In a residential area in Seongbuk-dong stood a large detached house with an expansive garden on over 2.3 acres of land. The luxurious building, reminiscent of something out of a drama, belonged to Icarus Guild, one of the four biggest guilds in Korea.
“Ahhh...” Min-Ji stretched and got up from her bed.
Her long, flowing black hair shimmered, framing her delicate features: a high-bridged nose, a petite, tightly shut mouth, and large, expressive eyes with long, elegant lashes. Just one glance was enough to confirm her beauty.
She unlocked her smartphone to check the date and time; it was Saturday, 7:26 AM.
After checking her text messages with Do-Jun, Min-Ji walked over to a picture frame on her desk. It was a family photo taken when she was thirteen: her parents, who appeared to be in their early forties, and a young teenage Min-Ji, all smiling happily.
It was the last family photo they took together.
Min-Ji gently stroked the frame, her expression softening into a bittersweet smile.
Just then, someone gently knocked on the door.
“Miss, are you awake?”
When she opened the door, a middle-aged man in a formal suit gave her a polite bow.
“Good morning,” Min-Ji greeted him.
“Will you be having breakfast?” the butler asked.
“I have plans today, so I’ll eat out. Thank you.”
Today was the day she had promised to meet Do-Jun.
10 AM, Seoul Olympic Park.
Do-Jun was sitting on a bench in front of the fountain. He glanced at his watch before looking around.
The weather was sunny and clear, and the park was full of couples everywhere.
“Babe, let’s take a picture!”
“Oppa! Let’s go over there!”
“Look at this! The flowers are blooming!”
Laughter and joy filled the air, a testament to youthful vitality.
A woman came running toward Do-Jun, stopping in front of the bench to catch her breath. She was dressed casually in denim shorts and a plain white T-shirt—nothing fancy, yet her presence was so striking that she drew attention in every sense of the word.
“Woah, isn’t that Han Min-Ji?”
Do-Jun checked the time again. It was 10:02 AM.
“You’re thirty-two minutes late,” he said to Min-Ji.
“I’m sorry, Supervisor Lee...”
Even though she had woken up early, she had taken her time getting ready, causing her to overshoot their meeting time by over half an hour. Min-Ji looked genuinely apologetic, fidgeting nervously.
As she bent forward slightly to apologize, the shoulder of her shirt slipped down slightly, exposing her bra strap.
Without a word, Do-Jun stood up, adjusted her shirt, and said, “I just got here too, so don’t worry about it.”
Min-Ji blinked at him, momentarily stunned. His unexpected attentiveness—fixing her shirt and casually brushing off the delay—took her by surprise.
Do-Jun’s gaze shifted to the towering fifty-meter-tall A-rank Great Fissure that was surrounded by a barrier. This was the Ancient Serpent’s Cave, which had appeared a few days ago.
Despite the looming presence of the Fissure, people went about their weekend as usual, unbothered. The protective barrier that kept the monsters contained in the Fissure had given the public a sense of complacency over the past decade.
“Thank you for meeting with me today. I know it’s your day off, but... thank you for coming.” Min-Ji expressed her gratitude.
The Ancient Serpent’s Cave was home to a massive, venomous A-rank monster known as the Ancient Serpent. It was also the monster that had killed Min-Ji’s parents ten years ago.
“I didn’t have any other plans anyway,” Do-Jun replied nonchalantly.
He had planned to go into the office to catch up on his backlog. However, since Min-Ji, who always came running to help whenever he asked, had requested his company, he agreed to assist her.
Trauma, huh... Do-Jun thought.
She had lost her parents to the Ancient Serpent a decade ago. That event had motivated her to become a Hunter, vowing to ensure no one else would go through what she had.
Despite her efforts, which earned her the rank of S-rank Hunter, she couldn’t shake the fear that paralyzed her whenever she faced the Ancient Serpent. Do-Jun’s eyes shifted to the suit-case she was carrying, then to Min-Ji, who stood clenching her fists tightly, trembling slightly as she stared at the Fissure.
It’s not like having me here will magically cure her trauma.
The Ancient Serpent was an A-rank monster. She could have easily brought members of her guild to handle it.
He recalled her trembling voice over the phone a few days ago. “Just stay by my side, and I’ll do the hunting myself.”
Do-Jun glanced at the food trucks lined up along the park path. One of them read, “Delicious toast, only 4,000 won!”
He pointed to the toast truck and said, “Let’s eat something first.”
The crispy toast had a golden-brown exterior, and inside were layers of ham, lettuce, eggs, cheese, and a sweet sauce. It only took a couple of chews before the delicious toast melted in their mouth.
“This is delicious.” Min-Ji smiled happily as she ate the toast, but she didn’t seem to notice the sauce smeared on the corner of her lips.
“Hunter Min-Ji, hold still.”
Do-Jun grabbed a tissue and gently wiped the sauce from her mouth. Then, as if this was perfectly normal, he turned back to admire the park’s scenery while taking a bite of his toast.
Min-Ji stared at him blankly before speaking. “Supervisor Lee.”
“You shouldn’t treat just anyone this kindly. Your future girlfriend won’t appreciate it.”
An awkward silence fell. As the weight of her words sank in, Min-Ji realized her blunder and thought she should apologize.
“Hunter Min-Ji,” Do-Jun’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You’re not just anyone to me.”
Her face flushed red, and she looked at him, utterly flustered. Was this a confession?
“W-what do you mean by that?” she stammered.
“I said what I said,” Do-Jun answered nonchalantly.
Now bright as a tomato, Min-Ji froze in place. She had always admired and respected Do-Jun, but this sudden “confession” left her at a loss.
As she struggled to find the right response, Do-Jun chuckled and added, “It’s not like we’re strangers, right?”
“Oh, r-right...” she replied with an awkward laugh.
She sighed inwardly. Do-Jun had never shown any interest in romance, so what did she expect?
Among Hunters, the Ancient Serpent was known to be notoriously difficult to deal with. If approached, it would fire paralyzing venom-coated spikes, immobilizing its prey before swallowing it whole or injecting deadly venom through its fangs to dissolve the victim.
Once caught, there was no escape.
To combat this, Hunters would always coat their suits with an anti-venom potion.
Min-Ji smeared the transparent, viscous anti-venom potion generously over her suit. In contrast, Do-Jun wore nothing more than a short-sleeve T-shirt, cotton pants, and sneakers, leaving much of his skin exposed.
“Are you really going to be okay like that...?” Min-Ji asked, her gaze filled with concern.
Since she was the one who had invited Do-Jun to accompany her to the Ancient Serpent’s Cave, she wanted to prevent any accidents at all costs.
“You’ll be the one hunting anyway, Hunter Min-Ji,” Do-Jun reassured her.
“But if you’re nearby, you might get hurt.”
Do-Jun’s Poison Immunity ensured it wouldn’t.
It was a state described in the legends of the Central Plains, granting immunity to all poisons. For Do-Jun, this wasn’t just a myth—he had truly achieved it, rendering even the deadliest toxins completely harmless to him.
Of course, Min-Ji was not aware of this.
“Again, please don’t worry about me. Anyway, all I need to do is stay nearby, right?”
Min-Ji would normally have felt nervous as soon as she stepped in front of the entrance to the Ancient Serpent’s Cave. The traumatic memories from ten years ago would have resurfaced, leaving her gasping for breath. But strangely, just having Do-Jun by her side calmed her completely.
It wasn’t just because Do-Jun was strong. Simply having him near her, watching over her, seemed to banish her fears and even her trauma.
Is this how she feels every day?
She suddenly thought of Yoon-Hee, who lived with Do-Jun. She couldn’t help but envy her.
“Let’s get going, Supervisor Lee.”
“Alright, but don’t overdo it.”
In the pitch-black cave, Min-Ji cautiously advanced, scattering Light Stones as she went. These small, thumbnail-sized auxiliary artifacts emitted mana-powered light and were essential for navigating dark dungeons one.
A dragging sound echoed from the floor.
The faint light of the scattered Light Stones illuminated the cave interior, revealing a massive anaconda-like creature densely covered in sharp spikes.
Min-Ji froze for a moment.
Confronting the Ancient Serpent directly brought back fleeting flashes of her nightmare from ten years ago. Still, a brief moment of hesitation was all.
The Ancient Serpent let out a screech, seemingly sensing the danger posed by the intruder before it. Its once-lowered spikes now bristled menacingly.
One of its spikes shot toward Min-Ji, but thanks to the slippery coating of anti-venom potion on her suit, the spike failed to penetrate, merely glancing off.
Min-Ji’s blade emitted an explosive burst of energy as she unleashed her sword aura. In a display of acrobatic skill, she ran along the side of the cave wall, kicking off to launch herself at the Ancient Serpent.
Its spike attacks were useless, merely embedding themselves into the walls.
She slashed, and her blade left a trail in the air, resembling a crescent moon. It was the manifestation of her unique skill, Moon Slash.
The Ancient Serpent’s body, now severed into two parts, thrashed violently on the ground.
For a few moments, its green blood pooled across the floor. Then, its movements ceased entirely.
“I... did it.” Still in disbelief, Min-Ji muttered to herself as she stared at the fallen serpent.
The creature she couldn’t even bear to look at due to her trauma had been defeated in an instant.
“I did it! Supervisor Lee, I did it!” She turned to Do-Jun, her voice trembling with emotion.
“Congratulations, Hunter Min-Ji.”
“It’s all thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do anything, though.”
Min-Ji’s joy was infectious, and Do-Jun couldn’t help but smile despite thinking it was just one snake that she took down.
He then reached out to pat her head.
“S-supervisor Lee... your hand...” Min-Ji looked up at him in a daze.
Do-Jun thought she disliked it and tried to pull his hand away. However, before he could, Min-Ji grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
“I... I don’t mind it.”