“Lady Daphne, thank you for your hard work!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

‘…Ugh.’

It felt strange to receive such polite greetings, even from people much older than her, some with graying hair.

But the awkwardness was only momentary.

She looked over the officials standing before her and fixed her gaze on the man who appeared to be the person in charge.

It was a face she had never seen before.

That meant he was someone with less than S-rank ability.

Suji knew all the individuals within the top 10 ranks, and Saint, who was AAA-rank, was ranked within the top 10 hunters in Korea.

Judging by the level of the officials gathered here, she wondered if they could have withstood an S-rank wave well if she hadn’t come here.

No matter how many helicopters there were, they would have been useless.

Modern firearms wouldn’t work against them.

In the end, they would have to be fended off by the hunters present here.

It wouldn’t have been easy for those gathered here to deal with monsters ranked S or higher. Even if possible, the damage would have been severe.

‘…They might have diverted the rest of the personnel elsewhere because I volunteered to come. Still, it’s too unsettling.’

She briefly considered whether to step forward and speak. There was something she really wanted to say in this position of attention.

After hesitating for a while, Suji looked at the sword in her hand.

The face of the old blacksmith woman who told her to come back alive flashed before her eyes.

This wasn’t just about saving herself.

Everyone, not just her, needed to improve one step further to increase everyone’s survival rate.

Suji steeled herself once again and spoke with sincerity.

“First, I want to express that it’s an honor to be here with you all. I always hold great respect for those working as public officials.”

The officials’ faces showed a flash of pride at her humble words.

Suji cleared her throat, stalling for time before finally getting to the main point.

“That’s why I feel even more sorry to say this, but… From now on, there’s no guarantee that I will always be able to respond to S-rank or higher-grade waves. You here will have to take charge of handling them.”

The festive atmosphere of the scene deflated at her sudden cold words. It felt too real-time.

Having grown too accustomed to receiving expectations, she somehow couldn’t bear to see the disappointed looks on people’s faces. It felt like she should naturally step up and take responsibility for everything in the future.

‘I wish Ilaine was here.’

The thought came to her unconsciously.

He had unknowingly become a source of mental support for her. She didn’t realize she would miss him this much after being apart for just a short while, having been so closely attached to him.

She moistened her lips with her tongue.

‘If Ilaine were beside me, he’d tell me to finish what I have to say quickly and leave. Ilaine doesn’t care about these kinds of gazes.’

Thinking of Ilaine’s face, who could be so kind and gentle to Suji but indifferent, even to the point of ignoring others outside the team, somehow made her want to smile.

It’s strange.

How just thinking about someone who wasn’t actually there could change her mood.

Thinking of his face made her feel like she had the courage to continue speaking.

Suji opened her mouth again, determined to steel her resolve.

“You’re all here because you’ve responded to S-rank waves, right? So… I have no doubt that you’re all excellent individuals. Of course, you must have put in a lot of effort to get here. But I wonder, has anyone here climbed the Tower of Wisdom?”

The number of people who raised their hands in response to her question was far fewer than she had expected.

There must be over fifty officials gathered here, but only eight raised their hands.

It wasn’t unexpected.

Rather, she asked the question because she had anticipated this.

There was a typical career path for civil servants.

Among those who graduated from the academy with excellent grades, those who wished to could receive training in dungeons managed by the state. They would build up their abilities through safe dungeons with perfectly understood patterns.

Even for those not on that path, people generally don’t go to the tower often.

The reason they avoid even the lowest floors is that unless you receive the initial reward, the tower’s rewards aren’t much better than dungeon rewards, and there are too many risk factors on each floor.

The same goes for the ‘rifts’ that Suji so desperately wants to encounter. They’re so rare that it’s very difficult to see one in a lifetime, and once encountered, there’s a high possibility of falling into great danger, which is why the Hunter Academy emphasizes caution to students.

She nodded and continued speaking.

“Many of you probably didn’t climb because there was no need to. But for monsters ranked S or higher, it’s important to face them directly and familiarize yourself with their patterns visually.”

There was no response, but Suji spoke up courageously.

“Please come. If there are those who want to go to the tower directly, our team can guide you at least once to the floor where S-rank monsters appear.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at her words.

The word ‘tower’ was already associated with the emotion of fear.

Even those who had raised their hands saying they’d been to the tower had only explored areas not far from the 50th floor save zone.

But if Team Daphne would guide them, that was a different story.

“Why are you going to such lengths for us?”

A young-looking official standing close to Suji suddenly raised his hand and asked.

Suji pulled her lips into a smile.

From her perspective, it wasn’t about going ‘to such lengths’, but rather that she had finally found the right people to go ‘to such lengths’ for.

Until now, she had occasionally escorted people who requested to climb the tower together to a point that didn’t require much effort by her standards.

She thought that was the way to benefit everyone.

But as the difficulty of the waves suddenly increased, she only now realized that there were important people who needed special attention.

Perhaps it was her oversight not to have thought about nurturing people.

Of course, the programs run by the country would also help with preparation. But in her opinion, climbing the tower was more important.

She also had ulterior motives to train personnel not only for ordinary waves but also for second waves.

“You are all precious talents that we cannot afford to lose. Everyone, don’t be complacent in your current positions. You need to acquire even more outstanding skills to protect your loved ones. I’ll do my best to do the same.”

Unaccustomed to speaking in front of people, she felt her face getting hotter the more she spoke.

“I’ve talked for too long. Anyway, that’s what I wanted to say. Thank you for listening.”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she sounded arrogant, but she finally managed to finish her speech.

An awkward silence followed.

Somehow unable to meet people’s gazes, she looked down at the floor when suddenly, a small applause broke out.

Clap, clap.

Clap clap clap.

Clap, clap clap clap clap.

And the small applause gradually grew louder.

A middle-aged man who seemed to be the representative approached her, took off his hat, and saluted.

“Hunter name, Seolin. It’s an honor to meet you, SSS-rank Hunter Daphne. We know there’s no reason for you to worry about us. You truly are an extraordinary person.”

“Not at all.”

“We’ll keep coming to learn from you until you get tired of us, Lady Daphne.”

Behind Seolin, numerous hunters simultaneously saluted.

It must be a sign that everyone shared the same sentiment.

She felt a lump in her throat.

Suji was glad that her carefully chosen words hadn’t been dismissed as unnecessary meddling.

In a world where everyone fending for themselves had become the norm, it didn’t seem like a bad experience to try reaching out first, just as others had done for her.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way now.”

Suji returned the salute and then whistled, mounting her unicorn to leave the wave site.

She had to rush to Jeju Island in a short time, so she had to pass through many gates and fight monsters along the way, but somehow she felt more energized than before she came.

As she headed towards headquarters, she contacted Yeonju.

“Aunt. How are the other wave points doing?”

− It seems Nature has fully recovered too. There were some minor injuries among the officials, but they’re apparently closing safely. They say it’s in the final stages.

Suji nodded with relief.

But Yeonju continued in a not-so-bright voice.

− However, there seems to have been a problem on Ilaine’s side.

“…Ilaine?”

Her heart began to race anxiously.

It shouldn’t have been that difficult a level for Ilaine to handle.

There’s no such thing as 100% in this job, so it wouldn’t be strange if something happened while responding to an area with civilians and looking after them.

“What happened? Should I go there?”

− No, they say the wave has been resolved. It’s being wrapped up. But they say Ilaine is currently being transported to the hospital.

Suji quickly grabbed the reins she had let go of on the unicorn’s mane, and the unicorn, as if reading her mind, changed direction.

She would be faster than the officials transporting him.

Suddenly, she recalled his hesitant look when parting from her.

‘Was he not feeling well? Did I unknowingly assign him a mission in that state?’

All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind.