Sister of the Ranking 1st (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

  1. Home
  2. Sister of the Ranking 1st (Completed Main Story)
  3. Chapter 1
Next

Prologue

“Why that expression, Shin A Ya?”

“Shut up. Don’t you dare say my name.”

“…It’s sad. That our time is preserved only for me.”

He smiled. His pitch-black eyes, like graphite, stared straight into mine. Beyond those abyssal eyes, I couldn’t tell what you were thinking.

“Thanks to me, you even awakened—so you should honestly be happy.”

“I’ve never been happy! I don’t know anything about the ‘our time’ you keep talking about!”

His laughter echoed through my clenched, suppressed voice.

Even at this moment, blood seeped from Cheon Shin Woo, staining the ground. Surely, it was the side effect of his Reverse skill.

As if death alone was all this land needed—frozen earth and scattered fragments of despair sprawled upon it.

The first shard of ruin, the aftermath wrought by the First Demon King, was utterly horrific.

It must be this mild only because Cheon Shin Woo held it back. The thought alone sent a chill through my blood.

I didn’t have time to argue with him. I needed to eliminate him quickly.

If only I hadn’t been here, Cheon Shin Woo wouldn’t have been this badly injured and could’ve easily dealt with the first shard.

Because he was that powerful.

Unlike my mind, growing emptier by the second, he simply kept laughing, as if thoroughly amused by something.

“It really is sad. Is this how it feels to be left alone in the world? But it’s fine. Just like back then, if you kindly call my name…”

“I told you, I don’t remember anything like that!”

He reached toward me with an unreadable expression—half smile, half something else. I swatted his hand away. He blinked once, still wearing that blank smile, then reached for me again.

His fingers brushing my cheek were unbearably gentle.

“You can’t help but understand me. You still do, even now. Even as you say you don’t remember, you don’t push me away.”

“…”

I wanted to argue, but my lips stayed sealed shut. If all those nightmares I’d seen were truly real…

Even so, this was wrong. This way wasn’t right.

I’m right here now. Isn’t that enough? I wanted to say it, but the moment I met his pitch-black eyes, my breath caught in my throat.

A groan rang out—survivors’ voices, still clinging to life in this chaos.

He glanced briefly at the survivors, then lowered his hand and touched my necklace, now drained of its light.

“Right then, I’ll leave my greetings at this. Next time we meet…”

*Ping.* The necklace string snapped. The “Blue Melancholy,” given to me out of concern for my safety, was already in his hand.

“—It’ll be when the world ends, won’t it?”

After his farewell, only a softly drifting breeze remained where he had stood.

#Chapter 1. Turns out I’m actually the younger sister of the Rank 1 Hunter.

The sky was especially blue. A few sparse clouds drifted calmly. The weight in my hand felt light. Had I already finished an entire can? I sighed involuntarily.

There’s a saying: “Life is full of twists—what seems a blessing may be a curse, and vice versa.”

People often claim that good fortune follows misfortune, and misfortune follows good fortune. Well then—if that’s true, shouldn’t the light finally be shining into my life about now?

“Damn you, Manager Kim! Let’s see how well you live after firing me!”

But unfortunately, my life had no such plot twist.

Someone might look at me and say, “You’re only twenty-three—what’s there to complain about? Just work harder, and you’ll be fine.”

To that, I’d reply: “Why don’t you try living my life?”

I had no parents. No siblings. Not a single blood relative to lean on. My life—where I alone had to take care of myself—was exhausting.

Though being an orphan after the Day of Ruin wasn’t that unusual nowadays, add unjust dismissal to the mix, and the story changes entirely.

I’d just been fired from a job I’d held steadily for two years.

Not even with a month’s notice—just this instant! They’d kicked me out, damn it.

I’d report them, I swore. Gnashing my teeth, I cracked open another can of beer. It tasted bitter.

“Mom, I think that person’s gone crazy.”

“Hush, let’s just walk quietly past.”

A tender mother and child passed by me. Tears welled in my eyes.

I knew I was too young to judge life’s fortunes and misfortunes. Yet, it hurt.

Everyone else returns, awakens, prospers, and lives well—so why am I in this state?

The clear, bright sky only deepened my gloom by contrast.

Trending
[This is the timeline separator]

Do you know what an Awakener—or a Returner—is?

To explain them, I must first talk about the world’s destruction.

The world once underwent a single apocalypse and upheaval.

One day, a Gate appeared. From it poured monsters and creeping despair—but certain individuals gained extraordinary power and saved the world. A typical, novel-like tale, really.

Awakeners possess special abilities. Moreover, all Returners—those who fell into another dimension through torn space and came back—are also Awakeners.

For your information, I’m a Returner, too.

So naturally, I assumed I’d awaken as well. I didn’t.

For some reason, despite being a Returner, my life wasn’t a fantasy action epic—it was a documentary of daily struggle.

Still, I kept fighting.

I don’t know why I clung on so desperately, but I did. I took on various part-time jobs, scraped together a nonexistent resume, and even landed a position at a small company.

And then, just now, I got fired.

“How is it fair to fire me just to shove your nephew into my spot!”

The beer can in my hand crumpled. But my anger didn’t fade.

In this era of unemployment, they’d fire a reliable employee just to hire a nephew who couldn’t even get a job? Sure, they could. Of course they could.

My one real grievance? Damn it—I should’ve quit this stupid company first!

“Status window.”

After emptying four cans of beer, I shouted furiously. Nothing changed.

“Status window! Status window! Status window!”

The more nothing happened, the fiercer my frustration grew. People strolling through the quiet park glanced at me and whispered.

“She must be an aspiring Awakener. Yelling like that won’t make her awaken…”

I know! I already know! But I’m a Returner! Doesn’t that mean I should at least be able to see a status window, even if I don’t get flashy skills?!

“Sigh…”

No more beer left—just another sigh escaping me.

I didn’t want to go back to my mold-infested apartment. I checked my phone contacts—pathetically sparse.

“Everyone else returns, awakens, prospers, and lives well—but me! Why only me!”

Still, after digging through my contacts and finally calling someone, I felt even more wronged. But the drunken cries of a half-drunk fool reached no one…

[This is the timeline separator]

Light seeped through my eyelids. My alarm rang at the scheduled time, and my head throbbed along with it. Irritated, I reached to turn it off—then jolted upright in shock.

Had I gone mad? Why would I drink like that on a weekday?!

But then I remembered—I’d just been unfairly fired from my company.

Right. I didn’t have to go to work anymore. I turned off the alarm, grabbed some water, gulped it down, and lay back down.

When I finally woke again, it was already midday. Normally, I’d never sleep this late—but thanks to the alcohol, I’d slept deeply, without a single dream.

A headache pounded in my skull, and my stomach churned.

After washing my face, I opened the fridge and found a shriveled onion. When had I even bought that…?

I rummaged through the cabinets—no instant ramen in sight. Despair washed over me. Life truly threw everything at me.

With no choice, I clumsily pulled on my coat and staggered out the front door.

I ordered bean sprout ramen at a nearby restaurant, and only then did I start feeling somewhat clear-headed. Ordering hangover ramen in broad daylight—what a textbook example of an unemployed loser.

The restaurant owner’s gaze seemed filled with pity. Must be my imagination. I pretended everything was fine, smiled casually, and watched the TV. The news was on.

“‘Black Oneday,’ labeled the worst-ever S-rank Gate. Amid ongoing shockwaves from Cheon Shin Woo’s solo clearance of Black Oneday—a Gate even Am Wol’s elite party failed to conquer…”

The face on screen looked familiar—not personally, but the kind everyone in this country knew.

Cheon Shin Woo, Rank 1 in Korea. A first-generation Awakener, undisputedly hailed as the strongest S-rank Hunter.

He was a radiant figure.

“Now, we’ll have an interview with Cheon Shin Woo of Cheonrang. You insisted on soloing this boss—was there a special reason?”

“There’s no need to drag along unnecessary obstacles.”

His charisma shone as brightly as his looks.

Was it really okay to use that kind of language on national broadcast news? Despite his harsh words, the handsome man exuded an air of melancholic grace, looking utterly annoyed.

While some of us get fired from tiny companies paying peanuts and wallow in misery, others solo S-rank Gates and act like jerks.

Sure, life is a luck-based trash game—but did it really have to be this trashy?

Just as sadness threatened to overwhelm me, a steaming bowl of bean sprout ramen landed before me.

ads

“Are you a Cheonrang fan too, miss?”

The ajumma who served my food sat nearby and struck up a conversation.

“Well… I guess so.”

“Oh dear, my daughter’s gone completely crazy over him too. He’s more popular than celebrities these days. Honestly, what’s this world coming to…”

She seemed bored with no customers around. After giving vague replies, she quickly started chattering about all sorts of things. I ate my ramen while half-heartedly responding. Ramen made by someone else tasted incredibly good.

“No matter how dazzling someone looks, don’t be fooled. Kids these days probably don’t know better—but really, what good is a pretty face if their character’s rotten?”

“That’s true.”

She sighed dramatically right in front of me—odd, considering I’d just said I was a fan.

“She spends all day browsing weird websites. I wish she’d just study quietly instead of obsessing over all this ‘awakening’ nonsense… She’s too young to remember the horrors of those days.”

“Can’t be helped.”

I brushed it off as if it were nothing. Those days’ horrors… But even those who lived through them were just as numb to danger now.

The news kept droning on about that Black Oneday—or whatever Gate it was—emphasizing how even S-rank parties had failed to clear it and listing the death toll.

At that moment, I didn’t give it much thought.

Completely unaware of how I’d soon become entangled with that “Cheon Shin Woo,” I just slurped my ramen.

Most Commented This Week
Next

YOUR COMMENT

1. Please write comments in English.
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.