Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 78

“Well… maybe bringing in one more guest could actually be a good option.”

Right now, in the safe zone, there are only two groups: 235 Antmen and 31 Whitebirds.

What if a new guest showed up here?

The safe zone needed another force to keep each other in check and maintain a balance of power.

“If I had to compare it, it’s like separation of powers. A triangle isn’t called a perfect shape for no reason.”

“Didn’t you used to hate having more guests, sis?”

“Well… I guess it’s fine as long as other people don’t find out. Anyway, we do need more guests if we want to make potions.”

Besides, every time a new guest arrived, a new skill was appearing.

With the Antmen, she gained the <Landlord Guard> skill that summons guests, and with the Whitebirds, she gained wings to fly.

At this point, it felt like the system was actively encouraging getting more guests.

‘What kind of skill will I get with the next guest?’

There isn’t a single hunter in the world who hates free skills.

Jiwoo felt excited and even a little thrilled inside.

Heeseong asked her,

“Then what kind of guest would you want next, sis?”

“Hmm… it’s not like they appear just because I want them to.”

So far, all the guests had specific conditions.

They were met in high-level dungeons, were unidentified animal-type monsters, and were in great danger.

“Would that kind of special situation happen to me again?”

“Still, you can imagine it.”

“Is that so?”

Jiwoo fell into deep thought.

Then, not long after, she gave a simple answer.

“The navy.”

“Huh?”

“We already have the army on land and the air force in the sky. If we add the navy, it’s a full set.”

On the ground, there are Antmen, and in the sky, there are Whitebirds.

If they even had a navy of the sea, it would become the perfect, complete force.

Heeseong slapped his knee and admired the idea.

“That’s right, you’re right! We even discovered the sea at the edge of the forest that expanded this time!”

After accepting the Whitebirds, the safe zone expanded several times over.

More than 90 percent of the safe zone consists of wide plains and forests.

The forest, in particular, is so vast and complex that it’s hard for Jiwoo and Heeseong to explore it all.

Not long ago, the Whitebirds patrolled the safe zone and updated the map to the latest version.

The central house shape is the 〈Our House〉.

The wavy mark above it is a long valley.

The sprout drawn beside it is the Antmen’s territory—the plains.

This time, beyond the plains, a vast forest where the Whitebirds live was added.

There was one more thing discovered from the patrol results, and that was the blue sea at the edge of the forest.

“If we gather guest creatures from the sea too, we’ll unlock land, sea, and air all at once!”

Heeseong’s eyes sparkled.

For Heeseong, the butler, the development of the safe zone was also a very welcome topic.

“Hey, sis, should we just go through the portal for a bit and check it out? I’ve only heard about it from the Whitebirds, so what the boundary sea actually looks like is… ouch!”

Jiwoo smacked Heeseong on the back.

“Hey, Do Heeseong! Didn’t I tell you never to even go near outside the safe zone?!”

Last time, when they picked up a Whitebird chick, they were lucky enough to return safely.

But what if Heeseong had encountered a skeleton there?

Just the thought alone was enough to make her dizzy.

Jiwoo deliberately scolded her reckless younger brother even more sharply.

“Get it together! If you pull something like that one more time, I’ll kick you out of the safe zone!”

“What? Who says you can do that? I have shares in this house too!”

“So what if you do? I’m still the owner here.”

“Hah, sis, you’re really mistaken. Do you think this place would run properly without me?”

Jiwoo shouted furiously.

“I’d rather it not run at all than lose the last family member I have!”

Then Heeseong, who had been glaring and ready to fight until now, lost his momentum.

“Why are you bringing something like that up? That’s unfair.”

“Fair or not, listen carefully. Don’t get interested in the boundary. I’ll handle the guest creatures.”

“…Don’t come crying to me for help later.”

Heeseong pouted.

Even while complaining that his back still hurt from being hit earlier, he still couldn’t win against his sister.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Jiwoo’s favorite time of day.

Lunch time at the Aegong Guild cafeteria!

Jiwoo smiled brightly as she filled her tray with a hamburger steak.

‘I think I’ve gained a bit of weight lately. I should start a hellish diet control soon.’

Jiwoo casually stacked a three-story food tower on her tray.

Then, while walking toward the table where Shin Ilguk was sitting, she sensed a strange atmosphere.

On one side of the cafeteria—

“That’s the Special Team 7, right? The one with the youngest son of the Shin family.”

“Even if he got in through nepotism, this is just ridiculous. It’s so obvious they’re being favored—it’s infuriating.”

On the other side—

“This is insane! Why are we last? With that team there?”

“Hey, he might hear you. What if the guild master calls you in?”

Guild members sitting at separate tables were snickering while looking at Shin Ilguk.

Shin Ilguk was eating quietly, but he could only stare at plain rice, unable to even touch the side dishes.

Jiwoo arrived at the table and slammed her tray down.

“Ugh, my ears are itching to death! Why are there so many cockroaches in the cafeteria?”

“…….”

The cafeteria fell silent in an instant.

Instead, a staff member who had been adding more dishes from afar rushed over.

“H-Hunter-nim, cockroaches in our cafeteria? That can’t be! Where are they?!”

“Oh, I was mistaken. My eyes are just blurry! Sorry, please ignore it!”

Jiwoo, who had looked fierce just moments ago, returned to her soft tofu-like self.

She quickly sent the staff member away while sweating.

Shin Ilguk burst out laughing.

“Hey, Ilguk. Stop laughing. I’m already so embarrassed I could die……”

“Why are you copying Hunter Cha Tae-pyeong when it doesn’t suit you?”

“It’s annoying! They can’t say anything to my face, but they always gossip whenever they see our team!”

If it had been criticism toward the whole team, she could have endured it.

But after what happened at the last performance briefing, Shin Ilguk ended up being dragged into it.

Rumors spread that the guild master was giving preferential treatment to his cousin, Shin Ilguk, and his team.

“I mean, favoritism? The higher-ups aren’t even interested in us! They don’t know anything, yet they just point fingers at Ilguk!”

Jiwoo angrily stabbed her spoon.

The truffle oil egg was brutally crushed.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, I’m fine.”

“What do you mean fine? Ugh, this is so frustrating! I should just secretly dump a handful of capsaicin into their food!”

“Still, I feel relieved when you get angry for me.”

As Jiwoo kept fuming, Shin Ilguk’s stiff expression gradually softened.

With a small smile, he changed the topic.

“Oh right, Hunter Do Jiwoo. Did you hear? Kang Jaegyu finally submitted his resignation from the guild.”

“Wow, really? Seriously? Wow, wowwww!”

Jiwoo clapped without realizing it. It was the best news she had heard this month.

That name alone was enough to make her sick of it.

The bastard who treated her like a slave in the dungeon and pushed her off a cliff.

She had been anxious because his disciplinary period was almost over.

“Hehe, that’s seriously great! But I thought he would endure it to the end—why did he suddenly leave?”

“He probably had a lot to think about. Even if he returned to the guild, he wouldn’t be able to work properly. He must have thought it was better to move to another guild.”

Kang Jaegyu, a B-rank dealer, wasn’t someone who would be treated poorly anywhere he went.

However, due to the recent survival incident, he had completely fallen out of favor with the guild master and upper management.

Stay in the Aegong Guild and be treated poorly, or move to another guild and start over.

Between the two choices, he chose the latter.

‘I’m glad! I don’t have to see that annoying face anymore!’

Jiwoo smiled brightly and shoved a hamburger steak into her mouth.

After finishing their meal, the two went back up to the office.

After brushing their teeth and sitting down, lunchtime was already ending.

Oh Nara poked her head out from behind the partition.

“Jiwoo-ssi, what time are you leaving today?”

“Hmm, probably at 3 again. I’ll be clocking out early.”

Since returning from the A-rank dungeon, Special Team 7 still had nothing to do.

But since they were getting paid, they stayed in the office until 3 p.m. anyway.

“Then after work, want to go to the new café nearby with me? I’ll treat you!”

Oh Nara smiled while twisting her curly hair.

She had used to have long straight hair, but recently she had spent five hours getting a perm at a salon.

Her fashion, once filled with frilly princess dresses and heels, had also changed to shirts, T-shirts, and sneakers for mobility.

She was clearly copying Jiwoo, but Jiwoo didn’t mind at all.

‘Wear what you like, I guess.’

Still, it was a little disappointing that she couldn’t see Nara’s usual pink princess style anymore.

“Jiwoo-ssi, after coffee, do you want to watch a new movie too? I heard 〈Fire Hunter vs Ice Hunter〉 is really good lately……”

“Oh, sounds good! Ilguk said he also wanted to watch that movie! I should ask him too.”

“Huh? H-He might be busy though, right? And I don’t think he even likes coffee……”

Then Shin Ilguk, sitting beside them, calmly spoke.

“I do like coffee. And I especially like the café’s Vanilla Bean Cream Blended with Dolce Cold Brew menu.”