I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

“Price is 100,000 won in total.”

I smiled brightly and clasped my hands together.

The swordsman youth looked troubled by the price he just heard.

I called out a price considering the cost of hiring a healer.

Was it still too expensive for a beginner party?

Just as I started to feel a bit guilty, the older man approached me quickly.

He handed me the cash instead of the swordsman.

“Hey, for a potion of this quality, 100,000 won is cheap.”

The man began a speech about potion prices he’d heard during his time at the association, emphasizing how cost-effective my cocktail was.

As he went on, his colleagues started to look increasingly drained, like students listening to a boring principal’s lecture.

Eventually, the swordsman agreed and asked when I would be back to sell potions again.

I told them it’s usually on Mondays when the shop is closed.

The older man seemed disappointed that he could only buy my cocktails once a week.

Especially Se-ah, who bit her lip and held onto my sleeve.

She said she had something for me and pulled something out of her pocket.

“This is…”

What she held out was a pair of wolf ears.

Grade: ★★★☆ (Epic)

Effect: When placed on both sides of the head and focused, sounds up to 1km away can be heard.

Info: Be cautious, as there’s a rumor that prolonged use can merge them with your head.

“This is all I can give you…”

Se-ah placed her hand over her mouth and spoke softly.

I waved my hands, saying I couldn’t possibly accept such a valuable item.

Night Stalker’s Ears are an extremely rare drop, even among wolves.

Their market price in Korean won is around 200,000 to 400,000.

“You’re a merchant, unni. You’ll find it more useful to have this when traveling than I would.”

The girl smiled shyly.

Looking at her innocent smile, I somehow found myself holding the wolf ears.

Indeed, having these would make walking alone at night much safer.

I’d be able to hear my surroundings clearly without needing to wear earphones.

“Try putting them on your head. You need to check if they work.”

Se-ah suggested, curious about the item’s performance.

“Really? Then I’ll try them just once…”

Se-ah clasped her hands and nodded.

Unable to resist her response, I held one ear in each hand.

“Do I just do it like this?”

I placed the wolf ears on both sides of my head like a headband and looked at Se-ah.

She covered her mouth with her hand and gave me a thumbs-up.

I felt as though my hearing had become sharper.

I closed my eyes and slowly focused on the surrounding sounds.

“—.”

I heard something.

Where is it?

It’s coming from the park.

Someone was speaking quietly in the dense forest.

“Did you catch it?”

“No, it got away.”

“I’m too ashamed to face the chairman…”

The rest of the conversation was hard to hear.

But one thing was clear—the source of the voices was the park.

That place has always been known for frequent monster appearances.

It’s gloomy and dark, and most B-rank hunters wouldn’t dare enter.

Despite that, the fact that people were there could only mean one thing.

High-rank hunters were probably raiding the monsters swarming the park.

I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

They’d be my second customers.

I removed the ears from my head and blinked a few times.

There was a brief moment of lightheadedness, but the item’s performance was undeniable.

I couldn’t just accept such a great item for the price of two Molotov cocktails.

I tried to return the ears to Se-ah.

But she quickly turned her body away, refusing to take them.

Instead, she mumbled softly, almost like a murmur.

“In exchange… can I get your number?”

“Huh? My number? Why…?”

“It’s nothing, just… I want to buy more Molotovs later.”

She gestured at the Molotov she was holding and stammered.

Well, my custom Molotovs do have exceptional performance.

Feeling proud, I wrote down my number for her.

“Come visit our shop next time. I’ll make you a delicious cocktail.”

Se-ah cherished the number and nodded like a child.

Having finished my business, I put my heavy backpack on again.

It felt noticeably lighter than before.

But it wasn’t enough yet.

I still had plenty of potions left, and I needed to sell them all to make the trip worthwhile.

To do that, I had to find the source of the voices I heard from the park.

“Well, I’ll be going now. See you next week.”

With the wolf ears on my head, I bowed politely.

I needed to track down the source of the sound again.

The older man waved with a satisfied expression, and the swordsman youth waved with gratitude.

As for Se-ah… I wasn’t sure.

Her expression had been a bit strange since earlier.

It wasn’t obvious from her appearance, but could she have internal injuries?

Her face was dazed and slightly flushed.

I thought about offering her a potion for internal injuries, but by the time I spoke up, they were already far away.

I watched their silhouettes grow smaller in the distance.

Despite their bickering, I was sure they’d become reliable companions for each other someday.

No doubt about it.

This was my confidence as a former hunter.

“…”

Their shadows disappeared beyond the horizon.

But I waited until I could no longer hear the hunters’ voices at all.

Afterward, I hurried toward the park.

If I delayed any further, I might miss my second customers.

The cries of monsters had vanished from the surroundings as if on cue.

Moving a little faster should still be safe.

I smell it.

The scent of blood pricks the tip of my nose.

The smell stretches along the fir tree path.

I lowered my head to the ground and instinctively followed the scent.

But before long, the trail of blood abruptly ended in the middle of the path.

No matter how much I searched around, there were no hunters or slain monsters in sight.

“Strange… it should be around here.”

Could they have cleaned up and left already?

Frustrated, I removed the wolf ears from my head.

Feeling slightly annoyed, I decided to crouch down and examine the ground.

Usually, in deserted areas like this, traces of people are left behind.

Looking closely at the scattered fir leaves, I sometimes found awkwardly crushed spots where someone had stepped.

There should be something here too…

Found it.

Faint footprints led into the bushes.

Following those traces, I quietly entered the forest.

Pushing through the branches that clung to my body, a clearing gradually appeared before me.

There stood a single electric tower, lonely and solitary.

Bathed in moonlight, the tower exuded a mysterious aura.

But there were no hunters who had finished a raid there either.

“Empty…”

Clicking my tongue, I shook my head.

This was a technique I had learned during my time in the military’s reconnaissance unit, but perhaps I misjudged.

Scratching my neck, I slumped down in front of the electric tower.

Having forced my way through the underbrush, I was feeling a bit tired.

I placed my backpack on my lap.

Opening the zipper, I rummaged through it to find something to drink.

What should I pick?

Hunger was setting in—Kahlua milk, perhaps? Or maybe a refreshing gin fizz…

I was in the middle of making a small decision when my hand holding a potion froze.

The faint smell of blood was becoming stronger.

There’s definitely no one else around but me.

Yet, the sudden surge of the bloody scent, with no prior sign of movement, could only mean one thing.

Something bleeding had begun to stir because of me.

Sweat trickled down my spine.

I slowly pulled out not Kahlua milk or gin fizz, but a Molotov cocktail.

And then, cautiously, I surveyed my surroundings.

“What is this? There’s clearly no one…”

Suddenly, I stopped speaking.

Something had touched my back.

I instinctively knew what that soft sensation was.

The damp touch against my back was someone’s chest.

And that sensation began creeping from my shoulders to my neck.

Just like that time in the vision.

Was it because of that memory? My heart pounded so hard I couldn’t hear anything around me.

Before long, a blade appeared in front of my neck.

The knife was soaked with an unknown purple poison and blood.

“…”

Breathing heavily, I raised my hands.

Soft hair tickled my cheek.

I knew that hair.

That intoxicating yet lethal sensation—I could never forget it.

“How… did you get here?”

Fearing I might never swallow again, I gulped down hard.

Then, I spoke calmly.

“Don’t misunderstand. I came looking for a customer.”

“A customer? At this hour?”

My eyes were drawn to the pale hand holding the dagger.

It was stained with blood, as if she had just finished slaughtering something.

“I need a side job, don’t I? My overdue rent is already four months behind…”

As I made my pathetic excuse, there was no response from behind me for a moment.

Instead, the terrifying blade that had been aimed at me slowly withdrew.

Thanks to that, I managed to clutch my trembling neck with both hands.

And I slowly turned my head back.

“…”

It was Anna.

Anna Danilova.

Her body was pale white, but she always wore black.

Today, however, she wasn’t dressed in black but soaked in red.

Considering her habit of killing people without hesitation, it wasn’t surprising.

But I soon realized.

The blood soaking her wasn’t someone else’s.

Anna stared at me with cloudy eyes.

And then, she collapsed helplessly toward me.

I fell backward with her on top of me.

“What… what’s going on?”

I laid her down gently on the ground.

Her breathing was labored.

Her lips were parched, and her body seemed drained of all strength.

Was the knife she pointed at me her last desperate effort?

Feeling as if I was facing a mine, I cautiously backed away.

Touching her now might trigger her to reflexively cut me down.

But Anna didn’t even look at me.

She merely closed her eyes.

And the frantic rise and fall of her chest came to a complete stop, as if she had stopped breathing.

Is she dead…?

Given the amount of blood on her, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died immediately.

But knowing she was a superhuman-ranked hunter, it was hard to believe.

One thing was certain, though.

This was my only chance to escape.

Not to mention the strange vision I saw a few days ago.

If I got involved with this woman, something terrible would surely happen to me.

Right.

I should just leave.

After all, she’s a villain.

A villain among villains who kills people like they’re insects.

I adjusted my backpack and stood up.

I even pulled down my hat and put on a mask to leave.

But as I hooked the mask around my ears, a thought crossed my mind.

What happens if Anna doesn’t die?

Having abandoned her, she’d surely come back to question me.

At worst, she might kill me, just like Si-woong and the students.

Shivering, I turned back to look at her.

The sight of Anna with her eyes closed wasn’t that of the madwoman I’d seen before.

She looked merely pitiful and forlorn.

It reminded me of Ji-soo noona, who had lain in ruins.

She, too, had been riddled with wounds like Anna.

That memory weighed heavily on me, rooting me to the spot.

“Ah, damn it… Why is this happening?”

I rubbed my face with both hands.

I just wished this stupid body of mine would get a grip.