Episode 2
1. My destination turned out to be the Baekyang Guild.
By the time I joined the Association, all traces of Park Ji-won had already vanished. The news of her disappearance in a dungeon wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it didn’t stay the talk of the town for long. The Association was far too busy scrambling to fill the void left in Team 1.
And I was the one who stepped into that vacancy.
When I first joined the primary team, the stares of distrust were sharper than anything else. The biggest reason was simple: I was a lower rank than her. On top of that, I had snatched a seat in Team 1 the moment I was hired. They had no reason to welcome me.
As the niece of the Association President and a symbol of an A-class healer, Park Ji-won had been nothing short of the Association’s mascot. People there spoke of her immense kindness. In a world where Hunter awakening often brought about rank-based discrimination, she was known to grant heals regardless of status. With such a benevolent personality, it was harder not to like her.
The effect was even more pronounced because healers are far rarer than other classes.
When dungeons and monsters first appeared and paralyzed humanity, the Awakened arrived a step late to raid and defeat them. The “System Window”—transparent screens only visible to those who have awakened—displays information far different from a standard ID card. It lists everything from awakening abilities and ranks to specific skills.
Awakened individuals used these windows to hone their skills and establish a hierarchy. They earned money by raiding dungeons suited to their rank. The income they generated was substantial, eventually leading the government to grant them a new official title.
Hunters.
It was a name for those who grew in power based on the System.
It was only natural for the “State” to pay close attention to the existence of Hunters. Their relationship was a continuous, precarious tightrope walk. The transcendent power of a Hunter was incomparable to that of an ordinary human, leaving the State in constant fear of losing its authority.
The State had to win them over.
The Association was the institution created to prevent Hunters from banding together by emphasizing welfare and safety within their activities. To maintain superiority and manage them, the State had to prove its administrative value. Thus, they researched supernatural abilities and established legitimacy by classifying the early Hunters.
Hunters were largely divided into three categories:
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Tankers: Who draw enemy aggro to protect allies.
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Dealers: Who inflict damage on the enemy.
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Healers: Who support them through healing and buffs.
Among these, the healers received the most attention.
From the beginning, healers were out of balance with tankers and dealers. S-class tankers and dealers appeared every now and then, and A-classes were common enough.
But healers were different. In the current Republic of Korea, S-class healers were nonexistent. Even A-class healers were so rare that there were only three in the entire country—including the recently returned Park Ji-won.
And then, there was me.
[Congratulations, Moon Yeon-hee.] [You have awakened as an S-class Pope (Healer).]
Bzzzt. Bzzzzzt.
[Error detected.] [You have awakened as a B-class Pope (Healer).]
I was a B-class healer, deflated like a popped balloon by a glitched system window.
Of course, in a country with only three A-classes, B-class healers weren’t exactly common either—there were only about twenty in total. Complaining about being “only” B-class was a quick way to get cursed out by others.
I knew in my head that I should be grateful, but having glimpsed that fleeting “S,” how could I not feel lingering regret?
‘Still, since I told myself to be grateful, it won’t drop any further, right?’
It better not. Even for a healer, an F-rank would be… problematic.
The first thing I did after awakening was post on a community board. Back when I was a kid dreaming of being a hero, I had prayed for a system window to appear. But when no signs of awakening showed, I figured I wasn’t destined for the life. Because of that, I knew very little.
Title: Guys, I awakened as a B-class healer. Should I go to the Association? Or a Guild? Content: Text above says it all.
Upvotes: 64 | Downvotes: 11
[Comments]
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Anon 1: Whoa, for real? Hasn’t it been ages since a healer awakened? You’re set for life.
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Anon 2: Gld.
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Anon 2: I mean Guild.
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Anon 3: For a healer, safety is everything. Go to the Association.
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Anon 4: Are you a newbie? I’ll lay it out for you: Association if you want honor, Guild if you want money.
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Anon 5: Life expectancy for Hunters is short anyway. Make your bank and retire. Go Guild.
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Anon 6: Uh, what’s with that comment? Are you shading PJW?
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Anon 7: Seems like a lot of newbies are coming in lately, saying whatever they want.
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Anon 8: Hey, don’t talk like that just because it’s an anonymous board. They can track everything from above.
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Anon 9: This was getting interesting, but looks like it’s gonna get deleted soon.
[This post has been deleted.]
And there, I discovered a famous proverb: ‘The Association for honor, a Guild for money.’
I didn’t care about honor, but I wanted a stable job, so I chose the Association. You might ask why I bothered seeking advice if I was going to do that anyway. Well, being a civil servant is simply the best.
Upon joining, I was immediately placed into Team 1, the Association’s elite unit. People considered it a massive success just to make it into Team 2 or 3, so Team 1 was an outcome I hadn’t even dared to imagine. It was thanks to my high compatibility and a healing output that was quite high for a B-class.
And more than anything…
“You’re lucky.”
It was the timing. It was truly impeccable.
“Hello.”
My first impression of them could be summarized in one sentence: ‘They have no manners.’
Team 1 was a man of few words and always cold toward me. If I asked a question, I was met with silence or a one-word answer. Fortunately, Do Ju-yeon acted somewhat neutrally; if not for him, I wouldn’t have lasted and would have transferred long ago.
‘I kept waiting, thinking they’d eventually open up…’
Seeing how they treated Park Ji-won today, that hope vanished. I was a fool to only realize it now. Even if I hadn’t been the substitute healer for Team 1, their behavior would have been the same. I just happened to be the one who filled the seat.
To them, anyone who wasn’t Park Ji-won—who meant more to them than just a comrade—was all the same. I finally understood. I wasn’t lucky; I was cursed with the worst luck imaginable.
“Are you calm now?”
“…”
“Guess not.”
Now that I was being kidnapped, it was probably shameless of me to even wish for luck. I looked down at my chained hands and asked, “Where are we going?”
“A guild.”
“Which guild?”
“Who knows.”
After that, the guy refused to give a straight answer.
‘Well, I suppose a kidnapper doesn’t need to answer an infant hostage’s every question.’
Screaming and causing a scene would be useless.
‘I might as well look out the window.’
Strangely, these guys didn’t blindfold me. Usually, isn’t kidnapping accompanied by a blindfold and a gag? Since I had some freedom, I intended to memorize the route.
“Aren’t you looking a bit too openly?”
The guy struck up a conversation out of the blue. I kept my eyes fixed outside as I replied.
“If it bothers you, blindfold me.”
I felt a bit embarrassed afterward, realizing I was taking my frustration out on him for no reason. ‘But he’s the one who kidnapped me, so it doesn’t matter.’
Just as I was consoling myself—
“Ah.”
My head was forced to turn toward him. I gasped, my eyes widening at the strength that had snapped my face around just by grabbing my cheeks.
“I wasn’t planning on it. Do you want to be covered?”
I locked eyes directly with a gaze as clear and blue as a lake. Contrary to the fragile color, his pupils didn’t waver in the slightest.
Looking at him, I recalled a rumor that floated around the community boards without proof: the idea that a Hunter’s rank and appearance were directly proportional. At the time, I had just laughed it off while monitoring the boards.
‘But after working with Team 1… I started to think maybe it’s true.’
If that theory held water, was the guy in front of me an SSS-rank? It wasn’t a thought a hostage should be having, but I couldn’t help it. Having grown accustomed to the faces of Team 1, my standards were incredibly high, yet this guy had shattered them.
Hair as black as the night sky, sharp eyes housing that serene water-blue color, and a nose and jawline so defined they were striking. No matter where I looked, he was a stunningly handsome man.
“I’ll do it if you want.”
His voice finally pulled me from my stray thoughts. The way one corner of his mouth curled into a smirk was infuriating. He seemed to like that I wasn’t being submissive, yet wasn’t throwing a tantrum either. I hadn’t chosen this attitude to entertain him, so I didn’t appreciate the reaction.
“Let go.”
“I’ll let go if you answer me.”
“Who would want to be blindfolded? Just let go.”
I spoke with as much force as I could muster. I tensed up, expecting a blow, but he simply blinked once and obediently released my face.
The man in the driver’s seat kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue, as if the guy next to me held a much higher rank.
“I don’t care if you look outside.”
“…”
“It’s just funny how bold you are.”
He let out a short, airy laugh.
“If you think you can run from Baekyang, go ahead. That would be entertaining in its own way. Though I’ve never seen anyone succeed.”
“…Which guild?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
He replied mockingly, as if he knew exactly what I was feeling. My lips parted at those eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. There were so many things I wanted to ask, but the shock kept the words from coming out.
‘The Baekyang Guild?’
Even I, who had been living quietly due to the Association’s restrictive policies on healers, knew that name. I usually heard news about Baekyang through community boards or while I was healing Team 1.
Whenever Baekyang appeared on a scene, the number of simultaneous users on the community boards skyrocketed. It was as if everyone was dying to talk about that guild. Jang Jeong-in, Ko Woo-ri, and Kang Si-hyeon of Team 1 were no different. Usually, they were as silent as if they were at a funeral, but they couldn’t stop talking when it came to the Baekyang Guild.
‘Specifically, the Guild Master’s name was Cha Seo-hae, right? They said he was a lunatic.’
Cha Seo-hae, the Guild Master of Baekyang. A man who reigned as the master of a major guild at a young age, possessing skills bordering on monstrous.
‘They definitely said he had black hair and blue eyes.’
Whenever Baekyang appeared, everyone scrambled to take his photo. As the Guild Master, he rarely appeared domestically, making a sighting of him as rare as plucking a star from the sky.
Then, I remembered seeing a photo once—one that had been deleted almost instantly.
‘I’m sure he had a small face and a lean build like this guy. His physique was just like… wait?’
I stopped my train of thought as I scrutinized his features one by one.
‘This guy has black hair and blue eyes, too. And he’s tall enough to make this spacious backseat look cramped.’
I brazenly scanned the man, who was leaning his head against the window with his legs crossed and arms folded. He must have felt my gaze even with his eyes closed, but he remained still as if giving me permission to look.
Having finished my inspection, I whispered a “No way” to myself.
But my heart was screaming, “What if?”
Had I gotten too immersed in the thought? As I kept staring, trying to figure out if it was really him, I made a mistake without realizing it.
“Cha Seo-hae?”
