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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: An S-Rank Weapon
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The sweet two-day break was over. Seora went to work at the Association with a heavy heart.
As soon as she entered the office, everyone rushed over, tears streaming down their faces.
“Seora! Are you alive? Are your arms and legs still attached?!”
“Goodness, you look like you’ve wasted away in just three days! I thought a corpse had walked in!”
“Your eyes, nose, and mouth are still in the right places! What a relief, what a relief!”
“…”
They seemed to be worried, but something about what they were saying felt off.
Of course my arms and legs are still attached. Do they wish I were a corpse? And why on earth are they worried about the location of my eyes, nose, and mouth?
【System Administrator: ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿】
To top it off, her contractor was lying down, enjoying this farce. Seora briefly stared into space with a blank expression.
“My arms and legs are fine, I haven't lost any weight, and my facial features are parked right where they should be, so don't worry.”
“Anyway, those bastards from the Cheongrang Guild! We’ll make sure to glare at them whenever we see them!”
Anyone else might have found that absurdly petty, but Seora didn't.
The civil servant Hunters of the Association were all people who had to prioritize the safety of the public. Making an enemy of a major guild over personal feelings was out of the question.
That was why Seora knew they were offering to do the most they could. It meant they cared for her that much, and she was genuinely grateful.
“Ah, where is Siljangnim? I need to thank him.”
At her words, the people who had been shouting so boldly suddenly faltered.
“Uh, Siljangnim isn't here right now.”
“He must be out on assignment.”
“It's not an assignment, either.”
“Then?”
The way they just shifted their eyes around awkwardly was strange.
“Did something happen to Siljangnim?”
“Siljangnim is currently suspended.”
A surprising answer came back. Seora’s eyes widened as she whipped around. Jeong Taeseok was standing there with a bitter expression.
“Suspended? Do Siljangnim?”
“Someone else will explain that to you. The Association Head is looking for you, so you should go up.”
“What? The Association Head wants to see me…?”
Seora blinked. Hmm, it was rare for her to be summoned so openly.
“She probably wants to ask a few things about what happened at the park.”
Seora nodded at Taeseok’s addition.
“I’ll be back.”
“Alright, alright. Let's go get something tasty for lunch. My treat!”
“Whoa, Gyejangnim! Me too!”
“Me too, me too! How about something expensive?”
“Quiet!”
Jeong Taeseok’s words sent the office into an immediate uproar.
Seora thought about how they never changed, shaking her head as she left the office.
The Association Head’s office was on the top floor of the headquarters.
* * *
The Korean Awakened Management Association was the organization that oversaw not only every Awakened in the country but also all dungeons and gates.
Unless it was an emergency situation like a dungeon break where monsters were pouring out, all guilds had to obtain permission from the Association to clear a dungeon.
When a person Awakened, they were required to register with the Association, and in the case of crimes committed by the Awakened, the Association directly handled the punishment.
In other words, it was law that all Awakened in Korea must abide by the Association’s rules.
It might seem like a dictatorship, but thanks to the Association’s existence, harm to non-Awakened in Korea was reduced, and dungeon clearings were carried out efficiently.
This was all thanks to the power of the Association Head, who founded the Association and sat at its very top.
Song Hanna.
Among the eleven S-ranks in the country—twelve, now including Seora—she was the powerful figure ranked number one.
The person standing before Yoon Seora right now was the one who had built all of this from nothing.
“It's been a while, and you look like you've wasted away, Hunter Yoon Seora. Tsk, tsk. Still, I suppose I should be glad your eyes, nose, and mouth are still where they should be. Are your arms and legs all intact?”
“…”
Her colleagues had said the exact same thing earlier. Was it just her imagination?
“You already know everything, don’t you?”
“Hm? Know what?”
Her smile, feigning ignorance, was incredibly charming. The mole near the corner of her mouth, revealed by her jet-black bob, stood out.
Song Hanna was one of the first-generation Awakened. Though she was nearly fifty, her exceptional abilities allowed her to maintain the appearance of someone in her early thirties.
Combined with the unapproachable aura unique to the one called the strongest in the nation, it was truly difficult to guess her age.
She was still a captivating person, and that unchanging quality made her terrifying.
“You were the one who contacted my brother, weren’t you, Association Head?”
But Seora, facing Song Hanna alone, wasn't the least bit intimidated.
“Of course. Who else at the Association would tell Jaeheon about you?”
After all, the two of them had known each other for a long time.
Song Hanna had been best friends with Seora’s mother, who had passed away at a young age about twelve years ago.
She was also the one who had helped Seora become a civil servant when she came of age and Awakened as an F-rank.
Of course, nothing good would come from this fact being known, so very few people within the Association were aware of their connection.
“Is Jaeheon coming back to Korea?”
“I told him not to. I wasn’t seriously injured, so what’s the point in him coming?”
“Reaaally? Jaeheon sounded furious. If Do Siljang hadn't beaten that guy to a pulp, he would have come back no matter what you said.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t want my brother coming back and drawing unnecessary attention to me. But why was Do Siljangnim suspended?”
What could that diligent, hardworking man have done wrong? Seora asked reluctantly, and Hanna burst out laughing as if she’d heard the funniest thing.
“Done wrong? He destroyed a park! A public space. And who are we? Civil servants paid by the state.”
“...Hm.”
She had been so focused on him destroying Park Jinyong that she hadn't even considered that.
“It happened because of me. I feel so bad…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Sure, he also got a two-month pay cut to cover the park’s restoration costs, but Do Siljang probably doesn't care about that.
“Ughhh.”
Feeling even more ashamed, Seora clutched her head.
Anyway, so many people are suffering because of that bastard Park Jinyong! I heard he's in the hospital. Just wait until he’s discharged. I’ll make sure he learns to fear dark alleys.
“Seora, Seora. Why do you feel so sorry?”
As Seora clenched her fists, burning with vengeful thoughts, Song Hanna laughed as if she found it cute.
“Huh?”
“You must have seen it. Do Siljang completely obliterated that A-rank nobody. There's no way someone as sharp as you wouldn't have noticed that the gap between two A-ranks can't be that large.”
The corner of her mouth, marked with the black mole, curved into a bewitching smile. Seora gave a wry smile.
“...So Do Siljangnim really is an S-rank.”
She had already seen Do Junyeong’s information, but she deliberately phrased it as a guess.
Song Hanna was the person Seora trusted most at the Association, but she judged it best to keep her contract with the administrator a secret.
【System Administrator: (´•▽•`)b】
The administrator agreed with her.
“There are currently eleven S-ranks in the country. The one whose name is unknown is Do Siljang.”
*‘She doesn’t know there are twelve now.’*
*When will she find out?* Seora wondered, then asked something else.
“Why hide his identity? Is there a reason for it?”
“Do Siljang wanted it. Unlike someone in a guild, he was worried that becoming an S-rank civil servant would prevent him from seeing what he needed to.”
Hm. That made sense.
The gap between an S-rank and an A-rank was as wide as the sky and the earth, and everyone walked on eggshells around them.
The public placed excessive expectations on them.
It might be different for someone in Association Head Song Hanna's position, but for him, a department head who had to work hard in the field, all of it would have been rather inconvenient.
“So you don't need to worry about Do Siljang. As a precious asset, he gets paid much more than his official salary. The pay cut and suspension are just a smokescreen to hide the fact that he's an S-rank receiving benefits from the state.”
“Still, he went through something he wouldn't have if not for me, so I can't help but feel sorry.”
“Seora, Seora, my cute little niece. You’re mistaken about one thing.”
Song Hanna wagged a finger painted with black nail polish. The moment a glint of gold flashed from her long finger, Seora’s upper body was pulled sharply forward.
“Ah!”
As the distance between them closed, Song Hanna gently caressed Seora’s cheek.
“You are the victim who was nearly killed by that bastard who deserves to be chewed up and spat out. And you are my and Do Siljang’s subordinate. It’s only natural for us to avenge you, our fragile little thing.”
“…”
They were both S-ranks, yet faced with Song Hanna’s bewitching smile right in front of her, Seora felt completely overwhelmed.
Even Do Junyeong wasn't this intense. As expected of the person who has held the number one rank in the country for decades.
Seora gulped.
“...Auntie, do you want to beat up Park Jinyong too?”
It was the first time Seora had called Song Hanna ‘Auntie’ since becoming a civil servant. Hanna knew this well and smiled with genuine delight.
“He dared to touch you—do you think I only want to beat him up? He made my precious niece bleed, so wouldn't it only be fair if that bastard Han Su-eon came and bashed his head on the floor too?”
The Cheongrang Guild Master, Han Su-eon, bashing his head on the floor. She thought she’d seen those words about two days ago in the S-rank social club—ah, no, the community.
*‘Does Auntie use that community often too…?’*
She felt a pang of guilt for lamenting that S-ranks were all crazy.
“As a matter of fact, once Do Siljang’s suspension is over, Han Su-eon and Park Jinyong are scheduled to visit the Association. Han Su-eon said he wants to formally apologize to you. What do you want to do?”
“You mean, whether I’ll accept the apology?”
“That’s up to you. You don’t have to accept. I’m just asking if you want to meet them or not. For the record, I recommend you meet them, but Do Siljang is against it. He’s worried that facing Park Jinyong will make you relive that day.”
Ah, right. If it weren't for the System Administrator, she wouldn't just be reliving that day; she would have just dropped dead.
It was certainly the perfect situation to be left with trauma.
*‘But thanks to becoming an S-rank through my contract with the administrator, all the mental shock was completely nullified...’*
The mental shock from seeing the administrator’s emoticons was probably greater.
“But Association Head, why do you want me to meet him?”
Before making her choice, Seora asked Hanna.
When it came to being overprotective, Song Hanna was even worse than Do Junyeong, so why would she want them to meet? The answer was simple.
“You have to see that bastard and Han Su-eon kneel and bash their heads on the floor in front of you. You want to see it, don’t you? I’m sure my niece does.”
Song Hanna’s finger tickled her chin, and Seora let out a needless cough. *Geez. She knows me too well.*
*‘Of course, I don’t plan on being satisfied with just that. That bastard Park Jinyong, I’ll definitely find him later in secret and smack him on the back of the head.’*
Smiling brightly at Song Hanna, Seora made her vow.
“And I called you here because I have something else to tell you.”
Seora tilted her head. Was there something else to talk about?
“You. Let’s get you an S-rank weapon.”
There was. Something absolutely terrifying.
