"Hello, everyone. I'm Park Hyung-seok, secretary to Hunter Baek Ji-hoon."

Park Hyung-seok gave a respectful nod to the camera and began explaining the day's agenda.

“Our Blue Guild plans to change the way dungeon raids are traditionally conducted. As you know, we have several S-rank hunters in our guild, so we’re looking to approach things differently…”

He delivered his pre-prepared lines one by one.

The reporters from various broadcasting stations listened with expressions of intrigue. All eyes were on the S-rank hunters who had recently joined the Blue Guild, a subject that had garnered much public interest lately.

“Isn’t the hunter industry fascinating these days?”
“Right? It felt quiet for a while, but now it seems like a lot of exciting things are happening.”

The reporters murmured amongst themselves.

“But I still don’t get why Hunter Chae Soo-hyun left the Baekho Guild for Blue Guild.”
“Same here. Sure, Blue Guild is doing well, but wouldn’t she have done just as well staying with Baekho and marrying into the right family?”
“Well, I heard she got pushed aside by Seo Ji-soo.”
“What? Seo Ji-soo?”
“Not officially confirmed, but there are rumors that Jin-hyuk was dating Seo Ji-soo before and that they got back together, leaving Chae Soo-hyun a bit high and dry.”
“Ah, I see…”

“Honestly, Hunter Baek Ji-hoon has it all, doesn’t he? It’s just him and a whole group of female S-rank hunters in the Blue Guild. It’s like a real-life harem.”
“I envy him so much. Not long ago, he was E-rank, and now he’s not only S-rank but surrounded by S-ranks. What kind of life is that?”
“Actually, have you heard of the ID Parafaris? There’s speculation that it might be him.”
“Really?”

While Park Hyung-seok focused on presenting the schedule, the reporters shared their gossip. It wasn’t often that so many journalists covering the hunter world gathered in one place, so they took the opportunity to catch up on rumors.

“That Parafaris ID? They say it’s big in the U.S., too. It looks like rare S-rank items have become investment assets there. I guess because they’re so scarce, they hold value well.”
“Right. I heard he raked in nearly two trillion won in under a month. We’ll need Baekho Guild to confirm the details, but still…”
“Exactly. Baekho Guild is known for buying up any high-value items as soon as they appear.”

“And with that, we’ll now commence the dungeon raid.”

As Park Hyung-seok wrapped up his lengthy introduction, the filming of the raid officially began.

‘Ugh…’

Chae Soo-hyun’s face was twisted in a deep frown, reflecting her discomfort and irritation.

“What are you doing, Chae Soo-hyun? Get over here already.”
“Yes…”

Dragging her feet, Chae Soo-hyun reluctantly followed along.

“Hello. Our team consists of three members: Chae Soo-hyun, Lee Soo-ah, and Yoo Ha-na.”

Lee Soo-ah smiled at the camera. Her team was clearly the most popular, composed of three of the most well-known hunters, making them a natural point of interest.

“I believe our team will perform exceptionally well. With Hunter Chae Soo-hyun’s health finally back on track, we’re ready to impress,” Lee Soo-ah said, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm. She was looking forward to seeing how Chae Soo-hyun would fare today.

“Haha… I’m still recovering…”
“Oh, come on. You were once ranked the number one S-rank, even if only briefly. Did you know that no one actually understands how you managed to reach that rank?”

Lee Soo-ah’s words struck a nerve. Typically, as S-rank hunters gained fame, they made frequent media appearances or joined guilds where their activities became public.

But Chae Soo-hyun had done none of that. In reality, she had simply ridden on Baek Ji-hoon’s coattails, accumulating points he earned.

“W-what?”

Chae Soo-hyun’s face quickly hardened. She was visibly unsettled by this exposure.

“Usually, S-rank hunters’ battles are all over the internet. But there’s nothing like that for you, is there? I wonder why you’re so secretive,” Lee Soo-ah said, giving her a playful tap.

“Haha... I’m just shy.”
“Oh, you didn’t seem shy at all during interviews. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you can do, Hunter Chae Soo-hyun. You haven’t shown your skills publicly before, so let’s see what you’ve got today, hmm?”

Lee Soo-ah’s heart was racing with excitement.

“Let’s get going!”

She grabbed Chae Soo-hyun, who looked absolutely miserable, and dragged her toward the deeper part of the dungeon.

“Ah, look at that, Hyung.”

Of course, Park Hyung-seok and I had our eyes on Chae Soo-hyun’s team. Today’s event was all about her.

“Did you see her face? She looks like she’s about to die.”
“Serves her right.”

I felt a sense of finality approaching. There was no way out for her now.

Once she was thoroughly disgraced, I would be free of it all. We watched from a distance, observing Chae Soo-hyun’s group.

“Uh, Ji-hoon? Is there something going on over there?”
“Hm?”

Cha I-seul approached me cautiously, her eyes full of concern.

“You’re awfully focused on Hunter Chae Soo-hyun lately. Do you still… have feelings for her?”

“No… Not at all.”

I was caught off guard. Not only did I not care about Chae Soo-hyun, but I also wanted this over with as soon as possible.

“I just thought… you’ve been paying her so much attention recently…”
“It’s a misunderstanding, I swear. It’s the complete opposite.”

“Okay…”

She seemed a bit worried.

“Please focus on our team as well. Don’t get so wrapped up in Hunter Chae Soo-hyun.”

“Of course, I will.”

I guess I had been a little too focused on Chae Soo-hyun since we arrived.

Slash, slash.

Yoo Ha-na and Lee Soo-ah were enthusiastically tearing through the monsters. A-rank beasts were nothing to these S-rank hunters.

Shriek!

With each swing of their arms, the A-rank beasts fell with a loud crash.

But Chae Soo-hyun was helpless.

‘Ugh… what am I supposed to do…’

She looked completely lost and overwhelmed.

“Hunter Chae Soo-hyun, what are you doing? Hurry over here and show us what you can do!”

Noticing this, Lee Soo-ah ramped up the pressure, determined to make her confess.

“Oh... right... hehe…”

Chae Soo-hyun desperately tried to avoid the situation but felt there was no way out.

Screech!

Lee Soo-ah intentionally struck a monster in such a way that it flew toward Chae Soo-hyun.

“Oops. Sorry about that.”

She made a show of pretending to be apologetic.

Meanwhile, Chae Soo-hyun recoiled in shock, ducking into a defensive stance.

“Uh? What’s going on…?”

The PD filming their group frowned slightly.

‘Why does she seem so scared...?’

They found the situation strange. From the start, Chae Soo-hyun hadn’t taken down a single monster, while Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na had been dispatching them at breakneck speed.

Considering what they’d seen so far, something felt off.

‘What is Hunter Chae Soo-hyun doing? Why is she just hanging back?’

She was merely posturing, pretending to do something but not actually engaging.

“Oops~”
Shriek!

Lee Soo-ah continued to knock monsters toward Chae Soo-hyun, as if by accident.

But Chae Soo-hyun was completely unable to defend herself. The monster’s strength was far beyond her capability.

“Excuse me, Hunter Chae Soo-hyun.”

One of the PDs couldn’t take it anymore and approached. They had been filming from a distance, but things were getting too strange to ignore.

“You know we’re live, right? Everything is being broadcast. We’re supposed to showcase the abilities of S-rank hunters. But as far as I’ve seen, you haven’t defeated a single monster. Could you explain why?”

The PD looked slightly annoyed.

He’d been thrilled to be assigned to a group with the nation’s most famous S-rank hunters. He’d meticulously prepared for the best angles and rehearsed the setup, only for reality to play out differently than he had imagined.

‘What’s going on, Hunter Chae Soo-hyun? Why does she keep standing back and doing nothing?’

He furrowed his brows, visibly displeased.