NAPE - 123

Side Story 34

“No, honestly... I just told you. Hunter Kwon doesn’t take on any more juniors. The very reason he took on a junior ten years ago wasn’t because he needed a colleague. It was to fulfill the obligation of having a minimum of two active members in a team.”

The Grade 4 male hunter rolled his eyes and sighed. He seemed annoyed. He was a fairly high-ranking hunter himself, and it bothered him slightly that all the attention was on Kwon the Demon, who wasn’t even present.

“Still, Hunter Kwon...”

“No, it’s hopeless, I tell you.”

“If it’s not Hunter Kwon, I don’t want it.” Bibi spoke with conviction.

“Hah... You’re a really annoying type. Wait a minute, Ms. Kim Bibi, why have you been hovering around the edges of the group all this time?”

The Grade 4 male hunter frowned, his pride clearly wounded, then asked mischievously. It was a nasty trick, deliberately poking a sensitive spot to break the spirit of a stubborn opponent. Bibi, unfamiliar with human social graces, innocently tilted her head at the baffling question.

“Most people would get along with everyone... but somehow, people are avoiding you. What’s the reason? Did you really pass the cave test with your own skill? Not just piggybacking on other intern hunters? Sometimes that happens, someone unskilled riding on their teammates’ coattails. You’re so small, how did you get in in an hour? Do you really have the skill to claim a choice?”

“I did it properly. I did it all by myself. Right?” Bibi immediately turned to the Team 4 hunters standing beside her, requesting witnesses.

“Ahem, ahem. ‘All by myself’ is a bit of an exaggeration...” “I couldn’t see well because it was dark, to be honest.”

The Team 4 hunters chuckled awkwardly, pretending not to know. Bibi was so stunned she could jump.

“...What? What are you talking about? I shot everything!”

“No. You didn’t shoot alone, did you? We shot together too... And honestly, since you didn’t even attend the training with us, we don’t really know your skill, you see...?”

The two hunters rubbed their necks, avoiding Bibi’s gaze. How could they be so ungrateful? Is this human trickery? Even the hounds were more innocent than this! Bibi was so aggrieved she opened her mouth, gasping for air. The Grade 4 male hunter smirked, watching her.

“Ms. Kim Bibi, I don’t think you should be given a choice, in good conscience. Or, let’s have you retake the test.”

“I don’t care if I retake the test. I’m really confident.” Bibi was so dumbfounded she forgot to speak politely. She felt the heat rising to her head and asserted her righteousness.

“Come on, it’s not that serious. Just tell her she did well, everyone. She’s about to cry. Ms. Kim Bibi, people are acting this way because you’re being stubborn and boasting that you did it all by yourself. You need to know how to share credit for achievements; you can’t be selfish.”

The HR Section Chief tried to soothe Bibi, who was heated like a bomb, ready to explode at any moment. But Bibi felt no gratitude. She had no reason to be pitied, and she wasn’t being selfish; she was merely stating facts. She was so unjustly treated that she felt like dying, but she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“If you’re really feeling wronged, why don’t you just take the test again and prove it? I’m sick of you making big boasts in front of your seniors.”

At the Grade 4 female hunter’s words, Bibi really wanted to do that. She wanted to enter that abandoned coal mine right now, clear it within an hour, and proudly prove her skill.

But she didn’t know why she had to go to such lengths. She couldn’t understand why they wanted to exclude her just because she hadn’t attended the same training, hadn’t been submissive to the hunters, or had an arrogant tone of voice.

“What do you mean, a retest? Whose decision is that?”

An incredulous voice came from behind her. It was a low voice, yet it strangely drew people’s attention. Turning around, she saw a tall, slender man standing at the back door with his arms crossed. The new hunters stared, mouths agape, at his perfectly sculpted face. Aside from being handsome, he exuded an oppressive aura that seemed to crush everyone, making them shrink back.

“Is that...?” someone carefully began, gazing at his face.

“Hunter Kwon Doyoon! What brings you here?” The HR Section Chief, startled, rushed towards him as if to greet him. As it became clear that it was Kwon Doyoon, small gasps of admiration erupted from various corners.

“You’re having a party for the intern hunter test. It reminded me of the old days.” Doyoon casually surveyed his surroundings. Those who met his gaze quickly lowered their eyes. Bibi stood frozen, unsure whether she should acknowledge him or not.

“And I thought I’d pick a junior too.”

His last words created a huge ripple. Everyone looked as if they couldn’t believe their ears. Amidst the silence filled with anticipation, someone bravely stepped forward.

“Ah, hello. My name is Lee Hyeok-bae. I’ve heard much about Senior Hunter Kwon Doyoon. I’d be grateful if you’d remember me later!”

Following Lee Hyeok-bae’s lead, other new hunters eagerly began introducing themselves. New hunters swarmed around Doyoon. In no time, the Grade 4 hunters were left high and dry. Their earlier confident demeanor had vanished. Bibi watched the sudden chaos from a distance.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Doyoon, who had been half-listening to the new hunters’ introductions, suddenly addressed Bibi. All eyes turned to Bibi. Bibi gnawed on her lower lip, contemplating.

Anything to say? What should I say here? What she was most curious about was whether Doyoon was still angry and when he might cool down. That was a private conversation, so it shouldn’t be discussed now.

“Nothing, really?” Doyoon tilted his head quizzically. Bibi began to feel a little anxious. What should she say? Should she introduce herself? But Doyoon already knew who she was... Or should she say what she was good at, like the others? What was she good at? The only talent she had felt she had recently was being good at catching mosquitoes...

“Is it okay if I pick someone else?”

“Th-that’s not allowed!” Bibi screamed in spite of herself, seeing Doyoon about to point a finger at another female hunter. Everyone’s eyes widened, as if thinking she had gone mad.

“Hey, who are you talking down to? Are you crazy?” The Grade 4 hunter strode over. He glared, demanding she apologize immediately. But Bibi was beyond seeing anything else now. She had to prevent Doyoon from picking another hunter.

“Ugh!” She pushed the Grade 4 hunter so hard he slammed against the wall, then rushed forward to Doyoon.

“Pick me.”

When she abruptly demanded to be picked, people let out incredulous laughs. Doyoon gazed down at Bibi. His subtly raised eyebrow made him look very unyielding.

“Pick me. Please?” Bibi drooped the corners of her eyes and looked up at him with a desperate expression. Doyoon’s lips twitched for a moment. He cleared his throat, seemingly composing his expression, then nodded.

“Alright. Let’s do our best.”

Doyoon extended his hand. Bibi jumped for joy, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously.

“Wow, picked just for her looks...” A sarcastic murmur came from behind. It was the voice of the new female hunter whom Doyoon had almost pointed to earlier. Doyoon had good hearing and didn’t pretend not to hear such remarks.

“What did you say?”

“Me? Oh, I was just... wondering why you’re picking a new hunter whose skills haven’t been verified...”

“Who, Ms. Kim Bibi?”

“Yes. There was a controversy during the test process...”

Doyoon let out a light scoff. He surveyed the intern hunters with an unperturbed expression. All of them were looking at Bibi with suspicious eyes.

“In that case... well, it wouldn’t be bad to have a retest as a condition for joining my team. I should have that much authority. Shall we start with Team 4 here? Oh, by the way, it’s an individual test this time. Each person goes through it alone. And you know we just restocked that place with hybrid vampires, right? Someone said they killed them all.”

“What?” Everyone was dumbfounded by Doyoon’s words.

“Since you’ve already been in there once, you should know the terrain, so it’ll be fine.”

The faces of the Team 4 new hunters turned pale. They looked around nervously and spoke in a small voice.

“...Oh, I, uh... But I don’t think it’s possible alone...”

“Why, you cleared it in an hour; you can’t do that? I thought Team 4 handled all the vampires. Ms. Kim Bibi, do you think you can’t do it?”

At Doyoon’s question, Bibi shook her head.

“I can come out in 40 minutes alone.”

If possible, she was confident she could even break the record.

“See? She says it’s possible. If you perform well and come out, I’ll give each of you 100 million as a reward. I should contact the test supervisor. Tell them to have everyone take the individual test starting now.”

Doyoon pulled out his phone, even offering a reward. The fidgeting Team 4 new hunters squeezed their eyes shut.

“W-we apologize. We can’t do it!”

“Why?”

“......”

“When asked, answer. I asked why?”

As Doyoon asked with an unperturbed face, the bulky Team 4 hunter squeezed his eyes shut.

“W-well, actually, Ms. Kim Bibi handled everything in front. I really can’t catch a vampire alone. We... if we could team up in pairs, at least...”

The bulky Team 4 hunter said, looking around nervously. Subtle wrinkles formed on Doyoon’s usually expressionless face. He curled one corner of his mouth into a look of contempt.