I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 178

178.

“Is it possible to turn passive skills on and off?”

“Huh, …don’t you know?”

That look seemed to imply, ‘You really don’t know?’

“I don’t… know?”

Did everyone else know this?

Seo-ah flinched, and Yoo Ji-an, realizing he might have made a mistake, cleared his throat slightly.

“Right, well. It’s generally better not to turn off passive skills. You never know what might happen.”

As he said, it was convenient and safe to have [Silent Night], [Brain], [Fire Resistance], and [Cold Resistance] always active.

“That’s true, but there’s one in particular that’s a bit… much.”

“Which one?”

“Well, first, [Emotional Transference] is a bit overwhelming. I receive other people’s emotions even when I don’t want to…”

Seo-ah glanced at Yoo Ji-an cautiously. He was the most difficult person to deal with recently because of [Emotional Transference]. Of course, it also helped them get closer.

“I can see that.”

“There’s also a skill called [Warm Sunlight]. It makes people feel favorable towards me.”

“Favorable?”

“It often stops at simple human affection, but sometimes it seems to go further, depending on the person.”

“Say it twice.”

As soon as he heard Seo-ah’s words, Yoo Ji-an immediately told her how to turn it off.

“Say it twice?”

“Think about turning it off, choose your own words, and say it.”

“For example?”

“In my case, I say the skill name and add ‘Stop’ after it. Though there’s rarely a need to stop them in the first place.”

After listening to Yoo Ji-an’s explanation, Seo-ah immediately tried it.

“[Warm Sunlight] Stop, [Warm Sunlight] Stop.”

Immediately, a system window appeared.

[Skill ‘Warm Sunlight’ will be deactivated.]

“Wow, it really works!”

Seo-ah looked at Yoo Ji-an, who was nodding, with slightly trembling eyes.

[Warm Sunlight] was a skill that evoked favorable feelings. Because of that, she felt a little uneasy.

‘Could this skill have been affecting him too? If the skill turns off, will his favorability towards me also decrease?’

Yoo Ji-an, who was gazing into Seo-ah’s eyes, smiled faintly.

“It’s hard to resist when you stare like that.”

“…Huh?”

While Seo-ah was looking bewildered, Yoo Ji-an’s face came closer.

Seo-ah checked her status window in the meantime. [Warm Sunlight] was definitely off.

She felt quite relieved.

Seo-ah’s eyes slowly closed.

***

Yoo Ji-an’s car stopped in front of R Tower.

Yoo Ji-an got out of the car and took Seo-ah to the tower entrance.

“…Annoying.”

Seo-ah turned her head at his muttering.

“Well, I can come alone. Next time…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

As he said that, Yoo Ji-an looked up at the top of the tower. Seo-ah also looked up and then back at Yoo Ji-an.

“Why?”

“Was it the 95th floor?”

“Yes, why?”

“It’s nothing.”

He kept saying it was nothing. Seo-ah didn’t bother to ask further and faced Yoo Ji-an. It was time to say goodbye.

“I’ll go in now.”

“…Okay.”

Yoo Ji-an answered after a slight pause. As she looked at him, Seo-ah suddenly remembered something and spoke.

“I’m going to make an announcement soon regarding my guild affiliation. I hope you won’t be too disappointed then.”

If it was Yoo Ji-an, he would understand what she meant with just this much.

Yoo Ji-an sighed softly but nodded.

“Han Seok-hyun will be more disappointed than I will.”

“Ah, Guild Leader.”

That would be the case. Yoo Ji-an too, but Han Seok-hyun had really been considerate of Seo-ah.

But Baek Eun-hee was no less so. The other guilds weren’t quite at that level yet, but their usefulness wasn’t far behind.

“Don’t worry too much. He’ll eventually accept your decision.”

“Are you okay with it, Hunter Yoo Ji-an?”

Yoo Ji-an thought for a moment and then answered.

“I’m fine. It’s not like I won’t be by your side, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

After a brief hug, Seo-ah went inside. This really felt like an ordinary couple.

It was fortunate that the darkness hid them. It was unusually cold today, so there weren’t many people around.

Seo-ah took the elevator to the 95th floor. When she opened the front door, she saw Geon-woo’s shoes carelessly left out.

Seo-ah bent down to tidy them up, chuckling to herself.

Geon-woo was healthy, and things with Yoo Ji-an were sweet. She hoped this time would last for a long, long time.

***

A few days later, Seo-ah visited the Angel Guild to meet Song Jin-ah.

The Angel Guild was located in Yongsan-gu, in the center of Seoul.

Due to the Angel Guild’s specialization in support and healing, they were often called upon to assist in various places, so they established themselves in the center of the city. Or so it was said online.

The Angel Guild’s building was strikingly white, making it easily noticeable from afar. The exterior seemed to have been given considerable attention.

‘Pretty.’

Seo-ah admired the exterior of the building from outside before entering the entrance. As with any guild, anyone could enter up to the entrance.

However, as soon as she entered, a gust of wind infused with mana blew towards her.

Seo-ah flinched and became alert, but soon relaxed and looked up.

‘An air curtain?’

The seemingly ordinary air curtain was infused with mana. The unusually refreshing breeze wasn’t just her imagination.

It really had a fatigue-recovering function. It was a special invention developed by the Angel Guild using their healers.

Of course, when real hunters were short on mana and health, drinking potions would be faster and easier.

But for ordinary people in modern times who were exhausted from fatigue, this alone would be quite effective.

‘Come to think of it, the Angel Guild seems to have a lot of ordinary people coming and going.’

People were entering and exiting a space called on one side of the first-floor lobby.

For ordinary people, the healers’ recovery skills weren’t very effective for diseases, but they were quite effective for external injuries.

And many mid- to low-level hunters also frequented the place.

Teams of mid- to low-level hunters often didn’t have healers, so they would come separately after finishing a gate to receive treatment.

The association also provided healers, but the number was so small that the wait was long.

A woman with a kind face approached Seo-ah, who had been staring at the place for a while, and spoke to her.

“How may I help you?”

She seemed to be a receptionist. Since she was a hunter guild receptionist, she probably wasn’t just an ordinary person.

If she caused a disturbance, this person would probably kick her out.

“I’m here to see Guild Leader Song Jin-ah.”

When she confidently stated the guild leader’s name, the receptionist’s face tensed up.

“The Guild Leader? Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, if you mention Park Seo-ah, she’ll know.”

“Park Seo-ah, ah… that, you’re the one who recently re-awakened!”

The receptionist raised her voice as if she had just recognized her. Seo-ah quickly looked around and embarrassedly put her index finger to her lips.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Seo-ah’s face had appeared in articles and on the news.

But it was just a brief appearance as a rising star, so some people would recognize her, but others who weren’t interested wouldn’t know.

Someone like Yoo Ji-an or Baek Eun-hee would be recognized by anyone, but Seo-ah wasn’t quite at that level yet.

To be precise, it wasn’t that they didn’t know Park Seo-ah, but rather that they didn’t expect Hunter Park Seo-ah to be near them.

The receptionist contacted someone via radio and then guided Seo-ah inside through a glass door.

From there, only Angel Guild members could enter.

“If you go to the 22nd floor, the Guild Leader will greet you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the receptionist left, Seo-ah got into the elevator.

Even inside the elevator, there were devices to relax the mind and body.

As soon as she arrived on the 22nd floor and got off, a person who appeared to be a secretary stood up and bowed politely.

Seo-ah nodded and entered the Guild Leader’s office.

Song Jin-ah, who had been looking out the window, greeted Seo-ah with a bright smile.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah! Welcome. I was surprised when you contacted me first.”

“Hello, Angel Guild Leader.”

“What’s with the formal ‘Angel Guild Leader’? We’ve even been on raids together.”

Song Jin-ah had probably been on countless raids, but she emphasized the one time they had been together.

‘I even turned off [Warm Sunlight] on purpose.’

It seemed that Song Jin-ah really wanted Seo-ah herself, rather than being influenced by the skill.

“Come and sit down.”

Song Jin-ah still approached Seo-ah in a friendly manner and gestured for her to sit on the sofa.

Seo-ah fidgeted, feeling awkward about coming empty-handed. Song Jin-ah didn’t seem to mind much.

In fact, no matter what she bought, it probably wouldn’t be of any value to Song Jin-ah, who already had everything. So Seo-ah was planning to give Song Jin-ah something truly precious today. That’s why she confidently came empty-handed, but it was still awkward.

‘There’s no guarantee that it will work.’

Seo-ah murmured ‘Affinity Check’ inwardly and looked intently at Song Jin-ah.

The affinity level floating above her head was Level 2.