Chapter 35

Han-gyeol slightly glanced sideways at the person next to him.

Si-hyun fidgeted in her seat, adjusting to a more comfortable position.

She naturally ran her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

Her outfit was clearly plain and neat business attire.

Yet, Si-hyun’s unique aura and figure had an enchanting magnetism that captivated people’s gazes.

“Hey, how about we watch this one?”

“Oh, this one?”

From behind, guild members could be heard talking while watching videos on their phones.

Si-hyun’s ears perked up.

Her head tilted curiously, and a small smile spread across the corner of her lips.

“Hmm…! Watching this makes me want to use a spear too.”

“Come on, focus on mastering your awakened skill with the sword properly.”

“You calling yourself a spear specialist? This won’t do. Time for a Hunter swordsman video now.”

Giggles followed.

Han-gyeol immediately noticed.

The subtle smile on Si-hyun’s face had returned to its usual blank expression.

She pouted her lower lip slightly and crossed her legs.

Worried about this change, Han-gyeol cautiously spoke up.

“Si-hyun-ssi?”

“…Yes?”

“That… Aren’t you bored? Want to watch some videos together until we reach the dungeon?”

“Hmm, what kind?”

Han-gyeol took out a tablet PC and earphones from his bag.

Recalling the recent conversation among guild members, he made an inference.

Kim Ji-a Hunter or spear specialist.

One of these definitely caught Si-hyun’s interest.

No need to gamble here – he directly typed “Kim Ji-a Hunter” into the search bar.

“Huh…”

Bingo!

A faint expression returned to Si-hyun’s previously blank face.

She scooted closer to Han-gyeol, taking one side of the earphones.

Her expectant gaze met his.

Han-gyeol felt slightly dizzy from the pleasant scent wafting as she drew near.

Tense fingers operated the tablet.

“Oh, you’ve seen that one already.”

“Ah, is that so? Then let’s try this…”

The soft voice coming from right beside him sounded even sweeter up close.

Si-hyun’s shoulder brushed against Han-gyeol’s arm.

She seemed to adjust her slightly tight dress shirt by touching the fabric near her chest area.

Unconsciously observing her actions, Han-gyeol gulped without realizing it.

Completely unaware of Han-gyeol’s thoughts, Si-hyun asked lightly.

“Are you also a fan of Kim Ji-a Hunter?”

“Eh, um… I try to keep up when I have time.”

“Aha, I see.”

Nodding once, Si-hyun looked at the screen.

And Han-gyeol quietly made a decision.

‘From now on, I’m a Kim Ji-a Hunter fan.’

It was an opportunity to create shared interests.

Then, at that moment…

“Hehe!”

“Let’s watch together! The big screen makes it easier to see!”

Apparently, two male guild members had finished watching a Hunter swordsman video and leaned forward.

The Kim Ji-a Hunter in the video displayed dazzling spear techniques.

“Wow! This is cool too!”

“Seriously, don’t they ever hold signing events? I can understand Ji-han’s feelings now!”

The noisy chatter of the men.

Si-hyun moved away slightly from Han-gyeol to make sure the backseat males could see the tablet better.

Han-gyeol felt a great sense of loss inside but didn’t show it outwardly.

Meanwhile, Si-hyun thought,

‘Hmph, I can get Jia’s autograph anytime.’

Feeling a sense of relative superiority, she nodded happily.

It felt like being friends with a famous celebrity. Actually, that’s exactly what it was.

She never realized that knowing someone famous could be such a sweet pleasure.

In the other world, she never found joy in anyone praising the hero party – only annoyance.

People, by people.

Si-hyun once again deeply realized how important people and environment are.

* * *

Five male members of the Wings Guild and Si-hyun entered a C-rank gate.

Most were D-rank Hunters, but Han-gyeol was C-rank, allowing them entry.

The scenery changed, revealing a lush forest of trees and grass.

Si-hyun immediately spread a faint mana around her.

The mission was to help the males adapt to C-rank dungeons.

‘Think of it as practical training for the lecture.’

Though there wasn’t much to do for general education subjects now,

practicing would definitely come in handy in the future.

“Hmm…”

“Hoo…”

The men who were laughing and chatting in the car suddenly became quiet.

They were tense entering a C-rank dungeon for the first time.

Their safety assurance came from D-rank Hunter Si-hyun through a contract by the master.

They knew she was stronger than her rank suggested, but weren’t sure exactly how strong.

Strong enough to beat Ji-han, the guild ace.

That’s all they really knew from hearsay.

Even though Han-gyeol was the one who actually defeated Ji-han, rumors tend to evolve that way.

The only one not particularly tense was Han-gyeol, who approached Si-hyun and spoke.

“Si-hyun-ssi, how many people can receive your Paladin skills?”

“…I can cover everyone.”

“Wow, you’re truly amazing!”

“Hmm…”

Han-gyeol clapped his hands together happily.

But instead of answering, Si-hyun tilted her head and looked at the Wings Guild members.

‘Why is she reacting like this?’

Unable to understand why Si-hyun showed this reaction, Han-gyeol thought silently.

Still couldn’t figure it out. Might as well ask directly.

“Is there something worrying you?”

“…Regarding whether to use skills or not, which would be more helpful for adapting to the dungeon?”

“Oh, that’s what you were thinking about.”

Relieved to finally understand, Han-gyeol smiled kindly.

“Don’t worry! I’m experienced, right? I think receiving them would be better.”

“…Really?”

“It’s such a great feeling to transcend your limits beyond normal conditions. It feels like experiencing the future early.”

“Hmm… Is that so.”

Si-hyun’s face brightened as her concern was resolved.

She’d never thought of it that way before – experiencing the future early.

Han-gyeol’s detailed experience sharing gave Si-hyun a fresh perspective.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yes! Please take care of me!”

Si-hyun manipulated mana.

Part of the mana spread earlier enveloped the Wings Guild members.

What others called skills, she created purely using her own power since she wasn’t an Awakened individual.

“Whoa, wow!”

“I feel energized!”

The men lifted their arms to admire their muscles.

Seeing them all making the same motions, Si-hyun couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“This is my Paladin skill. Shall we start moving?”

“Yes, let’s go!”

“Charge!”

“Let’s show those monsters what bitterness tastes like!”

The excited men formed ranks and began their advance.

Si-hyun followed behind them.

Before entering the dungeon, she had changed into sneakers for comfort.

She walked with ease.

After some time passed,

The first monsters the party encountered were two giant trolls.

Over three meters tall, utilizing their massive size for devastating attacks.

Coupled with thick skin and excellent regeneration ability.

Though few in number, each troll was incredibly strong individually.

There was enough distance that the monsters hadn’t noticed the humans yet.

All guild members stifled their breaths and hid behind trees.

The excited atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.

Such was the immense pressure from the massive monsters.

Han-gyeol whispered while keeping an eye on the monsters.

“Let’s lure them one by one and deal with them safely.”

“That sounds good.”

“Who wants to do the luring?”

They exchanged whispers about tactics.

Si-hyun watched them silently.

Using bait strategies for stable dungeon exploration. Definitely a good method.

The problem was the time it would take.

I want to eat dinner with Si-yoon after returning tonight.

So I should intervene. For such a simple reason.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Si-hyun-ssi?”

Si-hyun interrupted the men’s conversation.

We’ll meet plenty of monsters today, dealing with them this way every time would take too long.

Besides, I want to go home early to have dinner with Si-yoon.

Thus, I must interfere. For such a simple reason.

“I’ll handle one, you all try dealing with the other.”

“But, is that alright?”

“It’ll be more convenient for both me and you.”

“Well, that’s true…”

The men reluctantly nodded.

Si-hyun’s attitude was simply too commanding.

“If it seems dangerous, I’ll help your side too. Try gaining experience first.”

Having said that, Si-hyun started walking towards the trolls’ direction.

The men hurriedly followed behind her.

The distance closed gradually.

Si-hyun suddenly sprinted forward.

Closing the gap with the trolls in an instant.

Startled by her sudden appearance, the trolls’ eyes locked onto Si-hyun.

She quickly moved in the opposite direction.

Naturally, the monsters’ attention turned that way too.

At that moment, an arrow shot by a hunter struck one troll’s back.

Containing mana, but lacking power, the arrow merely left a scratch on the skin before falling to the ground.

“Ugh?”

The attacked troll growled lowly and turned its body again.

Spotting the men, it stomped towards them.

The aggro was perfectly split between the two.

Han-gyeol stepped forward first.

He intended to deflect the troll’s attacks as the strongest in the party.

“Raaaah!”

“Whoosh!”

The troll’s mighty punch charged at Han-gyeol.

Calmly, he sidestepped and dodged the attack.

With the brief opening, other hunters unleashed their respective attacks on the troll.

Various parts of the troll’s body – arms, thighs, etc. – received minor cuts.

The troll swung its tightly clenched fist widely, undisturbed by such trivial attacks.

“Yaaaah!”

“Shit!”

The men cursed and retreated.

Its long reach was terrifying due to the troll’s massive height.

The troll’s rotating punch stopped upon colliding with a large tree.

Crack!

Boom!

Unable to withstand the force, the tree snapped and fell with a loud noise.

Dust and leaves flew through the air.

Just swinging its fists caused such destruction.

These monsters were on a different level compared to E or D-rank dungeon monsters.

“Fucking brutal…”

“C-rank is definitely C-rank…”

The D-rank men muttered, astonished.

However, their motivation wasn’t dampened.

“Hey, isn’t it manageable thanks to Si-hyun-ssi’s buffs?”

“True… Normally I might not have dodged that punch just now?”

“Some sort of confidence is surging.”

“Haha! Same here!”

Han-gyeol evaded another troll punch.

The men, having pumped each other up with words, seized the opportunity to unleash more attacks.

“Raaaaaagh—!”

Each individual attack was insignificant.

But continuous assaults from multiple people accumulated damage.

“We can do this!”

“Haha! What’s the point of being tough if you can’t handle this!”

The excited men rained down relentless attacks.

Eventually, the troll became consumed by rage, starting to wildly slam its fists into the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each punch caused powerful tremors.

“Uh, uh?”

“Hey, be careful!”

A hunter rushing in lost his balance.

Placing his foot back on the ground to steady himself.

At that moment!

His luck ran out. He stepped on a protruding rock.

Slipping, he stumbled backward and fell flat.

“Aaaaah!”

“Ugh?”

The troll’s attention turned toward the fallen man with the accompanying scream.

Stopping its ground-pounding arm, it wore a sinister expression.

Crouching, it tensed its legs.

The troll’s leg muscles bulged dramatically.

Then, with all its might, it jumped!

The massive body of the troll soared upward, defying gravity momentarily.

Beginning its rapid descent.

“Shit shit SHIT!”

The man scrambled to rise quickly.

But his movements were sluggish.

‘Damn, I’m gonna dieeee——!’

Looking up with tears welling in his eyes.

Trying his best to move, but the troll was far too fast.

This way, I’m going to die! I don’t want to die! I want to live!

In the dire situation, desperate to speak but no sound came out.

Time seemed to slow down for the man.

The troll’s enormous body descending rapidly.

Compared to that, his own body’s movements felt unbearably sluggish.

In just a few seconds, I’m going to die——

BOOM——!

“Huh…?”

The man opened his eyes and mouth as wide as possible, staring at the empty sky.

It happened in the blink of an eye, truly instantaneous.

Something flew through the air leaving a pure white trail and delivered a powerful kick to the troll’s stomach.

The hulking troll went flying like a toy, contrary to its size.

BOOOOM—!

Colliding with the ground far away, creating a loud noise and sending dirt and rocks flying.

A brief silence ensued.

With flowing long hair, Si-hyun landed gracefully on the ground.

Then, she took light steps toward the fallen man.

“Are you alright?”

With a blank expression, Si-hyun extended her hand.

“Gu, gu, thank you so much…”

The man still couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

Thinking he should probably get up, he hesitantly reached out his hand.

Then, he noticed his hand was covered in dirt.

“Ah, sorry, my hand is really dirty.”

He tried to lower his hand.

But Si-hyun was faster.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the dirt-covered hand and helped him up.

Casually shook off the dirt and smiled faintly.

“You did well until the end despite the mistake. Your distance control sense was excellent.”

“Eh, yes…?”

Still dazed, the man unintentionally responded.

However, Si-hyun had already finished speaking and left the spot.

To observe the other hunters fiercely attacking the troll.

The man blankly stared at the back of his savior.

“Did well until the end, excellent distance control…”

Si-hyun’s gentle voice replayed endlessly in his mind.

An unexpected compliment he never anticipated.

He looked down at the hand that touched Si-hyun’s delicate hand, which fearlessly grabbed his dirty one.

Reconsidering the compliment contents.

Did well, excellent…

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly and his lips curved into a parabolic smile.

One emotion filled his heart completely.

Joy.

Even though it was a simple compliment, who gave it mattered greatly.

That petite figure who incapacitated the troll with a single kick.

Heard she was strong for her rank, but didn’t realize it would be to this extent.

“Amazing… So Academy professors aren’t just anyone after all!”

Nodding, the man shifted his gaze.

Looking at Si-hyun with newfound admiration in his eyes.