The thermal coffee bottle I got from the cave below my café was proving to be unexpectedly useful.
I was currently at the park, taking a break after working way too hard.
This, this right here, was why I quit.
I wanted to rest whenever I wanted. No boss hovering over my shoulder. No coworkers nagging me. No one chucking paperwork at my desk or calling my ideas stupid.
Being your own boss? Absolutely the best.
The view here was nice, too. A wide-open park filled with green trees and dogs with little bows on their heads. People-watching was kind of fun.
If I'd stayed at my old job, when would I have ever gotten the time to enjoy something like this?
...But there was one strange thing.
『 Item Activated: Bottle of Healing 』
『 Any liquid inside this bottle will temporarily boost Strength for 5 minutes. 』
『 Limit: 1 bottle per day. 』
Every time I took a sip of coffee, that damn blue screen popped up again.
I tried ignoring it, hoping it would go away, but no, apparently, the thermal bottle I got from the dungeon wasn't just some novelty item.
Had I known, I would've used a normal mug.
I thought the system was just throwing quirky barista accessories at me for aesthetic.
But now that I really think about it...
Doesn't it feel like most of my abilities are handed to me by the system on purpose?
Or am I overthinking it?
Maybe I'm just some unlucky woman who happened to survive the worst dungeons imaginable, and somehow got lucky enough to earn a few unique skills along the way.
Especially that curse removal one.
I wonder how rare it is?
Not that I plan to go anywhere near a real curse anytime soon. I don't plan to do any actual hunter activities, after all.
Still... curiosity is a disease.
And I've never been particularly healthy.
I pulled out my phone and opened the HunterNet forum.
After registering under the username [CoffeeCoffee], I typed in a quick search.
No matching threads.
Of course.
So I made a new post.
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[Post by CoffeeCoffee]
Title: Are buffer classes rare?
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⤷ Hunter_97: LOL is this rage bait or what?
⤷ CasualRanger: OP clearly wants attention. Go touch some grass.
⤷ RankWatcher: Are they rare?' Bro, are you living under a rock?
⤷ SpamBotAlert: CoffeeCoffee...? That sounds like a spam bot. Should we report?
⤷ PhoenixRecruiter: Wait, are you actually a buffer? DM me — our guild is recruiting!
⤷ IDK123: What the hell, Phoenix Guild?! Stop poaching in public threads!
⤷ PhoenixRecruiter Who said I was recruiting?! I'm just saying, buffers/healers are ridiculously rare. Even the US is throwing money to poach ours.
⤷ IDK123: What the hell, Phoenix Guild?! Stop poaching in public threads!
⤷ JelliRose: LMAO. Then hire me too, I'm an F-class healer. You said it, don't take it back!
⤷ JejuRanker: At least be C-rank to get considered, you noob.
⤷ JelliRose: LMAO. Fine, how about F-class but with an S-rank skill? Kek.
⤷ PhoenixRecruiter: Hello, Jelli-nim. Are you free for an interview with our team leader?
⤷ JejuRanker: AHAHAHA this thread is cursed.
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I stared at my screen in disbelief. It was just five minutes after posting, my thread exploded.
All I asked was a simple question...
Still, I got some useful information. Although, considering my skills, I'm not exactly sure if this falls under a healing class or buffer class. I mean, it just removes curses. I get that it's a unique ability to me, but I'm sure other people have the ability to remove curses to right?
In games, you would usually just need to buy a potion in shop.
I would be lying though if I said I wasn't all the curious about my abilities... But I'd hate to ask the HunterNet again.
I scrolled through the forum again, this time typing in a different search term.
Search: S-rank hunter curse symptoms
Nothing helpful.
I tried another.
Search: Curse weakening awakeners
Still nothing useful.
I sighed and was about to give up, until a new thread near the top caught my attention. It had thousands of upvotes.
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[Post by LightEars]
Title: Baekwha Guild's Guild Master is Cursed??
Summary: Not clickbait. I heard it myself. Jiyeon-nim is actually A-rank now because of a curse.
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Okay. I know no one's gonna believe me, but I swear on my hunter license I'm telling the truth.
I went to Baekwha Guild to apply as a support hunter. I know I'm only C-rank, but I have Enhanced Hearing. I figured I could still help with scouting or recon. But the lady at the front desk looked me up and down like I was trash. Said they weren't recruiting and told me to "try a smaller guild."
So yeah, I was mad. I walked around to cool off and ended up near the back wing of their building. There's a side hall with really thin walls. I wasn't even trying to eavesdrop at first, but I heard something crazy.
I'm telling you, I heard Jiyeon-nim — yes, the Baek Jiyeon — talking about her rank. She's not S-rank anymore. She's currently stuck at A-rank... because of a curse.
A curse! Can you believe that?
They were trying to keep it quiet, but I could tell the staff were worried. Someone even said "the curse is progressing faster now." I didn't hear everything — someone closed the office door — but it sounded serious.
I always thought she retired because she got injured or something. But no. It's a curse that's draining her power.
Honestly, maybe if the Baekwha Guild treated people better, this wouldn't be karma catching up. Just saying.
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⤷ SwordGod: Bro dropped a bomb like it's nothing
⤷ GlassTank: Wait, wait — a curse? What kind of curse can drop a rank??
⤷ ShieldDad: I always thought something was off with her public disappearance. No press conference, no proper announcement.
⤷ BlinkMage: Didn't Baekwha just deny this like a month ago? She said she's "taking a break for health reasons."
⤷ FlameHealer: They've been lying to the public then. I mean... this kind of curse sounds serious.
⤷ GomTang: Are we just ignoring the part where OP admits to stalking behind a guild building?
⤷ LightEars: I didn't stalk!! I just happened to be nearby!! It's not like they soundproofed the wall!!
⤷ GomTang: Doesn't matter how you heard it. If this is true, it's gonna shake up the guild rankings.
⤷ PetalKnight: Man... Jiyeon-nim was one of the OG awakeners. If she's cursed, who the hell could've pulled that off?
⤷ Choding95: We need more details. What kind of curse? Who did it? Is it contagious?
⤷ NamchinMat: Contagious?? It's a curse not the flu, you idiot
⤷ WaterBow: Can mods confirm this? If Baekwha responds, this post is gonna blow up.
⤷ R3ktMeister: Screenshotting before it gets deleted. This thread's gonna disappear like half of Baekwha's raid footage.
⤷ CatAreTheCutest: And this is why I don't trust big-name guilds.
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Wow.
Is this real?
Online people can't be trusted nowadays, but even if it was true... it's not like I could just walk in there and go,
"Hey, I heard your guild leader is cursed. Can I touch her?"
What's the worst that could happen?
Get burned alive by a pissed-off A-rank?
Yeah... no thanks.
I wouldn't even dare to confront the guild leader.
People like her are basically untouchable.
You only ever see them when an S-rank dungeon opens and all hell breaks loose.
...Wait a minute.
Isn't Hyein-nim part of Baekwha?
She's an S-rank, right?
That has to come with some kind of privilege.
She's not a guild leader, but she's high enough to know things. Right?
Should I ask her about it?
...
No. No, no. Bad idea.
I shouldn't be nosy. It's bad manners. No matter how curious I am.
Right?