I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 21

21.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah?”

“Oh…”

A man with gentle features and brown hair handed Seo-ah a fluffy towel. Seo-ah took the towel, her mind racing, trying to place him.

‘Who is this? I’ve seen him somewhere…’

As if sensing her confusion, he introduced himself. “Hello, my name is Song Jin-ho.”

“Ah!”

It was a face she often saw on broadcasts.

Song Jin-ho was an A-class healer in the Taeyang Guild and a well-known figure.

Of course, they also had the S-class Hunter Yoo Ji-an, but Yoo Ji-an rarely appeared on broadcasts due to his reserved demeanor.

However, Song Jin-ho, with his approachable appearance and easygoing personality, was always present whenever the Taeyang Guild needed publicity. As a result, he was the most famous of the A-class hunters.

“Hello, what brings you here?”

The refreshing sensation she felt when he touched her must have been from the power of an A-class healer.

“Instructor Kim Cheol-doo asked me to tutor Hunter Park Seo-ah.”

As he spoke, Song Jin-ho offered a warm, radiant smile.

‘Oh, so dazzling.’

Seo-ah rubbed her eyes and wiped her forehead and neck with the towel. She felt a little self-conscious being covered in sweat in front of such a handsome man.

“Ah, I’ll go wash up first.”

“Yes, did I arrive too early? I’ll wait at the cafe on the first floor. Take your time.”

Seo-ah bowed slightly and hurried towards the shower room. Song Jin-ho watched her go, his expression thoughtful.

“Hmm, doesn’t seem like much.”

Unbeknownst to Seo-ah, she was already a topic of conversation within the Taeyang Guild.

Firstly, there was the fact that Kim Cheol-doo was personally training the E-class healer that Han Seok-hyun had brought in. Secondly, Seo-ah’s diligence and rapid progress had become apparent. Many trainees were using the training grounds, and naturally, what they observed and heard circulated within the Taeyang Guild.

Song Jin-ho had also heard the rumors, and Instructor Kim Cheol-doo had approached him to ask about Seo-ah.

Song Jin-ho sat on the terrace of the first-floor cafe in the guild building, waiting for Seo-ah. Soon after, Seo-ah appeared, her hair still damp.

Park Seo-ah had long, dark brown hair and a pretty, cute face. At first glance, she looked delicate. So why was the guild’s leadership paying attention to her?

“Did you wait long?”

“No, you came quickly. What would you like to drink?”

“Uh… a caramel latte.”

Song Jin-ho went to the counter and returned a few minutes later with two drinks.

“Ah, thank you.”

Seo-ah thanked him and rummaged through her pockets. After a moment, she pulled out a 5,000 won bill [approximately $4 USD]. For reference, the exact price of a caramel latte was 5,200 won.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any 100 won coins. Can I give it to you next time?”

“Uh… ah.”

Song Jin-ho was taken aback by the unexpected situation. He glanced back and forth between the bill and Seo-ah’s face and chuckled.

“Ahaha… I see. It’s okay. I’ll just cover the 200 won [approximately $0.15 USD].”

“Thank you, Hunter Song Jin-ho.”

Song Jin-ho had never encountered such a polite person.

Some might perceive this side of Seo-ah as frugal, but it made a positive impression on Song Jin-ho. It was also because many hunters lacked basic manners.

“Um, I received a general overview from Instructor Kim Cheol-doo. I can teach you about how healer skills work, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I’ll share everything I know.”

“Yes, then first…”

What she really wanted to ask about was ‘S-class Supporter,’ but she couldn’t broach that subject with Song Jin-ho immediately. So, Seo-ah began by asking about recovery skills. She needed to function as a healer until she fully unlocked the Supporter class, so learning those skills was beneficial.

The first thing she learned was the basic recovery skill.

“You can use it in emergencies, but it’s more efficient to adjust the value and range whenever possible to conserve mana. I’ll demonstrate.”

A faint light emanated from Song Jin-ho’s palm. When he gently placed his hand on Seo-ah’s wrist, Seo-ah felt the refreshing and invigorating sensation she had experienced earlier.

She wasn’t injured, so that was all she felt, but her overall condition seemed improved.

“This is the effect applied to the whole body without adjustment. But if you reduce the range like this…”

“How do you reduce the range?”

“Be aware of the area you want to affect and focus on it. It will take some practice at first.”

The amount of light gradually diminished, concentrating faintly under Song Jin-ho’s palm. The feeling of invigoration throughout her body faded, and she only felt a cool sensation on her wrist. The range was narrower, but the feeling was more intense.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Right? Now, would you like to try it, Hunter Park Seo-ah? Try it on my hand.”

This time, Seo-ah’s hand overlapped Song Jin-ho’s hand on the table.

Many hunters glanced at them as they passed by. To those unaware of the situation, it was easy to misinterpret.

Following Song Jin-ho’s guidance, Seo-ah went through several attempts and managed to imitate the skill quite similarly.

Of course, the power was significantly different compared to an A-class healer, but the efficiency had changed.

“Good, well done. You’re a fast learner.”

“Hehe, is that so? It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching.”

Seo-ah thought that Song Jin-ho was a kind person who was generous with praise. But Song Jin-ho was genuinely surprised by her.

‘She learns so quickly.’

He understood why Kim Cheol-doo was so enthusiastic about Seo-ah. It was enjoyable to teach her.

“Next, I’ll explain how to use the inventory and store. When you start earning gold, try buying these items first.”

Park Seo-ah looked at Song Jin-ho with curious eyes as he explained. Song Jin-ho showed no signs of impatience while teaching a mere E-class healer.

‘Song Jin-ho and the people of the Taeyang Guild are all so kind.’

For Seo-ah, who had lived in a difficult world, these days felt like a dream. It was much better than living as an ordinary person. Of course, she was thinking this because she hadn’t gone on a raid yet.

“This is a state checker, an item that displays a hunter’s health as a gauge. If you monitor the amount of damage with that and use the recovery skill accurately, you can reduce mana consumption.”

Seo-ah listened intently, her eyes shining with the useful information.

“If you haven’t awakened for long, you probably don’t have a weapon yet.”

“Do healers have weapons too?”

“They are mainly divided into two types: a rod to increase recovery efficiency, and a mace to participate in combat. In other words, a club.”

Song Jin-ho explained it in an easy-to-understand way and added his personal opinion.

“I personally recommend a mace.”

“Why?”

“When raiding, the tanker protects the healer, the healer protects the dealer, and the dealer protects the tanker. This is the basic principle of maintaining a team.”

Seo-ah already knew that much.

Song Jin-ho kindly elaborated on the reason. But there was a hint of coldness in his otherwise kind voice.

“But that’s only when the situation is under control. If the pace is disrupted, those principles are easily broken. At that time, the most vulnerable position is the healer. If a monster has even a little intelligence, it will try to eliminate the healer first because they are a hindrance. Sometimes, even teammates sacrifice the healer as a scapegoat and run away.”

“Wow… I see.”

“So, shouldn’t you have the power to protect yourself? Anyway, the amount of recovery increases to some extent as the skill level rises. You can also compensate for insufficient recovery with items. But there’s nothing you can do to make up for a lack of combat skills.”

Seo-ah strongly agreed with his opinion.

She had felt the need for self-protection in the last raid. If she was going to continue being a hunter anyway…

That’s why she volunteered to come to the Taeyang Guild to train.

“And there’s the saying from the leader of the Angel Guild: ‘The best healer is the one who eliminates the enemy before their allies get hurt.'”

“The leader of the Angel Guild, you mean Hunter Song Jin-ah? Oh, oh?”

Song Jin-ah, Song Jin-ho. Was it a coincidence? Their names were similar.

Song Jin-ah was the 4th ranked hunter in the country. That alone was amazing, but she was also the only S-class healer in the country.

Perhaps because of that, the Angel Guild she led had a lot of healers and support-type hunters. Utilizing those characteristics, there were often allegations that they were being overbearing when they received requests for cooperation from other guilds. But considering their unique position, it was perhaps understandable.

Anyway, Song Jin-ah, Song Jin-ho. Was it a coincidence?

Song Jin-ho readily answered Seo-ah’s unspoken question.

“Yes, that’s right. She’s my sister.”

“Wow, it seems like being healers runs in your family.”

“I guess so, haha.”

Song Jin-ho’s smile was a little strained, but Seo-ah pretended not to notice.

They were siblings, but Song Jin-ah was S-class, and Song Jin-ho was A-class. Moreover, seeing that Song Jin-ho was in the Taeyang Guild and not the Angel Guild, there must be some complicated reasons.

Seo-ah quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, did Yoo Ji-an ever… abandon Song Jin-ho?”