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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: SSS-Grade Sperm Even Wonhyo the Great Would 5-Star Review
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Kang Hana set out on her routine reconnaissance mission, just like always.
There were plenty of scouting teams from various guilds participating in this Mars reclamation raid, but her assignment carried significant weight.
"Take care out there, Hana."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Today's target is scouting this sector."
A 3D map unfolded before her eyes through the enchanted goggles.
Starting from Mars City Hall, it was a commercial district packed with buildings, along with a residential area.
Those zones had been cleared out with minimal damage so far.
And Kang Hana had played a big part in that.
Her ability allowed her to scan surrounding areas, detecting lifeforms and gathering all sorts of intel.
She could cover a pretty wide radius, making her indispensable in unfamiliar terrain like this—places clogged with obstacles that were tough to navigate.
There was a world of difference between knowing enemy numbers, terrain details, and plotting a precise route ahead of time versus charging in blindly and scrapping it out with whatever popped up.
This mission was no different.
In fact, this scout was easier than probing urban areas.
It was just Namyang High School and the park nearby.
The terrain was open in many spots, so entry wasn't too hard.
Slipping in without alerting monsters required some caution, but this was her daily grind.
She didn't push herself too hard.
No need to.
She wasn't the protagonist, after all.
That mindset had always guided her into dungeons: stick to maximum safety protocols while scouting.
Of course, scouting didn't always let you stay safe just because you wanted to.
Kang Hana's ability wasn't invincible.
At B-rank, it was downright puny compared to the S-rank reflux dungeons on Mars.
So she always kept the possibility of something going wrong in mind.
Pfshk—
Her body froze solid.
She looked down. Something had burst out from behind her.
No pain.
Even though a massive blade had pierced clean through her left abdomen—not just grazed her side.
Shluck!
It yanked free, and her head spun wildly in an instant.
"Guh..."
She couldn't even scream.
One thought flashed through her mind.
'I'm dead.'
How?
Somehow, amid it all, the ridiculous word "how?" followed right after.
Her scan had been flawless.
Cautious, thorough, backed by double skill checks.
Where the hell did it come from?
Within 50 meters, she'd detected every lifeform—no enemies, not even a single miss.
"Hana!"
"Miss Hana!"
The rest of the team must have missed it too.
A nearby teammate caught her as she collapsed, while the two-man pair farther out sprinted over.
Idiots.
Yelling in an uncleared scouting zone—what were they thinking?
Luckily, the open area didn't have a ton of monsters nearby.
"...S-rank... hurry...!"
She caught snippets of her teammates' frantic murmurs.
Her fading vision caught the monster—presumed to be her stabber—slipping back into view.
Her teammates hoisted her up and bolted.
Even then, professional instinct kicked in. In her blurring sight, she pieced together the creature's identity.
'S-rank monster... Black Mantis...'
It looked like it had black skin, but it was camouflage hide. It lurked stealthily, striking at openings with sickle-like arms reminiscent of a praying mantis.
The epitome of an assassin monster—one to watch out for on sight, extremely dangerous.
The problem? Spotting it first was no easy feat.
With that camouflage, especially in foliage, distinguishing it was near impossible—which was exactly why it ranked as a threat unless you had detection skills.
"Guh..."
Chill set in fast.
Her teammates hadn't even stanched the gushing blood before scattering to evade the vanished Black Mantis's pursuit.
They split three ways.
They raced back toward the urban zone, but it wasn't safe here either.
Still a ways off from linking up with the main hunter group.
Kang Hana gritted her teeth.
Thankfully, she fumbled the spray from her right pocket and spritzed it on the teammate carrying her.
Hiss—
Would this even help?
If the Black Mantis was already on their tail.
At least the urban sprawl offered buildings for cover. Last-ditch hope.
Thud.
Her arm dropped.
No strength left.
Her consciousness truly faded then.
Suddenly, old memories surfaced.
Childhood days playing with Kang Jik.
Treating him like a big brother, all the time spent together.
Who knew when things went sideways?
She'd thought it was natural, but as they drifted, she'd come to resent her indifferent brother.
"...Oppa..."
She wanted to see him one last time.
That was Kang Hana's final memory.
"...Oppa...?"
The first thing she saw when her eyes fluttered open.
"You're awake?"
Her blurry vision sharpened on the scene: Im Hyeji beaming with joy, drool trailing from her mouth, frozen in place.
And Kang Jik, pants down, dick dangling, looking relieved as he gazed at her like it was no big deal.
"...Why the hell are your pants off, you psycho?"
"Eh. Long story."
It felt like a dream—no pain at all.
Tears streamed down Kang Hana's cheeks.
@
The absurdity of it all had me so stunned that I didn't even think to pull up my pants when she came to.
Good thing the Elixir worked.
50 points.
Could call it pricey, or a bargain for snatching back a life from the brink of death.
But with Resurrection available, 50 points was pure extravagance.
If Im Hyeji's Resurrection had just hit level 5...
I could've used it myself, saved her without burning 50 points.
No use crying over it.
Even rewinding time wouldn't level it up, and delaying even a bit would've meant Kang Hana died for real—leaving Im Hyeji's Resurrection wasted on a 50% chance cooldown reset.
I'm no genius detective novel protag.
My life's just basement-dwelling, gaming, and daydreaming.
But I'd read enough novels to know the fallout of rashly using Resurrection in a spot like that.
Hell, using it brainlessly wouldn't draw much flak.
Even party leader Hong Si-jun had left the call to Im Hyeji.
But if she'd revived her and the cooldown reset triggered...
Im Hyeji would've been branded the villain for never saving another survivor after that.
Rumors would spread among dungeon hunters: guild favoritism, friend perks.
Resentment and bitterness would fuel the hate.
It wouldn't stop there—word would leak outside.
Hard to believe, but I'd seen countless hunters trashed in Hunter Gallery over similar stuff.
Ability doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever.
Not unless you cut ties with the world entirely.
Save some, ditch others per the rules—that's the hypocrisy normies despise most from the elite.
Probably why Hong Si-jun punted the decision to Im Hyeji.
He's a hunter too—death's always lurking.
Didn't want to coldly veto a revive, only for unmeasurably close Kang Hana to die and turn Im Hyeji's blame his way.
Saving her was Im Hyeji's call.
Even if Resurrection was an option, not using it meant nothing.
Those were the reasons I nixed Resurrection.
Used my 50 points instead.
Might just be my overblown novel-fan paranoia.
Anyway, it worked out.
The real issue came next.
"Hyeji, explain it carefully."
"Okay... I'll try..."
No proof of what went down here.
No evidence she'd saved Kang Hana without Resurrection.
Just words.
So they got their stories straight, and Im Hyeji met Hong Si-jun privately.
"Truth is, I have another awakening skill I never registered. Got it when I unlocked Resurrection... but it's unstable, huge penalties. It's called Elixir—a heal that drains all my mana and blocks recovery for 24 hours. Figured it was better than forcing Resurrection..."
"You did great. Thank you. We'll handle this internally. Good thing you saved your Resurrection—don't want that other skill getting out."
"Thank you."
Hong Si-jun mercifully didn't pry further.
He eyed fully recovered Kang Hana suspiciously, but whatever—it was done.
Few witnesses.
Some saw her carried in, but who obsesses over someone else's near-death?
"Lucky break," and they'd move on.
The scouting team bought it too—some "unexplainable skill" from SS-rank healer Im Hyeji.
Everything wrapped up nice and neat.
Until Kang Hana ducked into the tent and spoke up.
"...What the? That stuff."
"Huh?"
"I remember some thick liquid sliding down my throat first thing."
"..."
One final hurdle just popped up.
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