"Wh-what??"

Cha Soo-hyun dropped the sandwich she was holding as she froze in shock. She had just arrived at Baekho Guild and was walking past a TV when a familiar face appeared on the screen.

Baek Ji-hoon.

TheBirthofthe15thS−RankHunterThe Birth of the 15th S-Rank HunterTheBirthofthe15thS−RankHunter

'Ji-hoon oppa...??? What is this? Why? How? Ji-hoon oppa is an S-Rank Hunter? How did this happen?'

She couldn't believe it. It was completely unexpected.

"Why? How? He was E-rank, wasn't he? Ji-hoon oppa?"

Just last week, when they parted ways, he was nothing more than an E-rank. But now, in just one week, he had risen to the rank of an S-Rank Hunter.

Cha Soo-hyun hurried to her office, breathing heavily. She frantically searched for more information.

Click, click.

The sound of the mouse wheel was loud and frantic. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment.

'This doesn't make any sense. Our fates have been reversed. I fell to E-rank, and oppa became S-rank?'

Her face was stiff with disbelief.

'How...? Could it be that oppa is aiming to be the number one S-Rank?'

A deeply unsettling thought circled in her mind. Considering the current situation, she had been downgraded to E-rank, just like Baek Ji-hoon had been, while Ji-hoon had rapidly ascended to S-rank.

'This has never happened before, has it? No one has ever jumped from E-rank to S-rank in just a week. It doesn't make any sense.'

Her deeply furrowed brow reflected her troubled thoughts.

FromE−ranktoS−rankinJustOneWeekFrom E-rank to S-rank in Just One WeekFromE−ranktoS−rankinJustOneWeek
DomesticRecordBroken:IstheNumberOneS−RankChanging?Domestic Record Broken: Is the Number One S-Rank Changing?DomesticRecordBroken:IstheNumberOneS−RankChanging?
FirstMaleS−RankHunterinFourYearsFirst Male S-Rank Hunter in Four YearsFirstMaleS−RankHunterinFourYears
AnUnpredictableSuddenPromotionAn Unpredictable Sudden PromotionAnUnpredictableSuddenPromotion

Various headlines were pouring in from every direction. Just like last week when she achieved the number one S-rank spot.

'Could it be... Did oppa use the points he retrieved from me to do this? No way... Could that be it?'

A single word flashed through her mind.

Point retrieval.

It was clear. There was no other way someone could achieve such a rapid rise in just one week.

AccordingtotheHunterDepartment,itwasrevealedthatthepointshadbeensavedupwithoutbeinguseduntilnow.Recently,YooHana,whohasreturnedtotheBlueGuild...According to the Hunter Department, it was revealed that the points had been saved up without being used until now. Recently, Yoo Hana, who has returned to the Blue Guild...AccordingtotheHunterDepartment,itwasrevealedthatthepointshadbeensavedupwithoutbeinguseduntilnow.Recently,YooHana,whohasreturnedtotheBlueGuild...

'See? Who in their right mind would just save up points like that? Everyone’s usually in a rush to use them as soon as they get them.'

Cha Soo-hyun crumpled the empty paper cup in her hand.

'This can't be happening...'

Bang.

"Soo-hyun, did you see the news?"

It was Lee Jin-hyuk.

"Huh?? Y-yeah..."

Cha Soo-hyun flinched, startled.

"What the hell is going on with that guy? It's weird. There wasn't any sign of this, and then suddenly this happens?"

He seemed quite irritated.

"Yeah... Right...?"

"Normally, when someone is about to be promoted to S-rank, rumors start spreading, right? But with this guy, there was nothing. What the hell is going on?"

He glanced at Cha Soo-hyun.

"Do you know anything about this guy?"

"Huh? No, I don’t. I don’t."

She waved her hands in denial, looking panicked.

"Hmm. Do you think he might have some points saved up?"

Lee Jin-hyuk's question made Cha Soo-hyun’s expression harden.

'No way. That can't be.'

"If he does have points saved up, then it’s just a matter of time before he takes the number one S-rank spot, isn’t it?"

His tone suggested that such an outcome would be unacceptable.

"Th-that can’t be..."

Cha Soo-hyun clenched her fists, trembling. She was on the brink of losing the status she had worked so hard to achieve.

'No... If that happens, Jin-hyuk oppa will abandon me too... No way... Is Ji-hoon oppa aiming for the number one S-rank?'

Her pupils began to shake with anxiety.

Ji−hoonoppa.It′sSoo−hyun.Pleasecontactme.Please.Ji-hoon oppa. It's Soo-hyun. Please contact me. Please.Ji−hoonoppa.It′sSoo−hyun.Pleasecontactme.Please.
Whatdoyouwantmetodo?I’lldoanythingyouask.Pleasejustrespond.What do you want me to do? I’ll do anything you ask. Please just respond.Whatdoyouwantmetodo?I’lldoanythingyouask.Pleasejustrespond.
Oppa,isthatreallyyou?HowdidyousuddenlybecomeanS−RankHunter?Oppa, is that really you? How did you suddenly become an S-Rank Hunter?Oppa,isthatreallyyou?HowdidyousuddenlybecomeanS−RankHunter?
Please.I′mcomingbacktotheBlueGuild.Please. I'm coming back to the Blue Guild.Please.I′mcomingbacktotheBlueGuild.

I had received countless messages.

'Sigh. This is ridiculous. Now, of all times?'

Cha Soo-hyun had never sent me messages like this before. She must have seen the news on TV. That’s why she was in such a frenzy now.

Naturally, I ignored her messages.

"Uh... Ji-hoon?"

A soft and timid voice called out to me. It was Lee Soo-ah.

"Yes?"

I couldn’t help but be a little surprised. Her approach was entirely different from before.

"Um... Ji-hoon, I’ll do as you say from now on..."

Her voice trembled.

"Soo-ah, why the sudden change?"

"I... I did some research, and... it seems like this is the best thing to do."

She was completely submissive.

"Really?"

"Yes... really..."

"In that case, we might need to reorganize the team a bit."

"What???"

She looked slightly shocked.

"You said you’d do as I say, right?"

"Y-yes... that’s right..."

"I’m an S-Rank Hunter now."

"Yes...?"

"I could become the team leader, couldn’t I?"

"Wh-what???"

Not only Lee Soo-ah, but the entire Hunter Team 6 looked completely startled by my words.

"Wait... Baek Ji-hoon as the A-Team leader?"

Of course, Chief Cha was the most shocked, rushing over to me.

"Seriously? You want to be the A-Team leader, Ji-hoon? Finally, you’re getting your head in the game!"

He slapped my thigh playfully.

"Can I suggest a team reorganization?"

"Of course, you can~~~"

"Alright then, I’ll take the A-Team leader position. And let’s bring all the other S-Ranks along too."

I spoke with confidence.

"Well done! I knew you’d be great at this, Ji-hoon!"

"Wait... Chief Cha, what are you saying...? I’m the A-Team leader..."

"Soo-ah, didn’t you say leading the team was getting too difficult for you?"

"What???"

"Come on, you’ve always been on the verge of tears, saying it was too much work."

"When did I ever say that..."

Lee Soo-ah was being pushed into a corner.

"Right? If Baek Ji-hoon becomes the team leader, wouldn’t that take some of the pressure off you, Hunter Lee Soo-ah? It would be a lot less stressful. You’ve been the de facto leader of Blue Guild, after all."

"Why... why is everyone...?"

Lee Soo-ah’s pupils were trembling. Suddenly, all of Hunter Team 6 was enthusiastically supporting Baek Ji-hoon.

"Ji-hoon, then... could you make me the deputy leader?"

Yoo Hana seized the opportunity and clung to me.

"Hmm. I’ll think about it."

"Why... why? I’ve been helping you so diligently..."

"Well, that’s true, but we don’t know who else might join as S-Ranks, do we?"

"Aww..."

Yoo Hana looked disappointed.

"Then what about me? I was the A-Team leader..."

"Hmm... Hunter Lee Soo-ah, you’ve been too reckless and over the top so far. You’re out."

"Ah!"

Chief Cha clicked his tongue, looking down at Lee Soo-ah.

"Anyway, Ji-hoon, I’ll talk to the Guild Master about this, okay? You want to be the A-Team leader, right?"

"Yes."

After Chief Cha left.

"Wow, Ji-hoon, you’re really amazing."

Deputy Kim shook his head in disbelief.

"How did you manage to save up all those points without using them? Didn’t it wear you out? What about healing after getting injured? How did you manage all that?"

Thinking back, it was strange when I was working with Cha Soo-hyun.

'Hmm... Did she have some kind of healing ability?'

If anything, every time we were intimate, I felt more energized. Full of vitality.

'Well, I should thank her. It turned out well for me, after all.'

What I initially thought was betrayal had actually led to me becoming an S-Rank Hunter and potentially taking the top position in the Blue Guild.

"Yeah, it was tough, but I managed."

"Man, I can’t wait to become an S-Rank Hunter too. Ji-hoon, are you hiding something from us? This is so strange..."

The biggest topic of interest in Hunter Team 6 was, of course, me. It seemed that not just our team but the entire Blue Guild was focused on me.

After all, I had suddenly become an S-Rank Hunter in just a week.

Huh?Ji−hoon,isthatyouonTV?Itcan’tbe,right?Huh? Ji-hoon, is that you on TV? It can’t be, right?Huh?Ji−hoon,isthatyouonTV?Itcan’tbe,right?
DidyoureallybecomeanS−RankHunter?Seriously?Did you really become an S-Rank Hunter? Seriously?DidyoureallybecomeanS−RankHunter?Seriously?
Man,lifesureisfullofsurprises.WasthatyouonTV?Man, life sure is full of surprises. Was that you on TV?Man,lifesureisfullofsurprises.WasthatyouonTV?
What’sgoingon?Whydidn’tyoutellusinadvance?Wasthissomekindofsurprise?What’sthedeal?What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell us in advance? Was this some kind of surprise? What’s the deal?What’sgoingon?Whydidn’tyoutellusinadvance?Wasthissomekindofsurprise?What’sthedeal?

My smartphone was filled with messages. Everyone seemed shocked after seeing the news about the new S-Rank Hunter.

Just ten days ago, everyone was sending me messages of comfort over what happened with Cha Soo-hyun. Now, the situation had completely reversed.

'Good. This is how I move forward.'

There was a lot I needed to do.

Cha Soo-hyun’s messages kept nagging at the back of my mind.

'Sigh. You should have treated me better when you had the chance. Now, it’s over.'

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.

I saw Chief Cha running towards me.

"Huff, huff... The Guild Master has approved it. We can proceed with the reorganization however you want. Hahaha."

He was laughing with delight.

"That’s great."

I hadn’t expected things to move so quickly. It seemed like the Guild Master of Blue Guild had been waiting for this, resolving everything swiftly.

"What??? Guild Master? Why...?"

Lee Soo-ah was completely taken aback.

"Hunter Lee Soo-ah, Hunter Yoo Hana. For now, I’d like you two to assist me."

"Yes!!"

Yoo Hana quickly responded, while Lee Soo-ah seemed completely unable to accept the current situation.

"I’m going to see the Guild Master."

And with that, she stormed off.