"...."
Not all of it was revealed, making the profile seem even more suspicious. It was clearly not the profile of an ordinary B-rank hunter. Yoon Seo, utterly stunned, stared at Kwon Jihan with trembling eyes.
Kwon Jihan, too, seemed somewhat startled, gazing into the air. Anyone would be shocked if they casually used a skill and came across a profile like this.
Even with
'He won't just think it's a system error… right?'
At least the rank was displayed as B-rank, which was fortunate. Thanks to the obscured additional information, his other skills remained undiscovered….
Even so, Yoon Seo found the situation incredibly frustrating.
"You'll all need time to adapt to each other, so we've scheduled the dungeon strategy for a week from now. Of course, if you'd like, you can enter earlier. Seokyoung has plenty of contracted dungeons…."
Although Yoo Juncheol kept talking, none of it registered in Yoon Seo's ears.
'
Gaia skills were only granted to very special individuals, and no one knew the exact criteria for receiving them. All the Gaia skill holders Yoon Seo knew of were no longer alive, and one of them had possessed a skill called
'No, strictly speaking, it wasn't passed on. Inherited? No, not that either…. It's just that the ownership transferred to the next person.'
Gaia skills were managed by the Gaia system. It seemed the original owner had died, and the system had stored the skill until it was passed on to Kwon Jihan.
"Since this is purely for testing purposes, you'll all be equipped with body cams when entering the dungeon. These cameras are made from dungeon byproducts, so they're very durable. They're also Seokyoung's number-one selling item."
'Is he really surprised? Why does his expression look like that?'
Yoon Seo ignored Yoo Juncheol's words, focusing instead on observing Kwon Jihan. Given how thoroughly the Gaia skill had been defended, Kwon Jihan must have been shocked. He certainly looked startled at first, but now his face was filled with delight as well. His curved eyes, the corners of his lips lifted, and his shimmering gray eyes—they all conveyed his surprise and amusement. He was both shocked and entertained by the unexpected situation. It might have been better if Kwon Jihan had simply frowned instead. His evident intrigue and enjoyment only made Yoon Seo more uneasy.
'I need to check your profile too. I have to confirm whether you possess that trait.'
[The
With a faint pop, a semi-transparent window appeared.
***
"Well, he's definitely not my candidate."
"Your candidate was Lee Jungin, right? What kind of person is he?"
"Not like Seo Chaeyoon at all. Sure, he smiles often, but there's something about him… like he's hiding something dark."
"Maybe that's just how Seo Chaeyoon's personality always was."
"Seo Chaeyoon doesn't smile much, though. Remember how that one hunter said, 'Waiting for Seo Chaeyoon to smile is like waiting for the sun to turn into a white dwarf'?"
"People can change. It's been ten years, after all."
"Anyway, Lee Jungin is definitely not Seo Chaeyoon. Actually, it seems like even Lee Jungin wants to find Seo Chaeyoon. When I tried to probe a little, I found out he even joined Seo Chaeyoon's fan club."
"Which fan club? 'For the Seo'? 'Deer-Like Yoon'? 'Mysterious Boy Yoon'?"
"Someone mentioned something about 'deer' earlier. Lee Jungin isn't as much of a fan as Soobin is, so don't glare at me like that."
"That's disappointing."
Park Soobin feigned disappointment, raising an eyebrow.
Park Soobin was with members of the Seo Chaeyoon tracking team, who had spent a year exclusively monitoring Seo Chaeyoon candidates. They were sharing anecdotes from their time on the team and discussing the likelihood of their respective candidates being Seo Chaeyoon. Some insisted their candidate couldn't possibly be Seo Chaeyoon, while others were convinced theirs was the one.
"Soobin, as a hardcore Seo Chaeyoon fan, what do you think about your candidate?"
"Hmm, Hunter Yoon Seo is…."
Park Soobin smiled awkwardly.
"I'm still unsure. But he's definitely an intriguing person."
"What's intriguing about him? If it's about his looks, he's undeniably handsome."
"Haha, it's not just his appearance. He has a subtle charm that draws people in. He seems indifferent most of the time, but he has surprisingly varied hobbies. He acts detached, but when he talks about dramas, he gets so excited, it's adorable. And he's quietly entertaining when teasing his teammates. At first, I thought he was lazy because he shows up exactly at 9 a.m. every day, but I found out he practically carries the Guild of Leaves' revenue on his shoulders. He even turns all those C-rank shield trap requests into B-rank or higher results and acts like it's no big deal. It's honestly so endearing. He seems indifferent to others but occasionally knits sweaters for them or bakes cookies. I've only been here a year, and I've already received three sweaters from him. Isn't that amazing?"
As the compliments poured in, everyone blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter.
"You're really laying on the praise. You must've gotten close."
"I haven't gotten close yet. I'm desperate to, though."
"How can you want to get close to a candidate?"
Someone who had monitored Hong Euiyoon grimaced, and everyone looked at him with pity.
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Since they were all A-rank hunters, they instantly recognized who it was by the sound. Soon, Yoo Juncheol entered, flinging the door open, with Kwon Jihan in tow.
"Alright, everyone, let's have a discussion."
The moment he stepped in, he called everyone to gather. The team members greeted Yoo Juncheol and Kwon Jihan with respectful bows before taking their seats in the front row, their gazes brimming with curiosity. Park Soobin, too, looked at Yoo Juncheol with eyes full of interest and anticipation.
What kind of impression did our Yoon Seo leave on Yoo Juncheol and Kwon Jihan?
"Kyungtae, you were in charge of Kim Jinhae, right?"
"Yes."
"What kind of person is he? He seemed the most resistant today."
"He's sensitive and picky but fundamentally a good person. We've confirmed that he possesses an A-rank healing skill. Apparently, he was just an ordinary high school student ten years ago, but we haven't been able to verify his alibi for the three months of the Great Dungeon raid. Considering his eldest brother is Revenger Hunter Kim Seohae, it's possible the siblings entered the Great Dungeon together."
"Both Namgung Simhae and Kim Jinhae are searching for Seo Chaeyoon, right?"
"Yes, they've publicly stated that they're tracking Seo Chaeyoon. However, it could just be a ruse to prevent others from suspecting them. Sharing information with other trackers might have also made it easier for them to evade being tracked themselves."
"Does he really not have any offensive skills?"
"In the past year, I haven't seen him use any offensive skills."
"Even for a healer, that's unusual. We'll need to set up a situation in the dungeon where Kim Jinhae has to face a monster one-on-one."
"Namgung Simhae might try to protect him."
"Then we just need to create a one-on-one situation for Namgung Simhae as well. No, it might be better to make all the candidates fight one-on-one."
If any of them were truly weak, they would be placed in danger, but Yoo Juncheol's tone carried confidence that such a situation would not occur.
"Who's in charge of Hwashim?"
"That would be me."
One person raised their hand.
'First Kim Jinhae, now Hwashim?'
Park Soobin was quietly disappointed. When will our Yoon Seo finally be mentioned?
"Hwashim has a solid presence, but he doesn't talk much. He doesn't even react much."
"Still, his skills are reliable. He's used powerful fire-based skills multiple times. He even saved me once."
"Hwashim is nothing special."
Kwon Jihan bluntly interjected. All eyes turned toward the young hunter with black hair.
"I checked with my skill. He's really weak."
"Couldn't he be strong enough to resist your detection skill?"
Kwon Jihan scoffed.
"There's no one in the world who can evade my skill."
Though Kwon Jihan spoke casually, those listening did not take it lightly. Despite his reckless demeanor, everyone knew Kwon Jihan never spoke nonsense.
"Alright, then let's move on…. We know enough about Hong Euiyoon. Let's talk about Amhyang Park Kang."
"Hunter Park Kang is a senior who awakened during the Great Cataclysm. He got married ten years ago and is now living a happy life with his wife, one daughter, and two dogs. Oh, and their love story is like destiny itself. On a rainy day, when a C-rank dungeon overflowed and monsters invaded a quiet neighborhood, he rescued a woman in peril—"
"Enough. I'm not interested in that."
"…Watching him closely, I could see his deep sense of responsibility and love for his family. If he found someone to spend his life with, his sudden disappearance ten years ago can be explained. He also suffers from social anxiety and panic disorder, which might stem from Great Dungeon trauma. He relies heavily on tranquilizers."
Our Yoon Seo also relies on tranquilizers.
Park Soobin felt a mix of slight disappointment that Yoon Seo's name hadn't been mentioned yet and relief at the same time.
"What about Yoon Seo?"
It was then that Kwon Jihan spoke.
"Who's in charge of Yoon Seo? That pale, handsome guy with black hair."
"Ah."
Startled, Park Soobin straightened his posture.
"I'm in charge of Yoon Seo."
"What kind of person is Yoon Seo?"
Park Soobin repeated what he had told the team earlier.
He had an indifferent personality. Calm, disinterested in everyone, yet unexpectedly warm-hearted, with many hobbies and a playful side. He was a kind person who always upgraded the rank when setting up shield traps….
"Who asked about that?"
"Pardon?"
"Is he strong?"
Kwon Jihan raised one corner of his mouth. A gleam flickered in his gray eyes—eyes already filled with certainty.
"Hunter Yoon Seo, he's strong, isn't he?"
"...."
Park Soobin swallowed hard. It felt as though Yoon Seo's fate hinged on how he answered.