I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 40

40.

The team members were impressed by Seo-ah.

“Wow, I didn’t realize it before, but Hunter Park Seo-ah’s gear is seriously impressive. How much did all of this cost?”

“Ah, Hunter Baek Eun-hee lent it to me.”

“Wow, I’m so jealous. When will I ever get that kind of attention?”

Go Geon-hoo interjected at Seol Jin-ah’s lament.

“Your equipment costs more than twenty times that, what are you talking about? That staff alone was a gift from the guild, wasn’t it?”

“Ugh, well! Look how hard I’ve worked here; I deserve at least this much!”

Seo-ah’s eyes widened at the mention of twenty times more. She glanced over Seol Jin-ah’s attire and weapons again.

“Ahaha, still, Guild Leader Baek Eun-hee seems less on edge today. She even answered all the reporters’ questions.”

“Is she usually not like this? I thought Hunter Baek Eun-hee was in a bad mood today.”

“This is considered good. Usually, before a raid, you can’t even breathe next to the Guild Leader. She’s so tense. Well, we’re the same, though. Anyway, everyone seems more relaxed today. Is it because of Hunter Park Seo-ah, hehe.”

“It’s a relief that this is considered good.”

The mage Seol Jin-ah was more talkative and cheerful than expected. Thanks to her, Seo-ah, who had been very nervous, relaxed her shoulders.

[※If you fail to activate the position ‘Supporter (S-Class)’ within the period, you will die! (D-79)]

[Mission 2. Receive words of praise three times inside the gate. (1/3)]

‘Let’s try not to be a hindrance and not be greedy. Praise… it would be nice to receive it, though.’

She tried hard to calm her anxious heart.

Everyone was chatting to ease the tension, but the healer Yang Tae-woo remained silent.

Yang Tae-woo seemed displeased with Seo-ah since yesterday.

Seo-ah glanced at him once but didn’t bother to speak to him. [Warm Sunlight] didn’t seem to work on him.

‘Not everyone can like me. But surely, he won’t refuse to heal only me, right?’

Baek Eun-hee, having finished the press conference, strode over.

“Ugh, those clingy people. They think hunters are celebrities.”

Baek Eun-hee had Splinter slung over one arm. Seo-ah looked at it with sparkling eyes.

“Is that your weapon, Unnie [term for older sister or female friend] ?”

Baek Eun-hee showed it to Seo-ah with a delighted expression.

“That’s right, my signature weapon, Splinter.”

“How do you use it?”

“I throw it from a distance, or I can hold it and slash, or if I’m in a hurry, I can use it to block, things like that.”

“Ah….”

Seo-ah couldn’t bring herself to touch it and only admired it with her eyes. As she did, she noticed the other members’ weapons one by one.

Looking at the fancy weapons that seemed powerful just by looking at them, Seo-ah felt a little discouraged.

“I hope I don’t get in the way; I’m worried.”

“What are you talking about? Just you being there is a big help, Seo-ah.”

“Hmm.”

Seo-ah thought Baek Eun-hee was saying that to comfort her.

As if realizing Seo-ah’s feelings, Baek Eun-hee leaned in and whispered in Seo-ah’s ear.

“I’ll come running to you whenever you need me. Seo-ah, please take care of us. If you have enough mana, take care of the others too.”

Seo-ah’s eyes sparkled at those words.

She might not be of much help as a healer, but thinking about it, she had quite useful buff skills.

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Baek Eun-hee smiled contentedly as she saw Seo-ah regaining some confidence.

The gate entrance, which had been faintly flickering, gradually swirled and became clearer.

It was time to enter.

“Shall we go now?”

All preparations were completed by receiving location trackers and wearing them on their wrists.

Seo-ah’s heart pounded at the determined expressions of the hunters standing in front of the gate.

The tanker Go Geon-hoo stepped into the gate first, followed by Seo-ah Hyun and Seol Jin-ah.

Following the healer Yang Tae-woo, Baek Eun-hee took Seo-ah’s hand and stepped into the gate. She knew her phone in her inventory was ringing, but she couldn’t check it now.

The view flickered for a moment, and her vision blurred.

With a slight nausea, a soft and hot sensation touched her palms and knees.

A short message appeared in an instant and soon disappeared.

It was a desert landscape.

“Ugh.”

As soon as she raised her head, a hot sandstorm hit Seo-ah’s face head-on. She reflexively squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Wow, how do you even walk around here?’

As soon as she thought that, the air suddenly felt refreshing, and the sandstorm quickly subsided.

[‘Vitality Barrier’ reduces the effects of the external environment. Duration approximately 2 hours (1:59:59)]

Looking back, it seemed Yang Tae-woo had used a skill. As soon as their eyes met, Yang Tae-woo turned his head away.

Anyway, inside the barrier, the members moved in formation as planned during the meeting. The desert, made of rocks, gravel, and sand, had small and large hills, and there were shallow trees and cacti adapted to the desert here and there.

While S-Class Baek Eun-hee quickly scouted a wide area, the other members placed Seo-ah in the center and moved forward step by step.

Seo-ah Hyun and Go Geon-hoo walked ahead, watching their steps, while the mage Seol Jin-ah and the healer Yang Tae-woo guarded the rear.

Seo-ah also took out her Bbyongmangchi [toy hammer] in advance. Seol Jin-ah seemed curious about Seo-ah’s weapon, but that was it.

In the meantime, Baek Eun-hee had gone so far that she was nowhere to be seen.

Dead monsters were seen along the path Baek Eun-hee had taken. It seemed she had taken care of them all while moving.

“Ugh, Unnie [term for older sister or female friend] is really something. Hogging everything all to herself.”

Seol Jin-ah grumbled as she walked, when suddenly Go Geon-hoo shouted loudly.

“It’s coming!”

Something shot out from the cactus ahead at an incredible speed.

First, Seo-ah Hyun quickly swung her signature weapon, ‘Black Double Axe,’ greatly.

The huge double-edged ax left a jet-black light as it cut the incoming object in half. Upon closer inspection, it was a plant stem.

All of this happened before Seo-ah could even figure out what was going on. Amidst the dizziness, Seo-ah Hyun shouted.

“Hunter Park Seo-ah, stay close behind Go Geon-hoo!”

“Yes!”

As instructed by Seo-ah Hyun, Seo-ah stuck behind Go Geon-hoo, who had his shield raised.

Go Geon-hoo’s shield had the ability to attract the attention of monsters. However, it didn’t cover the entire range, so his shield was relatively the safest place.

Numerous stems stretched out and rampaged around the shield.

“The attack range is wide! Everyone be careful!”

Pure white light poured from the end of Seol Jin-ah’s staff. The monster’s stem that touched the light crumbled away.

Seo-ah turned on the ‘State Checker’ she was wearing on her wrist. It was an item that allowed her to see the status of her teammates and the grade of the monsters.

Seo-ah had purchased it separately from the store before coming here. As soon as she turned on the ‘State Checker,’ the monster’s grade and simple information appeared.

[Triterricks]

[Overall Grade: B⁻]

[A parasitic plant that lives in the desert. It uses its roots and stems to capture hosts and sucks their life force. Be careful as the fruit is poisonous.]

[Acquirable items: Triterricks stem, leaf]

As befitting a B-grade monster, the name and aura of [Triterricks] appeared black to Seo-ah’s eyes.

Seo-ah could barely see the movements of both the monsters and the hunters as afterimages. The A-grade gate was definitely on a different level from what she had experienced before.

It was much faster and more powerful than the D-grade, as well as the C-grade boss she had seen in the tutorial.

“Yang Tae-woo! Step back!”

Kwaang-!

Yang Tae-woo, who was in front, was hit by a plant stem flying from the side and tumbled towards Seo-ah.

“Are you okay?”

As Seo-ah instinctively reached out to cast a healing skill, Yang Tae-woo waved his hand and jumped up.

“Forget it, what use is E-grade for.”

With that, Yang Tae-woo cast healing skills on himself and the dealers simultaneously. A dazzling glow enveloped them, and the gauge filled up rapidly.

Indeed, the healing skill of an A-grade healer was incomparable to Seo-ah’s.

Seo-ah quickly returned behind Go Geon-hoo.

Kyaak-!

The Triterricks, which had been attacking with stems and roots, now attacked with fruit. Dozens and hundreds of red fruits popped out all at once.

“Be careful! You’ll die if you get hit by that!”

Every time a fruit fell to the ground, the ground in that area rotted away. But the A-grade hunters were indeed worthy of the name A-grade.

“This is endless! We need to deal with the main body!”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Without showing any signs of panic, they dodged the fruits and approached the host cactus.

Go Geon-hoo also moved forward little by little so as not to get too far from them.

In fact, most of the Triterricks’ attacks were focused on the tanker Go Geon-hoo’s shield. So the other hunters only had to dodge the occasional fruit or stem that flew their way.

Occasionally, Go Geon-hoo flicked away attacks that flew behind the shield with the gauntlet on his right arm.

Thanks to this, Seo-ah was perfectly protected behind him. She didn’t like being in a position where she was only being protected, but she didn’t want to be a burden by doing anything unnecessary, so she remained silent. Still, she wondered if there was anything she could do. Suddenly, she looked up at Go Geon-hoo.

Sweat was beading on Go Geon-hoo’s temples.

The front of the shield was probably covered in venom. Since he was bearing more than 70 percent of the attacks, his strength was bound to be depleted.

As if to prove it, Go Geon-hoo’s health and mana gauges were decreasing rapidly. The healer Yang Tae-woo seemed too busy assisting the dealers [damage dealers].

He still had some leeway, but at this rate, he would soon be running on empty.

Seo-ah gave Go Geon-hoo a healing skill as a matter of urgency. However, the healing amount of an E-grade healer was woefully inadequate compared to the attack power of a B-grade monster.

‘There’s nothing to increase defense, what a shame.’

[Skill ‘Fighting (LV.2)’ is applied to Go Geon-hoo!]

[Skill ‘Love Yourself (LV.1)’ is applied to Go Geon-hoo!]

‘Breakthrough’ was not activated. Perhaps the conditions were not met.

“This is… ?”

Go Geon-hoo seemed to have a system window pop up as well, and he flinched and looked back. But then, suddenly, someone shouted towards them.

“Watch out there!”