NAVI got locked up for endangering a Civilian while she was on duty.
That jerk, Won Yiwon, really arrested her and put her in "prison."
Well, it was just a penthouse-like room in the basement of Hunters Association Headquarters.
The basement even had an indoor swimming pool.
So, it's like I'm on a short vacation.
But, of course, she couldn't leave the basement "penthouse" without permission.
I mean, I can blow up this place if I want to. But since it was Won Yiwon who arrested me, I wouldn't even dream about escaping.
Moreover, that basement penthouse was actually made specifically for Navi.
To be precise, it was built to purify her Corrupted Mana and bring it down to its normal level.
"You did well, Navi-ya."
That praise came from Kwon Junghwan— the only natural S-Class Hunter-Healer in the country, and one of South Korea's Elites.
He's also called a 'Saint' because his healing powers could purify Corrupted Mana as well.
Whenever Navi's Corrupted Mana would drop because she was either stressed or pissed, she would end up locked up in the basement penthouse.
This place is filled with Kwon Junghwan's purifying Mana, after all.
"Thank you, Junghwan-ah," Navi said while stretching her arms. "Your Mana is warm and comforting as ever, but I almost died of boredom. Can you at least let me use wi-fi when I'm locked up here?"
Yes, she wasn't allowed to use the wi-fi there.
Hence, she would either read romance fantasy books or watch her favorite concert DVDs to kill time.
"Navi-ya, if we allow you to use wi-fi, you'll only look up yourself on the internet," Kwon Junghwan said while shaking his head. "Then you'll find bad comments about you and fight with trolls again. That will only stress you out. Whenever you become unstable mentally and emotionally, your Corrupted Mana spikes up. We don't want you going on a Rampage."
Tsk.
What a burn-out to Civilians was a 'Rampage' to Hunters.
When ordinary people get tired from work, they get a burn-out. But when a Hunter gets overstimulated, they lose their mind.
Since Navi had an evil heart in her Core, she was more susceptible to "snapping."
And, if I completely lose it, the heart of the Calamity would possess me.
"I heard what happened— you tried to feed a Civilian to the dungeon monsters."
It wasn't Kwon Junghwan.
Tsk.
Navi clicked her tongue internally when Lee Hansol and Park Seokjin arrived.
Those two were also natural S-Class Hunters who belonged to the same team as her.
If Won Yiwon was there, then the Elites would have been completed.
Funnily enough, the five of us are the same age— and we even share the same birthday.
All of them were born on January 1st.
"Navi-ya, did you really lock that Civilian out of your Terrarium?" Park Seokjin asked teasingly. "That's so hilarious!"
"What's funny about that, idiot?" Lee Hansol scolded Park Seokjin, and then he turned to Navi to scold her next. "Navi-ya, do you know how much the Hunters Association had to pay not only to the Civilian that you endangered, but also to the Civilians who witnessed what you did to keep their mouths shut?"
"I don't know how much, but I'm sure I can afford it," Navi said, shrugging. "The total amount couldn't possibly put a dent in the money that I brought into the Hunters Association when I saved the world before, right?"
Killing the Fallen Goddess of Vanity didn't only save the human race— the reward for doing so made South Korea one of the top ten richest countries in the world post-apocalypse.
Navi was obliged to share her rewards with the Hunters Association.
It's no thanks to the slave contract that I signed as a child.
The only things she could monopolize were the skills that the Sola System gave to her.
"Dude, you can't be talking about money to our country's biggest cash cow," Park Seokjin said lightly while patting Lee Hansol's back. "Even if our Navi doesn't raid dungeons for the next ten years, the amount of money she brought in could still keep this country running."
Right?
Lee Hansol cleared his throat. "Just because you can solve things with money doesn't mean you should be causing troubles left and right. Why can't you just ignore people who talked shit about you? Is it that hard to be the bigger person, Navi-ya?"
"I'm 155 centimeters tall— God did not intend for me to be the bigger person in any way," Navi argued in a lazy but firm tone. "Did you forget how my father died?"
An awkward silence ensued.
Navi's late father was a legendary male idol during his youth, and then he turned soloist after his group disbanded.
Appa [1]remained a famous singer even after he got married and had me with Eomma[2].
But, before the apocalypse happened, her father took his own life.
My father's mind broke because of the hate comments he got after being accused of doing drugs. When Appa's innocence was proven, it was already too late.
"Alright, that's enough," Kwon Junghwan said, clapping his hands once. "Stop fighting."
"We're not fighting," Navi denied while shaking her head. "Lee Hansol and I just don't click because we're both insufferable."
"Yah," Lee Hansol complained. "Why are you lumping me in with you? My temper isn't as bad as yours."
Navi just shrugged before changing the topic. "Junghwan-ah, I'm stable now, right?"
"Yes, your Corrupted Mana is back to normal," Kwon Junghwan confirmed while nodding. "You're free to go now, but you should rest more."
"What do you mean 'rest?' I need to start training again," Navi said while cracking her knuckles. "Won Yiwon and I will go on an Expedition in two weeks, so I need to prepare for that."
And she was met with silence.
The worst part?
Kwon Junghwan, Lee Hansol, and Park Seokjin exchanged nervous glances.
"Why do you all look so awkward?" Navi asked, knitting her eyebrows. "Spill it before I go crazy from overthinking."
***
"HUNTER AHN Navi, you won't be joining Hunter Won Yiwon for this year's Expedition."
Oh.
Navi was shocked by what Ahn Sunja— the president of the Hunters Association— said.
And the bad news hurt even more because it came from her own mother.
Yes, President Ahn Sunja is my eomma.
Navi and the other kids were too young when they awakened as natural S-Class Hunters.
Hence, the Sola System chose Navi's mother to become the 'Guardian.'
My mom is a Hunter, but she's a non-combatant.
Ahn Sunja was like a walking encyclopedia for Hunters, though.
Thanks to the Sola System's guidance, Eomma was able to establish the Hunters Association. She didn't only nurture the Elites— but she also practically raised the First Generation of Hunters in South Korea.
Ahn Sunja also helped develop the Items that were now being used to determine an awakened Hunter's class, and other innovations like the alarms used to detect dungeons and Strays.
Thanks to Eomma's big contribution in helping South Korea get back on its feet after the apocalypse, she quickly became a powerful figure in our country. Even our President and other high-ranking government officials suck up to her.
That meant when Ahn Sunja fired Navi, the decision was already final.
But I can't accept that.
"It's already a tradition for me and Won Yiwon to go on an Expedition twice a year, Eomma—"
"Call me 'President Ahn' when we're at work, Hunter Ahn Navi."
Oh, right.
They were currently at the office of the Hunters Association President.
Ahn Sunja sat behind an expensive-looking mahogany desk, her expression as cold as the weather outside since it was already Winter.
Haaah.
"President Ahn," Navi corrected herself, addressing her mother by her title this time. "Won Yiwon and I go on an Expedition twice a year to reclaim the pieces of land that Strays have stolen from humans."
'Strays' would refer to dungeon monsters that were released from neglected dungeons.
And Strays that gained intelligence by eating human flesh had the tendency to make a colony. Then they would build their own "kingdom," recreating an environment similar to whatever dungeon they had come from.
It was Navi and Won Yiwon's job to find and destroy those colonies.
But we can't leave the country easily since Sinkholes and Dungeon Breaks still happen often. Plus, those Strays are good at hiding their colonies. So, we have to prepare a lot before going on an Expedition.
"Hunter Ahn Navi, tell me," Ahn Sunja said in a serious tone. "Why do you think you're the only Hunter capable of accompanying Hunter Won Yiwon on an Expedition?"
Ouch.
"President Ahn, destroying colonies can cause catastrophic damage to humans and nature itself," Navi said, clenching her hands while trying to calm down. "So, instead of destroying those colonies, we just "catch" them and put them in my Glass Jars."
'Glass Jars.'
It was one of Navi's legendary skills.
She opened her hand and waited until a round glass jar materialized above her palm. It was similar to the glass jar of her Terrarium. But the one she summoned was empty.
"I'm the only Hunter capable of "catching" Strays and monsters' colonies."
"That used to be the case, but not anymore."
Navi knitted her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that, Eom— President Ahn?"
"Come with me," Ahn Sunja said, getting up from her seat. "I'll show you what I'm talking about, Hunter Ahn Navi."
***
NAVI found herself in the Golden Training Room.
Nothing about that room was golden— it looked like the other training rooms in the building, except it was the biggest and the sturdiest.
I only called it that way because I was too lazy to come up with a proper name.
Yes, the Golden Training Room was supposed to be her private training room, located on the top floor of the Hunters Association's building.
But someone else was occupying the Golden Training Room at the moment.
Cha Hyein?
Yes, it was Cha Hyein— currently the youngest natural S-Class Hunter in South Korea at age seventeen.
Messy bun, huge round glasses, baggy shirt and jeans, dirty sneakers.
Cha Hyein looked like a cute nerd, especially since the kid was hugging a thick book.
That book looks like an Item, though.
Navi didn't care about that since she was bothered by something else.
"What is Cha Hyein doing in my private training room when she has her own?"
Navi only realized that she asked that out loud when Ahn Sunja replied to her.
"I gave Hunter Cha Hyein access to your private training room since this is the safest training room in the building."
Right now, the two of them stood side-by-side on the balcony.
The Golden Training Room was like a fighting arena with a balcony, and there was a sturdy glass wall separating the balcony from the arena. It was designed that way to protect the spectators in case the training got intense.
After all, I often train with monsters here.
"Hunter Cha Hyein is going to show us her new skill."
Okay, but so what?
Navi wanted to confront her mother for touching what was hers, but she got distracted when someone else entered the arena.
"Yiwon Oppa!"
Haaah.
Navi clenched her hands tight when Won Yiwon entered the arena while dragging two dire wolf monsters by the chains.
I already know where this is going.
"Hunter Ahn Navi, for this year's Expedition, the Hunters Association has chosen Hunter Cha Hyein as Hunter Won Yiwon's partner."
"I don't care about what the Hunters Association wants," Navi said bitterly, turning to her mother to give her a bitter look. "Does Won Yiwon know about this?"
"Of course," Ahn Sunja answered calmly. "It was Hunter Won Yiwon who recommended Hunter Cha Hyein to be his new partner for this year's Expedition."
***
Please ADD
[1] Father.
[2] Mother.