Side Story 32

Usually, Doyoon would fret over a single rabbit dying, yet during hunter activities, he would unreservedly shoot and kill vampires. Sometimes, he even seemed to enjoy it. Furthermore, Doyoon as the Executioner was incredibly cold and merciless.

Just a few days ago, Bibi herself was confused by this discrepancy. But after concealing the truth and allowing others to be sacrificed to save Lord Schauer, she began to understand Doyoon a bit better.

He was the type to feel enjoyment and excitement when slaughtering. However, that was limited to stepping on those in a similar position to him or those who were powerful. Dealing with vampires who had devoured humans in an instant followed a similar logic. Vampires who harmed humans belonged to the relatively stronger end of the food chain, so he felt no guilt whatsoever.

However, when the situation was reversed, hybrid vampires treated like objects by hunters were relatively weak. They had fallen to a position where they couldn’t even pose a threat, let alone harm anyone. When dealing with such individuals, Doyoon unexpectedly felt compassion, just as he softened and became gentle towards Bibi.

Failure to grasp this subtle difference would make him appear contradictory.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”

The bulky intern hunter nudged Bibi’s shoulder, who was lost in thought. They were clearly intending to leave the lead entirely to Bibi. The look in their eyes towards her was remarkably different from before. Bibi nodded and walked forward.

The cave’s terrain became increasingly treacherous, and obstacles multiplied. Winding paths, narrow crevices requiring them to squeeze through, steep hills, and so on. Interspersed were sparks, flames, and more hybrid vampires. Each time, Bibi quickly moved her body, overcoming the obstacles.

“Gasp, gasp... Are three hours really not enough? It’s already been an hour.”

“But it feels like we’re almost there, doesn’t it? The wind is blowing.”

It truly seemed like the end was near. As they went further, the wind came closer, brushing against their cheeks. Bibi diligently hurried her steps, then stopped abruptly. The path was cut off. They encountered a precipice impossible for human bodies to jump across. If it weren’t for the eyes watching from behind, she might have attempted to jump, but she couldn’t now.

“What should we do? Should we find a new path?”

“Look over there. It’s connected to the other side with a rope. There are two ropes, one above and one below. We could cross it like a bridge.”

“But what if it breaks?”

“Hmm...”

The two, who had been discussing, turned to Bibi as if seeking her advice. Bibi, contemplating how to cross naturally without being detected as a vampire, instinctively nodded.

“Then who should go first?”

“Well... it would probably be best for the lighter person to go first.”

“That’s true. What do you think?”

The bulky guy cleared his throat and asked for Bibi’s opinion, pretending to, but clearly urging her to go first. To send her first when they didn’t even know what was on the other side was cunning. If Bibi were human, this situation could have been very disadvantageous. One could even say that the loyal Namwon was a much better hunter.

“Alright. I’ll go first.”

Bibi didn’t want to spend another moment with these sly guys. She had to get out quickly. Compared to moving by swinging on branches in the Thai jungle, this was easy. Slowly, she placed her feet on the thick rope and gripped the other rope connected parallel above.

It was sturdier than it looked, sturdy enough for one person to cross back and forth. Bibi balanced herself and moved quickly. Gasps of admiration came from behind.

“She’s really agile... I guess you could say she handles her body well.”

As she moved forward smoothly, Bibi lowered her head to gauge the height of the precipice. And then she froze, discovering something in the darkness.

Something was squirming at the bottom of the precipice. Squinting, she saw they were hybrid vampires. They looked like zombies, their arms flailing forward as if blind.

Even if they couldn’t see, vampires should be able to climb a cliff like this easily, so why were they so weak? Had they been very hungry? Or perhaps abused? Her chest tightened with a suffocating feeling.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hey, keep going!”

The intern hunters shouted anxiously as Bibi, who had been moving well, remained motionless and silent. Bibi moved forward again slowly, like a sloth. She landed on the ground and looked around; there was nothing significantly threatening.

Following Bibi, the other intern hunters also crossed the ropes one by one. The ropes dangled as if they might break in the middle, but everyone successfully reached the other side of the cliff.

“Alright! Let’s go straight to the exit!” the intern hunters cheered as they landed on the ground.

“What are you doing? Let’s go!”

As Bibi stood motionless before the cliff, the short guy approached her, puzzled, and poked her. Bibi looked up sharply. The intern hunters flinched at her chilling expression. Regardless, Bibi decided what she would do. She pulled out her gun and unhesitatingly aimed it below the cliff.

“What are you—”

Bang!

She pulled the trigger before the intern hunters could even ask. The silver bullet flew accurately and burst the crown of a hybrid vampire’s head. Before the ash could even hit the ground, Bibi fired in quick succession.

“What are you doing, are you crazy?!”

“Why are you suddenly shooting wildly? No, more importantly... her accuracy is... sh**, it’s insane?! What kind of woman is she?”

Amidst their exclamations, Bibi lowered her gun. The magazine was empty, and all the hybrid vampires were eliminated. There were now no more vampires miserably dying, trapped in the dark cave. This was the best Bibi could do for them in the current situation.

“Let’s go.”

She walked past the hunters, who stood with their mouths agape, as if overwhelmed. Soon after, they found the exit, and Team 4 set a record of one hour, securing first place for the day.

________________________________________

After the hunter exam, Bibi moved to the association building. A celebratory gathering for the successful candidates was planned there. Bibi wasn’t particularly interested in the party itself, but the examiner said it would be good for gaining valuable information and networking, more so than a formal orientation.

“Alright, congratulations everyone. Eat a lot, drink a lot. You’ve all worked hard. You’re now new hunters, not just interns.”

In a small seminar room, a catered buffet was laid out on the tables. There was even a mini-bar, showing that they had put considerable thought into the preparations. The head of the HR department, who oversaw the intern hunter training, was leading today’s gathering. He smiled contentedly, congratulating each successful candidate in turn.

“You’ve all worked hard in training. Your official work starts next week. Let’s do well!”

His cheerful and hearty personality led him to pat all the new hunters on the shoulder until he spotted Bibi holding an apple juice.

“Oh, congratulations. I heard you received direct training from another hunter.”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me who trained you? The team leader kept asking but wouldn’t get an answer.”

At his question, the new hunters eating nearby glanced over, perking up their ears. Team 4, especially, who had been with Bibi, showed immense interest.

“Do—”

Just as Bibi was about to answer, the back door of the seminar room suddenly opened with a loud clamor.

“Hello, Section Chief. I heard there’s a team that cleared the test in an hour, so I came to see.”

“Hey, let’s not cut in line. New recruitment starts tomorrow.”

“Haha. Cutting in line? I’m just staking my claim.”

A tall man and a woman entered side by side, greeting them with booming voices. The new hunters looked confused for a moment, then, understanding that these were senior hunters, bowed their heads and greeted them enthusiastically. All the new recruits who had been standing by the food rushed over. Bibi, seeing the dessert corner empty, quickly ran over to secure cakes and cookies.

“Everyone knows about the introduction of the hunter grading system, right? You’ll learn the details at tomorrow’s orientation, but... first, let me introduce these promising Grade 4 hunters.”

The HR section chief introduced the senior hunters who had just arrived.

“Ah! You’re talking about assigning grades from 1 to 10 based on hunter abilities and experience, right?”

A member of the temporary Team 4, who had been with Bibi, spoke up knowledgeably.

“Exactly. You’ll be deployed to the field for three months and then have your grades adjusted again through performance evaluations. Our Team 4, who cleared the test in one hour, is Grade 8.”

“Oh. Starting at Grade 8, what desirable talent. We really need someone like that on our team.”

“Stick to the order. The personnel selected today won’t be immediately deployed to the field; they have to attend orientation first. After that, they’ll be assigned after interviews.”

The senior hunters looked very interested at the HR section chief’s introduction. They made it clear that they wanted to take in smart rookies who would be helpful to them. Thanks to this, not only Team 4 but also the other new hunters straightened their backs. Grade 4 was a considerably good, high-ranking vampire hunter.

Everyone instinctively knew that getting under a good senior would mean less hardship, learning good skills, and building up achievements.