Chapter 2: Hello, I am S-Class Hunter Hwang Eun-ha

The world changed the day I was dragged into another dimension.

Things called "Gates," stuff you’d see in Hunter novels, opened up. As if chosen to protect the world, humans awakened with special powers appeared—the "Awakened."

And in this world, I might be one of the strongest Awakened out there.

However, having gone through all sorts of hell in that other world, I hated the idea of my abilities being known to the public. So, I tried to hide them as much as possible.

I just wanted to live quietly.

So, for five years since returning to the modern world—as a woman—I lived as quietly as possible without causing trouble. But I always wondered:

Why won't the world just leave me alone?

Of course, I never found the answer.

Anyway, here I was, walking forcefully toward a dungeon to smash it, having been kicked out of my house.

"Haa, seriously."

Jin-wook’s head was throbbing.

If asked why, he could answer with confidence: It was because of the woman he just kicked out. Lately, he did nothing but sigh.

Seeing her shove her hand into the closing door earlier just because she didn't want to go outside... his head hurt just thinking about it.

[ News Flash: It has been three months since the number of Gates stabilized. However, the number of new Awakened has dropped sharply, raising concerns across various sectors. The government has announced measures to request assistance from Awakened living as civilians who have not registered as Hunters... ]

He blankly flipped channels before turning off the TV upon hearing the report.

Hunters were dying in dungeons, but fewer new Awakened were appearing. That meant the total number of Hunters was shrinking.

Like anyone doesn't know that.

"Ah, calling again."

Jin-wook, rubbing his forehead while sitting in his chair, frowned at his vibrating phone.

Yu Ha-young.

The name of the poor person who was the manager for the "freeloader" living in his house. The freeloader who had foolishly registered as a Hunter after being swayed by the Association’s smooth talk. This manager probably had hair loss from stress because of that NEET's behavior.

Of course, since his house's freeloader ignored every deployment request, she ended up calling him instead. Now, just seeing those three syllables of her name made him irritated.

"Hello."

[ U-Um, Jin-wook-ssi... Is Hunter Hwang Eun-ha home by any chance? ]

"I just kicked her out of the house, so you know. Hanging up now."

He coolly ignored Yu Ha-young’s desperate voice calling his name from the other side of the line and coolly pressed the end call button.

Hwang Eun-ha.

Even if she was a freeloader, she was still physically a girl. Was kicking her out too harsh?

'Nah, forget it. That bitch needs to be kicked out at least once. What’s the worst that could happen?'

But soon, he shook his head.

Girl, my ass.

Every time that jerk—who was originally a man—spoke like that while looking like a woman, irritation surged from deep within Jin-wook's gut.

People who didn't know the truth might be captivated by her looks...

'Ugh, did I really mess up by kicking her out?'

Lost in thought, Jin-wook ruffled his hair and grabbed some simple outdoor clothes.

He had kicked her out because he couldn't stand seeing her lazing around after he came back from school. But now that she was gone, he was worried she might run off somewhere weird.

He couldn't just sit still at home.

"Bad bastard."

I sighed, nursing my fingers that had been smashed in the door gap earlier.

No matter how I acted at home, still. How could he kick me out like that when I look like a delicate girl on the outside?

If some bad guys attacked me out here, would he take responsibility?

"Oh, right."

Stopping my nonsense, I remembered my phone was in my padding (long coat) pocket and hurriedly turned it on.

He said to bring back either a school attendance check or a Dungeon Clear. Going to school in just a long padding coat and sweatpants felt impossible.

So, I decided to clear an easy dungeon nearby and go back in.

'What the hell? Only 10% battery?'

Seeing the low battery, I hurriedly opened the Hunter App and clicked 'Join Party' for the nearest dungeon without looking at the conditions.

Of course, joining a random party without checking conditions is something one should usually avoid. But if my phone died while I was being picky, I really wouldn't be able to go home. I had no choice.

"Huh?"

Was my choice correct? My phone, mocking the 10% display, instantly flickered and died.

Was there a battery display error or something...

"Sigh."

I let out a small sigh and walked toward where the map said the dungeon was.

Wait a minute.

Did I bring my Hunter License? Hmm, can I enter without it?

'Argh, seriously. How did I forget to ask for my wallet...'

I realized I had no wallet in my pocket. Annoyed by the series of unfortunate events, I ruffled my hair hysterically.

"Ah, shit."

But I couldn't go home because Jin-wook definitely wouldn't open the door...

'If worst comes to worst, I'll call Yu Ha-young.'

I sighed again and headed toward the dungeon.

If I don't have a license, I'll just show my ability. No one can say anything then.

"Stop. This is a dungeon appearance area. Civilians cannot ent..."

"S-Class Hunter Hwang Eun-ha."

As expected, soldiers guarding the area in cooperation with the Hunter Association blocked me.

I lifted two trucks standing behind the soldiers into the air without touching them, giving them a look that said, 'Can I still not go in?'

"H-Hunter Hwang Eun-ha. Still, without a license..."

"Hey, if a Dungeon Break happens while you delay me, are you going to take responsibility?"

"T-That..."

"Shut up and move. Or I'll flip these trucks and slam them into the ground."

I wanted to go home quickly.

Seeing the soldiers blocking my way, I performed a stunt by flipping trucks in mid-air and threatened them slightly. The two soldiers, looking reluctant, had no choice but to open the path for me.

"Thanks for moving."

I gently set the trucks down so they wouldn't break and thanked them. Then I walked toward the party members who were staring at me blankly, unaware of their rank.

"Hello, party members. I am S-Class Hunter, Hwang Eun-ha."

The party members couldn't close their mouths watching the girl with black hair, wearing nothing but a long padded coat, displaying bizarre behavior.

She ripped up the cave floor, assembled the debris with her mind, and fired it like bullets to smash everything ahead.

She shoved away tricky insect-type monsters coming from the front with a simple invisible force, then turned rocks on the ground into shrapnel to turn the bugs into meatballs.

"Party Leader. What can we low-rankers even do?"

"We're useless, so let's just eat popcorn."

All they knew about Telekinetics was that they used surrounding objects as weapons to provide aggressive support. They were known as a striker class among mage-types.

Even then, Telekinetics were rare. It was explained that if one could lift a 1-ton truck, they would be rated B-Class. While the utility was endless, their numbers were few and their ceiling wasn't very high.

But what was this sight in front of them?

That woman, Hwang Eun-ha, clearly introduced herself as a Telekinetic.

That meant she was demolishing the dungeon itself with just telekinesis.

"But, does really no one know that woman? She said she's S-Class."

"Maybe she's lying?"

"I don't know. But the government wouldn't leave someone this strong alone."

"T-That's true."

The way Hwang Eun-ha destroyed the dungeon... it was fitting to say a Martial Arts Hunter just smashed everything blocking her path.

The scars left all over the cave and the corpses of the demonic beasts were thoroughly pulverized. It was as if she was venting her stress on the monsters.

The party members were overwhelmed by her majesty, which destroyed everything more thoroughly than anything they had seen in their Hunter careers.

"Excuse me?"

While they were blankly discussing how strong a Telekinetic could be or how strong one had to be to smash a dungeon like this, they flinched at the voice of the person responsible for destroying everything in sight.

She destroyed the dungeon like she was possessed, so they thought she would talk only after finishing everything.

"Party Leader?"

"Ah, yes yes!"

"I don't need the magic stones, you guys handle them. Just split the Dungeon Clear cash reward N-bbang (evenly) and deposit my share. Got it?"

They couldn't ignore the words of the person who gave them a free bus ride (carry) through the dungeon.

The Party Leader looked up and realized he had already reached the Boss Room. The party members who followed Hwang Eun-ha looked disheartened at her call.

"Y-Yes. We will do that."

"Also, if you stab this guy (boss) two or three times, he'll die. Even if you don't, he'll die on his own in a bit, so for the recovery... do it quickly or whatever."

"Huh? You aren't going to finish it?"

"I have urgent business. Please take care of it."

Since the monsters popping out earlier were insect-types, they thought the dungeon boss would be tough.

But the boss, whom they expected to be difficult, was reduced to a pulp—a half-dead wreck that would die from just a few sword strokes.

Yu Ha-young was anxious.

The woman who usually never moved despite deployment requests had suddenly applied for a dungeon clear.

The problem wasn't that she applied, but that the woman who hated moving so much had moved on her own.

She lived far from the site anyway. Had something happened inside the dungeon?

Even if she was a delinquent Hunter who coolly ignored the Association's requests and did nothing after registering, her ability was powerful. She was one of the few S-Class Hunters in the country, and they couldn't afford to lose her in vain.

"H-Hunter-nim?"

"What."

"A-Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why, worried something happened?"

Of course, seeing me come out without a speck of dust on my body, she looked blank. I tilted my head seeing Yu Ha-young making a weird face at me.

"Ah, no, not that, but just in case."

"What the. Worrying about me unlike you. Not that it's bad."

I smiled slightly and walked past her.

Since my phone was dead, I couldn't check, but since I smashed a whole dungeon, Jin-wook shouldn't be able to say anything for a while...

"Huh? Jin-wook?"

Speak of the devil.

I saw Jin-wook walking toward me from afar, panting, "Huff, huff, you're fucking fast..."

"Hey. I mentioned the dungeon as a joke. I sent you out to go to school, and you immediately came to smash a dungeon?"

"H-Hey, l-let go..."

"I told you if you're going to do dangerous things, don't do them at all, huh? Why don't you listen?"

While Jin-wook pulled my cheeks, the party members came out from behind with bewildered faces, dragging bags of magic stones. "H-Here they are..." they handed them to the Association manager.

What on earth happened inside?

Jin-wook vented for a moment, then let go of my cheeks and turned around.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Where?"

"Where else? Aren't you going to check your attendance? You'll really get an academic probation."

"They didn't pick me for that university based on my grades anyway. They picked me via special admission just to use me for marketing."

"Still, since you got in, it's good to attend diligently."

I lightly grabbed Jin-wook's sleeve with my fingertips and shook my head.

This guy, he clearly doesn't care what state I'm currently in.

"Why."

"Just let me change clothes..."

"If you go home, you'll say it's annoying and won't come back out."

"No, I really will."

"Yeah, I've been fooled by that more than once or twice, haven't I?"

Jin-wook seemed to have absolutely no intention of going home.

I sighed and thought about using telekinesis to force my way home. But I wondered if it was right to use my powers on a friend just because he wouldn't do what I wanted, so I stopped.

"You didn't wash before coming out, did you?"

"Bullshit, no. You picked me up and kicked me out, and now you're talking crap?"

"Ugh, dirty."

"You really wanna die? Want to get hit by an S-Class Hunter?"

We somehow headed towards home, but for some reason, Jin-wook insisted I wash up and just throw on whatever clothes. So I had no choice but to throw on jeans and a hoodie.

Even though there were several clothes in the closet that he bought for me but I never wore due to laziness.

"By the way, is this the right direction to school?"

"Why."

"It feels like the direction is weird."

But Jin-wook just shrugged at my question.

Without getting an answer, led by my friend's hand, we arrived at...

Rodeo Street near the school. A place I, in my usual state, would find extremely annoying and ask why we came here.

A street filled with clothing stores I would absolutely never visit.