Chapter 143 – SSS-Rank Hunter (18)
“What do you want from me?”
In movies and dramas, the female lead remains beautiful no matter how little care she takes of herself.
But reality?
Lock someone in prison for just a few days and they become unrecognizable. Filthy conditions, stress-induced hair loss, and a lack of sunlight lead to severe vitamin D deficiency.
“You must’ve had a rough time.”
“Did you call me here to mock me?”
“I thought you heard that I needed you.”
“You might’ve developed a taste for kidnapping and torturing young women—like a certain SSS-rank hunter.”
“…What a lunatic.”
“It was a lunatic woman. She hated ordinary people who were younger and prettier than her.”
“I see.”
Natalia—once like a goddess of abundance—now looked like a widow who had wandered battlefields for a decade after losing her homeland.
Proof of how much she had suffered.
Still, all her limbs were intact. With healing abilities and proper rest, she would regain her former beauty—though it would take time.
“What do you want from me?”
“I need your help.”
“……”
“Ah. That was too brief. Have you heard that the Ancient Black Elephant was subjugated?”
“I heard on the way. When I learned about the strategy you used, I felt empty.”
“Right. There was noble sacrifice—along with a purge.”
“You don’t mince words.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
I don’t need to worry about how others see me.
“…You have the right to seek revenge. But I have my own feelings. I don’t know what kind of help you want, but don’t expect sincere or enthusiastic cooperation.”
“I want to find Park Hyo-man.”
“He’s dead.”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter. Based on multiple factors, I’ve already concluded he’s alive and well.”
“……”
Natalia frowned, deep lines forming on her forehead.
Ignoring that—
“I’ll promise you this. If your information proves useful, I’ll pretend the assassination attempt never happened. And if we find Park Hyo-man, I’ll make sure you can start over. What do you say?”
“…I’m curious why you care so much about Park Hyo-man, but I won’t ask. If I refuse, you’d just send me back to a deserted island or use me as monster bait, right? I’ll do it.”
“Good judgment.”
If she’d refused, I really would have done that. She wasn’t the only Acceleration-type ability user in the world.
The reason I chose this traitor specifically was her forced experience surviving in the wild.
Just like Park Hyo-man—who escaped via monster elephant dung.
“I need information.”
“That’s what I was going to say. Your life—safe from monsters thanks to Acceleration.”
“…I was an animal.”
“You mean you couldn’t enjoy the benefits of civilization?”
“No. My mind was filled with nothing but finding food. I was ruled by hunger. Not a single day passed without worrying about what to eat. I couldn’t store anything either—it spoiled quickly. And—”
“Alright, alright! That’s enough. I get it.”
“……”
Natalia, who had been explaining nonstop, fell silent again, her expression stiffening.
“That was genuinely helpful.”
“Was it.”
I turned to the aides waiting quietly and gave orders.
“Investigate food theft cases where the culprit was never found. Someone as well-known as Park Hyo-man wouldn’t boldly roam city centers. Focus on outskirts where abilities can be used freely.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, Amolang-nim.”
Daily necessities last a long time once stolen. Food doesn’t—unless you’re a monster.
If he hasn’t completely altered his face and started walking around cities openly…
Ah. That’s another possibility.
“I hope not, but interrogate spatial-jump ability users as well. There’s a chance Park Hyo-man moved to another region.”
“We’ll investigate immediately.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Lie-detection ability users are extremely useful at times like this.
“Natalia.”
I turned back to her.
“…Are we done?”
“You don’t seriously think an attempted murder of a GGG-rank hunter would be smoothed over this easily, do you?”
“I understand why you’re convinced Park Hyo-man is alive. But without hearing your reasoning, it’ll be hard for me to help properly.”
“Fair enough.”
A perfectly reasonable request.
“Can you explain it to me?”
“Alright. Park Hyo-man was a multi-ability user—and he was hiding a third ability.”
“A third…?”
“A C-rank ability: Revival.”
“……”
Was it really that shocking? Natalia’s face drained of color.
“Why?”
“This may be an impertinent question, but… is that information certain?”
“It was confirmed by his SS-rank wife—the one who killed her husband during an excited night.”
“Ah…”
Thud.
Natalia, who had maintained her composure until now, staggered as if her legs had given out and collapsed onto the floor in front of me.
“…Why?”
I was a little surprised. Was there more I didn’t know?
“Park Hyo-man was an Acceleration-type ability user.”
“And?”
“He sought extremely intense stimulation. If he didn’t use his ability in bed, there was no problem—but once he did, ordinary women could no longer satisfy him.”
“Hm? Ah!”
I had no personal experience, but with my mind already crawling with impure thoughts, I understood instantly.
“It feels like doing it with a mannequin. Conversations are the same. When you use Acceleration, you can’t properly talk to anyone else—you get tired of waiting for their replies.”
“…You know this well.”
“Of course. The only person who can satisfy an Acceleration-type ability user is another Acceleration-type ability user.”
“That means…?”
“We slept together several times. So violently that the bed couldn’t handle it.”
“Ah…”
I had heard that from his wife—about all the mistresses.
I just didn’t expect one to be this close.
“I’ll help you.”
“For love?”
“The opposite. You wouldn’t discriminate against the strongest hunter just because he can’t be controlled, would you? He’s the same.”
“Aha!”
So it wasn’t a crime planned only by jealous SSS-rank hunters.
Learned something new again.
This world was created based on a novel read by a Ranuvel patient.
But because it drew from not one, but two novels, the settings were jumbled—no unified rules or consistency.
In other words—
Human thinking is free here.
Unlike romance fantasy novels like I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count family or historical dramas like Palace Maid Deok-chun, there were no characters forced into love by the setting.
Or perhaps it was because a character named Park Hyo-man didn’t exist in the original novel.
Just like Nam Hae-soo—who died after being betrayed by his subordinates and wives in a dream.
“You seem to know him well.”
“…You don’t think sleeping together means you know everything about someone, do you?”
“Fine, then.”
I’d prefer you not shatter the fantasies of a virgin like me.
***
Unintentionally, as repayment for the missile strike on my head, I completely purged the entrenched elites.
As a result, in this hunter world, nothing took precedence over my orders.
“Amolang-nim. May I report?”
Less than an hour after the investigation began, it was already finished.
Thinking about it, it wasn’t difficult.
Send cooperation requests to police stations and substations, gather unsolved theft cases, and you’re done.
Still—
“That was fast.”
“We couldn’t keep you waiting over something so trivial. We made it our top priority.”
“Thanks. Let’s hear the results.”
“Yes!”
The green fairy—Santa’s helper—delivered a detailed and meaningful report.
Unsolved theft cases.
What I had overlooked was that this world contained countless supernatural abilities impossible to judge by science or common sense.
“…That’s a lot.”
“Not every ability user earns money honestly as a hunter…”
“Hmm…”
Blocked right from the start?
As the bold crimes of the time-stopping SSS-rank hunter had shown, ability user crimes that left no evidence were rampant nationwide.
Then—
“If you show me the detailed case files, I’ll narrow them down.”
Natalia—who’d said not to expect cooperation—stepped forward proactively.
“Amolang-nim?”
“Give them to her. She’s an ability user too—she’ll understand the criminal mindset.”
“Yes.”
Natalia received the documents from the green fairy and activated her ability.
Ssshh—
She wasn’t the type to stretch a brief moment into something long—
But even that short burst took its toll.
“…I’m tired.”
Natalia, who had already been in poor condition, looked even more gaunt.
A side effect of the Acceleration ability.
The more efficiently she used time, the greater the proportional drain on her mental strength and stamina.
“So? What’s the conclusion?”
“I found him.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It’s true that ability user crimes are rampant—but Acceleration is an S-rank ability. Working as a hunter is far more profitable than stealing. Especially since Acceleration lets you disengage easily even if a hunt fails, so the risk is low.”
“In short, Acceleration ability users have such a high employment rate that they usually don’t commit crimes?”
“At most, they’ll peek at a woman’s underwear when a beauty in a short skirt walks by.”
“I see.”
That really is an enviable ability.
“But even that only happens once or twice. They get bored quickly and quit. It’s not worth the humiliation of an S-rank hunter being caught on surveillance cameras and investigated.”
“Indeed…”
Even now, I still disliked Natalia for trying to kill me—but bringing her back from the deserted island had clearly been the right call.
“Here.”
She tapped a spot on the map with her fingertip.
“Around there?”
“Yes. I can’t say for certain this thief is Park Hyo-man, but he’s been repeatedly stealing only food from street vendors. There are surveillance cameras, but when crowds are dense, it’s hard to catch sleight of hand. Especially if someone’s moving at a hundred times normal speed.”
“Huh…”
Is this really how someone once called the strongest SSS-rank hunter should be living?
It was childish and crude—like an adult stealing a child’s lollipop.
“Let’s go. Now.”
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I hoped this petty thief wasn’t Park Hyo-man.
***
Some people wear masks due to colds or asthma—but a man who covers his face with both a mask and a hat is rare.
Add sunglasses as well, and you’ve got the perfect criminal disguise.
(One person entered through the east gate.)
(Two passed through the west gate.)
(No movement at the north gate yet.)
We stationed operatives disguised as civilians at every entrance leading into the alley packed with food stalls.
Tracking movement patterns was standard procedure.
I kept my senses sharpened, ready to react the moment a theft occurred.
(Quiet.)
(No abnormalities.)
How much time passed in that peaceful lull?
“I guess today isn’t the day.”
Just as Natalia’s confident voice softened with doubt—
“‘It’s delicious! Come eat!’”
“‘Two people could eat this and die happy!’”
“‘Hey, handsome! At least try a bite!’”
“‘Huh? Wait—where did it go?!’”
“‘Buy now and get one more!’”
Amid the flood of street noise, one panicked voice stood out.
I sprang to my feet.
From the café’s second-floor terrace, where I’d been sipping coffee, I stood up.
“Amolang-nim?”
“Activate the loudspeaker in Zone D. Now.”
“Yes!”
The moment my order went out, a deafening blast erupted near the scene.
KRA-BOOOOM!
(KRRRRAAAAAH!)
The explosion and vibrations from the rooftop were real—created by an ability.
The monstrous roar, however, was a recording.
The reaction was immediate.
“A monster!”
“Gah!”
“Run—!”
I felt sorry for the people caught up in this scam—but I wasn’t attached to this world enough to worry about my conscience.
All I needed was the patient.
Just as Natalia said—when an Acceleration ability user encounters a monster unexpectedly, they escape the danger faster than anyone else by accelerating.
“…There.”
There he was.
A man sprinting through the alley at a speed no ordinary human could achieve.
But a path packed with people would stop him—
“Damn it!”
“Amolang-nim?!”
“Catch up on your own!”
Pop!
I kicked off the wall of a building as if it were flat ground and chased after the fleeing man.
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TL Note:
The novel is fully completed (231 chapters)
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