Two days later, morning.
Ji-a and Si-hyun started their day busily.
The car smoothly sped down the highway.
Si-hyun was lost in thought, admiring the scenery whizzing by.
It was her first time leaving Seoul since their return.
“Wow, Ji-a! Look over there! The clouds are so beautiful!”
“Oh my, they really are.”
One part of the sky was clear, with light streaming through a hole in the clouds, creating a stunning view.
Glancing sideways, Ji-a smiled lightly and continued to drive.
While the sky was mesmerizing, Si-hyun’s innocent curiosity about the outside was also cute.
The car continued to move at a suitably fast speed.
Before long, a hill obscured Si-hyun’s view.
Si-hyun looked ahead. The hill kept going.
Swallowing her disappointment, she turned her head towards Ji-a.
“So we’re going to a dungeon in the countryside. You mentioned it was a request from the Management Office, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Do they often ask you for help?”
“Well… kind of. To explain accurately—”
Ji-a briefly explained to Si-hyun.
Although she wasn’t affiliated with either the guild or the Management Office, she often dealt with dungeons that were avoided because they were troublesome.
Because the Management Office provides plenty of benefits, it’s a win-win situation for both sides.
After Ji-a finished explaining, Si-hyun nodded lightly.
She remembered something Ji-a had once said.
The Management Office was quite flexible.
‘That’s not a bad arrangement.’
The fact that they could negotiate and build relationships was nice.
If one is confident in their own skills, it seemed like a reasonable method to me.
“So that’s why you met with the manager separately?”
“Exactly. It’s a bit like being a quasi-public officer?”
“Aha.”
Si-hyun nodded repeatedly.
With examples provided, she felt even more certain of her understanding.
Meeting people and hearing various stories seems beneficial to life in many ways.
Thinking back, the Wings Guild, led by a crafting-type hunter, was a peculiar case.
It wasn’t a guild for crafters, but rather a guild for combatants.
Si-hyun wanted to learn more about the varied stories of hunters.
If given the chance, she’d want to hear someone else’s tale.
A small goal nestled in Si-hyun’s heart.
“By the way, we forgot to buy drinks. Should we stop at the rest area?”
“Let’s do that! We should pick up snacks too. They might have walnut cake!”
“Hehe, they probably do! That’s one of the joys of travel.”
“Right, right.”
Though it was more of a business trip than a vacation.
Neither of them bothered with the details.
Moments later, the car smoothly entered the rest area.
As they stopped, Si-hyun stretched her arms high, enjoying the fresh air.
“Phew! It’s been ages since I spent so long in a car.”
“Did you really just spend one hour?”
“…It felt like two.”
Si-hyun pouted at Ji-a’s joke.
Ji-a, who had approached Si-hyun, couldn’t help but reach out her hand.
Rustle, rustle—
Gently patting her head.
Si-hyun’s soft hair felt nice against her fingers.
It was an impulsive action, and Ji-a quickly withdrew her hand.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to….”
“…It’s fine. No big deal.”
As Ji-a apologized, Si-hyun turned around abruptly.
Though Ji-a didn’t see it, Si-hyun’s face had turned as red as a ripe apple.
Si-hyun boldly marched towards the convenience store.
Ji-a followed behind her, laughing lightly.
*
Meanwhile, at the Wings Guild.
Ji-han and Han-gyeol were in a car driven by a guild member.
While the two were tackling a C-rank dungeon, others were heading to a nearby dungeon.
As they entered the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do, Han-gyeol felt bored and glanced at Ji-han sitting next to him.
Ji-han was intently watching something on his smartphone.
“What are you watching?”
“This? It’s a channel that interviews famous hunters.”
Ji-han adjusted the angle of his phone for Han-gyeol to see.
A beautiful girl dressed neatly looked like she was having a conversation with the host.
“Is that Hunter Kim Ji-a?”
“Oh, you know her too? Isn’t she really cool?”
“That A-rank dungeon incident was a big deal.”
“Yeah, that! This is an interview done afterward.”
“Ooh.”
Han-gyeol also got curious and looked at the screen with Ji-han.
Ji-han handed one of the earbuds to Han-gyeol.
– At that time, we had already interviewed the citizens who were trapped in the dungeon. They said you protected the citizens without taking a single step back.
– Yes, that’s right.
– Wow, I would have been too scared and run away! What were you thinking at that moment?
– I personally have a firm belief. Never back down even if you’re scared. That is what I——
Han-gyeol was captivated by the interview.
Kim Ji-a’s words had a powerful grip on people.
After a few minutes of the interview and various Q&A concluded.
Han-gyeol returned the earbud to Ji-han and spoke.
“Beliefs, that’s impressive.”
“Right? I feel like that level is necessary to be an A-rank hunter.”
“And she’s the second strongest hunter using a spear in our country.”
“Ah! I’d love to meet her someday. I wonder if she does sign events?”
Ji-han, who was greatly moved by the interview, kept chattering away to Han-gyeol.
Han-gyeol, deeply impressed as well, engaged in the conversation.
Eventually, their discussion about the interview continued until they reached the gate.
Before entering the gate, Han-gyeol hesitantly voiced his concern.
“But do you think we can handle this alone?”
“Come on, I’m here! Almost a B-rank!”
“Hmmm… right, I guess.”
Han-gyeol chuckled at Ji-han’s confidence.
Not long ago, Ji-han’s overconfidence used to stress him out.
It’s incredible how the same words could sound so different.
Life sure is long, you get to see all sorts of things.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Yeah!”
The two entered the gate.
In the blink of an eye, the landscape before them changed.
They found themselves in a forest densely populated with enormous trees.
Han-gyeol mentally prepared himself for the monsters he would face from now on.
Though it was his first time entering a C-rank dungeon, he had a general idea since he was from the Academy.
Ji-han strode ahead confidently.
Han-gyeol walked beside him.
“Hey, watch out!”
“Incoming! Get ready!”
Both Ji-han and Han-gyeol shouted in unison as they prepared for battle.
A significant number of goblins approached.
Just because it was a C-rank dungeon didn’t mean only C-rank monsters appeared.
Sometimes even lower-ranked monsters showed up in droves.
Moreover, unlike E-rank dungeons, the goblins here wielded a variety of weapons.
Han-gyeol, feeling tense, engaged in battle.
“Kerik!”
“Hehehe.”
The goblins wielding clubs and swords rushed at them.
“Who do these goblins think they are?!”
Ji-han shouted and charged forward.
Swinging his long sword fiercely, several goblins were quickly sliced apart.
Like a raging bull, he annihilated the monsters with explosive power.
Han-gyeol wasn’t idle either.
He diligently dealt with the goblins charging at him.
Grrk—!
Eek—!
The dying cries of the goblins filled the forest.
Once the uproar settled,
“Ugh….”
After collecting the spoils, Han-gyeol rubbed his back.
It was where he had been hit earlier with a club.
Pressing on it felt sore, as if it had nicely bruised.
It wasn’t a severe injury, but it felt harrowing to start off this way.
“Let’s keep going, bro!”
Energetic Ji-han dashed ahead once more.
Han-gyeol followed behind him, forcing a wry smile.
It was clear that Ji-han was stronger than him.
Even with the same rank, a distinct gap existed.
He realized this truth anew.
If C-rank is like this, then what about B-rank, A-rank, or even S-rank?
The gap across ranks must be hugely significant; it might even be hard to call them human.
Lost in thought, Han-gyeol quickly shook it off.
He had to stay focused since he never knew when things might happen.
He glanced around.
And then.
“…Huh?”
Gurgle, gurgle——
A large slime, towering over an adult male’s height, was hiding between the treetops above.
Han-gyeol felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.
He shouted loudly and pushed Ji-han away.
“Watch out, move!”
“Huh, what?!”
Boom—!
The massive slime landed with a thud, clouds of dust billowing up.
Han-gyeol fell back, landing hard.
He felt an immense relief.
If he hadn’t barely managed to dodge that massive slime?
He would have been squashed under its weight, suffering a fatal injury.
“Ouch, damn! That startled me!”
As Han-gyeol stood up and regained his stance.
Ji-han charged at the slime first.
Aiming for its core, he swung his sword.
However, the slime didn’t go down easily.
It twisted its body and even moved its core location, dodging Ji-han’s attack.
And it didn’t stop there; the slime morphed part of its body into a whip-like appendage and swung it around.
With that menacing attack whipping around, both Ji-han and Han-gyeol stepped back.
In that brief moment, the slime’s body, which had been struck, healed itself.
“Ugh, I really hate slimes!”
“…I agree.”
The two sword-wielding men exchanged exasperated remarks.
After that, they finally managed to defeat the slime, but it consumed a considerable amount of time.
“This is why we need magic-type hunters or parties.”
“There aren’t many of them, so what can we do….”
A light-hearted complaint followed.
*
At the moment the two men from the Wings Guild defeated the slime,
Si-hyun and Ji-a had just entered an A-rank dungeon.
Inside was a frequently occurring type of dungeon—a cave.
True to its designation as an A-rank dungeon, the interior was impressively spacious.
Si-hyun immediately began to cast spells.
First, she conjured a light source into the air.
Next, she spread her mana around lightly, gathering information continuously.
Finally, using both mana and her divine power, she layered buffs onto herself and her partner.
Once she finished her preparations, Si-hyun nodded.
Ji-a flexed her other hand, which wasn’t holding a spear, checking her condition.
“I haven’t done this many times, but it’s really incredible.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah! From the start, you’re taking on roles of several people already, right?”
“That’s not quite it….”
At Ji-a’s sudden praise coming straight at her.
Si-hyun blushed and turned her head.
Praises are always nice to hear, but since she wasn’t used to it.
Si-hyun scratched her cheek and said, “Shall we head out?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
The two women stepped forward energetically.
Ji-a maintained a suitable level of tension as she scanned the cave around her.
After a few minutes passed.
“Ji-a, hold on a second.”
“Yeah?”
Si-hyun stopped Ji-a in her tracks.
When Ji-a raised her head in confusion, Si-hyun pointed at the ceiling a bit farther away with her finger.
Ji-a followed Si-hyun’s finger and looked up.
The light source that illuminated their path floated ahead, moving forward.
“Wow….”
Ji-a let out a short gasp she didn’t even realize she had voiced.
Dozens of gigantic slimes were oozing a chill from above.
If they had simply walked past it, they would have been ambushed.
Of course, a hunter like Ji-a could likely dodge them with her senses and reaction speed.
But obviously, it was much easier to prepare when you know in advance.
Ji-a was amazed by Si-hyun’s detection ability and said in a small voice, “Si-hyun, your ability is really multi-talented.”
“…Hehe.”
“But unfortunately, they happen to be slimes. Those are way too tricky for a close-range fighter like me.”
Si-hyun considered Ji-a’s mumble, following her praise, and pondered for a moment.
Finally, after hesitating, Si-hyun suggested, “Then… should I handle it?”
“Huh? How?”
“It’s not my specialty, but… just hold on for a bit, and I’ll clear them out with my magic.”
‘Clear them out?’ Just hearing it sounded impressive.
Ji-a blinked for a moment before nodding her head.
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