I Became the Rankers’ Number One Pick

“Haha, that would be impossible. On the contrary, hyung tells his team to run away and leave him to face the difficult enemy alone.”

“What do you do when that happens?”

“Just do what you’re told. It’s better than bothering him by getting caught. He’s an S-class hunter, so he must have his own methods.”

Seo-ah recalled the first time she met Yoo Ji-an, when he’d finished off the toad monster pretty easily.

As he was capable of finishing high-ranking gates alone, having someone around whom he had to be mindful of was likely a hindrance.

‘If we go together next time, I’m sure I’ll only be extra baggage…’

Well, that was what he asked for, so he must be prepared to take care of her to some extent.

“Alright. Anyway, as for choosing a mace…”

Brrrrt.

Seo-ah’s phone vibrated loudly before the explanation could begin.

“Don’t worry, please take it.”

She bowed slightly to ask for forgiveness, then pressed the green button to accept the call.

“Hello?”

“Eonnie!” came a youthful voice.

Confused, Seo-ah checked the number again and saw that it was unregistered.

‘Ah, I forgot to save it!’

“Is this Soo-jung?”

***

Kang Soo-jung, whom she met after a long time, was wearing a school uniform.

For some reason, that gave Seo-ah some relief.

“Eonnie! I can’t believe I’m meeting you in the Sun Guild’s building.”

The young girl had wanted them to meet up, and decided to come herself when she learned of Seo-ah’s circumstances, with the confirmation from Song Jin-ho that outsiders could come to the first floor of the guild building.

“Thank you for coming all this way.” Seo-ah placed a glass of peach iced tea on the table.

“Oh, thank you.” Soo-jung rummaged through her school bag, taking out an old wallet with a chick embroidered on it.

“Soo-jung, no, I’ll buy this for you. You can just drink.”

“Really? Then I will!”

Watching Soo-jung slurp happily, Seo-ah thought for a moment that she might have looked like that to Song Jin-ho earlier.

‘No, of course not. She’s a student and I’m…’

“Ah, that’s nice and cold.”

As she was finishing the glass, Soo-jung smiled and spoke about how she was doing. Apparently, she’d gone to one more raid after they last met.

“It was really great. I was flying around!”

“That’s amazing.”

She told a few more stories and mentioned that she was looking for a guild to join.

“I’d like to join a suitable small- or medium-sized guild, because it’s easier to work that way.”

“I see… But, um, why aren’t you asking me anything?”

“What?”

“Well, I’m in the Sun Guild right now…”

Soo-jung didn’t ask her anything, even though it was certainly strange that an E-class healer was sitting comfortably in the lobby of the top guild in Korea.

“Well, eonnie, it’s not that strange. You must be here because you deserve it,” she said casually.

Hadn’t she experienced skill breakthroughs through Seo-ah?

Healers and auxiliary hunters often had skills that could buff their teammates. However, she’d never seen a skill that could directly raise one’s stats. Even though she wasn’t a veteran hunter, Soo-jung could see clearly that this ability was special.

“And Yoo Ji-an and Baek Eun-hee were there too that day. That really shocked me.”

“Ah, I also was, a little. But, truthfully, I haven’t joined the guild. I’m just here for a little training.”

“Wow, you’re training with the Sun Guild facilities, huh.”

Seo-ah smiled shyly in the face of Soo-jung’s sincere envy. It was a bit embarrassing that she had unintentionally bragged in front of a kid.

“Soo-jung, why are you working so hard? You’re still a student, right?”

“I need the money so that I don’t lose my house.”

“…”

“My dad fled, and the house I live in will be sold off if I don’t pay up. If I get evicted, I’ll have nowhere to go, so I have to make money.”

Soo-jung said it so simply, but Seo-ah was well aware of the weight of the information. She, too, was trying to survive without her parents, as well as take responsibility for her younger brother. It wasn’t an easy life, but at least she was an adult. It made her feel worse that Soo-jung was going through all of that at her young age, and that she wasn’t in any position to help.

“Hey, there’s something else I want to know.” Perhaps sensing the heavy atmosphere, Soo-jung continued to speak brightly, “How’s your training going? What are you doing here?”

Just then, a group walked into the lobby, the person in the lead approaching them.

“Ms. Park Seo-ah!”

“Oh, Mr. Guild Leader.” Seo-ah stood, Soo-jung following suit.”

Han Seok-hyun waved his hand nonchalantly. “No, no, please sit down! I just wanted to see if you were doing well.”

“Me? I’m doing well thanks to your help.”

He joined their table naturally, about to speak when his phone rang. “Oh, I’m sorry, wait a minute.” He turned to the side, listening to the other person behind the speaker. “No, that will not be possible,” Han Seok-hyun said after a long silence, uncharacteristically cold and sharp.

Seo-ah was a bit surprised, given that she’d only seen his kind and friendly side, but figured that he wouldn’t have been able to sit as the leader of the Sun Guild, whom the powerful people in corporations and politics could not ignore, if he was kind and friendly all the time.

The skilled Han Seok-hyun hung up and smiled brightly. “Sorry, I got a useless phone call all of a sudden… Ms. Park Seo-ah, please let me know if anything is inconveniencing you.”

“Oh, yes, I’m having no problems at all,” she assured.

“And this is…?” His gaze slowly turned to Kang Soo-jung.

Seo-ah quickly introduced her, “This is my acquaintance. Soo-jung, this is the head of the Sun Guild.”

“I know—My name is Kang Soo-jung!” The girl stood and bowed deeply.

Unlike with Seo-ah’s greeting, Han Seok-hyun only nodded, thoughts brewing behind his eyes. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Hunter.”

“…You immediately recognized that I am a hunter?”

“I know these things when I see a person.”

Soo-jung sat back down, and Seo-ah looked at her companions alternately, pursing her lips.

“Hmm, you two seem very close.”

“Well, we are friends, yes.”

“Really? But didn’t you two meet for the first time during that D-class gate raid?”

“Haha… Information travels fast. Indeed, our lives and deaths depended on each other,” Soo-jung replied, skillfully escaping the subtle criticism and shooting a pleading look at Seo-ah.

“We’ll continue to be close from now on,” Seo-ah said simply.

“Is that so? Then, Ms. Kang Soo-jung, why don’t you stay here?”

“…”

Han Seok-hyun took the lead, despite no favors being asked yet. When Seo-ah looked at him with wide eyes, he clapped.

“Ms. Park Seo-ah will be lonely in a place where no one familiar is around, so it would be better if Ms. Kang Soo-jung is with her. We will also provide a basic training program.”

“Wow… That would be awesome…” Kang Soo-jung gushed—she’d wanted to look good in front of him just in case, but she never dreamed that Han Seok-hyun would suggest that she stay.

“May she? I don’t think she has anywhere to go. She’ll only stay here while I’m here.”

“Of course, Ms. Park Seo-ah, do as you please. You both can stay as long as you like, hahaha!”

While they were talking, someone approached the guild leader and whispered something to him.

“Really? I’m speechless.” Once again, his face and tone changed completely, flickering before returning to his usual smile. “Well, a problem just came up, so I have to go. You may contact my secretary to take care of the relevant procedures.”

“Thank you very much, Guild Leader.”

“Aren’t you a friend of Ms. Park Seo-ah, whom Mr. Yoo Ji-an has vouched for? A friend of Ms. Park is our friend too.”

That seemed a like an exaggeration, but in the end, it was a good thing to be.

Han Seok-hyun bid them farewell and turned to leave. “How dare he look this way!” he murmured through gritted teeth.

It was Cha Tae-woon, the president of the Hunters’ Guild, who had called him.