WOSCH 06

Chapter – 06

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Ah, yes! They always pass by around this time, but they’re a little late today.”

The customer holding the freshly baked bungeoppang anxiously looked around.

Apparently, there was someone they desperately wanted to give this delicious bungeoppang to.

‘Young love.’

Watching them anxiously shifting from foot to foot because they wanted to give it to the person before it got cold naturally brought a fond smile to my face. I found myself wondering who the lucky person receiving that bungeoppang would be.

“Ah! There they are!”

Not long after, the customer’s face lit up. Then they ran toward someone and suddenly held out the bag of bungeoppang as if confessing their feelings.

“R-Ria Hunter! Please have this!”

…The person they wanted to give it to was Ria Hunter?

Her name was Ria Minogue, and she wore her wheat-colored hair tied high in a ponytail. She was an elite offensive-type Hunter belonging to Team 1, led by Hunter Lee Hyun-woo.

Her mother was Korean, so she spoke Korean fluently, and her beautiful appearance was contrasted by her cold personality. And there was one more thing that stood out about her.

‘She said she came to Korea to see Hunter Lee Hyun-woo, right?’

When asked why an A-rank Hunter from Australia had come to Korea, she had confidently given that answer.

<Australian A-rank Ria Minogue: “I came to Korea to see an S-rank Hunter!”>

<“I want to see Hunter Lee Hyun-woo.” Shy Confession from Ria Minogue>

A flood of articles had poured out over just one remark from her. For a while, if you searched her name, ‘Lee Hyun-woo’ would immediately appear as a related search term.

Of course, it was later revealed that, contrary to the reporters’ speculation, it wasn’t admiration or fandom that had brought her to Korea. It was her competitive desire to test her skills against him.

Regardless, it was true that many people admired her for her straightforward manner of speaking and her bold ambition to challenge an S-rank Hunter.

“Hmm, thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

She looked at the woman standing before her with a flushed face and holding out the bag of bungeoppang. Ria calmly accepted the bag.

She merely gave a small nod without any noticeable change in expression, making it seem as though she was quite accustomed to situations like this.

As soon as Ria Hunter disappeared from sight, the Hunter who had given her the gift staggered slightly.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

“What are you talking about? You were perfect!”

Her shy appearance really did resemble a fangirl meeting her favorite celebrity for the first time. Seeing her excitedly chatter with a flushed face was so cute that I let out a small laugh.

At my laughter, Ha-nyang tilted her head as if wondering what was going on.

“A Hunter who’s loved by other Hunters. That’s amazing, don’t you think?”

“Who? That girl from earlier, nya?”

“Yeah. I heard she’s incredibly skilled, and apparently she never skips her training either. She must be very strict with herself.”

You can’t know anything just by looking at someone’s appearance, nya.

Ha-nyang muttered those meaningful words while staring intently in the direction Ria Hunter had disappeared.

“Why? Is there something bothering you?”

“Who knows, nya….”

Ha-nyang hesitated unusually before speaking.

“That girl is having a very hard time right now, nya.”

Having a hard time? Ria Hunter?

I was curious, but Ha-nyang tightly closed her mouth without saying anything more.

“What? You can’t make me curious and then tell me nothing!”

“Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll find out soon enough, nya.”

I secretly glared at Ha-nyang so she wouldn’t notice.

‘It’s not like I can read minds! How am I supposed to know why she’s having a hard time?’

But as time passed, I too began to feel something strange whenever I looked at Ria Hunter.

“Please give me the same flavor as last time.”

“Yes! One red-bean bungeoppang, correct?”

Apparently, she had liked the bungeoppang she received as a gift quite a lot, because Ria Hunter would occasionally line up at the shop.

But while waiting for her bungeoppang, she suddenly frowned and pressed her eyelids firmly.

‘She must be tired again today.’

She seemed determined not to reveal the state of her body, putting on a calm expression.

However, she couldn’t hide the dark circles beneath her eyes or the red veins in the whites of them.

She looked as though she hadn’t been able to sleep properly for at least a week.

“Hunter, are you going to train again today?”

“You have to keep your body moving every day if you want to improve your skills.”

She answered in a firm voice.

But that firmness didn’t sound like an answer to my question.

It sounded more like an order directed at herself.

As if she were casting a spell that forced her exhausted body to keep moving.

“…You really are amazing.”

I answered as though I were admiring her, but she looked like she needed rest more than anyone else.

However, I knew nothing about her situation, so it wasn’t my place to carelessly offer advice.

I swallowed down the words of concern that had risen all the way to my throat.

“Here’s your red-bean bungeoppang. It’s hot, so please be careful when you eat it.”

Instead, I quickly wrapped up the golden-brown bungeoppang and handed it to her.

But just as she reached out to take the bag—

“Ah.”

Ria Hunter staggered slightly.

Apparently dizzy, she placed a hand against her head, closed her eyes, and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Hunter! Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

She quickly returned to her usual expression and accepted the bag.

Once again, it seemed obvious that what she desperately needed was rest.

“Hunter, perhaps you should get some rest…”

“There’s no time to rest leisurely.”

She firmly shook her head at my cautious suggestion.

Then, as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation, she immediately turned around and walked toward the Management Bureau.

‘Is she really okay?’

She had been dizzy enough to stagger, yet she was going straight to training.

I muttered as I watched her retreating figure.

“…Somehow, she looks like she’s barely holding together.”

Ding—

At that moment, an unprompted status window suddenly appeared before my eyes.

MISSION

: Nights Without Sleep

Unlock a special effect for a Hunter who has forgotten how to enjoy peaceful rest.

• Target: Ria Minogue
• Status (Danger): Insomnia, accumulated fatigue, anxiety
• Required Material: 20 Solsol Grass

Reward: 1,000P

Failure: Unable to unlock special effect (Permanent)

A mission appeared all of a sudden?

Unlock a special effect?

But apparently, Ria Hunter’s condition was quite serious, because her status was marked in red as ‘Danger.’

“So I can solve Ria Hunter’s problem?”

It seemed that if I obtained something called Solsol Grass or whatever it was, I could give her a special effect….

As I blankly blinked at the screen, Ha-nyang spoke.

“The mission finally appeared, nya?”

“You knew about the mission?”

“Hmph. Didn’t I tell you that you’d soon have a chance to obtain points, nya?”

Only then did I notice the reward section at the bottom.

The reward for completing the mission was points.

And not just a small amount—1,000 points.

If I converted that into money…

Gasp!

“R-Really? It gives me this much? Just for bringing back some grass?”

“These points can’t be exchanged for human currency, so stop dreaming, nya.”

“…Oh, right.”

I thought I was about to become rich right away.

Still, with 1,000 points, I could buy the bungeoppang mold I wanted from Jeoseung-i.com and still have enough left over to buy other things.

It wasn’t a bad reward.

No, actually, it was exactly the reward I needed.

“But Solsol Grass? I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

To complete the mission, I had to obtain something called ‘Solsol Grass,’ but even the name was completely unfamiliar.

I couldn’t find any information about it even when I searched on NeXX.

“Select the system window, nya.”

Following Ha-nyang’s advice, I clicked on Solsol Grass.

The screen changed, and a long description appeared.

Solsol Grass

: A magical sleeping grass that makes you irresistibly sleepy. Its stems have a bluish-silver hue, while its leaves are round and fluffy like clouds.

• Habitat: Gate ‘Red Plains’ [Enter]
• (Image)

Wait.

I rubbed my eyes as I read the description.

“Do I have to enter a Gate to obtain this material?”

Ha-nyang nodded as if I had just asked the most obvious question in the world.

I stared at her in shock.

I’m F-rank!

How could I possibly enter a Gate with these stats?