Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“I miss Gaho-unni.”

Taeyang, bobbing on the lake’s surface like an otter cracking open clams beneath the light of seven lanterns, heaved a deep sigh. Gazing up at the moons inevitably brought Yun Gaho to mind.

“Didn’t I tell you that distracting thoughts are forbidden!”

Somehow aware of her wandering mind, Sarome’s sudden reprimand made Taeyang try her best to empty her thoughts. But once concentration slips away, it’s not easy to regain.

She was supposed to simply feel the energy flowing through the mountain’s veins, no more, no less. Yet she couldn’t sense a thing. Attempting something outside her expertise made her body feel heavy with unnecessary tension.

“They say this training will benefit me too, but it’s really too difficult!”

Her brief moment of calm, hands resting on her navel as she drifted, was interrupted when unseasonable peach blossom petals suddenly showered her face. Taeyang couldn’t help but wave them away.

Simultaneously, her body sank below the water’s surface before she could resist.

“Mmph!”

Sarome, who had been by the water’s edge, dashed over like lightning and lifted Taeyang with his tail. Accustomed to this, Taeyang sprawled across his back and shook her head to dispel the water.

“Tsk, I warned you,” Sarome chided.

“But Mountain Lord, can one really control their heart so easily?” Taeyang countered.

“That’s quite the profound answer,” Han Cha-hyun chimed in with a gentle smile as he approached. Unlike Taeyang, who was busy with training, he had been leisurely enjoying himself. He reached into the picnic basket he was carrying and offered Taeyang a peach.

“I feel like I haven’t been much help to you, Taeyang-ssi. It’s not quite a substitute, but please, have this at least.”

“I was just getting hungry. Thank you!”

As Taeyang took a big bite of the peach, Han Cha-hyun shrugged sheepishly. He felt a bit embarrassed for taking credit when it was actually the spiritual beast who had provided the fruit.

However, Sarome, never one to fuss over trivial matters, didn’t reprimand Han Cha-hyun. Instead, he raised his front paw to wipe the juice from Taeyang’s mouth.

“It’s not fully ripe, but it should be edible.”

“So fluffy!” Taeyang exclaimed, bursting into laughter as she nuzzled her face against Sarome’s warm-hued fur.

“Hee, this is really delicious too!”

“If you think that’s good, eating a Cheonsan peach on a Sak month night would knock you off your feet.”

Despite her unassuming appearance, Taeyang was quite the gourmet. This was because the goblins who raised her, being food enthusiasts themselves, had always fed her only the best.

Even to Taeyang’s refined palate, this peach was exceptional. Sweet yet tangy, juicy with every bite but not mushy, and increasingly invigorating as she ate – it truly lived up to its name as a “heaven-sent peach.”

But to think there was something even more delicious? Taeyang gulped, imagining a fully ripened Cheonsan peach.

“Say, Mountain Lord. Couldn’t you give me just one of those?”

“One wouldn’t be enough. There are plenty, so take as many as you like.”

Sarome gestured with his chin towards a small island in the center of the lake.

An island encircled by seven lanterns. The massive tree that filled the island looked to be at least several hundred years old, its presence majestic. Its branches, wide enough to cast shade over nearly half the lake, were laden with peach blossoms and peaches, bowing under their weight.

“It’s said that peach trees have the power to ward off evil spirits. It’s a fitting tree for Cheonsan,” Han Cha-hyun remarked.

“Hmm, but it doesn’t seem exactly the same as where we live. It’s hard to explain… but the fruit being delicious is definitely the same!”

Unaware of how precious Cheonsan peaches truly were, Taeyang excitedly gave a thumbs up. Her voice rose with anticipation at the thought of sharing the peaches with her companions outside Cheonsan.

“Mountain Lord, you’re the best!”

“Ahem.”

“The unnies and Sori will surely love them too, right, sunbae?”

‘Sunbae’ was the title Han Cha-hyun had suggested for Taeyang, who struggled to get used to calling him ‘Hunter’. Fortunately, this seemed more natural to her, and she addressed Han Cha-hyun as ‘sunbae’ with ease.

“Yes, I noticed during our team dinner that while they don’t often indulge in sweets, they do enjoy fruit. And besides, Gaho-ssi wouldn’t refuse anything you give her, Hunter Cha Taeyang.”

“Hehe, you observed quite closely.”

“Well, I was sitting right next to them. Ah, don’t just stand there, use this to dry your hair. You’ve heard the saying that there’s no cure for an awakened person who catches a cold, right?”

Taeyang shook her head and accepted the towel from Han Cha-hyun. Caught up in Han Cha-hyun’s smooth conversation and listening to folklore about awakened individuals, the faint doubt she had harbored was pushed to the back of her mind.

It wasn’t until her curly hair, following the pattern of her braids, had almost dried that Taeyang thought of Yun Gaho again. As she was fixing her hair, she suddenly posed a question to Han Cha-hyun.

“Come to think of it, everyone’s supposed to arrive here tomorrow morning, right?”

“That’s the plan. Though Hunter Park Shin-ju and Hunter Yun Su-ho said they had more to investigate, so they’ll probably leave again.”

“Unni is really something else, pretending to be a grim reaper in front of the king!”

When Taeyang first saw the message Han Cha-hyun had shared, she laughed at the absurdity of it. But worry quickly followed. After all, even Baek-a, said to be a more skilled medium than herself, had met with misfortune in the palace.

“Always pushing herself… Unni’s always like that.”

“It’s certainly not without risk.”

“What if she gets hurt or falls into a dangerous trap?”

“Haha, don’t worry too much. Though she might not realize it herself, Hunter Yun Gaho is truly an exceptional hunter. I can assure you, even without her production skills, there are few hunters of her rank who can match her.”

So let’s trust them and wait.

Han Cha-hyun’s calm tone soothed Taeyang. Realizing that excessive worry was tantamount to distrusting Yun Gaho, Taeyang’s anxiety gradually subsided.

“If things go well at the palace, Gaho-unni will go there according to the plan, right?”

As her worry faded, the pressure that had been lurking in the background suddenly reared its head. Taeyang furrowed her brow at the thought that the outcome of the operation depended on her.

However, recalling the message that had arrived while she was hesitating, a look of determination flashed in Taeyang’s eyes. Whatever resolve she had made, her dark eyes seemed to burn as fiercely as flames.

[From: Yun Gaho

Hunter Cha Taeyang, I believe you can do it.

Please open the path for us.

It’s late, so I’ll keep this brief.

P.S. It’s cold. Make sure to sleep with a blanket.]

To properly fulfill Yun Gaho’s request, she needed to train even more. Clenching her fists, Taeyang walked back to the lake of her own accord, without anyone telling her to do so.

“We can do this. Right, unni?”

◆◇◆◇◆

‘Neither Sa Mok-yeong nor the princess mentioned that Arajin was such a monster!’

I tried to remove the hand gripping my shoulder, but it was beyond my strength. Instead of wasting energy on an impossible task, I quickly pursed my lips and whistled.

“Come out now, Mr. Kim!”

“I-I’ve been waiting for this!”

A scabbard materialized out of thin air without warning, striking the wrist of the person holding me. It was a sharp blow that would have at least broken bones if it had connected, but my opponent was not so easily dealt with.

“It seems some clowns who don’t know their place have rolled in,” the man muttered emotionlessly as he effortlessly dodged the attack. Taking advantage of this moment, Lee Kang-to slung me over his shoulder and put some distance between us.

I wasn’t the only one who sensed the ominous aura; unusually, Lee Kang-to’s expression hardened. He placed me behind him as if to shield me and lowered his stance, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

From behind his reassuringly dependable back, I peeked out to finally get a look at the intruder’s face.

‘So this is definitely Arajin.’

His delicate features and physique might have made him appear frail, but his odd-eyes, shimmering with a peculiar light, completely transformed his impression. One eye was dark red like blood, while the other was a vivid yellow, almost bestial in its intensity. Even if we hadn’t met like this, his appearance was impossible to ignore.

There couldn’t be another person with eyes like these.

Perhaps noticing my scrutiny, the aura emanating from Arajin grew even fiercer. His attitude was that of an undisputed strong one, challenging me to measure him up if I dared, without a hint of concealment.

‘But this aura, I feel like I’ve sensed it somewhere before.’

I hadn’t noticed when I only saw the magical energy around the princess and the king, but facing it directly, it felt strangely familiar. If you asked me to pinpoint exactly what it was, I couldn’t say. It’s not like I could have forgotten something so impressive. Was it just déjà vu?

As I scratched the back of my head, pondering, Arajin helped the king, who had been prostrate on the floor, to his feet.

The king glanced back and forth between the grim reaper and his subordinate, as if gauging which was stronger. Having apparently made up his mind, he tugged at Arajin’s sleeve.

“Arajin, drive these re-reapers away!”

“Calm yourself, Your Majesty. They are not reapers, but players. Please regain your wisdom and do not be deceived by their trickery.”

Though his words were impeccably polite, something about Arajin’s tone made it seem as if he harbored not even a sparrow’s teardrop of loyalty towards the king. The king, however, didn’t seem to think so.

“What? Players?”

“Yes, they seem to have prepared quite an elaborate act, but an act is just an act.”

I clicked my tongue at his overly assertive tone and the look in his eyes, as if he were regarding the most pathetic creatures in the world. If possible, I had thought about trying to deceive Arajin as well, but that seemed out of the question now.

‘Then there’s no need to keep up this appearance.’

Without hesitation, I equipped the gear I had carefully stored in my inventory. It was a small change, but it was enough to calm my heart, which had been racing since Arajin’s appearance.

Seeing my change in attire and realizing he had truly been deceived, the king began to throw a tantrum.

“Arajin, Arajin, you fool! What are you doing standing there? Quickly, seize those insolent wretches! No, that’s not enough. Beat them senseless and send them on a trip to the Western Garden!”

In his fury, the king pointlessly struck Arajin’s leg. As if this were a common occurrence, Arajin didn’t even blink as he threatened us.

“You have dared to intrude upon the sacred Cheonyojeon. It would be best not to expect to leave unscathed.”

“Hmph, trying to set the mood, are we?”

Dismissing Arajin as nothing compared to their guild master, Lee Kang-to lashed out at the window with his tail. With a loud crash, the entire window frame came loose.

As if seeking praise, Lee Kang-to grinned at me.

“Is this what they call a strategic retreat?”

“I suppose so.”

“Since Hunter Yun Gaho is like a paper doll, I-I’ll carry you and jump!”

Jokes at a time like this. Ignoring Lee Kang-to’s words, I was about to leap through the broken window when suddenly, my knees buckled for no apparent reason.

“What’s going on? Why am I suddenly like this?”

“Oh my?”

Lee Kang-to seemed to be in a similar predicament, judging by his surprised exclamation.

“Did you think I would let you leave so easily?”

“You…”

Turning towards the mocking voice, I found myself unable to finish my sentence. I could only bite my lip at the truth that Explorer’s Eye belatedly revealed.

‘Arajin. Is this guy even human?’

In the center of his forehead, hidden beneath his headband. A third eye that had been closed all this time, which I had failed to notice, was now staring directly at us – no, at me.