“My, my leg! Damn it!”
The stalker brat yelled, clutching his shins and making a scene.
I reached out and grabbed his face.
“Ugh! Mmph!”
Well, he’s quieted down a bit now.
“Hey, little brother, I’m going to use the bathroom.”
“Uh, uh…?”
I dragged the stalker into the bathroom.
He struggled significantly, but it was nothing too severe.
A C-rank mid-level hunter is like this? Something feels off.
Maybe each rank gap increases exponentially.
“Hey.”
I lifted the stalker’s head to match my eyes.
At the same time, I opened my mana and cast a barrier around us.
Now, no noise can escape from the bathroom.
“Let’s get this started.”
“Mmph…! Ugh!”
He looks like he wants to say something, but I lightly ignored it.
I pulled my hand back.
And slammed him against the wall with all my might.
BAM!
The impact was powered by my enhanced divine strength.
Even though I adjusted my strength, a large dent appeared in the wall, and blood splattered from the man’s head.
The bathroom can be restored with magic later.
First, a little repentance.
*
Si-yoon looked worriedly at the bathroom door.
After her older brother, now a sister, dragged the stalker inside,
all sounds had ceased from inside.
She might have said she defeated the Demon Lord, but
to Si-yoon’s eyes, her brother looked smaller and weaker than herself.
Didn’t she even say herself?
A saint.
In her mind, the image of someone safely praying from the rear came to mind.
The man is a malicious stalker, but he’s still a hunter.
A C-rank, no less.
It’s a well-known fact that once you reach mid-level hunters, unless it’s something major, the government generally lets things slide.
Because of that, she couldn’t even report it to the police.
So far, the stalker hadn’t made any direct moves; he just pressured her like today.
Just then, as Si-yoon anxiously tapped her foot,
creak.
The bathroom door opened, and a pale-faced man emerged into the living room.
Upon spotting Si-yoon, he approached and smashed his head into the floor.
“I’m so sorry for everything!”
“…….”
“Wow, your sister is an incredible hunter! Is she a melee type? Amazing!”
A complete display of submission.
Si-yoon’s eyes widened as she stared at the bathroom entrance.
Before she knew it, her sister had come out, leaning against the wall with an icy expression.
“Hey, stalker.”
“Y-yes!”
“What do you need to say right now?”
“…Si-yoon! I sincerely apologize for everything up until now!”
“…Is that it?”
“I swear I won’t come near this house, or even this neighborhood again!”
Goodness.
Si-yoon alternated her trembling gaze between her sister and the stalker.
Could it be that her sister is really strong…?
Seeing that fierce expression made Si-yoon feel a sliver of fear creeping in.
“Si-yoon, what do you think? Should I educate him some more?”
“Uh, um… Isn’t this enough?”
“Really?”
When her younger sister answered, Si-hyun grabbed the stalker by the scruff of his neck.
Dragged him out like when she brought him in and then tossed him outside.
A huge sound echoed.
Si-hyun glanced outside for a moment before closing the door.
“Sorry, the bathroom got dirty, so I need to clean up a bit.”
“Uh….”
Si-yoon was sweating cold.
Although the stalker’s face was clean,
the smell of blood was wafting from the bathroom direction.
However, shortly after,
the bathroom looked far too clean, almost unnaturally so.
It was immaculate and fragrant, like a brand-new bathroom.
“How is it?”
“Uh, it’s… okay…?”
“Hehe.”
“Haha.”
Involuntarily answering, Si-yoon looked at her sister.
The previously expressionless face bloomed like a flower upon seeing her.
In that moment, Si-yoon realized one thing.
Although she had changed quite a bit, she was still her older brother.
The kind face that had raised her in place of their parents reflected in her mind.
Ding dong!
“Shall we have some chicken?”
“Sure!”
Si-yoon beamed with joy.
*
After a fierce competition over who would sleep in the bed and who would sleep on the sofa the next day.
I spent time with Si-yoon shopping.
Since I still didn’t have an identity, I started by getting a smartphone under my sister’s name.
Packed only the clothes and underwear we’d wear immediately,
and after buying other necessities, we finally returned home.
“Si-yoon, how do I go back?”
“Back? You do it like this.”
Having not touched a phone in ages, I fumbled a bit, but
I got the hang of it quickly. Probably.
“Today, I spent a lot of money, huh? Sorry. Once I get my ID, I’ll look for work right away.”
“As I said yesterday, it’s really okay! You’re a hero who defeated the Demon Lord, right? Don’t you need some time to rest?”
“…That’s true.”
“Don’t worry about me!”
Even if she said that,
I saw her eyes flickering when she swiped the card.
I wouldn’t say it out loud, but…
“Oh! Speaking of which, sis. As a saint, can’t you perform miracles?”
“Miracles?”
“Yeah. Like in novels or games, bringing dead people back to life and stuff.”
“Eh, bringing dead people back to life is impossible.”
You can save those who are about to die, but…
“Then how about regenerating someone who’s lost arms or legs?”
“That’s also a stretch.”
If they’re next to each other, I can reattach them, though.
“Are you really a melee type as the stalker said? You’re a saint, aren’t you?”
“You mean did I fight in the frontlines? I’ve done that plenty.”
The party members often scolded me for not providing buffs and actually doing some work.
“…Aren’t you a warrior instead of a saint? Like a paladin?”
“Hmm, maybe?”
The hero party stressed to me every day.
How they were strong due to the buffs I provided;
that meant they were the strong ones, not me.
So, if they wanted to catch the Demon Lord together,
they’d better prove my usefulness to them.
That’s why I worked endlessly.
Using the memories from my original body to hone my magical skills even further,
and among them, mastering buffs and debuffs that I thought suited me the best.
I also became proficient enough to manage divine powers as both a priest and paladin.
In battles, targets were always set on healers first,
so through rolling around, I had no choice but to become good at everything.
Well, that said…
[So can you endure in front like me?]
[Your attack magic is much weaker than mine!]
All that returned to me were comments of inadequacy.
It was frustrating, but their words were also true.
So, gradually, I shrank back.
Moreover, the hero showed an obsession that bordered on madness toward me.
When it wasn’t during battle, she wouldn’t even let me out of the lodging.
In response, the jealousy and envy of the female party members grew stronger,
and if it wasn’t for the baggage carrier helping me out, I would’ve really struggled to endure it.
“Oh! It’s already this time. Sis, I’m going to work now.”
“Are you starting work at this hour?”
“Um, well… I’m a freelancer! It might get noisy in the room sometimes, but don’t worry too much, okay?”
“Got it.”
Si-yoon waved her hand and entered the side room.
I watched her for a moment before manipulating my smartphone.
I wanted to grasp how things are running in today’s world.
Catastrophes, hunters, and such.
Searching through various curiosities, I read the noticeable articles.
First, the news.
[South Korea, Severe Lack of Support-Type Hunters. Serious Overabundance of Dealers.]
[(Expert Interview) Recent gates, anticipated as ‘the calm before the storm’.]
[The individualism of hunters vs. distorted collectivism. The causes and solutions?]
Next, the community.
[Is there a foreign hunter recently arrived in Korea? Among girls.]
[Anyone with connections in the crafting hunter circle? Please introduce.]
[(Random Share) This is a VTuber I’ve been watching lately.]
A sea of information… so much that it’s overwhelming.
In the end, I looked at videos primarily posted on Ttube, but they weren’t particularly helpful.
A-rank or S-rank hunter videos?
They were all ads edited like mad movies, like a game from the past.
Other than that, only unique streams with characters called VTubers popped up.
I realized the world had changed significantly, but that was all.
Not a single piece of information about divine power.
Is it because this is Earth?
Anyways.
“I think it’s best to ask the Hunter Management Agency.”
After all, public servants should be the most accurate, right?
They seemed like the type to answer well.
The Hunter Management Agency mentioned they’d contact me soon.
For consultations and awakening measures for returnees.
I plan to keep a few things firmly in mind when I visit.
I’m sick of bindings, so I’ll appropriately sidestep obligations and responsibilities.
Since they mentioned there’s a shortage of support-type hunters, I’ll hide this part as well.
For now, I just want to earn enough to lighten my sister’s burden while I take some rest.
Once I accumulate some understanding of the current world, I can properly start doing something.
Maybe look for a teaching position to use my major.
…Come to think of it, I never graduated from university due to the catastrophe.
*
“Haah….”
A plainly dressed young man peeled his eyes away from his smartphone.
Loosening his shoulder muscles lightly, he scanned his surroundings.
He was at a subway station, watching people scurry to catch their trains.
Suddenly, one person caught his eye.
A woman, looking around as if lost.
She wore a thin black shirt and a red A-line skirt that fell just above her knees.
She hadn’t adorned herself in any special way, yet once his gaze was captured, it remained fixed.
Her long limbs moved as her silky white hair flowed smoothly.
That, along with the noticeable presence of her full chest, radiated an overwhelming aura.
Could she be a foreign celebrity traveling here?
She looked like a beauty one could only see in videos.
‘She seems lost.’
The woman kept looking left and right.
Tilting her head slightly, she observed a nearby map.
Holding her phone, she kept glancing between it and the map.
Seeing her slightly furrowed brow made him want to help.
But the young man hesitated to step forward.
It was true he felt a bit intimidated by her unreal beauty,
but more than that, he didn’t speak English very well.
He could only watch the exotic beauty with regretful eyes.
At that moment.
“……!”
By chance, the young man and the woman locked eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, but then, with a determined expression, approached him.
The young man swallowed hard and felt his heart race.
Should he install a translation app on his phone now?
No, can’t you translate well over the web these days?
But first, would he even understand what she says?
Numerous thoughts passed fleetingly through his mind during that brief moment.
“Excuse me….”
“Yes, yes!”
His instinctive reply came out before he could control himself.
Her melodious voice was enchanting, but more importantly,
her Korean pronunciation was flawless.
We can have a conversation!
“W-what can I do for you?”
“…I’m not used to the subway. Could you help me?”
“O-of course! Where are you headed?”
Instead of answering, the woman offered him her phone.
The young man’s gaze lingered on her long fingers for a moment, but he redirected it back to her phone.
“Are you heading to the Hunter Management Agency?”
“Yes.”
“Then you should go this way—”
The young man tried to maintain his composure, making sure his voice didn’t shake.
As he spoke closely, a pleasant fragrance wafted from the woman.
“Ah…!”
“Did you understand?”
“Yes, thank you. You explained it very well.”
“Hehe… I’m glad I could help.”
Bowing her head respectfully, the woman slowly walked away.
The young man gazed after her with lingering regret.
That’s the forbidden fruit. The forbidden fruit. He repeated in his mind endlessly.
In that instant.
Suddenly, the woman turned around, dashed toward him, her expression bright and cheerful.
Caught off guard, he stared at her as she smiled sweetly and said,
“I hope your kindness gets rewarded.”
“Ah, ah… yes.”
Once again, she walked away.
The young man felt a surge of energy bubbling up within him for the first time in his life.
He felt invigorated!
Seeing the beauty’s smile made him feel alive.
Indeed, one should live kindly.
He walked with renewed vigor.
For some reason, he had a feeling that today, everything related to being a hunter would go smoothly.
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