Chapter 30
The two who entered the boss room were greeted by a single gigantic monster.
The sleeping monster sensed the presence of people and slowly began to rise.
Ji-a tilted her head up, estimating the size of the monster.
It was roughly the height of a 2-3 story building—its body was that enormous.
“A mutant drake, huh?”
“Yeah, it looks like it has ice attributes too, right?”
As Si-hyun spoke, Ji-a nodded in agreement.
Simply put, it was a dragon without wings.
Except for the area from its jaw down to its chest and belly, its entire body was covered in blue, ice-emitting scales.
Its head and back were lined with large, sharp spikes.
Any close-combat hunter who let their guard down could be impaled right through.
Grrrr—
As the drake let out a short breath, the air near its mouth began to freeze.
It was the signal that the battle was about to begin.
“It’s coming!”
“Yeah!”
The drake, which had been scraping the ground with its hind legs, charged toward the two at full speed.
Si-hyun and Ji-a swiftly split to the sides, dodging the attack.
Bang—!
The drake’s head collided with the wall, and a loud noise echoed through the cave.
The drake, creating a crater in the cave wall, raised its head.
As it did, stone dust fell from the spikes on its head.
Thud thud.
It was a truly terrifying sight.
As they regrouped, Ji-a muttered under her breath.
“If that thing hits, it’s going to be bad.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you alive.”
“Ah, haha…”
Ji-a let out an awkward laugh.
She had made a light joke to maintain a sense of tension.
But Si-hyun’s calm reply was unsettling.
It seemed genuinely possible, which sent a slight shiver down her spine.
Ji-a shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
She wasn’t planning to get hit by such a straightforward attack anyway.
“Here I go!”
Facing the approaching drake, Ji-a stepped forward.
Despite her confident stance, it was still an A-rank dungeon boss.
Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for just two hunters to take it on.
But because she was with ‘Jeong Si-hyun,’ Ji-a advanced with bold steps.
She focused all her concentration.
Tap tap!
She pushed off the ground and rushed forward.
As she closed in, the drake spun around, swinging its tail fiercely.
Ji-a used her spear as a pivot and jumped high.
Using that momentum, she closed the distance in an instant.
Just as the drake finished its tail spin, it turned to face her.
In the air, Ji-a balanced herself, gathering mana at the tip of her spear, which glowed blue.
The weak spot was the area without scales!
Ji-a gripped her spear tightly.
At that moment, her body, which had defied gravity, began to fall rapidly.
Whoosh—!
Like a meteor descending from the sky, Ji-a’s spear left a blue trail as it sliced across the drake’s chest.
“Graaah!”
With a burst of sound, the drake let out a pained roar.
But, as expected of an A-rank dungeon boss, the wound wasn’t too deep.
The drake’s eyes, filled with fury, fixed on Ji-a.
As if bent on revenge, it lunged its massive jaws toward her.
At that moment—
Boom—!
A sudden explosion of flames knocked the drake’s head back.
“Nice!”
Cheering at Si-hyun’s timely support, Ji-a took a stance for another attack.
She gripped her spear tightly with both hands, raised it behind her, and—
She launched herself off the ground with power.
Spinning rapidly in the air, she added speed to her spear and left another long gash on the drake’s chest.
The mana-infused spear dug deep into the drake’s chest once again.
“Graah!”
Once more, the drake let out a painful scream.
But even as it howled in pain, it lashed out with its hind legs to shake Ji-a off.
However, the drake’s efforts were in vain again.
An invisible wall that had formed blocked the drake’s hind leg.
As its attack failed, a momentary opening appeared.
Ji-a used her mana without hesitation.
Whoosh! Slash—!
She thrust, swung, and struck down.
She swung her spear mercilessly with tremendous speed.
Having already adapted to Si-hyun’s buffs, Ji-a made even the speed beyond her limits her own.
The spear swung at a speed invisible to ordinary people.
More and more wounds appeared on the drake’s chest.
Eventually, the drake made a big move to turn the situation around.
It curled its body and spun, charging at Ji-a.
“Whoa…!”
Ji-a, startled, let out an involuntary cry and retreated.
Fortunately, while the attack itself was threatening, it was slow.
Ji-a quickly retreated and managed to dodge, giving the drake time to recover.
The drake rose again.
Before long, a bitterly cold aura began to flow from its mouth.
Seeing this, Ji-a chose to return to Si-hyun’s side instead of charging forward.
“Si-hyun, can you block that?”
“Leave it to me.”
Si-hyun answered confidently and immediately began to prepare her magic.
While she could only hold back its hind legs from a distance—
When it came to protecting those nearby—
Si-hyun was confident that she could not be breached.
Si-hyun fully utilized her power as she prepared for the breath attack.
First, a distinctive barrier made of divine power appeared, shining brightly.
Grrr…
The drake let out a low growl, and its enormous mouth slowly opened.
A cold, chilling aura enveloped the surrounding air.
A moment of stillness, and then—
Kuwaaaa—!
With an explosive sound, a breath filled with extreme cold shot toward the two.
But what Si-hyun had prepared wasn’t just a divine barrier.
At the precise moment, a wall of searing flames surged before the barrier.
A dual-layered barrier.
The path of the breath froze solid.
Even the moisture in the air froze, scattering ice crystals everywhere.
But the measures Si-hyun had prepared were perfect.
The wall, matched to the opposing element, weakened the cold’s power.
The barrier made of divine power didn’t even crack.
“Si-hyun! That was amazing! Wow!”
“…Heh.”
Si-hyun let out a bashful laugh at Ji-a’s enthusiastic praise.
As the breath attack ended—
Si-hyun dispelled her magic, and the ice that had formed on the barrier drifted in the air.
Ji-a immediately ran along the path of the breath.
Kuwaaa!
Once again, it was the chest.
The drake, struck repeatedly in the same spot, let out a loud scream.
It attempted a counterattack, but Ji-a evaded it much more easily.
From the beginning of the battle to the moment the breath attack was unleashed—
The entire time, Si-hyun’s debuffs had been gradually accumulating on the drake.
Raging mana continuously gnawed at the drake.
Normally, Ji-a would have been slowed by the drake’s cold aura.
But with Si-hyun’s blessings and buffs increasing her resistance, Ji-a remained unaffected.
Whenever Ji-a felt her movements slowing, Si-hyun would swiftly cleanse the cold.
Thus, the drake’s cold aura couldn’t fully affect Ji-a.
In the end, time was on Si-hyun and Ji-a’s side.
The two continued their battle against the drake with ease.
The drake struggled constantly, but its opponents were formidable.
While Ji-a remained as she was at the start, the drake grew progressively weaker.
Even if Ji-a sustained injuries, Si-hyun’s blessings immediately followed.
And so, finally—
“Grrr…”
The giant boss monster collapsed to the ground, breathing its last.
“Hah… haah…”
Ji-a exhaled the breath she had been holding back.
Si-hyun approached her with a cheerful stride.
“Ji-a, great job. You were really amazing!”
“You too! You were the best supporter ever!”
“Hehe…”
“Haha!”
As they fully savoured their victory—
Si-hyun and Ji-a exchanged a high-five with a satisfying slap.
It was a clean and perfect victory.
***
In the Seoul Hunter Management Bureau’s office.
Section Chief Jang Han-soo kept staring at the monitor screen.
It had been several hours since Hunter Ji-a Kim, who had accepted a request from the bureau, entered the A-rank dungeon.
Normally, a request for an A-rank dungeon wouldn’t be made to just one individual.
In fact, the chief had recommended starting with a B-rank dungeon.
No matter how exceptional an A-rank hunter may be, clearing a B-rank dungeon alone is already an impressive feat.
But she insisted on taking on an A-rank dungeon.
He tried to dissuade her, but she was confident and asked to be entrusted with the task.
At that moment, a certain woman’s information flashed through the chief’s mind.
A Returnee who claimed to be a Holy Knight, currently registered as a D-rank hunter—Jeong Si-hyun.
Although her information was being kept private out of respect for her wishes—
The chief personally speculated that she was at least B-rank, if not A-rank level.
The chief understood Hunter Ji-a Kim’s intention.
Thus, even though Si-hyun’s name was not directly mentioned in their conversation—
The agreement proceeded smoothly, and Section Chief Jang Han-soo finalized the procedures for their entry into the gate, taking Si-hyun into account.
And so today—
The chief had been staring at the monitor screen for hours, repeatedly refreshing the app.
‘I can’t focus…’
He had other tasks to complete, but he kept glancing back at the screen. It was a torment.
In general, it’s rare for an A-rank dungeon to be cleared within a day.
The chief knew this well.
However, perhaps due to the previous results—
He found it hard to ignore and kept looking at the screen despite himself.
“Hmm, time for a coffee.”
The chief stretched and got up from his seat.
He returned from the break room with a cup of coffee and settled back into his chair.
And then, he saw it.
“Oh?”
As he unconsciously clicked to refresh the screen—
The A-rank dungeon in Gangneung—
Had been cleared once again! And it took less than half a day this time too.
The chief found himself clenching both fists tightly.
“Yes, this is it! Amazing!”
His nostrils flared with excitement.
He wiggled in his seat, nodding in satisfaction.
He had his doubts, but the two women didn’t disappoint.
They had once again spectacularly cleared an A-rank dungeon with just the two of them!
The chief felt a surge of excitement, as if he had accomplished it himself.
But soon, he realized he had inadvertently shouted out loud and calmed himself.
However, he had already caught someone’s attention.
A team member nearby approached him.
“Chief, did something good happen?”
“Oh, Hunter Kim Ji-a just cleared the A-rank dungeon.”
The chief spoke lightly.
After all, it was information that would soon spread.
“Wow, again? At this rate, Hunter Kim Ji-a might reach S-rank soon!”
“Indeed! It’s truly reassuring.”
“Wow, hearing such news sometimes makes me feel proud! Like a new hero emerging in our country!”
“I agree! Hahaha!”
The team member chatted with the chief for a while about Hunter Kim Ji-a.
After the team member left, the chief leaned back comfortably in his chair and thought.
To be honest, he wanted to reveal information about Si-hyun to the public.
To let everyone know that we have a Returnee in our country too! Someone even more amazing than the American Returnees!
Just imagining it was thrilling.
But it was still too early.
If he upset Si-hyun, he might lose more than he gained.
Their relationship with Si-hyun must not turn into something like the hero’s party she had once mentioned.
For now, this information would remain known to only a very few, including himself.
The chief savoured the quietly bubbling excitement.
***
Si-hyun and Ji-a’s dungeon expedition was a day trip.
After clearing the A-rank dungeon, the two had dinner and immediately returned to Seoul.
“Si-hyun, you did great today!”
“You too! Get home safe!”
After dropping Si-hyun off in front of her home, Ji-a drove away.
Si-hyun watched the car disappear for a moment before turning around.
There was quite a distance between Gangneung and Seoul, and they had also stopped by a store.
Before she knew it, it was nighttime.
Si-hyun’s hands were full of tasty treats.
Thanks to the lucrative gains from today’s dungeon, she had picked up various items at the store.
Returning home—
Si-hyun tilted her head, looking around.
She thought Si-yoon would be watching TV in the living room.
But there was no sign of her.
After placing the bags on the dining table—
She glanced around absentmindedly and then looked at her smartphone.
She had sent a message earlier saying she would arrive around this time with lots of food.
Checking the message thread, she saw that Si-yoon had read and replied.
‘Is she still in her room?’
Wasn’t her work supposed to have ended a while ago?
Si-hyun quietly made her way to Si-yoon’s door.
Knock knock—
“I’m back! Are you still working?”
Si-hyun knocked on the door, checking if her sister was inside.
—
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