Chapter 8:
I stood in front of the hornet, now completely burned without even a trace left, and agonized.
Hmm, how should I explain this?
“Actually, I’m…”
Should I say I’m a finger technique expert working for world peace without even getting paid?
That my finger technique is just enough to buy a Capri Sun with the money I earn?
That I’ve been forced into a “small but certain happiness” kind of life with this finger technique?
That I’m the strongest finger king in the universe?
No matter what, I couldn’t reveal that I was the Finger Prince.
I stared silently at the ashes floating in the air. It was my go-to move when I couldn’t find a distant mountain to gaze at.
“Minju! Right! On your right!!”
“Seobin! Hey! Where are you going, you idiot!”
Unlike our side, which had gone quiet, the place with the hunters was still noisy.
Come to think of it, the Red Dragon’s rampage had gotten more intense. Had backup finally arrived?
I turned my head toward the gate from which monsters were pouring out.
A heavy crescent blade danced through the flames.
A middle-aged woman wearing orange hiking sunglasses and a hiking outfit was wiping out the Red Dragon army.
Her flames were so strong that no one could even get close. The hunters from the Third Dawn Squad and the remaining civil servant hunters had become mere spectators.
“There’s another hunter at the gate now.”
I quickly changed the topic to avoid having to explain the situation.
Was the “older sister” the lady had mentioned her? I guessed it was probably her.
“Really? They say your eyesight improves when you awaken—maybe it’s true. Who is it? A government hunter?”
“No. A fire-type hunter using a crescent blade. She’s taking down all the monsters by herself.”
“Oh my, that’s my sister! She finally showed up!”
The woman clapped her hands and bounced with joy. Seems like I was the only one surprised.
Wait, that old-school, stubborn hunter is her older sister? Anyone would think she’s the younger one.
Well, they do say awakened people age more slowly.
The awakening is practically a physical rebirth, and sometimes even rejuvenation.
Her neatly braided white hair, flames in the shape of a dragon, the powerful way she swung her blade to crush enemies—it could only be one person.
The only hunter in Korea with such a combat style.
The strongest of the A-rank hunters in Korea, soon to be promoted to S-rank.
Ranked 9th in the country. One of the few capable of going head-to-head with the rising star. The Flame Dragon: Ja Yeon Dream.
“Now that my sister’s here, this wave will be wrapped up in no time. Those kind hunters from before might make it out alive too. This is great, really great.”
That’s what normal people would think.
“If only those hunters had protected us until the end, we wouldn’t have nearly died.” Thoughts like that.
If I were really a civilian, I definitely would’ve thought that too.
Hunters working for the public good are government hunters. Guild hunters work for their own profit.
Even though everyone knows this, we still expect them to protect us like it’s their duty.
Civilians don’t have scanners, so they don’t know the rank of monsters. They don’t know the wave’s rank or how to protect themselves.
So even if hunters charge toward a high-rank monster for post-clear loot, civilians who don’t understand the situation will think:
“Ah! They care more about their own profit than our lives! That’s why I’m about to die!”
People cheer for the heroic image of hunters.
But the moment that image breaks even once, they curse and blame them.
Even those who died probably resented the Dawn Squad in their last moments.
Though the squad had no obligation to protect them, they must have blamed them for not doing so.
And well, resentment is natural. Even heroes have a dark side.
Just like there are crazy fans of the Finger King, there are also vicious haters.
Look at me. I was just bashing those hunters a second ago for missing their timing and letting things escalate.
“Miss, we’re going to look for a way out. What about you? You’ve just awakened, so it must be hard to move.”
That’s why people like this amaze me.
In a crisis, most assume that someone strong will naturally protect them. But she didn’t think that way.
Someone who helps others, understands others, and stays calm in the face of danger.
“Mom! You said you’d stay in the shelter! Where were you?!”
“There were people collapsed outside the shelter. If I didn’t bring them, they might’ve died.”
“Some other hunter would’ve brought them! Why did you go there?! You’re not even awakened!”
People like my mom. People who are different from me.
“I’ll go too. There might still be monsters left.”
If everyone in the world were like this, how great would that be? But it’s so hard to find people like that.
Not even me—I’m not that kind of person. If I were a civilian, I definitely would’ve left them behind.
Left them and ended up as a hornet’s meal. Just like the others who were already meat.
There’s a reason adults say listening to your elders won’t do you harm.
Everyone says to live kindly. And they did. And this is what happened. Though, honestly, it’s all just luck.
I brushed ash off my shoulders and took off my hat. It was covered in ash too.
Ugh, this is why I don’t use electricity. I can’t do anything halfway.
I took my phone back from the lady and put my hat on again.
The mother was now holding her younger child, who had stopped crying, and the older one was holding her hand tightly.
“So, which way should we go?”
“Let’s head to the end. The stairs are usually at the ends.”
The lady, who introduced herself as having 30 years of subway riding experience, confidently took the lead.
30 years of subway experience? That sounds like one of those restaurants with a “30-year tradition.” Somehow I’m not reassured.
I followed behind her as she boldly walked forward, flashlight on, as if she wasn’t the least bit afraid of hornet corpses.
At the gate, a flame dragon was licking the Red Dragon army with its fiery tongue.
I knew that woman was impressive, but I didn’t expect her sister to be as well. Both are incredible. Truly a legendary duo.
As we made our way to the exit, we ran into hornets several times that the dead hunters hadn’t finished off.
Each time, I quietly stepped forward and zapped them with electricity.
People think Finger Technique is a fire-type physical enhancement ability, so this could help avoid suspicion.
Well, who would believe that the number one-ranked hunter is pretending to be a civilian… but still. You never know.
With a flash, the outer shell of a huge hornet scorched black and collapsed to the floor.
I raised my hand again to take out the next hornet that was charging toward me.
A blue streak shot like lightning, piercing the hornet’s exoskeleton with a crack, and exploded the moment it entered.
“Is everyone okay?”
The one who had finished off a few remaining monsters aimed her bow at the one I’d already fried.
An arrow embedded deep in its head exploded, taking the monster’s skull with it.
“Oh my god… did that hunter come back just to protect us?”
The lady beside me whispered, covering her mouth.
I nodded slightly, feeling cold sweat down my back. Yeah… it looks like that.
The chick hunter, who had finished off the twitching, half-roasted monster, lowered her bow and approached.
Judging by her face, she was clearly confused by the group of survivors.
Well, it is a weird group.
One civil service student with a hat and sunglasses, a middle-aged lady, two kids, and their mom. That’s it.
“What about the others…?”
Just like the trajectory from earlier, her blue irises rolled like marbles.
I placed a hand gently on the lady’s shoulder as she was about to speak and cut in.
“They’re all dead.”
“…What?”
“They went ahead of us. They said if the baby cried, it’d attract monsters.”
An unexpected look of discomfort spread across the chick hunter’s face.
You didn’t think this would happen, did you? Well, what would a hunter just one week into awakening know?
She didn’t seem like she’d ever been in a dungeon or a wave before.
“Then how did you all survive? The Garuda army serves the Greed King—they would’ve quickly found another target.”
“Yeah, I think it was a really tough situation. We almost died too. But hey, people don’t always die, right? We saw it happen.”
I clasped my hands together like some shady salesman and closed my eyes solemnly.
The group stared at me like, what is she doing…?
You probably think I’m weird. But I had no choice.
“A passing super-ultra-mega hunter flipped the whole area and wiped out the hornets!”
I said it with all the seriousness, gravity, and sincerity I could muster.
The others looked dumbfounded and tried to argue, but I didn’t back down.
“Uh, miss… weren’t you the one who defeated the hornets…?”
“No.”
“I also saw lightning earlier…”
“Nope.”
Even as everyone insisted it was me, I held my ground.
My mom always said: someone who’s easily swayed can’t be a leader.
“I-I didn’t do it. A super-special hunter happened to pass by and took care of them.”
Come on, believe it was Finger Technique. Believe it was him! Hurry! Just believe it!
I locked eyes with the chick hunter, who looked sour, trying to show I wasn’t wrong.
She was the first to look away.
