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Episode 5
***
The next day, Min Hyemi heard the news, 'Although the Hunters of Security Team 1 successfully defended the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, they failed to capture the key members of the intruders.'
'Well, it’s none of my business.'
That’s what she thought as she turned off her alarm in the morning.
The headquarters had been attacked the previous day.
So, what was she supposed to do now? Take a day off? Get a health check-up?
Wrong on all counts.
'The correct answer is to go to work!'
Yes, she had to go to work today as well.
Just because the headquarters had been attacked didn’t mean monsters would stop appearing in the world. Hunters would keep fighting them as always, and she would have to deal with the aftermath.
The only difference was that she’d be waiting at home on standby instead of going to the office.
Sitting on her bed, Min Hyemi blinked a few times as she received information about the site she had to visit today.
And then, her face turned pale as she realized something.
'Wait a minute… my car got totaled!'
During the attack on the headquarters, her car, which had been parked in the lot, was also damaged. Of course, the headquarters would cover the repair costs, but...
'Does that mean I have to take public transportation today?'
She absolutely hated taking public transportation. And the reason was very simple...
'Damn it…'
She dragged herself out of bed as if heading off to her doom.
***
"Hyemi-chan, you’re late!"
"Ughhh…"
Only after she arrived at the site did Min Hyemi finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The site was cordoned off, with the area cleared of people due to the scattered remains of monsters.
'I never thought I’d be so happy to see monster corpses…'
As she looked at the blood-soaked scene with eyes full of gratitude, Lee Ruri tilted her head and asked:
"Hyemi-chan, did something happen?"
"Oh, just a triple confession ambush and seven people asking for my number…"
That was right. Even without using the <Genre Shift> skill, Min Hyemi was an incredibly beautiful and captivating woman.
Before she had fallen into the world of high-risk romance fantasies, she already had a beautiful face. However, her time in that world had further enhanced her aura.
As a result, whenever she went to crowded places, she constantly encountered people who would approach her, professing their affection.
"Argh! Don’t confess to someone you just met, you lunatics!"
"Hehh…"
"Why would you ask for my number when I’m walking around with a scowl on my face? Can’t you take a hint?!"
She vented her frustration in a rapid string of complaints.
It was clear—she hated people.
The only reason she got along relatively well with her teammates in the Corpse Disposal Unit was that none of them showed any interest in her appearance.
Lee Ruri was a narcissist, Kim Chan-neul was a soccer-obsessed maniac, and Jung Yeseul was more interested in the unique artistic beauty found in indie films than in objective physical beauty.
"But Ruri, doesn’t this ever happen to you? You’re a former school idol, after all. Surely as an idol, you’ve had experiences like being cast on the street or something?"
If she was the only one experiencing these things, she wouldn’t be able to stand it out of sheer frustration.
"Eh, not really… Oh! There was that time I performed with the busking band ‘Girl Japan Rock Band!’"
"……...."
"And Chan-neul always joins any soccer club he sees while walking by! Everyone says they’re amazed by his skills!"
"…..…."
"Oh, and Yeseul-chan always lights cigarettes for women by touching hers to theirs… What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Ugh…"
Of course, she was the only one dealing with these issues.
And Yeseul, please… just stop.
Suddenly, Min Hyemi felt overwhelmed by her unfair and pitiful reality.
'If only I were stronger, things might be different.'
If she were known as an S-rank Hunter, people would avoid her out of fear. No one would dare to treat her lightly.
But she was, at best, a D-rank Hunter, and sometimes it was a struggle just to deal with the stalkers who followed her.
"Maybe I should just become Nietzsche and kill God…"
***
That night, Min Hyemi made up her mind to truly kill God.
The reason was simple.
"Ugh, this is happening again!"
After returning home on public transportation, she found herself dealing with yet another stalker—her nth one (n > 10).*
At this point, she had lost count of how many stalkers had targeted her.
How did she catch this stalker?
She had been through this so many times before that she had scraped together all her money to install an expensive security artifact in front of her house.
"Is it you again, Ms. Hyemi?"
"Ah, yes…"
Min Hyemi wore an awkward expression as she watched the police arrive to apprehend the stalker.
She could sense the weariness in the police officers’ eyes as they looked at her.
'If only I were a stronger Hunter…'
Although she wanted to live a simple, ordinary life, these experiences inevitably made her wish she were stronger.
Fortunately, because she worked as a Hunter for the Disaster Countermeasures Safety Headquarters, the police treated her with some level of courtesy.
If she were a powerless civilian, they would only begin their investigation after the incident had already escalated.
"This is exhausting."
"……...."
Hearing the police’s departing comment, Min Hyemi bit her lip in frustration.
'I hate this.'
She hated people. She really, truly hated them.
'I just want to get stronger so I can knock all of them on the head!'
As she prayed for strength, it happened.
[Quest Received!]
"Huh?"
A translucent window appeared before her eyes.
"This is…"
Min Hyemi immediately recognized what was happening. She had heard stories of others who had experienced this phenomenon.
"A random quest!"
A very small number of people were given quests by the system, and completing them was said to make them stronger.
It was through this system that Seon Jejun of Security Team 1 and the freelance S-rank Hunter Park Joomi had both become so powerful!
Hope gleamed in her eyes.
Could it be that the system had granted her wish to grow stronger?
[Balance Game!]
[Live your life dealing with stalkers vs. Complete the quest and grow stronger]
"……...."
Min Hyemi fell into deep thought. Normally, one would choose the latter option, but…
"There’s no way this is going to be a normal quest, right?"*
What if, as befitting her background, it turned out to be some sort of romance quest? Something along those lines.
In that case, it might be better to stay weak and live as she had been.
"No."
But soon, she steeled herself. She couldn’t live her life being bombarded with confessions, stalkers, and random flirtations anymore.
She recalled the police officer who had chastised her earlier.
What she needed was a strength that no one could ignore.
"Alright."
She selected 'Complete the quest and grow stronger.'
Once again, a burst of light appeared, and the quest window popped up.
[Congratulations! You have been selected as a quest participant!]
[Complete five stages of quests to upgrade your rank from D to S!]*
"……...!"
A quest that guaranteed her S-rank status if she succeeded.
Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of being able to knock out all the people who had made her life miserable.
From now on, if a stalker showed up, she wouldn’t call the police—she’d handle it herself.
However, after checking the quest details, Min Hyemi’s face twisted in displeasure.
[First Quest!]
[Find your savior.]
[Identify the person who saved your life!]
"What the hell is this?"
Who could possibly have saved her life up until now?
She had always been the one to save herself.
"Seriously, that’s the truth."
She had lived a relatively harsh life as an orphan.
So who was supposed to be her savior? A sponsor for her orphanage? The director of the orphanage? The social workers?
"What nonsense about a savior… Wait a minute."
At that moment, something dawned on her, and her face turned pale.
"This is a romance plot."
As a returnee from a high-risk romance fantasy, she had read plenty of romance novels.
And if she were the heroine of a romance novel, the next development was obvious!
Somehow, she had forgotten, but it would turn out that someone had saved her in the past.
And that person’s identity would be… gasp, surprisingly!
'Scenario one: One of the Hunters from Security Team 1.'
Min Hyemi lives a happy and successful life with a strong Hunter by her side!
'Scenario two: Those damned people from the other world cross over here.'
Min Hyemi ends up back in a high-risk romance fantasy as their obsessive heroine!
'Scenario three: Someone from the criminal organization Exodus.'
Min Hyemi lives with a strong, obsessive partner and somehow gets by!
Of course, it had to be one of these ridiculous developments.
This quest was clearly designed to turn her into a romance fantasy heroine!
"Which plotline is this? It better not be the green house or the blue house, right?"*
If she had a choice, she hoped it would be the far-removed yellow house, away from anything high-risk. Please, let it be that.
đŧ;
*(n>10) She has had more than 10 stalkers in the past.
*The blue house, green house, and yellow house likely refer to metaphorical or symbolic representations of different plotlines or scenarios in a romance fantasy story. Each house could represent a specific type of narrative trope or path commonly found in the genre. Here's a possible interpretation:
*Blue House
- The blue color might symbolize a serious or dramatic storyline, potentially involving themes like power struggles, royal intrigue, or tragedy.
*Green House
- Green often symbolizes growth, jealousy, or entanglements, suggesting a storyline with love triangles, rivalries, or complicated relationships.
*Yellow House
- Yellow might symbolize safety, warmth, or simplicity, suggesting a more relaxed, lighthearted, or low-risk storyline.
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