hour longer than usual. Since moving to the seaside, she spent at least five hours a day underwater, so both her and the elder knew she wouldn’t drown. Even the Bellua she had just caught knew that.

 

“Hehe… It just happened…”

 

So, Parang just smiled, understanding it as the usual greeting. Despite his gruff tone, the elder was one of the people who cared most about her in the village.

 

“Judging by the size of the bag, it looks like you had a big catch. Go in and rest.”

 

“I just need to make a delivery. The association is closed from tomorrow for the weekend, so I have to hand it over today.”

 

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the elder, Parang headed home.

 

Ah, she couldn’t go to the association in her bodysuit. She had to take the subway to get there.

 

After quickly showering and changing clothes, Parang brought a waterproof bag from the storage and transferred the Bellua’s byproducts into it.

 

She slung the bag over her back, and it was still twice her size. With her heart as full as the bag, Parang left the house with a spring in her step.

 

– Ding-dong-♬♪ –

 

《Next stop, Hunter Association. Hunter Association Station. The doors on your right will open. This stop is…》

 

Parang’s steps remained light and cheerful. The bag she carried in front of her swayed as if dancing to her rhythm. Passersby glanced at her bag once, her unique hair color twice, and her dazzling beauty thrice.

 

Given her profession, she often appeared this way, making her a minor celebrity in the area. She was already known on online communities as the ‘Pohang Bag Girl’.

 

Anyway, with her still cheerful steps, she entered the Pohang branch of the Hunter Association.

 

It was nearing the end of the workday, so the staff’s eyes were slightly sharp as they watched Parang stride in confidently. But what could they do? They knew well how much the contents of that bag were worth. If they refused to accept it out of inconvenience, they couldn’t predict what kind of reprimand they might receive from above.

 

Especially the expressions of the purchasing department staff, who had to receive, store, and report the items, were quite a sight.

 

“Hmm~ hmm~”

 

Ignoring all that, Parang hummed a tune as she headed straight to the purchasing counter. Having been there more than a few times, she immediately took out her hunter license and placed it on the authentication device.

 

It might seem rude at first glance, but it was actually a highly efficient time-saving move. To be honest, Parang was also mindful of the staff’s feelings.

 

The staff, seemingly understanding her intent, didn’t say much.

 

《B-rank Hunter, Yu Parang. Verified.》

 

– Ding-dong♪♬ –

 

Parang didn’t particularly like this electronic sound. It was too tacky for her taste. In fact, she detested it so much that she had inquired about changing it at the Hunter Association headquarters a few years ago. Due to various internal issues, it didn’t happen.

 

– Thud- thud- thud –

 

Parang took out the items from her bag and placed them on the counter. Two 1-meter-long teeth, three 50-centimeter-long teeth, one soccer ball-sized magic stone, and one partially shattered carapace.

 

It was unfortunate that she couldn’t retrieve the carapace, which was the second most valuable item after the magic stone, due to the explosive method she used to kill the creature. However, given the size of the creature and the generous drop of teeth, she wasn’t too disappointed.

 

“…Five teeth, one carapace, and one magic stone confirmed.”

 

The staff, who had been staring at the items, looked at Parang with a pleading expression.

 

“By any chance… what’s the name of the monster?”

 

“…Bellua Maria.”

 

The staff’s eyes grew even more desperate.

 

“And, what classification does it fall under?”

 

“It’s a monster fish. Serpent type.”

 

All the staff at the purchasing counter turned icy cold.

 

It wasn’t because Bellua was a trivial monster. On the contrary, Bellua held a status similar to that of a wyvern in terms of hunting difficulty and the quality of its byproducts. When a wyvern was submitted at the counter, it usually caused quite a stir.

 

However, the reason the staff’s eyes turned cold in front of a B-rank hunter who had single-handedly captured such a monster was that Bellua was a monster fish, the most niche of niche categories.

 

Underwater hunters like Parang were already extremely rare. Among those, hunters who could dive to a depth of 700 meters to catch monster fish were even rarer.

 

This meant that Bellua was a creature that a Hunter Association staff member might encounter once in their lifetime, if at all. And the rarity implied that the staff were likely unfamiliar with the related regulations.

 

For example, there’s a well-known regulation regarding orcs, ‘Ears must be ground and stored’. It’s a peculiar rule but famous for that reason. It’s a staple question in the association’s entrance exams, and there’s not a single staff member worldwide who doesn’t know it.

 

So, orc byproducts pose no issue for the counter staff.

 

But Bellua?

 

If improperly stored and managed, it could mean saying goodbye to their job. Thus, they had to search for the ‘regulation book’, whether it was in a drawer under the desk, a corner of the break room, or under the pot they used to cook ramen earlier, and find the proper handling methods for Bellua’s byproducts, reading each step carefully.

 

And now, it was just before quitting time.

 

It wouldn’t have been surprising if the counter staff had thrown salt at Parang.

 

Parang knew this too. She saw this reaction every time she came to the association.

 

So, she whispered to the staff.

 

“Instead of looking for the regulation book, if Manager Choi is here, you might want to ask him. He probably knows.”

 

The staff’s expression relaxed immediately, and they hurried inside.

 

Soon, Manager Choi appeared in front of Parang, looking tired.

 

“It’s you again…”

 

With a single phrase loaded with meaning, Parang gave a sheepish smile.

 

“Ah, ahaha…”

 

“So, what is it this time?

 

“It’s a Bellua. Forty meters long and six meters in diameter.”

 

“Forty, you say? No wonder you rushed to the association at this hour.”

 

Manager Choi, having known Parang for years, had become quite knowledgeable about monster fish. A slightly larger Bellua would be a piece of cake for him.

 

Feeling a bit less guilty, Parang thought it was convenient to have someone she knew well handle this.

 

“Got it. You can go now. The payment should be in by Monday.”

 

Without hesitation, Parang turned to leave, but then,

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Manager Choi called her back.

 

“Don’t you have any plans to take the A-rank exam?”

 

“No. Not at all.”

 

“Really? Not even a bit?”

 

“Oh, come on, you know me.”

 

“Sigh… Alright. Go on, then.”

 

– Clunk-clunk –

 

With an empty waterproof bag slung over her back, Parang boarded the subway, lost in thought.

 

‘A-rank, huh…’

 

It wasn’t that Parang lacked the ambition to rise higher. Having been reincarnated into a hunter world, she definitely had the desire to earn the S-rank hunter badge.

 

Unlike other hunter worlds where higher ranks only meant more work and little benefit, in this world, a higher rank truly made a difference.

 

Fewer but astronomically high-paying requests, substantial support from guilds and the association, and social prestige were all part of the package.

 

However, despite being able to easily take down a Bellua, Parang was still a B-rank hunter, far from S-rank.

 

It’s ironic considering that hunters who could easily take down a wyvern were immediately classified as S-rank.

 

There were two reasons for this, both stemming from the same fundamental issue.

 

There were simply too few underwater hunters like Parang.

 

How few? In South Korea, surrounded by the sea on three sides, there were only twenty underwater hunters.

 

Not twenty S-rank hunters, but twenty in total, from F-rank to S-rank. There weren’t even any S-rank underwater hunters, and only two were A-rank.

 

Considering South Korea’s hunter population of two million and around a hundred S-rank hunters, the number was absurdly low.

 

As a result, underwater combat abilities weren’t even considered in the A-rank promotion exams.

 

So, on land, Parang was just someone with a bit of strength and the ability to create spears out of air. The A-rank promotion exam was a significant hurdle for her.

 

Even if she were to surpass A-rank and become S-rank, it would still be problematic.

 

For a typical hunter, the majority of their income comes from commissions. These are essentially requests from civilians to hunt monsters or provide protection in exchange for money. The vast majority of these are extermination requests.

 

However, for an underwater hunter like Parang, extermination requests simply don’t come in. It’s only natural; who would request the extermination of a monster living 700 meters underwater when there’s an orc settlement right in front of their apartment complex?

 

Even without the orc settlements, such requests would never be made.

 

The civilian diving record is 314 meters, and the recommended depth for scuba diving is around 50 to 100 meters. At 700 meters underwater, it’s literally the depth where submarines navigate. Unfortunately for Parang, submarines opted to roam at 500 meters depth rather than issue extermination requests every time they sailed.

 

Thus, underwater hunters worldwide, including in South Korea, either engaged in fishing or, like Parang, hunted monster fish to earn money.

 

Of course, the value of monster fish wasn’t disregarded. The items Parang had just delivered would easily surpass the half-year income of an A-rank hunter. It was an extreme seasonal business.

 

But Parang caught a monster fish at least once a week, simply because she could. Her income placed her in the top 1% in South Korea.

 

Her expenses were high, though. The diving suit she wore today alone cost her five years’ worth of savings.

 

In conclusion, hunter ranks were meaningless for underwater hunters.

 

Despite this, Parang had no complaints about her lifestyle.

 

In fact, she loved her current life. She loved that she could spend 24 hours underwater if she wanted to.

 

She was truly passionate about the sea. Her eccentricities stemming from her boundless love for the ocean were numerous.

 

Firstly, upon realizing she had been reincarnated into the world of the novel she was reading, she immediately began preparing to become an underwater hunter.

 

‘This is the world of the novel? Are there hunters who work underwater?’

 

Secondly, she used the S-rank skill selection privilege she received upon reincarnation without hesitation to choose the most powerful underwater skill.

 

‘I choose the trait, <Daughter of the Kraken>.’

 

Incidentally, <Daughter of the Kraken> transforms the body into a female upon acquisition, true to its name.

 

<Warning: Your body does not meet the physical conditions required to acquire this skill. Acquiring this skill will result in forced physical adjustments and reality alterations.>

 

Parang had no hesitation about this.

 

‘If I can stay underwater for 24 hours, does gender even matter?’

 

After becoming a woman, Parang tested her ability to endure underwater for 24 hours in a bathtub.

 

She sold all her possessions and moved to her current home. Parang still considered this series of decisions as “the best thing she ever did in her life.”

 

《Next stop, Wolpo. Wolpo Station. The doors on your right will open…》

 

Parang snapped out of her thoughts and got off the subway. Wolpo wasn’t her home. In fact, it was quite far in terms of distance. Despite this, she always got off at Wolpo and made her way home from there.

 

Wolpo Station was very close to the sea.

 

– Splash –

 

That’s right. Parang got off at Wolpo Station and swam home.

 

She couldn’t walk around the city in clothes that had been in the water, so she came to the station normally but had no such restrictions when heading home.

 

Parang reached her house in less than ten minutes.

 

“Nyaaah-!!”

 

With a strange sound, Parang flopped onto the sofa.

 

She turned on the news and grabbed a can of beer.

 

Even though Parang had little interest in anything other than the sea, she decided to watch the news today.

 

Because today, June 11, 2024…

 

was the day the world she had reincarnated into, <SSS-Rank Infinite Growth Hunter Destroys Everything>, was coming to an end.