episode_0046

I woke up with a severe headache. A bloated stomach followed suit.

“Ugh….”

I felt like I would get yelled at if I moved carelessly. So, I lay still for a while and calmed my stomach as much as possible.

‘Now that I think about it, where is this place?’

I couldn’t tell for sure, but I was certain it wasn’t my house.

‘But it doesn’t seem to be a motel either.’

Yesterday, I drank with a hunter named Seo Jae-eun until I couldn’t say anything, so I heard there was a possibility that she may have blacked out on me at the motel for a while.

‘Because there’s no way motel beds are this luxurious.’

I quickly erased that possibility from my mind.

‘More than that, the surrounding scenery is strangely familiar to my eyes…’

Once I recognized that fact, my brain began to sort through the memories it had stored away, even while suffering from a headache.

Accordingly, the eyes also move around and look around to get more information.

“Ah.”

Meanwhile, what came into view was the pattern of the blanket I was covering.

It is the same as the quilt pattern seen in Natalia’s bedroom.

‘So you mean this is Natalia’s bedroom?’

What on earth happened last night?

While drinking at a meat restaurant with Seo Jae-eun, the film cut off, and when I came back to my senses, I found myself in Natalia’s bedroom…

I don’t know what it was, but I don’t think it was an ordinary night.

Well, the reason why Seo Jae-eun gave me alcohol was actually to make me into a bitch and drink it, and did Natalia happen to witness the incident and try to get me out?

It can’t possibly be like that.

If that were the case, they would have just thrown me at my house. Why did he bring me to his bed?

I had no way of knowing what kind of urgent situation had occurred that made him bring me to his house instead of letting me go home.

‘I’ll try to get up soon.’

As I lay still and diverted my mind, I was able to withstand the pounding to some extent.

So I carefully got up and stood on the floor. I felt a little dizzy, but gradually got used to it.

After getting up from the bed, I moved my sore legs, opened the door, and went out into the living room.

I couldn’t see Natalia in the living room, so I looked around and felt a sign of presence in the kitchen.

‘Are they at least having breakfast….’

I didn’t really have an appetite, but I was curious so I went in.

“Ahh…, fuck….”

Then, the first thing I saw was Natalia sitting on a chair at the dining table, holding her head.

“What….”

Natalia also felt someone’s presence and raised her head. When their eyes met, she smiled bitterly.

“What’s going on?”

“I tried to boil some bean sprout soup, but it smelled fishy, probably because I bought spoiled bean sprouts.”

“Ah.”

I nodded as if I understood and looked into the pot placed on the gas stove. As expected, a fishy smell wafted through the air.

“This is not because the bean sprouts were spoiled, but because the lid was opened and closed in the middle.”

After saying that, he emptied the pot and made new soup with the remaining bean sprouts.

“I thought I could just roughly throw together all the ingredients and boil it until the flavor comes out…”

Natalia muttered in a defeated voice as she watched me boil the soup again.

“Haha.”

While I heard that and laughed lightly, the smell of bean sprout soup began to waft through the kitchen again.

As I was boiling the soup, I just smelled the bean sprout soup, and that alone made me feel a little relieved. As my stomach felt a little better, my appetite also woke up.

I took out two bowls and ladled out the finished bean sprout soup.

“Let’s eat.”

“…Okay.”

Every time I eat a spoonful of hot, clear bean sprout soup, my stomach slowly relaxes.

Natalia, who was sitting across from me and similarly eating soup, muttered in a slightly sluggish tone.

“It tastes good.”

***

After that happened, I continued my internship without any problems.

As I was enjoying these peaceful days, I was already nearing the end of my internship.

At the same time, the graduation exam was fast approaching.

‘Time flies so fast.’

The graduation exam is also a venue for job placement.

So, it has a structure that is linked to internship activities.

‘Let’s see…’

According to the notice I checked, this year’s graduation exam was also set to ‘perform assignments in cooperation with a professional hunter with whom one is currently working.’

Through the graduation exam, I felt the school’s intention to officially join the business of the professional hunter where I was currently working as an intern.

As I was reading the exam notice, my cell phone suddenly rang. The name Natalia appeared on the screen.

“What’s going on?”

[Isn’t it time to take the test now?]

“Didn’t you get a notice there?”

[Come and ask.]

“Yes, the exam period is one month from today.”

[okay? So, let’s deal with it today without any need to drag it on. What is your assignment?]

“Is there anything special? The graduation task is to close a portal that matches the magic level of the cooperating professional hunters.”

[Then I guess I should try to arrange for an S-class portal.]

S grade is the grade just below the highest grade.

The difference between the highest grade and S grade is not the strength or weakness of the monster, but the size of the inside of the portal.

If a small number of S-level hunters can subjugate it, it is S-level. If they have to form a large team to avoid being caught in humane tactics, it is top-level.

When I learned about it, I thought it was a story that had nothing to do with me for the rest of my life, but I feel like I don’t really know what’s ahead in people’s lives.

“Then, please contact me again when the matter is decided.”

[okay. I’ll hang up.]

Anyway, I hung up the phone and waited for Natalia to call me again.

After waiting like that for a while, a few hours later I received a call from Natalia and headed to the call location.

“Are you here? Let’s go.”

When I went out to the meeting place Natalia had designated, she immediately took me somewhere. This was the place where the portal Natalia found was located.

“Luckily, the recently created S-class portal has not been auctioned off yet.”

Is that why you were able to summon it so quickly?

While I was standing like a sack of barley near the portal where thick magical power was flowing like a lake, Natalia took over the portal from an official in the management department.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

As I enter the portal alone with Natalia, she gives me a request.

“First of all, don’t try to do anything.”

“I know.”

“Stick right behind me.”

“I know that too.”

While having a cliched conversation, Natalia and I entered the portal.

“Hmm….”

The first thing Natalia did when she entered the portal was to quickly scan her surroundings. Fortunately, there was nothing in the surroundings that could pose a threat.

“Good. Let’s move.”

After confirming that there were no dangers around, Natalia started moving. I followed behind her.

This portal was in the form of a relatively rare castle. So there was no need to worry about where to go. All I had to do was walk down the hallway.

‘It was said that portals with this structure tend to have relatively few monsters.’

From what I’ve heard, it’s a crappy terrain with few monsters and little chance of getting lost…

“Wow.”

There is no being in this world who only has merit.

Natalia, who was walking down the hallway, suddenly disappeared. The floor in the hallway gave out and he fell down.

“Wow, are you okay?”

When I looked into the trap installed in the hallway, I saw that it was full of sharp steel stakes.

A bloody trap that would skewer any low-level magical power awakener.

“Ah…, such a start.”

Of course, Natalia, an S-class hunter, was not hurt at all, and the steel stakes were dented.

She got up from between the crushed steel stakes and climbed back up the wall.

“Let’s keep going.”

From then on, Natalia continued to fall into delicate traps. Suddenly, flames erupted and rocks fell from the ceiling. There was also an attack by imps lying in ambush in the shadows.

But no trap or surprise attack could damage Natalia’s body.

‘Wow, the S class definitely has different basic body durability.’

Looking at that, I stuck out my tongue in deep admiration.

At the place I arrived at, covered in poison that had spilled from the last trap I stepped on, there was a door that looked grandiose even at first glance.

Natalia’s steps, which could not be stopped by any trap, stopped in front of the door. And as he wiped away the poison on his body, he glanced back at me.

“Do you want to wait here?”

“If it’s too dangerous, wait.”

Natalia smiled crookedly at my answer. It was a slightly arrogant and confident smile.

“How dangerous is it when I’m here.”

“Then it would be better if we go in together. Well, since it’s a graduation exam, I have to be there.”

“So.”

After completing a brief medical check, Natalia opened the door.

The first thing I saw beyond the quietly opened door without even making a sound of its hinges was a huge throne.

Leaning on the throne was a female monster that, at first glance, was indistinguishable from a human.

“Hmm?”