"Hey, newbie… volunteering for an SS-rank mission like this? You've got some nerve."
An 18-year-old Rosaline looked up at the man greeting her. He was a young man with a long scar stretching from his forehead down his cheek; the eye on that side was completely blind. He stood against the sunlight, making his features dark and indistinct.
"Hello, Senior Lapez," Rosaline greeted him while leaning against a rock. She was scrolling through her phone, having downloaded the boss's details and mission specs to study them in advance.
"So, how old are you anyway?" Lapez asked.
"Eighteen," Rosaline replied briefly. She tried to keep her words to a minimum, determined to keep her true identity hidden beneath her black mask.
"…I heard you rose from a low-tier to a high-tier hunter in just four years. You're Rank A now, right?" Lapez asked with a smile.
The young hunter nodded. She could sense a mix of admiration and envy radiating from him. Even though he was smiling, it didn't mean there wasn't something hidden behind it.
Ever since her father went missing, Rosaline had started her career as a hunter at the age of 14. She balanced school and work under the code name 'The Hermit.'
After finishing middle school, she chose not to continue her education. Instead, she worked to put her younger brother, Leslie, through school. Though there was some financial aid from the Hunter Federation and relatives, she knew such kindness had its limits. The best way forward was self-reliance.
Over those four years, Rosaline couldn't say she had grown numb to it, but she wasn't surprised that he felt this way toward her. For someone who took nearly a decade to reach high-tier status, seeing her—an A-rank hunter just like him—was bound to sting. Still, she chose silence, giving him no excuse to cause trouble.
"You're more diligent than I thought," Lapez remarked, glancing at her screen. It displayed the name of the Dungeon Boss they were about to face.
Aeternum…
"Thank you," Rosaline accepted the remark just as the other hunters in the group called them to assemble. They needed to discuss the raid plan for the black dome dungeon that had appeared in the region formerly known as the Amazon Rainforest.
She had no way of knowing then that the raid against that boss would change her life forever.
…
…
Clang!
Rosaline snapped her eyes open at the sound of something hitting the floor. She found herself slumped over her laptop, surrounded by empty potato chip bags and numerous soda cans. The room lights were still glaringly bright. She must have passed out while typing her report.
"A dream…?" Rosaline blinked slowly, letting her senses return to the real world.
The tomato-shaped alarm clock beside her showed 3:00 AM. The sky wasn't even close to breaking dawn. Unfortunately, it was Friday; by 5:00 AM, she'd have to leave for the train station to head to work.
Since returning from the hospital, she has spent her time writing a detailed report on 'The Bloom' dungeon and Flowinee for the Federation. On top of that, she had to explain everything in person to Drake.
As for Edgar, he was back in his clay doll form in her inventory. After gorging himself on the snacks she bought until he was satisfied, he had reverted and was now fast asleep inside a snack box.
Rosaline stood up and cleared the cans and trash into the bin. She then dropped down and did fifty push-ups. Once she had worked up a light sweat, she stripped and headed into the shower to refresh herself.
Underneath her cute pink cartoon pajamas, her body was lean and muscular. While her muscles weren't bulkily defined, her skin told a different story. Scars, both large and small, crisscrossed her front and back. The most prominent were three massive claw marks raked along her spine, from her neck down to her tailbone.
Throughout her twenty years as a hunter, Rosaline had been injured and treated countless times. Whenever a support with healing skills wasn't available, the wounds would invariably leave their mark.
Every three days, Rosaline would check her body fat and muscle mass. She felt her arms were smaller than they were before she used Aeternum. Even her B-cup chest hadn't quite returned to its original state. "Hmm… I guess I haven't replenished enough fat yet. It'll probably take another week or two to get back to normal."
Rosaline shrugged, making a mental note to increase her calorie intake and focus on muscle-building exercises later.
After stepping out of the bathroom, her phone chimed with a notification. When she saw who it was, a smile immediately spread across her face.
["Are you free this Saturday? There's an outdoor concert for Maru-chan!"]
Lise had sent her a message. Rosaline thought for a moment before replying.
["I'm free in the afternoon. Where is it? What time does it start?"]
["It's at Star Dream City. Starts at 3:00 PM. Does that work for you?"] Lise replied almost instantly.
Thinking she'd have her reports finished by then, Rosaline agreed. Lise sent back a heart sticker.
It was rare for Lise to invite her out. Her friend loved visiting makeup shops, restaurants, and concerts. Lise was the one who kept her life from becoming too dull—even if Rosaline still had to wear her mask constantly.
Speaking of the mask, she planned to send it to a trusted craftsman for repairs, but she'd have to use a spare in the meantime.
…But as for today…
"I really don't want to go to work! Yawn." Rosaline stretched before getting dressed in the office attire she hadn't worn in nearly half a month.
…
…
Rosaline arrived at work at 6:30 AM. Her company had a rather grueling schedule, starting at 7:10 AM until noon, then 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The only upside was that the company stayed closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
After scanning her face for attendance, she turned on her monitor. At the sales floor, Adrien was already sitting alone at his usual desk.
"Good morning," the white-haired young man greeted her with a playful smile.
"Good morning," Rosaline replied. "What time did you get in?"
"5:00 AM," Adrien answered.
Rosaline couldn't help but stare. "Isn't that a bit early?"
"My skin doesn't handle the sun very well," Adrien explained. "If I'm exposed to sunlight, it burns quite badly."
Actually, Rosaline had observed Adrien quite often. He was always the first to arrive and never left until after sunset. She was surprised he shared something so personal so easily. "Oh, I see. So you have a sun allergy. Honestly, I've wondered for a while why your skin and hair look so different from everyone else."
"Ah, I'm an albino," Adrien replied. "I'm sure you've heard of the genetic condition."
Albinism is a genetic condition caused by recessive genes that lead to a lack of pigment. It results in white skin, white hair, and white—or sometimes reddish—eyes. Both the eyes and skin are extremely sensitive to light.
Rosaline felt a twinge of sympathy before quickly reminding herself that this guy was suspicious. She hurriedly opened her work emails.
"What on earth is this?!" the hunter couldn't help but exclaim.
Seeing her shocked expression, Adrien leaned over to glance at her screen for a moment before returning to his work. "Well… those are warning letters."
Rosaline went numb. She glanced at Adrien reflexively before scrolling through the list. But what truly shocked her was the number of emails.
204 unread messages!
Oh my artifact!!!… Edgar… what have you done?! Rosaline could only scream internally as she began opening the emails to read the damage.