Chapter 9: My Ex-girlfriend’s S-class Hunter Debut

I finished the group chat conversation with my friends like that.

And I had a serious private chat with Dong Geon.

[I don’t know why it happened that way either.]

Dong Geon was the only friend among my school friends who had awakened as a Hunter.

Dong Geon is also a C-class Hunter, just like me.

So he was the only person among my friends I could talk to as a fellow Hunter.

I started having a serious consultation with Dong Geon.

[When I was gathering magic power to hit him, the feeling was a bit strange. The magic storm also seemed stronger than usual. But I didn’t even think it would be enough to make Kim Joon Hyuk like that.

Can skills be stronger than usual if you’re very angry?]

[I haven’t heard of such cases.]

[Because you’re an uncertified Hunter.]

[It definitely seems related to your unconfirmed characteristic, but what could it be? Since Joo Hyun went from E-class to S-class, maybe you got stronger too? Were there any strange things recently?]

Uncertified Hunter.

Unlike ‘Certified Hunters’ whose characteristics and powers are accurately classified, it refers to Hunters whose exact characteristics cannot yet be distinguished with current technology.

[Well. As Joo Hyun stayed out of the house more and more, I had a lot more time alone. But from that time, I did feel like I was getting slightly stronger somehow. Was it a delusion?

Although it was weak enough to think that. So a few days ago, just in case, I got re-evaluated. But it was still C-class.]

[Only the rank is C, but given the situation, it seems certain that you’ve become stronger than C-class. It wasn’t always a strong power that was exerted, was it?]

[Yeah. When hunting Gate monsters, the power was always around C. It only happened this time when I hit Kim Joon Hyuk.]

[For someone with C-level defense to be in that state with one hit, it means you exerted power of at least a high B-class Hunter or higher.]

[Hmm.]

[Were there any other strange points?]

[Hmm…]

[Another thing I felt was strange about myself was that when I met Kim Joon Hyuk in person and talked to him, I wasn’t scared at all.]

[Isn’t that just because you were angry that Kim Joon Hyuk stole your girlfriend? You’re usually quite brave anyway.

[It felt a bit different from that. That b*stard deliberately frowned intensely and glared at me to scare me, but I didn’t feel anything. On the contrary, I looked at him back confidently and strongly insisted that he apologize.

It felt like fear itself had disappeared.]

[Indeed. No matter how much it’s you, it’s still Kim Joon Hyuk. Calling that person to come and apologize was already a bit strange.

Hunters who have actually seen Kim Joon Hyuk all say they look away in fear just by making eye contact. They say it’s because he looks intimidating, but also because of the pressure of his magic power making it hard to breathe.]

[What happened to you?]

[Well. I’ve heard those things a lot too. I wasn’t scared at all. It’s strange.]

[Kim Joon Hyuk, that b*stard, also said he was surprised because it was the first time he met someone who wasn’t intimidated by him, right?

It seems like your characteristic might be affecting your strength and personality somehow.]

[Nothing is certain yet.]

[Anyway, it seems highly likely that being with Joo Hyun was the problem.]

[Since Joo Hyun is a debuffer, maybe Joo Hyun was lowering your strength?]

[It’s all just speculation anyway. Well, at least I’m alone now. I’ll have to train alone and observe more.]

[Now that Joo Hyun isn’t here anymore, to make up for the losses I incurred by volunteering to protect Joo Hyun all this time, I guess I’ll have to grind harder in Gates and make some money.]

[Do you regret the losses you suffered protecting Joo Hyun all this time?]

[I don’t regret it because I did it out of love. Because I did it because I wanted to. But it’s really bitter that the price for doing that is this. I’m definitely going to meet a really good C-class woman now.]

Joo Hyun, who has become S-class.

I won’t be able to meet the kind of high-ranking lover that Joo Hyun met.

Even so, I want to meet a really good C-class woman and show Joo Hyun how happy I am, as if to make her see.

[Okay. Since you got burned badly, I hope you meet a better person next time. But, Kim Joon Hyuk might get angry and retaliate.]

[He told me to hit him, so he wouldn’t be petty enough to try to get revenge on a C-class even though he’s S-class.]

[Then that b*stard isn’t even a man.]

[Because I also have the recording file where he said I could hit him. The probability of that is low.]

[Okay.]

[I hope nothing happens. If Kim Joon Hyuk tries anything, tell me.]

[Although I’m only C-class, I’ll do my best within my power to help you not get hurt by letting the guild people I know and the media know.]

[Okay. Thanks.]

Dong Geon was a manly friend.

Therefore, if Kim Joon Hyuk really attacks me and plays tricks, he will bravely stand against Kim Joon Hyuk with me.

He’s a friend who would stand on the opposite side of Kim Joon Hyuk and resist, and help me until the end.

So I felt reassured.

I finished my conversation with Dong Geon like that.

It was a truly eventful afternoon.

A few days later.

News Report

[Korea’s largest Hunter guild.]

[Kim Joon Hyuk, the representative of the BM Guild, announced the registration of a new S-class Hunter this morning.]

[Ms. Lee Joo Hyun, newly recognized as an S-class Hunter, is Korea’s first S-class Debuffer…]

[`New S-class Hunter Appears!]

[`Korea’s First S-class Debuffer. Who is She?`]

[`E-class to S-class?]

[The World’s Only Miracle.]

[Lee Joo Hyun, Protagonist of a Hunter Life Turnaround]

[`How on Earth?]

[Lee Joo Hyun, S-class Hunter from E-class.]

[Worldwide Attention Focused.]

Kim Joon Hyuk seemed to have fully recovered.

Kim Joon Hyuk, perhaps conscious of the public who were anxious because of the incident a few days ago—the incident where he got fcking beaten up by me—immediately revealed Joo Hyun’s existence to the world.

All citizens showed fervent interest in Joo Hyun.

Since an E-class awakening to S-class was the only case in the entire world, the attention from not only Korea but also the whole world was intense.

Korea’s first S-class Debuffer, and the only S-class Hunter who leveled up from E-class.

The protagonist of a dramatic life turnaround.

On top of that, she was also pretty.

It seemed like requests for appearances on various broadcasts were pouring in.

Joo Hyun started appearing on broadcasts and entertainment shows here and there.

Everyone in the world was talking about Joo Hyun.

Whenever I turned on the internet, I saw stories about Joo Hyun.

Joo Hyun, who had lived with me for three years until now.

Just a week ago, she was my lover, living in the same house as me, someone I could see just by turning my head.

This situation, where my ex-girlfriend’s name was plastered all over the internet and I saw her face through broadcasts, felt strange.

If Joo Hyun hadn’t done that to me, I could have sincerely wished for the happiness of Joo Hyun, who had become the only S-class among the world’s E-classes and was doing so well.

It was truly regrettable and bitter that I couldn’t wish for the happiness of the person I had loved with all my heart.

Because she cheated, and not only that, she ignored me.

I absolutely cannot forgive her, and naturally, I cannot bring myself to wish for Joo Hyun’s happiness.

[Lee Joo Hyun is fcking pretty.]

[Seems prettier than Kang Ah Young (S-class Hunter. Savior).]

[Bullsh*t.]

[Kang Ah Young is 10,000 times prettier.]

[That’s fcking overkill.]

[They are similar.]

[From today, I’m dropping my fanboy status for Yoo Sol (S-class Hunter. Blade Emperor.) and becoming a Joo Hyun fanboy.]

Many people on the internet also started talking about Joo Hyun’s appearance.

On the internet, there were many people like my friend Sung Hoon, who was an S-class Hunter fanboy.

Since they were heroes who saved the world, beautiful, and highly capable, S-class Hunters had many fans.

As long as it wasn’t posting sexually harassing comments, S-class Hunters didn’t pay much attention to the communities.

They didn’t particularly restrict posts evaluating their appearance or posts containing their photos.

So the Hunter fan communities had a lot of users and were thriving.

As a person, I was inevitably curious about what kind of reactions the person I used to date was getting.

So I went into a community and read a few posts about Joo Hyun.

[Taken when Lee Joo Hyun came out after the press conference.]

Joo Hyun’s fans had already increased a lot.

A “jjik-duk” (a fan who takes pictures) personally took photos of Joo Hyun and posted them on the community.

[Wow.]

[She’s fcking pretty.]

[Pretty in real life?]

[Very pretty.]

[Wow.]

[I wish I could see her just once in real life.]

[I wish someone would make a law requiring S-class Hunters to hold fan signing events.]

The reaction to Joo Hyun was fervent.

More than a few hundred comments were posted in an instant.

I read those reactions.

Scratch scratch.

I read awkwardly, scratching my head, because I couldn’t quite relate to those fervent reactions.

Well, she was someone I could see at home every day.

It was natural that I couldn’t relate to reactions like wanting to talk to Joo Hyun just once, please.

Of course, I understand people liking Joo Hyun like that.

The reason people were in such a frenzy like that.

It’s partly because of Joo Hyun’s beautiful face itself, but also because the aura given off by an S-class Hunter’s magic power was added to it, which had an influence.

This is because as Hunters get higher in rank towards S-class, their magic power becomes stronger, and as that happens, men increasingly exude an overwhelming charisma, and women increasingly exude an overwhelming grace.

It’s the same reason why men fear Kim Joon Hyuk, and women like Kim Joon Hyuk, thinking he’s cool, handsome, and manly.

Although I don’t want to admit it, Kim Joon Hyuk was originally handsome, but it’s also because the aura emitted by his S-class magic power was added to that.

Popular female S-class Hunters are also, fundamentally, beauties, and furthermore, the feeling of beauty is multiplied because of the grace emitted by S-class.

That’s why Sung Hoon and people in the world like female S-class Hunters so crazily.

Naturally, even if they are S-class, people who aren’t originally handsome or beautiful are less popular.

But Joo Hyun was pretty even originally.

Joo Hyun, who awakened as S-class, radiated fearsome beauty, and it’s understandable why people would like her so much.

This situation where Joo Hyun became hot was not to my liking, given that I was cheated on and dumped by her.

However, excluding my personal upset feelings, if I considered it objectively, I thought it made sense for people to go wild over Joo Hyun’s prettiness.

I have some resistance because I saw her face every day, but people in the world were seeing Joo Hyun after she awakened as S-class for the first time.

After that, I clicked on a few more posts out of curiosity.

But as I kept seeing posts praising my ex-girlfriend who cheated on me, my feelings became strange, so I stopped.

Like that, just a few days after the whole world became noisy with Joo Hyun’s appearance, something else happened that made Joo Hyun a topic of conversation in the world once again.