TRHSOS 02

Chapter 02

Here is a faithful, line-by-line English translation, keeping tone, nuance, slang, and formatting as accurately as possible.

“Park Su-on, I’m going to clear the Tower today, so I’ll be home late.”

At the sound of footsteps coming into the living room, I—who had been sleeping on the sofa—poked only my face out from under the blanket like a turtle.

When I looked up with eyes still heavy with sleep, I saw Park Si-woo staring down at me with a pitiful expression.

“Looks like you had a huge bowl of ramen last night.”

“I didn’t eat anything.”

“That makes it even more serious.”

The man shaking his head solemnly while looking at my just-woken face—the one I really wanted to punch—was Park Si-woo. My blood relative, two years older than me.

He had sharp eyes reminiscent of a leopard and a decent-looking face, but as you can see, his personality was seriously flawed.

“Want me to cause a real incident? If word gets out that the nation’s number-one guild master showed up at the Tower bleeding from a nosebleed, that’d get some serious spotlight.”

“Sorry, but I’m not such an easy target that I’d lose to a runt who hasn’t even awakened yet.”

Leaning an arm on the sofa, Park Si-woo smiled down at me. His silver-gray hair glimmered faintly.

His hair had originally been black, but it had turned white because his constellation was the ‘King of Winter,’ and the cold energy affected even his body.

At that point, isn’t his contracted constellation basically an ice queen who shoots ice from her hands—like El-something?

I’d actually thought that once.

Anyway, Park Si-woo, who awakened as an S-rank Hunter, froze everything in his path and broke the record of the 45-floor Tower in the shortest time, rising to the very top.

He was now the guild master of the number-one guild called “Authorship,” and even that name was something else.

They said it meant “writing a new history,” but it was so cringeworthy it felt like his right-hand black flame dragon had briefly woken up and named it for him.

“I don’t care whether you come home late or not, just don’t forget to send the money.”

At my bluntly practical reminder, Park Si-woo’s eyebrows twisted in displeasure.

“That’s all you have to say to your brother who’s heading into a deadly Tower?”

“What else am I supposed to do? Thanks to my amazing big brother and little brother, I can’t even step outside anymore, so my livelihood got cut off overnight.”

I didn’t care and jerked my chin toward the large floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

Outside, reporters who had gathered two days ago were camped out, waiting for a scoop to appear.

“Most of those reporters aren’t waiting for us—they’re waiting for you, you know?”

He was right.

Ever since the world’s first Dungeon Break occurred, our family had produced S-rank Hunters generation after generation.

Naturally, our parents were S-rank Hunters too. As mentioned earlier, Park Si-woo was one as well.

My younger brother Park Ji-ho had also awakened as the world’s only S-rank Luck Cube capable of granting Legendary stats to weapons, continuing the family’s reputation.

Except for me, who still hadn’t awakened.

Even so, I wasn’t impatient or anxious.

If anything, I didn’t want to become a Hunter.

Our S-rank Hunter parents wandered endlessly to subdue monsters whenever Dungeon Breaks occurred.

Constantly busy without even time to sleep, they were caught in a suddenly appearing unknown dungeon and went missing.

Faced with an unprecedented dungeon type, we siblings couldn’t do anything, and the country hastily held a funeral after awarding them a single medal titled “Hunter of Honor.”

Just like that, our parents—who had contributed to the nation as Hunters—slowly faded from public memory.

If that was the life of a Hunter, I’d refuse it even if it killed me.

Anyway, thanks to my outstanding family, I lived quietly, barely breathing.

But apparently someone in the same apartment complex had seen me walking around with Park Si-woo from time to time, because a post went up on an anonymous Hunter forum.

<Park Si-tt’s younger sister face reveal.>

[Photo]

└ Anonymous1: Is she really Park Si-tt’s sister? Not his girlfriend?

└ OP: Lives in the same building as me. I thought she was his girlfriend at first too, but after seeing how they talk, they’re legit registered family.

└ Anonymous1: What was the conversation like?

└ OP: Half silence, half insults.

└ Anonymous3: LOL that’s certified family.

└ Anonymous2: God-tier visuals.

└ Anonymous1: Fan #1.

└ Anonymous3: Our first love from back in the day. That girl with the long straight hair.

└ Anonymous1: LOL agreed, this guy’s fallen for his first love.

└ Anonymous2: LOL chill with the simping.

└ Anonymous3: Guess the Park Si-tt / Park Ji-nu-tt family got all the looks in the gene pool.

└ Anonymous4: Anyone smell something burning? Like birchwood.

└ OP: Yeah. Your philtrum.

That single post caused a huge stir almost instantly.

<Meaning of Park Ji-h’s nickname, Park Ji-nu-tt.>

There’s a saying that Park Ji-h turns into a psycho when it comes to his sister. He’s usually nice and smiling, but if someone messes with his sister, he’s crazier than Park Si-tt.

└ Anonymous1: Where’s the guy who said this was fake?

└ Anonymous2: That’s badass.

└ Anonymous3: But if it’s real, why did she live in hiding all this time?

└ Anonymous1: Yeah seriously, she’s a goddess.

└ Anonymous4: Maybe it was tiring being too pretty.

└ Anonymous2: Facts.

<Why Park Si-tt / Park Ji-nu-tt’s sister lived quietly.>

Isn’t it because she hasn’t awakened yet? That family’s famous for producing only S-rank Hunters. Their parents were S-rank too.

└ Anonymous1: Oh, the S-rank Hunter couple who went missing in that unknown Dungeon Break.

└ Anonymous2: Wow… they did a lot of good. May they rest in peace.

└ Anonymous3: Maybe she awakened as F-rank LOL.

└ Anonymous4: Yeah, still living better than you.

<Sorry, kind of random.>

Anyone been to a hot spring near an S-rank dungeon? Like three years ago? I swear I went in, took a bath, ate pork cutlet. I went in half unconscious, but after that I was energetic all night. I went back later and it was gone. Thought it disappeared, but no one says they’ve seen it.

└ Anonymous1: Pretending to be an S-rank Hunter much?

└ Anonymous2: Yup. Next fake story please.

Seeing other topics start popping up, I figured it would quiet down if I held out just a bit longer.

As I scrolled through the anonymous Hunter board, my mouth watered and I smacked my lips.

Talking about pork cutlet makes me want pork cutlet.

“See? Nothing to say, right?”

“What am I supposed to do if I was born pretty? Did I do it on purpose? I was just born like this—what can I do?”

Park Si-woo stared at me, who said that without changing expression, as if I were a monster crawling out of a dungeon.

“People outside really need to know your true nature. Would they still call you a goddess then?”

He genuinely lamented that he couldn’t show the outside world the real me.

“It is true that our sister’s got looks.”

At that moment, Ji-ho appeared in the living room with a gentle smile.

Though we shared the same blood, unlike the fierce-looking Park Si-woo, Ji-ho had the face of a mild puppy.

His bangs lightly covering his eyes and his black hair falling just past his neck suited him well.

Our youngest really takes after me—he even speaks nicely.

Ji-ho seemed to be heading to the Tower with Park Si-woo, judging by the amount of stuff he was carrying.

“See? Even the youngest agrees. Park Si-woo, don’t you think you need to get your eyesight checked?”

“Looks like the two of you need mental checkups more urgently.”

Park Si-woo shook his head like we were hopeless and picked up his jacket.

“Melon bar on the way back. I won’t sleep until you bring it.”

Wrapped in my blanket, I clung to the sofa and watched them.

Seeing me poke my head out like a puppy waiting for its owner, Park Si-woo seemed to feel something and moved his hand quickly in the air.

Ding!

At the same time, an alert rang and a window popped up.

[OO Bank Deposit ₩2,000,000 – Park Si-woo]

“Eat well, Money-Money.”

Money-Money was Park Si-woo’s personal nickname for me because I’d loved pork cutlet since I was little.

He claims it mostly means “money pig,” but I decided not to know that.

He must have noticed.

That I was anxious.

Living as an unemployed freeloader thanks to a capable registered family member who casually throws around huge sums—amounts unimaginable to ordinary office workers—should’ve been nice, but it didn’t feel entirely happy.

“I’ll be back, noona.”

“Don’t forget the melon bar!”

“Yeah, melon bar on the way back!”

The sight of their backs as they left overlapped with the backs of our parents I had last seen on the day they went missing.

Can’t we just quit this Hunter thing and go live somewhere quiet together, maybe run a hot spring?

Like that hot spring we went to as a family when I was little.

Going on a family trip with our busy parents was as hard as reaching the stars.

But just once, we were caught in a Dungeon Break together, and after escaping, we happened upon a hot spring where our whole family enjoyed a peaceful rest for the first time.

From that day on, my dream was to become a hot spring owner.

How much money would it take to open a hot spring?

I thought about my now reassuring bank balance.

Then, determined to absolutely eat pork cutlet for lunch today, I drifted off to sleep.

[Guide ‘Spirit Realm’ is searching for ‘Heir of the Hot Spring.’]

Completely unaware that a new window had appeared before my eyes.