SHOWR 01

Prologue

The Owner of a Healing Therapy Shop Is World Rank 0

10 a.m., a quiet, ordinary alley in Mapo-gu, Seoul was swarming with hunters.
The atmosphere was fiercer than most dungeon breaks.

“Yujin, I did come because you asked me to, but how long do we have to wait? It’s already been three hours…… Can’t we just go to another shop?”
“No way, absolutely not. This isn’t just a shop, it’s a holy site. If you get just a few of the items sold here, even a B-rank hunter like me can solo an A-rank gate.”
“Solo an A-rank gate? With items? Does that even make sense?”
“It doesn’t make sense, which is exactly why there are so many people here, Gahye. Even if you’re just an exam-taker who knows nothing about hunters, you’ll get into serious trouble if you say something like that outside.”

Yujin pointed at the bulletin board set up in front of the shop’s large glass window.
On it was written:

[Today’s Recipe: Mana Drizzle Candy (Peppermint Flavor) – Rapid 200% Mana Recharge!]

“This is the shop of the nationally certified hunter, Yebitna. Got it?”
“Huh?! I’ve heard that name too! The hero who cured even the hunters who retired because of mana addiction?”
“Exactly. So let’s just be grateful that ordinary people like you and me can even lay eyes on Lady Bitna’s items, okay? There are also plenty of jackpot items that even non-awakened people can use, so look forward to it.”
“……But if it’s a shop run by someone like that, shouldn’t people be fighting over who got here first? Why is it so orderly and quiet?”

Yujin snorted.
“Are you crazy? If you start a fight here, you’ll get killed by the part-timers.”
“Part-timers?”

As if on cue, the shop door swung wide open.

“Wihyang is now open! Welcome, ladies!”

A handsome red-haired man appeared, greeting everyone energetically.
When a tall man with celebrity-level looks stepped out, cheers erupted from the female customers.

“That’s Oh Hyeongtaek. An S-rank hunter who can shred monsters into hundreds of pieces with just one blade wind.”
“An S-rank hunter… working part-time…?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call customers ‘ladies’? You want to die?”

The part-timer who smacked Hyeongtaek on the back as she appeared was a cute woman whose short hair suited her perfectly.

“That lady is Shin Nara, an S-rank healer. There’s no healer in Asia better than her.”

And that wasn’t all.

“Alright, please don’t push. Come in carefully.”

A large, muscular part-timer guided customers with a gentle smile.

“That’s Korea’s Shield, S-rank tanker Seon Donguk. A one-man army, undefeated in a hundred battles, practically a legend.”

Gahye stared blankly, mouth agape.

“Why are S-ranks working part-time here?”
“Well, because the owner is even more amazing.”

When it was finally their turn, Gahye entered the shop as if entranced.
The display shelves, divided into attack, defense, healing, and cosmetics sections, were filled with cute, neatly arranged items.

“……It smells nice.”

The fragrant scent of flowers filling the shop and the plant-filled interior naturally put Gahye at ease.

“Checkout, boss!”

A male customer approached the counter with his arms full of items.
Then the owner everyone had only heard about greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hello! I’ll help you with your payment!”

At the owner’s cheerful smile, the man’s face flushed red.
But that warmth didn’t last even a second.

A man quietly folding boxes beside the owner fixed the customer with an icy gaze.

Tilting his head slightly as he looked at him, he said,

“Next customer.”

It was killing intent so cold it chilled to the bone.

“H-huh! Hunter Kang Jinseo…! I-I’m sorry!”

The customer repeatedly apologized, his face deathly pale, as he hurriedly finished paying.

“I told you not to scare the customers so much.”
“……It’s just that the ribbon wouldn’t tie properly.”

The man—no, the S-rank hunter Kang Jinseo, now a living legend of South Korea—frowned as if displeased by the bustling shop, but upon seeing the owner’s radiant smile, he resumed folding boxes.

Watching this bizarre scene in a daze, Gahye thought,

What rank does the owner have, if she can use those monstrous S-ranks as part-timers?

Chapter 01

“See you next week, Grandma!”

After finishing my volunteer bath service at the nursing home, I hurried on my way.

The sensation throughout my body was sharpening, like needles pricking my nerves.

It was a sign that the medication was wearing off.

I yanked open the car door and hurriedly pulled out a pill bottle from my bag.

A sharp headache began stabbing at my skull.

I swallowed the pills without even looking for water, but it was already too late. Cold sweat soaked my entire body.

“Haa.”

Exhaling roughly, I got into the car, blocked my ears with earplugs and headphones, and pulled an eye mask over my eyes.

Finally, when I brought the aroma oil to my nose, peace came a few minutes later.

“They say you get what you pay for.”

I switched to cheaper medication because of money troubles, and this mess happened immediately.

I tossed aside the eye mask and glared resentfully at the pill bottle.

On it were the words Sacred Hunter Hospital.
It was Korea’s only hunter hospital, famous even overseas.

“……Am I going there way too often for someone who isn’t even awakened?”

Letting out a short sigh, I started the engine. I should contact the hospital and see if I could move up my appointment.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to pay next month’s rent.”

My bank balance was shrinking, while my hypersensitivity symptoms were getting worse.

It couldn’t be helped that sighs escaped me the entire drive.

[This is Hunter Radio’s 5 p.m. news. The development of the U.S. sudden gate prediction device, which had garnered global attention, has ended in failure……]

Beep—!

The traffic light changed.

The car right in front of the stop line slowly moved, and the stationary cars turned off their brake lights one by one.

“Huh……?”

At that moment, my hands gripping the steering wheel grew slick with sweat.

A certain unpleasant sensation piercing sharply through all my nerves. A feeling I knew all too well, but never wanted to feel.

I frantically scanned my surroundings.

The busy district, with a subway entrance opening onto a six-lane road, was packed with people and cars.

“Now? A gate… here?”

At this rate, a major accident was guaranteed.

“Why here, of all places……”

My hypersensitivity was even worse than most hunters’. Despite not being awakened, I could feel mana.

Because of that, there was a time when people expected I’d awaken as a high-rank hunter. But in the end, I never did.

Yet as my uselessly sharpening senses worsened with each passing day, I began to detect the flow of mana right before a gate formed.

Gate occurrences—something no existing technology or skill could predict.

One day, my sister Nara said to me,

“Bitna, you…… don’t tell anyone that you can predict gates. Okay?”

When my younger self asked why I had to hide something that could reduce casualties, she said firmly,

“Do you really think that ability would be used for everyone’s sake, with good intentions? It’s better for you to hide it.”

I didn’t understand back then. Now I did.
I knew that this ability of mine would only put me in danger.

There was nothing more dangerous than an ordinary, powerless person possessing tremendous ability.

That’s why I kept my head down and lived quietly.

But what was I supposed to do if it formed right in front of me like this……?

While I hesitated, the car ahead of me started moving.

Beep—beeeep!

Because I wasn’t moving, cars blared their horns angrily.

Eventually I lifted my foot off the brake, but as if reflecting my indecision, the wheels rolled forward slowly.

What do I do, what do I do?

The gate was going to open right at this intersection—directly above the large crossroads.

Even if it was a small gate, it was obvious that at least several hundred people would be sucked in.

And judging by my feeling, that gate would open within three minutes at most.

There wasn’t much time left.

Vrooom—.

Just as my slowly rolling car was about to cross the stop line—

I did it.

“Ah, screw it!”

Screeeech—!

Driving straight, I sharply turned the wheel, cutting into the left-turn lane and crossing the center line.

Beeeep—!

I ended up stopped right in the middle of the intersection. You’d have to be insane to drive like this.

Beep! Beep! Beeeeep!

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
“Can’t you drive properly?!”

Cars behind me and those coming from the opposite direction slammed on their brakes, spewing furious complaints.

“Haa, haa.”

For someone who’d never even sped once in my life, this was a huge deviation.

Feeling my heart about to burst, I got out of the driver’s seat, my legs trembling.

Pulling my cap and mask low, I took out a safety triangle from the trunk, placed it on the road, and waved my arms widely.

“It’s dangerous! A gate is going to open!”

“Are you nuts? Driving like crap and—w-what? A gate?”

People who had been cursing at me froze at the word gate.

“It’s going to open right in the middle of this intersection! Everyone, back up!”
“It’s perfectly fine. What are you talking about?”
“Stop spouting nonsense and move, right now!”

Drivers began revving their engines as if they were about to run me over.

My heart trembled so badly I felt like I might faint, but I didn’t move my body blocking the cars.

If I could just hold out for one minute……!

“Hey, move already!”
“Are you crazy?! If you want to die, go die alone!”
“I-I’m a Hunter Association employee! Follow my instructions!”

Since I was already out of my mind, I decided to commit another crime.

I impersonated a Hunter Association employee.

In a world overrun by hunters and gates, public awareness of the Association was extremely high—so the effect would be guaranteed.

Even civilians who knew nothing about gates would believe a Hunter Association employee.

“They say she’s from the Association!”
“Really?”

Just as expected, even those hurling insults began to believe me.

The people who had been cursing angrily slowly started reversing.

Yes! At this rate, no one would be caught in this intersection—!

That was when it happened.

Ding-dong-deng♬
—The pedestrian signal has turned green. You may cross now.

The pedestrian light turned green.

A curse rose to the tip of my tongue.

“Don’t cross! A gate is going to open here!”

I ran around desperately, blocking people from crossing.

Perhaps my desperate voice reached them—people hesitated mid-step.

Ten seconds left.

Now I just had to evacuate myself.

Confirming the surrounding mana going berserk, I hurried toward the sidewalk.

Was a six-lane road always this wide?!

Running for my life, I barely managed to make it onto the sidewalk.

Just as I was about to sigh in relief, I spotted a grandmother crossing the crosswalk from the opposite side.

Perhaps her hearing was poor—despite everyone calling out to her desperately, she just kept walking slowly, one hand on her bent back.

Damn it!

“Grandma!”

I knew that running toward her would get me sucked into the gate, but my body moved before my thoughts.

“It’s dangerous!”

Gritting my teeth, I ran to her and shoved her backward.

And at that moment—

Vrooooom!

A gate entrance appeared instantly.

Yeah, damn it. Right under my feet.

“Aaaah!”

I was sucked into the endless abyss of the gate.

At the same time—

A window appeared before my eyes.