Chapter 29
Ji-a agreed, and Si-hyun immediately began to prepare elemental attack magic.
The easiest way to deal with monsters that blatantly reveal their elemental attributes.
Attacking according to their weakness.
-Crackle, crackle!
Mana started to swirl intensely around Si-hyun.
Ji-a straightened her posture and stared ahead.
Sensing the large waves of mana, slimes began to drop from the ceiling one after another.
Splat! Splat!
Sssss—
The floor that came into contact with the cold-emitting slimes gradually froze.
The chilling sound of ice spreading echoed throughout the cave.
As Ji-a moved forward.
A dozen or so giant slimes charged at her.
Some slimes stopped at mid-range, extending their bodies like tentacles.
They lashed at Ji-a like whips.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Ji-a responded skilfully.
She lightly twisted her body to evade some of the approaching tentacles and cut down the rest with her spear.
With every step she took to the left and right, the number of tentacles rapidly decreased.
The same motions repeated a few more times.
In just a few seconds, all the tentacles attacking Ji-a were eliminated.
There was a brief moment to catch her breath.
But then, the remaining slimes closed in on Ji-a.
One slime assumed a ready stance.
Moments later, it propelled itself off the ground, rushing towards Ji-a at high speed.
‘Now…!’
She had already anticipated the slime’s move.
Ji-a used her prepared combat skill at the exact right moment.
She focused strength into the arm holding her spear in a thrusting position.
Her smooth arm muscles tensed, forming a refined curve.
And just like that!
Ji-a thrust her spear with all her might towards the approaching slime.
Swoosh—, Crack, Crack!
The mana spiralling around her spear shot forward with great force.
The fierce whirlwind of mana struck the slime’s core directly.
The core, unable to withstand the force, shattered, and the slime’s body exploded into pieces.
That wasn’t the end of it.
The mana that shattered the core continued its momentum, swirling forward.
It tore through the slimes behind it as it maintained its force, ripping them apart.
Ji-a adjusted her stance once more.
She had killed one and temporarily incapacitated another.
But still, that was just a small fraction of the dozen or so slimes.
Normally, she would have to worry about her body gradually slowing down due to the cold.
However,
Ji-a could already sense the tingling vibration of mana from behind.
Instinctively, she knew. Soon, Si-hyun’s magic would be ready.
At that moment, Si-hyun shouted.
“It’s done!”
Ji-a swiftly leaped back from the front, giving way to Si-hyun.
At that very moment, the slime that was attacking her crashed uselessly to the ground.
A loud noise echoed, but that was all.
Si-hyun raised his sword forward.
The raging mana started to gather at the tip of the sword.
A small sphere formed and gradually grew in size.
A brief silence followed.
But then,
BOOM———!
The fire condensed in the sphere burst forward with a thunderous roar, unleashing a massive flame straight ahead.
The deafening explosion reverberated through the cave.
The flames, twisting like a living creature, descended upon the slimes.
With searing heat and explosive power, the fire not only incinerated the monsters but melted the cave floor as well.
Crackle, crackle…
Feeling the intense heat, Ji-a covered her face with the back of her hand.
After a moment, when the heat subsided, she looked ahead through her fingers.
The once-massive flames had already disappeared, leaving only embers burning.
Most of the dozen or so giant slimes had vanished.
The only ones left were the two slimes at the very back. However, even they had bodies that were tattered, and the cold they emitted had disappeared, though their cores hadn’t melted yet.
-Snap!
Si-hyun lightly snapped her fingers.
Then, a mana arrow formed above the slimes.
Crunch—!
The remaining slimes also met their end.
Ji-a blinked blankly.
She alternated her gaze between where the slimes had disappeared and Si-hyun.
“Oh my….”
It wasn’t Ji-a’s first time seeing magic today.
Though she hadn’t seen the skills of an S-rank magic-type hunter, she had occasionally witnessed A and B-rank ones. It was from times when she had participated in raids on high-level dungeons.
But…
“This is….”
Si-hyun had clearly stated.
That her profession was ‘Saintess.’
She could use some magic due to her body’s memories. And from surviving in battlefields, she learned how to become sturdy like a Holy Knight.
But she also said that her specialties were buff and debuff magic and blessings.
‘This is what she means by being able to use it to some extent…?’
In Ji-a’s view, Si-hyun’s offensive magic had already surpassed B-rank. At the very least, it would take an A-rank hunter to match it.
Si-hyun, having lowered her arm, approached Ji-a, shyly twisting the end of her hair with her fingers.
She spoke while subtly gauging Ji-a’s reaction.
“Well, without a staff or any supportive tools… it’s not very efficient.”
As if the power wasn’t sufficient, she made an excuse with an embarrassed expression.
“…Pfft. What is that?”
In the end, Ji-a couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. As she reached out to Si-hyun, she thought.
Even after displaying such amazing magic, watching her still pay attention to others’ reactions…
Rustle, rustle—
It felt a bit pitiful.
But at the same time, she thought Si-hyun looked endearing and cute. Well, her looks were stunning.
Ji-a gently stroked Si-hyun’s head. Unlike earlier that morning, Si-hyun quietly accepted the touch.
Ji-a whispered softly.
“Si-hyun, you can be more confident. You were really amazing just now.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, the best! You were the best I’ve ever seen.”
“…Hehe.”
A joyful smile bloomed on Si-hyun’s face. Ji-a smiled back at her.
***
As they continued progressing through the dungeon.
Ji-a and Si-hyun exchanged conversations from time to time.
“Si-hyun, I’m a bit worried, so let me ask.”
“Yeah? About what?”
“When you’re teaching at the academy, you don’t worry too much about the students’ opinions, do you?”
“Not at all?”
Ji-a, walking ahead, glanced sideways at Si-hyun’s face. She had a confident expression.
“Right, just be confident! You’re the professor, after all.”
“Of course! They’re all beneath me, anyway.”
“…Ah?”
‘They’re all beneath me.’ Si-hyun’s choice of words was straightforward. So Ji-a squinted her eyes keenly.
She had a rough idea now. The reason behind Si-hyun’s occasional reactions and the moments she seemed to be watching others’ reactions.
‘Should I dig a little deeper?’
Ji-a spoke lightly.
“What do you think a Saintess should do in a battle?”
“Hmm…”
At Ji-a’s question, Si-hyun folded and unfolded her fingers as she pondered. After a moment, she opened her mouth.
“Giving buffs, bestowing blessings, helping to draw aggro if the Holy Knight struggles. Hmm, and… helping deal damage if the DPS struggles? Taking over roles if someone gets injured. Um, and…”
“Wait, wait!”
“Huh? Why?”
With the endless list of the Saintess’s duties, Ji-a sternly stopped Si-hyun.
If she didn’t, it seemed like Si-hyun would continue. It was already more than enough.
She had already listed out that she could perform all the roles of a tank, DPS, and support.
The thought that she might add more to the list was just bewildering.
“If you think about it as a hunter, the Saintess is a support-type hunter, right?”
“…Right?”
Si-hyun blinked with wide eyes, as if she didn’t understand what Ji-a was trying to say.
Ji-a shook her head and continued.
“Support types are doing their part if they just heal safely from the back. Safety first! Usually, just staying out of harm’s way is a big deal.”
“…? What? How is that doing their part? Isn’t that just being dead weight?”
“Just by being there, the party’s stability is different!”
“Hmm…?”
Si-hyun still seemed not to understand.
Ji-a realized once again that the influence of the Hero’s Party was more severe than she had initially thought.
“Hunters are all the same in the end. Their lives are the most precious to them. The ones who take care of that best are the healers and support-type hunters.”
“Hmm…”
“The problem is that there are too few of them. Almost all of them belong to large guilds.”
“But… isn’t just staying out of harm’s way a bit too much? That’s not fighting together. They’re just baggage.”
“…Ugh.”
Ji-a unconsciously bit her lower lip. It wasn’t easy to correct deeply ingrained misconceptions.
Saying that they’re doing their part just by staying safe isn’t wrong at all.
Some hunters can’t even manage to stay safe and need bodyguards to protect them.
But even those kinds of people are rare.
That’s why support-type hunters are treated with respect.
And compared to them, what about Si-hyun? She’s a jack-of-all-trades.
If she can do everything, then she should. It’s an ideal, exceptional talent that only Si-hyun possesses.
This isn’t something she’s supposed to do; it’s simply that Si-hyun is extraordinary.
There’s a clear difference between ‘must do’ and ‘can do.’
Ji-a sighed softly and said,
“Whew… Never mind, let’s focus on the dungeon today.”
“Yeah, let’s do that!”
It was true that Si-hyun hadn’t been back on Earth for long.
Ji-a recalled the phrase, “Time heals all.”
She thought that with constant support and help, things would improve.
“Whew—”
With a deep breath, Ji-a directed her resentment toward the so-called Hero’s Party from the other world.
Whenever she heard about them, all she could think of was how rotten they were.
She probably would never encounter them.
But if they appeared in front of her…
She would tear them apart with her spear.
“Ah, Ji-a. It’s the boss room.”
“Already? We’re really fast.”
The two women briefly looked at each other and nodded.
Then, with a small smile, Si-hyun spoke.
“Can I just do my part?”
“Pfft, you’re already doing more than enough!”
Ji-a burst into laughter at Si-hyun’s joke.
Si-hyun also chuckled playfully.
Seeing her face, Ji-a thought,
Maybe there’s no need to worry too much.
Si-hyun would manage things just fine.
—
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