Chapter 16
“It’s already been two weeks since we last heard from him… Are you sure he’s okay?”
“Haha, you don’t need to worry too much, ma’am.”
Inside the hospital ward.
After her surgery, Juhyuk’s mother was still hospitalized for rehabilitation.
And Yena had been visiting her every single day, keeping her company.
“Hunter Juhyuk will be back in a few days.”
In truth, even she couldn’t be certain when he would return.
All she knew was that Juhyuk had asked her to explain things to his mother—
that he wouldn’t be able to contact anyone for at least a week.
‘If he’s going to make requests like this, why doesn’t he just join the guild already?’
He refused to join, yet always left behind troublesome favors like this.
She wanted to complain, but he was her lifesaver—
so she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh.
‘Still, this disappearance must be the same kind of thing as that “Blank Week” from the academy, right?’
He’d vanish for a week without a single word of contact,
and afterward, his abilities would have drastically improved.
It wasn’t hard to guess that this time was the same.
‘Getting stronger without a reawakening… I thought he’d already hit the limit of what an F-rank Hunter could do. Could he really become even stronger?’
Normally, without a reawakening, there was only so far a human could go.
Even if an F-rank Hunter survived countless gates and trained endlessly,
they could barely handle a D-rank monster.
But Juhyuk had defeated a mutant orc estimated to be at least D-rank.
Granted, the creature wasn’t in a pack, which made it easier—
but even so, he had performed beyond the limits of an F-rank.
‘If he gets stronger than this… No, that’s just wishful thinking.’
Even at his current level, his talent was undeniable.
He hadn’t reawakened, yet as a Hunter, his ability was already exceptional.
Hoping he’d grow even stronger without reawakening was probably asking too much.
‘Still… not even a trace of him anywhere.’
If he’d entered a gate, there would’ve been a report.
But there was nothing. No trace of where he’d gone.
She’d even knocked on his apartment door, peeked through the window—nothing.
‘Where did he vanish to?’
She’d told herself it was his privacy and tried not to pry,
but the fact that he’d disappeared without a single trace—it gnawed at her curiosity.
“Could you please tell me just a little bit about where my son went?”
Juhyuk’s mother asked timidly, her eyes filled with worry.
Feeling both guilt and pity, Yena lied.
“…It’s a bit complicated, ma’am. It’s related to guild confidentiality, so I can’t say much.”
She couldn’t remember a time she’d resented Juhyuk more.
Lying to a worried mother about her missing son—it made her chest ache.
“You don’t need to worry too much, though. He’s gone off like this before when he was still at the academy.”
She couldn’t exactly admit she had no idea where he was.
So, as usual, Yena peeled apples for the woman and tried to reassure her.
And by the second week of repeating the same comforting routine—
—the door finally opened.
“I’m back.”
“Hunter Juhyuk?”
“Oh, senior, you’re here too.”
After more than two weeks with no contact, Juhyuk strolled in casually and took a seat.
He picked up one of the apple slices and took a bite.
“Took a bit longer than I thought. Things got complicated.”
“What were you even doing? Did you eat properly?”
“Well, I rushed here, so I skipped breakfast today.”
“Honestly… that’s just like you.”
Despite scolding him, his mother’s face softened with relief—
he didn’t even have a scratch on him.
Juhyuk smiled.
“I’m going to grab a bite with my senior for a bit, okay?”
“Of course. Miss Yena hasn’t eaten either—go together.”
It was nearly lunchtime.
Unlike his mother’s warmth, Yena’s expression was cold and unyielding.
Sensing her tension, Juhyuk spoke carefully.
“She said it’s fine. Shall we go?”
“…Sure.”
They left the ward and headed to a bulgogi restaurant nearby.
The entire walk there, neither spoke.
Yena, who usually had plenty to say, just glanced at him in silence.
Only after their food arrived did she finally speak.
“So you show up after two weeks.”
“Yeah. It took a bit longer than expected.”
“….”
He said it so casually, like he’d just been on a trip.
But Yena’s face was far from calm.
“What exactly happened to you?”
“…”
“Did you sneak into a gate on your own?”
Her instincts as a hunter and scout told her—
the man sitting across from her was not the same as before.
She could feel it.
Something about him—his presence, his aura—had sharpened beyond comprehension.
“Did you go into a gate and train in isolation or something? No… even that wouldn’t explain this.”
It had only been two weeks.
Even if he’d been locked away training, that couldn’t produce this kind of transformation.
The way he carried himself—it was as if he’d trained for ten years straight.
His eyes gleamed like a forged artifact polished by a master craftsman—
brilliant, refined, terrifyingly focused.
Every time she met his gaze, she felt an uncanny dissonance.
“Thanks, by the way. For visiting my mom every day.”
“…If you’re thankful, then stop changing the subject and explain.”
“I told you before, didn’t I? Or… maybe I didn’t.”
He frowned slightly, as if struggling to recall.
Yena pressed her temple, exhaling in disbelief.
“Hah. Forget it. You’ll just dodge the question again anyway.”
“When the time comes that I can explain it, you’ll be the first to know.”
“I don’t consider anyone outside our guild a junior.”
“Oh? Then I’ll just call you Scout-nim.”
The cheeky reply made her jaw tighten.
It wasn’t the kind of attitude one should take toward someone who’d taken care of his mother.
But she bit back her irritation and swallowed it down.
“If you’d come any later, you might’ve missed the raid.”
“That’s why I wrapped things up faster.”
The D-rank gate raid was less than a week away.
Yena had worried she’d have to take his name off the list,
but thankfully, he’d returned just in time.
“If you disappear for two weeks and then tell your mom you’re going on a raid, she’s going to worry herself sick.”
“Please comfort her for me, Scout-nim.”
“…Ha.”
Another shameless request.
But she’d half expected this, so she didn’t argue further.
“Just don’t come back hurt. She worries a lot.”
“Got it.”
He answered lightly, and she took a bite of bulgogi.
The sweet, smoky flavor filled her mouth before she spoke again.
“And when you’re done with that gate, come by and meet our guildmaster.”
“The guildmaster?”
“They’ve been wanting to meet you, you know.”
The guildmaster kept pretending not to care,
but Yena had seen the way they subtly asked about Juhyuk every day.
“They won’t pressure you to join.”
“Then what do they want?”
“Well…”
Yena paused for a moment before smirking.
“Let’s just say—they like collecting disciples.”
The day of the raid.
At the gate entrance, Juhyuk presented his Hunter license and went inside.
Only a few people were there, gathered and waiting.
The party for today’s raid had already been finalized—
so those people would be his teammates.
“Sorry, traffic made me a little late.”
As he joined the group, several heads turned.
Whispers spread quickly.
‘…Word about that mutant orc must’ve gotten around.’
If not for that incident, even with the Mir Guild’s recommendation,
there’s no way he’d have been accepted into a D-rank gate raid.
He’d have to deal with the attention.
“Alright! That’s everyone now,” said a man in his 30s who looked like the leader.
“We’ll head in fifteen minutes!”
With that, the group dispersed to prepare.
Juhyuk found a spot to sit—
“You’re that guy, right? The F-rank Hunter who killed the mutant orc?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa, so the rumors were true!”
A few Hunters approached, chatting excitedly.
They peppered him with questions.
“I heard you even beat the runner-up in the ranking exams! How’d you get so strong so fast?”
“Steady training.”
“Aw, come on, don’t give us textbook answers.”
One leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
“You sure you didn’t get your hands on some rare gear?”
“Who knows.”
“Come on, share the secret~”
“….”
He appreciated the friendliness, but it was too much.
He sighed inwardly, wishing they’d drop it—
When suddenly—
“Juhyuk! Why so late?”
A familiar voice.
“…Jihoon?”
“It’s been forever! First time seeing you since graduation.”
The man grinned brightly.
Jihoon—one of his academy classmates.
Unlike Juhyuk, who hadn’t even ranked in the top 200,
Jihoon had consistently placed within the top 10.
They’d spent many hours together in the training halls,
and had shared the occasional conversation during breaks.
Jihoon turned to the others.
“Hey, mind if I borrow him for a sec? We were classmates.”
“Oh, right—you two were in the same year.”
The senior Hunters nodded and stepped aside.
“Go on, catch up a bit.”
“Thanks.”
As they left, one of the seniors stumbled and tripped over a rock.
“Geez, do you ever stop falling?”
“Damn it, why’s there a rock here anyway…”
The man scratched his head awkwardly.
Jihoon laughed softly.
“That guy always trips. Bet he’ll do it again once we’re in the gate.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. But don’t worry too much—they just act goofy to ease the tension for newbies.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable.”
“Ha! If it were me, I’d be.”
Jihoon chuckled and lightly tapped Juhyuk’s shoulder.
“Anyway, how’ve you been? I’ve heard some crazy rumors about you.”
Unlike the others, his tone was genuinely cheerful, not jealous.
“I knew you’d pull something off someday. You trained longer and harder than anyone else—it was only a matter of time.”
“….”
There wasn’t a hint of malice or envy in his expression—just warmth.
Handsome, bright, and good-natured—Jihoon had always been popular back at the academy.
‘He doesn’t even seem curious. Guess he really believes I just worked hard.’
Jihoon genuinely thought Juhyuk’s current success was the result of sheer effort—
and honestly, given what he’d seen back then, it made sense.
“You trained like a madman. There’s no way that wouldn’t pay off.”
“You weren’t so bad yourself.”
They laughed, reminiscing about their academy days—
days that already felt like a distant past,
though it hadn’t been long since graduation.
Maybe that was just what time in the “training space” did to you.
“Alright, everyone! Gather up!”
The leader’s voice rang out.
“Guess it’s time,” Jihoon said.
“Yeah.”
Together, they stood and walked toward the gate.
