Chapter 562: Gathering (2)

「Abandoned Village. Sector C.」

-Kwajik!

‘Kkyaaa…!’

Han Min-ah, the scout of the Sky Blue Shield.

Just like during previous subjugation events, she moved to Sector C and was engrossed in hunting monsters.

It took less than two seconds for the short dagger held in the hand of the gray cat beastman to pierce the body of a small monster.

The time it took to eliminate dozens of ‘Bat Rats’ clinging to the ceiling of the rather spacious building wasn’t long either.

For her, who possessed the muscle density and reflexes of a cat, catching monsters while climbing walls was an incredibly simple task.

“…Hoo.”

Looking at the monster corpses piled on the building floor, Han Min-ah finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling like she had barely finished her task.

Immediately after, the voices of other seniors subjugating monsters in a different building began to be heard from outside.

“Min-ah, are you done over there?”

“Yes, I’m all done, Unnie~.”

“Then wrap things up roughly and let’s call it a day~. It’s almost dinnertime, you know~.”

“Okay~.”

It was the week of the Integrated Management Duty, working alongside the ‘Animal-Type Hunter Seniors’ for the first time in a while.

Since they rarely worked together normally, this time was quite enjoyable for Han Min-ah.

It was a precious day when seniors who could no longer actively hunt returned once a year, making it a good opportunity to meet and catch up.

Especially for Animal-Type Hunters, there were many stories only they could relate to, so hunting while sharing small updates like this was quite a pleasant day for her.

Things like having to be especially careful about mating seasons due to their shared Animal-Type Hunter abilities, and in many other aspects of life, these seniors had guided her for a long time.

If it weren’t for the seniors’ advice to consistently take estrus suppressants, she and Sung Taekyung probably wouldn’t have ended up in the relationship they have now.

Perhaps, back in high school, unable to control her desires, she might have tried to pounce on him, only to be literally destroyed by his childhood friend, Kang Hye-eun.

Naturally, it would have been difficult for her to operate even within the Gangdong District branch, which was her local area.

In that sense, Han Min-ah’s seniors, who advised her to always take her estrus suppressants, were like benefactors to her.

…Although, given the age gap, the seniors’ language was a bit rough.

“Ah, fuck, I wanna pound someone so bad. Haven’t exerted myself like this in ages, my libido’s going nuts.”

“Stop shouting so loud, you damn idiot bitch~.”

“It’s only once a year, so we really busted our asses today. Seriously, on days like this, it’s better to go out and work the field than enter a dungeon.”

“Everyone at my site called in sick today for the Integrated Management Duty, right? We gotta earn money as hunters, even on days like this. Doing manual labor all year round is just unbearable~.”

Once hunters passed their mid-to-late twenties, their awakened abilities rapidly declined, leading them to the retirement process.

Especially Animal-Type Hunters, due to the limitations of their abilities, often retired after reaching around B-rank to pursue other professions.

Han Min-ah, who reached A-rank at a young age, was an anomaly; her seniors had retired over two years ago.

It was common for retired hunters to occasionally show up as hunters only during safe and well-compensated group subjugation events like this.

“After all, we’re hunters at heart. Sometimes you gotta feel that thrill of catching monsters, right?”

“The thrill of catching monsters? What bullshit~. You’re just a cuckold-making wife who can’t even drag her husband to bed~.”

“Shit, why are you bringing that up now?! And at least I don’t need to shove my dick in and thrust for 20 minutes just to force you to come, unlike your cave-like pussy, you hear?!”

“At least I can take them to bed~. You guys can’t even start unless you force them down, can you~.”

“P-please don’t fight, seniors, haha….”

Han Min-ah awkwardly smiled, trying to mediate the seniors’ fight, their conversation raw and weathered by years of stress.

Hearing the voice of an A-rank hunter still active in the field, the seniors’ attention immediately shifted to her.

“Speaking of which, our Min-ah is still active, right? Didn’t you say you reached A-rank recently?”

“I reached A-rank early last year. It’s been just over a year.”

“Reaching A-rank with your abilities must have been incredibly tough. You must have really busted your ass.”

“When Min-ah was active back then, she was no joke~. Hearing she set a record for like 100 or 200 consecutive days of work, I thought there couldn’t be anyone tougher.”

“It was just… good luck….”

“…Luck my ass. You climbed up there through sheer effort, kid.”

“Earlier, when we were heading in, I saw two kids who look just like Min-ah walking by. Are those the younger siblings you mentioned last time~?”

“Ah, yes. They graduated last year and started working actively this year….”

“Wow~. Now that your whole family are hunters, maybe you can take it a bit easier. You’ve worked hard, worked hard.”

“Th-thank you….”

Although their expressions were rough, Han Min-ah felt a genuine warmth from the seniors’ underlying sentiments.

Because of this, she let her guard down for a moment, only to be flustered by the seniors’ unexpected teasing questions.

“So, who’s the guy?”

“……What?”

“Don’t try to hide it from us fellow Animal-Types~. Our muscles might be dull from not being active, but our noses and instincts are still sharp~.”

“This morning, when I first met you, I almost went into heat. You were practically radiating a guy’s scent even through your hunter suit.”

She thought she had washed all the clothes that had absorbed the scent, but it seemed she couldn’t hide it from the seniors’ sensitive noses.

If not, perhaps being with Sung Taekyung right before moving to Sector C was the cause.

He was the epitome of masculinity, radiating a potent male scent just by existing.

“At Min-ah’s age, it’s the prime time~. Boyfriend~? Or are you already married~?”

“Ah, not yet!”

“Saying ‘not yet’ implies our Min-ah is thinking about marriage, huh?”

“Ah, no…. M-marriage…. Th-that’s still too early….”

“Min-ah, you’re an Animal-Type too, so this isn’t exactly early~. I got married before I even graduated high school~.”

“Just like a bear, forcing a marriage through sheer strength. What a proud accomplishment.”

Due to the peculiarity of mating seasons, it was common for Animal-Type Hunters to marry at a young age.

As the seniors said, Han Min-ah, who was twenty-three this year, wouldn’t even be considered early if she married now.

And honestly, she had imagined married life with Sung Taekyung more than once, but…

Knowing well that various circumstances made it difficult, she could only brush it off with a laugh for now.

“Well, marrying late isn’t bad~. When I suggest it during my heat, my husband looks at me like he’s eaten a bug, so I have to clean and do laundry for a week just to maybe get him to screw me once~.”

“…At least you get to screw him sometimes. Last time, I held it in and finally asked, you know what he said? He offered me money and told me to go find someone else.”

“Wow, you put up with that, given your personality~?”

“Did I hold back? I lost my shit and pounced on him right then. The next day, he actually called the cops. What could I do? I begged my in-laws on my hands and knees. I was in heat, what was I supposed to do? He’s the one who drove me to it in the first place….”

Listening to the seniors’ raw and unfiltered real married lives, Han Min-ah felt concerned yet unable to truly relate.

At least she herself had never felt any dissatisfaction during sex with Sung Taekyung.

Moreover, he was always the one initiating sex. She was always the one on the receiving end.

“If you don’t want to end up like her, Min-ah, be careful about marriage~. Especially for us Animal-Types, a guy with a high libido is the best, even if he’s ugly~. So, how’s the guy you’re seeing now~?”

“Right. Seeing our Min-ah so full of energy after so long, it looks like you’re not just taking suppressants but really taking care of yourself lately. You must be doing it about once every two weeks, right?”

“Ah, no…. The days we actually meet and have sex are, uh, maybe once every month or two….”

“Hey! You’re not even married yet, and it’s only that much?! If you continue like this, after you get married, you’ll end up doing it maybe once or twice a year, just like me?!”

“If he’s that spineless, just dump him and find someone else~. There’s no future with a guy who won’t even sleep with his girlfriend when she initiates~.”

“Ah, no…. Usually, when we have sex, it’s almost always him who initiates, and I haven’t really asked him to….”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“He has such a strong libido that he can easily go two or three times, maybe more…. Ah, each time, I reach orgasm more than ten times…. An-any more than that, and I don’t think I could handle it….”

“……”

“……”

Her seniors were momentarily speechless at Han Min-ah’s unintentional bragging.

Their attitude, which had been teasing their junior half-jokingly, instantly shifted to serious gazes.

They began to persuade her earnestly, pouring their whole hearts into it.

“Min-ah, you absolutely must hold onto him. You won’t be able to go to any other man now except him.”

“Whoa, shit…. He comes two or three times in one go? And you’re telling me you orgasm more than ten times? Hey, when was the last time you felt an orgasm?”

“…I don’t even remember. It was before I had my first child, so at least 3 years ago.”

“Seriously, you have to keep him…. If you let him go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“No wonder you’re so full of energy today. Last year your face was etched with fatigue, but today you look so refreshed. It all makes sense now.”

“……”

As Sung Taekyung was her first partner, Han Min-ah hadn’t fully grasped how extraordinary he was. But seeing her seniors’ reactions, she finally realized what level of man he truly was.

Han Min-ah had always thought that if her relationship with Sung Taekyung were to drift apart, she might never be able to meet another man.

Lately, not only herself but even her younger sisters had fallen completely for him and were utterly dependent on him.

Considering his current romantic entanglements, she often thought that even if marriage wasn’t possible, she hoped they could at least maintain their current relationship for a long time.

And sometimes, she even imagined bearing the fruits of true love with Sung Taekyung.

‘If Sung Taekyung gets busy, I could raise the child alone… Ah, no. What am I even imagining right now.’

Han Min-ah, lost in such rosy thoughts and momentarily in another world, was snapped back to reality by the sudden dungeon emergency broadcast.

Her gray ears perked up at the voice coming from the emergency announcement drone.

「Attention, please. Due to ground erosion that occurred in Sector A of the Abandoned Village, a portion of the dungeon has been altered, and the gate leading to the Ariel Foundation in Sector A is currently unusable. We plan to investigate the cause of the ground erosion, which was triggered by high-ranking hunters. Hunters remaining inside the dungeon are urged to use the nearest warp gate, regardless of guild affiliation, to evacuate the dungeon.」

“Ground erosion? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Oh dear~. Let’s get out of here quickly, Min-ah~. It’s a good thing Sector A is far from here~.”

“Ah, yes!”

Sector A of the Abandoned Village… that must have been the sector Yuri Unnie went to.

Thinking that Yuri Unnie would probably be fine, she tried to move her reluctant feet outward, but the next announcement from the emergency drone forced her to turn back.

「Furthermore, we will be searching for hunters reported missing due to the current ground erosion incident. The hunters currently confirmed missing are Lulusia Belmonte of the Ariel Foundation, Do Sihee, Cha Yuri of Eun & Ok Co., Ltd., Sung Taekyung….」

-Tadak!

“M-Min-ah?! Where are you going?! The gate isn’t that way!”

“I’m sorry, seniors! Please head home first!!”

“Han Min-ah! The broadcast said it’s dangerous!!”

As soon as she heard the familiar names from the broadcast, her body instinctively started moving towards Sector A.

She didn’t know what she could do against Cha Yuri and Sung Taekyung, who were reportedly missing, but…

She had the fleeting thought that staying put here was definitely worse than going.

‘I told him not to stick his damn head into dangerous places!’

Please, let both of them be safe.

And please, let nothing have happened.