Chapter 86

< Big Sister, Please... (3) >

Boom!

A heavy thud echoed from not far away. A shadow of a person appeared between the garden landscaping. They were A-rank Hunters.

And not long after,

"Please step back."

Kim Sung-han leaped over the rooftop garden wall and approached me. It hadn't been long since the commotion started, so he must have taken the elevator and come around, or perhaps he jumped down. He seemed to be the one who made that sound earlier.

Noah still stood frozen, her feet surrounded by a thick, visible aura of poison.

"Yerim, come here."

I extended my hand to Yerim, who was staggering down the grass.

"No, it won't work. The antidote I have doesn't work on this poison."

"I have poison resistance. Come over now!"

Attribute resistance becomes broader at B-rank and above. At S-rank, it even affects the body and equipment. My poison resistance is L-rank, so I should be able to apply it to someone else.

Speaking firmly, Yerim hesitated but approached. I quickly reached out and pulled the blood-soaked girl into my arms.

"How's your arm?"

Yerim, with the back of her head against my chest, examined her poisoned arm. The wound, torn and blackened, made me frown. Even though I've seen such injuries before, it still makes me feel sick. I'd rather be the one injured.

"It doesn't seem to be spreading anymore, and the pain is gone. I took a Hunter painkiller, but it still hurt a bit."

"That's good. If you feel blood rising in your throat, don't hold it in; spit it out."

"It's fine, my stomach is okay."

It seems there's no internal injury. With my agility specialization and the ability to immobilize the opponent, I managed to hold my own against much stronger opponents. I feel both proud and sorry for her.

Thud!

A metal plate about 1.5 meters wide and long slammed into the ground in front of Kim Sung-han. Noah lifted her head at the sound. Her eyes were still abnormal.

'How is she a well-behaved and obedient younger sister?'

No, she must have been well-behaved in front of Riet. Riet must have been instilled as a terrifying opponent that she couldn't handle. But the moment she judged her sister to be weak, she lost her mind and attacked. It's hard to guess how much she had been suppressing herself.

The predator effect of Lauchitas doubled, and the Dragon Slayer title might have made the keyword apply easily, as it did with Riet. But this chaos... There are good and bad caregivers, and I should have investigated more thoroughly. I should have listened to the cared-for, not the caregiver.

"How long will it take for another S-rank Hunter to arrive?"

"The news has probably been received, but even if they left immediately, it will take about ten minutes."

Kim Sung-han, who just became S-rank, is a defensive-type Hunter, so he should be able to hold out for that long. However, if Noah goes wild against Kim Sung-han, the surroundings might not survive. Unlike Yerim, it will be a clash of strength.

I sighed and took out my phone. Fortunately, it was intact.

'The target of her hatred is clearly Riet.'

She wouldn't try to kill me, whom she just met today. The one she fears but wants to attack must be her sister. It makes sense.

'Becoming an S-rank Hunter from an A-rank is not easy.'

Kim Sung-han stayed at A-rank for over five years. His growth was slow due to his defensive nature, but even for an offensive-type Hunter, the fastest known growth from A to S took five and a half years.

Yet, Noah became S-rank in at most three years. How harsh must she have been treated to achieve such rapid growth? Even if Riet has a title like a caregiver from hell, it wouldn't be surprising.

[Hi, honey~.]

A cheerful voice came from the phone's speaker, turned up to maximum volume. Noah, who was about to attack Kim Sung-han, froze again.

"Riet."

[Yeah, yeah~. Did you meet your sister? Isn't she cute?]

"She's here, but there's a problem."

[What problem?]

"She's attacking me."

[Hmm? That doesn't sound like her. Pebble?]

Her voice raised an octave, and Noah's eyes widened with clear fear. Despite attacking me and Yerim, I felt a bit of sympathy for her.

[I asked you to be polite to my honey, didn't I? Are you listening?]

Noah took a deep breath and answered softly.

"Y-Yes, big sister."

[Why is your voice so quiet? Is what I said true?]

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry..."

Her voice was so faint it barely reached the phone.

[Why did my good sister do that? I'm sorry, honey. Are you okay? You should be, but just in case.]

"I'm fine."

With a completely terrified expression, a lie slipped out. I'm the victim, so why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong to Noah?

At that moment, a welcome voice was heard.

"It's a shame the young master isn't here. I could have seen an interesting show."

Seong Hyun-je. He appeared earlier than expected and even brought a healer. The brown-haired man with a healer mark on his chest was none other than Seosung's A-rank healer, one of only two in the country, and an Indian.

"She's been poisoned. It seems to have been partially neutralized, but please treat her."

Seong Hyun-je looked at me and Yerim alternately and smiled.

"Poison resistance. At least S-rank, I see. Our Han Yu-jin is quite talented."

His satisfied gaze and tone were odd. Why is he so pleased with my skill? Does it mean less work for him?

He's also incredibly perceptive. He could have thought I was just giving her an antidote and supporting her, but how did he know immediately?

[Oh my, oh my, oh my, whose voice is that? Honey, don't play with that uncle. He's a very perverted man. He's dangerous.]

Talking about her own husband.

"If you came all the way to Korea, you should have shown your face. I was disappointed to hear the news, Miss Riet."

[Oh, are you planning to move? Or is it a renovation?]

"You must have calmed down a lot to end it there. It's about time you grew up."

[Why can't I use my skills through the phone? Honey, could you do me a favor and place a nice knife wound for me?]

They seem to get along well. Why don't they contact each other directly without me? They must know each other's phone numbers.

I handed Yerim to the healer and turned to Noah. Her fighting spirit was completely gone, and her hands, which had been glowing, returned to normal. The A-rank Hunters couldn't approach due to the lingering poison aura.

Feeling my gaze, she lifted her head slightly and then lowered it again.

'What should I do with her?'

I can't undo the keyword application. I don't trust Riet. She genuinely believes her sister is well-behaved and obedient, and she even shows affection.

Suddenly, I remembered that the goodwill of Waterdrop's advanced Awakeners can sometimes turn into violence. Riet and Noah are both advanced Awakeners, and one of them is a natural S-rank.

'I need to try and persuade her somehow.'

I don't know if it will work, but I can't just leave her.

More people arrived. This time, it seemed to be from the Association, and Song Tae-won was among them. He looked at Noah for a moment and then approached me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine... not exactly, but I'm okay."

My shirt was tattered and bloodstained, but the bleeding had stopped with a potion, and the wounds were healing. Without poison resistance, I might have been in serious trouble.

[Oh, hello, civil servant!]

Riet was pretending to know me.

"Don't engage in illegal contract trading in Korea."

[Oh, you found out already? You're quick. I was careful.]

Ignoring her laugh, I moved towards Noah. However, just as I took a step,

My shoulders were grabbed, on both sides. Seong Hyun-je and Song Tae-won looked down at me. Their expressions were different but somehow similar.

"People don't change in a day, but you're still unprepared."

"I agree with Director Song this time. If you want to approach, wait a moment. I'll neutralize her."

Neutralize... Hmm, better not ask.

"There's no need. I just want to talk."

I'm not a fool to approach recklessly. I just wanted to get close enough to talk. With Seong Hyun-je and Song Tae-won here, it should be safe as long as I keep a certain distance.

Most importantly, Noah is completely demoralized. She occasionally looks at Seong Hyun-je, so they might know each other. She also knows Riet, so that's possible.

"Riet, your sister seems to have a lot of regrets about you."

I asked to understand the situation. Riet and Noah both shuddered.

[No way! I took such good care of her!]

"Took good care? How?"

[How? Can't you see? I didn't abandon a weak child and raised her to be like this. I really suffered. She's so frail, always acting like she's about to die. If I didn't love her, I would have abandoned her long ago, right, Pebble?]

At the mention of love, Noah bit her lower lip.

"Yes, big sister."

[See, that's what I'm saying.]

"But she still looks young. Wasn't she even younger when she awakened?"

[Young? She's almost twenty. She's nineteen.]

Her cheerful tone made my neck hurt. She looked like she was in her early twenties, but she's younger than Yuhwan.

[If I hadn't raised her, she would still be struggling. She's not up to my standards, but~. Look, how difficult it was just to meet me today? When will you be useful, my beloved Pebble?]

Every time Riet casually mutilates her, Noah's eyes darken. I thought she only physically tortured her to grow her stats to S-rank. It seems that wasn't the case.

[Creating a guild is pointless. It frustrates me to see her lazily playing with dolls.]

...This woman is an S-rank Hunter. An SSS-titled Hunter. She's a top-tier player who could easily be in the top two in a ranking match. Touching her is suicide. I need to get along with her.

...Fuck, my warning light is off.

"Riet, what the hell are you saying to your own brother?!"

[What? Why are you suddenly like this, honey?]

"What do you mean suddenly! How could you push and pressure a child to this extent! Her face dies a little with every word you say. Did you really not know how bad she was?!"

[Well, you have to scold them when raising a child, right?]

"I raised my own brother too! I never spoke to Yuhwan like that!"

Of course, I was younger then, and after we fell out, I wasn't in a position to criticize. No, even if I were better, I wouldn't have said such things.

[But honey, she's weak. A little hardship makes you stronger and better prepared for the harsh world.]

Riet tried to justify herself, flustered.

"Protect the weak! Don't push them to the brink! You're strong enough to protect her! Besides, she's only nineteen. When she awakened, she was probably A-rank. That's already outstanding. What kind of hardship is it to not meet your standards?"

[A-rank is weak. She's my sister.]

"Not weak! And what if she's your sister? You can't just manipulate your own child, let alone your brother! Stop treating him like a project! And don't come to Korea."

[Well, honey? That's a problem.]

"If you don't fix your crazy mind and sincerely apologize to your brother, don't even think about showing your face here!"

[Wait-!]

I ended the call. Riet called back, but I ignored it.

Hmm, I need to be careful for a while. It's fortunate that Riet thinks I'm strong. Even if she realizes I'm weak, she won't kill me outright since she has a monster to raise.

"Big sister."

A faint murmur reached my ears. It was Noah, looking at me in shock or dazed.

Did I speak too harshly to her sister in front of her? Our relationship isn't normal, but still.

"What will happen to Noah?"

I asked Song Tae-won. With injuries, it's impossible to let it slide, and she'll likely be detained. If she's deported as a foreign Hunter, it will be problematic.

"Since there are no non-Awakeners harmed, a request for a settlement will be made after detention. In this case, as a foreign Hunter attacking a Korean Hunter, you can request immediate deportation and a complaint to the relevant country's Association if you wish."

"I don't want deportation. Can we prevent her from leaving the country?"

"Up to 30 days before the settlement is reached."

"Then I request that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's my duty."

I've bought some time and need to persuade her slowly.

"You two seem close. Should I strangle her neck too?"

Seong Hyun-je made a joke. It seems he heard everything.

"Then I should report her. Putting her in prison will definitely improve their relationship."

"That's harsh."

Meanwhile, Song Tae-won put special handcuffs on Noah. Even if they're made for Hunters, they won't do much to an S-rank, but Noah was docile. The aura of poison around her had completely disappeared, and she looked at me like a lost child.

...Suddenly, I miss Yuhwan. When will this guy show up?

< Big Sister, Please... (3) > End

ⓒ Geunseo