Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 153 : The Master of Wishes (2)

The Master of Wishes (2)

"The manager contacted us. He says he should be able to arrive on the island with Hunter Shin Ah-yeon in about an hour."

Alencia relayed the message she had just received from Jung-woo to the other Hunters.

Upon hearing that Shin Ah-yeon would arrive if they could hold out for about an hour, most of the Hunters' faces brightened.

"Wow, can they really come through the storm? Truly, there's a reason why she's called a great mage."

"But are they coming by boat? Or... are they flying over here?"

"If they were planning to come alone in the first place, it wouldn't have taken an hour."

Just as that person said, Ah-yeon and Jung-woo were delayed because they had to rent a boat.

Since it was impossible to predict what might happen on the island, they needed to transport the Hunters as quickly as possible.

"There are many people in bad shape, so I'm a bit worried if we can hold on."

Ahn Tae-seok said this as he glanced at the Hunters who were half-unconscious.

Seeing them lying down, faces pale blue, Alencia felt unnecessarily guilty.

After all, she was the reason they ended up this way.

"Um... I didn't think it would turn out like this. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. If Hunter Alencia hadn't saved us at that time, who knows what would have happened to us in the dungeon."

Even now, Ahn Tae-seok felt a shiver at the memories of that situation.

The suddenly changing dungeon and the murderous intent exuding from the monster.

Murderous intent, not from a monster, but a human—this was something even Ahn Tae-seok had never felt before.

"But still, it's amazing... Evacuating all the Hunters in such a short moment."

It was literally in the blink of an eye.

The instant the monster's murderous intent turned toward them and the dungeon began to change—

A blue light flashed, and Ahn Tae-seok found himself outside the dungeon.

If only it had ended there, but the ferocious dizziness that followed almost knocked him out.

Some of the lower-rank Hunters, unable to withstand the shock, fainted, or, like those in front of him, lay half-consciously, unable to get up.

'An S-rank Hunter who soloed an SS-rank over monster.'

That's how the news introduced Alencia.

Honestly, Ahn Tae-seok had found it hard to believe at face value.

Even the S-rank was a sky out of reach, but SS-rank over?

Was it really possible for someone to solo it?

He had seen the Titan's might in the news, but since no footage of the actual subjugation process had been released, it remained something hard to believe.

However, the skills Alencia had displayed, albeit for a short time, set her far apart from a normal S-rank.

'So reassuring...'

It was a blessing to have someone like her on their side.

Ahn Tae-seok wasn't the only one who thought so.

Every single Hunter here felt the same way.

'What do I do...'

As everyone's admiration and trust turned toward her, Alencia felt anxious for no reason.

'I've used up all my electricity.'

Her electricity was practically depleted.

Now, even moving quickly would clearly be impossible.

'Hmm...'

Well, but since they'll arrive soon, maybe it'll be okay?

Forcing herself to think this, Alencia nodded resolutely.

KUGUGUGUNG!!

'Of course not.'

At the island's rumbling and thunderous roar, Alencia let out a sigh.

Of course, there was no way the enemy would just stay put and wait.

"I-Is this okay? The island is shaking!"

"Looks like something's happening in the dungeon."

The Hunters, remaining as calm as possible, gazed in the dungeon's direction.

Thankfully, these were experienced Hunters; otherwise, if they had been ordinary people or those lacking experience, they likely would have fallen into panic.

"I'll check out the dungeon side first. Please just hang in there as long as you can."

"Hunter Alencia, will you be alright by yourself?"

"If nothing else, at least I can run away, right?"

Surely, at Alencia's speed, there was no chance of that monster catching her.

'If Hunter Alencia says this, that means we'd only get in the way if we intervened.'

If she thought they could win by fighting, she wouldn't have bothered to escape with everyone in the first place.

Besides, quite a few Hunters couldn't even move properly right now, so no one wanted to foolishly insist on fighting alongside her.

"Then please, we're counting on you."

"Yes, please take care!"

Alencia answered energetically and dashed toward the dungeon.

She didn't plan on heading right into the dungeon to fight the monster.

Uneasy vibrations tingled beneath her feet, but with her electricity fully depleted, Alencia had no means of fighting.

'Lightning, I need a place where lightning could strike!'

Once out of sight of the other Hunters, Alencia took off running with a lightning rod in hand.

However, no matter how much she waved the rod, of course, no lightning came down.

'I want to cry.'

Anyone seeing her running around in the pouring rain, shaking a lightning rod, would have found it comical.

If she captured it on video and uploaded it, it would easily get a million views.

'Let's at least try heading somewhere high up.'

Waving her lightning rod, Alencia sprinted for the highest place she could find.

If she could get as high as possible, maybe she'd be able to summon lightning through her power somehow.

***

"I've been a seafarer for 30 years, but I've never seen anything like that."

The captain steering the boat to Gwehyeoldo gaped at the sight before him.

Gray storm clouds swirled around the island, and the sea caught in that storm surged like a waterspout.

It looked like a wind-formed barrier.

It was obviously an unnatural phenomenon, so Jung-woo and Ah-yeon both frowned.

"Why's the thing that's been hiding suddenly causing such a commotion?"

"There could be a few reasons."

"One would be all the Awakener gathered on the island... Is there another reason?"

Ah-yeon asked, curiosity evident. Jung-woo hesitated, unsure if he should answer honestly.

'It's probably because of the Saintess's bracelet and... Ah-yeon herself.'

That monster was after the Saintess's bracelet.

Jung-woo didn't know how it had come from the island to the Hunter Association in Taean, but it was certainly after the bracelet.

Most likely, it was causing this scene in its attempt to retrieve the stolen bracelet.

'Or maybe it sensed something from Ah-yeon as she got closer to the island.'

Given the monster had long been in contact with the Saintess's powers, it might have sensed something from Ah-yeon.

Of course, he couldn't say any of this to Ah-yeon outright.

'Why isn't he saying anything?'

Ah-yeon furtively glanced at Jung-woo's face, noticing he seemed deep in thought.

She had sensed it ever since they'd arrived in Taean—he was definitely hiding something.

'Especially that bracelet.'

Ah-yeon narrowed her eyes at the bracelet in Jung-woo's hand.

'That's the bracelet that so-called "Saintess" woman used.'

A faint recollection from Jeju Island—she remembered seeing the bracelet on the Saintess's wrist while Jung-woo spoke with her.

At first, she thought it might be a mistake, but there was no way her memory could be wrong.

Forgetfulness? When it's Shin Ah-yeon's memory? Impossible.

'Should I just keep pretending not to notice?'

She was quite proud of how unbothered she looked even after seeing the bracelet.

For some reason, seeing Jung-woo holding that bracelet as if it was precious made Ah-yeon pout a little.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, Captain, is the boat running smoothly?"

It weighed on her mind, but what mattered most now was rescuing the Hunters stranded on the island.

And subduing the monster on Gwehyeoldo to stop whatever it was planning.

"Ah, yes! The waves are completely calm... The storm isn't affecting us at all. In fact, it looks like we'll arrive about twenty minutes ahead of schedule."

That was good news.

They needed to get those Hunters off Gwehyeoldo as soon as possible.

'To think she could protect the boat so perfectly.'

The boat was moving as if feeling neither the storm nor the waves.

It wasn't as if Jung-woo or Ah-yeon had cast some huge weather-controlling spell.

Instead, a gentle breeze enveloped the boat, the waves dying down momentarily as the boat passed.

It was probably some creative application of the 8th Circle spell, "Weather Manipulation."

'At this level, it's less magic and more a miracle.'

In some ways, Ah-yeon was more stable and possessed a wider variety of powers now than Estella in her past life. Of course, Estella was probably closer to true omnipotence, but Ah-yeon now wasn't inferior.

"Um, but Manager Park, aren't you scared?"

At that moment, PD Do spoke, his face stiff as a board.

"I'll be fine. But PD Do, wouldn't it have been better for you to stay in Taean?"

"That... might be true, but I'm the one in charge of this broadcast... I was the only one with experience going into the dungeon, anyway."

PD Do was on the boat headed for Gwehyeoldo as well.

He hadn't just tagged along on a whim. He was the only one who had previously explored Gwehyeoldo's dungeon.

'He's strangely responsible in that way.'

Thanks to his prior investigation, PD Do had a rough map of the dungeon's structure. Unfortunately, the Hunters who had accompanied him on the expedition weren't in Taean, so PD Do had to come, but no one would have blamed him for staying behind.

"Well, I get that, but... What's with the camera?"

"If there's anything to film, I should get it on tape. There's no way I can just come out of this with nothing, not after all the budget that went into this season... Ha."

Their ambitious variety show practically tanked now, PD Do was hoping to at least salvage something by bringing his camera.

The island had CCTV, but with things as they were, there was no guarantee any would still be working.

"I see land!!"

At the captain's shout, Jung-woo and Ah-yeon could clearly see the outline of the island previously shrouded by storm.

Even within the storm, the boat barely rocked.

"Aagh!"

Ah-yeon suddenly cried out in pain, frowning.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's... not nothing, but..."

Grimacing, Ah-yeon hesitated.

"My back suddenly hurts a bit."

It felt like someone was pricking her with a needle.

A strange heat, too, making it hard to ignore.

'It seems to get worse as we get closer to the island.'

Something felt off.

Not just pain—in fact, the closer she got to the island, the more she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

At the same time, a hard-to-describe discomfort washed over her.

"Should I take a look at your back?"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Ah-yeon shot Jung-woo a sidelong, cynical glance as if to say, "Just where do you think you're looking?"

"I mean, it must be hard to check by yourself..."

"Forget it. Seriously."

Even if he meant well, suddenly offering to check her back was a bit much.

She knew he was just concerned, but still, it was too blatant.

'Wait a minute.'

Watching Jung-woo fidget in discomfort, Ah-yeon suddenly remembered something.

Usually, whenever Jung-woo acted like that, it meant one thing.

"Hold on a second."

With the island arrival imminent, now was the only chance to check.

Ah-yeon excused herself and entered the boat's cabin.

She looked at her back in the mirror.

If her guess was right, she'd certainly—

"What? Nothing..."

Ah-yeon's back was as white and unblemished as always.

It hurt and felt hot, so she was sure something would be there. Was it just her imagination?

'Didn't they say that the Stigmata appears on the back?'

It must have been nothing.

The pain and heat had already disappeared as well.

'How embarrassing.'

She felt stupid for making such a fuss over nothing.

Hurriedly, Ah-yeon put her shirt back on.

That was why she failed to notice.

Just before she dressed, the brief flash of a red mark on her back reflected in the mirror.

And the tips of her hair—slightly tinged with gold.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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