Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Super Hunter K (3)

"You said you made a bet with the PD of Super Hunter K?"

"Yes."

"Not a fight, but a bet?"

When I averted my gaze slightly, Shin Ah-yeon-ssi laughed as if she found it absurd.

"You said you were going to a meeting, so why did you come back after fighting? Did something happen?"

"Well..."

I didn't really have anything to say, so my words trailed off.

'I really was planning to just quietly attend the meeting and come back.'

I had expected, to some extent, that PD Do Yung-sun would come at me aggressively.

He would think it was influenced by PD Jung Jun-su, so he wouldn't see me in a good light.

'According to PD Jung, he himself was going to make the proposal, but apparently the idea came first from the higher-ups.'

Instead, the condition was that Shin Ah-yeon would also appear on Super Hunter K.

Maybe not much, but they wanted her to take on at least a judge or mentor role for the participating hunters.

Since, in fact, a-rank or higher hunters had often appeared as mentors on Super Hunter K.

If S-rank hunter Shin Ah-yeon appeared as a mentor, they must have thought it would also become a big issue.

"I wasn't the one who started the fight, it was..."

"You weren't?"

"... No, forget it."

"Ugh, you're making me really curious."

Looking up at me with a sullen face, Ah-yeon made me chuckle.

Whenever she looked up at me like this, her somewhat cat-like eyes stood out even more.

The mysterious thing was that, despite her rather sharp eyes, she didn't come across as having a strong personality.

Rather, she gave off a gentle impression.

'The attention people are giving her now is only temporary. Shin Ah-yeon? Wasn't she an old, washed-up hunter finished three years ago? She's popular for now, but it'll pass. A hunter should prove themselves with ability. She just got lucky with the Dungeon Exploration Team, but how long will that last? Even if she flaunts her name as a hunter, it'll only backfire in the end.'

PD Do Yung-sun was one of the few people who knew Shin Ah-yeon had to retire after her mana hole malfunctioned.

He seemed to think Shin Ah-yeon's achievements with the Dungeon Exploration Team had been either sheer luck or some trick.

Since in the modern world, once a mana hole was cracked or broken, recovery was impossible, it was a reasonable assumption.

Still, it didn't mean I could tolerate his remarks.

'Besides, do you think Unique participating in Super Hunter K can pull off anything? There's no special training know-how, so I doubt any hunters will look to Unique's side. It'd be better to step back quietly before embarrassing yourselves.'

Do Yung-sun's relentless words cleanly erased my thought of trying to be accommodating to him.

'Then let's make a bet.'

That's why I blurted it out in the heat of the moment.

Of course, I didn't regret it.

If anything, thinking of Do Yung-sun's dumbfounded expression was quite amusing.

'We'll see about that.'

I knew PD Do Yung-sun had some clout at HSN.

But I wasn't particularly worried.

If he truly had ability, he would understand the value of the upcoming broadcast better than anyone.

The value of the Dungeon Exploration Team Part 2 airing today.

"But what if it's disappointing compared to the expectations?"

"That won't happen. PD Jung's editing is absolutely masterful."

"Ah, I wish I could've used some showier magic."

Ah-yeon seemed to regret not being able to use the flashy magic she'd wielded in her days as a Great Mage, as she murmured while watching the TV, which was still playing ads.

"Really? Personally, I think what you did now will make an even bigger impact."

"... Ah. Well, that may be true."

The magic she used to defeat the enhanced troll this time was circle magic nonexistent on Earth.

The average viewer wouldn't have a clue, but anyone slightly interested in magic would notice.

Especially in the magic world, it was hard to predict what kind of reaction would come.

Of course, no one could do anything about Ah-yeon, who had the title of one of only seven Archmages in the world, but being pestered was something she couldn't avoid.

Besides, that wasn't even the important issue right now.

"... Hey, Shin Ah-yeon."

"Yes?"

"Don't tell me, are you seriously planning to stay here and watch the broadcast tonight?"

"Can't I?"

"It's not that you can't..."

Ah-yeon, munching on shrimp crackers, was the very image of composure.

She made me feel like the odd one out for being flustered.

"Ah-yeon-ssi~, are you going to have dinner here?"

At that moment, a kind-faced woman peeked into the living room and smiled warmly.

"Oh, yes, thank you!"

"Oh, it's nothing. My son owes you, so of course I'd do at least this much."

The gentle-faced woman... In other words, my mother, shot me a smile and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Watching how strangely well those two got along left me feeling dumbfounded.

'I didn't expect her to just show up at my house like this.'

Last time, since it was the first broadcast, everyone gathered at the Unique office, but for Part 2, everyone planned to watch comfortably at home.

I, too, had come to my parents' house for the first time in a while, planning to help my mother and watch the show comfortably.

But I never expected this one to show up.

As I looked at her with half-lidded eyes reflecting my mood, Ah-yeon, perhaps feeling a bit guilty, grumbled.

"It's scary to watch alone. If the response turns out bad when it airs, it'll be hard to handle."

"But isn't it more difficult to just show up at a stranger's house out of nowhere?"

I wish she'd just be either timid or bold, not both.

That way, I could at least predict what she was going to do.

"How is it that you're a stranger, oppa? Of course, I didn't expect you to still live with your parents, though."

"This is my family home, not my studio apartment, so of course. But how did you even find out my family's address?"

"Oh, well, I... used a tracking spell..."

At that, Ah-yeon trailed off.

"... I didn't, of course; I simply asked the President."

"When did you ever use a tracking spell on me?"

"I told you, I asked the President."

"President Choi doesn't know my parents' address."

When I signed my Unique contract, I gave my studio apartment address, so there's no way the company would know my family home.

"Ah, Ah, the show's starting!"

Ah-yeon blatantly changed the subject, shifting her gaze.

I thought about pressing her, but since I was actually impressed, I let it go for now.

'So when she seemed to be using magic on me before, it was tracking magic, huh.'

It didn't seem like dangerous magic, so I'd let it go—but I'd never imagined it was tracking magic.

After all, tracking magic requires mastering the 4th circle.

'She's already mastered up to the 4th circle, huh...'

Tracking magic may appear simple, but it's more advanced than it seems.

First, it needs to be cast so the target doesn't notice, and the effective range also varies greatly by caster.

'That means...does she have a range over 10km?'

She'd tracked me from Gangnam to Yeongdeungpo, so that might be the case.

Judging by her nonchalant expression, she could probably manage an even greater distance.

Well, I could look into this in more detail later...

「What are you all standing around for!」

For now, I should focus on the broadcast that just started.

***

The broadcast, starting with Shin Ah-yeon's sharp cry, was filled with a tense, ominous atmosphere unlike Part 1.

Naturally, the viewers, caught up in the tension, couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"That's a real situation, right?"

"I thought there weren't any major accidents?"

Soo-ah, having come to the neighborhood soup restaurant for dinner, found herself watching the Dungeon Exploration Team broadcast that was airing.

'Ah, right. Today's the broadcast, isn't it.'

She had completely forgotten, thinking she hadn't played much of a role anyway.

But unlike herself, the people in the restaurant couldn't take their eyes off the small TV.

It struck her just how much of a sensation Dungeon Exploration Team had become.

The Ah-yeon on TV was the very hunter Soo-ah had dreamed of becoming.

With an A-rank monster appearing and everyone frozen in fear, she was the only one to move, saving a hunter in mortal danger.

「... From now on, don't move until I give instructions.」

At her firm voice, the hunters followed her instructions without question.

Even though Hunter Kim Dong-hwan was officially the leader for this Dungeon Exploration Team, it was natural that they all started following her lead.

'Is she really the same kind of hunter as me?'

The steaming soondae soup was set in front of her, but she couldn't tear her gaze from the TV.

It felt very different watching it compared to seeing it firsthand at the scene.

Back then, Soo-ah had been so nervous and shaking she hadn't even seen what Ah-yeon was doing.

Yet while she was trembling, Ah-yeon had commanded numerous hunters, efficiently defeating the monsters.

With her instruction, the ground split open; following her lead, the hunters charged at the monsters.

For the most dangerous enhanced troll, she created a bubble around its head, filled it with water, and drowned it.

No matter how great a troll's regenerative abilities, it couldn't survive without breathing.

"Wow, Shin Ah-yeon's not out of the game yet."

"She took down an A-rank monster so easily? When I saw the Sword King last time, he had to slice at it over and over."

"I heard she couldn't use magic anymore, but that was all nonsense."

The people at the soup restaurant couldn't help but admire Shin Ah-yeon, who subdued the A-rank monster with ease and saved the hunters.

PD Jung Jun-su's flashy editing arranged Shin Ah-yeon's face so it looked almost like a pictorial, beautifully done.

Anyone who saw this broadcast would never again call Shin Ah-yeon washed-up.

Soo-ah could relate.

When she first heard Ah-yeon was joining the Dungeon Exploration Team, she'd thought of her as someone in a similar position.

Like herself, who had a disability from magic power differentiation, she'd thought Shin Ah-yeon, whose mana hole was damaged, was a half-worthless hunter unable to use magic.

No, in fact, she'd even considered herself better off.

'But that wasn't true.'

Absurd as it was, she even felt betrayed, as if she'd been deceived.

Had the story about her mana hole being destroyed been a lie all along?

The magic Shin Ah-yeon showed on TV might have been less flashy, but she'd still defeated an A-rank monster with ease.

Things that would be utterly impossible if her mana hole was truly broken.

「Team leader? Actually, this was my first time commanding other hunters. So honestly, I was really nervous. Did it show?」

Just then, Ah-yeon's interview appeared on TV.

An interview segment inserted during the Dungeon Exploration Team broadcast.

Till now, Shin Ah-yeon had never appeared in a single interview, so this segment was a late addition.

Looking somewhat unfamiliar with the format, perhaps because it had been three years since her last broadcast, Ah-yeon appeared awkward.

「Certainly, three years ago, we never saw you step forward and command like this. Did something change for you?」

At this, Shin Ah-yeon laughed sheepishly.

「I play online games a lot. I have some experience being the raid leader in games, so...」

「Pardon?」

Flustered by this, the MC prompted, and Ah-yeon's face flushed bright red as she added it was a joke.

But thinking of the way she'd recently become a hot topic in online communities, it might not even have been a lie.

'Is leading a raid a few times in a game really the same as leading a real dungeon team?'

A truly talented person really is different in everything.

With this thought, Soo-ah was about to scoop up a big bite of her soondae soup.

「Honestly, three years ago I thought my hunter life was over.」

Ah-yeon's voice, speaking such words with ease, made Soo-ah's spoon stop midair.

「I don't know if you heard, but my mana hole was destroyed because of the rift incident three years ago. To be honest, I'd thought of just retiring and maybe streaming online.」

「Seriously, is that another joke?」

「No, it's true.」

So her mana hole really was broken?

Soo-ah stared at the TV in confusion.

So how was she supposed to explain what Shin Ah-yeon used to defeat the A-rank monster?

「Honestly, I don't think I could have overcome it alone. But one day, that person came to me.」

「That person?」

「Yes, he's my current manager.」

Soo-ah immediately deduced that the manager was Park Jung-woo.

「When I was recovering my mana hole, my manager helped me a lot. I thought it was impossible, but he said I could do it.」

After a short, calming breath, Ah-yeon spoke steadily.

Her clear eyes shone on the screen.

To Soo-ah, it was as if those eyes were focused directly on her.

「My manager would never say something he couldn't keep. That's why I believed him.」

Then, with a bright smile, Ah-yeon added, "I have an excellent eye for people, you know."

Soo-ah simply stared blankly at her words and her face.

Until her hot soup had gone cold, she simply remained dazed, unable to look away.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
It's a simple chapter. Nothing much happened, but I still like it.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】