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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 20: Uh, Wait, Why?
[The goddess criticizes the stubborn hero with a sulky expression.]
"Hey, Goddess, you seem a lot more twisted than before these days."
[The goddess narrows her eyes and asks whose fault the hero thinks it is.]
"Ah, is it because of me?"
Responding like that, I casually devoured my lunch—a honey bread topped with whipped cream and honey, paired with a warm Americano.
Come to think of it, I had skipped lunch.
Eating so eagerly felt a little excessive, so I figured it might be better to have a hearty meat dinner instead.
[The goddess doesn’t believe the hero’s words.]
[(ㅁ_ㅁ)]
[She asks if the hero will just end up eating instant noodles again out of laziness.]
‘Well, when you’re gaming and feeling lazy, instant noodles are the go-to. And when you’re really hungry, you grill some meat.’
That’s just the life of a homebody.
I diligently attend my school lectures and even study in the library during the week.
But on weekends?
Isn’t it fine to slack off like this?
[The goddess sighs and asks if the hero has no intention of helping.]
"Going out of my way to help right after we just had a bit of conflict seems a little too much, don’t you think?"
[The goddess asks if they didn’t just properly make up.]
"Why are you being so nitpicky?"
Having known the goddess for twenty years, I could more or less tell how she thinks by now.
But just as she has her own circumstances, I have mine too.
Although the PvP (player-versus-player) incident was over, rushing to help someone who just cursed me out felt a bit too eager.
They didn’t even mention being in pain.
If I acted concerned out of the blue, it’d look like I was trying to hit on them.
[……?]
What?
Isn’t it weird to go up to someone who hasn’t said a word about being sick and suddenly offer,
‘I’ll heal your condition’?
It’d feel way too nosy.
Sure, if it actually worked, the other person might end up being grateful, and everything would be fine.
‘And sometimes, helping someone leads to them falling for you, getting married, and having kids. That’s just how redemption arcs go.’
[The goddess looks at the hero with a contemptuous expression.]
‘Not me! I meant redemption arcs in general.’
[The goddess continues to look at the hero with a contemptuous expression.]
‘Why won’t you believe me?’
Is it really okay for a goddess and a hero to distrust each other this much?
Feeling disheartened by this reality, I downed the rest of my Americano like it was a tonic and stood up.
“Phew, more work again.”
Even though the goddess and I bickered over this, it was just another everyday event for us.
The process of solving the problem would be a hassle, but I planned to look into it anyway.
I still thought it was being too nosy to care when the other person hadn’t even asked for help.
‘But I’ve seen that kind of constitution before.’
Whether their meridians were dried up, their body was frozen, they felt like they were constantly burning, or they endured some other chronic pain,
people with conditions like that sometimes awakened incredible talents if they overcame their affliction.
In the world of ordinary people, these were incurable diseases.
A devil’s curse.
Though the terminology varied by region and era, there was one thing all these conditions had in common.
Regardless of the severity of the symptoms or the degree of the hidden talent, they gradually ate away at the person’s lifespan.
To put it simply:
‘A terminal illness.’
That person… if left alone, would die in a few years.
[The goddess looks at the hero with a contemptuous expression.]
"Hey, stop glaring at me already."
Even after making up my mind, she was still giving me grief.
Not that deciding to help meant the problem could be solved immediately.
From what I could tell, I’d need to gather some materials, which meant heading into a dungeon.
And to enter a dungeon, I’d need certifications or travel permits.
There was a whole lot of preparation involved, but well… I might as well treat it like finishing some overdue homework.
‘Like vacation homework that you want to put off as long as possible…’
There was someone I needed to visit first.
* * *
"You’ve finally arrived."
As soon as I entered the professor's office, a pair of sparkling eyes greeted me.
"I was waiting, wondering when you’d show up. You seem to follow along with the lectures easily, so I guess keeping up with the pace isn’t a problem. But I still have so much more I want to teach you."
And on top of that, she threw in a max-favorability line.
Professor Shin Arin from the Department of Combat Studies wore a bright smile, her hands fidgeting with anticipation.
Something about the way her fingers squirmed, almost like a live octopus, made it seem like a wild vitality was coursing through her.
‘She’s oddly… creepy.’
She had just finished a lecture, but seeing her this full of energy made her seem like a true superhuman.
She was certainly a very passionate person.
Whenever I turned my head, I could feel her gaze on me.
There were even times when I felt her eyes scanning my body.
Not in a predatory way, but with the sharp gaze of someone thoroughly analyzing my muscles and bones.
Even knowing that, it still gave me chills sometimes.
‘This is why I wanted to put off coming here.’
I subtly glanced around the office, which was fairly empty, with barely any belongings.
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Just the two of us.
With no one else around, I worried she might suddenly suggest I graduate school.
At my current level, becoming someone’s disciple felt a bit beneath me, but how was I supposed to turn her down?
With that small concern in mind, I had come here.
"Hmm, hmm. So, what brings you here?"
Fortunately, there was no sign of a job offer being thrown my way yet.
All I saw was the professor’s warm, passionate demeanor.
Twitch—Twitch—
Though her hands, clasped tightly together, still twitched as if restraining herself.
Hmm…
I glanced at that sight but quickly averted my gaze, trying my best to act like a model student.
With a bright smile, I stated my purpose.
"I was hoping to get a dungeon pass."
To officially work as a hunter, one had to be an adult and pass a qualification exam.
But all those administrative procedures were a hassle, and I’d have to go through verification every time I ranked up.
Getting an S-rank license right away would draw too much attention.
For various reasons, I hadn’t obtained one yet—but there was another way to enter dungeons without a hunter license.
Institutions with public credibility, like Seoul Academy of Supernatural Abilities, were granted special privileges.
Dungeon passes.
Professors had the discretion to assess a student’s abilities and issue a dungeon experience permit.
From what I’d heard, first-years were guaranteed an E-rank pass, second-years a D-rank, and third-years a C-rank.
For reference, C-rank dungeons typically contained monsters like trolls and orc chieftains, while D-rank dungeons had elite orcs and lizardmen.
E-rank and below were filled with weaklings—goblins, gnolls, slimes, and the like.
Obviously, places infested with mere goblins didn’t offer much.
They were just beginner hunting grounds, nothing more.
‘So, I’d like to get at least a D-rank pass.’
Since I’d only been at the academy for a short time, they might insist on giving me just an E-rank pass.
But with the goodwill I’d built up, I figured I could negotiate.
That was the hope that brought me here.
"Oooohhh."
But why was this person looking at me with even brighter eyes?
Even though one of her eyes was covered with an eyepatch, her single visible eye shone so intensely it felt like it was piercing right through me.
Professor Shin Arin fidgeted with her hands again, then smiled widely as she asked,
"You want to go to a dungeon? Where? Up to what rank?"
If I said I wanted to go to an A-rank dungeon, she’d probably drag me along to her own team without a second thought.
I quickly shook my head and hurriedly stated my goal.
"Uh, C to D-rank is fine. I’m just planning to gather some herbs."
"…Ahh."
Trolls, orcs, lizardmen.
From my perspective, they were all easy prey.
But for a professor who had to take responsibility for her students, this was probably a tricky request.
"Well, if it’s just C to D-rank… you can go alone."
Rather than worrying, she actually looked slightly disappointed.
Uh… wait, why?
Shouldn’t she at least be a little concerned about the potential dangers?
‘I could get caught by a troll or an orc chieftain and be in serious trouble, you know?’
Even though I knew that would never happen, wasn’t her trust in me a little too absolute for someone who had only known me for two weeks?
Looking slightly deflated, Professor Shin Arin fiddled with her fingers as she spoke.
"Then, I’ll issue you a C-rank pass, okay?"
"Ah, yes."
"I won’t be giving it to you directly—it has to go through processing, so it’ll take about three or four days. Once it arrives, I’ll let you know right away."
"Yes! Thank you so much."
That was easier and smoother than I expected.
Since my business here was done, I was about to take my leave when—
"Um, you know…"
"Yes?"
"If you ever have anything you want to ask, you can come by anytime—even right after class. Really, anytime is fine. Just come visit my office, okay? Promise?"
"…Okay."
For someone who was supposedly a high-ranking member of society—a top-tier S-rank hunter—her clinginess was almost unbelievable.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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