I Was Betrayed But It's Okay haha

Chapter 159

'What the...?'

Chae Soo-hyun’s eyes widened as she looked at the paper she had just been handed. Her face quickly turned red.

'They really expect me to do this...?'

[Exterminate 500 Screaming Bats]

[Exterminate 300 Dancing Boars]

[Exterminate 200 Dark Spirits]

[Exterminate 400 Rock Golems]

...

The list went on and on, seemingly never-ending.

'How am I supposed to do this?'

Of course, if she were still S-rank, she knew it wouldn’t be a big deal. But the problem was that the missions had been assigned individually.

'I’m... E-rank now. How am I supposed to handle this? Are they kidding me?'

Chae Soo-hyun frowned, her face twisting in such a way that anyone looking at her would find her expression strange.

'He must have known after retrieving my points that I’m E-rank, right? Or does he not know? Could it be?'

She alternated between staring at Baek Ji-hoon and the paper in her hand, unable to believe that he would have done this on purpose.

'Uh... maybe... maybe Ji-hoon oppa doesn’t know that I’ve become E-rank? I don’t think I’ve ever properly talked about that with him...'

Her expression brightened slightly.

'Maybe he doesn’t know, or... maybe he thinks I can still handle it? Maybe he’s giving me a chance to stand out among the other S-rank hunters?'

She was lost in her own fantasy, fervently spinning a hopeful narrative in her mind. She had no clue that she was the last person Baek Ji-hoon would think to favor in such a competitive situation.

'Hmm. Should I talk to oppa about this?'

Chae Soo-hyun adjusted her expression. She figured she should subtly signal Baek Ji-hoon about her current situation.

'He probably doesn’t know much about me now.'

She began walking toward Baek Ji-hoon with deliberate steps.

"Um... Hunter Baek Ji-hoon..."

Chae Soo-hyun rolled her eyes slightly as she cautiously approached me.

‘Heh. She must’ve sensed things are going downhill.’

Her expression showed she’d realized she was in big trouble.

“I... I have something to say...”

She got very close, almost pressing against me, and whispered in a voice that no one else could hear.

“Oppa... After you retrieved my points, I’ve been reduced to E-rank...”

She looked at me with a desperate expression, clearly hoping for something from me.

In the past, I might’ve been foolish enough to say, ‘Of course, oppa will take care of everything for you. You just go and rest, my sweet Soo-hyun.’ But now, things were different.

‘And so what?’

That was exactly the expression I wore.

“I. Know.”

I coldly looked down at her, speaking each word slowly and deliberately for emphasis.

"Huh...? You... you know?"

Her eyes darted around rapidly, clearly struggling to process the fact that I knew. She seemed utterly flustered.

"Th-then, how am I supposed to..."

"You have to do it well, right? You’re an S-rank hunter, aren’t you?"

Her voice grew weaker, and she looked at him with a pitiful expression.

"Obviously, you need to explain yourself to the other S-rank hunters. This is a joint tactical operation for all 11 of us. It’s meant to prepare us for future S-rank dungeons."

"What???"

Chae Soo-hyun was even more shocked now.

'They’re planning to go into an S-rank dungeon?'

Even A-rank dungeons were way beyond her capabilities at this point. She struggled even in C-rank dungeons, so an S-rank dungeon was completely out of the question.

If she were dragged into an S-rank dungeon now, she would definitely be killed. S-rank dungeons had far more random monster attacks, and for someone who wasn’t truly S-rank, the outcome would be devastating.

'What is this? Is this part of some bigger plan? Maybe he’s putting me in danger on purpose, so that Ji-hoon oppa can come save me and we can reconcile?'

Chae Soo-hyun was now completely lost in her delusions again, believing that Baek Ji-hoon’s actions were all part of some secret plan to mend their relationship.

"Okay... I’ll talk to the other S-rank hunters."

"Good luck with that~ Heh."

Park Hyung-seok laughed quietly, clearly finding the whole situation amusing.

"If I do well today, Ji-hoon will notice, right?"

"Of course, no doubt~ It seems like he set this up just so we’d show how capable we are. I bet we’re still closer to Ji-hoon compared to the six hunters who joined later. I think this is our chance."

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na glanced over at Baek Ji-hoon, who was standing with Cha I-seul.

"Ugh..."

Lee Soo-ah was regretting the opportunity she had missed, her disappointment showing on her face.

'Hah... Ji-hoon... I was so stupid... I was too full of myself...'

"Um... excuse me..."

They heard the voice of Chae Soo-hyun approaching.

"What do you want? This is our area. Go back to your spot."

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na snapped, becoming instantly defensive. Since monster respawns were crucial for completing their tasks, they were very sensitive about others encroaching on their territory.

"It’s not that... I was just hoping to ask for some understanding because... I don’t think I’ll be able to participate today."

"Huh? Why?"

Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na stared at her, confused by her sudden withdrawal after coming all this way.

"Isn’t today’s quest pretty easy? Weren’t you ranked number one at one point, Chae Soo-hyun Hunter?"

Lee Soo-ah brought up the fact that Chae Soo-hyun had once held the number one rank. It was a sensitive topic for her, so she couldn’t resist taking a jab.

"Well... it’s just that... it’s my... um... it’s that time of the month..."

"Oh... but still, isn’t today’s task doable? It’s not that difficult, is it?"

The two S-rank hunters exchanged glances, still not understanding her reasoning.

"It’s just... I have it really bad..."

Chae Soo-hyun rolled her eyes dramatically as she clutched her stomach, putting on a performance to try and escape the situation.

"Oh..."

While they didn’t fully understand, they didn’t see any reason to stop her, either. In fact, Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-na seemed somewhat relieved.

'Nice. One less competitor.'

They quickly exchanged knowing looks.