Chapter : 18
For over a year like that, Madam Jo fed Ari, put her to sleep, and raised her. During that time, Madam Jo never spoke a single word to Ari about hunter-related work.
No one came looking for Ari either—no one except her. No one searched for Ari at all. Strangely so.
In the first month of her seventeenth year, she started homeschooling again. It was because of Madam Jo’s insistence that she should attend school. Since Ari’s academic progress was different, Madam Jo’s opinion was that she should first catch up through homeschooling and then return to school.
Of course, Ari objected, but once Madam Jo pushed hard, there was no way to win.
“But I really don’t have to go to school. My AI system tells me everything I’m curious about.”
“What nonsense. Do you think people go to school just to study?”
“Then why?”
Madam Jo, who had been getting ready for work, stopped moving and smacked Ari on the back.
“Good grief. Kids your age! Friends—friends are important.”
“Okay, okay, stop hitting me already. Why do you always hit my back?”
“Hitting? This is a loving touch. Oh, right—Headquarters asked what you’re going to do about your surname.”
Ari pressed her lips tightly together.
While working as a hunter, Ari had deliberately left her surname blank. She didn’t know her family registry, and it was also a kind of stubborn defiance.
But things had changed a year ago. Her registry had been clearly identified.
Now that she had found her father, Kang Youngtaek, two choices lay before her: live as Kang Yuun, her original name—or become Kang Ari.
“Are you going with Kang Yuun? Or Kang Ari? If you’re entering school, it’s better to have the paperwork settled either way.”
“……”
She didn’t like either option.
When Ari stayed silent, Madam Jo glanced at her and spoke.
“Um… what about my surname…?”
Ari jerked her head up. She tried to meet Madam Jo’s eyes, but Madam Jo was deliberately avoiding her gaze.
Without even looking at Ari, Madam Jo tossed out the words casually.
“What about the Jo surname? It’s a respectable family line. Thirty-fourth generation descendant, you know.”
“……Fine.”
At Ari’s answer after a brief silence, Madam Jo exclaimed excitedly.
“Really? You can’t change your mind later!”
“I won’t. So hurry up and go to work already. Are you late again today?”
Lately, Madam Jo had been extremely busy. It was common for her to leave early in the morning and return home well past midnight.
Weekends weren’t much different. Because of that, it had been a long time since they’d eaten together.
‘If you leave early, at least you’ll come back a little sooner.’
Hiding her true thoughts, Ari pushed at Madam Jo’s back, urging her on.
“Yeah, a little. But I think I’ll be back by seven today, so don’t eat dinner. Wait for me—we’ll eat together.”
“Why are you so busy? What are you even doing all day?”
No matter how many times Ari asked, Madam Jo never told her exactly what kind of work she did.
“Adults’ work isn’t something kids need to know.”
“That again.”
She always brushed it off like that.
It was obvious she wouldn’t answer no matter how much Ari pressed. In the end, Ari sighed and said,
“Alright. Finish quickly and come home.”
“Got it.”
Madam Jo hugged Ari tightly with all her strength.
“I’m off.”
“Okay.”
After seeing Madam Jo out, Ari began attending to her own tasks.
That evening, 8 p.m.
“Why isn’t she coming?”
She had even gone to the trouble of making kimchi fried rice, but the food had long since gone cold.
‘Madam Jo hates cold food…’
There hadn’t been any message saying she’d be late either.
“I’m bored…”
After waiting blankly at the table, Ari eventually stood up. As she always did when bored, she brought out the music box from her room and began winding it.
She had wound it so much that the music box was in terrible condition—it looked like it might break at any moment.
“I should tell Madam Jo to take it to get fixed.”
No, she was probably too busy to go together. She should ask where it could be repaired.
Ari tapped the music box lightly with her fingertip.
Then—knock, knock, knock—someone knocked on the door.
It definitely wasn’t Madam Jo. She always opened the door with her key.
When Ari stepped outside, she saw a face she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Manager Kim?”
“……”
Manager Kim’s eyes were filled with deep sorrow. At a glance, there was even a hint of utter despair.
After a long silence, Manager Kim finally opened his mouth.
Ari’s brows furrowed.
It was the same familiar expression she had seen two years ago.
“……I’m sorry, Hunter Ari.”
The music box that had been playing behind her suddenly stopped.
The old music box no longer moved.
She could no longer have it.
Just like the lyrics of the song.
They said it was a sudden, unexpected dungeon.
As if space-time itself had twisted, a sudden rampage occurred. Because of that, the dungeon’s difficulty skyrocketed, and the entire raid party was wiped out, Manager Kim said.
They hastily dispatched a rescue team, but no one was found. Not even bodies remained.
And the leader of that raid party was Madam Jo.
“……”
The memorial photo had been hastily taken by Hunter Headquarters for identification purposes.
Looking at it, Ari realized there wasn’t a single photo of her taken together with Madam Jo.
In front of Madam Jo’s funeral altar, chrysanthemums were laid in profusion.
A constant stream of people came to pay their respects. Famous figures from the hunter world, as well as political and business elites, all visited—it never stopped.
The chief mourner was Ari herself.
They said that before entering the dungeon, Madam Jo had formally registered Ari under her.
Surname: Jo. Given name: Ari.
Thus, Ari became neither Kang Ari nor Kang Yuun, but Jo Ari.
When the crowd at the funeral hall had finally thinned out, Ari asked Manager Kim if there was more she didn’t know.
“……I’m sorry.”
“What happened? Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single thing.”
“……”
Manager Kim lowered his head deeply. After a moment of silence, he took a contract from his bag and handed it to her.
“Hunter Jo was an S-rank hunter who disappeared long ago. One of the earliest hunters, with barely any records remaining. Then, a year ago, she suddenly reappeared and made a deal with Hunter Headquarters.”
The contract was filled with many clauses, but only one line caught Ari’s eye.
A clause stating that Madam Jo would handle everything in place of Hunter Ari.
“So the reason Hunter Headquarters never came looking for me…”
“……That was the condition. In exchange for working, Hunter Jo requested that Ari be treated as a normal child with nothing to do with hunter work.”
“And the duration of the promise?”
“Until you reached adulthood…”
“……”
Neither of them spoke. A long silence followed.
In the end, Manager Kim spoke first.
“……And just now, an A-rank gate opened in the Gangnam area. Support is… needed.”
Ari was far too intelligent not to understand what that meant.
Madam Jo was dead, so the contract was over.
Someone was needed to fill her place.
And that someone was herself.
“……I’m sorry.”
Like a broken music box, Manager Kim kept repeating the same words. I’m sorry. I apologize.
After a long while, Ari finally spoke.
“Let’s go. There’s work to do.”
Her voice was flat, completely devoid of emotion.
Arisha opened her eyes.
Was it already morning?
Light seeped in beneath the tightly drawn curtains.
[Congratulations! Elixir absorption has been completed! (ว˙∇˙)ง!]
[Displaying acquired effects.]
[‘Successor of the Soul (Title)’ acquired!]
[Lion King Hart’s Shield (Mythical-grade) applied]
[Lion King Hart’s Sword (Mythical-grade) applied]
[Lion King Hart’s Book (Mythical-grade) applied]
[Applying effects……]
[(!) Status abnormality: Due to BURNOUT status, effects are applied at a reduced level.]
Arisha stroked Rocket.
The past data that had been transmitted when she lost consciousness last night.
‘Madam Jo……’
It was a face she hadn’t seen in a long time. A face she missed dearly, and one from long ago.
After Madam Jo’s funeral, Ari immediately returned to the hunter world.
From that day on, she never made a place called home. Even when Hunter Headquarters offered her accommodations, she refused them all. The same went for her salary.
She volunteered for dangerous areas no one wanted to go to, and deliberately threw herself into dungeons everyone avoided.
Those were days when she felt nothing.
She just worked endlessly, over and over.
That was why she had no particular regrets about the end of her life as Ari.
Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t understand it.
‘Who… and why?’
With what intention would someone show her this data?
But her thoughts didn’t last long.
“Arisha!”
When she turned her gaze, the Archduke and Egail were watching her with worried expressions.
Behind them, standing a step back, was Agni. It seemed the two of them had called him.
“Sis, are you okay? When I came this morning, your fever had suddenly gotten really bad.”
“I thought something terrible had happened.”
“It’s nothing seri—”
Mid-sentence, Arisha closed her mouth.
[Additional information available!]
[(!) Status abnormality: Passive Rampage (new) has occurred.]
[Due to the sudden effects of the title, the mana control circuit has been overloaded!]
[Status: BURNOUT / Passive Rampage (new)]
Rampaging mana was leaking out of her body.
