I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 41

Became the Pick of the Rankers - 41

41.

The main body of the Trithelix, which had been attached to the cactus, suddenly hurtled towards Go Geon-hoo and Seo-ah.

In an instant, Go Geon-hoo yanked Seo-ah towards him with his right hand, simultaneously swinging his left-hand shield wide.

Kwaaaang-!

Kieeeeeek-

A powerful impact, strong enough for Seo-ah to feel, reverberated through the shield. The monster’s ensuing scream sent shivers down her spine.

“Keueut! Ah… Huh?”

However, Go Geon-hoo’s reaction was peculiar. When Seo-ah looked up, he was gazing around with a bewildered expression.

‘Why is he doing that?’

“What… Go Geon-hoo? Did you really just blow it away like that?”

Seol Jin-ah, riding the wind [using her wind-based ability], flew in first from afar. Even her voice held a note of disbelief.

“Uh, well, that’s…”

Before Go Geon-hoo could articulate his thoughts, Seo-ah also cautiously surveyed the surroundings.

The monster’s scream, which had been ringing in her ears, had ceased. The plant stems and the ground, which had been thrashing wildly, were now still.

Seo-ah emerged from behind Go Geon-hoo’s shield and stepped forward.

“Ah…”

What appeared to be the main body of the Trithelix lay on the ground, flattened by Go Geon-hoo’s shield.

Go Geon-hoo, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation, glanced back and forth between the monster and his shield. Then, he abruptly turned to Seo-ah.

Go Geon-hoo hastily opened his status window [a screen displaying his character’s stats and skills].

[Skill ‘Fighting’ has been applied. Remaining time (22 minutes 29 seconds)]

[Skill ‘Love Yourself’ has been applied. Remaining time (2 minutes 31 seconds)]

He noticed that several of his stats had significantly increased.

“At this rate, you could even call him an S-class! To blow that away in one hit.”

“No, this is…”

While Seol Jin-ah was making a fuss, Seo-ah-hyun and Yang Tae-woo also approached, their eyes scanning the area.

“What’s going on? Did you really catch that monster alone?”

Yang Tae-woo asked in a dazed voice, and Go Geon-hoo waved his right arm, which was clad in a gauntlet.

“No, I received help from Hunter Park Seo-ah.”

“Huh?”

Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze towards Seo-ah.

Seo-ah, oblivious to their attention, was staring at the deceased Trithelix, making a ‘Ugh’ sound with her mouth.

Her disgusted expression was rather comical, but they seemed too preoccupied to notice, regarding Seo-ah with serious faces.

“You’re saying she cast a buff skill [a skill that enhances another person’s abilities]?”

“Yes. It’s quite effective.”

“Ah, she must have a good skill.”

Seol Jin-ah chuckled and patted Go Geon-hoo’s shoulder. Go Geon-hoo offered an ambiguous smile and averted her gaze. ‘A good skill? Is that all?’

“So, how does it feel? How does it feel to blow away a Trithelix in one hit?”

Go Geon-hoo clenched his right palm, encased in the gauntlet.

“…It’s the best.”

“Hoo?”

“Stop chatting there and help us here!”

Yang Tae-woo and Seo-ah-hyun, prepared for any potential danger, removed the remaining roots and stems and gathered the loot [items dropped by the monster].

“Geez, alright!”

Seol Jin-ah also incinerated the collapsed main body of the Trithelix.

Only Go Geon-hoo remained, marveling at Seo-ah’s buff skill.

‘Even though she hasn’t revealed her position yet…’ [Her role or specialization as a hunter]

Go Geon-hoo swallowed hard, almost unconsciously.

The Trithelix was indeed a formidable monster.

Of course, Go Geon-hoo was a seasoned A-class hunter, and not so weak that he couldn’t defeat a B⁻-class monster.

But winning certainly didn’t mean he could just smack the monster once and catch it.

When the Trithelix’s main body came straight at him, he thought it could be dangerous. But to think it would just fly away after one swing.

Of course, it was also because the Trithelix had already been weakened by the team’s attacks beforehand.

Go Geon-hoo’s strength stat was 830. With Seo-ah’s skill added, it came out to 954. And the duration was quite long.

He had received buff skills before, but they only increased one stat by about 1%, and the duration was about 30 seconds. He thought that was useful enough, but this was on a different level.

Seol Jin-ah jokingly said he could be an S-class hunter, but at that moment, he really felt equal to an S-class hunter.

‘Hunter Park Seo-ah… The Guild Master really knew what she was doing. And I didn’t even know it.’

Of course, Go Geon-hoo had treated Park Seo-ah politely, but he also thought of Seo-ah as a burden to some extent.

Go Geon-hoo shook off the poison from his shield and put it in his inventory [a storage space accessible to hunters]. Then, he slowly approached Seo-ah.

‘If only I could keep this person by my side.’

The desire to become stronger as a hunter stirred in Go Geon-hoo’s heart.

But then, a whooshing sound was heard from afar.

“Looks like you caught the one we missed.”

“Guild Master.”

Baek Eun-hee went straight to Seo-ah and carefully checked her condition.

“Our Seo-ah, are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m okay. I was hiding well behind Hunter Go Geon-hoo.”

“Really? Geon-hoo, please take care of her in the future.”

“Of course, Guild Master. I will take responsibility for Hunter Park Seo-ah.”

It was definitely a trustworthy statement, but it sounded strange somehow.

“Hmm?”

Baek Eun-hee looked at Go Geon-hoo with suspicious eyes, and Go Geon-hoo subtly avoided her gaze.

“Anyway, that’s a relief. Ten Trithelixes attacked at the same time earlier. We caught them as quickly as possible, but one escaped. It looks like it came to you guys.”

Listening to Baek Eun-hee’s words, Go Geon-hoo let out a hollow laugh. And he canceled out the thought that he was an S-class hunter from earlier.

While four A-class hunters, plus himself with a buff skill, barely caught one, Baek Eun-hee faced ten of those monsters alone.

And at the same time, he felt a chill.

If Seo-ah’s skill was added to an S-class hunter who was already that strong, what would happen after that?

“We’ve mostly cleaned up.”

Seol Jin-ah, Yang Tae-woo, and Seo-ah-hyun approached.

“Geon-woo hyung [an honorific used to address an older brother or male friend], should I give you some healing?”

“No, it’s okay. Hunter Park Seo-ah kept giving it to me.”

“…Really?”

Yang Tae-woo’s words trailed off strangely, but no one paid attention to him, only glancing at Seo-ah.

Clap, clap-!

Baek Eun-hee clapped her hands to get their attention.

“Now, do you see that mountain far away?”

“Mountain? Where? There’s a mountain in the desert?”

In the direction Baek Eun-hee was pointing, there was only an endless desert of sand and gravel.

“Can’t you see the rocky mountain?”

“…Guild Master. We’re only A-class.”

“Ah, um. Really? Anyway, there’s a big rocky mountain. There’s a cave at the bottom of that rocky mountain, and I can feel a strong magical power there. Judging by how I can feel it even from this far away, it’s probably a boss.”

“It must be quite far if we can’t see it at all.”

“Yeah, it’ll take a few days. We might have to camp out on the way. And from now on, dangerous monsters will start appearing in earnest. Let’s keep our wits about us, because I’ll be with you from now on.”

With that, they moved on again.

As predicted, dangerous monsters appeared from time to time along the way, but Baek Eun-hee quickly took care of them.

Because of that, the other hunters could only stand by and watch every time. Eventually, Seol Jin-ah complained.

“Guild Master, aren’t you flying around too much by yourself? Leave some for us too.”

“Ah, sorry. I’m just catching them right away because I’m worried about Seo-ah.”

Even as she said that, Baek Eun-hee didn’t seem very sorry.

Go Geon-hoo had been silently guarding Seo-ah since earlier, whenever Baek Eun-hee rushed out. That was originally his role, but it felt like there was a bit more determination to it.

They were passing through a path full of gravel, and then passing over sand dunes where their feet sank deep.

Thanks to Yang Tae-woo’s ‘Vitality Barrier,’ it was somewhat alleviated, but it couldn’t completely block the scorching heat of the sun.

Of course, A-class hunters were unfazed by this level of heat, but that wasn’t the case for Seo-ah, who was an E-class hunter.

“Seo-ah, are you having a hard time? It seems like we’ve walked quite a bit.”

“I’m okay, don’t worry about me.”

Seo-ah shook her head, saying she was okay, even though her face was soaked with sweat. Still, thanks to her training, she was able to keep up with their pace even if it was difficult.

Seeing Seo-ah like that, Go Geon-hoo suddenly said to her.

“I’ll give you a piggyback ride if you’re having a hard time.”

“No, I’m really okay!”

Watching Baek Eun-hee and Go Geon-hoo cherish Seo-ah, Yang Tae-woo grumbled in a small voice.

“What’s with the overprotectiveness? What if a monster comes out while you’re carrying her here?”

Fortunately, that voice was only heard by Seol Jin-ah, who was right next to him. Seol Jin-ah chuckled and poked Yang Tae-woo in the side.

“Hey, are you jealous? Do you want to be carried on hyung’s back too?”

“W-What! What are you talking about…!”

Yang Tae-woo, flustered, tried to turn his gaze away, but his eyes widened as if he had discovered something.

“There! There’s an oasis!”

An oasis in the desert.

“Wait, Yang Tae-woo.”

It was Seo-ah-hyun who stopped Yang Tae-woo, who was about to run ahead. Baek Eun-hee enhanced her vision and carefully examined the direction Yang Tae-woo was pointing.

“Hmm.”

“What should we do?”

“…An oasis.”

If ordinary people were exposed to the dry air and high temperatures of the desert, they would collapse in less than a few hours.

But for hunters made up of S-class and A-class, this level of climate was not life-threatening. They also brought plenty of water and food in their inventories.

Still, just because it didn’t threaten their lives didn’t mean they wouldn’t get tired.

It would take three or four days to get to the boss’s habitat that Baek Eun-hee mentioned.

If there was no urgent matter, it would be good to rest a little. Above all, this group included an E-class hunter.

Baek Eun-hee nodded her head.

“Let’s scout it out first and then decide.”

I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]

I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]

랭커들의 원픽이 되었다
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Park Seo-ah, an ordinary E-class healer, finds her mundane life shattered when a gate throws her into a world of extraordinary abilities and deadly stakes. The system reveals her hidden potential as an S-class supporter, but with a chilling condition: unlock her powers within 99 days or face certain death. Amidst this chaos, Yoo Ji-an, a mysterious S-class hunter, emerges with a cryptic warning: 'You might kill me in the future.' Why is this powerful hunter, who claims to have lived through this before, so drawn to her? Why does he insist on protecting her, despite the danger she supposedly poses? As Seo-ah struggles to control her newfound abilities and unravel the secrets of her past, Ji-an's relentless pursuit intensifies. 'Choose me, Park Seo-ah,' he urges, his reasons shrouded in mystery. But beneath his protective facade lies a burning intensity that sends shivers down her spine. Can Seo-ah trust this enigmatic hunter, or is she destined to fulfill the dark prophecy that binds them together? Prepare to be captivated by a tale of hidden powers, second chances, and a love that defies destiny.

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