How to Win Over an S-Rank Hunter with Bungeoppang – Chapter 103

Author: Cireng

Footage played on screen showed Park Seongcheol, his face hidden beneath a black cap and mask, being dragged away by investigators with both arms restrained. Countless camera flashes exploded around him, but he remained completely silent.

<Additionally, prosecutors conducted surprise raids this morning on the headquarters of NP Investment Partners in Gangnam and its subsidiary, Nutro Pharmaceutical Research Institute. We now connect to our reporter at the scene.>

“Everything’s complete chaos right now.”

The Director let out a sigh and turned off the news.

The arrest of Vice Director Park Seongcheol and the collapse of Nutrafill’s manufacturing operation had dealt with the biggest pieces of the problem, but the disaster they left behind was only beginning.

“So what you’re saying is… healing skills don’t work on the hunters?”

“That’s right. Because this wasn’t caused inside a gate.”

As expected, the biggest issue was the addicted hunters.

Addiction symptoms caused by chemical substances rather than mana couldn’t be cured through healing skills. The only solution was isolation followed by conventional rehabilitation treatment, but…

‘That would take far too long for a full recovery.’

I clasped my hands as they gradually turned cold from anxiety.

As addicted hunters dropped out of active duty, operations in the field slowly began to break down. A nationwide advisory urging people to stay indoors had been issued, and Team 1 members had scattered across the country to assist gates in various regions.

Even Juhee, who had been on leave, had returned to duty. Naturally, Haneul’s Shop Branches 1 and 2 had no choice but to shut down as well.

‘But the problem is that this is only the beginning.’

There was a limit to how many gates could be handled using only hunters who hadn’t been addicted.

Yet they couldn’t simply leave the gates unattended either.

It was a true deadlock.

At that moment, the Chief Secretary entered with a pale face and delivered an urgent report.

“Director! A D-rank gate has appeared in Chuncheon, and they’re requesting emergency manpower support. What should we do?”

“Wait. Chuncheon? Doesn’t Gangwon Province have its own branch? Don’t tell me they can’t handle it?”

“In the Gangwon branch, over 40% of their combat hunters are reportedly suffering severe addiction symptoms and are currently unable to fight. The remaining personnel have already been dispatched to other gates.”

The Director pressed a hand against her throbbing head.

Beside her, Hyunwoo rose from his seat.

“I’ll go.”

“No. Hunter Lee Hyunwoo is better deployed to gates of a higher rank than D. Which team can return the fastest?”

“Field Team 3. However, only three out of their six members are currently able to deploy.”

“Have Team 3 assist as soon as they return.”

“Yes, Director.”

After the Chief Secretary left, a dreadful silence settled over the office.

“Haah… this is really difficult.”

Hyunwoo, who had just returned from closing a B-rank gate by himself, sat on the sofa still wearing his soot-covered hunter uniform.

The Director had just finished an emergency executive meeting and looked like she’d aged ten years.

Wiping her face, she muttered,

“I don’t understand. Did the Vice Director really not realize things would escalate this far? If he put something this addictive into the product, he’d obviously be caught almost immediately.”

Silence followed her question.

Thinking about it, she was right.

No matter how greedy Park Seongcheol was, it should have been obvious that addicting hunters so blatantly would expose him almost immediately.

Then why?

What had made them so desperate?

‘Ah… wait.’

A horrifying thought suddenly struck me, and I covered my mouth.

“Because this was their last chance.”

“Huh? Last chance?”

“I awakened as an SS-rank and gained the ability to cure side effects, remember? If that happened, hunters would no longer need Nutrafill. If they knew that and raised the concentration recklessly…”

The Director slowly shook her head.

“But even then, the symptoms appeared too quickly. It’s been less than a month since you revealed your SS-rank awakening.”

“The timeframe itself isn’t that important.”

Our investigation showed that the renewed version of Nutrafill had already been on the market for several months.

Hunters who had been consuming it during that period would have unknowingly accumulated addictive substances in their bodies.

“If those hunters were suddenly exposed to a much higher concentration than usual…”

“The side effects could finally manifest.”

Hyunwoo nodded as if he understood.

The Director agreed it was a hypothesis worth investigating and instructed the research team through the Chief Secretary.

‘Could my reawakening have been the trigger that pushed them to pull the trigger?’

The thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I bit down on my lip.

At that moment, warm fingers touched my cheek.

“You’ll hurt yourself if you keep doing that.”

When I looked up, Hyunwoo was gently rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

“This isn’t your fault, Haneul. The blame belongs entirely to those who deliberately tampered with the ingredients.”

“That’s right, nya! Stop thinking weird things all by yourself, nya!”

Hanyang, sitting on my lap, smacked his tail against me in anger.

The Director also reassured me, saying there was little connection between my reawakening and the current crisis.

I shook my head.

“I wasn’t trying to blame myself. I’m just… angry.”

Just because they thought their product would lose its market, they turned hunters into addicts.

I didn’t know whose idea it had been, but it was unbelievably petty and vile.

I muttered gloomily,

“Even being SS-rank doesn’t make me all-powerful.”

I’d already tried feeding SS-rank skill-enhanced fish-shaped buns to the hunters, but it hadn’t worked.

Which meant this condition wasn’t an awakening side effect.

‘If only there were a way to turn time back to before everyone became addicted.’

‘…Wait. Turn time back?’

At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.

I abruptly jumped to my feet.

Everyone stared at me in surprise.

“Hunter Haneul? Is something wrong?”

“Just a moment!”

I opened the system window in midair.

With trembling hands, I entered the Menu Shop.

A list of unlockable menu items appeared.

‘I’m sure there was a section at the bottom that gathered all the special effects together…’

I found a small button in the lower-right corner of the shop menu and clenched my fist.

[Special Effects Encyclopedia]

All the special effects I could obtain were listed there.

Until now, I had always unlocked new menu items first and then combined special effects afterward.

But in fact, the reverse was also possible.

‘Choose the special effect first, then unlock the matching menu item.’

I quickly scrolled down.

‘There was definitely something similar in here somewhere…’

‘Found it!’

My finger finally stopped.

—

– Ode to Youth

Effect: Restores the body’s condition to its physical prime.

‘Limited to one use per target.’

<View Details>

—

The reason healing skills couldn’t cure the hunters’ Nutrafill addiction was that their brains had been damaged by chemicals rather than mana.

‘But this special effect works on an entirely different principle.’

It was an absurdly powerful effect that restored a person’s body to its prime condition…

In other words, to before they became addicted.

‘The one-time-per-person limitation is unfortunate… but it’s still far better than spending months bedridden from addiction.’

This effect could erase even deeply rooted addiction symptoms in one stroke.

After finding exactly what I needed, I turned to the Director.

“Would it be possible to temporarily halt production of the Golden Fish-Shaped Buns from our Side Effect Treatment Center?”

“Huh? Why the side-effect treatment item all of a sudden?”

“I think I’ve figured out a treatment for this crisis. If it works, we’ll need mass production.”

The Director frowned.

“But the hunters are suffering from drug addiction. Even your items shouldn’t be able to solve that…”

I confidently shrugged.

“I’m not planning to cure them normally.”

Then I grinned.

“I’m planning to make everyone young again.”

“…Young again?”

The Director’s eyes rolled in confusion.

I briefly explained my plan.

Before long, her eyes lit up.

“So you’re saying you’ll release a new menu item with a body-restoration effect? Like the menu item that reduces fatigue?”

“Exactly. But to obtain the special effect, I’ll need materials first…”

I scratched my cheek.

“I’ll have to enter a gate again.”

This time, the required material was five roots of Immortal Beard Grass.

According to the detailed description, it appeared to be a root plant that grew in cracks along cliff faces.

“When are you planning to enter?”

Hyunwoo rolled up his sleeves enthusiastically.

He clearly assumed he’d be accompanying me into the gate.

But I shook my head.

“I’ll go alone this time. You need to keep closing gates.”

“What? That’s far too dangerous.”

“You haven’t forgotten that I reawakened as an SS-rank, right?”

“SS-rank in name only. Your combat ability is still lower than that of a C-rank combat hunter.”

‘Tch. Couldn’t let even one thing slide, could he?’

I couldn’t exactly tell him that monsters ignored me anyway, especially in front of the Director.

Unable to argue, I simply shut my mouth.

Seeing this, the Director proposed a compromise.

“Well, I think both of you make valid points.”

She folded her hands.

“Given how unstable things are right now, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo can’t leave his post. But it’s also dangerous for Hunter Jeong Haneul to enter a gate alone.”

The Director straightened her clothes and extended a hand toward me.

“So, Hunter Haneul.”

She smiled.

“I’ll accompany you on this gate expedition.”

“…What? Director… you?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve worked in the field, but I’m a combat hunter too, you know.”

Then she added firmly,

“And more importantly, if it means ending this crisis, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

The Director winked and rotated her shoulders enthusiastically.

“I hope you’re not uncomfortable with me coming? I’m really not that strange!”

“Haha, of course not. I’ll be counting on you, Director…”

With no real choice, I took the hand she offered.