The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 7

“A new crop?”

 

Since no specific item was set, did that mean she could just plant any seedling?

 

As if reading her thoughts, the system window flickered again.

 

【SYSTEM】

<Feeling clueless? Give me a potato, and I’ll give you a hint! (ง •̀_•́)ง✧> 

 

“You just ate all those cherry tomatoes. Now you want more?”

 

She wondered if this was a system or a person. The system seemed to have a stronger appetite than she did.

 

Hana held out a raw potato she had just dug up. Immediately, the system took offense.

 

【SYSTEM】

< How cruel! Telling me to eat a raw potato! It’s bitter! (≧皿≦) >

 

Wait, can a one-dimensional screen actually taste things?

 

“I can’t boil a potato right this second. Just wait a bit if it bothers you that much. Let me finish digging these up, and then we’ll go steam some potatoes.” 

 

【SYSTEM】

< Ah! I smell boiled potatoes from somewhere! Sniff sniff, the scent of a fluffy potato…! (￣﹃￣) >

 

Hana quickly covered her overall’s front pocket. Inside was a single boiled potato she had hidden away to eat as a snack.

 

“Good grief, how did you even notice that…?”

 

【SYSTEM】

< Ahh, I’m so hungry my performance is dropping. Initiating system stat downgrade—. >

 

“Here! Fine, just eat it!”

 

Defeated, Hana handed over the boiled potato. Soon, the potato was synchronized into the system window as if melting into it.

 

【SYSTEM】

< Mission: Unique Species Seed Acquisition — Initiated >

< Objective: Acquire a unique species seed – This crop is an unidentified variety not registered in the system. >

< Reward: New Skill and 500pt Experience >

< Hint: Find a seed weirder than a monster. >

<An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! A monster for a monster! It wouldn’t be fun to only plant Earth crops, would it?>

 

“A seed weirder than a monster… what on earth does that mean…?”

 

She had obtained a hint, but it only made her feel more confused. It was then—

 

“Hana-ssi! Didn’t you say you were going to Seoul today?”

 

A familiar voice called out from a distance.

 

“Ah, Director!”

 

Hana quickly put down her basket and ran over.

 

“I heard the potatoes you harvested this time are selling well, too. Yeongsuk-ssi was praising you, saying you were born to farm.”

 

The hospital director smiled while tidying the trunk of the van. Yeongsuk-ssi was the patient who had warned Hana about the dangers of smishing the other day.

 

“Yes, I even paid off my overdue medical bills with that money. Actually… I haven’t been able to tell you, but I’m a Hunter.”

 

“Eh? Really?”

 

The director’s eyes widened.

 

“My goodness. You’re amazing, Hana-ssi. A Hunter!”

 

Hana scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

 

“I’m not exactly the kind of Hunter you’re thinking of, but…”

 

“Is there a specific ‘kind’ of Hunter?”

 

The director laughed heartily.

 

“Does your trip to Seoul today have something to do with your Hunter work?”

 

“That’s right. I’m going to register officially.”

 

“Wow, we should have a party with the hospital staff tonight to celebrate your registration.”

 

It was a sincere congratulation. 

 

Hana felt her heart grow warm. 

 

She felt truly lucky that the place she ended up after losing her memory was near this hospital.

 

Before long, the van started its engine and slowly pulled out of the farm. Behind it, in the middle of the garden, the system window quietly flickered.

 

【SYSTEM】

[※ Information Recovery Rate: 12% —- ※]

 

< Recovering Main Weapon Information

: Equipment Name — 『Gunshot of Clear Sky』 >

< Status: Incomplete Recovery / Form: Simplified >

< Only 5% of original performance is implemented. Summoning consumes a certain amount of stamina. >

 

* * *

 

In the heart of Seoul, a gray building emitted a strange sense of pressure from between the skyscrapers.

 

Standing in front of the ‘Korea Hunter Association Central Headquarters,’ Hana let out a long breath. 

 

Tension and excitement coexisted within her.

 

“This is making me more nervous than I thought.” 

 

Hana looked down at the documents in her hand with satisfaction. 

 

As of today, she would become an official Hunter.

 

“I can finally sell cherry tomatoes again!”

 

A smile spread across her lips naturally. 

 

Over the past month, the cherry tomatoes she had carefully raised had finally been upgraded to C+ rank. 

 

However, as everyone knew, Hunter certification was mandatory to sell items of C-rank or higher. 

 

Because of that, she had only been selling potatoes, but now she could say goodbye to all that.

 

“F-rank?”

 

However, her expectations soon collided with the cold wall of reality. The female staff member at the registration desk checked the documents and openly frowned.

 

“Then let’s just confirm your awakening branch and get this over with. This way.”

 

Hana’s shoulders slumped at the tone that was full of annoyance. No matter how oblivious she might be, she could tell that F-ranks were treated like bothersome chores.

 

“…Okay,” Hana muttered quietly and followed.

 

The inside of the registration center was pleasant. 

 

Digital panels on the walls broadcasted the latest combat footage and monster classification data, and simulation rooms divided by zones were visible through the glass.

 

The staff member led the way reluctantly, sighing repeatedly.

 

“Go into Simulation Room B-3 and wait. A staff member will be along shortly to conduct the test.”

 

“Simulation room? Oh, okay…”

 

Sigh, let’s just get this over with and leave. 

 

With that thought, Hana entered the room. The door slid shut, and the automatic lock engaged.

 

A moment later, a male staff member arrived in front of B-3, looked at his tablet, and furrowed his brow.

 

“Huh? Didn’t they say this was a new registration?”

 

But according to the computer records, ‘Yoon Hana’ appeared as an ‘Already Registered Hunter.’ The strange thing was that neither her rank nor her abilities were displayed at all. 

 

As if some classified protection measure had been applied. 

 

The staff member scratched his head.

 

“Is it an error? That’s weird.”

 

The staff member tilted his head and pulled out his phone to contact the Association’s upper management. But at that moment—

 

Beeeep—!

 

Along with a high-pitched frequency that tore at the ears, the electronic boards flashed, and a warning broadcast echoed throughout the Association.

 

[Caution: Internal energy waves are unstable. An error has been detected in the computer system.]

 

The lights everywhere turned red as emergency lights flickered. 

 

The interior instantly became chaotic. 

 

People scrambled about, and emergency codes began to be transmitted from the computer room.

 

The staff member immediately ran toward the simulation rooms.

 

“Yoon Hana-ssi? Are you inside?”

 

The staff member tried to open the door to Room B-3 but panicked. 

 

Whether it was because the power went out, the entry device was completely dead. 

 

Through the glass window, he could only see Hana sitting quietly in her chair, waiting.

 

“Yoon Hana-ssi! Can you hear me? Ah, what do I do!”

 

The simulation rooms were designed as environments optimized for testing, where all external stimuli were blocked. 

 

This meant that from Yoon Hana’s perspective, she could neither see nor hear what was happening outside the room.

 

With a face full of frustration, the staff member pressed the emergency call button.

 

“B-3 Simulation Room, entry control error occurred! The test subject is trapped inside!” 

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at the same time.

 

On the first floor of the Korea Hunter Association Central Headquarters.

 

While red emergency lights flashed from the ceiling, a black SUV arrived hastily in front of the building. 

 

The man who stepped out of the driver’s seat first was a burly figure wearing a black uniform. 

 

His short, buzzed hair gave him a bear-like impression.

 

“You’re saying the sensor interference happened around here?”

 

Seo Kanghyun, who stepped out from the passenger seat, slowly rotated his stiff neck. 

 

Beneath his jacket, his solid body wasn’t even wearing common armor.

 

“You’re not wearing armor again. Seriously.”

 

The bear—no, Yoon Taegyeom—nodded with a dissatisfied face.

 

“It’s been a while since a Gate precursor wave of this magnitude has been detected in downtown Seoul. The possibility of a Gate actually opening is low, but the Association contacted us to check it in advance.”

 

Even if the rule was to call the nearest Hunter, Yoon Taegyeom didn’t like the Association for contacting Seo Kanghyun specifically.

 

“It’s not like you’re the only one in the Haechi Guild, but these Association bastards really suck the life out of people.”

 

Seo Kanghyun himself stepped nonchalantly into the Association with his hands shoved in his pockets.

 

The mechanical warning continued to repeat through the ceiling speakers, and most of the staff were watching the situation with tense faces.

 

Despite the atmosphere, the grumbling Yoon Taegyeom soon began to pester him playfully.

 

“But Kanghyun-ah. Why are you looking for that Hunter Exchange seller anyway?”

 

Seo Kanghyun’s footsteps paused for a moment.