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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: The Old Saintess
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"Whoa. Fuck. The arena's open."
There wasn't a moment to feel bored after getting back home.
I'd had some secret celebratory sex with Kang Hana to mark my return, and after nearly two weeks away suffering through hell, I had zero desire to step outside again.
Just lying around felt great.
This was the life I'd lived my whole existence anyway.
There was no way wandering around proclaiming I'd awakened overnight would magically make things better.
The only reason I'd dragged my lazy ass out there was the thrill of picking up women, fucking them, and knocking them up.
Lately, I was too busy keeping tabs on Kang Hana, Im Hyeji, and Lee Soo-ahto bother going out.
I'd have to head over soon to pump Im Hyeji and Lee Soo-ahfull of cum, though.
They'd both been radio silent, probably swamped with work.
But since they had to show up before the seven-day deadline no matter what, I wasn't in any rush.
So I'd been living the perfect stay-at-home life every day.
The ultimate unemployed bliss.
Even without the magic stones, my bank account was already stuffed with over 30 million won in cash.
My daily rate from Hwaseong had hit my account ages ago, and I was blissfully blowing it on whatever delivery food I craved each day.
Today was no different.
I'd ordered chicken and a case of beer by noon and was scrolling through Hunter Gallery when I stumbled on YouTube comments for a video that had gone completely viral amid an open portal disaster.
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at first.
Figured it was some clickbait from a stan or subscriber chaser, but nope—it was straight from Eom O-su's channel, the real deal SSS-grade healer.
"Whoa. This auntie's lost her mind."
She was a wildly impressive lunatic in every way.
Of course, objectively speaking, was the title really worth all the hate? Probably not.
First-generation hunter.
One of Korea's eight SSS-grade hunters—and the only SSS-grade healer.
Hell, she was a born SSS-grade ability healer, the gold standard even among the elite.
Her feats, skills, and dungeon treatment were already legendary via her YouTube channel, and until Im Hyeji came along, no one could touch her claim to the "Saintess" title.
There's a reason for that saying:
'No matter how messy their private life or personal drama, when a movie drops, nobody can deny they're a star actor.'
At least in this field.
As a healer.
Even the world's biggest haters couldn't deny she was the undisputed best.
I admit it too.
If you pit Im Hyeji against Eom O-su in a Saintess showdown, it depends on the criteria—but in a dungeon, purely as a healer, Im Hyeji isn't even in the same league.
Eom O-su's SSS-grade ability effect isn't public knowledge.
But seeing Lee Sua's SSS-grade ability for the first time myself showed just how insanely overpowered it is.
Im Hyeji even blurted out "That's cheating!" when she heard what it did.
S to SSS is just one rank apart, yet the gap felt bigger than fully geared versus buck naked.
Plus, Eom O-su's heal skills are solid S-grade, so when they synergize with her ability, they punch way above SSS.
"But still. This is a straight-up declaration of war."
In a way, it could be good news for Im Hyeji.
It'd draw massive attention, and coldly speaking, Eom O-su undeniably has the Saintess talent—plus decades of cred stacked up, so Im Hyeji should've been climbing from the ground up, nowhere near comparable.
But by dragging herself into the ring and pulling all eyes her way, the narrative shifts.
Once people start dragging in non-ability factors, Hunter Gallery turns it into a heated balance game debate on who's the real Saintess.
Eom O-su has the core hunter skill locked down, but everything else loses to Im Hyeji.
This overheated mess stems from that exact imbalance.
If Eom O-su had even a couple advantages, her fan club would've steamrolled the haters with her overwhelming prowess.
Age. Looks. Figure. Personality.
And now Im Hyeji's Resurrection specialty gives off that safe, righteous vibe.
Whatever the case, it was prime bait, and amid the raging firestorm of hype, Eom O-su went straight for the frontal assault.
💬 Message from HyeJi__02
"Oppa, I've decided to do a collab stream with Hunter Eom O-su."
"What the fuck. For real?"
This insane matchup becoming reality had me leaping up from my room corner.
Any laziness or urge to stay put vanished the instant I realized I could spectate this blazing drama from afar and drop a teaser on Hunter Gallery for concept post glory—my dick sprang right to attention.
And yeah, I wanted to see it firsthand.
SSS-grade hunter Eom O-su.
Her infamous personality from those anonymous Hunter Gallery leaks.
And her raw reaction to dealing with Im Hyeji.
💬 GangJik
"Me too. As luggage carrier and manager."
I instantly hired myself as Im Hyeji's day manager.
@
Eom O-su had her own personal studio.
It was a whole building in Garosu-gil: first floor cafe, second floor and up for office, fitting room, and everything else needed for YouTube ops. The interior was sleek enough to impress.
"Hello! Today we've brought in the hot-topic hunter, Im Hyeji."
"Hello. I'm Im Hyeji. I just hit SS-grade recently."
They had a full filming crew and a polished script, running it smooth as silk.
Even lurking in the back watching the two hosts, I didn't feel out of place with over ten crew members hauling cameras, lights, and scripts like it was a TV show.
The shoot progressed flawlessly.
The script struck me as well-crafted, and for a channel with over a million subs, it'd be solid promo for Im Hyeji too.
The issue was the shoot's true aim.
"Hyeji, what do you think about all this Saintess debate nonsense blowing up lately?"
"Oh, I've never even thought of myself as some Saintess or anything..."
"But Resurrection? That's straight-up awesome in my book. Honestly, judging solely on that, I think you're the one who should be Saintess."
She hyped her up just right, mocked the drama lightly, exploited Im Hyeji's reluctance to clap back on camera, and avoided coming off too bitchy.
Truth was, no need to trash-talk when flexing superiority like this did the job.
Sharp viewers would clock the shade, but casual ones might think, 'Oh, Eom O-su's schooling Im Hyeji. She's got way more experience.'
With so many apolitical types, it'd probably fan the flames hotter.
But if she knew that, she wouldn't be pulling aggro like this.
I came curious, and now I knew for sure.
"It's a real shame, Hyeji. If your ability hit SS-grade, I'd hand over the Saintess title after holding it another decade or so."
The second filming wrapped, her true colors burst out crystal clear.
I wanted to applaud.
Straight-up fox? Tempted to ask to her face, but her expressions and moves were so natural, and the nearby staff wore 'business as usual crazy lady' masks while working.
"Aw, what do you mean... I'm just happy to be an SS-grade hunter thanks to my lucky extra awakening skill."
"Hyeji, these days women pretending to be all modest and goody-goody doesn't fly. Puff your chest out, act confident like me. World's not some tilted man's game anymore where you gotta watch your step. In a meritocracy, acting all desperate for male approval like a cheap slut just gets you hate."
"...Y-yes... Yes..."
Im Hyeji looked dizzy, her mask cracking—lips twitching in a half-smile spasm.
Unless you're Lee Sua-tough, a 23-year-old couldn't handle this vertigo easily.
Even me, veteran of room-bound abyss dives, felt my mental resistance crumbling live.
And then Eom O-su beckoned me over.
"...Me?"
"Manager, mind grabbing some coffee and dessert?"
"...Me?"
"Huh? Who else?"
Shouldn't you delivery it or send your staff? We're guests here, right?
I wanted to snap, but her glare screamed 'This pest thinks he can talk back safely?'—I bowed my head meekly.
"Sure..."
I snuck a glance.
She'd spot me the card, right?
But her folded arms said this wasn't her first rodeo.
Im Hyeji saw and slipped me her card discreetly.
Even as I took it and headed out, that venomous voice trailed me.
"Manager? What a clueless guy. Ugly too. For an SS-grade, at least hire some eye candy."
I made my resolve.
This gloriously flaming bait.
I'd turn it into a happy ending come hell or high water.
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