I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 166

#166

A vortex of mana, tinged with blue, solidified into a firm mass.

The gate was now open.

However, Noh Hak-young, true to his word, showed no intention of entering just yet. Seoah simply waited, while Noh Yoon-ji anxiously urged him on.

“Shouldn’t we go now? The mana fluctuations are getting stronger.”

“No, Yoon-ji. We need to wait a bit longer for the perfect shot. Hey, Secretary Park, is the camera ready?”

“Yes, Assemblyman. Ready to take pictures at a moment’s notice.”

“Good, good.”

In the meantime, Noh Hak-young retrieved items from his inventory and began distributing them.

Seoah glanced over, noting that Noh Hak-young, valuing his life, wasn’t going in completely unprepared.

He had amassed a collection of Maker’s potions [potions created by skilled artisans, often with enhanced effects], attack power boosters, defense power boosters, teleport scrolls, and so on. He had acquired everything he could.

He kept handing them to Noh Yoon-ji, insisting she take them.

With those items, even a D-rank Hunter might be able to hold their own against C-ranks. If they were very skilled and lucky, that is.

But it was just holding their own, not clearing the gate.

Seoah knew this from her experience with the tutorial gate she had cleared before—the C-rank gate where she defeated the [Tarantula].

That team had C-rank Oh Hyun-soo, and Choi Seok-hoon was a magic swordsman, making him quite strong for a D-rank. Plus, there was Seoah’s buff.

If only Noh Yoon-ji and Noh Hak-young had gone without Seoah or Soo-jung.

‘Dying would almost be a given…’

Surviving for six hours and escaping the gate would be a stroke of luck.

Seoah glanced at Kang Soo-jung.

Fortunately, Soo-jung was admiring the items Seoah had given her and didn’t seem interested in Noh Hak-young’s gear right now.

Seoah slowly walked out from behind the tent and approached the gate. To gauge the mana concentration, she carefully reached out her hand again.

‘About two more hours…?’

It seemed like it would take that long for the gate break to occur. Seoah knew this instinctively, even though no one had told her.

‘It’s like a basic S-rank passive skill.’

Just then, her phone rang.

Seoah moved away from the group to answer the call. It was Yoo Ji-an.

“Yes.”

– You haven’t gone in yet.

“They said they’re going in right before the break.”

– How does it feel?

“Well, from the outside, it looks like a normal C-rank. A bit higher for a C-rank, though…”

– Still, be careful. Don’t push yourself if it seems dangerous.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

– Cha Tae-woon and Han Seok-hyun will take care of the rest. They said they’ve taken measures to ensure you’re not involved afterward, so don’t worry about anything else.

“Yes, thank you. Please thank them both for me.”

As she said that, Seoah glanced at Noh Hak-young before averting her gaze.

“Um, if I seem to be taking too long, could you perhaps look after Gun-woo…”

Seoah hesitated a bit before saying this. She wasn’t sure if she could ask the number one ranked Hunter in the country, who was always busy, for such a personal favor.

But she thought they had become close enough, so she mustered the courage to ask.

– I will. I’ll take care of it.

Yoo Ji-an answered as if it were natural, and Seoah felt touched by the response.

“How’s the situation in Japan?”

– It’s progressing a bit faster than before. But there’s still time, so it’s okay.

“When you say before…”

– The first and third timelines.

“…Ah.”

It felt both strange and comforting that she could now talk about regressions so casually. When she thought about it, Yoo Ji-an must have felt frustrated all this time.

A moment of silence passed during the call.

“Um, is there anything else you wanted to say?”

– …I can’t say for sure because I didn’t see it properly back then, but I think I saw an article that the gate Noh Hak-young and Noh Yoon-ji went to was related to a snowfield. It must have been an article from the rescue team.

“Snowfield. It’s a cold place this time.”

That was helpful information.

“Sister, what are you doing there?”

Soo-jung approached, curious about Seoah’s phone call.

Seoah gestured to Soo-jung with her eyes and then said goodbye over the phone.

“I have to go now.”

– Okay, call me as soon as you’re done.

“Yes, I will.”

After Yoo Ji-an’s reminder, Seoah hung up and went to Soo-jung.

In the meantime, the blue color of the gate had deepened. Soon, it would turn purple and then red. That was right before the gate break.

While waiting, Seoah opened the ‘Hunter Store.’ She ordered a few cold-weather items from there.

And she chose a weapon. Noh Hak-young had already seen the Bbyong Hammer, so she needed something else.

Going barehanded was okay, but it felt a bit lacking. Come to think of it, she remembered Yoo Ji-an bringing a beginner’s mage staff before.

‘That was so funny back then.’

Whether it was the timing or not, there was only one weapon in the Hunter Store that Seoah could afford at a cheap price right now.

After hesitating, Seoah had to buy it.

Closing the ‘Hunter Store,’ Seoah beckoned to Kang Soo-jung.

“Soo-jung, come here.”

“Yes? What is it, Sister?”

Handing the approaching Soo-jung gloves and a hat, Seoah said,

“What are these? ‘Wool Hat. Can withstand the cold, insulation 10.’”

Soo-jung tilted her head after reading the description. It wasn’t an expensive item because it only had insulation.

“Both can be worn in addition to your original items, so wear them.”

“Um, okay.”

Soo-jung followed Seoah’s instructions, though with a puzzled expression.

Seoah took two hot packs, which she had bought generously from the store, and handed them to Noh Hak-young and Noh Yoon-ji.

“Here, take these.”

“Huh? What’s this, hot packs? Why would you bring something like this to a raid?”

“There might be a time when you need them.”

Noh Hak-young looked at them disapprovingly before casually placing them on the nearby table. Noh Yoon-ji glanced at Seoah and carefully put them in her inventory.

‘Well, do as you please.’

She wouldn’t completely ignore it if Noh Hak-young’s life was in danger, but honestly, that man needed to suffer a bit.

She felt annoyed by his attitude of taking the raid too lightly.

“By the way, Ms. Baek Ji-ah, if you’re a healer and a tanker, what’s your weapon?”

Seoah, who had been calm all along, flinched for the first time.

“Ah, um. A mace.”

“A mace, I’ve heard that healers use maces well. Can you show it to me?”

“That’s for when the battle starts…”

“Hey, we’re going to be risking our lives together, so we should share these things in advance. Here, look at mine first.”

With a broad smile, Noh Hak-young insisted on showing off his weapon.

His weapon was a [Flamethrower].

Considering that Noh Hak-young’s position was a close-range dealer, it was unexpected, but it wasn’t a bad choice as it could compensate for his attack power and range.

He seemed to have spent quite a bit of money to get it for this raid, and he didn’t hesitate to brag about it.

“Look at this.”

Noh Hak-young held up the [Flamethrower] and fired it into the air, a long stream of fire pouring out from the nozzle.

Considering that this raid was in a snowfield, it was a good match. Seoah thought it was fortunate.

Noh Hak-young, who had put on a full fire show, stared at Seoah as if it was her turn.

Seoah gave an awkward smile and pulled out a long wooden club from behind her back.

“That’s…”

Noh Hak-young blinked and looked closely at the weapon in Seoah’s hand. The smooth curves and perfect handle, no matter how he looked at it,

“Isn’t that a laundry bat?”

“It’s a mace.”

“No, is that really….”

“It’s my weapon.”

Seoah casually swung it once and quickly put it back.

Noh Hak-young’s eyes showed a hint of disbelief as he looked at Seoah. Noh Yoon-ji and Kang Soo-jung also turned their heads as if trying to hold back laughter.

‘Why does it have to be that one? There are usually so many beginner maces.’

The [Bbyong Hammer], lying neatly in her inventory, felt like it was mocking her. It might actually be mocking her. Legendary weapons have egos.

“Well, yeah. Tastes vary….”

Noh Hak-young tried to understand and move on, turning his gaze towards the gate. The gate had already turned from purple to a deep crimson.

“Assemblyman! I think it’s ready!”

Just in time, his aide waved his hand while holding a camera.