<Episode 95>
My reawakening press conference lasted for over two hours.
It seemed everyone had a lot of questions about such an unprecedented rank.
‘The questions just kept coming and coming without end.’
After the press conference finally concluded well past lunchtime, I returned to the Director’s office completely exhausted.
As I collapsed onto the sofa with a half-dazed expression, Hyunwoo approached and sat beside me.
“Are you alright?”
“…Physically, I’m fine, but mentally I feel exhausted.”
Fortunately, the Director stepped in midway through.
Otherwise, I probably would have been trapped in question hell all day.
“The thought that I’ll have to keep doing interviews like this in the future… It’s not easy.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
Hyunwoo smiled faintly, seemingly recalling the time when he had first awakened.
After assuring me that he would block as much trouble as possible on my behalf, he handed me a tablet.
“Articles about your reawakening are already being published. There are quite a lot of comments as well.”
Just as he said, the front page of the portal site was filled with articles announcing the birth of an SS-rank Hunter.
I scrolled through the headlines.
—
”[Breaking News] South Korea Becomes the World’s First Nation to Possess an SS-Rank Hunter!”
”[Feature] Who Is Jung Haneul, the Savior of Hunters?”
”Director of the Management Bureau: ‘We Will Spare No Support for Treating Hunters’ Side Effects””
—
Although the Director had arranged the press conference in a hurry, news about the mana-rampage incident at the Management Bureau had already begun spreading through various channels.
‘People probably left comments saying our restaurant’s food should be investigated…’
Thinking that, I clicked the top article.
As I slowly read through the comments…
‘The reaction is… better than I expected?’
Even when sorting by newest comments, they were overwhelmingly positive.
As I browsed around the internet more seriously, I eventually discovered the reason.
‘Everyone’s overflowing with national pride.’
People were united in their excitement that Korea had claimed the world’s first title.
I clicked a TubeTube video titled:
“The Majesty of an SS-Rank Hunter Kekek”
The video alternated between footage of me revealing my SS-rank status and reporters reacting in shock.
—
”999+ Comments”
‘ Holy crap LOL. Korea produced an SS-rank, not just an S-rank?
└ Finally feels satisfying~! I was sick of foreigners acting superior because they had more S-ranks.
└ CNN and BBC are covering it as breaking news too lol. Foreign hunters are already making a fuss about coming to Korea for treatment.
└ Goddess Haneul… what exactly are you…?
—
It also helped that the domestic hunter community, still carrying the disgrace of Park Jaemin’s civilian murder incident, had actively stepped up to support me.
Articles were pouring out at an incredible pace.
It felt good, but at the same time, there was an oddly ticklish and awkward feeling I couldn’t shake.
“Heheh. Hehehehe….”
Of course, there was someone far more excited than I was.
Ever since the press conference ended, the Director’s smile had been stretched from ear to ear and showed no signs of coming down.
“Hunter Haneul, have you seen the reactions? It’s absolute chaos! Chaos!”
“Ah, yes… I can see that.”
“Ahem! Hunter Haneul. If, hypothetically… purely hypothetically…”
There was cautious excitement in the Director’s voice as she broke the silence.
“Could your SS-rank skill possibly be applied to ordinary food as well?”
“Hmm… Since I have to use ingredients obtained from the system, wouldn’t that be difficult?”
“Then what if you provide the ingredients to us, and we use those ingredients for mass production?”
Her question left me speechless for a moment.
After all, I still hadn’t fully tested the limits of my skill or how exactly it worked.
“I haven’t tried anything like that yet, so I can’t give a definite answer. There might be system restrictions.”
“That’s true. You have only just awakened, so there are still many uncertainties.”
The Director smacked her lips in disappointment, but her eyes still sparkled with determination.
“If what I suggested is possible, then perhaps we could establish a production center to mass-produce these items in the future.”
“A center?”
While I sat there bewildered, the Director continued enthusiastically.
“The more I think about it, the more brilliant the idea sounds! Machines could produce the items, and Hunter Haneul could infuse them with blessings.”
“The entire nation… no, the entire world… would go crazy for side-effect treatments.”
It was as if an enormous blueprint had already unfolded before her eyes.
“Haha! Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? Nobody knows the limits of my abilities yet.”
“Of course, I’m not saying we should start construction immediately! But maximizing the potential of an SS-rank crafting hunter indeed requires support on a national scale.”
“Ah, no, this won’t do!”
The Director pulled out her tablet and began rapidly typing while muttering to herself.
“Tomorrow we’ll immediately conduct small-scale tests. We’ll check whether the skill can be applied to food made from ordinary ingredients, and whether food produced by machines can also receive the effect.”
“If the results are positive, I’ll secure a budget immediately!”
“This is the first SS-rank ever born. Surely we need at least one center!”
The Director added that, almost like she was humming.
Watching the situation grow far bigger than I had expected made me feel slightly troubled.
I glanced to the side.
‘As for Mr. Hyunwoo… he looks ready to start scouting land for the center immediately.’
Sure enough, he was nodding seriously as though the idea were completely reasonable.
Then what about Hanyang?
“Now they finally recognize your true value, nya! Build that center-whatever-it-is immediately, nya!”
Yeah.
He looked very happy.
Apparently, I was the only one feeling awkward here.
To avoid ruining the atmosphere, I quietly nodded along.
After that, I had to listen for quite a while as the Director elaborated on her new vision… the so-called ”Side Effect Treatment Center”.
***
“Wow, Noona Haneul! Or should I call you SS-rank Hunter Haneul now?”
That evening, Hyunwoo and I stopped by Field Team 1’s office for the first time in a while.
The moment we entered, loud cheers erupted.
“I watched it on TV and got chills! Unnie, you’re amazing…!”
“An SS-rank… that’s truly incredible. It’s late, but congratulations.”
Hunter Kang Min, Hunter Suhyeon, and Hunter Ria immediately surrounded me, their eyes sparkling.
They all said they had never even dreamed I would reawaken as an SS-rank.
“Just call me normally. It feels even more awkward when everyone suddenly becomes so formal.”
“Then I’ll keep calling you noona! Seriously, though, this is incredible.”
“How does someone go from F-rank to SS-rank through reawakening?”
“Did you know beforehand? No, you probably didn’t.”
“Your item abilities always seemed unusual, though!”
“Wow, this is seriously fascinating!”
“Could I get a handshake? Or maybe an autograph?”
“Good grief, oppa, remember to breathe.”
Suhyeon shook her head as Kang Min bombarded me with questions nonstop.
Watching the familiar comedy routine between the two of them made me chuckle.
“By the way, now that you’ve been cleared of suspicion and your identity is public…”
“What are you planning to do about your living arrangements?”
“Are you finally moving into the Management Bureau dormitory?”
Ria had quietly approached my side before asking casually.
Ah.
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t really thought about that.
“Ah, um. Right. I suppose since things aren’t dangerous anymore…”
I was just about to nod.
“……”
Hyunwoo, standing beside me, was looking at me with desperately pleading eyes.
‘Are you really going to leave?’
His gaze seemed to ask.
‘…Ugh.’
Wasn’t it unfair for someone that huge to make such a pitiful expression?
I cleared my throat and looked away.
“For now, I still have things to organize, and I’d need to apply for the dormitory.”
“So I think staying at Mr. Hyunwoo’s place for the time being makes more sense.”
“…Mr. Hyunwoo?”
Kang Min’s eyes widened.
“What?! Since when did you two get so close?”
“I thought the atmosphere felt different.”
“This is getting interesting.”
Ria looked at us with obvious curiosity.
The team members’ gazes darted back and forth between Hyunwoo and me.
My face heated up in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Hyunwoo simply lifted the corners of his lips slightly, clearly pleased, and drove the point home.
“We’ve gotten close.”
“Very close.”
“Whoa, no way! Why does the leader look so happy?”
“Why is Noona Haneul blushing? This seems extremely suspicious.”
The team continued teasing us, but the atmosphere remained warm and cheerful.
I hurriedly stood up.
“A-Aren’t you all hungry? I’ll make some bungeoppang for everyone!”
At my suggestion, Ria immediately shook her head.
“But you’re the owner… you have to make the bungeoppang yourself.”
“We can’t make the guest of honor work on a day like this.”
“Exactly! Let’s just go out and eat something delicious!”
As Suhyeon agreed, Kang Min immediately started listing all my favorite foods.
When had he memorized all of them?
For some reason, my chest tightened.
Except for Hyunwoo, all of Team 1 suffered from awakening side effects.
No matter how delicious or expensive the food was, everything tasted as bland as chewing sawdust.
Yet despite that, they were excitedly trying to prioritize my happiness and sense of taste.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“But today is a special day, after all.”
“I want to share my happiness with all of you.”
Ignoring their protests, I smiled and opened my inventory.
Then I took out three red-bean bungeoppang I had baked earlier that morning as a test and placed them on the table.
“Unnie, we’re really fine! We can eat the bungeoppang later… huh?”
Before Suhyeon could finish speaking, I took a deep breath.
Then I activated my newly awakened SS-rank skill:
”Blessing of the Hand.”
Brilliant golden mana flowed from my fingertips and gently seeped into the bungeoppang.
In an instant, their surfaces became coated in a dazzling golden sheen, as though wrapped in thin gold leaf.
“Alright, everyone.”
“Try one.”
“Today’s special limited edition: Golden Bungeoppang.”
“Whoa! Is that the skill that removes side effects?”
“Then eating this bungeoppang will eliminate them?”
“Hehe. Exactly.”
Eyes wide, Kang Min carefully picked up a Golden Bungeoppang.
Ria and Suhyeon soon followed, each taking a bite filled with equal parts curiosity and anticipation.
“W-Wow! The ringing in my ears disappeared all of a sudden.”
“I can’t hear conversations from far away anymore….”
“So this is what it feels like when the side effects disappear.”
Watching them, Hyunwoo smiled quietly.
He seemed to be recalling the feeling of being freed from the side effects himself.
“Now that everyone has eaten the Golden Bungeoppang, shall we go eat something truly delicious?”
“Sounds great!”
“Ah, what should I eat? Ramen, jjajangmyeon, tteokbokki…”
“King crab for me! My mouth is already watering.”
“Leader, what’s the company card limit?”
At Ria’s question, Hyunwoo shrugged and waved a black card.
“Company card?”
“Forget that.”
“Tonight, I’m paying.”
“So don’t hold back. Eat whatever you want.”
“YEEEEEEES! Leader is the best!”
“Let’s go to a buffet! A buffet!”
Before we’d even chosen a menu, they charged out of the office as though they were about to break down a restaurant door.
Following after them, I burst into laughter.
That evening, Team 1 rented out an entire buffet and enjoyed a lavish meal together.
Hyunwoo did let out a small, disbelieving laugh while paying the bill, but there was no denying that it had been a satisfying dinner.
And a few days later, after conducting tests with the Director, we concluded:
My Golden Bungeoppang appeared capable of mass production.
And so, the center that had once existed only as a blueprint, the center dedicated to treating awakening side effects, finally began to take shape.
Comments (0)