Chapter 102: Chapter 102

The alarm of the Crack Detecting Device only went off the moment the Crack burst open above the Blue House.

The Special-Grade Crack came in the form of an iceberg shaped like an inverted triangle. It had the hue of a blue diamond from the top, but the color became gradually lighter until the tip was completely white.

[It reminds me of Yejun’s two-toned hair.]

The Special-Grade Crack was at least 100 meters in length, and it was definitely heavy enough to crush the Blue House. Fortunately, an ice sphere barrier "caught" it.

So, now, the beautiful iceberg was trapped inside a semi-transparent sphere.

[It looks like a giganic snow globe.]

After all, it was even raining snow inside the sphere.

"That sphere you see is Hwang Yejun’s ice barrier."

Wonhee turned to her side.

Soobin was standing next to her while looking up at the sky, admiring the gigantic "snow globe."

And it wasn’t only her older brother.

Semi (who was standing on her other side) was doing the same. Find the newest release on novel⸺fire.net

So did Graham, Song Moonho, and Lee Seodam.

"That semi-transparent sphere you see is made of Hwang Yejun’s ice," Soobin said. "It looks like Hwang Yejun knew that the Crack would fall and crush the Blue House, so he trapped it within his barrier."

"Is the snow also a part of Yejun’s barrier, Oppa?"

"It is," Soobin said, nodding. "The snow will keep the ice sphere from melting. If Yejun was still in his prime, that ice sphere would last for at least a month. But since Yejun is unstable at the moment, I’d say it would last at least a week. If Yejun doesn’t clear the dungeon in seven days, then the ice sphere will break. But don’t worry about it, Hee-ya. APA has plenty of high-ranking Hunters that can create barriers to protect the Blue House in case the ice sphere breaks."

"The ice sphere will not break," Wonhee said confidently. "Yejun will clear the dungeon in seven days." She paused, and then she sighed. "I just don’t understand why he has to enter the dungeon alone when you’re all here."

"It must be a dungeon designed for solo attackers," Soobin explained. "Special-Grade Cracks are called Special Grades because they have specific requirements that only those who qualify can enter."

Her older brother then pointed at the long crack in the middle of the pretty iceberg.

[Cracks are called Cracks before the door to the dungeons is a literal crack.]

"We can see that there’s a blizzard inside," Soobin continued with his explanation. "Hwang Yejun was probably "chosen" by the Crack because he’s an ice user. I saw him looking at his Status Window before he asked us to leave, so I guess the System informed him about the Special-Grade Crack’s requirements."

"Hmm?" Wonhee tilted her head to one side. "It’s as if the Special-Grade Crack is asking to be cleared if it chose a Hunter who has an ability that’s compatible with snowstorms."

Soobin turned to her. "Don’t worry, Hee-ya. Whether it’s a trap or not, Hwang Yejun will surely come out alive."

Wonhee wanted to know more, but Graham suddenly cursed out of nowhere.

"Ah, dammit," Graham cursed under his breath. "I just remembered something. If Hwang Yejun clears the dungeon, I have to call him ’hyung’ again."

"The maknaes have this stupid game that they started when Yejun developed this bad habit of clearing dungeons alone," Semi explained when she saw the confusion on Wonhee’s face. "Every time Yejun clears solos a dungeon, Graham has to call him ’hyung.’"

[Yejun and Graham are only a year apart, so it’s not surprising that they’re the closest members among the Big 4.]

"That brat cleared and solo-ed so many dungeons that forced me to call him ’hyung’ for a long time," Graham said, and then he laughed as if he remembered something funny. "So long that I actually forgot that he’s the maknae and called him ’hyung’ the first time I saw him after he escaped from APA."

Soobin and Semi smiled as if they found it funny.

Even Song Moonho joined the conversation.

"It can’t be helped because Hwang Yejun acts so arrogantly one would think he’s really older than Graham," Song Moonho said. "He takes advantage of the fact that Graham is half-American and isn’t obsessed with our culture’s age hierarchy."

Wonhee was glad to hear the Big 4 talking fondly about Yejun, but...

[According to Yool, it’s usually a ’death flag’ when the key characters begin walking down memory lane...]

No, that couldn’t happen.

Fortunately, the Big 4 finally stopped reminiscing about their warm memories with Yejun when people started coming out of the Blue House in an orderly fashion. The Civilians were being escorted by APA Hunters and the Special Forces (Cracks Division).

"Hee-ya, you should go home with Do Ahyeon and Gong Yool first," Semi said. "Since a Crack appeared, the after-party is definitely canceled."

"Is it okay if I just leave without properly saying goodbye to President Kwon and the press people?" Wonhee asked worriedly. "My supporters are also here. I’d like to check on them before I go home, Unnie."

"Alright," Semi said, and then her gaze went past her. "Hunter Lee Seodam, come with us."

"Yes, Hunter Jang Semi."

Wonhee was mentally preparing herself to spend time with Lee Seodam when, out of nowhere, she got a whiff of it.

The scent of camellia flowers that she wouldn’t mistake for anything else.

She didn’t see Park Ruda ever since the press conference began even though Park Ruda said he’d be there.

[But the scent is strong...]

Wonhee covered her mouth with her hand, almost throwing up because she suddenly felt nauseous.

Of course, her older siblings immediately got worried.

Wonhee wanted to assure Soobin and Semi that she was fine, but she couldn’t open her mouth without barfing.

The nauseous feeling was worsened when she suddenly got a splitting headache.

And, before she knew it, everything had already gone black.

<"WONHEE-ya, gimme a French kiss as soon as I come out, okay?">

Wonhee blinked a bit rapidly while reading the message written on her Status Window. "Is it from Yejun?" she asked out loud, getting up abruptly. She realized that she was in her bedroom in her penthouse, so she relaxed. If she got home safely, then that only meant her friends and older siblings brought her there. "It’s from Yejun, right?"

"That’s right, Chu Wonhee!"

She beamed when she saw the tangerine fairy that she missed.

"Tannie, you’re back!"

"Thanks to you," Tannie said, sitting on her lap. "Hwang Yejun is clearing the dungeon as we speak. Unfortunately, Special-Grade Cracks make it hard for the System to allow Hunter inside that type of dungeon to communicate with people outside. Hence, the System can only confirm that Hwang Yejun is still alive. We just cannot confirm how exactly he’s doing."

"Oh, you already know that I’m going to ask about Yejun’s current status," she said, smiling. But even if she was smiling, she was still worried. "Tannie, can’t I send a reply to Yejun?"

"You can, but the System cannot ensure that Hwang Yejun will receive your reply."

Wonhee fell silent for a moment. "Tannie, my Soobin Oppa said the Crack "chose" Yejun. Can Cracks do that?"

"Special-Grade Cracks are unusual even to the System. Anything is possible when it comes to them."

"I see," she said, nodding. "I’m just glad to know that he’s alive."

And then Wonhee fell silent while thinking about everything that happened.

The unusual thing that she noticed in Choi Sumin’s apology video.

Yejun entering a dangerous dungeon.

The scent of camellia flowers that made her faint.

"Chu Wonhee, why are you crying?" Tannie asked in a panic. "Are you hurt?!"

"I’m just overwhelmed. And extremely worried about Yejun," Wonhee said, and then she looked at her Status Window again to read Yejun’s message. "You better come out alive, Hwang Yejun. If you don’t come out in seven days, I’ll force the System to bring me to where you are."

"The System can do that."

"Huh? I thought the Special-Grade Crack that Yejun entered was designed for solo attackers. How do I enter that kind of dungeon?"

Tannie let out a weird yet cute "hehe" sound. "I’ll tell you if I have to, but you have to trust Hwang Yejun. He’ll feel hurt if you "rescue" him when he doesn’t need to be rescued."

[I should worry less and trust Yejun more.]

Wonhee touched her grumbling stomach. "I want to have steak."

It was already morning?

She couldn’t tell because of the black curtains in her bedroom.

"I guess you need to eat more," Tannie said. "Now that the world is watching you as the first S-Class Guide in history, you have to learn how to protect yourself."

"Tannie, teach me how to be a stronger Guide," Wonhee asked in a serious voice. "I want to beat Park Ruda."

[In a private jet above the Pacific Ocean...]

"I CAN’T BELIEVE our Guildmaster has been freed while we were dying in that damned dungeon for a month."

"We should check first if it’s the real Guildmaster~!"

"Right? We can’t simply trust APA."

"Especially since they’re claiming that our crazy Guildmaster has a 100% matching rate with a newbie Guide."

"How can that happen? Right, Bora-ya?"

Kim Bora, the Winter Guild’s A-Class Guide, rolled her eyes. "APA is obviously lying," she said. "If I can’t guide Yejun Oppa, then no one else can."

SOOBIN didn’t want to leave Wonhee’s penthouse without seeing his baby sister wake up first, but he was forced to.

A VIP was returning to Korea, and he had to be there to greet him in person.

It wasn’t just a simple VIP– the guest was family, after all.

Hence, Soobin was at the airport that early morning.

"Yeon Soobin, why did you let that damned Hwang Yejun lay a hand on our precious Hee-ya?!"

Soobin chuckled while shaking his head. "Welcome home, Harabeoji."

The VIP guest that Soobin had to greet in the airport so early in the morning was Yeon Suk-yong– the former South Korean president, now an A-Class Hunter.

[Hunter Yeon Suk-yong is mine and Hee-ya’s maternal grandfather.]

Yejun, sitting on a pile of snow hyenas’ corpses while crocheting a beige cardigan, chuckled after reading Wonhee’s reply to his message.

<"Mr. Hwang Yejun, congratulations on winning a very rare Chu Wonhee (French) Kiss Coupon. Please keep in mind that the coupon expires in seven days. If the coupon remains unused on its expiration date, then the coupon becomes invalid. Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe.

And hurry back to me– alive and still handsome.">

"Wonhee is so cute," Yejun said, grinning like a fool. "I guess I should clear this dungeon in six days to avail Wonhee’s kiss coupon."

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