Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: The Chairman's Visit

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"...Physical anomaly confirmed."

"It's been... how long..."

"Please calm down... it's okay."

Various voices floated around me from all directions. Some were familiar, others belonged to strangers.

My eyelids feel so heavy.

It was like waking from a short nap—opening my eyes was a real struggle. With sheer willpower alone, I forced them open.

"Ugh..."

"Ji-ui!"

"Ji-ui! Are you coming to?"

My vision was blurry, so I couldn't make out the people surrounding me. After blinking for a while, everything came into sharp focus, and the faces I'd longed to see slowly filled my view.

Mom. Dad.

Mom and Dad both wore grave expressions, but the moment I locked eyes with Mom, they let out sighs of relief.

"Ack!"

"Patient, you can't move yet."

I'd only tried to sit up in bed, but my whole body throbbed like I'd been beaten. I carefully lay back down.

"Ha... thank you... Truly, thank you..."

Dad repeated his thanks to a god he didn't even believe in, while Mom covered her mouth with trembling hands.

This must be the sight Ji-yu saw countless times.

I turned my head back to the ceiling and slowly pieced together my memories.

On my way home from work as usual, a gate suddenly appeared beneath my feet, and I came face-to-face with a massive dragon inside. I thought I was done for... but then...

"I awakened."

"Huh? What, what?"

"What'd you say?"

My first words upon waking drew wildly different reactions. Mom gripped the bed frame with her mouth agape, while Dad covered his with both hands, eyes bulging.

"Ah... Becoming an awakener doesn't automatically make you a hunter. Reserve awakeners like E- or F-Rank are basically on par with regular people."

The doctor was the only one who stayed calm, and his words seemed to ease Mom and Dad a bit as they patted their chests. They could never imagine an upper-rank awakener coming from parents who weren't even awakened.

If I said SS-Rank, Dad would 100% faint.

"What rank is the patient...? Ah, opening your status window might be tricky at first. I'll contact the Association for now."

The doctor kindly replied before jotting something on the chart.

Status window...

Contrary to what the doctor said, I opened my status window effortlessly.

Must be because it's my second life. Some things you just remember with your body.

"We'll hear back soon..."

"No need for that."

Huh?

Whoosh.

A pleasant baritone voice rang out as the curtains around my bed were suddenly drawn back. Through the worn fabric emerged someone with silver-white hair...

"Sorry for the sudden visit. I'm Kim Kang-hee, Chairman of the Korea Hunter Association."

It was Kim Kang-hee, a face I'd only seen on TV.

"Kim... Kang-hee Chairman, right?"

"What's she doing here?"

"Does she know the girl lying there?"

His appearance sent ripples through everyone in the room.

"Ch-Chairman... how did you get here...?"

The doctor stared in flustered confusion, but Kim Kang-hee smiled warmly. Deep wrinkles around his eyes betrayed his age, yet the keen glint in his bright blue gaze showed no signs of fading.

Kim Kang-hee, Korea's first S-Rank hunter—and likely the world's first S-Rank awakener. Thanks to his unprecedented astrology skill, he detected gates earliest, achieving the miracle of zero casualties during Korea's first gate opening.

It's no exaggeration to say he built the current hunter system.

After gates appeared, Kim Kang-hee proposed mandatory awakener registration. The government, eager to offload management, approved it. He dubbed registered awakeners "hunters," assigning them duties to clear dungeons and protect the world from monsters—in exchange for full loot rights.

But some awakeners rejected registration, raiding dungeons recklessly and plundering rewards. Clashes erupted between hunters and unregistered awakeners, with Kim Kang-hee's hunters emerging victorious, of course.

'Only those willing to protect the world may enter dungeons.'

This principle earned widespread support, leading to a global system where only association- or guild-certified hunters could enter dungeons.

Dungeons were managed similarly by associations and guilds to prevent reckless clears that could imbalance them and trigger unexpected gate explosions.

And the man who established it all stood before me: Kim Kang-hee Chairman.

"You're Shin Ji-ui's parents, correct?"

"Y-Yes? Ah, yes..."

"If you don't mind, could I have a brief word with Ji-ui?"

"Sure, I guess... You okay with that, sweetie?"

Mom nodded dazedly before looking my way.

"Yeah."

I replied in kind. I still had no clue why this guy was here.

"Thank you. It won't take long."

Kim Kang-hee bowed politely, and Mom, Dad, and the doctor quietly filed out.

Whoosh.

He meticulously closed the curtains before sitting gingerly on the chair beside my bed.

"First, on behalf of the Korea Hunter Association, I sincerely apologize for endangering a civilian."

"Huh? No, you don't need to apologize..."

"We've never failed to detect a gate with our sensors or my abilities... There must have been a major issue."

Fair enough... It was unprecedented. Korea led the world in gate detection.

Kim Kang-hee elegantly tucked his short hair behind his ear and adjusted his glasses. His blue eyes sparkled through the lenses.

Attribute contagion, was it?

Attribute contagion: physical changes from an awakening's attribute influence. Hair color shifts were common; eye color changes rare.

As high school lessons resurfaced, a fundamental question hit me.

"But why come see me personally?"

Only then did Kim Kang-hee meet my gaze directly.

"First, to apologize. We failed our primary duty as hunters. And..."

"Gasp!"

"Whoa!"

Sudden cries and gasps echoed from beyond the curtain.

What's going on? Someone else here?

I strained to listen, peeking through a curtain gap, when it suddenly flew open.

Thump.

"Uh..."

A woman entered with short, two-block red hair, dark crimson eyes, and sharp features like a single stroke of a sleek fountain pen.

...Not falling for her, but...

My heart pounded like in those movie love-at-first-sight scenes.

It felt oddly familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before.

"Ah, there you are. Introduce yourself—she's the hunter who saved Shin Ji-ui."

"...Choi Min."

Thud.

My racing heart jolted hard at the name 'Choi Min' alone.

Why, though?

I couldn't make sense of it myself.

"Korea's second S-Rank hunter. Choi Min Hunter rescued you from that dungeon."

"Ah, yes... Thank you."

I bowed to Choi Min Hunter, who nodded curtly in return. Her upturned eyes and aura made her seem utterly unapproachable.

"Enough greetings. Straight to the point."

Kim Kang-hee leaned slightly toward me as he spoke.

"Have you awakened?"

I nodded to his serious question. He smiled faintly, as if expecting it.

"Just as I thought. Many awaken—even at F-Rank—under life-threatening stress, so I had to ask. What's your attribute and rank?"

...Should I tell them?

Hesitation crept in at voicing SS-Rank.

What if one was a traitor and tried to kill me? Could I handle them?

This weird status window again.

I rolled my eyes to check if others saw it—no sign they could.

This sudden order never seemed harmful, at least.

If revealing my rank killed me, I'd have died before seeing the apocalypse in the last timeline.

I wet my lips and spoke.

"Light attribute, SS-Rank."

"SS-Rank?"

Does 100% completion give something?

As the odd window vanished, Kim Kang-hee Chairman and Choi Min Hunter's dumbfounded faces came into view.

"Uh... what skills? Attack-type?"

"Yes. Attack skill—attacks with my voice."

"Voice, huh."

Kim Kang-hee stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Why does Choi Min Hunter feel so familiar?

TV a few times? No, she wasn't the type to show up on broadcasts...

Her dark crimson eyes fixed on me. Her cold stare felt piercing.

"We can test after recovery."

Choi Min Hunter spoke up, gazing down at Kim Kang-hee with zero emotion. He nodded as if realizing something, then turned back to me with a gentle smile.

"Sounds good. Sorry for the intrusion, Ji-ui. We'll discuss rank details later."

"Y-Yes..."

"Here's my card. It's inventory-compatible, so store it there if you can open yours."

As Kim Kang-hee rose and left gracefully, Choi Min Hunter lingered, gripping the curtain.

What is it?

As I stared blankly at her broad back, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Take care of yourself."

"Ah, yes... Thank you."

Only then did Choi Min Hunter exit.

Truth be told, she scared me silent, but she could say something like that.

Once both were gone, I finally processed everything.

First: I'd regressed to before the world's end.

Second: Awakened SS-Rank, and apparently, I'm this world's savior.

Third: These missions are helping me recover memories.

End of list.

"What the hell."

It sounded even weirder laid out.

Missions first.

"Wish...?"

'Savior of the World' reward: 'Savior's Wish' in bold letters.

Could I... save Ji-yu too?

My heart raced with hope. This absurd 'world savior' mission felt welcoming now.

Screw it. I'll save it myself.

Creeak.

Leaning fully into the bed, its joints groaned softly.

...Can't sleep.

After contacting Kim Kang-hee Chairman to schedule awakening tests, tension kept sleep at bay. My body knew it was round two, but my mind struggled.

Squeak.

I slipped out of the hospital bed, parted the curtains, and quietly exited. Leaving patients' murmurs and steady breaths behind, I leaned against the hallway handrail.

Been a while since I've wandered the hospital this late.

Standing against the dim corridor wall, I gazed toward the reception desk leaking faint light. A familiar sight from late nights with Ji-yu. Nurses' chatter, bustling shadows.

Even after 10 years, nothing changes.

"Huh...?"

One shadow flickered unstably like a candle flame. Unusually long, it stretched down the hall. I slowly headed to the desk.

"Yes. I'll check for you. One moment. Patient's name?"

"Shin Ji-ui."

"Weird. Why would she come here?"

Me?

As I approached amid the whispers, my eyes met the one who'd called my name.

Brown hair in a half-ponytail, bold eyeliner, and inscrutable black eyes.

"Kang Se-bin?"

It was Se-bin.

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