Chapter 08

"Are you feeling better? You were out cold for two whole days!"

The person who entered the hospital room was none other than Teaching Assistant Lim. He examined Suho's complexion as he sat on the bed, and the moment their eyes met, he blurted out an apology.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for running away!"

In that situation, there was nothing an E-rank Hunter could do alone. Their physical abilities weren't much better than those of an ordinary person, so they weren't considered combat power in dungeons. The first lesson that Teaching Assistant Lim learned after awakening as an E-rank was to flee as fast as possible at the sight of a magical beast. But Suho, who was just an ordinary person at the time, was unbelievably heroic.

'To save people until he collapsed in that dangerous place!' Because of those actions, which starkly contrasted with his own, Teaching Assistant Lim felt a level of shame and embarrassment unlike any he had experienced before. However, Suho, who received the apology, remained calm

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize to me."

"No… I have no excuse." Teaching Assistant Lim, still apologizing, took out a warm bowl of porridge from the shopping bag he brought and placed it in front of Suho.

"You must be hungry. Here, have a spoonful of porridge before you eat anything else."

"Oh, what a great sense of timing."

Growl—!

As soon as Suho saw the food, his stomach rumbled loudly. The sesame oil smelled delicious and the color was just right. It was a tasty beef porridge. Suho grabbed the spoon and started eating without hesitation. The first meal he ate in two days was absolutely delicious…

"Do you want me to peel an apple for you?" There was an apple in the fridge. Teaching Assistant Lim had visited the hospital both yesterday and today while Suho was unconscious.

'I'm being taken care of by the department's teaching assistant. I don't feel any pain thanks to leveling up.' Suho was thinking about leaving the hospital today when Teaching Assistant Lim handed him an apple and asked.

"By the way, the people who left the hospital room a while ago were from the Association, right? What did they say?"

"They came to measure my magic power and left."

"Huh? You got it measured? Did you really Awaken?" Teaching Assistant Lim's eyes lit up.

"How much magic power do you have? This dungeon was D-rank, and if you survived there, it must be at least…"

"They said it's E-rank."

"Huh? Really?" Teaching Assistant Lim's eyes widened. Suho unfolded the measurement result paper that the Association employee had left behind.

"Oh, what? Is it really that low? A magic power level of 46 is not a lot even for an E-rank."

"Why are you disappointed? What were you expecting? Wow, that's creepy. Were you trying to gain favor in case I awakened as a high-ranking hunter? That's why you're being so nice to me."

"No, you idiot! If you were to be a high-ranking hunter, you wouldn't have collapsed in that dangerous place! I thought you'd be D-rank at most."

"See? You were thinking about it."

Teaching Assistant Lim jumped, feeling truly wronged. He then put down Suho's result paper and tried comforting him. "I think… It's better this way. E-rank is good, you know? Don't you know that being an E-rank is much more stable than being a mediocre D-rank?"

"I don't know…?"

"Hehe. Of course, you wouldn't be aware. You have just Awakened." Teaching Assistant Lim put his hand on Suho's shoulder with a smug grin.

"Trust me, from now on I'll lead you into the world of E-rank Hunters."

* * *

After being discharged from the hospital, Suho arrived at the Hankuk University Art Museum the next day and listened to Teaching Assistant Lim's explanation.

"In other words, there are a lot of jobs for E-ranks."

Dungeon raids involve a thorough division of labor. The attack team raids the dungeon, followed by the collection team that retrieves the magical beasts' corpses, and finally, the mining team that extracts the resources. E-rank Hunters typically handle all roles except for the attack team itself. Teaching Assistant Lim's assertion that E-rank was much more stable than a mediocre D-rank was accurate. D-rank Hunters, being the weakest members of the attack team, were arguably the most exposed to danger. Conversely, E-ranks, entirely excluded from combat, could earn a daily wage performing manual labor in a safe environment.

"Of course, there are some E-ranks who risk joining the attack team because they need quick money, but it's rare, hospital bills cost a lot... Unless you have a close Healer."

'…I can't believe I'm coming back here again.' Suho looked up at the museum, half destroyed 'because of Beru' and reminisced. The purpose of coming here today was to become a miner. Excluding the Shadow world, it was his first real dungeon, so he decided to accept Teaching Assistant Lim's help.

"Oh, by the way, the school has switched to online classes until the dungeon is completely cleared. You're going to take a leave of absence since you're a Hunter, right?"

"Yes, I am. The exhibition is finished, and this semester is almost over anyway."

"Okay. I'll go to the teaching assistant's office later and apply for your Hunter leave of absence. Shall we start now?" Teaching Assistant Lim looked at Suho with eager eyes, exuding the aura of a seasoned veteran.

"Hehe. Today, I'll teach you all about living a wise E-rank Hunter's life! First of all, a miner is…!"

[What a pathetic thing to brag about.] Beru suddenly popped out of Suho's shadow, startling Teaching Assistant Lim and causing him to fall on his butt.

"Huh?!"

"M-magical beast?!"

Beru looked down with contempt and muttered. [Tsk. You're so timid. Young Master, I know much more about what a Hunter is. You should learn from me.]

Then, he flew to Suho and spread his short arms wide shouting majestically.

[A Hunter is a born killer! To slaughter, dominate, and devour the enemy! That is the essence of a Hunter. So please kill and kill again and take all that power… Kuek?] Suho's hand grabbed the muttering Beru like a baseball.

"Why did you suddenly come out?"

[Ahem. I felt the dungeon's energy nearby. The Young Master is as weak as a baby ant, so I have to stay by your side to protect you.]

Stretch—!

As he said that, Beru's body stretched out and slipped from Suho's hand. Then, the tiny ant jumped onto Suho's shoulder and began scanning his surroundings, with a fierce look in his eyes. But Suho wasn't fooled anymore.

'He'll just talk into my ear when I'm fighting.'

Then, Teaching Assistant Lim, who finally came to his senses, carefully pointed at Beru and asked. "Suho, is that a summon?"

[No.] Beru answered firmly. Strictly speaking, he wasn't Suho's summon, but his father's.

"If it's not a summon, then what is it…?" Teaching Assistant Lim, who had already been intimidated by the first confrontation, subconsciously spoke in a polite tone. Beru's eyes flashed fiercely.

[I am a guardian.]

"…Guardian?" Teaching Assistant Lim tilted his head.

[Yes. By human standards… a kind of uncle?]

"…?"

[Hehe. There was a time like that.]

'What was he talking about?' 

Beru, who was muttering incomprehensible words, looked at Suho's face with a distant look. Teaching Assistant Lim ignored him and asked Suho directly.

"You Awakened as a summoner?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Hmm. That's amazing. It's my first time seeing an E-rank summoner." Teaching Assistant Lim kept his real thoughts to himself. There was no need to mention how weak summoning Hunters were. Let alone the combination of an E-rank Hunter and a summoning skill.

'Is he the weakest of the weak?' Teaching Assistant Lim stared at the ant standing on Suho's shoulder. He was surprised when Beru suddenly popped out earlier, but now, looking at his cute appearance, he thought otherwise.

'He's useless…?' 

[Those eyes are looking at me disrespectfully. Do you want me to pluck them out?]

"…"

Teaching Assistant Lim lowered his gaze. Still, judging from how quickly the summon noticed, it seemed like he would be good at keeping watch. And since he could even talk, he might be useful.

"Ahem. Well, there are many E-rank Hunters without skills, so you're lucky. For your information, I have a running skill."

"Aha… That's why you ran away so fast."

"…" 

Suho's innocent remark slightly offended Teaching Assistant Lim. It hurt even more because it was true. 

* * *

Just like that, Suho became a miner at Teaching Assistant Lim's recommendation.

"Alright! Let's do our best today!" The mining team, composed of E-rank Hunters, gave off the vibe of a construction site crew.

"Here, newbie! Come and get your pickaxe."

Thud!

The pickaxe was placed in Suho's hand, then the man who handed it out smiled at him and said,

"If it breaks while you're working, come back to me and get another one. But the cost will be deducted from your pay, so be careful. Still, you're a young man… Wait, that's weird, you are a student at this school, right?"

"Wow, are you 'that guy'?" Surprisingly, most of the miners recognized Suho and spoke to him first.

'It's because of that news report.' Suho recalled the news he saw yesterday and this morning, smiling bitterly. Was the headline 'Hankuk University's Hero Becomes E-rank Hunter' ? It was an ambiguous title, whether it was praise or criticism. If he had become the hero of the art museum as an ordinary person, he would have received a Brave Citizen Award, but because he Awakened in the middle, it became a Hunter doing a Hunter's job. But… he was the lowest rank Hunter, so it was an ambiguous situation for others. Even so, it seemed to work in his favor with these men.

"Huh. That's a shame. If you were going to Awaken anyway, it would have been life-changing if you got a rank or two higher."

"But don't be too disappointed about your low rank~ We're also living well."

"That's right, that's right. It's a bit tough on the body, but you don't need any special skills, just swing the pickaxe well, how great is that?"

They were eager to give Suho advice, saying it was the first time in a while that a decent newbie had joined. But Beru really hated this heartwarming atmosphere.

[My liege, let's go level up instead of chatting with these ignorant fools. It's a waste of time.]

"Oh! Is this a summon?"

"Wow. I've never seen anything like this before."

"It would be cute to carry around."

"But it's too small to be useful for mining, isn't it?"

The miners gathered, curious about the summon that suddenly appeared. Beru glared at them and unleashed his killing intent.

[Hey! Don't come any closer, you rude bastards! Our liege is a delicate person, he could die if you touch him! Don't worry, my liege. I'll protect you!]

"…?" 

Suho stared at Beru, wondering if this was doting or just nagging.

"Hahaha. What a reliable summon."

"Alright, let's get to work."

The miners laughed at Beru's 'cuteness' and scattered with their pickaxes. Suho suddenly had a good idea as he watched them.

"Beru."

[Yes, my liege. Just give the order, and I'll behead those disrespectful bastards.]

"Don't behead them…"

[Then what are your orders?]

"Bring some goblin corpses from the Shadow Dungeon."