The Girl I Saved Came Back As An S-rank Hunter

EP.8 Her Simple Wish

“A wish? Is there something I can really do for you?”

I became curious about what Choi Soo-jung, who apparently has almost everything, could possibly want from me.

“First, promise me that you’ll grant it unconditionally.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Ah, why!”

Choi Soo-jung resisted my quick refusal.

Though my experience with her had been brief, Choi Soo-jung seemed to be an unpredictable person.

If I carelessly made a promise, she might suddenly throw a bombshell like, ‘Marry me.’

“I’ll listen and then decide.”

“Hey, you’re being stingy.”

“Even if you say that, I still won’t agree.”

She tried to provoke me on purpose, but I did not fall for it.

I suffered a lot while playing the role of a porter; this was nothing compared to that.

“Ah, fine! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you.”

Choi Soo-jung, who declared that she would give up and tell me, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Can you stop speaking formally to me and just call me casually? I really don’t like feeling this distance between us, Mr Won-woo.”

Choi Soo-jung looked at the floor, fiddling with her fingers.

She spoke sincerely, sounding upset, and for some reason, she looked cute. A smile naturally formed at the corners of my mouth.

“Why are you laughing? I’m serious about this.”

“Ah, sorry. But are you sure it’s okay?”

After apologising to Choi Soo-jung, who seemed embarrassed and angry, I asked her again. Then she spoke with a raised voice.

“Of course, it’s fine. If it’s you, Mr Won-woo, you can treat me like that. Or maybe it’d be better if you called me ‘darling’?”

I ignored the obviously teasing remark that followed.

Instead, I thought it might be okay to speak to her casually.

There was no reason to push away someone who could be considered a benefactor in my life and who was trying so sincerely to get close to me.

“Um, okay. I’ll speak casually now, Soo… Soo-Jung.”

“Hehe, yes!”

Was it really that enjoyable?

Choi Soo-jung’s happiness and emotions were clearly transmitted to me as she laughed at my casual speaking.

“Thanks.”

“Huh? For what?”

“Just everything.”

It was still difficult for me to honestly talk about my weaknesses and emotions.

Nevertheless, I wanted to express my gratitude.

It wasn’t just about her healing my body but also about the affection she poured out as she approached me without hesitation, soothing my once-withered heart.

It made me feel like I was a little bit of an okay person.

There were still lingering feelings in my heart, but thanks to Choi Soo-jung, they seemed to have been washed away a little.

“Ah, right. I have something else to tell you.”

“Yeah, what is it this time?”

Contrary to earlier, Choi Soo-jung spoke with a slightly more serious face, which made me tense up, wondering if there was another big problem.

“Right now, your magic circuits have just reopened, so in fact, there’s not much difference between you and those who have just awakened as hunters.”

“I see…”

I somewhat expected that. If my magic circuits had been alive but not used for so long, it was only natural for them to weaken.

It’s the same principle as muscles disappearing if not exercised.

“Consistent use and rehabilitation through training are the only answers, so I can’t help you with this part… I’m sorry.”

Saying that Choi Soo-jung seemed regretful that she couldn’t be of any help.

I would have to put in the effort to walk the path I had once walked to bring my body, which had fallen to rank D, back to its previous level of skill.

It may sound simple at first, but it’s not an easy task.

I was going to go through it knowing the pain I would have to endure in advance instead of heading into unknown territory.

Knowing didn’t make it any less difficult.

Many hunters fell off the path and retired during the rehabilitation process after suffering critical injuries because they lacked the confidence to walk that difficult path again.

The process was tedious and painful, and there was no certainty that they would return to their former selves.

However, from my perspective, having put in so much effort without any hope, this news was rather more hopeful than before, so I was just glad.

Just yesterday, I felt like I was barely clinging to the edge of a cliff, so this was nothing compared to that.

“Don’t worry about it. Just this much is more than enough.”

“Still, I’m upset that I can’t help you more.”

I reached out my hand to Choi Soo-jung, who looked sulky and placed it on her silver hair. Then I gently stroked it like I did last night.

The soft and smooth silver hair passed through my hand without any resistance. At the same time, the faint scent of lavender tickled my nose.

Choi Soo-jung flinched and trembled, looking surprised, but she soon accepted my touch and remained still with a pleased smile.

“It’s okay; you can stop worrying about me now. If you keep doing this, I might just act spoiled and rely on you. You’ve done enough for me.”

At my words, Choi Soo-jung argued with an excited face.

“It’s okay; I can handle whatever mischief you pull. Because it’s you!”

I didn’t know how she could say such captivating words so naturally. She must have been a Kumiho in her previous life.

I deliberately ruffled her hair roughly.

Choi Soo-jung let out a small scream and then sneakily moved closer to me, suddenly hugging me tightly.

“Mr Won-woo, I really like you! More than anyone else in this world!”

This sly creature didn’t stop at once and tried to captivate my heart again.

However, I still had no choice but to push her away.

“Sigh. As I told you yesterday, I’m not ready yet.”

I let out a light sigh and politely expressed my rejection in honorifics.

This wasn’t enough time for us to build a relationship based on love.

At least, not yet.

“I know. But I just wanted to say it because you’ll be mine someday. I feel like my heart will burst if I don’t express this overflowing emotion.”

Choi Soo-jung looked at me while tightening her embrace around me.

I couldn’t help but smile.

She was really similar—stubborn and persistent. Just like me.

I started to feel less inclined to push her away now.

 *

“You’ve worked hard today, Mr Won-woo.”

Soo-Jung handed me a towel as I was drenched in sweat.

“Ah, thank you. I guess you didn’t have any busy work today?”

As I wiped the sweat with the towel she handed me, Soo-Jung shook her head and frowned.

“No, I have to go back in a while, but I came to see you as soon as I had some time!”

“You should rest a bit before you go; you must be tired.”

“I can’t do that. I have to come and check on my man, who’s working so hard on his rehabilitation training.”

“Who said I was your man?”

“The handsome and cool guy was right in front of my eyes.”

I just laughed at Soo-Jung’s words as she shamelessly pointed at me with her finger.

This conversation was becoming familiar, but I still felt awkward with her active expression of affection and could only laugh.

It had been about a month since I started rehabilitation and training.

Since that day, my daily routine has been coming to Soo-Jung’s personal training room in the morning and going home in the evening.

Sometimes Soo-Jung visited like this, but it had been hard to see her often since she had just started her guild and had a lot on her plate.

“Shall we check your progress today?”

“Sure, just give me a moment.”

After wiping off the remaining sweat, I approached Soo-Jung.

On the days when Soo-Jung visited, she usually checked my physical condition.

She always advised me on what to pay close attention to, and although I already knew it in my head, I missed some points, so it was a big help.

Thanks to her, I regained at least half of my skills from before the accident.

Another factor that helped me recover more quickly was that the cause of my skill decline was not the injury itself but the fact that I couldn’t utilise the magic circuits.

“At this rate, you’ve now reached the upper C-rank, almost B-rank level.”

Soo-Jung, who was examining my back with her palm on my sweat-soaked training suit, nodded with satisfaction.

“Really? It’s definitely faster than I expected.”

“You’ve improved so much that you might even reach A-rank in no time!”

I shook my head as I looked at Soo-Jung, who was as happy as if it were her own accomplishment.

“Well, I don’t know. As I go higher, the growth rate will slow down, and it’s a territory I haven’t explored yet, so it’s hard to make a hasty judgement.”

Soo-Jung, with her once-in-a-thousand-years talent, started at A-rank from the get-go, so there were parts that she couldn’t understand.

“It’s okay. You’re working hard, so you’ll catch up soon.”

Soo-Jung looked at me with eyes full of infinite trust.

Such genuine support without any conditions really gave me great strength.

“Ah, and next week, we’re planning to tackle a C-rank dungeon.”

“A C-rank dungeon? Did you get a request from the association?”

At Soo-Jung’s current level, there wasn’t much difference between C-rank and A-rank.

Thus, there was no reason for her to tackle a C-rank dungeon since there was no merit.

“I think it would be perfect for you to regain your practical senses since they’re lacking, so I thought this level would be just right.”

“So you’re going in with me?”

“Yes, as a protector as well.”

In fact, since my current hunter rank was D, I needed four C-rank hunters to tackle a C-rank dungeon before I could retake the evaluation.

That is, according to the minimum number of members set by the Hunter Association for dungeon exploration.

However, with Soo-Jung, there would be no restrictions on entering the dungeon, as her skills were more than enough.

It’s like taking a so-called ‘bus ride,’ and if the bus driver was an S-rank hunter, it could be considered a super-luxury limousine bus that can’t be found anywhere else.

“Ah, but I won’t do anything there as long as it’s not seriously dangerous.”

“Huh? Why?”

“If I quickly sweep everything, there will be nothing left for you to do, right?”

It could sound very arrogant if someone else said it, but it was an undeniable fact.

She could wipe out the opponents in the blink of an eye.

I came to regain my combat senses, so I would rather not just stand there sucking my thumb and watching.

“Alright, I get what you’re saying.”

“Be prepared then. In my opinion, there won’t be any significant difficulties at your current level.”

I also felt a little relieved, wanting to see how far I’d come.

No matter how hard I trained, experiencing real-life situations often provided more experience.

“Young Lady, it’s time for you to go.”

Kang So-young, who had been standing outside the training hall, came in and spoke to Soo-Jung.

“Is it? Mr Won-woo, I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”

Soo-Jung’s face clearly showed her reluctance to leave.

“Alright, take care. Make sure to eat well, okay?”

“Thank you for worrying about me. And I don’t think I can come here again before the dungeon raid.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me; focus on your work.”

“You should be sad at times like this! You’ll miss me, won’t you?”

Teasingly, Soo-Jung pouted her lips slightly. I reached out and pinched her cheek gently.

“Ouch! It hurts. It hurts.”

“Stop talking like that and get going. They’re waiting for you.”

“Everyone says they like pretty, kind, and dedicated girls like me, but you’re really pushing me away!”

I let go of her soft cheek and said,

“I’m not pushing you away; I’ll be waiting and missing you, so hurry up.”

“Heh, really? I love it. I’ll let you off the hook this time. I’ll really go now. See you later, Mr Won-woo.”

As she heard the words she wanted to hear, I watched Soo-Jung head towards Kang So-young, thinking how pure and childlike she seemed at times like this.

They say love makes people childish, and that seemed to fit perfectly in this case.

“Should I take a shower and get going too?”

Thinking about the upcoming dungeon raid, I realised I needed to take better care of my condition.