Chapter 28
Two days later, in the morning.
Ji-a and Si-hyun were starting their day early and diligently.
The car smoothly sped along the highway.
Si-hyun gazed out, lost in thought, as the passing scenery flowed by.
It was her first time leaving Seoul since she returned.
“Oh, Ji-a! Look over there. The clouds are so pretty.”
“Oh my, they really are.”
The clouds covering the sky had one spot that was completely clear.
The sight of light streaming through that hole was a remarkably beautiful scene.
Ji-a glanced over briefly and continued driving with a light smile.
The sky was stunning, but Si-hyun innocently admiring the view was equally adorable.
The car kept moving at a comfortable speed.
Before long, a hill appeared, obstructing Si-hyun’s view.
She looked ahead. The hill stretched on endlessly.
Swallowing her disappointment, she turned toward Ji-a.
“We’re going to a dungeon out in the countryside, right? You said it was an assignment from the management bureau?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Do they often ask you to do this?”
“Well… yeah, they do. To explain it properly—”
Ji-a briefly explained to Si-hyun.
She wasn’t officially part of a guild or the bureau, but she mostly handled dungeons that the bureau avoided.
Because the bureau offered plenty of perks, it was a mutually beneficial relationship.
After the explanation, Si-hyun lightly nodded.
She remembered something Ji-a had mentioned before.
Ji-a had said the management bureau was pretty flexible.
‘That doesn’t sound bad at all.’
Knowing that you could form a relationship with them by negotiating your terms.
If you were confident in your abilities, it didn’t seem like a bad option.
“So, that’s why you met with the department chief separately?”
“Exactly. It’s like I’m a part-time public official or something.”
“Ah, I see.”
Si-hyun nodded repeatedly.
It was much easier to understand with examples.
Meeting people and hearing different stories was helpful in many ways in life.
Thinking back on it, even the Wings Guild, led by a production-type hunter, was an unusual case.
It wasn’t a guild of production hunters; it was full of combat hunters.
Si-hyun felt a growing desire to hear more stories from other hunters.
If the chance came, she would listen to someone’s story again.
A small goal was added to Si-hyun’s heart.
“Now that I think of it, we didn’t buy drinks. Want to stop at a rest area?”
“Let’s do it! We should get some snacks too. I bet they have walnut snacks.”
“Hehe, I’m sure they do! Those are part of the fun of a trip.”
“Right, right.”
Even though it was more of a business trip than a vacation, neither of them paid attention to such details.
A little while later, the car smoothly pulled into the rest area.
Once the car stopped, Si-hyun opened the door, stretched her arms, and yawned.
“Phew—! It’s been so long since I’ve been in a car for this long.”
“You’ve only been in it for an hour.”
“…It felt like two hours.”
At Ji-a’s playful teasing, Si-hyun pouted her lips in response.
That cute reaction made Ji-a, who had approached her, unconsciously reach out.
Rustle—
She gently stroked Si-hyun’s head.
The soft texture of her hair felt pleasant against her fingers.
It was an impulsive action, so Ji-a quickly pulled her hand back.
“Oh, sorry. I did it without thinking…”
“…It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
As Ji-a apologized, Si-hyun quickly turned her body.
Though Ji-a didn’t see it, Si-hyun’s face had turned as red as a ripe apple.
She strode quickly toward the convenience store.
Ji-a smiled lightly and followed her.
***
Meanwhile, at the Wings Guild.
Ji-han and Han-gyeol were riding in a car driven by another guild member.
While the two were on their way to tackle a C-rank dungeon, the others planned to head to nearby dungeons.
As they entered the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, Han-gyeol, feeling bored, looked at Ji-han beside him.
He was watching something intently on his smartphone.
“What are you watching?”
“This? It’s a channel that invites famous hunters for interviews.”
Ji-han adjusted the phone’s angle slightly so Han-gyeol could see it better.
A graceful-looking beauty, dressed neatly, was chatting with the host.
“It’s Hunter Kim Ji-a?”
“Oh, you know her too, huh? She’s awesome, isn’t she?”
“That incident in the A-rank dungeon was huge.”
“Exactly! This interview is from right after that.”
“Oh-ho.”
Curiosity piqued, Han-gyeol watched the screen alongside Ji-han.
Ji-han handed one of his earbuds to Han-gyeol.
-We conducted interviews with the civilians trapped in the dungeon with you. I heard you didn’t back down a single step while protecting them.
-Yes, that’s correct.
-Wow, if it were me, I’d have been too scared and would’ve run away! What was going through your mind at that time?
-I have a firm belief. Even when scared, never back down. That’s my——
Han-gyeol couldn’t tear his eyes away from the interview.
Kim Ji-a’s words had a way of captivating people.
A few minutes passed.
After the interview ended, along with the following casual conversation and questions,
Han-gyeol returned the earbud to Ji-han and spoke.
“Belief, huh? That’s pretty cool.”
“Right? That’s what it takes to be an A-rank hunter.”
“She’s also the second strongest spear-user in the country.”
“Ahh! I’d love to meet her in person someday. I wonder if she’ll ever do a signing event.”
Ji-han, caught up in the emotions stirred by the interview, kept gushing about it to Han-gyeol.
Han-gyeol, equally impressed, responded enthusiastically.
Their conversation about the interview lasted until they arrived at the gate.
Just before entering the gate, Han-gyeol voiced a late concern.
“But are we going to be okay with just the two of us?”
“Hey, you’ve got me, don’t you? Soon-to-be B-rank!”
“Hmm… well, okay.”
Han-gyeol chuckled at Ji-han’s confident attitude.
Not long ago, every time that guy acted like this, it would stress him out.
But now, those same words sounded completely different.
It made him think, “The world really is something you have to live a long time to understand.”
“Let’s go!”
“Yeah!”
The two of them entered the gate.
In an instant, the scenery before them changed.
They were in a forest, densely packed with large trees everywhere.
Han-gyeol started to mentally prepare himself for the monsters they would soon face.
Though it was his first time entering a C-rank dungeon, Han-gyeol, having graduated from the academy, knew what to expect through his studies.
Ji-han confidently pushed forward, taking the lead.
Han-gyeol walked beside him, matching his pace.
“Hey, look ahead!”
“They’re coming! Get ready!”
The two shouted in unison, preparing for battle.
A considerable number of goblins appeared.
Just because they were in a C-rank dungeon didn’t mean only C-rank monsters would show up.
Like this, even lower-ranked monsters could appear in large groups.
And unlike E-rank dungeons, the goblins here were equipped with a variety of weapons.
Han-gyeol tensed up, ready for the fight.
“Keerk!”
“Keh-heh-heh.”
The goblins, armed with clubs and swords, rushed at them.
“Where do you think you’re going, you goblin scum!”
Ji-han charged forward, shouting at the top of his lungs.
With a powerful swing of his long sword, several goblins were cut down in an instant.
He rampaged like an enraged bull, slaughtering the monsters with explosive strength.
Han-gyeol, meanwhile, wasn’t standing idly by.
He steadily dealt with the goblins coming at him.
“Kek—!”
“Kieeek—!”
The dying screams of the goblins echoed through the forest.
After the commotion died down,
“Ugh….”
After gathering up all the spoils, Han-gyeol rubbed his aching back.
It was the spot where he’d been hit by a goblin’s club earlier.
It wasn’t a severe injury, but the area was definitely bruised and sore.
Though the battle wasn’t too dangerous, it felt like a rough start.
“Let’s keep going, man!”
Full of energy, Ji-han once again took the lead.
Han-gyeol followed him with a wry smile.
It was becoming increasingly clear that Ji-han was much stronger than him.
Even among those of the same rank, the gap in strength was undeniable.
Han-gyeol couldn’t help but feel the difference.
If this was how things were in C-rank, then what about B-rank, A-rank, or even S-rank?
The gap between ranks must be even more extreme, making those at the top barely human anymore.
Lost in thought for a moment, Han-gyeol quickly shook off his wandering mind.
He couldn’t afford to let his guard down, not in a place like this.
Han-gyeol scanned his surroundings.
And then—
“…Huh?”
Gurgle, gurgle—
It was a chance discovery.
A massive slime, towering over even a fully grown man, was hidden high up in the trees.
Han-gyeol felt a cold sweat run down his back.
He shouted and pushed Ji-han aside.
“Damn it, dodge!”
“Huh, wh-what?!”
Boom—!
The giant slime crashed to the ground, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
Han-gyeol fell backward, landing on his rear.
It was a close call.
If it hadn’t been for that narrow escape, they would have been crushed by the massive slime, sustaining severe injuries.
“Damn, that scared me!”
As Han-gyeol stood up and readied himself,
Ji-han charged at the slime first.
He swung his sword, aiming for the core.
But the slime wasn’t so easily defeated.
It twisted its body and even moved the core around to avoid Ji-han’s attacks.
Not only that, it started to transform its body, whipping parts of itself around like a weapon.
With its threatening attacks flying in all directions,
both Ji-han and Han-gyeol had to retreat.
In that brief moment, the slime’s body, which had been damaged by Ji-han’s strikes, started to heal.
“Ugh, I hate slimes so much!”
“…Agreed.”
The two men, both holding swords, exchanged irritable comments.
Eventually, they did manage to defeat the slime,
but it had taken a considerable amount of time.
“This is why you need a magic-type hunter or something in the party.”
“There aren’t many of them, so it can’t be helped…”
They shared a light-hearted grumble.
***
At the same time, while the two men from the Wings Guild were dealing with the slime,
Si-hyun and Ji-a had just entered the A-rank dungeon.
It was a cave, one of the most common types of dungeons.
True to its A-rank status, the cave was impressively vast.
Si-hyun immediately began to use her magic.
First, she summoned a light to float in the air, serving as a source of illumination.
Then, she spread out a thin layer of mana around them, gathering information in real-time.
Finally, she applied a series of buffs to both herself and her partner, using a mix of mana and holy power.
Once all preparations were complete, Si-hyun nodded in satisfaction.
Ji-a clenched and unclenched the hand that wasn’t holding her spear, checking her condition.
“I haven’t experienced this many times, but wow, that’s amazing.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah! You’re already doing the work of several people by yourself right from the start!”
“It’s not… that much….”
Flustered by Ji-a’s direct compliment,
Si-hyun blushed and turned her head.
No matter how many times she heard praise, it always felt good,
but she wasn’t used to it.
Scratching her cheek, Si-hyun spoke.
“Shall we get going?”
“Yeah, let’s move!”
The two women set off energetically.
Ji-a kept her focus sharp, carefully observing the cave’s interior as they walked.
A few minutes passed.
“Ji-a, hold on.”
“Hm?”
Si-hyun stopped Ji-a in her tracks.
When Ji-a tilted her head in curiosity, Si-hyun pointed toward a part of the ceiling, a short distance ahead.
Ji-a followed her gaze.
The light Si-hyun had summoned moved forward, illuminating the space.
“Oh….”
Without thinking, Ji-a let out a short gasp.
Dozens of large slimes were clinging to the ceiling, exuding a chilling aura.
If they had walked by without noticing, they would have been ambushed.
Of course, with Ji-a’s reflexes and senses as a hunter, she would have been able to avoid the attack.
But it was always better to know in advance and prepare.
Impressed by Si-hyun’s detection ability, Ji-a spoke softly.
“Si-hyun, you’re such a jack-of-all-trades.”
“…Hehe.”
“But it had to be elemental slimes. Those things are such a pain for melee-types.”
After her praise, Ji-a muttered in frustration.
Si-hyun, sensing the hesitation, spoke up.
“Um, if you want… I can take care of them?”
“Huh? How?”
“It’s not my specialty, but… if you can hold them off for a moment, I can wipe them out with magic.”
Wipe them out? That sounded pretty intense.
Ji-a blinked in surprise for a moment, then nodded her head.
—
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