[BREAKING: KIM A-RIN ALIVE LMAOOOOOOO]
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Posted by: ClearedARankGateFirstTry
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: (Haetae Guild official briefing photo)
Per Yoo Do-a: no threat to her life
Currently receiving treatment at a local hospital
ㄴ ALL HAIL A-RIN
ㄴ Every idiot who called Kim A-rin overrated just got deleted lmaooooo
ㄴ she actually lived
ㄴ she's S-rank tho, all that "is she dead" nonsense smh
ㄴ tbf an A-rank Gate shock is wild, would've been kinda messed up if an S-rank actually died lol
[BREAKING: Forget England, the real one who got WRECKED lmao]
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Posted by: DontKnowDontCare
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: (real-time UK stock graph photo)
(real-time crypto graph photo)
That would be yours truly, who went all-in on mindless shorts
Heard Kim A-rin was dead and England was done for so I threw everything in, HOW DID IT RECOVER?????
ㄴ Brainless short-sellers getting humbled is peak A-rin behavior
ㄴ S-rank survives and the short-sellers die, great value honestly
ㄴ (smirking British Queen emoji)
ㄴ this guy has never heard of diversification lmaooo
[So who even IS the dragon lady <<< like who tf is she?]
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Posted by: WhyIsItMyFault
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: (video of dragon breath shooting into the sky)
(on-site photos posted to SNS)
Looking at the videos coming out, she's just straight up farming monsters like it's nothing
Checked the entire world Hunter rankings 1 through 500 and she's nowhere ㄷㄷ;
Her face is insanely pretty too, why does nobody know who she is?
The government is playing dumb too, how does that even make sense
ㄴ she's just a super strong invisible dragon ok
ㄴ (beep boop?)
ㄴ there literally aren't any dragon-transformation Hunters; she genuinely just dropped out of the sky
ㄴ I heard something was coming from America, maybe that?
ㄴ America's playing dumb too apparently
ㄴ America's #1 was in England and just boarded a private jet back home
ㄴ found her insta @a_iqpr1 <<< go go go
ㄴ the link takes you to a grandpa doing naked somersaults don't fall for it lmao
ㄴ someone ban this guy
[America claiming they don't know who she is = total cap]
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Posted by: ActiveCIAAgent
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: There's no way America doesn't know a Hunter who single-handedly ate an A-rank Gate shock for breakfast
A Hunter that strong would've been put on America's secret watchlist ages ago, they'd be monitoring her 24/7
(list of Hunter Association conspiracy theories)
She's clearly an S-rank transformation-type they were secretly developing and this was her first live field test
She turned out stronger than they expected so now they're playing dumb ㅇㅇ
ㄴ (your eyes have opened emoji)
ㄴ (proudly fluttering Stars and Stripes emoji)
ㄴ but why would an American Hunter save Kim A-rin first? There were plenty of American Hunters in London too
ㄴ she's still an S-rank Hunter, gotta keep her alive at least lol
ㄴ allied nation, cheers
The internet was ablaze over the unprecedented incident that had unfolded in England.
And for good reason — the mysterious Hunter who had appeared was, in every sense of the word, overwhelming.
Her very form was that of a dragon, a creature straight out of mythology.
The performance had been so grotesquely one-sided that "slaughter" fit better than "battle," and every scrap of attention had converged on this unknown Hunter.
｢Location? Have we confirmed it?｣
｢Yes. She appears to be currently staying in a hospital room alongside Haetae Guild's Hunter Kim A-rin.｣
Naturally, that included the people right there in London, England, where the mysterious Hunter had appeared.
Beyond that, the British Hunter Association was also desperately scrambling to identify her by any means necessary.
Nationality unknown. Affiliation unknown. Identity unknown. A figure shrouded entirely in mystery.
Even after interviewing every Hunter who had been on the scene, the only answer that came back was: we don't know.
Even the Hunters who had fought alongside her had no idea who she was.
— Knock knock.
— Creak……
｢I apologize for disturbing your rest, Hunter Kim A-rin. Given the nature of the matter.｣
｢…What matter would that be?｣
｢It concerns your companion. Would it be possible to conduct even a brief inquiry at this time?｣
The one silver lining was that she was still staying by the side of Kim A-rin of the Haetae Guild.
At least her location was confirmed, so the British Hunter Association kept attempting to make contact.
Kim A-rin, who appeared to be acquainted with the mysterious Hunter, had also been included as a subject of inquiry for the time being.
However.
｢It's a pleasure to meet… you. If you don't mind my asking, may I inquire about your nationality and affiliation?｣
"…………"
The mysterious woman staying with Kim A-rin responded to the British Hunter Association employee's questions with nothing but silence.
｢I'm sorry. I'm afraid cooperation will be difficult at this time.｣
Kim A-rin, who had been carefully watching the woman's reaction, also asked that the inquiry be postponed by a few days.
She cited the need for time to consult with the Haetae Guild back in Korea.
｢I do hope you'll understand.｣
｢Ah, not at all, Hunter Kim A-rin. The British Hunter Association respects the wishes of you both.｣
The British Hunter Association employee glanced briefly at the woman of unknown identity, then slowly bowed.
Either way, both of them were Hunters from foreign nations who had fought for her homeland, England.
Thanks to them, London was safe again — and as a member of the British Hunter Association, she wished to express her gratitude.
With those words, the petite female employee turned and walked straight out of the hospital room.
At the very least, it had been confirmed that the mysterious Hunter would continue to remain with Kim A-rin.
｢My heart… my heart is going to give out. Good lord…｣
Only then did the employee finally let go of the nerve-shredding tension, patting her chest to ease the tightness.
She had known the woman was an extraordinarily powerful Hunter, but she hadn't anticipated that a mere moment of eye contact would make her knees go weak.
Even now, in human form, it had felt exactly like locking eyes with a dragon. It was hard to believe that kind of pressure could come from another person.
｢Well, Nia. You came back without getting eaten, I see.｣
｢Open the car door if you don't want to get hit, Simon.｣
Anyway — around the time the female employee had rejoined her colleague and returned to the British Hunter Association —
Kim A-rin, in the VIP hospital room, slowly turned her gaze to the spot right beside her.
Because.
"………Mmm……"
On the cot reserved for guardians next to Kim A-rin's bed, Lee Ji-woo was fast asleep.
Even with a British Hunter Association employee coming and going from the room, Ji-woo had remained dead to the world.
What had caught Kim A-rin slightly off guard was that the female employee who had just visited hadn't seemed to register Ji-woo at all.
It wouldn't have been strange to ask who this child was — yet the employee had spoken and acted as though Ji-woo simply didn't exist.
Even so.
"…You look like you have a lot of questions."
— Flinch.
"It would be better not to ask."
In the end, Kim A-rin couldn't find out anything either.
The other presence that had helped Arkiel sweep through the Red Gate's monsters was demanding silence.
In other words, the one who had concealed Ji-woo's existence was this unfamiliar girl.
— Murmur.
"Completely at ease. Unbelievable."
"Rotten little disciple."
"…Mmnya……"
The unfamiliar girl, wearing a displeased expression, stared fixedly at the soundly sleeping Ji-woo and muttered under her breath.
And Arkiel, for some reason, was watching the girl with a slightly frightened look on her face.
'…What on earth happened?'
She didn't want to believe it, but Kim A-rin ultimately trusted her gut: this newly appeared stranger was also a Hidden Boss.
It seemed like something had happened again while Kim A-rin was away from Korea.
But even that, she couldn't bring herself to ask.
There were more pressing matters right now.
— ♪
— ♪
— ♪
[Do-a Sunbae]
A video call coming in from Korea, right on cue.
Kim A-rin tapped the green call icon, and Yoo Do-a appeared on the screen.
[ Kim A-rin. ]
"…Yeah, Sunbae."
[ First of all…… I'm glad you're alive. I heard what happened in England. ]
They started with pleasantries, but both Yoo Do-a and Kim A-rin knew.
There was something more urgent to deal with right now.
[ Is Arkiel with you? ]
"Yeah."
[ …Ji-woo too? ]
"She's asleep."
[ Ji-woo isn't hurt anywhere, is she? ]
"No. She's fine."
[ …That's a relief. ]
Yoo Do-a let out a breath that carried a hint of relief, then continued.
[ Anyway, listen carefully, Kim A-rin. Right now, Ji-woo and Arkiel are technically illegal entrants as far as the paperwork goes. ]
"…Right, they would be."
[ There's a chance it could cause problems, so just sit tight and don't do anything. We'll try to handle it on our end as much as possible. ]
"Got it."
After that, Kim A-rin spent a long time going over things.
What to do going forward.
What to tell the British Hunter Association, and what to keep from them.
How to handle the public disclosure of Arkiel's existence, which had now unmistakably surfaced.
And.
[ This was Ji-woo's call, wasn't it? She wouldn't have just flown to England on a whim. ]
"Probably…"
And how to handle the out-of-spec asset that was Lee Ji-woo — whose power had now been clearly demonstrated — going forward.
[ I checked the CCTV. It took less than an hour. From here to England. ]
England was literally on the other side of the globe, yet Ji-woo had arrived and wrapped things up in no time.
Running the numbers, she had flown to England at ten times the speed of a commercial aircraft.
Both Yoo Do-a and Kim A-rin understood exactly what that meant.
[ …It's going to get very loud. There's no S-rank Hunter who can reach anywhere on Earth that fast. ]
"Yeah."
[ Still, she saved your life because of it…. For now, pass along my thanks to Ji-woo. We owe her again. ]
"Will do, Sunbae."
[ Anyway — the official story is that Ji-woo came to England because she was worried about you. Arkiel was sent by me. ]
And so, Kim A-rin and Yoo Do-a wrapped up their discussion of the incident.
Arkiel had been urgently dispatched to England by Yoo Do-a after hearing that Kim A-rin was in danger.
Ji-woo had been worried about Kim A-rin and had secretly reached out to Arkiel, asking to be brought along to England too.
Ji-woo would be explained as a personal acquaintance of Kim A-rin's who had come to England — not as a Hunter.
Because the alternative was a minor Hunter who had illegally entered the country and fought in the middle of an A-rank Gate shock, which would make things extraordinarily complicated.
[ Get some rest. I'll be in touch once things are sorted. ]
"…Yeah. Thanks, Sunbae."
It differed from the truth, but they agreed to align their stories for Ji-woo's sake.
Not a single Hunter had died in the end.
If anything, other Hunters had Arkiel to thank for their lives — and if they pushed that angle hard enough, there might at least be some room for leniency.
That was Yoo Do-a's conclusion.
Kim A-rin's thinking wasn't particularly different.
It was just — how to put it.
— Blink blink.
— Blink blink.
"…You're up?"
Time passed, and early morning arrived.
Watching Ji-woo stir awake with her hair all disheveled, Kim A-rin had a thought.
Had she still been seeing Ji-woo — her unnie — as someone to protect, a non-Awakened who needed looking after?
Even though the Ji-woo of right now had saved the lives of Kim A-rin and countless other Hunters, and might even be more capable than Kim A-rin herself.
"There's soup. Want some, Unnie?"
"…………"
Just because she'd gotten younger.
Just because she had almost no experience as a Hunter.
She'd been trying to protect her without thinking.
Because for Kim A-rin, the worst outcome — now as always — was Ji-woo getting hurt or dying.
Simply to avoid that worst case.
Probably that was why. All this time, she had been…
"…Turn around."
"H-huh?"
"Did I or did I not tell you not to do anything dangerous. You definitely said it was just a business trip."
Ji-woo came at Kim A-rin with a thoroughly furious expression, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She was going to give her a proper scolding for making her worry like that.
— Smack smack!
— Smack smack!
"Ow, ow, that hurts, Unnie. I'm a patient…!"
"That's why, you shouldn't, have done, something, to become one!"
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I was wrong, Unnie."
Only after receiving Ji-woo's signature back-smacking special did Kim A-rin realize it once more.
That Ji-woo, too, saw Kim A-rin not as an S-rank Hunter, but as a little sister who needed protecting.
The two of them weren't so different after all.
"Hey. That's enough."
"…This is a family matter, Miss Erdi! Even you can't just—!"
"Someone else is coming. Keep throwing a fit if you want."
"Oh."
Only after hearing Erdis Arcana's words did Ji-woo stop her back-smacking assault.
And almost simultaneously, a knock at the door.
— Knock knock.
— Knock knock.
— Creak……
｢…You're awake, I see.｣
Neatly trimmed snow-white hair cut in a bob.
A women's suit in white and blue.
An unfamiliar elderly woman who gave an overall impression of elegance appeared, accompanied by attendants.
｢How do you do, Hunter Kim A-rin. I am Beatrice Claire, President of the British Hunter Association.｣
Having introduced herself as the President of the British Hunter Association, she shifted her gaze to the space beside Kim A-rin.
There was clearly nothing visible there — and yet she had a strong intuition that someone was present.
And in that moment. Softly.
【Entity: Erdis Arcana deactivates Entity: Lee Ji-woo's Cognitive Distortion (S).】
"…Hm? Oh?"
The invisible veil that had been concealing Ji-woo was lifted by Erdis Arcana, who had noticed something.
Erdis Arcana herself was still keeping her own presence hidden.
She had judged that staying concealed was the better choice in this particular situation.
[ Entity: Beatrice Claire has become aware of Entity: Lee Ji-woo's presence. ]
【❮(P) Let's Be Friends❯: Activated.】
[ Entity: Beatrice Claire's favorability increases. (0 → 100) ]
｢…Hunter Kim A-rin.｣
｢Yes, Madam President.｣
｢This adorable child…… just who is she?｣
｢…Pardon?｣
'What is she saying.'
The exchange was in English, so Ji-woo couldn't quite follow it.
But new message windows were floating up in front of her eyes.
【Say to Entity: Beatrice Claire: "Grandma, I'm hungry."】
【Excuse me, ma'am. I'm a bit hungry.】
Excuse me, ma'am. I'm a bit hungry.
'Wh-what is going on.'
Ji-woo still had no idea what was happening.
But there was one thing she knew for certain.
Nothing bad had ever come from doing what the message windows said.
And so Ji-woo opened her mouth and spoke.
To the elderly woman gazing steadily at her.
｢Ex…excuse me, ma'am. I haven't had…breakfast yet.｣
｢!!!｣
Upon hearing the voice with its halting pronunciation, Beatrice Claire urgently issued instructions to her attendants.
Bring this child a proper breakfast at once.
｢Quickly!｣
｢Y-yes, Madam President.｣
The hospital room erupted into a flurry of activity in an instant, and only Erdis Arcana remained perfectly composed.
Ji-woo, still with no idea what was going on, simply tasted the English brunch that was being served to her.
