I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 17

17.

[※ You will die if you fail to activate the ‘Supporter (S-Rank)’ position within the deadline! (D-88)]

[Mission 2. Receive words of praise three times inside the gate.]

The deadline loomed, and completing Mission 2 felt like a distant dream.

‘Raid, I need to join a raid.’

I considered looking into a lower-level raid again, but it wasn’t just about participating.

Seo-ah lay on the floor, observing the other hunters training. Most were paired up for sparring, leaving only a few training alone like her.

“Hmm.”

Seo-ah sat up and watched them for a moment before turning to Kim Cheol-doo.

“Instructor Kim Cheol-doo?”

Kim Cheol-doo leaned against the wall, lost in thought, reflecting on his limited perspective, like a frog in a well [a Chinese idiom for someone with a narrow view of the world].

“There are such weak hunters in the world… Is this my limit…?”

“Instructor! What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Seo-ah.”

As training progressed, Kim Cheol-doo had naturally begun speaking informally to Seo-ah.

“Is it more effective to train in pairs like that?”

Cheol-doo, seeing what Seo-ah was pointing at, replied, “Well, it encourages competition, and stats tend to increase faster when you feel a sense of urgency.”

“Ah, really? Then, shouldn’t I do that too? My stats have improved, but it’s barely noticeable. Time is running out…”

Kim Cheol-doo paused. Seo-ah was weaker than any other hunter present, making standard sparring methods impractical.

However, as Kim Cheol-doo, he felt compelled to help her improve. Park Seo-ah’s diligence, despite her weakness, ignited his competitive spirit.

“Alright, let’s try this. Doo-hee, come over here.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Kim Cheol-doo handed Seo-ah a wooden sword and positioned her to face Yoon Doo-hee.

Yoon Doo-hee, a C-rank hunter, aspired to become a hunter trainer, following in Kim Cheol-doo’s footsteps.

“Seo-ah, you’ll attack Doo-hee. Let’s aim for just one successful hit, okay?”

“Once? Okay.”

“Doo-hee, just dodge, don’t attack.”

“…Yes.”

Yoon Doo-hee had been observing Park Seo-ah’s training and knew how slow and weak she was.

It was hard to take it seriously, but he followed instructions.

“Okay, let’s begin! Seo-ah, if you land one hit, today’s training is over!”

“Yes!”

Seo-ah diligently swung the wooden sword, focusing on the basic movements she had learned.

Ten, twenty, fifty attacks followed, but Yoon Doo-hee dodged them all, not even a graze. It was to be expected. The hunter ranks were two levels apart, and their combined stats differed by over a hundredfold. Still, Seo-ah persisted, steadily approaching Yoon Doo-hee.

‘Oh, she’s improving.’

Kim Cheol-doo’s eyes sharpened as he watched. With a goal in mind, Park Seo-ah’s movements had become much more fluid. The training was paying off.

‘Good, this method is working. She might land a hit by tomorrow?’

Kim Cheol-doo smiled contentedly and nodded, his gaze towards Park Seo-ah much warmer than before.

‘I thought she’d tire quickly and give up, but she’s got more grit than I expected.’

It wasn’t about fatigue or stamina, but about basic patience, diligence, and a willingness to work hard.

Just as Kim Cheol-doo’s thoughts shifted,

Clang-!

A clear striking sound echoed. It was on the seventy-first attempt.

“I hit him!”

Seo-ah immediately sat down, gasping for breath, completely drained. She didn’t have the strength to lift a finger.

Yoon Doo-hee stood still, staring at Seo-ah intently, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Hahaha!”

Kim Cheol-doo laughed heartily and approached, clapping.

“Good job! Doo-hee, you must have let your guard down for a moment. But a win is a win.”

“…Yes.”

Yoon Doo-hee bowed his head to Kim Cheol-doo, but secretly clenched his jaw.

He hadn’t been slacking off. He had been at the beginning. Seo-ah’s attack speed was slower than a snail monster. He could dodge it with his eyes closed.

But as time passed, he strangely felt that she had a good sense. She was aiming for areas that Yoon Doo-hee wasn’t paying attention to, despite her slow speed.

It was fortunate that she was slow, or he would have been hit several times. And from around the thirtieth attempt, her speed gradually increased.

Of course, it was never enough to make Doo-hee feel threatened, but it was an attack that could reach him if he let his guard down. From then on, he started dodging with his full attention.

Then, on the seventy-first attack, he ended up exposing his ankle. He hadn’t dodged with all his might, but the very idea of trying his best against an E-rank was a blow to his pride.

Yoon Doo-hee didn’t reveal his emotions. He simply stared at the panting Seo-ah with a calm expression.

A hunter who grows in real-time like that.

Regardless of Doo-hee’s shock, Seo-ah pointed at Yoon Doo-hee and said, “But you’re really amazing. Your dodging was so fast that I couldn’t even see it. Can I become like that too? It’s probably difficult since I’m an E-rank.”

Kim Cheol-doo, still smiling pleasantly, replied, “Seo-ah, you’re primarily a healer. You just need to improve to a certain extent; there’s no need to be too ambitious.”

“Still, I wish I could protect myself. I want to be able to handle approaching mobs [groups of monsters].”

“That’s more than achievable if you keep working as hard as you are now.”

Kim Cheol-doo handed Seo-ah water and encouraged her. Yoon Doo-hee tidied up, but glanced at them with a stiff expression.

‘Hmm, then let’s try it.’

From the moment Seo-ah hit Yoon Doo-hee, a status window had appeared before her eyes.

[Skill ‘Brain (LV.1)’ has been unlocked.]

‘The skill name is Brain?’

Seo-ah read the skill description for [Brain].

[Brain: Improves brain utilization. Only applies to the user. (LV.1: Fast Learning)]

[Brain] was a passive skill that activated automatically under certain conditions. It was a perfect skill for Seo-ah’s training.

‘Skills can be unlocked regardless of missions. I don’t know what the conditions were, but… it’s a good thing.’

She opened the stat window.

[Stats: Strength 15 (7↑) Magic 8 (1↑) Agility 10 (5↑)

Defense 11 (5↑) Stamina 14 (6↑) Mentality 20 (6↑)]

“Oh oh…”

Seo-ah exclaimed involuntarily and covered her mouth when Yoon Doo-hee glanced at her.

Considering it took three days to raise half that amount, it was a rapid increase. She would probably reach the E-rank limit of 20 soon.

And it wasn’t just the stats that increased.

[Health 30/30 Mana 16/16 Fatigue 30/55]

The maximum values of health, mana, and fatigue increased, seemingly affected by the stats. Health increased significantly, but mana increased relatively little.

‘I need a lot of mana to use skills.’

“Instructor, how do health, mana, and fatigue increase?”

“Health and fatigue increase by raising stamina, and mana increases by raising magic.”

“Hmm, I see. Then what is mentality used for?”

“It mainly affects healing skills used by healers, and it’s also important when defending against mental attacks.”

“Ah, I see.”

Seo-ah was receiving a basic theoretical lesson when Yoon Doo-hee approached and spoke.

“It seems that Hunter Park Seo-ah has gotten a feel for it, so how about we try something different this time?”

“Hmm, yes. What did you have in mind?”

“Hunter Park Seo-ah will still attack first, but I’ll only counterattack when it seems like I’m about to get hit.”

“Counterattack means you’re going to attack?”

When Seo-ah asked, Doo-hee shrugged and said, “Yes, but I’ll only do it enough to deflect the attack. After all, I also have a wooden sword, and Hunter Park Seo-ah won’t get hurt.”

“That’s fine with me. Well, you might get a little bruised during training.”

Even though she said that, she assumed she wouldn’t get hurt because Kim Cheol-doo was watching.

Seo-ah readily agreed, but Kim Cheol-doo, who had been entrusted with Seo-ah by Han Seok-hyun, didn’t see it as so simple.

Yoon Doo-hee took Seo-ah’s statement negatively.

“Do you think I’m not skilled enough to control myself?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

Seo-ah waved her hand, flustered by Doo-hee’s sudden outburst. Kim Cheol-doo stroked his chin and said, “Doo-hee, can you handle it? Can you control your intensity?”

“Yes, it will be good training for me too.”

Kim Cheol-doo knew that Yoon Doo-hee was easily excitable and had always emphasized controlling it.

“Good, then let’s meet again after dinner. Seo-ah needs to rest too.”

Even if Yoon Doo-hee lost control, Kim Cheol-doo, a B-rank hunter, was skilled enough to intervene.

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Cheol-doo took Seo-ah outside, and after watching them disappear, Yoon Doo-hee slammed the wooden sword he was holding onto the floor.

Clang!

“Presumptuous… Just an E-rank.”