I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

The hands covering my face gradually moved upward.

Before long, I was fiercely scratching my head.

I wondered if it was a side effect of the wolf ears.

But soon, I realized it was because leaving Anna behind bothered me.

It was true that she was a psychopathic killer.

But running away, leaving someone dying in front of me, was unthinkable.

Ji-soo noona probably wouldn’t have acted that way either.

Just like her death replayed in my mind, Anna’s image would haunt me forever.

And if I left her alone and she somehow survived…?

She would undoubtedly kill me first for abandoning her.

You can’t leave a killer with any chance to kill you.

That thought consumed my mind.

In the end, I opened my backpack.

I quickly started searching for a cocktail potion that would help with blood loss.

What I eventually found was…

Grade: ★★☆

Effect: Eliminates bleeding symptoms. (If no bleeding is present, increase strength by 10.)

Drawback: Reduces agility and judgment by 10 due to intoxication.

Info: A cocktail made with vodka and Kahlua.

It has a high alcohol content and is not recommended for patients.

When I opened the potion lid, a strong alcohol smell pierced my nose.

The black color made it look like poison, filling me with unease.

Feeding alcohol to a patient like this would surely make me seem insane.

But being considered insane now was far better than living as a bystander forever.

I sat close to her.

Gently, I laid her head on my thigh.

Anna’s soft hair brushed against my skin.

The sensation bothered me, but I prioritized saving her.

I slowly brought the potion to her dry lips.

As the alcohol scent reached her, Anna’s eyebrows twitched.

“Take a sip.”

I said quietly to her.

But the silver-haired woman only trembled, saying nothing.

I decided to feed her the potion myself when I realized her shivering wasn’t from the cold but from convulsions.

The problem, however, was her tightly shut mouth.

Anna seemed adamant about refusing my help.

Even in this state, she was clinging to her pride.

It felt like she was scorning me, calling me a hypocrite even as she faced death.

Annoyed, I pressed my finger against her lips.

As my finger slipped between her soft lips, I felt a moist sensation.

Soon, I touched her teeth, and I started prying them open.

Is this what it feels like to medicate a wild animal?

For a moment, I feared she might bite my finger with her sharp teeth.

But what could I do?

Even trainers pry open an animal’s teeth to give them medicine.

I finally managed to open her mouth.

Saliva stretched between her teeth, wetting my fingers.

I slowly poured the potion down Anna’s throat.

Some dribbled down her lips, but I eventually made her drink the whole bottle.

“…”

Soon, Anna’s breathing became audible.

As I felt the faint pulse against my thigh, I realized she was coming back to life.

But this wasn’t enough.

All I had done was stop the bleeding; her life was still in danger.

I reached into my backpack again.

I pulled out every cocktail potion I had.

Two bottles of Kahlua Milk, and two bottles of Gin Tonic.

All were potions that boosted stamina and energy.

I fed her everything except the Black Russian, which had the highest alcohol content.

Occasionally, I overdid it, making her cough.

But I didn’t stop feeding her.

Eventually, Anna began to recover and slowly regained her ability to speak.

I was finally able to ask if she was okay.

“Are you conscious?”

“Sto…”

“What?”

“Stop. Feeding me…”

Anna opened her half-lidded eyes.

Liquor dripped from her face.

The alcohol had soaked her white shirt.

For a moment, I stared at the intoxicated and disheveled Anna in a daze.

“What are you staring at?”

Her raspy voice broke the silence.

Her pale eyes stared straight into me, and I jolted upright.

“What’s there to stare at… I’m just looking after a patient.”

With trembling hands, I packed up my backpack.

Whenever I was with her, I always felt strange.

It was like everything about me was being exposed.

Like I was completely naked.

“Why did you save me?”

She muttered to herself.

“No one in this world wants to die.”

If she were truly someone born without emotions, she wouldn’t have asked that.

But I had glimpsed Anna’s past before.

That’s why I thought, just maybe, there was a chance for her to change.

And besides… if I didn’t save you, you might kill me later.

The memory of the massacre at the inn was still vivid in my mind.

I thought of the people who had died as I spoke.

“You felt it too, didn’t you? The pain of the people you almost killed.”

“…”

I tightened my backpack straps and grabbed the wolf ears.

Finally, I turned to look at Anna one last time.

“That’s what dying feels like. It’s the worst.”

Her face was flushed as she sat slumped against the electric tower.

“When you go, make sure you get those wounds stitched up!”

I yelled at her as I walked toward the bushes.

“And don’t go around getting stabbed again! Try living a decent life!”

I repeated myself several times before leaving.

But Anna didn’t respond.

Earlier, she might have been unconscious.

Now, she seemed to have fallen asleep.

I decided not to disturb her anymore.

Instead, I walked leisurely toward Fir Tree Path.

The park was utterly silent.

Only the chirping of crickets filled the desolate city.

With that sound as my companion, I headed home.

On the distant horizon, I noticed a faint light.

It was probably where Sindorim Station once stood.

“…?”

While walking, a strange feeling crept over me.

The leaves on the ground had been trampled.

I was sure no one else had come this way.

I carefully took out the wolf ears.

Then, placing them on my head, I focused on the surrounding sounds.

Thankfully, there was no sound.

It must have been traces of someone passing by…

My thoughts were completely cut off.

Because a sharp glint of metal flashed in the forest.

Soon, men wielding swords appeared from both sides of the bushes.

They were wrapped in white cloth, their faces hidden, making it impossible to identify them.

But one thing was clear.

The white cloth, usually symbolizing purity, was splattered with red blood.

Blue eyes gleamed through disheveled hair.

In an instant, he closed the distance and aimed his sword at my neck.

I hadn’t heard any sound—how…

“We found her.”

He spoke in a cold voice.

At his words, someone walked over from the direction I had been looking at moments earlier.

As soon as I saw her, I was at a loss for words.

She was a silver-haired woman as pale as Anna.

The differences were that she wore ceremonial robes, was thinner, and her eyes were covered with cloth.

“She’s not the one.”

Her voice was clear and beautiful.

At her words, the swordsman nodded bitterly.

“She might still be an accomplice of the Hunter Killer.”

I must have looked ridiculous with the wolf ears on my head.

But I couldn’t bring myself to lower my hand.

Because I realized these people were all Rankers.

If I moved carelessly, I’d lose my head in an instant.

All I could do was plead in a trembling voice.

“Wait, I’m not that kind of person…”

“Then what kind of person are you?”

The swordsman asked.

“Just a wandering merchant. Check my card wallet…”

I replied, and the swordsman hooked his sword under the card wallet hanging around my neck.

With practiced skill, he pulled it away from me.

“Han… Si-ho. Twenty-one years old. No abilities?”

I nodded repeatedly.

“What’s an inn employee doing here?”

“I sell potions at night as a side job.”

“At this hour…? And a powerless person, no less?”

“Well… I’m behind on rent…”

I mumbled while holding my arm with one hand.

How many times today have I had to share this pathetic truth?

The swordsman let out a disbelieving laugh.

It seemed even he didn’t expect to hear such a story from me.

“It’s fine, Ilgeom. I don’t sense any malice from this child.”

At the veiled woman’s words, the man slowly lowered his sword.

Then he knelt to meet my gaze.

“My apologies. I’ve been a bit on edge while performing my duties.”

He pulled out a card from his pocket and showed it to me.

It was a membership card with an elegant design.

Age: 32.

Occupation: S-rank Hunter, ranked 7th nationally.

Ability: Confidential.

Info: Problem-solver employed by the Hunter Association.

A problem-solver I’d only heard about in stories…

I never thought I’d meet someone from the news in real life.

“Was… was something going on nearby?”

I asked, trying to divert the attention away from myself.

Dae-eun adjusted the bloodstained cloth on his shoulder and answered.

“I can’t share details with a civilian. But we’re looking for a wanted criminal.”

He took a photo from his pocket.

He showed me the slightly crumpled photo and asked again.

“Have you seen this woman around here?”

The moment I saw the person in the photo, it felt like all the blood in my body drained to the ground.

It was the same person I had sold everything to save just moments ago.

“She’s an extremely heinous criminal. At an inn, she brutally killed young boys and committed arson in the past.”

My lower eyelid twitched.

With every word he spoke, I felt as though I were being treated as the culprit.

I blinked and focused my mind.

It’s fine. I’m not the criminal, after all…

“If you haven’t seen her, even any suspicious person will do.”

“Ah, suspicious person…”

As if reading my thoughts, the swordsman pressed further.

Wait, could they suspect me as an accomplice too?

“If we find anyone who helped her, we’ll torture them to uncover her whereabouts. That’s how dangerous she is.”

Torture…

Sweat trickled down my forehead.

The distance to Anna from here was roughly thirty paces.

Just past these bushes, she’d be visible.

At this point, should I just confess?

I glanced up at the swordsman.

His blue eyes gleamed with the intensity of a madman.

“Under Association law, aiding a wanted criminal is a serious offense. Regardless of the reason, you will face severe punishment.”

His cold voice erased any thought of confessing.

Even if I told the truth, I doubted they’d let me go.

I took a deep breath and steadied my resolve.

Fine. If helping her will get me punished anyway…

I’ll help her one last time.

For my sake.

“I did see her.”

I raised a finger to my lips and spoke slowly.

“Really?”

The swordsman asked, as if he’d just cracked an unsolvable puzzle.

“Yes… That silver-haired woman with strangely dull eyes, right?”

“That’s right. Exactly.”

He looked at me with expectant eyes.

“I saw her heading toward D-Cube City earlier.”

“D-Cube City?”

“Yes… I thought about helping her, but she was covered in so much blood that it scared me…”

I muttered tearfully.

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s playing the pitiful role like it’s second nature.

The swordsman nodded as if he understood.

“Well, anyone would freeze up seeing something that terrifying.”

He sheathed his sword at his waist and turned his head.

“Assemblywoman, let’s go. We’ve found her trail.”

“…”

I cautiously observed the young woman’s demeanor.

For some reason, it felt like her gaze was fixed on me.

Even though her eyes were covered.

The Assemblywoman slowly approached me.

Placing her hand over her chest, she bowed gracefully.

“Thank you, Si-ho. Your report is a great help to the Association.”

So, she’s from the Association.

If she’s an Assemblywoman, that means she’s at least one of the top 100 Hunters.

“I will remember you.”

Her pale face drew closer to mine.

At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Because her presence felt eerily similar to Anna’s.

White skin devoid of any warmth.

Despite the blindfold, her nose and lips were elegant.

The blindfold couldn’t conceal her beauty.

It was a kind of divine elegance that made her seem untouchable, like a noble piece of art.

“Yes, thank you…”

As she heard my response, the corners of her lips lifted into a faint smile.

Soon, she and the man walked toward D-Cube City.

Go ahead, search all you want there.

That’s where I met Se-ah’s party.

All they’ll find there is a wolf’s corpse.

The swordsman covered his face with the cloth and moved swiftly ahead.

The woman’s figure gradually grew smaller until it disappeared completely.

Even after they were gone, I couldn’t shake the unease.

The swordsman’s movements had been unnervingly silent, and her final words were ominous.

When she said she’d remember me, it felt like she wasn’t talking about my report, but my “misdeeds” in helping Anna.

The unease urged me to move quickly.

“I need to go back…”

I tied my jacket firmly around my waist.

Now that I’d helped her, I couldn’t let Anna get caught.

I hurriedly ran back toward the bushes.