Chapter 13: Sharing a Table

Lee Suin

She was an A-rank Hunter who operated alone without belonging to any guild or organization.

Usually, even a B-rank Hunter receives many love calls from guilds, but an A-rank Hunter is ranked among the top during Korean rankings.

The A-rank Mage Hunter, Lee Suen, had been working alone for a long time since leaving the guild.

She planned to gain experience by solo hunting C-rank Sades and slowly gather Hunter points to advance her rank.

Today, too, she entered this place to find promising hunters in the C-rank gate.

No matter how long she waited, no hunters showed up, so she decided to go hunt the boss monster alone and start the expedition.

“Damn it…”

There was one unexpected factor—an error occurred in the gate.

Some called it an error, others called it the Hidden Sade. While fighting the boss monster, a mental trigger activated that made the boss even stronger.

The boss of the C-rank gate was a Danpa Ogre, a single mature growth-level Danpa Ogre.

This boss monster was classified as a B-rank gate boss.

It was a monster that only three A-rank Hunters could barely defeat together.

Even among B-rank boss monsters, it was considered one of the stronger ones, requiring full preparation.

Yet, Suen faced this green monster all alone.

She confidently believed in her own skill and hadn’t even brought potions or valuable items.

This would definitely be a tough battle.

Her life flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

As soon as she became an adult, she was lucky to awaken, and she had trained hard in the guild.

She had no prior experience with guild politics or factories, and once she became an A-rank Hunter, she ventured into the gates.

She wanted to live a little longer.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Before she knew it, she was screaming for help.

“Save me!!”

Of course, no one could possibly hear her.

She wailed, overwhelmed by the situation. And at that moment—

Whoosh—!!

A huge Fireball exploded right beside her.

Thanks to the precise control of mana, it landed exactly on the monster, and Suen was unharmed.

The Danpa Ogre was a monster with very high attack power but limited defense, making it a tough but manageable A-rank boss monster.

“That green monster… was killed in one hit?”

Rather than relief that she survived, Suen felt frustration and immediately scanned her surroundings.

*****

[Anonymous 1]: If Bell gets a little stronger, she could even beat the Neo Strike.

Since Bell had a permanent guardian, she could receive all the gate expedition rewards. Waiting for the reward settlement, she used the Onshin skill and went inside.

At first, she tried to show her true form, but Bell’s power was so great that she decided to hide her identity.

“Are you alright?”

After confirming she was safe, Bell silently left the gate.

“…! I don’t know who you are, but thank you!”

The voice came from behind as if she had witnessed the whole scene.

“Welcome.”

Bell smiled proudly, and I gave Bell a proud look in return.

(Sunny Mountain in the Rain): I wonder if the reward settlement is complete? That’s a bit curious.

[Farmer’s Son]: Well, go check the settlement center, I’ve seen it before.

[Young Man’s Message]: I hope they act their age.

[Farmer’s Father]: … Isn’t it rarer for adults among adventurers to act their age? They think only they’re special.

[Anonymous 1]: Haha, so true.

Ignoring the chat, I wandered around the Eastern District.

As soon as I entered, a message welcoming me with the completed reward settlement popped up.

[You have gained experience points.]

Instantly, I leveled up five times.

Normally, even with consistent gate expeditions, gaining even one level at once is tough.

Thinking about it, this was an incredible harvest.

[Top Contributor Reward has been granted.]

[Achievement Unlocked: Danpa Ogre Slayer (8-rank achievement)!]

-Effect: Vitality stat +3.

[Achievement Unlocked: Danpa Ogre Fastest Slayer (4-rank achievement)!]

-Effect: Speed stat +5 increase.

Less than five minutes had passed since the Danpa Ogre had been defeated, and Bell’s Fireball had finished it off, earning the shortest clear-time achievement.

With the additional speed stat, did my overall speed stat increase?

My body felt lighter.

The increase in speed stat even seemed to improve my peripheral vision and reflexes, making tasks that used to be difficult feel somewhat easier.

This explained why speed-obsessed Hunters can excel in human fights.

[New Trait Acquired!]

-Elementalist trait has been granted!

-Elementalist [C-rank]

Since Bell had defeated the boss monster with her elemental power, it made sense that she naturally acquired the Elementalist trait.

[Top Contributor Reward has been granted!]

[Spirit’s Seal]

The previous time it was an undefined seal, but this time it was clearly labeled as the Spirit’s Seal.

“Bell, are you getting a little sibling?”

“Brrruu!”

Bell shook her head as if she couldn’t agree with my joke.

I showed her the Spirit’s Seal.

“No!”

She said firmly with a clear pronunciation.

I tried to hold her and hug her, but a slight gap appeared, revealing the delicate atmosphere, making me chuckle at her cuteness.

[Young Man’s Message]: Hehe, cute. Wait, let me see if there are any leftover orbs.

[Farmer’s Father]: Since you’re raising spirits anyway, it’d be good to have spirits that help with farming. Working with spirits on the farm can improve crop yield.

[Anonymous 1]: How about raising fire spirits and having Bell automatically water the fields together?

(Sunny Mountain in the Rain): That would be a perfect farming strategy.

I shook my head in response.

If I keep this up, Bell’s going to become a mountain person. I don’t intend to engage in spirit element rate wars from the start.

“Hey, hey.”

Bell still hugged the seal without letting go.

“If you’re a fire spirit, can you turn into a useful tool?”

“Mm! Mm!”

“Really?”

Bell nodded decisively.

[Elite-grade livelihood, Young Man’s Message has donated a water orb!]

After waiting, I received the donation.

I bowed to him with gratitude and attached the water orb to the seal.

Woosh—woosh—!

Since Bell had experience absorbing orbs inside her seal, she was able to absorb the water orb immediately with my skill.

The seal, which had a faint purple mark, gradually changed color as Bell’s aura turned the seal completely blue.

[The Spirit’s Blessing descends upon the Spirit’s Seal!]

“Hehe.”

The creature stared at me with a questioning expression.

I patted Bell’s head and smiled.

“All done! Bell, good job.”

“Ba-beh, good job!”

*****

As soon as Suen left the Sade, she hurriedly moved.

As a Mage Hunter, she had a mana sensor and used all the remaining mana to move toward the place where mana was detected.

She was going to meet the person who saved her.

It hadn’t been long since she escaped the gate, but running uphill made the metallic taste in her mouth worse.

Still, she had to keep running!

She calmed her mind and pushed forward.

Even though it was dangerous, she wanted to thank him and maintain good relations.

She was not a reckless Hunter but an A-rank Mage Hunter recognized in many places.

“That fireball… I couldn’t have cast it myself.”

The Fireball itself was a simple skill, but the precision required was intimidating.

She wanted to meet the Hunter who cast that refined magic.

Descending to the gates was tough, but if she maintained good relations, there would be no loss.

She climbed the mountain steadily, and soon smoke from the Eastern District appeared.

“Hey, pizza!”

“Looks tasty, right?”

“Yup!”

Inside the Eastern District, Jinwoo was sitting on a fire leaf, cooking.

He was preparing rice balls with carefully trimmed red meat and mixing them with soy sauce and sesame oil.

“Wow…”

Suen instinctively opened her mouth at the fragrant smell from the cooking process.

She hadn’t eaten much today and was starving, so her appetite couldn’t be helped.

“… Excuse me!”

“Yes?”

“Did you see anyone pass by here?”

Suen didn’t seem to recognize Jinwoo as the Hunter who saved her.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone.”

Jinwoo shook his head and then invited her to share the table.

“If you’re hungry, you can eat with me.”

He understood Suen’s hardships in the Sade, and Suen smiled shyly and nodded.

“Hehe, then… just one bite.”

“Big sis, don’t be shy! Eat up!”

Bell, who loved people in general, smiled brightly at Suen.

Suen, too, quickly warmed up to Bell’s cuteness and wore a genuine smile.

(Sunny Mountain in the Rain): Hey… so sweet.

[Anonymous 1]: Jinwoo doesn’t even know his own Hunter is looking for him? Is he a psycho?

[Farmer’s Son]: Is that so? Is this the real Rim Soonjin?

[Anonymous 1]: Jinwoo’s a good guy.

[Young Man’s Message]: Is he the proud descendant of Goguryeo?

[Anonymous 1]: Not sure, but farmers are good, right? The country needs more decent people.

[Farmer’s Father]: Heh heh heh.

Jinwoo chuckled at the chat.

“I’m not a psycho, I just don’t want to create unnecessary problems…”

From the Hunter’s perspective, good Hunters tend to bring others into their guilds.

Since the Fireball skill didn’t match Jinwoo’s real power, he preferred to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble.

Anyway, he sent a message to Suen explaining his situation and then offered her some rice balls.

“Thank you, I’ll eat.”

Suen politely accepted Jinwoo’s kind offer.

[Anonymous 1]: He’s someone who doesn’t know fear. If Jinwoo were a bad guy, I’d be worried.

“I’m Lee Suen, an A-rank Hunter. Thank you so much for saving me! Actually, I wanted to live longer.”

“I’m Kim Jinwoo. Eat up.”

Suen chatted with Jinwoo as she ate.

(Anonymous 1): … If she’s an A-rank Hunter, there’s no need to fear.

“While I was solo-hunting in the gate, a Hidden Boss monster suddenly appeared and almost killed me… A kind Hunter saved me, so I came here to find him.”

“You almost died.”

“Yeah. Jinwoo, you’re a Hunter too, right?”

“How did you know?”

“My mana sensor picked up the Danpa Ogre’s mana. There was also a scent behind you!”

Suen was surprised.

Jinwoo calmly explained that he wasn’t involved in anything suspicious and then introduced himself again.

“I’m a B-rank Swordsman.”

“Can you not use magic?”

“No, I can’t use magic, but I have special skills related to cooking, so I’m good at preparing matured meat.”

“Really? That’s rare.”

Suen eased her suspicious gaze.

She had thought Jinwoo might not be her savior since he couldn’t use magic.

“…! This fried rice is really delicious!”

Letting go of suspicion, she tasted the fried rice and was amazed.

Jinwoo had sprinkled a bit of wild pepper, adding a flavor never experienced in regular fried rice.

“Delicious!”

“Bell, tasty?”

“Yup!”

Suen smiled warmly as she heard Bell’s cute voice.

Time passed little by little, and before long, Jinwoo and Suen became friends.

Since Jinwoo was a solo Hunter who traveled with Bell, Suen was considering recommending some travel destinations.

She quietly finished three bowls of rice.

“Is there a Naejeon near Angpyeong County?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“It’s a place people don’t really know but is popular among Hunters.”

Though the Sade had disappeared, this place was called Fedenjin, a place similar to a regular Eastern District but with more sights and abundant mana energy.

“Because of the abundant energy, Elementalists often come here, and kids like it too. It’s like an Eastern District. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can find items!”

“That sounds good.”

Jinwoo smiled approvingly.

Besides, she had just obtained the Elementalist trait, and Bell was a Spirit King with a Spirit’s Seal.

If the Naejeon had so much mana energy, visiting wouldn’t be a loss.

Since there were many sights, Bell might enjoy it too.

(Anonymous 1): Oh, sounds fun!

(Sunny Mountain in the Rain): Let’s go right away! I’m curious.