Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Ugh……”

A cacophony of sounds assaulted my senses—pages turning, static from an out-of-tune radio, creaking machinery, and someone’s laughter. The discordant noise flowed chaotically.

Though I couldn’t see anything, I flailed my limbs in a feeble attempt at resistance. As I thrashed about ungracefully, someone approached.

[This ■■st be ■■.]

An incomprehensible sentence flew directly into my mind. The voice was of indeterminate gender. Whenever I tried to decipher the meaning, a splitting headache would erupt.

[In the ■■■, did you ■■■ to ■■■?]

A faint trace of amusement tinged the voice as it spoke.

“Who are you……”

[■? This ■■■…….]

Before answering my barely squeezed-out question, the mysterious voice faded away. As its presence vanished completely, I slipped into unconsciousness.

◆◇◆◇◆

It was a strange dream.

“……up!”

Something soft pressed firmly against my cheek. I reflexively reached out, feeling the fluffy paw of a furry creature. The sensation was familiar.

“Won’t you wake up already!”

For some reason, my entire body felt as heavy as if it were laden with stones. Even opening my eyes was a struggle. Moreover, an inexplicable chill made it even harder to regain my senses.

Oblivious to my predicament, Gregory repeatedly patted my cheek with his front paws. Yielding to his prodding, I managed to pry my eyelids open with great effort. I saw walls covered in mirrors, packed so densely it was dizzying. Lowering my gaze slightly, I spotted my party members sprawled on the floor.

‘This is….. We’re back?’

Blinking weakly, I rewound my memories.

With an all-or-nothing mindset, I had activated the circuit.

Yana had tried to stop me belatedly, but it was already too late. The incomplete formula, catalyzed by the five sacred artifacts, bared its fangs.

A cold wind rose from beneath my feet, and the crystal shards scattered across the floor coalesced around Yana’s feet. Yana resisted, flapping their flower-like wings, but the winter-imbued crystals paid no heed and continued to grow.

“How dare you, a mere creature, how dare you do this to me!”

“I wonder who’s the pitiful one now?”

Yana gnashed their teeth at my impudent taunt, but they couldn’t harm me. By then, the crystal had already consumed them up to just below the chest. With their magical power sealed, they could only stand still and hurl insults at me.

“I will remember your face clearly.”

By the time the crystal reached Yana’s neck, their words had devolved into curses. I wasn’t particularly scared, knowing I’d never have to enter this field again. With that comforting thought, I slumped down on the circuit.

And then, suddenly, my memory cut off.

‘Judging by our return here, it seems the sealing formula worked successfully…..’

I curled up, unable to bear the cold. Why was my body acting up again when it had been fine before?

“Ahem, if you ask this great one nicely, I might tell you.”

Though I hadn’t spoken aloud, Gregory, having sensed my confusion, spoke in a triumphant tone. That NPC had been nowhere to be seen since Yana appeared….. Although I didn’t have much faith in him, I had no other options at the moment.

“Please, Gregory, I’d appreciate it.”

“How pleasing to see such politeness, hoho.”

Gregory, who had hopped onto my stomach, put on airs.

“Ahem, where shall I begin?”

“Yana, is Yana completely sealed?”

“Yes, you can rest easy. Your efforts in pouring all your magical power into the formula paid off. Just like when you first entered the cell……”

“I poured in my magical power?”

I didn’t remember doing that.

I had infused a bit of magical power to activate the formula, but it was only a tiny amount. Could this somewhat unreliable NPC be mistaken again?

“I thought you were going to die for sure.”

“Are you certain you saw correctly? I didn’t do anything like that.”

“Insolent fool! You dare doubt me?”

Gregory insisted he had seen it clearly, jumping up and down on my stomach. He seemed so aggrieved that he only stopped his tantrum after I apologized several times.

‘Seeing him get so worked up, it might actually be true.’

As I stroked Gregory, I organized the situation in my mind.

I had connected the sacred artifacts using the Chain effect, then modified the circuit. But for some unknown reason, I lost consciousness just before the formula was completed, and…

Suddenly, a realization struck me like lightning.

“The power source was insufficient!”

The incomplete part was the connection between the power source and the formula. That’s why there was a loss. It makes sense if the formula drew in magical power to compensate for that. Considering that magical power tends to attract similar types…

‘Since I connected the sacred artifacts with my magical power, it must have drained me completely.’

When I pulled up my status window, sure enough, the words “Mana Depletion” were clearly displayed. After drinking a mana potion, my body began to recover rapidly.

As soon as I got up, I checked on Cha Taeyang’s condition. Her trademark hanbok was stained with blood and potions. Taeyang’s pain-filled scream still echoed in my ears.

“Ah, I thought my heart was going to stop.”

Fortunately, she seemed to have received proper treatment, as there were no visible external injuries. Her breathing was steady too. It looked like a simple faint. I gently smoothed her disheveled hair.

The other party members were in similar states. As I trickled awakening potions into their mouths, they began to stir one by one. Jo Sung-hyun was the first to wake up.

“Aargh!”

“Are you alright?”

“H-Hunter Yun Gaho? What about that fly?”

‘Fly? ……Could he mean Yana?’

Jo Sung-hyun, who had made this unbelievable statement, whipped his head around from his lying position. Realizing we had escaped safely, he grinned and sprang up.

“Did you use that broken ability again?”

“Well, something like that.”

“Thanks to you, we’ve survived twice now. Thank you.”

It was an uncharacteristically polite greeting from Jo Sung-hyun. But it didn’t last long. He soon started grumbling in his usual disrespectful manner.

“If we had followed the higher-ups’ orders, we would have really been fi-finished. I wonder if we would have received compensation? Since I’m affiliated with the training center, they probably would have just brushed it off.”

“Be careful what you wish for.”

“Eck, if everything we said came true, we’d be prophets, not hunters, right?”

“You long-tongued Mr. Kim! There’s always a reason behind the words of our ancestors!”

The goblin, who had popped out from somewhere, scolded Jo Sung-hyun. Then it rolled to my feet and climbed up my body.

“Mr. Kim, let’s get out of here quickly.”

“Where do you think you’re going! Even if we leave, my power……”

“Gatekeeper, let me tell you one thing.”

The goblin’s voice, interrupting Gregory, was markedly different from usual.

“A piece of metal from who-knows-where dares to lecture me!”

“Guardian of the boundary. If you do not wish to lose balance, be vigilant, ever vigilant. Do you truly understand what it is you are guarding?”

As the goblin issued this warning, an unfamiliar aura emanated from it. Thinking it might be a hallucination, I narrowed my eyes to look closer, but by then, the light had already vanished without a trace.

Oblivious to the solemn atmosphere, the goblin cheerfully jingled its bell and exclaimed as usual.

“One word, done! Mr. Kim, now let’s really get out of here!”

◆◇◆◇◆

“Phew, a whole day just vanished like that.”

Shin-ju, resting her elbow on the car window with a bored expression, glanced at me as if asking for agreement. Beyond her profile, I could see the sun setting.

“Shin-ju-unni, thank you for the delicious dinner!”

“You’re thanking me for just tteokbokki? I told you I’d buy you something more expensive.”

“But I really wanted to try those fries with the special sauce! They were so good!”

Cha Taeyang smiled, making eye contact with Shin-ju through the rearview mirror. Under Shin-ju’s motto that eating well is crucial for recovery, we had dinner together and were now on our way back to the guild.

“Don’t think it’s too unlucky, Taeyang. Consider it warding off bad luck, warding off bad luck!”

“Unlucky?”

“Some people say that the luck you have on your qualification exam day follows you throughout your hunter career. But it’s all superstition, so don’t worry about it.”

Cha Taeyang, holding the goblin in her hand, shook her head vigorously.

“I don’t care about such things at all! My family always told me that I was born with heavenly luck. That’s the only thing I believe!”

“Hmm, that’s a very good mindset. You need that kind of mental fortitude to make a living in this field.”

I agreed as well. Just look at what happened today. We always live with danger like a ticking time bomb. There was nothing wrong with being positive.

“I wish Sena would learn a bit from that attitude.”

“Sena? You mean that person from earlier?”

“Yeah, her.”

I recalled the woman we met as soon as we exited the Ninety-Nine Branch Cave. Shin-ju said they had become acquainted when she was briefly affiliated with Bul-kkot. Her hands in tiger-patterned gloves were particularly memorable.

“She tends to think too rationally and often becomes pessimistic about situations. Though her skills are undeniable. Ah, if the opportunity arises later, I’ll introduce her to you, Taeyang.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Your combat styles are similar. Maybe because she has a much younger sibling, she’s kind to kids. If you ask her to teach you a thing or two, she’ll probably help.”

Cha Taeyang was never one to miss an opportunity to grow stronger. I glanced back to see her dark eyes burning with enthusiasm. The goblin, too, was excitedly shaking its body.

“By the way, it’s going to take quite a while to arrive, isn’t it?”

Caught in rush hour traffic, the car showed no signs of moving. Shin-ju, tapping the steering wheel with her index finger, shrugged and said,

“At times like this, we need an interesting story!”

“As expected of a knowledgeable Mr. Kim! A good story can make even goblins dance.”

“Don’t even think about making me do it.”

I quickly shut down what seemed to be their subtle attempt to make me speak. Shin-ju exaggeratedly pouted her lips, grumbling about how cruel and cold-hearted I was.

“Then, respecting our elders! I’ll start, as the unni here.”

“How long are you going to keep up with this ‘unni’ business?”

“Forever?”

Shin-ju giggled at my disgusted expression. Then suddenly, her face turned serious, and she lowered her voice as if about to share a secret.

“So, you see……”

‘How much longer is she going to drag this out? I should check the news.’

Thinking it was just her usual antics, I nonchalantly browsed a news portal on my phone. But the words that followed from Shin-ju’s mouth made me drop my phone.

“Would you believe me if I told you I received an S-rank quest from the Plague Tiger?”