RFH Chapter 17

Episode 17

At those words, Min Hyemi's face turned pale.

Wait a minute, could it be that the 'world' he's talking about...?

- Don’t worry, it’s not the world you were in.

Yoo Seongtae’s voice followed as if he had noticed her anxiety.

- As the world gradually opens up, the power to interfere with other worlds also increases. So, this is just a rehearsal. It won't cause you any harm.

"You're saying the world is connecting, but there’s no harm?"

- Hmm, well, of course, monsters based on that will start to pop up and society will fall into chaos... but anyway, that’s a problem for battle hunters to deal with, right? You don’t really need to do anything special!

Yoo Seongtae's voice was so cheerful that Min Hyemi suddenly felt the urge to hit him.

How could it be fine with monsters popping up...?

"Why are you telling me this in advance?"

- Take a look and decide for yourself.

Yoo Seongtae said in a relaxed tone.

- Watch how we take revenge on the world. If you like it, you can join us then.

With those words, the phone call ended.

Min Hyemi looked at her phone in disbelief.

"This crazy...!"

What she needed to do now was obvious.

She needed to report this to headquarters and ask for their cooperation. After that, the battle hunters would handle the monsters.

"Wait, but why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

And her bad feeling turned out to be right.

[Mid-Quest: 'Find the Savior']

[Stop the connection of the worlds!]

[Reward: 1/3 hint about the 'Savior']

"Wait, how am I supposed to stop it?"

Now, she couldn’t contain her anger towards the system.

If it’s going to be like this, at least give me an SSS-grade ability or something. What am I supposed to do with this kind of power to stop it?

"Argh! I don't care about the Savior or anything!"

After letting out a scream of anger at the system, she jumped out of the bathtub.

For now, she planned to report the situation to headquarters as originally planned.

***

"Did you receive a call from Exodus?"

Min Hyemi was summoned to headquarters in the middle of the night.

In front of her were many people seated. They all had stunned faces, as if struck by a bolt from the blue in the middle of the night.

"Why to Hyemi...?"

"Well, that's strange..."

The people here included high-ranking officials, the security team’s first division hunters, and a calm Lee Ruri, whom Min Hyemi had called for emotional support.

Seeing Lee Ruri puffing up her cheeks, Min Hyemi felt a little more at ease.

"They usually approach people who have had unfortunate experiences in other worlds... Wasn’t the leader of the recovery team one of those?"

At that moment, Min Hyemi hesitated to speak, but someone interrupted and answered instead.

"It seems they were from a crime fiction romance."

"Ah, I see."

Min Hyemi looked at Seon Jejun with slightly surprised eyes. It seemed like he was trying to be considerate about her past.

Although others' kindness was a bit burdensome, she thought it was better to remain quiet for now.

"Crime fiction?"

Han Ian looked puzzled. Seeing that expression, it seemed like she would have to explain herself soon.

"Have you traced the number?"

"The cell phone was abandoned."

"Well, of course... Is there any way to stop the world connection?"

A government official asked, and a researcher quickly responded.

"After measuring the fracture’s waves, we found an unusual flow. It seems like a hole might open up here."

"Where is it?"

"It's in the Gangwon-do area."

"We should check it out. If the fracture opens, be on standby to fight."

"Yes, the Security Team 1 will prepare."

Kwon Anna said in a calm voice.

At that, Min Hyemi nervously checked the quest. It seemed like she would need to contribute to stopping that fracture… What should she do?

While she was thinking, Lee Ruri tilted her head.

"Hmm, but since you said you’d show it to Hyemi, there’s also the possibility that someone from Exodus might come to see you."

Everyone's gaze turned to Lee Ruri at her absurd remark, but she didn’t seem to mind.

"Aren’t you supposed to be prepared too, Hyemi-chan?"

Surprisingly, that was quite helpful advice for Min Hyemi. She quickly nodded.

"I’ll go to where the fracture is opening. If an Exodus member comes looking for me, it would be better to have the Security Team 1 hunters nearby, right?"

"Well, if that’s what you want."

A high-ranking official who had no interest in Min Hyemi's safety waved his hand nonchalantly.

On the other hand, Kwon Anna looked at her with worried eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay? You were kidnapped recently... Maybe it’s better to stay somewhere safe."

"They keep trying to recruit me… so I feel like they might find me wherever I am."

"…Then we’ll protect you as safely as possible."

Kwon Anna's eyes showed a firm determination.

As expected of Kwon Anna. Min Hyemi felt grateful for her intense sense of responsibility.

***

That night, they immediately moved to the location where the energy flow was converging.

It was a mountain in Gangwon-do, and after lighting lanterns and unexpectedly hiking, they discovered a large hole in the air.

"It looks like something is going to come out of here."

Kang Jinhyuk spoke in a sarcastic tone.

The hole was dark inside, so they couldn’t see what was inside.

Soon, their eyes caught a system window floating in front of the fracture.

[Information: World of ■■■]

[This is from the world of ■■■. If things inside come out, humanity will not be able to handle it and will be destroyed.]

"Destroyed?"

Does this mean an enormous monster will emerge that even S-rank hunters can't stop?

Their faces became serious.

『However, if you enter the fracture in advance and retrieve the memories of ■■■, you can prevent the fracture from opening.

The fracture will open in 21:25:59』

"Damn it."

Kwon Anna muttered with a darkened face.

"There's less than a day left. This is basically no different from a mission in a dungeon."

"Well, what’s the problem?"

Kang Jinhyuk responded in a voice that showed no fear.

"We’ve completed hundreds of missions so far. This shouldn’t be hard."

"But we need to retrieve memories."

"Retrieving them is easy."

"You said you abandoned injured people in your world, right?"

At Kwon Anna’s remark, Kang Jinhyuk closed his mouth.

'Typical of a male-oriented protagonist, such great character.'

Min Hyemi briefly admired his character.

"Shall we go in now? Or maybe one of us should stay outside just in case?"

Han Ian suggested, but Kwon Anna shook her head.

"No, look at the text below."

[Entrance Conditions]

- 2 people

- Title <Returnee> required

- Mental grade <S> or higher

"I can’t go."

Kwon Anna, who wasn’t a Returnee, took a step back.

"My mental grade isn’t that high. What about Kang Jinhyuk Hunter?"

Han Ian shrugged his shoulders and asked.

"I’m grade A."

Kang Jinhyuk replied.

At that moment, Min Hyemi’s thoughts were shaken by a sudden realization.

Wait a minute, is this...?

"Seon Jejun, what’s your mental grade?"

"SS."

"........"

Only Seon Jejun and she herself could meet the conditions here.

But a weak D-grade hunter like herself, having to enter the fracture with Seon Jejun alone? Again?

"Hyemi, are you okay?"

Noticing the situation, Kwon Anna turned to her and asked.

"There’s still time, we could bring another hunter. Maybe there are other Returnees with an S-grade mental level in the headquarters."

"For example, Lee Ruri…"

"Yes?"

"As far as I know, besides Seon Jejun, the only Returnees with an S-grade mental level are me and Ruri. That’s why we were assigned to the body disposal unit…"

However, would she really send Ruri, who was crazy, into the fracture?

"Well, this teddy bear will protect me!"

"Oh, right. How does the skill work again?"

It would be better to go in herself than to watch such a ridiculous scene...

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