In order not to get cut, you have to work harder than others. If you want to save even a little bit and prepare for the future, you must produce more potions than the quota and receive a bonus.

"Sigh."

Lee Bobae sighed and checked the status window.

She rested for a while drinking coffee in the break room, so her mental power and mana were restored to as much as a rat's tail. Now, all she had to do was rake up the remaining mental power and mana to make potions.

Lee Bobae put the finished potion in the box and counted the quantity produced today.

It was a surprising amount as if it was inflated with tap water.

'A potion making machine.'

It's not like anyone ordered her to go to work at 8 and leave at 11 for 5 years. To put it bluntly, the Potion Team's ace was actually a machine.

'Don't think too negatively. Lee Bobae, come to your senses.'

Lee Bobae shook her head and rubbed her stiff shoulders and neck. Her mana and mental power were low, she was in a bad mood, and her speed was not good. It was naturally followed by a headache.

She worked on weekends, only going back and forth from home, to work, and to the hospital. Preparing potions for emergencies even on rare holidays. The only reward in life was that the bank account balance gradually increased.

It was truly a life without dreams, hopes, and rewards. If she had the energy to help herself, she would use it to breathe. Lee Bobae cleared her seat and left the company.

As she swiped her card at her gate and exited, her driver, part of her company welfare, awaited her.

"Are you going to Mimi hospital today?"

"Yes, please go to the hospital."

"I will wait in front of the hospital."

"You don't have to wait."

"This is company policy."

In the end, Lee Bobae gave him a bitter laugh. Welfare was really good.

"We're here."

"Uh, uh, yes."

She fell asleep for a while. Lee Bobae rubbed her cloudy eyes and got out of the car.

Most hospitals forbid night visits. This hospital was a hunter-specialised hospital, so visits were possible 24 hours a day.

She wondered what kind of casual relationship they had with hunters, but she never thought deeply about it as it was a good thing for her who worked overtime.

Her eyesight was blurry from exhaustion. Lee Bobae skilfully walked to the hospital room even with unclear vision. She would probably be able to find the room even with her eyes closed. Because she came and went without missing a day.

Lee Bobae opened the door to the hospital room and walked to the bed.

In the past eight years, medicine had made remarkable progress in some fields and marginal progress in others.

The coma field to which Lee Bobae's third brother belonged to was the latter. The condition of the youngest brother had not changed either. He had only been dying steadily for eight years.

Although the official name was different, the invention of a bed for preventing bedsores made from a monster called 'slime' was a noticeable change.

"My third brother, I'm here."

Lee Bobae called out to the youngest brother, who had not opened his eyes for eight years. She reached out and gently stroked the youngest brother's forehead.

"I've only been working today. I don't know what it is to live."

She visited every day, but didn't stay long. It was normal to lament a few words and then leave.

Perhaps because she was especially tired today, she ended up complaining.

"You just lie down, so can't you just open your eyes?"

Her third brother became vegetative after protecting her in the monster raids. Like that, eight years had passed.

"Since you can lay down all the time, can't you just tell me that I worked hard?"

Lee Bobae rubbed her eyes. There were no tears. Instead, she sniffled slightly because of a runny nose before leaving the room.

As she got into the car waiting for her in front of the hospital, her driver stepped on the accelerator without a word. The driver, who had memorised the road after going all the time, spoke to her for some reason although he usually let Lee Bobae sleep.

"Has it been five years?"

Although she was sleepy, Lee Bobae immediately recognised what the five years meant.

"Eight years."

"Well, isn't it about time to give up?"

Lee Bobae licked her lips. Rather than reacting to this kind of meddling, it was better to ignore it and save energy.

"It's a waste, a waste. How many years has it been? You'd think this was enough. It's all about self-satisfaction. It's like a gravestone, a shroud, or an ossuary. Spending money without a party's opinion. It's not even your own money, it's your company's. Well, it's not that money is more precious than life...."

The driver spoke without hesitation as if it was something he had wanted to say for a long time.

"What if you don't dress up, don't play, just go to your house, the hospital, the office, and then die suddenly? There's no such thing. You shouldn't think about it. Sometimes I talk to hunters who go into cracks, and the content is scary. I heard that you have good skills and a good job...."

Using the driver's words as a lullaby, Lee Bobae closed her eyes. She didn't need to hear what she already knew.

It was good to think that she was cocky because she was so young. There was something wrong with saying that you should let your brother die.

Upon arriving home, Lee Bobae got out of the car without thanking him. He drove the car away without saying goodbye to her.

With this, one more person would think of her as a parasite that gnawed at her guild's funds.

A two-room semi-basement on the outskirts of Seoul was Lee Bobae's house. Lee Bobae pressed the door lock password and opened the front door.

"Welcome back, are you tired?"

Her second brother, Lee Haegi, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, greeted her. It was obvious that he was tired when he spoke.

"Why isn't my second brother sleeping?"

"How can I sleep when my little sister hasn't come home?"

It had already been 6 years since Lee Haegi became the only older brother to answer Lee Bobae's calls. Despite this, Lee Bobae still called Lee Haegi as second brother.

It contained the hope that the eldest brother may one day return and that the youngest brother may one day open his eyes.

Did her second brother know?

He probably knew. Because her second brother was smart.

Even after Lee Bobae awakened, Lee Haegi, the smart second brother, continued to work as a porter and a gatherer at the same time.

First, the income was good, and secondly, if you entered a crack frequently, you would be more likely to awaken.

The first of three sons and one daughter had awakened. No one knew the standard of awakening. However, it was Lee Haegi's argument that if he had a constitution that could easily accept mana, there was a high possibility that he also had the same bloodline.

Immediately after awakening, Lee Bobae recommended her second brother to return to college. Every time she made an offer, he refused.

As the second child after the eldest son, it was too much to already put the burden on the youngest child, so that was the reason he could not only study using the money. It was already shameful that he didn't even pay for living expenses.

Lee Haegi did not give up the arduous and demanding work of a porter. Thanks to this, Lee Bobae was able to prepare for the future with a small amount of savings.

In fact, Lee Bobae's only savings were not for herself.

She wanted to match gear for if her third brother woke up one day.

Hunter's equipment was quite expensive, even for basic equipment. Even if she purchased at the guild at a discounted price, it was difficult to buy without saving money.

Still, if only the youngest brother woke up. Lee Bobae was also willing to get a loan.

"Hurry up and go to bed."

"Second brother, I am hungry. Would you like chicken? You know all the legs are mine, right?"

Lee Bobae was cold all the time, but in front of her second brother, she grumbled a lot. Thanks to the fact that there were only two people left to rely on each other in the world, the relationship between the siblings was stronger than before.

Lee Haegi opened the delivery app without saying a word, ordered chicken, and accepted his sister's complaints.

While waiting for the chicken to arrive, the brother and sister watched TV. It was late at night, so there was no show to watch. Eventually they stuck to a news channel and listened to the news while dozing off.

- It is good news that the returnee, Mr. Kim Hyuk, has awakened. Kim Hyuk is the 10,004th returnee in Korea, and the 38th among the returnees to become awakened.

- Are the ranks and type revealed?

- The Crack Awakening Management Bureau only stated that it was a combat type, but the rating is unknown. However, it is true that most of the returning Awakeners received high ranks, starting with the S-rank hunter 'Sword Sung', who represents Korea.

- You can expect the birth of another S-rank hunter.

- Yes, that's right.

Eight years have passed since Crack Day. Some of those who had disappeared and left no bodies were suddenly returned. They all testified that they had been caught in a crack and lived in another world.

Most of them were ordinary people, but some of them had returned to this world with unique abilities.

The most representative figure was the first returnee from Korea and the first S-rank hunter, Sword Sung.

Sword Sung returned from a so-called Murim*. Since he was the country's first returnee, he received everyone's attention.

*T/N: A martial arts world

Immediately after his return, he refused to participate in interviews or broadcasts as if everyone's interest was burdensome.

But it was a period for the strong to catch their breath. Sword Sung showed off his overwhelming skills and established himself as the first S-rank hunter in Korea and a strong person recognised around the world. And he founded the Banya Guild, one of the few elite guilds in the world.

His unrivalled move resembled a chivalrous fighter in the martial arts period in that it removed anything that stood in the way, but no one dared to call him a samurai.

What should be said?

Lee Bobae ripped off a chicken leg. As the oil and gravy came into her mouth she felt alive.

In the news, when a hunter who was a returnee appeared, they recited the history of Sword Sung as usual. Seeing this, Lee Haegi said calmly.

"I hope brother will come back and become an S-rank hunter."

"Yeah."

"Like Sword Sung, give your family money."

"Uh huh, I'm excited."

"Sword Sung also cured cancer, so brother can do the same."

"Just fix the youngest brother."

"He'd also slap the face of the Four Seasons Guild that are harassing you. Ah! Are you? I'm an S-rank Hunter's younger sister! Are you still not going to give me a promotion?"

"Hey, am I going to be the team leader?"

"You're the younger sister of an S-rank hunter. What is a team leader?"

"The head of our guild will always be in charge of combat."

"It's because of power. There's nothing impossible."

These were the words of her second brother, who worked as a porter from the age of 21 to 27 and was subjected to all kinds of abuse. The reliability was not high.

Lee Bobae resisted what she really wanted to say because she feared that her troubled second brother would be hurt.

'You don't have to do it, so I hope the oldest brother comes back.'

Where was the oldest brother who was as strong as two parents combined?

There were times when she wanted him to be alive so he never had to come back again, but she also wanted to at least see her eldest brother's corpse when he died.

Lee Bobae swallowed the thought of her older brother with the chicken and turned her eyes to the luggage bag at the front door.

"Second brother will enter a crack tomorrow too?"

"Yes, I made soup and side dishes, so make sure to eat breakfast. This time is going to be a bit long, so you have to wash the dishes and do the laundry."