“Huh? What’s this now?”

Chae Soo-hyun's eyes were drawn to a post. It was the latest trending topic in the online community.

[Recent Activity of S-Rank Hunters]

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na being bossed around like dogs.jpg

ㄴ What is this? What are they doing? ㄴ Don’t know? Looks like Baek Ji-hoon is the one giving the orders. ㄴ I was there. They were doing everything Baek Ji-hoon told them to do. ㄴ Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na? Seriously?

Attached was a video clip of Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na fiercely competing to take down B-rank monsters.

ㄴ What the hell are they doing? Why are S-rank hunters fighting B-rank monsters? ㄴ People say Baek Ji-hoon told them to do it. ㄴ And they just do whatever he says? ㄴ Who knows? Maybe they like him or something.

“What the...”

Chae Soo-hyun frowned.

She continued reading through various posts and comments, piecing together what was happening.

‘So, Ji-hoon oppa went to a dungeon with Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na?’

A wave of irritation surged through her.

‘Ugh... Why are there so many competitors in Blue Guild?’

She felt like an invisible, fierce competition was taking place around Baek Ji-hoon.

‘They’re clearly trying to get on his good side by following him to the dungeon, right? Or... wait, could they have figured out that Ji-hoon oppa is ID Parfaris?’

Chae Soo-hyun’s sense of urgency increased. Based on Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na’s odd behavior, she thought it was highly possible they had already realized the truth.

In the video, Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na were enthusiastically hopping around, grinding away to defeat the B-rank monsters.

‘S-rank hunters doing B-rank work...’

Chae Soo-hyun quickly flipped through more information.

“Just as I thought...”

The dungeon where Baek Ji-hoon, Lee Soo-ah, and Yoo Ha-na were located was a double dungeon. Inside, there was a hidden area where S-rank items could be found.

“So, it’s true. Ji-hoon oppa really is ID Parfaris. He just enjoys keeping things secret, just like I thought.”

She smirked, feeling like she had solved the puzzle. Then, she jumped to her feet.

“Alright, looks like I’ll be tagging along too.”

She felt like Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na were already one step ahead. There was no other explanation for S-rank hunters acting like that unless they had a reason.

‘I can’t let them win. Ji-hoon oppa is mine. The two of you can back off.’

She hurriedly made her way to the dungeon.

 

“Hey... Ms. Yoo Ha-na, can you move over there? This area is mine.”

“What? Are you serious? Weren’t you the one who asked me to come here in the first place, Ms. Lee Soo-ah?”

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na were locked in a tense exchange. They were both on edge, reacting to the rare chance that Baek Ji-hoon had actually asked them to do something.

“Wait... Where’s Ji-hoon?”

Distracted by the tasks Baek Ji-hoon had assigned, they suddenly realized they had lost track of him.

“Where is he? Where’s Ji-hoon?”

They scanned the area, but Baek Ji-hoon was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, a crowd of regular hunters was gathering around them, eager to catch a glimpse of the two famous S-rank hunters.

“Wow... Ms. Lee Soo-ah, Ms. Yoo Ha-na, could I get an autograph?”

“This is crazy! I never thought I’d run into you in a B-rank dungeon!”

People were flocking around them, asking for handshakes and autographs.

“Excuse me? Have you seen the two guys who were with us?”

“They went into the double dungeon.”

“What??”

“Hurry, Ms. Soo-ah! Let’s go!!”

“Yes!”

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na snapped back to reality and realized that Baek Ji-hoon had gone ahead without them.

“Wait, are you just going to leave? Didn’t he give you something to do?”

A nearby hunter asked, looking confused.

“Oh, right. He did.”

Reluctantly, Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na realized they had to finish the tedious tasks Baek Ji-hoon had assigned. If they just followed him without completing the job, he might get annoyed.

‘Ugh... did he ask us to do this just to get rid of us? No, it’s fine. We’ll just finish quickly and catch up with him.’

Lee Soo-ah decided to stay positive.

 

“How much will this one fetch if we get it today?”

“Uh... probably around 50 billion won. It’s one of the top 20 most valuable known items. And it’s a weapon too.”

Hyung-seok looked thrilled, practically trembling with excitement.

“Hyung, I think I’m gonna lose it. Seriously. Can’t we just keep this one for ourselves?”

[Ruby Sword]

The design was simple—nothing flashy or particularly cool-looking. But this item had earned its fame for one reason.

[Hunter Rank +1]

It could raise a hunter’s rank by one tier, but only in terms of attack power. Naturally, this item had never once appeared on the market. It was something only spoken about in legend.

Considering that it usually took 2-3 years, sometimes up to 5 years, to level up as a hunter, this item was incredible. Though I personally didn’t feel like I needed it.

“What would I do with it? I’ve already maxed out my level.”

To me, it seemed utterly useless.

“Sigh... I guess you’re right. But it feels like we should keep it for sentimental reasons. Anyway, let’s find it first and decide later!”

“Alright.”

Following Hyung-seok’s lead, I carefully advanced through the dungeon.

‘I wonder how many attempts it’ll take to get a drop today...’

 

“What? Is that Chae Soo-hyun?”

The hunters in the dungeon were startled when Chae Soo-hyun entered.

“What’s going on today? Why are there four S-rank hunters here?”

“Wow. Let’s take a picture.”

“She’s even prettier in person. I guess S-rank hunters really do take care of themselves with all that money.”

The hunters already in the dungeon murmured among themselves, watching Chae Soo-hyun from afar.

“Excuse me, have you seen Baek Ji-hoon, Lee Soo-ah, or Yoo Ha-na around?”

“Oh, of course! I even posted about it on the community board.”

A man who had been grinning ear to ear approached her, answering eagerly.

“Where are they?”

“Well, I know where Ms. Lee Soo-ah and Ms. Yoo Ha-na are, but Baek Ji-hoon seems to have gone into the inner dungeon.”

Hearing this, Chae Soo-hyun’s expression turned serious.

‘So, it’s true. Ji-hoon oppa is really him... Su-hyun, get it together. You can’t lose him this time. You have to show him how you feel, no matter what. Then, you’ll be set for life.’

Chae Soo-hyun steeled her resolve.

 

“Ms. Yoo Ha-na... Are you done yet? How much longer...?” Lee Soo-ah panted, showing signs of fatigue.

The task Baek Ji-hoon had given them involved defeating a total of 5,000 monsters. Even though B-rank monsters were a breeze for S-rank hunters, the sheer quantity was overwhelming.

No matter how strong an S-rank hunter was, dealing with that many monsters in a short time was exhausting.

“I think I’m almost done... But this is tough. Whew...”

“We need to finish this quickly and get inside. But... do you think we’ll even survive in there? We need to catch up to Ji-hoon soon...”

Yoo Ha-na looked a little worried.

“Let’s finish up here and then think about it. We’re almost done.”

“Okay...”

“Ms. Lee Soo-ah? Ms. Yoo Ha-na?”

A sharp voice called out. It was Chae Soo-hyun.

“Oh? Chae Soo-hyun...?”

Lee Soo-ah immediately tensed up. Yoo Ha-na did the same. They both remembered the time they had run into her in front of Baek Ji-hoon’s house in Sillim-dong, which naturally made them wary.

“What are you doing here? Ms. Chae Soo-hyun, you’re an S-rank hunter. There’s no reason for you to be in a B-rank dungeon, right?”

Lee Soo-ah fired the first shot, her voice sharp.

“And why are you here, Ms. Lee Soo-ah? Ms. Yoo Ha-na? Aren’t you both S-rank hunters too?”

Chae Soo-hyun didn’t back down.

“Hah. We’re just here to get some items we need. It just so happens that they’re in a B-rank dungeon.”

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na exchanged a knowing glance, silently agreeing to play along.

“Don’t lie. You’re here because of Baek Ji-hoon, right? I already know. It’s all over the community.”

Chae Soo-hyun showed them the post with the viral video of them grinding B-rank monsters.

“Damn it...”

Lee Soo-ah rubbed her forehead, looking frustrated.

‘So it was those people. When did they even have time to record this...’

She was annoyed but knew there wasn’t much she could do.

“So, why are you here, Ms. Chae Soo-hyun?”

Still on guard, she questioned her again.

“I’m here for the same reason you are. Because of Baek Ji-hoon.”

Chae Soo-hyun delivered her line with a subtle bite.

“The same... reason?”

Lee Soo-ah pretended not to understand, feigning innocence.

“Oh, come on. Why are you acting like amateurs? Ms. Lee Soo-ah, Ms. Yoo Ha-na. You’re here because of Baek Ji-hoon, right? You’re trying to get on his good side, aren’t you?”

Chae Soo-hyun decided to lay it all out in the open. She figured the only way to come out on top was to confront the issue head-on.

‘What could they possibly do to stop me? I’m Chae Soo-hyun. I’ll take Ji-hoon oppa from under their noses and be done with it.’

She had no intention of backing down. In fact, she was determined to draw a firm line with Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na. She didn’t want any unnecessary complications.

‘I hope they understand what I’m saying now.’