Chapter 3: Take off your mask (3)
At the Hunter Association, the fox beastkin receptionist Ria Moa hurriedly called out to the new receptionist, stopping her in her tracks.
“Shine!”
“Yes?”
Pant, pant.
Catching her breath, Ria Moa quickly continued.
“Th-that! About Hunter Minhoo Seol’s case!”
“Oh, that? I’ve already handled it.”
“…What? Handled? What do you mean… Anyway, I’ll take care of him, so you don’t need to!”
“I’ve already submitted the paperwork to be his exclusive receptionist.”
Hearing this, Ria Moa couldn’t process what she’d just heard.
Her head spun, and feeling dizzy, she asked again.
“Exclusive… receptionist?”
“You told me to handle it, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t mean exclusive…”
“It’s better to be exclusive, right?”
What the hell is this girl saying? Did she see Minhoo’s face too?
No, she wouldn’t have had the chance.
They don’t even know each other, so they wouldn’t have met.
“Well, I’m busy, so I’m off!”
“No, wait! I said I’d handle Hunter Minhoo…!”
“I don’t know why you keep insisting, but I’m already his exclusive receptionist. Too late, senior. I’m really going! Bye!”
Whether she knew Ria Moa’s burning frustration or not, Shine just smiled innocently and ran off.
Watching her back, Ria Moa muttered quietly.
“Ugh… I should’ve just said I’d keep handling him…”
The Ice Flame party.
Seolhwa, the tank, may not seem lethal but freely manipulates ice to create sturdy barriers that protect party members from damage.
Yura, the ranged dealer, uses fire-based attack skills.
Jace, the buffer, summons a small firebird to grant buffs to the party.
At first, I thought, ice and fire? What kind of combination is that? It didn’t seem compatible, and I was worried about hunting, but their teamwork was surprisingly smooth.
Seolhwa, in particular, stood out as a B-rank hunter.
Whoosh!
“Nice one, Seolhwa!”
“Heh. This is nothing.”
When Jace or Yura made a mistake or let their guard down, allowing a beast’s attack to come through, Seolhwa’s ice barrier protected the party.
‘She’s got great vision and reaction speed.’
A range-type tank who protects not just herself but the entire party—her skill could easily reach S-rank or higher in the future.
Jace’s buff skills weren’t particularly unique compared to other buffers, and Yura’s attack power wasn’t anything special either.
About C-rank level?
Her sustained damage was decent for a dealer, but in a party with only one dealer, it lacked impact.
That’s why they were recruiting a heavy-hitting damage dealer.
Skree!
Skraw!
The beasts, worn down by Yura’s attacks, I finished off quickly.
Using my overwhelming agility stat, I targeted their vitals with precise dagger strikes, landing powerful critical hits to kill them one by one.
[C-rank Gate]
[Humid Ruins]
Appearing Beasts:
- Cocoon Boy
- Cocoon Girl
Spider-like beasts resembling spiders. Measured rank: C.
Honestly, I could hunt them alone, but the Association requires a minimum of four members for entry.
If I were S-rank, maybe.
My skills aren’t far behind S-rank, but I can’t advance past B-rank without graduating from the Hunter Academy.
Not that I plan to aim for S-rank even after graduating.
My goal is strictly A-rank.
“We’ve probably exceeded our quota. What do you think, Seolhwa?”
“Hmm. Catching too many might inconvenience other parties, so let’s head back.”
“Okay! Minhoo! Help me gather the mana stones! This is guy stuff!”
“Uh, sure…”
F*cking sweet-talking bastard.
What’s so hard about picking up mana stones that it’s a guy’s job?
I was annoyed but didn’t show it. I’d always been stuck collecting mana stones in other parties too. Half-forced.
I thought without the mask, I’d avoid grunt work, but apparently not.
At least Jace is helping, so it’s not entirely on me…
Without taking any damage, as if we’d been working together for years, we smoothly cleared the gate and exited after five hours.
“Hey, Minhoo.”
“Yes.”
“Got a girlfriend?”
“…Girlfriend?”
While walking slightly behind the women, Jace asked in a low voice.
Why’s he asking about my relationship status?
When I met his eyes, I saw his lips curve into a smile.
No way…
‘F*cking bastard. Is he gay?’
It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but he looks like the type who might like guys.
I respect people’s preferences and am definitely not homophobic, but if a guy confesses to me, I’m confident I’d become aggressively homophobic toward that specific person.
“Why do you ask?”
My tone was stiff.
Jace’s face reddened slightly. This bastard?
I gripped the dagger at my waist tightly.
If he says anything stupid, I’ll slice his balls into thirty pieces.
“Ahem! Well, it seems my friend has a crush on you. Just checking.”
Friend?
I glanced at the two women walking ahead.
We only met today, so his “friend” must be one of them… or not.
“Is it really a friend?”
“Huh? Of course it’s a friend!”
Does this gay bastard think I’m too dumb to notice?
Usually, “my friend likes you” stories are 99% about the speaker themselves.
“It’s definitely not me crushing on you or some girl…”
“Enough.”
I shut down Jace’s rambling. No point listening further.
Since we’d be clearing gates together for a month, I decided to give him a light warning.
“I don’t care who this ‘friend’ is, but tell them if they try anything sloppy, I’ll dice their privates into pieces.”
I said to pass it on, but he should know it’s a warning for him.
Jace stared at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes.
Ignoring him, I walked out of the gate.
After Minhoo and the Ice Flame party exchanged brief greetings, Minhoo left immediately.
Yura, gazing wistfully at his back, poked Jace’s side and asked eagerly,
“Jace! What’d he say? Huh? Does he have a girlfriend?”
“…”
“Huh? Huh? Why aren’t you answering? Does he or not?”
I want one too.
Swallowing his true thoughts, Jace left as well.
A week into her job at the Hunter Association, the new receptionist, a beastkin with cat ears and a tail named Shine, was tapping away at her phone after a long day.
==
Hello! ^^
I’m Shine, the receptionist assigned as Hunter Minhoo Seol’s exclusive contact! ^^
From now on, you don’t need to bother contacting the Association directly—just reach out to me, and I’ll handle everything smoothly. ^^
Since Hunter Minhoo Seol is my only assigned hunter, tasks like party recruitment or mana stone settlements can be processed the same day you contact me! ^^
I’ll always do my best, so please take care of me! ^^
==
Haa.
Pressing [Send], Shine let out a sigh.
“She told me to handle it and I even processed the exclusive assignment, and now she’s throwing a fit? Like I wanted to do this.”
Grumbling to herself, she heard a notification.
Ding!
Checking her phone, Shine tapped the screen.
==
[C-rank Minhoo Seol]
I’m heading over to settle mana stones now.
==
“Oh, come on! I was about to leave, and this clueless jerk! Sure, I said I’d handle tasks anytime, but… Ugh, whatever! So annoying!”
Shine ruffled her rare black hair and scowled.
“Not only is he C-rank, but a male exclusive client…”
She’d heard the rumors about Minhoo from her seniors.
A guy with a cursed mask so disgusting it made people gag just looking at it.
But she didn’t care about some mask.
Her real issue was that Hunter Minhoo Seol was a man.
She never showed it, but Shine was an extreme misandrist.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have gone undercover as a receptionist… I should’ve just registered as a hunter…’
“Are you Receptionist Shine? I’m here to settle mana stones.”
“…!?”
Shine’s ears perked up as she looked up from her bowed head.
‘What the hell? Already here?’
Forcing herself to stay calm, she put on her professional smile and looked up at the man.
‘Uh…?’
Time seemed to stop.
Thump! Thump!
Her heart raced wildly, and her body grew hot.
‘Huh? What…?’
One second, two seconds, three seconds after meeting his eyes.
Shine’s entire body flushed red, and she collapsed, fainting on the spot.