Chapter 65 : The Past is Like a Cemetery 2

[Final Battle Against the Goblin Guerilla Remnants]

"Kiieeekk!!"

A goblin, with grenades wrapped around its body, removed all the safety pins in a final act of desperation, intending to explode among the hunters.

There were still quite a few remnants of the goblins left.

Although they were not as intelligent as adults, they had the intellect of at least young children or early adolescents.

Having intelligence meant that they could experience emotions like rage and fear, and they could understand the efficient use of tools, strategies, and learning.

One particular goblin was in an extremely agitated state, filled with anger at the death of its kin and fear of its own demise.

When a gap appeared in the hunters' defenses, driven by a single-minded desire not to die alone, it wrapped its body with the stolen bombs and grenades from a human military unit and leaped into their midst.

"Shit!?"

"When did this bastard get here?!"

"It's a suicide attack! Get away!!"

As the goblin watched the humans' panicked expressions, it trembled with joy, despite sensing its own imminent death.

Yeah, you bastards hogged all the delicious and abundant things on the surface for yourselves.

I've always hated and loathed you and wanted to kill you.

But how unjust it felt, knowing that you're so much stronger than us.

Even if this is my final suicide attack, the thought that I can take you down with me makes me laugh in the face of death!

Though the arm that had already been slashed by the humans had no strength left, it was still capable of pulling the grenade pins.

"Keh heh heh! Yeah, let's go together, you human bastards!"

[Ice Flowers in Full Bloom)]

Clang!!!

However, the goblin's dream did not come true.

Not a single one of the humans it despised came with it, and the goblin, whose life was on the verge of extinguishing, realized that its body wasn't moving at all.

It had definitely pulled all the pins.

Once the pins were pulled, all the bombs attached to its body should have detonated.

So why am I still alive?

Why haven't the bombs exploded?

And why can't I move?

It didn't take long for the goblin to realize that it couldn't take a single step, move a finger, or even roll its eyes to shift its gaze.

"Haa, haa… Yeonhwa… Miss."

"I'm late. I'm sorry. All the goblins on the northwestern side of the dungeon have been eliminated. Is this the last one?"

"Yes, yes!"

At that moment, Yeonhwa drew the sword she carried at her waist and shattered the frozen goblin's body into pieces.

Yeonhwa's sword was imbued with ice, reducing friction to zero, allowing her to cut through the goblin's body as smoothly as slicing tofu or cake.

Even the frozen grenades, though their pins had been pulled, didn't explode, as if the explosion itself had been frozen.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"No, thank you, Miss Yeonhwa!"

Icicle Nine, Yeonhwa.

She was a young woman who had only been an official A-rank hunter for a few months, yet she was quickly rising to prominence as a genius hunter.

No, calling her a genius didn't do her justice.

She was already achieving far more than her experienced A-rank hunter peers, and she had been assigned to the northwestern sector, where she single-handedly annihilated a large number of goblin remnants.

"As expected of Lady Yeonseo's granddaughter."

"Wow, she's really strong. When I was her age, I barely made it to C-rank…"

"Who could stand being an A-rank in their 40s after seeing this?"

Although some whispered that Yeonhwa's strength came from inheriting Yeonseo's bloodline, the truth was that hunter abilities weren't passed down through lineage.

No matter how much of a direct descendant she was, there was no guarantee she would even become an awakened being.

Yeonhwa's strength wasn't because she was Yeonseo's granddaughter, but purely due to her natural talent and relentless effort.

In fact, before Shia saved her, Yeonhwa had thrown herself into dungeon raids without rest, as if she wanted to die.

[The operation to eliminate the remnants of the goblin guerilla forces has concluded after 83 hours!]

[We extend our gratitude to all the hunters involved.]

[Hunters who sustained injuries or are feeling unwell, please report to the medical headquarters immediately.]

As the AI announced that the goblin guerilla forces had been completely eliminated, the hunters all raised their heads.

Holograms appeared above the hunters, displaying various notices, messages of gratitude for their hard work, and information about how the Hunter Association would cover all medical expenses for injuries sustained during the operation.

But what really caught the hunters' attention was something else.

[The contribution scores for all hunters have been calculated!]

Contribution.

The calculation of contribution usually occurred during special events like "emergency summons" or "subjugation battles" led by the Hunter Association.

As the name implied, the contribution score was a comprehensive indicator of each hunter's performance and importance during a subjugation or dungeon raid, determined by the Association's AI.

In a way, the contribution score was a hunter's report card, portfolio, or sales record — a vital specification.

For individuals like Shia or Yeonhwa, who typically worked solo, they were outliers. Most hunters belonged to guilds, companies, or public organizations, much like how people are employed by firms or public institutions in regular jobs.

Guilds or organizations existed to support things an individual couldn't do alone, or for tasks that required massive amounts of capital, and to introduce hunters to dungeons that others weren't aware of. As such, submitting a contribution score was mandatory when applying to most guilds or institutions that hired hunters.

[A-rank hunter, Ahn Yooseong – Contribution: 8.98%]

[A-rank hunter, Saehwarang – Contribution: 1.42%]

[A-rank hunter, Yulia – Contribution: 4.24%]

.

.

.

"Oh, I thought I'd get zero percent in the rear support team, but I did better than I expected."

"Damn… They said they'd cut my guild salary if I didn't exceed 9 percent…"

[A-rank hunter, An I-on – Contribution: 3.25%]

.

.

.

.

[A-rank hunter, Yeonhwa – Contribution: 41.79%]

"What?"

"41 percent…?"

"Wow, damn…"

"Is this a contribution score error?"

"You think the Association's AI is a joke? There's never been an error in that."

Typically, the hunter with the highest contribution would score around 10 percent on average.

The fact that Yeonhwa alone had a contribution score of 41 percent meant that she had performed on a level so overwhelming, it was almost superhuman.

"But it's not surprising, considering she wiped out the goblin remnants on the northwestern front all by herself."

"They were saying she was the next big rookie, and it turns out she's really on another level compared to us."

If the gap were smaller or something that others could realistically aspire to, there might have been feelings of jealousy.

But when the difference was so vast that there was no comparison, admiration and awe began to replace envy.

A young woman, just barely in her twenties, had achieved a contribution score so high that it overwhelmed people who had spent decades as seasoned hunters.

"Wow, if she can score 41 percent, that means she could single-handedly wipe out the goblin guerilla force."

"She'll probably reach S-rank soon."

"But hasn't it been more than ten years since we've had an S-rank in our country?"

"I bet she'll break that streak."

"They said she's Lady Yeonseo's granddaughter. She's really strong. Congratulations, Miss Yeonhwa."

Yeonhwa, who had been staring blankly at the hologram, lowered her head slightly in response to the hunter who congratulated her.

In the past, she wouldn't have even accepted such greetings from other hunters and would have immediately gone off to raid another dungeon after confirming her contribution score.

It wouldn't have been wrong to say she seemed rude or ungrateful in the eyes of others.

"…Ah, yes. Thank you."

If this had been before, she wouldn't have felt any satisfaction even if her contribution score had turned out well.

"41 percent… huh…"

I worked hard, didn't I?

A strange sense of relief washed over Yeonhwa, and she relaxed her body.

It felt like the pleasant feeling one has after a good workout, but it was much more satisfying than that.

She hadn't felt anything special after raiding dungeons, being praised by the academy, or being selected as an outstanding student, but…

Was it because she had reached A-rank?

Or was it because she had gained some mental peace after Shia had saved her?

'If it were the old me… I would've thought it wasn't enough and kept pushing myself into dungeons until I was too sick to move…'

Even she couldn't understand why she had been like that.

What had she wanted to achieve by pushing herself so hard?

Had she been trying to die because of the guilt she felt over her sister Yeona's death?

Had she felt disgusted, surviving in place of her sister, despite being weak?

Looking back now, maybe all of it was true.

In that sense, Shia was a true saint to Yeonhwa.

Of course, it could have been a coincidence, just like Shia had said, that she had saved Yeonhwa by chance.

Just as a butterfly's wingbeat can cause a storm, or the warmth from the north can melt the cold winter, Shia was that kind of presence to Yeonhwa.

While it was true that Shia's antics were unpredictable, her mere existence made Yeonhwa feel like her older sister had returned.

"…I should brag to my sister."

Although she wasn't her real sister, Yeonhwa had come to think of Shia as one.

After taking a selfie, something she usually didn't do, Yeonhwa opened Shia's contact on her smartwatch.

"Huh?"

But her eyes narrowed as she noticed a message had already arrived.

[3rd Ethics Hearing – Legal Representative Required]

○○○

3rd Ethics Hearing.

It was the final hurdle for a returnee deemed in need of special supervision to fully integrate into society.

Although Shia seemed to have been living freely, even broadcasting as a hunter after the first and second ethics hearings, she still wasn't a full-fledged member of society in the truest sense.

She wasn't registered for insurance or pensions, and every official document attached to her identity had the term "temporary" on it.

Once the third ethics examination was over, Shia, the Saintess of the Dead, would be issued an official ID without the "temporary" tag under the Hunter Association's guarantee.

If Shia wished, she could stay permanently at the returnee shelter provided by the Association, and she would start receiving health insurance, support funds, pensions, and tax benefits.

However, the third ethics examination was a comprehensive test and notoriously difficult to pass.

The reason the third ethics hearing was so difficult was simple.

It was designed to probe the most hidden or potentially dangerous aspects of a returnee's psyche, and even included participation from a returnee observer.

While most people were finishing up work, heading home, or meeting friends to enjoy their evenings, Shia and Yeonhwa arrived at the Returnee Management Bureau.

"I'm sorry. You must have wanted to rest."

"No, it's fine. The fact that the third ethics hearing was requested by your side, rather than the bureau, is actually a good thing."

Regardless of the reason, the fact that Shia had voluntarily requested the hearing meant that she was mentally prepared for it.

"I didn't expect S-rank Hunter Yujin, a fellow returnee, to attend."

"Is he that famous? I've seen him mentioned a few times on gallery boards, but…"

"He's probably the longest-serving active hunter aside from Lady Yeonseo."

"Oh?"

Wasn't he the first returnee?

After the Great Rift, he had returned after just ten days and caused quite a stir.

'But there's no point in worrying about the observers. I'm not here to see their faces.'

With that thought, Shia and Yeonhwa entered the familiar building of the Returnee Management Bureau and made their way to the ethics hearing room that had been prepared in advance.

As Shia's legal representative, Yeonhwa moved to the observation room, while Shia sat down with her ethics examiner, Chief Choi Bomi.

'Oh, they really came.'

During the first and second ethics hearings, only Yeonhwa had been present in this seat.

But now, three new faces were there as well.

S-rank Hunter Yujin, a sharp-looking man with brown hair who seemed like a handsome young man, though he was actually over seventy years old, belonging to the same era as Yeonseo.

Yujin had been reported missing after the first Great Rift, only to return ten days later.

Although he had been gone for just ten days, Yujin claimed to have spent twenty years living in a world of magic and steam.

In fact, during his mental evaluation, Yujin's psychological age had been calculated to be twenty years older than his actual age.

For Yeonhwa, this was the first time she had ever encountered such a famous hunter in person.

'He really looks like a returnee.'

On the other side sat someone dressed head to toe in armor.

Many hunters wore armor, but it was usually modern in design.

But this armored knight looked like something straight out of a fantasy world, wearing authentic armor from head to toe.

The armor was so large that it obscured the person's figure, making it impossible to determine their gender.

All Yeonhwa could tell was that this person had been sitting with their arms crossed, completely still, since entering.

Wait, is that person even alive?

They haven't moved at all since earlier.

Not even the slightest tremor of breath could be detected.

And the last individual had long ears, which led Yeonhwa to assume they were an elf.

Whether they were a returnee or from an elf tribe of an invasion dungeon was unclear, but given the setting, it was highly likely they were a returnee.

An S-rank hunter, Yujin, an unmoving armored knight, and a female elf with a consistently uncomfortable expression.

It was a strange combination.

"It's been a while. I enjoyed watching your broadcast, Miss Shia!"

"You watched my broadcast too?"

"Of course! It's part of my job, but did you know your show is incredibly popular? The gallery is already full of…"

"So, is there something you want to eat from the dishes I've made? I can cook it for you if you want."

"..."

When she suddenly went silent, an eerie quietness hung in the air.

Miss Shia, I may be willing to do many things, but I can't eat deep-fried centipede legs….

"By the way, Miss Shia, what made you request an ethics hearing from our side? Even the higher-ups were curious."

"Is this not a common thing?"

"No, most people try to delay their ethics hearings as much as possible."

"If you feel like doing something, you just do it, don't you? I had some things to take care of too…"

In an attempt to change the subject, Shia casually placed a tentacle from her waist onto the table.

The tentacle's mouth slightly opened, and something was spat out.

"Miss Shia?"

Chief Choi Bomi, who had no idea what Shia was doing, tilted her head in curiosity.

What is that?

It's black… But it looks like it's pulsing like a living creature.

What is it? Why does it look so alluring?

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Chief Choi regained her focus.

"What do you think this is?"

"Uh, is it obsidian? No, it's too red for that. It also seems to be moving slightly. Is it some kind of rare mineral?"

"Hehe, I wish."

Shia let out a slight chuckle before her expression turned completely blank.

"It's a fragment of the Demon King."

"…..!!"

"?!"

At that moment, both Yujin and the armored knight shot up from their seats.

Though the knight's face couldn't be seen, Yujin's was contorted with intense emotion.

Especially Yujin's eyes, which were filled with a murderous intent, as if he were ready to kill someone right then and there.