The Grill-Wielding Saintess of the Dead

Chapter 14 Returnee Isiah 2

The Dungeon Overbreak crisis put not only the Hunter Association of Korea but also those worldwide on high alert.

Though not all dungeons mutated, about 30% of the dungeons in Korea underwent mutations, causing considerable chaos.

Despite the sudden event, hunters did not panic.

Hunters were accustomed to fending for themselves, and unless they were part of an expedition, they would hunt monsters and collect dungeon loot for personal gain.

In such cases, delaying the defeat of a dungeon boss as much as possible was the norm to maximize profits.

However, with the dungeon structures mutating and their ranks rising due to the Overbreak, high-ranking hunters began collaborating to hunt down the dungeon bosses.

If they still lacked the power, they would send distress signals and hide.

The Association swiftly dispatched rescue hunters, and even the notoriously independent S-rank hunters cooperated in this emergency situation.

Among the S-rank hunters who participated in the rescue efforts was Yeonseo, Korea’s first S-rank hunter and a living legend.

“We have completed the rescue of all hunters at the gate-type dungeon ‘Karmana Lava Zone’ located in Busan. Aside from two who are showing mild signs of exhaustion, there are no casualties. Thank you for your hard work, Yeonseo.”

“Haah, this Association even works retired people to the bone, huh?”

“Ha, haha… Sorry, Yeonseo.”

A newly dispatched Association worker laughed awkwardly as a woman with a unique mix of blue and white hair smirked and looked at him.

Behind her, weary hunters were being helped by rescue workers as they exited the collapsing dungeon and returned to reality.

“Oh my, if you react like that, you’re going to make me feel embarrassed, child. Just say thank you.”

“Ah… yes! Thank you! Thanks to you, Yeonseo, we were able to bring everyone back without a single casualty.”

“Hah… So, are there no more dungeons undergoing a break?”

“Yes, yes! No further reports are coming in…”

The young rescue worker, knowing the identity of the woman before him, lowered his head sheepishly.

After all, the woman standing in front of him was, quite literally, a living legend.

She was a genuine hero, having saved humanity not once, but at least ten times. Her achievements were far greater than what the media portrayed.

Her Hunter name: Silver Knight.

Her real name: Yeonseo.

As of 2088, she was 86 years old but had the appearance of a woman in her twenties.

She was the first S-rank hunter in the world and the very person responsible for shaping the modern hunter world.

Since the Great Rift in 2024, Yeonseo had been the strongest hunter, with no one surpassing her strength even after decades.

Her blue hair, streaked with white like highlights, was her trademark, symbolizing not only a hero but also the peace and strength of humanity.

Some exaggerated praises even claimed that as long as Yeonseo was alive, humanity would never face true danger.

“It’s a relief that none of the kids got hurt. It’d be a great loss to lose the seedlings who will one day lead the world.”

“Ah! Yeonseo, great work!”

At that moment, a man in a black suit approached, and Yeonseo frowned.

He was the current vice-chairman of the Hunter Association, a man Yeonseo had crossed paths with a few times.

Though Yeonseo had retired and held no official position, her fame and accomplishments were so immense that even the vice-chairman bowed deeply in respect when greeting her.

Yeonseo referred to him as Director Lee.

“Oh dear, shouldn’t you be working? Why are you here, Director Lee? Did you come all this way just to give this old lady more wrinkles? Or is the vice-chairman’s role really that leisurely?”

“Oh, not at all. Due to the sudden Overbreak, His Excellency has convened an emergency response committee. I came to express our gratitude for your help in resolving the situation.”

“Gratitude, you say? If you’re here, I assume the situation is mostly under control?”

“Yes, the Overbreak that began around 1:00 AM was resolved at approximately 5:38 AM, marking the conclusion of your 12th rescue operation. By the time the morning news comes out, it’ll probably say something like, ‘There was an Overbreak, but it’s been resolved.'”

“We were on the brink of disaster, but now the Association looks competent, and you’re happy about that, huh, Director Lee?”

“Haha, while Yeonseo played a major role, the other rescue hunters also saved many lives. This is all thanks to the rescue hunter system you established before your retirement, after all.”

“Tsk, can’t you keep quiet for once…”

Sensing that the battle had fully concluded, Yeonseo made her shining silver sword disappear and began tying up her hair with both hands.

Even at 86 years old, she still had powerful mana and strength, making her as beautiful as ever.

The sight of her tying her hair made her look like an ethereal goddess, and passing rescue workers stole glances at her.

“Haha… I must be getting old. My hair never used to come loose like this, and now I can’t even remember where I put my hairband during battle.”

“Would you like to use this?”

“Thank you.”

Yeonseo accepted the hairband that Director Lee offered and closed her eyes as she spoke.

“So, Director Lee, what’s this about?”

“Oh, you knew?”

“I just figured if you came rushing over, something important must’ve happened.”

“Haha, I just wanted to see you…”

“Stop joking around and get to the point.”

At her words, Director Lee paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

“A distress signal was sent.”

“When?”

“Around 1:25 AM, right after the Overbreak began.”

“Was the person rescued? Did other rescue hunters go?”

“Well… the distress signal was canceled shortly after it was sent.”

“Oh?”

Yeonseo finished tying her hair and looked back at Director Lee.

“Stop stalling and explain. There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

“……”

“Hurry and speak. If it’s urgent, we need to address it quickly, don’t we?”

“…It was from Yeonhwa.”

“Hmm?”

“The hunter who sent the distress signal… was your granddaughter, Yeonhwa, who recently became an A-rank hunter.”

“…….”

“The signal was sent for about a minute before being canceled.”

With a solemn expression, Director Lee delivered his report, as if confessing a crime.

“Yeonhwa entered an A-rank gate-type dungeon, the Nafthar Great Forest. At the time, she was the only hunter to have entered.”

“……”

“Shortly after her entry, the Nafthar Great Forest underwent an Overbreak, and the dungeon mutated and was upgraded to an S-rank…”

Boom!

“…Ugh!”

At that moment, Director Lee gasped as he was overwhelmed by an enormous pressure.

Yeonseo’s killing intent wasn’t even directed at him.

It was merely the result of her mana exploding uncontrollably due to her inability to suppress her emotions.

The hairband Yeonseo had just tied snapped under the weight of her mana, causing her blue and white-streaked hair to flutter as if possessed by an eerie spirit.

It was unlikely, but Director Lee felt as though Yeonseo might actually kill him with her gaze.

“Director Lee.”

“Y-Yes!”

Even the sound of her voice carried immense pressure, and Director Lee felt like he could hardly breathe as he struggled to respond.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t we?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Then why is it that I’m only now hearing about my one and only granddaughter being caught in a dangerous Overbreak? Are you telling me that because I’m a retired old woman, you’ve already started ignoring me?”

“N-No! That’s not it at all!”

According to Director Lee, Yeonhwa had sent the distress signal around 1:00 AM, and now it was nearly 6:00 AM.

“Th-That… the office workers… Since the signal was canceled, they assumed the hunters had cooperated to clear the dungeon boss and didn’t think much of it… but at around 4:00 AM, it was reported that only one A-rank hunter had entered the dungeon. And that hunter was Yeonhwa…”

“Are you making excuses? Ah, so you’re telling me excuses now. Are you aware that excuses are the thing I hate most in this world, Director Lee?”

“No! I’m sorry! It’s entirely my fault!”

Crack…!

At that moment, Director Lee saw the asphalt at Yeonseo’s feet begin to crack, as if it were a drought-stricken field.

“Lead me there. Right now.”

“Yeonseo, please calm down…”

“Director Lee, I’m being perfectly rational. But if you keep wasting time, I might just lose my reason as if I were senile…”

Crack… Crack…!

“…I’m asking nicely, so hurry up and answer.”

The cracking asphalt beneath Yeonseo’s feet was now crumbling into pieces.

Ah… Damn it… I shouldn’t have come.

“N-Nafthar Great Forest is located in Chuncheon. I’ve sent the information to your auxiliary drone, so you’ll be able to find the location easily… I’m truly sorry.”

“I understand. We’ll talk more about this later.”

“…The signal from Yeonhwa’s auxiliary drone hasn’t been cut off, so it shouldn’t be too serious…”

If anything truly happened to Yeonhwa, it would be a disaster.

Before Director Lee could finish his sentence, Yeonseo’s body flashed with brilliant silver light and vanished from his sight.

Yeonseo’s title and hunter name were the “Silver Knight.”

There was a popular theory that she earned this title due to her ability to fight in battles using silver flashes of light, which looked like teleportation.

Many believed Yeonseo’s power was teleportation, but her true ability was spatial coordinate manipulation.

She could move not only herself but also other people, objects, living beings, and even entire spaces to specific coordinates of her choosing.

Of course, beings with strong mana resistance could oppose her coordinate manipulation, but it was possible for her to move only her sword to cut down monsters remotely.

She could even shake the very ground or space where her target stood.

During the Great Rift, she had saved an entire city by moving its coordinates to safety.

She wasn’t called the first S-rank hunter or a living legend for nothing.

The reason South Korea, a small country, still held its ground against other nations after the Great Rift was thanks to Yeonseo’s presence.

The fact that Korea could claim certain rights over S-rank gates was also because of her.

‘If the auxiliary drone canceled the distress signal, there are two possibilities…’

One was that the situation wasn’t dangerous anymore.

The other was that the hunter with the auxiliary drone was in such grave danger that they didn’t even have the capacity to send a signal.

Of course, Yeonseo hoped for the former, but if Yeonhwa were truly in danger… If it turned out that she was in a situation beyond rescue…

‘No…’

Yeonseo already bore the pain of losing her granddaughter, Yeona.

Her granddaughter had fought valiantly, defending Yeonhwa to the very end against the monsters, but had perished like a flame.

Even though Yeonseo wanted to raise her remaining granddaughter like a precious jewel, Yeonhwa had been distancing herself, seemingly affected by an intense rebellious phase.

She didn’t want to rely on Yeonseo, spending her time hunting monsters in dungeons, almost addicted to the thrill of growing stronger.

Yeonseo had constantly advised Yeonhwa to take it easy, warning her that she would harm herself by pushing too hard.

But ever since losing her sister, Yeona, Yeonhwa had become obsessed with growing stronger, always skirting the line between life and death.

Fortunately, despite everything, Yeonhwa always returned safely, and her terrifying rate of growth gave Yeonseo some comfort…

But now, her granddaughter, her Yeonhwa, was trapped alone in an S-rank dungeon.

In a gate-type dungeon, where leaving was impossible until the boss was defeated…

‘I can’t lose her too…’

Yeonseo immediately adjusted her coordinates to Chuncheon.

She could only imagine how frightened Yeonhwa must be.

How much pain she must be enduring, worrying and suffering.

If Yeonhwa had even a scratch on her, Yeonseo had no intention of letting this go.

Boom!

The space forcibly opened, coordinates adjusted, and Yeonseo arrived in the forest.

Yeonseo had directly entered the dungeon of Nafthar Great Forest using her coordinate manipulation.

And soon, she spotted Yeonhwa.

“Yeonhwa… Yeonhwa… Ah!?”

It wasn’t just Yeonhwa.

Yeonseo saw a silver-haired woman standing with Yeonhwa.

However, the woman had grotesque tentacles sprouting from her back, clicking their teeth menacingly.

It seemed like she had just eaten something, as she was chewing on an unidentifiable piece of meat.

And this woman was holding Yeonhwa’s hand, looking as if she was about to wrap Yeonhwa up in those terrifying tentacles.

Hadn’t Director Lee said that the only hunter to enter the Nafthar Great Forest was Yeonhwa? Who was this?

Yeonseo immediately knew.

That wasn’t a human.

It didn’t possess the vitality of a human.

She could feel something other than the mana hunters usually wielded.

And with those grotesque, twisted tentacles, how could anyone assume this being was human?

In an instant, Yeonseo made her decision.

This filthy tentacle woman was trying to harm her granddaughter?

“Take your filthy hands off her right now.”

Boom!

“Huh? Grandma?!”

“…?”

Yeonhwa was startled and panicked as a massive spatial pressure flew toward Shia, while Shia simply tilted her head, glancing between Yeonhwa and Yeonseo.

‘Wow… Grandmas these days sure are young and beautiful. Cosmetic surgery must’ve advanced a lot…’