I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 56

56.

Knowing she might be away from home longer than expected, Seo-ah packed some extra clothes and essentials.

But as she chose her outfits, a wave of gloom washed over her.

“Why are all my clothes so… old?”

She had been diligently saving money and hadn’t bought new clothes in a while, but she’d never really thought about it. Could it be because she started her life as a Hunter [a person with supernatural abilities who fights monsters]?

Even lower-level Hunters dressed quite well, and being around them made her feel self-conscious.

Even if they weren’t expensive, she should at least have a few presentable outfits.

“Hmm…”

Seo-ah checked her bank balance on her phone.

Between the money she received from the Royal Guild and her share of the loot from recent hunts, she had accumulated a decent sum.

Of course, she needed to save that money for the future, but wouldn’t it be alright to spend a little?

Seo-ah pulled out some of the older clothes she had planned to pack and set them aside. Then, she packed her bag and headed out.

Originally, the Solar Guild [a powerful organization of Hunters] was supposed to send a car to pick her up, but Seo-ah decided to take the bus instead. Her destination wasn’t too far from the Solar Guild headquarters.

Seo-ah took a city bus to the Gangnam Station intersection. She planned to shop at the underground shopping center there before going to the Solar Guild.

After getting off the bus, Seo-ah looked up at the towering Solar Guild building amidst the other skyscrapers.

“Wow…”

Seeing it up close, it looked even more magnificent. And the very top floor, the 88th floor, was Yoo Ji-an’s home.

Thinking about it made her feel strangely fluttery. Seo-ah quickly turned and hurried into the Gangnam Station underground shopping center.

The underground shopping center was a maze of countless independent clothing stores. Seo-ah slowly browsed, examining the clothes displayed in each shop.

“Ten thousand won [approximately $7.50 USD] each? Oh, maybe there’s something good here?”

She picked up a garment hanging on a rack when someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

Turning around, she saw a familiar face.

“Park Seo-ah, long time no see?”

She definitely recognized him, but his name didn’t immediately come to mind.

“Uh, um…”

Seo-ah’s face flushed with embarrassment. It wasn’t just because she couldn’t remember his name; her last memory of him wasn’t pleasant.

“What, you forgot my name too? It’s Gil Kyung-tae.”

“Ah, yes. Gil Kyung-tae, Senior [Korean honorific for someone older or more experienced].”

“Wow, running into you here. I was surprised when you suddenly took a leave of absence. So, what have you been up to? What brings you here?”

“Just, you know… this and that…”

Seo-ah trailed off, returning the clothes she was looking at to the rack. She started walking away from Gil Kyung-tae, but he kept following her and talking.

“This and that, what? Hey, Park Seo-ah. We ran into each other like this, so let’s catch up. You always ignored me back then, too.”

“Um, I have somewhere to be. I’m busy.”

Seo-ah made it clear she was annoyed, but whether he didn’t notice or was deliberately ignoring it, he kept pestering her.

“Busy? Are you still working part-time? Is it true you took a leave of absence because of money?”

When Seo-ah didn’t even glance at him, Gil Kyung-tae reached out to grab her wrist.

Seo-ah reflexively shook off his hand, causing his large frame to stumble slightly.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You didn’t have to go that far!”

Gil Kyung-tae’s face turned red, and he stammered.

Gil Kyung-tae seemed to think Seo-ah had pushed him with excessive force. In reality, Seo-ah was the one who was flustered.

‘So this is what they meant by even an E-class Hunter [the lowest rank of Hunter] is still a Hunter.’

But Park Seo-ah looked directly at Gil Kyung-tae without a hint of apology.

“I said I was busy, but you’re still ignoring my boundaries, just like back then.”

Gil Kyung-tae was Park Seo-ah’s senior in college. He had confessed his feelings for her several times, but she had always rejected him.

After that, he held a grudge and harassed her, apologized, and then confessed again, bothering her throughout her time in school. Around the time Seo-ah took a leave of absence, he even spread malicious rumors about her.

The main reason for her leave of absence was financial, but those rumors also contributed to her decision.

“Oh, come on, that was a long time ago. I’m not interested in you anymore, okay? I’m just curious because we met after so long. But, well, it doesn’t look like anything has improved even after your leave of absence? What you’re wearing… hmm, it’s still the same.”

Gil Kyung-tae blatantly looked Seo-ah up and down. Feeling there was no point in engaging with him further, Seo-ah tried to ignore him and walk away.

Just then, her phone rang. Seo-ah didn’t hesitate to answer the call that came at the perfect time.

“Ah, yes.”

She avoided saying the caller’s name, conscious of Gil Kyung-tae. The caller was Yoo Ji-an.

– Where are you? Didn’t you say you were coming today?

“Yes? Yes. I’m almost there.”

– Where are you? I heard they were going to send a car.

“I’m right below. Ah, I was just looking at some clothes down here. I’m going up now.”

“Hey, what’s this? A boyfriend? Park Seo-ah, I thought you weren’t interested in guys?”

Gil Kyung-tae interrupted shamelessly, even during the call. Seo-ah tried to ignore him, but Yoo Ji-an wouldn’t let it go.

– Who’s next to you? You said you were right below. Wait there.

“Ah, wait a minute. You don’t have to come. I’ll just go up.”

Was he really coming? No way. Yoo Ji-an was too well-known. Moreover, if Gil Kyung-tae saw him, who knew what kind of wild rumors he would spread.

Seo-ah’s pace quickened.

“Hey, what is this? It’s really a guy? You’re amazing, really. So being busy was just an excuse?”

Gil Kyung-tae spoke loudly, as if wanting the person on the phone to hear. Yoo Ji-an calmly asked Seo-ah.

– Is it near Exit 4?

“…How did you know?”

– I sensed your energy.

Whether it was possible because he was an S-class Hunter [the highest rank of Hunter] or because it was Yoo Ji-an, she didn’t know. In any case, it wasn’t too surprising.

Rather, it was more surprising that Yoo Ji-an was visible at the end of the corridor, not long after he finished speaking. Was it okay for him to walk around like that? Seo-ah was briefly wondering what to do after she hung up when Gil Kyung-tae grabbed her sleeve again.

“Hey, Park Seo-ah! Are you even listening to me?”

Seo-ah looked back at Yoo Ji-an urgently. But his figure, which had been walking towards her, suddenly began to blur.

“Uh, uh?”

“What is this?”

And that phenomenon seemed to be happening to Gil Kyung-tae as well. He looked around in confusion.

Yoo Ji-an rushed towards Seo-ah at almost the speed of light. But he was blocked by something like a transparent barrier and couldn’t reach her.

He kept calling “Park Seo-ah” from outside.

Soon, her vision darkened, and she felt a slight motion sickness. Seo-ah finally realized what this symptom meant.

‘A sudden gate [a portal to another dimension].’

Gil Kyung-tae was holding onto Seo-ah’s sleeve tightly, unable to even scream. The skill [Silent Night] calmed Seo-ah’s emotional turmoil.

The world that had been spinning around returned to its place, and when Seo-ah set foot on the ground, a new landscape unfolded.

The ordinary Gil Kyung-tae was sitting down, vomiting.

“Where is this…”

It was a similar environment to the typical plain field she had seen in the D-class gate [a type of portal] before.

There was a wide field and a bit of forest in the distance.

For some reason, she felt a little relieved at that moment because she remembered that plain fields were generally not too dangerous.

“Uweeck!”

The sound, as if his insides were about to come out, distracted Seo-ah. Seo-ah had no choice but to lightly touch Gil Kyung-tae’s shoulder and cast a recovery skill on him.

After a while, Gil Kyung-tae raised his head and looked around.

“Ugh, huff, huff. What, what the… Where is this?”

“It’s inside a gate. It seems we got caught up in a sudden gate.”

“What…? A gate…?”

“I don’t know the grade. I hope it’s not too high…”

“Why, why are you so calm? Like you’ve been here before?”

At that question, Seo-ah stared at Gil Kyung-tae. After a moment of hesitation, she finally opened her mouth.

“Because I’m a Hunter.”

“What, a Hunter? Park Seo-ah, you were a Hunter?”

Gil Kyung-tae’s face lit up. He looked like he had met a savior. Just in case, Park Seo-ah quickly added.

“But I’m an E-class Healer.”

“…E-class Healer. What’s that?”

Gil Kyung-tae blatantly showed his disappointment.

“I’d rather fight myself, geez.”

Why did she have to end up in here with this guy of all people?

Seo-ah calmly ignored Gil Kyung-tae and equipped all the raid items from her inventory.

Just then, the [Brain] skill was activated. Her mind began to work quickly.

‘First, I need to hold out for 30 minutes. It was like that before.’

Then Yoo Ji-an, who is outside, will come in right away. I can survive if I just hold out until then. The problem is, what is the difficulty level of this gate? If it’s too high, I might not even last 3 minutes, let alone 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Gil Kyung-tae picked up a wooden stick from somewhere. It seemed he had found a weapon of his own.

“But if it’s a gate, there’s nothing special about it? It’s just like a secluded countryside?”

Gil Kyung-tae swung the stick around and poked it into the tall grass.

“Wait, there…!”

At the same time, something with red eyes popped out of the grass.

“Get out of the way!”

Before Gil Kyung-tae could even react, Seo-ah quickly struck it with her Bbyong Hammer.

Kick-!

Fortunately, the monster that popped out was hit by the Bbyong Hammer and retreated. Seo-ah quickly turned on the State Checker to assess the monster’s grade.