Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Gaho-unni! Sori!”

“Have you been well, Hunter Cha Taeyang?”

Taeyang, clinging to me like a sloth, exuded the sweet scent of fruit. Not to be outdone, Park Shin-ju, who hugged me from behind, playfully remarked:

“Our Chacha, isn’t your treatment of the unnis too different?”

“I missed you too, unni!”

“Ugh, the welcome is nice, but do we have to be in this position?”

I complained, but Cha Taeyang and Shin-ju insisted on sandwiching me between them as they hugged each other. Only when Taeyang spotted something blue hiding behind me did I finally manage to escape my sandwich predicament.

“Oh? That’s…!”

The chimera, which had hatched thanks to absorbing the Three-Headed Nine-Tailed Fox’s magical energy last night, peeked out its head.

– Kyuuu!

[Blessing Whale, Haerang]

The blue whale, making eye contact with Taeyang, waved its tail while floating in the air. Its translucent body, as if molded from liquid, occasionally revealed tiger-like stripes.

“Little spirit…?”

“Well, to be precise, it’s a bit different.”

Though it seemed heavily influenced by the sea spirit, with its whale-like appearance, this was still a chimera. It was difficult to consider it the same as a spirit based on natural forces.

‘Judging by the goblin’s lack of aversion, it seems different from undead as well.’

Whatever it was, its appearance was far better than I had expected, so I was just glad.

“But it looks so similar!”

Taeyang, who had been repeatedly exclaiming how cute it was, finally couldn’t resist and rushed towards the whale. However, despite her aggressive hug attempt, the whale simply passed through Taeyang’s body. Subsequent attempts yielded the same result.

“That’s strange. I could touch the black Mr. Kim earlier!”

“Unni, unni! Why is it doing this?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems it hasn’t fully hatched yet.”

It was still stabilizing, right? I shrugged, recalling the message that appeared when the chimera hatched. Due to the information viewing being prohibited until that process was complete, all I knew about this creature was its name.

Haerang seemed to find it amusing to pass through Taeyang’s body, constantly circling around her. Taeyang, watching it with longing eyes, posed a question.

“So, what does it feel like?”

What does it feel like? Ah, she must be asking about Haerang’s texture. I reached out and gently pressed the whale’s back with my fingertip. This sensation is…

“Well, um. Like a cold, squishy jelly, I suppose?”

“That sounds amazing!”

Does it really? While I was pondering this, Haerang fluttered away with Taeyang and the goblin. They began swimming in the lake atop the mountain, creating a surreally beautiful scene.

Shin-ju, munching on a peach from who knows where, made me sit down on the ground. Then, plopping down beside me, she tossed out a joke.

“Judging by its outgoing nature, it doesn’t seem to take after you, does it?”

“That would be troublesome in its own way.”

“Of c-course it would be trouble! Where did you get such a my-mysterious and beautiful creature?”

“…Hunter Lee Kang-to.”

Oh, startled me! Lee Kang-to, who had been hanging upside down from a tree branch above without making a sound, suddenly dropped down. Shin-ju, looking somewhat displeased, pushed Lee Kang-to’s forehead with the end of her tonfa, making him sway back and forth.

“Our Gaho-Gaho is delicate, so you shouldn’t startle him carelessly. Please be more careful, okay?”

“Hey, Park Shin-ju. Stop talking nonsense…”

“S-sorry, sorry. I keep forgetting even after hearing about the paper doll thing.”

That paper doll talk again? And of all times, in front of Shin-ju. I hoped she hadn’t caught it, but unfortunately, Shin-ju’s eyes were already brimming with mischief.

Lee Kang-to, spouting incomprehensible praise, and Shin-ju, excited at the prospect of teasing me. Caught between the two, I felt my temples throb.

Fortunately, the heavens weren’t heartless and sent a savior at the perfect moment.

“Good morning, Gaho-ssi.”

“Hunter Han Cha-hyun!”

At my glad greeting, Han Cha-hyun smiled and pushed up his glasses. With just a quick glance, he seemed to grasp the situation and shook his head.

“Good morning to you too, Park Shin-ju-ssi and Lee Kang-to-ssi.”

“Tch, barging in just when it was getting interesting.”

“You all must have had a hard time coming here so early.”

Han Cha-hyun, who had instantly changed the atmosphere, sat down opposite Shin-ju and me, and continued the conversation.

“Especially you two who came from Sohan. I heard there were many incidents late into the night. You must be tired, but let’s hang in there a bit longer.”

Though I had been sending nightly report messages to Han Cha-hyun and receiving general updates, it wasn’t possible to fully understand the situations of other teams. So, we gathered in a circle to share what had happened in each team.

While they didn’t have as many twists and turns as Lee Kang-to and I, the other two teams seemed to have achieved their own successes. Particularly, Cha Taeyang’s growth was remarkable.

“To be honest, I was quite surprised by Taeyang-ssi’s progress. At first, she seemed to struggle a bit, but at some point, she started grasping things so quickly that even Sarome was amazed.”

“Hmm, that’s our Chacha. Worthy of being the junior I acknowledged.”

“That’s hopeful news.”

“However, we must continue with Plan B as well.”

The news wasn’t all good. Han Cha-hyun said he had tried to help Taeyang using his trait but failed spectacularly.

“My ability activates using places or objects as catalysts. But this mountain is less of a ‘place’ and more like the essence of divine energy itself.”

“Th-that means…”

“It seems I won’t be able to exert great power like I did in Badadkkot. It’s not that I can’t activate it at all, but the efficiency is significantly lower.”

I covered Shin-ju’s mouth as she started to sneer, asking if Han Cha-hyun wasn’t embarrassed for acting like a problem solver. She always had a contrarian streak, but it seemed particularly pronounced in front of Han Cha-hyun.

Before Shin-ju could spout more nonsense, I quickly spoke up.

“While it might not be a substitute, we’ve had some progress on our end.”

I recounted the events of the previous night in order. The story, which began with rumors about the sickly Sixth Princess, passed through the foolish king’s bedchamber, and concluded with rejecting the three-eyed yokai’s proposal.

“I see why you said it was difficult to explain in a message. It’s hard to believe you gathered so much information in just one night.”

“Well, we were lucky in many ways.”

“Luck? It’s all because you worked hard to find out everything. You can brag a little at times like this. Right, Hunter Han Cha-hyun?”

Shin-ju, who had finally managed to remove my hand, spouted unnecessary words. Why was she dragging Han Cha-hyun into this?

I shook my head slightly, signaling that Shin-ju’s words could be ignored. Though our eyes clearly met, Han Cha-hyun deliberately turned his face, pretending not to have seen my signal.

“Yes, of course. Without either appropriate judgment or proactive action, such results wouldn’t have been possible.”

“…There’s no need for empty praise.”

“Gaho-ssi, do I seem like someone who would say insincere things because of Park Shin-ju-ssi?”

Well, no. I kept my mouth shut at the question thrown in a refreshing tone. Perhaps not wanting to embarrass me further, Han Cha-hyun quickly changed the subject.

“Do you know when Yun Su-ho-ssi will arrive?”

“He said he’d be here before noon at the latest. I don’t know what gives him the confidence to get here so quickly from Sohan, though.”

Yun Su-ho, who had arrived in Sohan with Shin-ju at dawn, had stayed behind alone, saying he had something to check.

“It’s good that he won’t be too late. Now then, shall we hear Gaho-ssi’s next plan?”

The eyes of the three people simultaneously turned to me. Perhaps due to their intense interest, I felt somewhat awkward and fiddled with the nape of my neck as I began to speak.

“From now on, we’re going to the afterlife.”

“The a-afterlife?”

“You don’t seem to be suggesting we die together. Gaho, what interesting scheme are you planning this time?”

Lee Kang-to and Park Shin-ju, who hadn’t been briefed beforehand, simultaneously thrust their faces towards me. Feeling uncomfortable with the suddenly close distance, I leaned back as I continued.

“Since Baek-a is in the afterlife, we need to go get her. That NPC is the master key that can solve all our problems.”

I had considered other options multiple times, but there was no better alternative. I was also confident that Baek-a would be in the afterlife.

‘She hasn’t shown up until now, despite knowing how important the Sak month night is.’

She must have encountered trouble in the afterlife while searching for something on the king’s orders. If we can quickly retrieve her, we should be able to get through the Sak month somehow.

“I can see why you came up with that idea, but do we have a way?”

“I can answer that. When I received Gaho-ssi’s message and asked Sarome, surprisingly, it’s possible.”

Han Cha-hyun took over the explanation. As this floor was originally a land where the living and the dead coexisted, the boundary between this world and the afterlife is very thin here.

“Apparently, there are several places particularly close to the afterlife. If we draw clear water there and offer sincere prayers for seven days and nights, the gates to the afterlife will open.”

“S-seven days? Isn’t it already too late then?”

“So does that mean we really have no choice but to die?”

Shin-ju casually threw out a chilling line. Then she began to survey the surroundings with fierce eyes, as if looking for prey. While most people would have avoided that, Lee Kang-to, with his peculiar tastes, quickly raised his hand.

“Th-then, I’ll…”

“Oh? I appreciate you volunteering. I’ll remember Hunter Lee Kang-to’s noble sacrifice somewhat…”

“Ahem, both of you, that’s enough.”

I held up my palm to stop the two who were about to go too far. If I left those two with their runaway train tendencies unchecked, something truly disastrous could happen.

“We don’t need any sacrifices. We have a joker, you see.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I extended my index finger to point at where our joker was. My companions, following my gesture, soon voiced their confusion.

“Huh? Gaho, are you pointing in the wrong direction?”

“I-is that really supposed to be the j-joker?”

At the end of my finger was Cha Taeyang, splashing around with a bright smile.