The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 2

Three years later.

 

“H–Hunter Seo Kanghyun is coming out!”

 

A man carrying the scent of a battlefield—a mixture of mud and blood—stepped out from the wreckage of the Gate. 

 

His black combat gear was torn and scorched in various places. 

 

Beneath blood-stained bandages, his broad shoulders heaved slightly. 

 

Though he was catching his breath, the man didn’t lower his head. 

 

Cold, sharp gray eyes.

 

South Korea’s new SS-rank.

 

World Rank #2, Seo Kanghyun.

 

The sharp gaze beneath his dark hair carried the weight of the Haechi Guild’s reputation.

 

Since the disappearance of ‘1,’ he had been personally taking responsibility for almost every A to S-class Gate. 

 

“Kang-hyun!”

 

Yoon Taegyeom, an A-rank hunter who had been pacing anxiously at the Gate entrance, sprinted toward him like a coiled spring.

 

Taegyeom quickly checked Kanghyun’s condition.

 

“Are you okay? This won’t do. You really need to rest today. Seriously. Okay?” 

 

Seo Kanghyun shook his head dismissively.

 

“You crazy b*stard, you’re going to actually die at this rate!”

 

“You know I have someone to find, Hyung.”

 

“That person is already dead! The living have to keep living. How much longer are you going to charge into every Gate like a madman whenever one pops up?”

 

“…”

 

“You’re really going to collapse, you punk.” 

 

Yoon Taegyeom muttered, ruffling his hair. His words were harsh, but his eyes were filled with concern.

 

It was then.

 

Beep—!

 

A high-pitched tone rang out from the hunter-exclusive communicator.

 

[A-rank Gate detected in Yangpyeong area. Hunter Seo Kanghyun of Haechi Guild, please deploy immediately.]

 

“Haaa… dammit.”

 

Taegyeom let out a curse.

 

“Is there only one Hunter in Korea? What are the S-classes doing, sitting around making soup? I don’t care if you’re SS-class, a person isn’t made of iron. How can they work you like this without sleep or food!” 

 

Seo Kanghyun didn’t even seem to hear Taegyeom’s nagging. He was already prepared to head to Yangpyeong, checking his radio and sword.

 

There had been no expectation that he could be stopped in the first place. 

 

“That stubborn b*stard, seriously.” 

 

Yoon Taegyeom pulled something out of his pocket. 

 

A ripe cherry tomato rolled into the palm of his hand.

 

“If you’re going, at least eat this before you leave.”

 

“…A tomato?”

 

“This isn’t just any tomato. It’s an item. Its name is ‘Stamina-Boosting Tomato’!” 

 

A vertical furrow formed between Kang-hyun’s brows at the childish name. 

 

“It’s lame.”

 

“Ugh.” 

 

Yoon Taegyeom took a breath and started talking like a home shopping host, his passion causing him to practically spit.

 

“Hey, it might look like this, but the effects are insane! Do you know how hard it is to get these on the hunter exchange these days? They started appearing a month ago, and people in the know are scrambling for them.”

 

“Hyung, are you collecting weird things again?”

 

“What do you mean weird? I’m serious! Just one of these provides fatigue recovery, stamina restoration, and wound healing. It does everything!”

 

If the world hadn’t turned out like this, Yoon Taegyeom probably would have been a legendary home shopping host. He even fumbled around and pulled out a leaflet about the cherry tomatoes.

 

Where did he even get such a thing?

 

Seo Kanghyun looked away indifferently. 

 

Normally, he would have played along, but he wasn’t in the condition for it.

 

No matter how monstrous an SS-rank hunter’s recovery was, he hadn’t rested for three months. Fatigue had accumulated, and his mind was dulling. 

 

He was reaching his limit.

 

But Taegyeom didn’t give up. 

 

Suddenly, he shoved the cherry tomato between Kang-hyun’s closed lips.

 

“…?!”

 

“Don’t scowl. It actually tastes good.”

 

The cherry tomato ‘popped’ in his mouth, releasing a refreshing sweetness and, strangely, a surge of vibrant energy.

 

He couldn’t exactly spit it out now.

 

Seo Kang-hyun forced his jaw to move. As he chewed, a system window appeared.

 

【SYSTEM】

< Stamina increased by 15% >

< Wound recovery in progress >

< Fatigue –35% >

 

Seo Kanghyun’s dark eyebrows twitched.

 

Yoon Taegyeom didn’t miss that tiny reaction.

 

“How is it? Amazing, right? I could only manage to buy exactly three.”

 

“What’s the rank of this item?”

 

“Uh, well…”

 

Taegyeom looked away and mumbled.

 

“C… rank?”

 

C-rank? With that kind of effect?

 

Seo Kanghyun’s brow furrowed deeply. 

 

Once the rank was out, Taegyeom rushed to pile on supplementary explanations. 

 

“But you know after eating it, right? There’s no way this is a real C-rank. In my opinion, it’s at least B, no, A-rank!”

 

Taegyeom spoke passionately, saying he had no idea why the system window labeled it as C-rank. 

 

For once, Seo Kanghyun agreed. With this level of efficacy, it should have been at least B-rank, if not A.

 

“Where did you get this?”

 

“The Hunter Exchange. Why? Interested now? Want another? Since it’s you, I’ll specially—”

 

“Send me the seller’s ID.”

 

“Huh? Ah, well…”

 

Taegyeom scratched the back of his head.

 

“Nobody knows who they are. They’re an anonymous seller.”

 

Just then, the communicator chimed again. 

 

At the urgent sound, Seo Kang-hyun reached his hand into the air.

 

As he applied force to his fingertips, space tore open, and flames spread along the rift.

 

【SYSTEM】

< Skill ‘Spatial Slash (S-rank)’ activated. Connecting space to the user’s set coordinates. >

 

“Hyung.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Find out who it is by the time I get back.”

 

“Hey, Seo Kanghyun! Did you not hear me? I said they’re anonymous! I can’t find out!”

 

Yoon Taegyeom waved his arms to emphasize the point, but Seo Kanghyun had already vanished into the rift.

 

“That guy… I hope he doesn’t actually work himself to death. Sigh, anyway, how the hell am I supposed to find the seller’s identity?”

 

Taegyeom muttered as he popped a tomato into his own mouth. 

 

The tangy taste on his tongue was top-tier. Even if he wasn’t as exhausted as Kanghyun, his body was worn out from non-stop raids.

 

But the fatigue melted away with a single small tomato.

 

“Wait! Come to think of it, the timing of that crazy guy appearing seems to match when these cherry tomatoes hit the market…”

 

Taegyeom narrowed his eyes.

 

The ‘Cherry Tomato’ item started circulating exactly one month ago. And around that time, an unidentified hunter began appearing at A-rank and higher Gates.

 

No official affiliation, no identity.

 

A strange person who would clear a Gate without a word and then pick up only one thing: monster dung.

 

In the hunter community, he was known as the ‘The Monster Dung Collector.’

 

…Well, that was just the nickname.

 

He wondered if such a crazy person actually existed, but—

 

“…No way.”

 

Yoon Taegyeom swallowed the tomato he was chewing, a meaningful look in his eyes.

 

It seemed unlikely, but you never know how the world works.

 

“Surely it wouldn’t be related to the Dung Collector?”

 

* * *

 

“Hana-ssi, what are you doing again? How long has it been since you woke up?” 

 

In Yangpyeong, at a modest nursing hospital nestled at the foot of a mountain.

 

An elderly hospital director poked his head in. Inside a greenhouse, a woman holding a small hand hoe turned around, startled.

 

“I—I’m sorry! I was just pulling a few weeds!”

 

She was a woman with a small, bright impression. She had a fragile build that looked like she might collapse at any moment, sweat-dampened hair, and dirt-stained hands.

 

Three years ago, she was a patient brought here in a coma after being caught in a Gate rampage.

 

Her identity remained unknown. The only thing they knew was the name ‘Yoon Hana’ written on a photo inside a blood-stained locket.

 

Then, a month and a half ago, the woman who had been in a coma for nearly three years woke up. She had lost all her memories from before she was brought here.

 

However, other than that, she showed monstrous recovery. Her internal injuries were so severe that even rehabilitation seemed difficult, yet she fully regained her health in just two weeks.

 

Not only that. She even volunteered to manage the greenhouse built on one side of the hospital as a hobby, saying she wanted to repay them for the free treatment she had received.

 

“It’s already been an hour. Go back inside. I’m telling you, you’re really going to collapse.” 

 

“Yes, I’ll clean up right away!”

 

Once the director left, Hana stealthily pulled out her phone. A message notification was displayed at the top of the screen.

 

[Hunter Exchange – Message Arrived]

[Is there any way to get more of those tomatoes? The effect is insane. My stamina really recovered. They’re the best tomatoes I’ve ever eaten!]

 

Hana read the message carefully, covered her mouth, and jumped for joy.

 

“Really? Does it really work?”

 

Hana plucked a cherry tomato from in front of her. Immediately, a blue window appeared before her eyes.

 

【SYSTEM】

< ‘Stamina-Boosting Tomato🍅 (C-rank)’ >

< Effects: Stamina +15%, Fatigue -35%, Wound Healing (Minor) >

 

This was the first crop Hana had grown. A tomato grown under the pressure of the system window’s ridiculous demands.

 

The performance was good for a C-rank, but… is it really that amazing?

 

Hana tilted her head as she smoothed out the hand-written labels she was attaching to the tomato boxes she’d designed.

 

Regardless, she felt proud. The first crop she grew with her own hands was helping someone!

 

Yoon Hana gazed into the air with an excited face. There, the system window was chiming away.

 

【SYSTEM】

< Mission in progress: Trade crops at the ‘Hunter Exchange’ (15/200 units) >

< Reward: Access granted to clues for recovering lost memories >

 

【SYSTEM】

< User, I’m hungry. System performance is dropping! ㅇㅁㅇ! >

< System efficiency dropping to 80%. >

< Mission: Supply 1 ‘Stamina-Boosting Tomato🍅’ to the system window. >

< Reward: Restore system efficiency >

< Failure: System efficiency will drop to 50%. >

 

“I get it, I get it. Here.”

 

Hana held the freshly picked cherry tomato up to the system window. The round tomato was absorbed into the window and converted into a digital pixel form.

 

【SYSTEM】

< Energy rising! (∩˃o˂∩)♡ >

 

She couldn’t tell the people at the hospital, but Yoon Hana was actually an Awakened—what people commonly called a Hunter.

 

Perhaps a slightly peculiar one……?