Chapter 19
[Item: Trace of the Ancient Desert]
[Grade: B]
[Type: Key Item]
[Description: A key capable of unlocking the secrets of a hidden ruin.]
[Effect 1: Unlocks the dungeon “Ancient Desert.”]
[Effect 2: Bound to Hunter ‘Joo Donghoon.’]
“Hm?”
I kept my mouth shut, reading the item description over and over again.
Four words stood out:
Key item, key, Ancient Desert, and bound.
Judging from the context…
‘A linked dungeon… or something like that?’
To be honest, I didn’t really know.
It’s not something that shows up in the media.
And there’s no way guilds sensitive about information would ever leak something that clearly smells like a “hidden” feature to the public.
‘Sigh.’
This is why being alone sucks.
I have to figure out all this stuff one by one by myself.
‘Would be nice if someone explained this to me.’
I needed a senior.
Someone like a Ranker—who had already gone through all these steps.
“Huh?”
That’s when it happened.
As if the heavens responded to my desperate wish, someone appeared right in front of me.
Swish—
Flowing hair caught in the wind, the sweet scent of peonies, and that familiar aura of death.
“Shadow Empress?”
My eyes widened.
Why was Ki Soyul here?
Seriously? I thought the Shadow Severance bastards were just seeing things.
But she really did come?
“Ahem. Long time no see.”
Our eyes met.
And a chill shot down my spine.
‘Ah. She’s definitely on another level.’
The more you know, the more you see.
Now that I’d grown stronger, she looked even more formidable than before.
A powerhouse beyond the reach of dozens of A-rank Hunters.
A Ranker in every sense of the word!
“You said you needed some time to sort things out, right? Figured you’ve done your dungeon runs and gotten your thoughts in order. I came because I figured if I didn’t, you’d never come find me.”
“R-right…”
I nodded awkwardly, feeling a little guilty.
What now?
Honestly, I still hadn’t decided what to say.
Should I tell her the truth? Or lie a little?
And if I lied, how much?
‘Wait…’
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Do I even need to lie?’
Ki Soyul was one of the top 1,000 Hunters in the world.
A Ranker.
Whether or not I obtained an “opportunity”—she could crush me with a flick of her finger.
‘And what if I did lie and she caught on?’
A shiver ran down my spine.
She was the Shadow Empress.
The queen of assassins.
I could be kidnapped and tortured all night…
Or have my throat slit in my sleep without a sound.
“……”
And just look at that face.
Expressionless—but isn’t that even scarier?
“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that again? Just like last time.”
Her brow furrowed.
“Huh? How am I looking at you?”
I asked, sweating bullets.
She replied immediately.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but that expression looks awfully suspicious. Whatever’s going through your head… you’d better make the right call.”
Her response felt like a soft threat.
I flinched.
With a quiet sigh, she continued.
“You know, they say life starts and ends with connections. Depending on the ties you build, the quality of your life will change too.”
She was clearly saying:
Since she, a Ranker, was treating me with respect—I should make the right judgment.
Depending on how I answered…
My life could either change for the better—or worse.
“I haven’t observed you for long, but I don’t think you’re an idiot. Am I right?”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“To put it simply, I hope you make a wise decision.”
“……”
Damn.
She’s on another level.
Who threatens people this politely?
Gulp.
I swallowed and made up my mind.
‘I’ll just be honest. That’s the smarter play.’
Right now, I’m a nobody in the Hunter world.
A total newbie.
A fragile little chick that’d die from a single tap.
And if I had the chance to build a connection with a Ranker?
‘Of course I’d take it.’
I instinctively knew:
Ki Soyul was a Hunter with relentless determination.
If she stumbled upon a problem, she wouldn’t let it go.
If there was a chance to grow stronger, she’d latch on tighter than anyone.
If she learned about the old man next to me…
She’d definitely want to stay close.
“Alright, Shadow Empress.”
I nodded and opened my mouth.
“You were curious about how I cleared the dungeon, right? And what kind of reward I got?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll tell you everything.”
“Good choice. Glad you’re as smart as I thought.”
She looked pleased.
I shrugged.
“But.”
“But?”
Her smile faded a little.
But I didn’t flinch.
Thinking about it—there was no need to be scared.
At least not until the information about the “opportunity” came out of my mouth—she’d never kill me.
“First, I want you to protect me until I grow stronger.”
“Protection? You owe me or something?”
“No, it’s just… there are some people after me.”
The A-rank Shadow Severance goons had escaped.
There’s no way they’d give up on me easily.
“……”
She went quiet for a moment.
“And what’s next? You said ‘first,’ so I assume there’s more.”
“Mm.”
“I’ll need to hear all of it before I give you an answer. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
I nodded.
Fair enough.
I could tell she was someone who kept her word.
That made her trustworthy.
“I’m still a rookie. So whenever there’s something I don’t understand… help me out. Just within reason. For example—this.”
I held up the golden key I’d obtained earlier: “Trace of the Ancient Desert.”
For the first time, her eyes widened.
Her gaze trembled—she was clearly shaken.
“Wait. Is that a key item?”
“Oh, you know what this is?”
If a Ranker was getting flustered—
Then it had to be something big.
“You got this in a dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmph.”
She tapped her chin and sighed.
Then, after a brief pause, she spoke.
“You’re incredibly lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes. The odds of finding a key item in a regular dungeon… are basically zero. Less than a hundred of them are known in the world. And since it’s a bound item, it can’t even be traded.”
“……”
So…
What exactly is it?
“Key items are also a kind of opportunity. Once you dive deeper, they lead to linked quests.”
She kept muttering “this is insane” under her breath as she explained.
“And those linked quests keep increasing in difficulty—eventually reaching S-rank or higher. Every key item I know of has followed that pattern.”
“…S-rank?”
“Rankers like me are always on the lookout for items like that.”
“Whoa.”
I was speechless.
No wonder the reward seemed stingy for a dungeon that required sacrifice.
This was what it was building toward.
As I stood there gaping, Ki Soyul nodded.
“Alright. I accept your conditions. But I have one of my own.”
A condition.
“What is it?”
Instinctively, I stuffed the key back into my pocket.
Didn’t really matter since it was bound to me—but still.
Something about its rarity made me want to hide it.
Watching me, she opened her mouth.
“Let me observe your training process.”
Her voice was clear and firm.
As if she already knew something.
“Observe?”
“Why not? If I’m going to protect you, I should be by your side anyway, right?”
“Hm, I guess that makes sense?”
“I’ve been keeping tabs on your aura for a while now. Ever since you cleared that deep old man’s stage… you’ve been getting exponentially stronger. Even today. That’s what I’m most curious about. How you’re growing so fast.”
In her eyes, I saw desire—an obsession, even.
Was it her interest in the old man who had once utterly defeated her?
Or…
Are all Rankers just like this?
“But as I said earlier—I can introduce you to many connections. Ones that could directly change your life.”
That line again—life starts and ends with connections.
Ranker connections… now that’s tempting.
“……”
I thought for a moment and then answered.
“To think I could form a bond with a Ranker from just one opportunity… it’s an honor.”
“So we have a deal?”
“Yeah. Deal.”
That day…
I gained the strongest bodyguard in history.
—
Night had fallen before I knew it.
Beep beep!
I entered my passcode and opened the door.
Inside was my gloomy, cramped semi-basement room.
I stepped in more cautiously than usual.
Because I had a guest.
A noble guest who didn’t belong in a place like this.
“…You really lived in a place like this?”
Ki Soyul’s voice rang from beside me.
I swallowed hard.
The atmosphere felt awkward.
“It’s… pretty shabby, huh? I told you not to follow me…”
“No, I had to. A promise is a promise.”
“Ah, right…”
She swept her cold gaze across the room.
Empty ramen bags and a messy blanket made me feel embarrassed.
Should’ve cleaned.
Wait, no!
I didn’t ask her to come here!
I have the right to live how I want!
I was vigorously nodding to myself when—
“Hmm. No surveillance gear or skill traces. No D-rank Hunters nearby either. You’re safe for now.”
“…You checked all that?”
“Of course.”
“Amazing. Seriously.”
Clap clap!
I gave her a mental round of applause.
This was the standard of the strongest bodyguard in history.
“Think nothing of it. I’ve confirmed your place. I’ll be staying on the rooftop for now. Let me know when you head out for training tomorrow.”
I had already told her everything about the “opportunity.”
About the old man.
About the training I was undergoing.
And now, completely hooked, she didn’t plan to leave my side.
Said she wanted to observe every bit of my training herself.
But hold on—
“Wait. You’re staying on the roof? For real?”
“Yes. Keeping watch over a single building’s range is nothing for me.”
“I mean… well, I guess that’s expected of a Ranker…”
But this woman—
Why is she so by-the-book?
That means she’ll be roughing it on the rooftop while protecting me.
“That’s way too uncomfortable for you.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Have a good night.”
Swoosh!
She disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Whew.
My temple throbbed.
A Ranker doing all this?
It’s overwhelming.
If her brother, Ki Parang, ever found out, he might kill me on the spot.
“Sigh.”
Then again—
Who cares?
It’s not like I told her to sleep on the roof.
What mattered was this:
My shaky safety had just become practically bulletproof.
‘Shadow Severance…’
Of course, I had no plans to let them off the hook.
‘Return what I’ve received.’
My principle didn’t care about strength differences.
The moment my skeletons were strong enough to challenge Rankers—
‘They’re all dead.’
That day would mark the official disbandment of Shadow Severance.
The vow I made coiled deep in my heart like a snake.