Lv.99 Princess of Dark Flames (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16

On the way back to the mansion, silence filled the speeding sedan.

[The Divine Beast ‘Wandering Cat of Darkness’ is thumping the ground, muttering, “My sister is F-rank? My sister is…?”]

The cat had been in that state the whole time.

“An F-rank Hunter….”

Park Je Hwi, gripping the steering wheel, also wore a dazed expression.

In truth, though Cha Eun Ha appeared indifferent, she too found the F-rank assessment unexpected.

Although there had been no ranking system thirty years ago, Eun Ha had been a squad leader—a Hunter recognized by higher-ups—thanks largely to her superior combat ability, the unique power called ‘Flame.’ Moreover, unlike back then, she was now contracted to a Divine Beast.

Yet F-rank? That was certainly strange.

‘Come to think of it, the measurement results didn’t indicate whether or not I’m contracted to a Divine Beast.’

Could it be because Eun Ha’s Divine Beast—a cat—wasn’t among the Twelve Divine Beasts? Either way, it was fortunate; she had to keep her contract with the cat hidden due to restrictions.

‘Surely not.’

Could it be that because her contract with the cat wasn’t registered in the measuring device, she was rated F-rank?

—No. That couldn’t be.

Eun Ha had never once thought herself weak—not even before contracting with the cat.

While the three of them were each lost in their own thoughts, they seemed to have arrived at the mansion. Je Hwi stopped the car.

“We’re here.”

“Good work. Wait in the car for a moment.”

Shin Si Woo stepped out first and opened the rear door. After confirming Eun Ha had exited, he closed the door and opened the trunk this time, pulling out a box.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a terminal. Go ahead and open it yourself.”

Inside the box was a device smaller than a palm. It closely resembled the pagers from Eun Ha’s memories.

“From now on, this terminal will be your partner inside the Gate. This little one will analyze combat and collect data.

Once you’ve accumulated enough experience points, you can go back to the measuring device to update your rank.”

He patiently explained how to use the terminal. Though it was called an explanation, operating it wasn’t particularly difficult.

Eun Ha, who had been examining the terminal, lifted her head to check Si Woo’s expression. His attitude hadn’t changed at all since before the measurement.

Curious, Eun Ha cut straight to the point.

“…Aren’t you going to cancel our contract?”

At that, his blue eyes, which had been inspecting the terminal alongside her, abruptly locked onto Eun Ha.

“Cancel?”

“The result. You saw it was F-rank.”

He seemed to want a Hunter who’d generate buzz. Now that her identity as a first-generation Hunter was concealed and her rank came out as F, perhaps he no longer had any reason to insist on keeping her.

After a brief silence, Si Woo grasped the gist of her words and let out a soft chuckle.

“It doesn’t matter. I know you’re not F-rank, senior.”

“Then why did the measurement show that result?”

“That’s something even I don’t know.”

The measuring device owned by the Association was identical to the latest model used by the Global Hunter Administration—the most reliable device on Earth.

It troubled him that this official device, which had never shown even a single error or discrepancy before, had displayed an anomaly only for Eun Ha. Though he felt it necessary to investigate this oddity further, one thing was undeniably clear.

“But it simply doesn’t make sense that an F-rank Hunter could fight me evenly—or even outmatch me.”

After all, I am S-rank. Having said that much, Si Woo swiftly turned away. He checked the time on his phone screen and hurriedly got back into the car.

“Go inside first. I have another appointment. Manager Park will explain the terminal’s detailed usage tomorrow, so rest well today. And don’t worry about contract cancellation.”

Si Woo emphasized once more.

“F-rank is the lowest tier, but if you look at it positively, even small battles can grant you large amounts of experience. That means your potential for growth is limitless.”

“The report said my potential is only 4%.”

“Didn’t I already tell you? I don’t trust measurement results.”

Si Woo opened the car door. Just before getting in, he faintly lifted the corner of his lips one last time.

“Results handed down by machines like that can simply be shattered through action.”

Yet opportunities to shatter those results through action rarely came.

Now that she’d received her license and terminal, she should have started Hunter activities long ago—but it wasn’t easy. All because of the stigma of being an F-rank Hunter.

But perhaps thanks to that, Eun Ha now had ample time to familiarize herself with modern technology.

With noticeably more confidence, Eun Ha scrolled down the mouse wheel.

[Live News] ▽ Headline News ▽ Newest First ▽ Most Viewed ▽ Most Recommended

It was obvious at a glance that none of these articles were favorable.

Yet Eun Ha didn’t stop scrolling. She wouldn’t let mere pixels on a screen hurt her—it was something she’d anticipated to some degree anyway.

A strikingly dressed rookie Hunter had appeared, backed by the famous Wolf Guild. Moreover, many reporters had been present during the measurement. The sound of mocking laughter that had reached even through the glass windows when her F-rank result was announced still rang clearly in her ears.

Eun Ha opened another window.

Click.

The sound of the mouse button echoed through the quiet room.

[Title] Wolf Guild at it again lol—Wolves acting like wolves, what else? [Author] □□ (121.204) │ May 29, 2031, 7:45 PM │ [Views] 473,886 │ [Likes] 26,642 [Content] Smells like corruption again lol. That “Black Flame Princess” thing—her name alone gives me secondhand embarrassment;; [Comments] 1,225

┖>□□: Seriously though, how’s she supposed to fight in clothes like that??? She’ll probably trip over her own outfit.

┖>□□: Check this out lololol http://hunterprofile.co.kr/main/12232643/?id=eFHSdc — apparently she’s F-rank?

┖>□□: Even Wolf Guild’s scraping the bottom of the barrel lololol How desperate must they be to hire an F-ranker as a mercenary lolololololololol

┖>□□: F-rank…… ㄴㅇㄱㄴㅇㄱㄴㅇㄱㄴㅇㄱ

┖>□□: So when’s the theatrical release of XX’s Blade Season 9?

┖> lololololololololololol wtf

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[Title] My Grandfather Told Me [Author] □□ (121.233) │ May 29, 2031, 10:33 PM │ [Views] 251,322 │ [Likes] 3,218 [Content] My grandpa said the “Black Flame Princess” is actually the name of a monster from urban legends. He said it was pretty well-known among old-generation Hunters.

He said she wears a black dress and carries a parasol, just like that girl.

[Comments] 831

┖>□□: If she’s modeling her concept after that monster, she’s seriously unhinged-level concept-obsessed lol

┖>□□: 111 I’ve heard that too!! Supposedly, she seduces whoever she sees—man or woman—and burns them alive lololol

┖>□□: Oh yeah, that’s right. I heard she charmed her way into Wolf Guild’s upper management lol. My friend’s brother works in their HR department.

┖>□□: Didn’t we have a red-mask concept Hunter back in the day?

┖>□□: Oh, you mean the one who killed a civilian and got arrested? She’s in prison now, right.

┖>□□: These days, since being a Hunter is so popular and lucrative, everyone and their dog wants to become one lololol. Seriously, they think just because they awakened, they’re instantly a Hunter—maybe they’ll come to their senses after losing an arm in the Gate;;;

Knock knock.

Her finger, scrolling the mouse wheel, stopped. Someone was knocking on the door.

“It’s me, Hunter.”

It was Je Hwi. When she opened the door, he bowed slightly, holding two cups of coffee in both hands.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I bought Americano, but let me know if you’d like syrup. Oh, are you getting more comfortable using the laptop?”

“I kept forgetting the Wi-Fi password, so I just stuck it there. Other than that, no issues.”

A small Post-it note was stuck to the edge of the laptop monitor.

Wifi : K_GiGA_10G_NQFidg

Password : 1tlstldn2CHLRH!

Je Hwi stared blankly at it, a strange doubt flickering in his eyes. He’d been thinking about this since last time—it just didn’t make sense that someone so young could be so unfamiliar with modern technology.

Je Hwi had once asked Si Woo about it. The reply was that her hometown was an extremely remote village. She’d grown up under her great-grandfather’s care, which explained her complete unfamiliarity with modern devices.

‘Just how remote is her village that she doesn’t even know how to use Wi-Fi?’

‘Il Suk Ri, Hae Eul Myeon, Man Rye Eup, Gyeongsangnam-do.’

‘Huh?’

‘Senior’s hometown.’

‘…….’

If it’s that remote, I guess it’s understandable… Wait, me? Je Hwi tilted his head in confusion.

Anyway.

“What were you looking at?”

He glanced at the monitor after tearing his eyes away from the Post-it.

“…Oh, um.”

His face instantly froze.

Countless comments poured across the screen—none of them seemed well-intentioned at first glance.

“You really don’t need to check things like this. You know how it is—netizens these days just mindlessly bang on their keyboards.”

Oops. Mistake. Je Hwi quickly closed the laptop. Eun Ha silently looked away from it without a word.

“In the Hunter community, rank is quite absolute. This applies not just among Hunters, but also to Association personnel and civilians.”

Modern people tended to blindly trust the Association’s measuring devices. They simply assumed A-rank was stronger than B-rank, and S-rank stronger than A-rank.

Moreover, many people praised Hunters ranked highly without question or scrutiny—much like HR staff who blindly trust university pedigrees.

“But the standards they set aren’t always absolute.”

At least, that’s what Je Hwi believed.

If an A-rank Hunter’s unique ability leaned heavily toward healing, their combat strength might fall short of a B-rank Hunter specializing in close-quarters combat. Isn’t that only natural?

“However… I don’t think the reason you’ve become embroiled in this controversy is solely due to your rank.”

Je Hwi cautiously looked at her. Jet-black hair and eyes—the kind of pure black rarely seen in modern times.

And then there was that pitch-black dress, as if deliberately matched, along with the parasol of an outdated design.

Her appearance was striking enough to easily be mistaken for cosplay.

“These things are necessary for me.”

As if sensing his unspoken thought, Eun Ha said quietly.

She herself was fully aware of how conspicuous her attire was—and that its consequences wouldn’t be favorable.

‘But there’s no helping it.’

The ‘Black Flame’ Eun Ha wielded was a set effect.

Only when she equipped all items—the elegant parasol, black rose pendant, thorned heels, obsidian tiara, and raven-silk dress—would the effect activate.

If even one piece was missing, the title effect would vanish. In other words, she wouldn’t be able to use Black Flame.

The destructive power difference between Flame and Black Flame was significant. To enter the unpredictable Gates, equipping the most efficient gear was the wisest choice.

“Hmm. I see.”

Je Hwi averted his gaze from her dress. There was no need—and no right—to pressure her.

“It’ll be fine. After all, you have solid allies like Wolf and Silvermoon backing you, don’t you?”

He swirled his straw and gave a gentle smile.

“Rank means nothing before the name of Wolf.”

“…I suppose.”

“Yes. You’ll understand soon enough.”

It was an utterly confident smile.