Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Protagonist (1)

【C-rank hunter Lee Soo-ah, who is she really?】

The newly leaked video had an even greater impact than the previous one.

Back then, the footage was poor quality, and all it showed was the person presumed to be Ji Yeon-hwa randomly destroying everything around her.

But this time, three other people were added to that scene.

Baek Hojun, Shin Ah-yeon, and Lee Soo-ah.

The video revealed that the incident caused by the person presumed to be Ji Yeon-hwa didn't stop at mere destruction—it showed a much deeper involvement.

Naturally, the comments on related articles quickly soared into the thousands.

【Last time, I wasn't sure, but that monster is definitely Ji Yeon-hwa, right? But what's with those black shadows?】

【My brother took part in that mission, and he said there was a huge commotion at the time;; With things like that, it's a miracle nothing worse happened.】

【What's up with Ji Yeon-hwa???? Was she that strong??? Even Baek Hojun is flustered???】

【The important thing is those black shadows. And Shin Ah-yeon or Baek Hojun make sense, but Lee Soo-ah??? What's she doing there??】

【The funny part is, she held out better than I expected, lol. Is she really C-rank?】

【She was just steamrolling her opponent in a recent livestream—guess this explains it.】

【Anyway, thanks to those three, it looks like the whole thing ended quietly without getting out of hand.】

【So what happened to Ji Yeon-hwa after that??】

At first, most comments focused on the changed Ji Yeon-hwa, then gradually discussed Baek Hojun and Shin Ah-yeon. The way those two faced off against the remarkably powerful Ji Yeon-hwa left no doubt that they were S-rank hunters.

But the greatest interest was focused on Lee Soo-ah.

She hadn't done anything particularly spectacular, but the crucial fact was that she stayed and fought.

【But why did Lee Soo-ah stay and fight at that time?】

【From the video, it looks like their help wasn't enough, so she joined in?】

【According to other articles, it was because she didn't want the other hunters to be in danger.】

【She's got good character, wow. Wasn't the hunter who ran away at the start Ju Ji-sang?】

【Yeah, looks like it, lol.】

Her villainous image, built up until now, was immediately improved.

A reporter who had interviewed the filming crew mentioned that Soo-ah "fought to help the other hunters".

Anyone could see that it was a statement meant to boost Soo-ah, but since the video actually showed her fighting, there was little backlash. Meanwhile, the hunter running away at the start of the footage looked a lot like Ju Ji-sang from behind, and his reputation plummeted.

Just two days.

That's how long it took for Lee Soo-ah to overtake the ever-controversial Ju Ji-sang from Super Hunter K and monopolize the public's attention.

"I-Is it really okay for us to just go watch baseball like this?"

Soo-ah, who was nervously checking the news from the passenger seat, muttered anxiously.

"Is there anything you're worried about?"

"Just... I think I'm suddenly getting way too much attention. But, uh, at least you didn't appear in the video, so that's a relief."

As Soo-ah said, I was fortunate enough not to show up in the video.

Judging by the camera placements at the time, there was no way I wouldn't have been filmed—but the fact that I didn't appear suggested intentional editing.

'This must've been leaked by PD Do.'

The previous footage had clearly been leaked by accident or by someone else.

But this time, it was obviously PD Do who released it.

The edited video was the proof.

Of course, only the Super Hunter K filming crew and us would know that.

"Why did PD Do leak the video?"

"He probably realized something was wrong."

"Something wrong?"

I chose not to answer the puzzled Soo-ah.

Otherwise, she might just feel unnecessarily burdened.

'Honestly, I never expected he'd use the leaked footage like this.'

I never expected he'd turn the leak to his advantage like this.

However, leaking it this way would never go unnoticed by Upstream.

If the previous leak only led to speculation like, "Could that be Ji Yeon-hwa?" this video left no room for doubt.

'That guy isn't ordinary, after all.'

At any rate, PD Do's move worked.

To make things worse, Ji Yeon-hwa was currently missing from Upstream, so they couldn't even properly explain themselves.

Maybe PD Do didn't know about that, but he landed an accidental lucky punch.

Of course, the main beneficiaries of that lucky punch were us.

"Ah! Isn't that Lee Soo-ah, the hunter?"

"What? It really is!"

It was clear the news had spread far and wide—the voices recognizing Soo-ah as she got out of the car proved it. Until just recently, people barely paid any attention to whether Soo-ah was around or not. Now, the impact of the video was abundantly clear.

"Is she really C-rank?"

"Soo-ah-ssi! Please, can I get your autograph!!"

Caught off-guard by the sudden crowd, Soo-ah had no idea what to do.

She'd never been in this kind of situation before, so she didn't know how to respond.

"W-What should I do?"

"We need to get out of here first. ... This way."

I grabbed Soo-ah by the arm and got us away from the crowd as quickly as possible.

If we got stuck here, she wouldn't get anything done all day.

Luckily, after making our way to a relatively deserted alley, we could catch our breaths.

"... This is my first time experiencing something like this."

"You'll have to get used to it from now on."

When I answered lightly, Soo-ah let out a small, awkward laugh.

"Do you think there'll be more days like this in the future?"

"If this Super Hunter K ends well, this will pale in comparison."

"Th-That's an exaggeration. None of the previous Super Hunter K winners got that much attention, you know."

Perhaps thinking I was joking, Soo-ah glanced up with a playful smile.

At that moment, her hood slipped off her face.

It must've come off during our rushed escape.

"Oh."

Startled, Soo-ah hastily fixed her hood, hiding her face again.

She must have been self-conscious about her burn scars.

Of course, I didn't care at all.

'She really does have a fox-like face.'

If Ah-yeon had a haughty cat-like look, Soo-ah was more like a gentle fox.

When she smiled with her eyes like just now, that impression became stronger.

Her scars hid it, but once healed, she'd clearly be quite beautiful.

'If things go well, even Soo-ah could get some ads like Ah-yeon.'

As I stared at her thinking this, Soo-ah pulled her hood down even further, hiding her face.

"Is it... is it that strange?"

"Sorry?"

"My face... I mean, because of the scars, I wondered if it looked weird..."

She murmured in a small voice, clearly bothered.

I wasn't bothered at all.

"It'll heal eventually, so what does it matter?"

"Huh? Heal?"

"Oh, have I not told you? Soo-ah-ssi, your scars were caused by magic power fission, right?"

A wound where her skin was burned by magic power.

Those scars wouldn't heal with standard burn treatment, but it wasn't incurable.

"Once you fully overcome your magic power fission, you'll naturally recover."

"R-Really?"

Actually, in order for Soo-ah's scars to heal, just overcoming the magic power fission wouldn't be enough.

She'd have to reach a certain realm where her body would reconstruct itself.

Under normal circumstances, that'd be near impossible, but I believed she could do it.

'The Super Hunter K finals.'

I was certain Soo-ah would break through her limits then.

Become South Korea's sixth S-rank hunter.

***

【Isn't Ju Ji-sang just a water rocket lol】

【They said he was the Sword King's disciple, but he's just bubbles】

【I knew it from the first mission when he got wrecked by Lee Soo-ah】

Internet forums...

"The biggest news right now has to be the Super Hunter K leaked video."

"Oh, I saw it too. I don't know what happened to Hunter Ji Yeon-hwa, but it was one hell of a fight."

"Isn't the real highlight how Lee Soo-ah held her own among S-rank hunters?"

TV and news channels everywhere were only talking about the leaked footage.

Ju Ji-sang, who ran away, was being condemned.

Lee Soo-ah, who stayed and fought, was being praised.

Thud!!

When he punched the TV screen, half the image shattered with a nasty crackle.

"Goddamn it, goddamn it!!"

He would never normally behave like this, but right now, he couldn't stand it.

He was supposed to be the protagonist of this season's Super Hunter K.

As the Sword King's disciple and a genius who'd reached A-rank at a young age, he was the one who deserved all the attention.

"All anyone says is Lee Soo-ah, Lee Soo-ah, Lee Soo-ah!"

Thinking back, he hadn't liked her since the first mission.

The way she took out that B-rank monster, iron Golem, in a single blow.

He'd scored higher, but the one everyone paid attention to was Lee Soo-ah.

"And that's supposed to be a C-rank hunter? She must have cheated. It doesn't make sense."

The strongest C-rank in history.

That was the title given to Soo-ah now.

With the new leaked video, her previous feats on Super Hunter K were being reevaluated.

The first mission, the third mission.

And her recent livestream, where she defeated her opponents instantly—now people finally understood.

'She's clearly different from her Super Hunter K audition video. Lee Soo-ah's skill has grown during the filming period.'

Several months had passed, which was a fairly long shoot.

But a lowly C-rank hunter couldn't grow that much unless she cheated.

'They called it the ultimate magic stone.'

Ju Ji-sang had been there when Ji Yeon-hwa talked to Jo Chang-woo.

Ji Yeon-hwa had shown interest in the ultimate magic stone, and the Javelin guild supposedly had acquired one.

Now that he thought about it, Ji Yeon-hwa had only recently been considered a potential S-rank hunter.

She'd always been one of the stronger A-ranks but was nowhere near S-rank. Then she suddenly improved.

'That's it—ultimate magic stone! They both must have used it.'

Now it all made sense.

Both Ji Yeon-hwa and Lee Soo-ah must have used the ultimate magic stone to boost their abilities.

But something still bothered him—the berserk Ji Yeon-hwa he saw in the third mission.

'Was that also because of the ultimate magic stone?'

He wondered, but seeing that Lee Soo-ah was fine, it didn't seem likely.

And when he saw Ji Yeon-hwa at Upstream, her personality was rough, but she didn't seem out of control. The berserk incident likely had some other cause.

"Looks like I need to visit the Javelin guild."

That was the place where Ji Yeon-hwa had persistently sought the ultimate magic stone.

He'd have to go there and ask some questions.

***

"Um, are you sure I look okay?"

Soo-ah checked her outfit and stole glances at me.

"I think I've already said several times it suits you."

"It just feels so awkward since I wear the same thing all the time..."

It wasn't anything special—a plain outfit.

Jeans and a slightly rough top.

She'd changed from her usual hoodie due to all the attention it was attracting after the recent incident.

"Then we should go see the game soon."

"...."

The game that would decide autumn baseball would start in 30 minutes.

I placed a cap on her to help hide the burn, then said,

"Don't worry, the cap looks good. The burn hardly shows."

"Ah, that's not it."

Soo-ah looked a bit embarrassed, then opened her mouth.

"Uh, you can just talk to me informally, like you do with Ah-yeon unni."

"... Sorry?"

"N-no! It's just, if you use honorifics with me in a place like this, or I say manager-nim, manager-nim, doesn't it stand out? Or... maybe not?"

"Aha."

To be honest, I didn't think anyone would care, but given recent events, it made sense that Soo-ah was sensitive about public attention.

"If you insist, then I'll speak informally today."

"Th-thanks."

It seemed like there was something more she wanted to say.

But after a moment, she just nodded and took my arm, dragging me along.

"Let's go in. Oh, should we get some chicken and beer?"

"I have to drive home, so we can't."

When I answered firmly, Soo-ah looked a bit disappointed, but then she brightened, poking my side playfully with her finger.

"You were supposed to talk informally."

Seeing her speak less formally than usual, I couldn't help but smile.

Honestly, we'd come out like this on a whim, but I found that I didn't mind it one bit.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Again, inferiority complex makes you do stupid things.
【(⩌_⩌ )】