"Achoo!"
Co to think of it, it's already the change of seasons.
Facing the rising morning sun and looking down at the ground, the alien being pondered. This ti, the thoughts that ca to him were different in the from the assessnts he had recorded so far in his notebook.
"Also, since the hospital food is way too bland, maybe I should plan to eat out around lunchti today?"
Indeed, the solar system he had settled in was one where the saying "Even Mount Geumgang is best appreciated after a al" circulated freely. And yet, to be worrying about food even when facing the potential extinction of an entire species—what did that say about him? The alien clad in blonde flesh continued to entertain one outrageous thought after another, the kind that would make any native of Earth recoil in disbelief.
And while he continued his thoughts from the rooftop railing, around the sa ti elsewhere, several individuals who had been graded in that notebook were finding themselves entangled in rather peculiar predicants.
***
Several hours earlier—to be precise, 8 hours and 13 minutes before a certain blond extraterrestrial purchased a spiral notebook at the convenience store in front of the hospital.
"Heheugh."
"Hunter Esther, would you like a handkerchief?"
Drmmm.
The sliding door at the end of the white corridor suddenly moved. It was caused by the commotion of several people trying to leave the room at once. Room 301, on the top floor where a subtle floral scent lingered, was the most private suite in the hospital—reserved for big shots like corporate chairn. And right now, it was the mont when the temporary occupant of that prestigious room—the patient—had shouted for everyone to get out.
"I just got here and I'm already being kicked out..."
Jung Haeseong, Seo Esther. The leaders of the top hunter in South Korea and a major guild, both driven out without resistance—the scene felt oddly amusing. They were probably used to being called "VIPs" wherever they went.
Gu Seohyeong, having been kicked out of the hospital room, stepped into the hallway and looked around in defeat. But well—what could she do about it?
"He really must be feeling unwell. Giryeo is never the type to get that angry under normal circumstances."
Even if the person in that hospital room weren't the great hunter Kim Giryeo, visitors are always at the rcy of the patient's words.
Therefore, including the Enchanter, the three present wisely judged that it was best to follow the patient's wishes unconditionally for now.
"Excuse , Seohyeong-ssi..."
"Yes, yes, Director Seo."
"Excuse , but it's about sothing I heard earlier. I'd like to ask you sothing real quick."
But Kim Giryeo hadn't told them to stay quiet on the way back, after all.
"Just to be clear, I already heard back when I was handling the Go Byeongdo case that you two were old classmates. So putting that aside—what exactly was that conversation about just now?"
"Yes?"
", mory... loss? You an, Giryeo-ssi has amnesia?"
"Ah, that's..."
"It was already shocking enough that he was brought in by ambulance! And now we're dealing with so soap opera-style condition on top of that?"
"First of all, please calm down."
The Awakened who had been kicked out began making small talk as they walked toward the end of the hallway where the elevator was.
"Judging by your reaction, it seems like hunters like you, Director Esther, weren't aware of this news."
"Haa..."
"Have you seriously never heard anything about Giryeo getting hurt badly enough on the job to cause mory issues?"
"Yes!"
"I, I just thought... I an, if Giryeo even told about it, I figured he must've definitely told the industry acquaintances he ets more often than ..."
A short sigh was mixed in between the conversation.
"But I seem to have misunderstood. What if this was the secret that friend really wanted to keep hidden?"
While Ahn Yoonseung still lingered awkwardly by the patient's bedside, the three Awakened had already arrived in front of the elevator.
"It's okay."
Esther was the one who mainly led the conversation.
"It's not like Giryeo is the kind of person who would endlessly scold a classmate over one slip of the tongue anyway."
"Hmm."
"Even if we say he kept it a secret because, as a Hunter, he didn't want to show any weakness... well, honestly, in a situation like this, mory loss doesn't even feel like that big of a deal."
"Amnesia, you say?"
"There was sothing like that."
For reference, the incident in question refers to Kim Giryeo's lung CT scan—and the mont that secret was revealed, this S-rank Hunter had been present as well. Haeseong and Esther. Their expressions darkened almost instantly.
"Is that lung issue we overheard in the hospital room earlier?"
Seohyeong, watching their expressions darken, chose not to press for details about the incident she didn't know. How ever, no matter how much she wanted to just stay quiet and gauge the mood—there was still one action she couldn't avoid if they were to return to the hospital's first floor.
Ding.
At the end of the hallway, Gu Seohyeong pressed the round button on the wall and waited for a mont. Soon after, the elevator arrived with a soft, composed hum.
"Hmm?"
Now, all that was left was to take this and finish the journey ho...
"Aren't you getting in?"
The mont the person with the round glasses stepped inside, the other two, for so reason, remained rooted in place. Gu Seohyeong, holding down the elevator door button, glanced at her companions who still hadn't moved.
"Giryeo is the patient."
However, even when the Enchanter asked whether they were getting on, silence lingered for a while.
"And on top of that, he just had to deal with sothing so difficult to resolve."
Just like that opening thought, several people around this ti were still caught in a whirlwind of shock. Esther was a person who had been running through her mind and brisk in her movents as she usually was found herself lost in thought—right in front of the elevator that had just arrived.
"Oh my..."
"Isn't this a bit unfair?"
Esther hesitated for a mont.Honestly, the world is overflowing with things so vile they deserve to disappear. And yet—of all the countless options fate could have chosen, why did it have to be Kim Giryeo in crisis? As she turned the situation over in her mind again, a fresh tear welled up at the corner of her eye.
"He's genuinely a good Hunter..."
But amid all this, another emotion stirred within her...
"He's practically indispensable to this industry—what would we even do without him?"
Ironically, it was a surprise.
It's a bit of an embarrassing thing to admit to others. But the truth is, Esther was soone who had never felt this heartbroken over another person's misfortune before. Despite being the head of the Tower Guild, having spent several years handling high-level criminals and, in a sense, managing awakened individuals for the sake of public safety...
All of those actions, despite how they appeared on the surface, had stemd from a skewed ideology. Moreover, the source of her sense of duty was, in truth, sothing remarkably easy to explain.
"Ah... how could sothing like this happen in the world?"
The truth was, Seo Esther was an awakened supremacist.
To elaborate, Korean curse-users like her had already taken it for granted since the ti of the fake aura observation in the Northern Mariana Islands—back when the world was still unaware of the existence of mana, during the earliest phase of the Dungeon Shock, when only strange streaks of light would briefly appear without any spatial connection.
Psychics are superior beings.
It was precisely because that belief lay at her core that she had always been kind to civilians. Of course, the ideology of awakened superiority is obviously sothing anyone would criticize.
If not soone strong like , then who else is going to protect those weak, unlucky, powerless people?
Because of her firm personal belief, Esther paradoxically took sincere care of non-awakened people. She gave generosity and looked after them in many ways.
Moreover, the incident where she used her skill to pressure forr Hunter Association President Go Byeongdo into stepping down could also be seen as an act stemming from that very arrogance.
It's not entirely precise, but deep down, she harbored this kind of resentnt, which allowed her to attack Go Byeongdo even more harshly under the charge of arrogance. When you think about it coldly, without that kind of feeling, an ordinary person wouldn't resort to assault. In short, after sorting out various factors, it turned out that this woman in her twenties was by no ans a particularly compassionate type.
"Ha."
But to think a day would co when soone with such a lack of sensitivity would suddenly cry.
"..."
Just before taking a step forward, Esther paused once more in brief contemplation.
All this ti, she had viewed S-rank Kim Giryeo as soone she was still "a bit distant from" or in "a relationship that would be a stretch to call close"—labels she'd repeatedly brought to mind. But... had she, deep down, considered Kim Giryeo sowhat special to her? Or maybe all those gloomy attempts at ingratiating herself—trying to build ties with a strong Awakened in advance—suddenly felt petty and shaful?
"And now, all of a sudden, it's even making angry."
Whatever the truth may be, the response from the curse sorcerer was the sa.
"I'm still so young—why am I already having to worry about things like condolence money for soone I know?"
The current situation was shocking to her. Even Esther, who had secretly foreseen such a turn of events for so ti, couldn't maintain her composure.
"Drmm.
Which made her wonder—just how shocked must those people have been, never having seen Kim Giryeo cough up blood before...
"Director Seo?"
Because a D-rank Awakener was pressing the open button, the machine's door kept from closing. Esther put aside the once the doors closed, the elevator panel quickly indicated the descent toward the first floor. There was a brief mont of hesitation, but after that, no obstacles arose between them until they reached the lobby. The Esther rely exchanged a few words with Gu Seohyeong, solidifying her conviction.
"A healthy-looking adult who didn't seem the type to even get anemia suddenly gushed a nosebleed in the hallway."
At that mont, the national hero standing in the corner of the elevator remained silent.
"The scariest thing in this world is brain disease. How would you feel if you suddenly lost your mory to the point where you can't even rember your own na in your mid-20s?"
Of course, the two in front didn't particularly care whether the Rank 1 was staying quiet.
"And Kim Giryeo, that man—he's been hurt that badly before, so what kind of nerve does it take to return to hunting? If it were , I'd be terrified of everything."
The conversation continued.
"... Well then, I think that's enough unpleasant talk for now. Hmm, co to think of it, Seohyeong-ssi, how did you get to the hospital today?"
"With a car."
"Did you drive yourself?"
"No. Unfortunately, I'm completely hopeless when it cos to driving. I always go around with a bodyguard who's great at it."
"Then where's that bodyguard now?"
"Right outside on the first floor. This elevator connects directly to the VIP floor, you know. So the hospital staff insists on getting approval for every single visitor, and, well... there wasn't much choice..."
"Hmm?"
Though her magic power reserves were low, the safety of the Rare Enchanter was naturally a serious matter. The Guild master of the Tower Tower stood beside Gu Seohyeong, protecting her like a relative weakling.
Ding.
But according to the Enchanter herself, proper security personnel had accompanied her. Anything more than that would just be ddling.
"It's the first floor."
The group crossed the drop of several dozen ters by elevator and soon arrived at their destination. But since it was a hospital—by nature a busy place—there were naturally a lot of people around.
Gu Seohyeong disappeared toward the parking lot with the security team that had been waiting on the first floor. Esther said she still had a lot to handle regarding the Beast case and headed off. And the Rank 1 Awakener, who had remained silent until now, naturally followed suit with a similar attitude. The superpowered individuals who had gathered in that small space soon dispersed quickly, mindful of the burden they might place on the elderly and infirm.
"Oh! Guildmaster—are you done with your visit?"
"Yes—but the work's not over yet. The Chief asked to co over quickly, you see."
"Yes, yes. Please get in. We'll head out right away."
"Phew."
But even though she had returned to a familiar place, she still felt a restless unease—what could be the reason?
The Awakener's drooping eyes. Esther slumped into the passenger seat of the car driven by her secretary. As she lowered her eyelids and closed them, she quietly acknowledged it to herself.
"Looks like I unexpectedly grew attached to that hunter—"
Which would explain why she'd ended up caring about soone else's physical condition.
********************
[Ohhow can I assist you?]
Your recent search list
: Awakener cancer
: Awakeners and Cancer
: A case involving mana patient awakening and...
********************
I hope the fourth S-rank gets treated.
Based on that feeling, she searched around a bit and soon multiple texts appeared on her phone. Esther, who was proficient in both English and Japanese, read the various docunts from different countries without hesitation. However, the contents of the posts didn't stray far from what she had expected.
"All they're basically saying is that once a Hunter gets sick, they're screwed..."
She'd wondered if things might differ depending on the ti of Awakening. Maybe she shouldn't have looked up symptoms on the internet after all.
"I saw it for nothing."
17-year-old teenager, Jang-ssi. Passed away after awakening rendered the prescribed targeted therapy ineffective.
29-year-old Namgong-ssi. In his case, he believed himself to be completely healthy, but a latent pancreatic mass was discovered too late—and he too passed away.
The ergence of superpowered individuals mainly occurs among the younger population. In contrast, cancer incidence doesn't rise significantly until around age 50 or older, the exact opposite trend on the age distribution graph. As a result, cases of awakened individuals with tumors were extrely rare—only two had ever been reported dostically. And yet.
"It's still only at the hypothesis stage, but they say Awakeners don't catch colds and have abnormally strong immune systems, so the chances of cancer cells developing into actual disease are lower—which might explain the lack of cases...? No, wait—what use is a paper like this to soone who's already sick?"
The problem is that every recorded case so far has ended in death.
No matter how much she searched, it seed modern dicine couldn't overco humanity's age-old enemy once it had mixed with superpowered powers. So, with the desperation of grasping at straws, Esther typed the one word that was often a last ray of hope for all patients into the keyboard.
[Elixir]
A word once sought through alchemy in the dieval era—and today, better known as the na of a certain dungeon item.
"Hmm."
Elixir—or Elixir. And the mont the head of the Tower Guild recalled that particular term, soone else in the city, around the sa ti, found themselves caught in a remarkably similar line of thought.
"If that item really exists..."
It ant that a certain man in his twenties, lost in thought, had also happened to arrive at that very na. The highest-ranked Hunter in the country—and even on the global stage, an Awakener who was practically the face of the S-rank.
"No, but elixir, now of all tis..."
Soone who had so much—and yet, in this situation, was the one who hadn't received a warning about the coming disaster.
In other words, compared to Gu Seohyeong and Esther—he was the only one who hadn't witnessed Kim Giryeo's abnormal bleeding.
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