In front of me is a snake vine tree, and behind me is a sticky flytrap large enough to swallow a person.
I am lost.
I wandered around for a few dozen minutes trying to find a way out.
"Another failure..."
A depressed muttering came from nearby.
It was a young man's voice.
Where is this voice coming from? I moved in the direction of the sound.
Fortunately, I thought I was trapped in the greenhouse with no way out, but if I can find someone, I can ask for directions.
The lamenting voice continued to be heard.
"Ha... Another failure..."
The voice, tinged with tears, sounded as eerie as a ghost's.
"What should I do? Is it beyond my strength...?"
I turned around the large sticky flytrap and found the owner of the voice.
"Why am I always like this..."
A man was squatting on the ground, looking into a small pot.
The flower in the pot was withered. The leaves were yellow, the stem was bent, and the petals seemed ready to fall off if touched.
No matter what, it's a very difficult situation to approach. I was about to step back a little.
Rustle.
"......!"
The man, startled by my footsteps, lifted his head.
His white cheeks gradually turned red, and he spoke without hiding his embarrassment.
"Y-You, how did you get in here? Didn't you hear that no one is supposed to enter?"
"I didn't hear that."
You're about my age, so why are you speaking informally? Naturally, my words became shorter.
"......! Look, it says not to enter."
"There's nothing there?"
"What? Is there something wrong with your eyes? I clearly put up a 'No Entry' sign! Huh?"
The only thing on the spot the man pointed to was a white piece of paper.
A blank white piece of paper.
The man took the paper and checked it. On the back, it said 'No Entry'.
...You put it up backwards. Of course, it wouldn't be visible.
The flustered man spoke in a sulky voice.
"Cough! Anyway, I'm busy, so go away."
"I have something to ask... Ah."
Trying to act mature, I brushed my hair back to reveal my forehead, but my young-looking cheeks, single-lidded eyes, and slightly upturned eyes were familiar. I soon remembered who this man was.
Cedric Choi, the second-ranked hunter.
A top-tier hunter and S-class swordsman of one of the Big 3 guilds, <C&L Corporation>.
Unlike the almost inactive first-ranked, he often appears in various media, so it's natural that he's familiar.
The last time I remember seeing him...
"Now, the healer is late with the healing. If the hunters, who only heal from behind while our swordsman is fighting the monsters, can't even heal properly, what are we supposed to do?"
"A, I've told you many times. The healing is delayed? What? I'm out of the healing range? Shouldn't the healer follow me? After all, we're all getting paid thanks to our guild."
It was a controversy about his character...
He dropped a major bomb in an unedited live broadcast, causing a lot of noise for a while. The healer guild 'Garden of Blessing' rose up, threatening to boycott Cedric Choi.
In the end, Cedric Choi made a public apology, but the apology was criticized for lacking sincerity.
In short, he is a controversial top-ranked player known for his skills and fame as much as his character issues.
To meet such a famous hunter here, the world is indeed small.
While I was lost in these memories...
"Ah, yeah, yeah. I get it."
"What?"
Cedric Choi suddenly tore off the 'No Entry' sign, scribbled something on the back, and handed it to me.
"Here! My autograph! Since I gave you an autograph, now go."
"I don't need it."
I'm not a fan, so why would I need a hunter's autograph, especially on a piece of tape with a sticky back.
But he seemed to interpret my words differently.
"What? Do you want to take a picture with me too? Well... Normally, I wouldn't, but I'm in a good mood today. Take this and go quickly. I have a private life too, you know."
Click.
Before I could say anything, he snatched my phone, took a selfie, and meticulously edited it before handing it back.
"No... That's not it. I was going to ask for directions out of here."
"......!"
Cedric Choi's cheeks gradually turned red.
"Hey! You, you, you should have said that first! I, I, I thought you were a fan who came all the way here!"
I was going to ask. You were the one who started talking.
"But what about that flower?"
I pointed to the withered flower in the pot.
"......It's just a flower. Now go. If you go that way, you'll find the exit."
Considering how he was looking at it with a depressed expression earlier.
"You said it was beyond your strength or something."
It seems Cedric Choi blushes easily.
"You, you, you! How dare you eavesdrop on someone's private conversation!"
"I didn't eavesdrop. You were talking to yourself in front of me."
"......!"
"Anyway, what is this flower?"
In a greenhouse filled with sticky flytraps, snake vines, and a flower that looks like a human head, this flower is just withered and quite ordinary.
But the petals, which emit a faint blue light, caught my attention.
"Mind your own business! It's a very precious flower. Not just anyone can get it."
Considering how it's almost dead...
Just as I was about to ask more about the flower...
"Customer! Where are you? The seedlings are ready. Don't tell me you got close to the dungeon sticky flytraps? Customer! The dungeon sticky flytraps are cute, but touching them can get you eaten!"
"I'm over here!"
Ichung saw me and quickly approached, then was startled to see Cedric Choi.
"Ah, you're here! Here, the purification seedlings you bought... Ah, why is Hunter Cedric Choi here...? Don't tell me you did something to the customer?!"
"What? How are you looking at me?"
"Before, you said you would kill me."
"......"
Noticing the silent contempt in my gaze, Cedric Choi quickly added.
"That's...! Because you said it was hard to keep this flower alive...!"
"Anyway, you shouldn't do that. It's the first time a customer has come in months."
Is this place okay...
Zing.
At that moment, Cedric Choi's phone vibrated for a long time.
"......! I'm leaving."
Cedric Choi, who was about to say something to Ichung, immediately left the greenhouse after checking the name on his phone screen. It seems he received an urgent call.
"Why is he here?"
"Surely, ah, customer, is something wrong? The hunter has a bad temper, a very bad temper, but he's not a bad person... or so it seems, I can't say he's not... or something."
Ichung, who said this, looked pale, as if recalling a bad memory.
"Nothing happened... What is this flower?"
"Ah, you were looking at this. This is a Blue Seraeno flower."
As soon as I heard the name, a status window appeared in front of me.
[Item: Blue Seraeno Flower (★★★★★)
Type: Flower
A legendary flower said to contain the starlight of Seraeno.
Note: Withered]
5-star...
I was surprised to see that this ordinary-looking flower was 5-star.
"This pot was given to me by Hunter Cedric Choi."
According to Ichung, it went like this.
The Blue Seraeno flower is not only very rare but also very difficult to grow.
One day, Hunter Cedric Choi brought the seed of this flower and asked to grow it, no matter how much it cost.
Ichung, with the pride of a botanist, accepted the task. ...Or rather, the amount of money Cedric Choi offered was too much to refuse.
"But... I have to very carefully adjust the amount of ether in the soil. I've been trying for months, but it's not thriving."
"Such a rare flower, is it some kind of high-level item material?"
"Not really..."
Ichung trailed off, hesitating whether to say more. Then, cautiously, he added.
"Hunter Cedric Choi's younger brother has a rare disease. It's a very painful condition where the ether flow in the body is tangled... There's no cure yet. But this flower, the Blue Seraeno flower, is said to alleviate the pain."
"Ah..."
I see. I felt a bit sorry.
I searched for the flower's name on the Ether-Wiki, just in case there was any information.
[Verifying qualifications... Complete.]
[Eligible: Rights confirmed...]
'Skip.'
[No search results.]
...
Of course. It's no help when you really need it.
If there's a way to help, it would be great.
* * *
After leaving the nursery, Cedric Choi immediately headed to the headquarters of <C&L Corporation>, his guild.
"Hunter, I will help you with the identity verification."
"Get lost!"
Cedric Choi ignored the security guard's stop and passed through the entrance. The warning beep sounded, but he paid no attention.
The security guard was flustered but did not stop him. After all, no one here didn't recognize him by his face. He just turned off the security alert with a scowl.
There was no time for leisure. He immediately took the private elevator to the top floor.
The top floor, accessible to only a select few, had a bleak atmosphere.
When you touch a specific spot on the white, undecorated wall, a secret door appears. After verifying the hunter's license, the door opens, and you have to go through a connecting corridor and repeat the process to enter the hidden area.
The moment he passed through the door, the smell of medicine filled the air. The smell of disinfectant, and the scent of pain and death.
Cedric Choi quickly approached and opened the innermost door.
"......Rona!"
On the other side of the door was a room decorated like a hospital room. On the bed lay a thin, small girl, asleep.
Or, can it even be called sleep?
The girl's sleep is not restful or peaceful but filled with pain and fear. She tosses and turns, moaning in pain, but her mind is trapped in a state of unconsciousness.
The girl's name is Rona Choi.
Three years ago, she contracted a rare disease and has not opened her eyes since. She is the only younger sister of Cedric Choi.
And now, the girl was having a seizure.
"Ugh... Huh, huff... Ugh, aah! Ah! Huh, huff!"
Her screams filled the room. Cedric Choi quickly rushed to the bed.
"Rona! Big brother is here. You're in a lot of pain, aren't you? Rona..."
But there was no response. The girl continued to moan in pain.
Cedric Choi turned to the healer waiting nearby.
"Why aren't you healing her?"
"Sir... It's... As you know, even if I use healing skills, there's... no improvement."
It was true.
The two healers in the room were the best in the country, except for Kwon Ji-won of the <Silver Guild>. They were hired at a huge cost, despite the criticism of monopolizing top healers.
However, no matter how many healing skills they used, it was impossible to alleviate Rona Choi's pain. This rare disease rejected all skills and potions.