Seo-ah scratched her chin. “Um, don’t you think having me picked up from my house is a bit overprotective?”
“Pffft. To be honest, I sort of do? But there must be a reason for this.”
She knew from their last conversation that she was important to Yoo Ji-an, as strange as that seemed for someone as aloof as him.
“Oh, and now the Hunters’ Guild will be conscious of your existence, so I can’t take an eye off the situation.”
“…But I won’t go to anyone else, though? I will keep my promise to the Sun Guild.”
“Please do. I’d appreciate that.” Han Seok-hyun tilted his head. “Truthfully, I don’t know much about you except that you’re a necessary existence for Ji-an and other S-class hunters. He didn’t tell me anything other than that.”
Seo-ah was mildly surprised. The two seemed quite close.
“Could you please tell me a bit more about yourself? So that we can design the training plan better?”
“Oh, sure. But before that…”
“Go ahead.”
“How much will the training package cost? Is it very expensive?”
“What?” He looked at her with a confused expression.
“You can deduct the amount from what I’ll receive after raids. Is it more than ten million won? The Hunters’ Guild’s package was 9.99 million.”
“Ah.” Han Seok-hyun burst into a fit of laughter, one that didn’t stop even as he started the car.
“Wh-why are you laughing?”
“Sorry, sorry. Originally, we charge external trainees, but since Ms. Park Seo-ah is a special case, you will not have to pay anything.
“Really? That’s a relief.”
It had been on her mind the entire time because she wasn’t a member of the guild.
Han Seok-hyun glanced at her. “So, what are your abilities? The ones unrelated to you being a healer, at least.”
“Mr. Yoo Ji-an told me to keep it a secret.”
“He did? I see. Well, you don’t have to tell me then,” he accepted quickly.
“…I’m sorry. I’ll tell you about it next time if I can.”
In time, the two got off the car in front of the Sun Guild’s building—a glittering, 88-story high-rise located in the middle of Gangnam.
“Ms. Park Seo-ah, what kind of training do you want? Do you want to further develop your abilities as a healer?”
“First of all, physical training. My legs were aching the other day because I walked for a long time during the raid.
“Your legs hurt from walking for a long time? Are you injured?” He urgently examined her legs.
“Oh, no… I’m not. My muscles just… Doesn’t everyone get sore muscles if they walk for more than three hours continuously?”
Han Seok-hyun looked even more mystified by her clarification. “Hunters don’t usually get leg pains from walking that much. Even E-class hunters… unless their leg got broken…”
Seo-ah blinked incredulously.
He quickly closed his mouth when he saw her face.
“Anyway, I understand. What specific kind of training do you think I need?”
He pressed the elevator button, nodding simply. Seo-ah followed him shyly.
They reached the basement, where there was a large gym-like facility with several hunters training individually.
She’d never have thought that something like that would be there.
“What are you doing here, Guild Leader?” One of the people approached them first.
“Instructor Kim Cheol-doo.” Han Seok-hyun gestured for Seo-ah to step forward.
Kim Cheol-doo had a shaved head and a tall, stocky physique. He also looked to be in his 40s or 50s.
“He’s in charge of training hunters in our guild. Although he’s a B-class hunter, he’s excellent at teaching, so I—and even Ji-an—learned from him at first.”
“Really? Mr. Yoo Ji-an too?”
“Yes. A hunter’s strength increases drastically when they awaken, but it’s still important to learn how to properly use one’s body.”
Seo-ah felt wronged. She was the only one not included in that group of people, it seemed, despite the fact that hunters generally had different body types.
“Instructor Kim Cheol-doo, this is Ms. Park Seo-ah, an E-class healer. Please train her, focusing on physical training and basic posture improvement.”
“E-class healer?”
Before the large man could say any more, Han Seok-hyun winked and tapped him on the shoulder a couple of times.
“Ah, yes. I look forward to working together, Ms. Park Seo-ah. Why don’t you go inside and take a look? You can leave your luggage here and I’ll move it to your accommodations.”
“I’ll do that, thank you.”
“Doo-hee, come here and guide her!”
After making sure that Seo-ah was out of earshot, Kim Cheol-doo lowered his voice and asked, “An E-class healer? Are there too few people in the Sun Guild?”
“There’s more to it than that. She’s not a member of our guild yet, but she’s an important person we must take care of. And… please be aware that her physical strength is on the same level as the average human.” Han Seok-hyun leaned closer, whispering, “It seems that she finds even just walking for a long time difficult.”
“Is that true? Are you sure she’s a hunter?”
“Please take good care of her. Hunter Park Seo-ah must maintain a good impression of our guild.”
“Such an important person… Is she the daughter of a president or something?”
The guild leader smiled blandly, shaking his head. “I’ll be on my way first.”
Kim Cheol-doo tilted his head when he left, then entered the gym.
Park Seo-ah, who had changed into exercise clothes, walked out of the changing area timidly.
In any case, she was a student entrusted to him, and giving up was not in his dictionary.
“First, let’s start with a simple test. Please lift these weights.” He pointed to the smallest of the dumbbells on the floor.
It weighed 30 kilograms.
Seo-ah used both hands to lift it to waist level with much struggle. “I did it!” She smiled proudly.
She figured that she was a bit stronger than other girls her age because she worked part-time.
However, Kim Cheol-doo’s expression looked even darker than before.
“…Put it down.” He swept a hand over his gleaming forehead.
That barbell was mainly used by young newcomers. Casters and healers, who didn’t usually use muscle strength, lifted at least 40 kilograms with one hand.
‘Is… she made of paper?’
“Next! Run ten laps to lightly warm up. Go!”
“Yes? Yes!”
Seo-ah somehow managed to finish ten laps, gasping and shaking by the end.
Kim Cheol-doo shouted again vigorously, “Now that you’re done warming up, drink a glass of water and continue. Doo-hee!”
Yoon Doo-hee obediently handed a glass over to Seo-ah, who gulped the water down gratefully.
“Huh?”
But the water was no ordinary water. As soon as she consumed it, her breaths gradually stabilized and her trembling limbs felt lighter.
It was a fatigue reliever developed by the Sun Guild. Although it did not cause a full recovery like a potion did, it lowered the fatigue accumulated during training to some extent.
“Are you feeling better now? Go again, this time, five laps while duck-walking.
“Oh no…” Seo-ah was shocked, but when she saw the hunters around her training silently, she did as she was told.
Through the pain, she suddenly realized something.
‘’Inspiration!’’
Seo-ah used ‘Inspiration’ on herself to boost her strength and agility by ten percent.
However, it turned out that even if she added ten percent to her stats, they were so insignificant that barely anything happened.
[ Stats: Muscle Strength: 4. Mana Recovery: 6. Agility: 2. Defense: 2. Physical Strength: 4. Mental Strength: 10. ]
Put simply, increasing her muscle strength by 0.4 and her agility by 0.2 would not even reflect on her status window.
“Two rounds to go, Park Seo-ah! Don’t slow down!”
“Ugh!” She clenched her jaw and diligently moved her legs.
***
The Sun Guild’s training program featured a diverse selection of exercises. She did strength training for three days, and also learned basic stabbing and slashing movements with the use of a wooden sword.
Her days continued like that.
Today, just before she’d fainted, she was granted a short break. No matter how many fatigue relievers she drank, it never restored her to full capacity.
Seo-ah’s body was exhausted, but she vowed to participate faithfully.
[ Stats: Muscle Strength: 8 (4↑). Mana: 7 (1↑). Agility: 5 (3↑). Defense: 6 (4↑). Physical Strength: 9 (5↑). Mental Strength: 14 (4↑). ]
She pursed her lips in impatience.
To be honest, compared to other hunters, she was progressing quickly, but she was frustrated.
