Chapter 9
“Ah! There’s some grass over there.”
Spotting a bluish-silver patch of grass, Hana dashed toward it.
Yes! Nineteen. The goal was finally within reach.
“You’re the first person I’ve seen in a gate picking grass instead of mana stones.”
“Haha, is that so? Well… no one really cares about grass.”
Hunter Lee Hyun-woo shook his head.
“Anything other than mana stones loses its form and disappears once taken outside the gate. That’s why analyzing gate environments is said to be difficult.”
“Disappears?”
The grass I worked so hard to collect… will it be okay? I glanced at Hanyang in my arms, and he replied nonchalantly,
“Don’t worry, nya. The materials you collect won’t disappear.”
“…What exactly is that talking cat?”
“Uh, a helper who assists me? Something like that.”
Curious, Lee Hyun-woo reached out to poke the cat, but Hanyang hissed and bit his finger.
“I’ve heard that sometimes there are beings that assist awakened individuals… but this is the first time I’ve seen one like this.”
“What’s wrong with me, nya!”
“Our Hanyang might be a little chubby, but if you look closely, he’s actually super cute!”
Lee Hyun-woo replied with a baffled expression,
“Such beings are usually invisible to ordinary people. That’s what I meant—I wasn’t referring to its appearance.”
“Oh… I see.”
I thought he was criticizing my cat for being fat and got defensive for nothing.
Honestly, it would’ve been nice if he’d explained properly from the start.
Grumbling, I brushed my hair behind my ear.
‘Still… the grass is harder to find than I expected.’
Earlier, I could spot them easily just by walking a little, but now it was taking quite a while to find even one.
I carefully scanned the surroundings, worried I might be missing them, but all I could see was barren land.
“…Should I give this back to you?”
“It’s fine.”
The longer time passed, the more guilty I felt about wearing his combat suit.
Even if he wasn’t saying it, it had to be unbearably hot… What if he regretted giving it to me?
I glanced up at his face.
‘Wow, not a single drop of sweat.’
His face looked so fresh it felt like he was standing under an air conditioner.
Do S-rank hunters not feel heat as much? That’s completely unfair.
And the more I looked at him, the more unreal his face seemed. How did his small face fit such perfectly placed features?
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, n-no!”
I had been staring blankly when he suddenly turned his head and looked at me without warning.
Startled, I shook my head quickly—and my foot caught on something.
I staggered.
‘Ahhh, I’m going to fall—!’
“Are you alright?”
“Ah…”
Thankfully, Lee Hyun-woo caught me before I could fall flat on the ground.
But his face was suddenly so close that I instinctively shut my eyes tight.
“I-I’m fine!”
I pushed him away and walked forward briskly. Hanyang, completely tactless, spoke up.
“Why is your face so red, nya?”
“Jeong Hanyang! Please, shh, shh!”
“Ah. Are you hot?”
“…A little? Haha!”
I fanned my heated face with my hand. Whew, it really was hot in the gate.
After walking for a while, I felt a bit hungry and pulled out a snack from my inventory.
Just as I was about to take a bite, I noticed Lee Hyun-woo beside me.
Oh, right… I had brought some bungeoppang too.
“Would you like some bungeoppang?”
I handed him one from my inventory. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully accepted it.
‘He refused last time… but not this time.’
“…I apologize for earlier.”
An apology? I hadn’t expected that from him and blinked in surprise.
“Sometimes people disguise poison in food and send it as a gift. I reacted sensitively in case it was something like that.”
“Wait—poison?”
He stared into the distance as if recalling something.
“When I investigated a recent incident, the culprit was someone who had lost a sibling in a gate. They shouted that their sibling died because I, an S-rank, didn’t step in.”
The culprit had apparently sent poisoned food as a “gift,” wanting to make Lee Hyun-woo feel the same pain.
What kind of person does that? No matter how grief-stricken they were.
“But that incident and this are different matters. I’m sorry.”
“I had no idea something like that happened. But I would never do something like that!”
“I know. You’re the type whose face gives everything away—hardly someone who could scheme like that.”
My face gives everything away? Really?
He smiled faintly, as if teasing me, and took a bite of the bungeoppang.
I watched nervously as he ate it.
“…So this is what it feels like.”
He chewed thoughtfully, then made a subtle expression.
What does that expression mean?
“It’s good, right?”
“…Hmm. My tongue tingles a bit. It must be sweetness.”
Tingles? Does that mean it’s good or not?
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“…It’s been so long since I’ve felt taste that I’m not sure.”
“How long has it been?”
“Since my awakening. So… over ten years.”
Over ten years.
That meant he had lived without taste for more than a decade—and this was the first time he felt it again.
“It’s not that it tastes bad. It’s just… feeling taste again feels unfamiliar.”
I understood. To him, “taste” was something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
“…That must have been really hard.”
“It’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it.”
He spoke calmly, as if not tasting anything was no big deal.
Clenching and unclenching his fist, he muttered,
“After awakening, everything changed. I could feel the heartbeats of all living things. Some days, an uncontrollable killing intent surged within me. There were times when my entire body lost all sensation.”
“…That sounds awful.”
“Compared to those side effects, not being able to taste was a trivial issue.”
He gave a bitter smile, saying that even such distorted senses eventually became something one adapts to.
Only then did it truly sink in—he was the country’s only S-rank.
‘The greater the power, the harsher the side effects…’
I found it incredible that he had endured all of that alone for so long.
Putting on a brighter tone, I said,
“Actually, I’m working on a special kind of bungeoppang. I’m sure it’ll help you too, Hunter.”
“I hope so.”
“You should stop by my shop sometime. I’ll make you some fresh.”
He nodded.
If the special effect unlocked with the Solsol Grass, it might even work for him.
I should give him some as a gift when he visits.
“…They’ve finally appeared.”
With a soft metallic sound, he drew the sword at his waist.
I couldn’t see anything at first. But then, in the distance, a cloud of dust began to rise.
‘Don’t tell me… those are all monsters?’
—KUEEEK!
—KUEK, KIIEEK!!
—KIIIIK!
A swarm of grotesque centipedes was rushing toward us.
Lee Hyun-woo stepped in front of me protectively.
“Stay here. I’ll take care of it quickly.”
Before I could respond, he leapt forward and disappeared into the swarm.
“H-Hunter Lee Hyun-woo!”
Even knowing he was S-rank, my body tensed instinctively.
As I anxiously watched the battle from afar, Hanyang nudged me.
“There’s the grass you’re looking for, nya.”
“Wait, that’s not important right now! Hunter Lee Hyun-woo is in the middle of those centipedes—huh?”
I had only looked at Hanyang for a moment, but when I looked back—
The ear-piercing cries of the centipedes were gone.
‘Don’t tell me it’s already over?’
As the dust slowly settled, I saw Lee Hyun-woo walking back calmly.
Not a single hair out of place.
He looked around.
“Are you alright?”
“Wow…”
I stared in awe and clapped.
It ended so quickly that the time he told me to wait felt longer than the actual fight.
So this is the power of an S-rank.
“Oh! Right—I found the last piece of grass too!”
I ran to the spot Hanyang pointed out and plucked the final Solsol Grass.
Finally—twenty complete!
At that moment, a ‘ding’ sound rang out, and a system window appeared.
Material Collection Status
- Solsol Grass (20/20) Complete!
Returning to designated location.
Hold on tight!
Hold on tight? To what?
Before I could think further, my vision warped and the ground beneath me suddenly gave way.
“Wait—!”
The last thing I saw before being pulled away was Lee Hyun-woo reaching out his hand toward me.
