I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 94

94.

The manager smiled obsequiously and carefully broached the subject.

“We have only two of the best rooms in our hotel. Staying one night costs 870 Gerangs.”

As the currency unit was mentioned, the group members glanced at each other. Of course, they wouldn’t have currency from this world, and they didn’t have a sense of how much the money was worth.

At that moment, Kim Su-hyeok stepped forward.

“What good is money in a world like this? I’ll give you something better.”

“Are you saying you don’t have money? I’m sorry, but no matter how noble you are, if you don’t have money…”

As the manager frowned and started to usher them out, Kim Su-hyeok dragged Kang Hae-in toward the fountain.

Of course, the fountain was bone dry, revealing its cracked bottom.

“What are you doing, hyung [older brother or male friend]?”

“Hey, you really…”

Seo-ah noticed Kim Su-hyeok’s intention and cleared her throat.

“We’ll give you water instead. Isn’t water more precious than money in this world right now?”

“Water… well, how much are you going to give? One or two bottles won’t be enough.”

The manager couldn’t deny her words but still looked at them with suspicious eyes.

Seo-ah smiled at Kang Hae-in and gave an order.

“Do it.”

“…Huh.”

Kang Hae-in made a dumbfounded face but took out his staff and waved it slightly.

Then, water quickly filled the fountain from the bottom to the brim.

“Th-this can’t be!”

The manager and the hotel staff gathered near the fountain with disbelief in their eyes.

After the hotel staff checked the water directly, they all bowed their heads in front of Seo-ah.

“To have someone like this as your subordinate, you must be a very important person. Please, come in quickly. We will escort you to your rooms.”

“Thank you.”

“But, could you possibly give us a little more water…”

As the manager hesitated, Seo-ah glanced at Kang Hae-in and replied.

“Yes, I’ll leave some on the first floor, so take some more water.”

“Th…!”

“Here, here. Drink this whole bottle! See you later!”

Kim Su-hyeok forcibly shoved the mouth of a mana potion into Kang Hae-in’s mouth, blocking it.

“Ugh…!”

While the staff quickly brought jars and pots to Kang Hae-in, the rest of the group chuckled and leisurely went up the stairs, following the manager.

“They’ll find their way to the rooms, right?”

“The people there will guide them.”

The highest floor of the hotel was the 5th floor. Of course, there was no elevator.

The manager led them to the two best rooms on the 5th floor.

“Please rest comfortably, and if you need anything, pull this string.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Still, as the best rooms in the hotel, the inside was quite spacious and comfortable. Well, considering the standards of this world.

“Wow, this is my first time staying in a hotel during a raid.”

“Yeah, we usually camped out or stayed in inns at best.”

“Get your act together, we’re not here to sleep. We need to find the child. Jian hyung [term of respect] told us not to let our guard down.”

While Yoon Ah-jeong and Kim Su-hyeok were joking around, Song Jin-ho restrained them.

Seo-ah took out the red gem and looked at it again.

A stronger light flickered than what she saw on the first floor.

“It seems to be nearby.”

“Yeah, we should start looking from the 5th floor. Which way is it…”

As Seo-ah walked around the room with the gem, suddenly the window and the door opened at the same time.

“Hey, you guys left me behind!”

Kang Hae-in, who had finished his role as a faucet on the first floor, came in panting through the door, and Yoo Ji-an jumped in through the window.

“There’s smoke coming from the next room.”

“Smoke?”

At that moment. As soon as Seo-ah asked back, the wall connected to the next room exploded and collapsed.

Yoo Ji-an and Song Jin-ho moved Seo-ah back to protect her.

“What, why suddenly the wall?”

“Ugh, fire! There’s a fire! Hae-in hyung!”

“Not me again!”

Kang Hae-in clicked his tongue and sprinkled some water inside the wall. But the fiercely burning fire didn’t go out that easily.

Yoo Ji-an stepped forward and grabbed Kang Hae-in’s arm.

“Huh? Ji-an? Wait a minute, ugh!”

“Use, Water Curtain.”

“Here?”

“It seems like there’s a spiritist inside.”

Yoo Ji-an turned around and pointed to the red gem in Seo-ah’s hand.

The gem, which had been flickering intermittently until just now, was now emitting a strong light without stopping. It was so dazzling that it was hard to see.

“…Th-then.”

“Go in, I’ll follow right behind you.”

“Why, why am I first! Ugh!”

Hae-in was dragged in by Yoo Ji-an, who grabbed him by the back of the neck, and then Seo-ah and the rest of the group entered through the hole where the wall had collapsed.

The situation inside was terrible.

“Ugh.”

The group looked around the room from inside the water curtain that Kang Hae-in had created.

The room was engulfed in flames everywhere. In the middle of the room, there was a naked corpse of a large man, charred black, and a child was sitting right next to it.

Fire continued to be created from the child’s hands.

The child’s eyes were completely turned over, and he was screaming as if in pain, but he couldn’t make a sound.

“We need to put out that fire first.”

“What is this corpse? Why is the child here?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? What else would a guy who brings a child to a place like this be? He deserves to die! But I can’t approach him.”

Yoon Ah-jeong glared at the dead man with contempt, then took out her falchion [a type of sword].

Considering that it was indoors, she swung it appropriately, and the skill ‘Sand Armor’ was deployed, blocking the air around the child.

Inside, Kang Hae-in kept pouring water. But the child burned more and more fiercely without getting tired.

“This, how can he exert such power without even being connected to Ignis yet?”

Kang Hae-in clicked his tongue at the sight.

“That’s why it’s dangerous, because this is a fire created by burning one’s life force.”

Yoo Ji-an looked at the child with serious eyes and said.

Seo-ah calmly observed the situation and thought.

The child must have been scared by the threat of an adult man. And to survive, he instinctively went on a rampage and set fire.

‘It’s the same as Ignis. This is an emotional problem.’

Then she could solve it. Seo-ah stepped in front of Yoo Ji-an.

“I’ll do it.”

“Park Seo-ah.”

“Trust me. I can do it.”

As Seo-ah showed her firm will, Yoo Ji-an frowned slightly.

“Eat an Icing Ball. Even this much fire is dangerous for you.”

“Okay.”

Watching Seo-ah put an Icing Ball in her mouth, Yoo Ji-an added as a warning.

“Don’t get too close. And don’t touch him.”

“…….”

Kang Hae-in put a thicker barrier around her so she wouldn’t get burned.

Seo-ah lowered her posture to be at the same eye level as the child. In one hand, she still held the red gem that emitted light.

“Ellis.”

Please.

Seo-ah recalled the skill that was needed right now.

“Ellis. Can you recognize me?”

The skill was still silent. Passive skills are inconvenient at times like this.

‘Is this not enough?’

Seo-ah, with her lips tightly closed, reached out of the water curtain and grabbed the child’s hand, which was engulfed in flames.

“Park Seo-ah!”

“Hunter Park Seo-ah!”

Yoo Ji-an and Song Jin-ho, surprised by Seo-ah’s sudden action, called her at the same time.

“Ugh.”

Seo-ah almost let go of her hand because of the indescribable heat. But, Yoo Ji-an grabbed and endured Ignis, who was even hotter than this.

Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean the pain is less. That’s for sure. Still, because she had eaten an Icing Ball, her hand didn’t burn completely.

And fortunately, Seo-ah’s skill responded.

[Skill ‘Silent Night’ is activated.]

‘Hoo.’

As Seo-ah guessed, ‘Silent Night’ was applied even when it was nearby, but it reacted more reliably when in contact with the opponent.

Little by little, the child’s flames subsided and his eyes returned.

The child looked around with confused eyes and recognized Seo-ah. His face looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“It’s okay, come here. Ellis.”

Then Ellis quickly got up and hugged Seo-ah. Seeing that, Yoon Ah-jeong sighed in relief.

“Hoo, you almost gave me a heart attack. How can an E-rank be so fearless?”

“Hunter Park Seo-ah!”

Song Jin-ho stepped in front of Yoon Ah-jeong, knelt down, and immediately examined Seo-ah’s hand. Even though she had eaten an Icing Ball, Seo-ah’s hand was all black and red from the strong flames.

“Hoo, if you had stayed a little longer, it would have been irreversible.”

“Park Seo-ah.”

While Song Jin-ho was about to blame Seo-ah, Yoo Ji-an’s low and strong voice was heard.

“Who told you to do this?”

Seo-ah raised her head, looked at him, and flinched. Originally, Yoo Ji-an had a face close to expressionless, and even now, there was no big change in expression.

But as soon as she saw him, she knew. That he was quite angry.

Seo-ah poured out the excuses she had prepared as much as possible.

“First of all, I ate an Icing Ball, and Hunter Song Jin-ho is also here. If I left him alone, the child would be in danger… If the child is in danger, my heart is also in danger. And there’s no better way to calm him down quickly than my skill.”

“Do you think I didn’t have any countermeasures?”

“Yes?”

Yoo Ji-an took out several items from his inventory and threw them on the floor.

All of them were items that gave off a cold aura. It seemed like they were good for controlling fire. As if to prove it, the flames covered by the item that looked like a handkerchief disappeared in an instant.

“There was… something like this.”

“Don’t do reckless things carelessly, Park Seo-ah. It will be difficult if you continue to do this in the future.”