I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 61

61.

“Crazy, seriously. Jian, hyung!”

Song Jin-ho paced anxiously in front of the gate. Han Seok-hyun also stared intently at the gate with nervous eyes.

“His left arm must be completely shattered. Forcing the gate open, is he crazy? He could have just waited a few more seconds.”

“…Hoo, let’s just wait and see. The estimated rank is D, so the monsters inside should be manageable with one arm.”

“It’s not the monsters that are the problem, his arm will start rotting if time passes!”

Just then.

The vortex spun fiercely, spitting the two of them out.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah!”

“Jian-ah!”

Han Seok-hyun and Song Jin-ho called out to them and rushed over.

As soon as Seo-ah came out, she weakly collapsed to her knees, and Yoo Ji-an was holding the hood of Seo-ah’s T-shirt from behind with his right hand.

“Ah… I survived.”

Seo-ah saw the familiar marble floor and lifted her head. It was the Gangnam Station underground shopping center, where she had been before being caught in the sudden gate.

Whether the area was under control or not, there were no pedestrians, and only Hunter Association employees and people from the Taeyang Guild were moving busily.

In the midst of all this, Han Seok-hyun and Song Jin-ho stood on either side of Yoo Ji-an with pale faces.

“You, check your arm quickly. Quickly.”

Han Seok-hyun abruptly rolled up the sleeve of Yoo Ji-an’s left arm.

Seo-ah also turned around in a daze, and when she saw Yoo Ji-an’s exposed arm, she jumped up from her spot.

“…What’s wrong with your arm?”

From his left wrist to his inner arm, it was cracked like black tree branches. Yoo Ji-an brushed off Han Seok-hyun’s hand and pulled his sleeve back down.

It looked like it would hurt quite a bit, but Yoo Ji-an pointed to Seo-ah with a nonchalant face.

“This one first.”

“Hyung, now is…!”

When Song Jin-ho flared up, Yoo Ji-an shook his head firmly.

“You can’t do it anyway. Right?”

“…….”

As if he knew what he meant, Song Jin-ho suddenly became quiet. He also seemed dejected.

Yoo Ji-an glanced at Song Jin-ho and turned his head to Han Seok-hyun.

“Call Song Jin-ah.”

“I already called her, she’ll be here soon.”

“Um…”

Seo-ah looked at Yoo Ji-an with a worried face. Yoo Ji-an didn’t say anything, and instead, Song Jin-ho turned Seo-ah’s shoulders with a gloomy face.

“Let’s go, Hunter Park Seo-ah. You seem to be hurt a lot; I’ll take a look at you.”

“What about Hunter Yoo Ji-an? His arm looked strange earlier, is he okay?”

“Yes, well… there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Seo-ah went to sit on the chair as Song Jin-ho led her.

“Can you tell me why? That arm, it looks serious.”

She didn’t know at all in the gate. No, now that she thought about it, Yoo Ji-an seemed to have only used his right hand.

Song Jin-ho glanced at Yoo Ji-an and lowered his voice.

“Jian hyung forced the gate open. It’s the aftereffect.”

No wonder he appeared a few seconds earlier than the original time.

“Forcibly open… is that possible?”

“Originally, it’s only theoretical. You can see a slight vortex about 1 minute before the gate is created, and you open it with force…. Ha, even so. That crazy S-class hunter… to think he could actually do it.”

Song Jin-ho shook his head. Seo-ah kept looking at Yoo Ji-an as if worried.

“Why would he go that far… then that arm.”

“Don’t say useless things, Song Jin-ho.”

Yoo Ji-an, who was talking to Han Seok-hyun, walked towards Seo-ah. Seo-ah’s gaze was fixed on his left arm, which was stuck in his pants pocket.

“It can be healed, so don’t worry about it.”

He lightly touched Seo-ah’s shoulder.

And when Yoo Ji-an gave him a look, Song Jin-ho shut his mouth and began to use his recovery skill on Seo-ah.

Seo-ah was still worried, but she kept quiet for now because she thought it would interfere with the treatment.

A clear and refreshing feeling that started from Song Jin-ho permeated her body, and the creaking interior gradually began to find its place. [This likely refers to her body feeling like it’s falling apart and now is being put back together.]

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then she heard a familiar sound from a little further away.

“Ah, it hurts…! Be gentle!”

It was Gil Kyung-tae’s voice. He said he went out first, and he really did.

She didn’t know where he was hurt, but Gil Kyung-tae was also receiving treatment from a healer from the Association.

“Why are you so unskilled? What’s your rank?”

“I’m a C-class?”

The healer from the Association frowned and said.

“Hoo, that’s still pretty high. Damn it, I got hurt because I got caught up with a lousy E-class healer. I wish I had gone with a strong hunter. I have terrible luck.”

“Still, the fact that you survived….”

The healer from the Association was dumbfounded and tried to retort, but Seo-ah and Gil Kyung-tae’s eyes met.

“What? Did I say something wrong? Still, how did I survive? I thought I was going to die from a wild boar. Ah, a crazy bastard walked into the gate on his own….”

Gil Kyung-tae couldn’t finish his sentence because of the eerie feeling he suddenly felt. And now he recognized the two men around Park Seo-ah.

“It seems like that crazy bastard is talking about me.”

When he raised his eyes to the gloomy voice, there was a handsome face he had seen somewhere. Gil Kyung-tae checked the man’s clothes again. It was definitely that guy he bumped into when he was leaving the gate earlier.

Gil Kyung-tae was so busy running away at that time that he tried to run out alone as soon as the vortex was created. Then he screamed because he collided with Yoo Ji-an, who was coming in, and bounced off.

Now that he knew who the other person was, Gil Kyung-tae had no memory of that time. [He is likely pretending to not remember Yoo Ji-an.]

“It’s… Ji-an.”

“Hunter Park Seo-ah, what is that guy saying? Do you know him?”

Song Jin-ho, who was sitting next to Seo-ah, asked in a blunt voice.

Gil Kyung-tae checked Song Jin-ho and his face turned pale. Why are those two next to Park Seo-ah? No, it’s not just next to her, it looks like they’re treating her with the utmost respect?

Park Seo-ah stared at Gil Kyung-tae’s face.

“No, I don’t know him.”

“That…!”

Gil Kyung-tae, who was about to get angry, closed his mouth again at Song Jin-ho’s words.

“Tsk, if you don’t know him, then I can’t hit him. I wish I could just punch that mouth once. Uh-oh, Jian hyung! If hyung hits him, he’ll die at least. I should do it….”

“Is there something wrong?”

Han Seok-hyun, who had finished talking with the Association official, quietly approached and joined them. Han Seok-hyun was also a person who appeared frequently on TV, so Gil Kyung-tae couldn’t not know him.

Everyone was from the Taeyang Guild.

“No, that person is saying harsh things in front of Hunter Park Seo-ah.”

Song Jin-ho was pointing at Gil Kyung-tae, and Gil Kyung-tae suddenly jumped up.

“Hey, it’s not done yet!”

“It’s done, I, I think I’m all better.”

With those words, he started walking quickly somewhere without looking back.

Han Seok-hyun, who was staring blankly at him, said.

“Shall I catch him?”

“No, I don’t really want to deal with him….”

Seo-ah sighed as if she was too tired just thinking about it. Then the others didn’t react anymore.

The atmosphere was that he was too insignificant to even get angry at.

“Oh, where did that person go? There are a few things I need to ask him.”

The hunter from the Association looked around the empty seat in a panic. But it was a familiar face.

“Hunter Oh Hyun-soo?”

Then Oh Hyun-soo approached with a happy face.

“Ah, Hunter Park Seo-ah. You were here. It’s a pity that you got caught up in another sudden gate.”

“I know, this is already the second time… I’m unlucky.”

“Still, I’m glad you’re safe. I’d like to talk more, but I’m busy with the aftermath. The Association will probably ask Hunter Park Seo-ah questions in writing. You can answer at your leisure.”

“Yes, you’re working hard. I’ll do that.”

Seo-ah’s treatment was somewhat finished, and the surrounding cleanup was also somewhat finished.

When the traffic restriction was lifted, the merchants who had emptied their stores and avoided the area returned.

“Let’s go up to the Taeyang Guild now, Hunter Park Seo-ah.”

“We should, ah, just a moment.”

Han Seok-hyun said, being conscious of his surroundings, and Seo-ah, who was nodding, briefly raised her palm.

While the three of them were puzzled, Seo-ah ran to the clothing store she had seen earlier. And after a while, she came out with a paper bag containing a T-shirt with a delighted face.

“Hehe, it’s 10,000 won each [~8 USD]. I couldn’t miss it.”

“Ah, you bought clothes? Ahem, yes. I understand. Let’s go up first.”

Han Seok-hyun looked at Seo-ah with subtle eyes, and Song Jin-ho was somehow looking at Park Seo-ah as if she was cute. Yoo Ji-an looked closely at the bag, but he had no expression.

They walked at Seo-ah’s pace. Seo-ah kept glancing at Yoo Ji-an while walking. She was worried about his injured arm.

“A few seconds… you didn’t have to do that.”

“Those few seconds saved you.”

At Yoo Ji-an’s blunt answer, Seo-ah recalled that time.

Yoo Ji-an appeared at the moment when she was about to be pierced by the wild boar’s tusk. In fact, this wasn’t the only time she had been saved by him.

Park Seo-ah looked at Yoo Ji-an’s profile with a fresh feeling. Then, without realizing it, she lightly grabbed his pinky finger.

“…What is it?”

Then Yoo Ji-an turned around.

Seo-ah had grabbed him like this before because of a mission. If Yoo Ji-an’s eyes were like blades when he turned around at that time, now he was puzzled, but he was much gentler than before. Seo-ah clearly felt the difference.

“I just wanted to say… thank you.”

“…….”

Yoo Ji-an looked down at Seo-ah and lightly placed his right hand on the top of her head.

“You were pretty good too.”