When Ji-a nodded, Si-hyun immediately prepared her elemental attack magic.
The easiest way to deal with monsters that clearly show their attributes.
Attack according to the elemental advantage.
– Zzzt, zzzt!
The mana began to swirl around Si-hyun.
Ji-a straightened her posture and gazed ahead.
Slimes, feeling the massive mana waves, started dropping one by one from the ceiling.
Plop! Plop!
Crack—
The ground touched by the cold slime slowly began to freeze.
The eerie sound of ice spreading echoed through the cave.
As Ji-a stepped forward, dozens of gigantic slimes rushed toward her.
Some slimes stopped at mid-range and extended their bodies like tentacles.
They swung down at Ji-a like whips.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Ji-a adeptly reacted.
Some incoming tentacles missed as she twisted her body, while others she sliced through with her spear.
Each step she took, left and right, rapidly reduced the number of tentacles.
After a few similar moves, all the tentacles attacking Ji-a were eliminated.
She had a brief moment to catch her breath.
But immediately, the remaining slimes rushed toward Ji-a.
One slime took a stance to prepare.
Moments later, it launched itself at Ji-a at high speed.
Right now…!
Having sensed the slime’s action, Ji-a used her combat skill at just the right moment.
Concentrating her strength in the arm gripping the spear, she maintained her thrusting position.
Her sleek arm muscles tensed, drawing delicate curves.
And just like that!
Ji-a thrust the spear forcefully toward the approaching slime.
Whoosh—, splat!
The mana spinning around the spear shot out fiercely.
A raging storm of mana accurately struck the slime’s core.
The core couldn’t withstand the force and shattered, the slime’s body disintegrating.
But that wasn’t the end.
The mana that burst the core didn’t stop; it continued to spin and charged forward.
With that momentum, it tore through the slimes behind, ripping them apart.
Ji-a readied her stance again.
Having killed one and temporarily incapacitated another, it was still only a fraction of the dozens.
Under normal circumstances, she would have to be wary of her body growing sluggish from the cold.
But Ji-a could already feel the mana vibrating from behind.
She instinctively sensed it: Si-hyun’s magic was about to be completed.
In that moment, Si-hyun shouted.
“Got it!”
Ji-a quickly launched herself off the ground, retreating in front of Si-hyun.
Just then, the slime attacking Ji-a crashed down onto the ground in vain.
A loud noise echoed, but that was all.
Si-hyun thrust her sword forward.
The swirling mana began to gather at the tip of the blade.
A small sphere began forming, growing larger by the second.
A brief silence followed.
But soon—
Boom———!
The condensed flames erupted with a thunderous roar, casting a massive inferno forward.
The great explosion resonated throughout the cave.
Like a living creature, the flames engulfed the slimes as they rained down.
With intense heat, the explosive power melted not just the monsters but even the cave floor.
Crackle, crackle….
Feeling the intense heat, Ji-a covered her face with the back of her hand.
After a moment, when the heat settled, she peeked through her fingers.
The massive flames had vanished, leaving only embers flickering.
Almost all of the gigantic slimes had disappeared.
The only two remaining slimes were at the very back.
Yet even they were in tatters, their cores intact but lacking any chill.
– Snap!
Si-hyun lightly flicked her fingers.
Zing—!
Mana arrows formed above the slimes.
Zzap—!
The last remaining slimes met their demise.
Ji-a blinked in disbelief.
She alternated her gaze between the place where the slimes vanished and Si-hyun.
“Oh my goodness…”
It wasn’t the first time Ji-a had seen magic.
She hadn’t witnessed S-rank Hunter’s abilities, but she had seen A to B ranks occasionally.
That was during their raids on high-level dungeons.
But….
“This is…”
Si-hyun clearly stated her job was ‘Saint.’
Thanks to memories from her original body, she could use magic to an extent.
Rolling around on the battlefield, she learned to become sturdy like a Paladin.
Still, she claimed her specialties were buff, debuff spells, and blessings.
‘Is this what she means by knowing it to a degree…?’
In Ji-a’s eyes, Si-hyun’s attack magic had already surpassed B rank.
At the very least, only an A-rank Hunter could even compete!
With her arms lowered, Si-hyun approached Ji-a.
She shyly smiled and twisted the tips of her hair with her fingers.
Looking subtly at Ji-a’s reaction, she spoke.
“Um, I don’t have a staff or any support tools… so the efficiency isn’t that great.”
As if downplaying her power, she wore an embarrassed expression.
“…Puhuh, What was that?”
In the end, Ji-a couldn’t hold back her laughter.
She slowly reached her hand out to Si-hyun, thinking.
It was both pitiful and utterly adorable to see such amazing magic on display while still being cautious of others’ eyes.
With a soft touch, Ji-a stroked Si-hyun’s hair.
Unlike in the morning, Si-hyun accepted the touch quietly.
Ji-a whispered softly.
“Si-hyun, you can be more confident. You were really awesome just now.”
“…R-Really?”
“Yeah, the best! You were the best mage I’ve ever seen!”
“…Hehe.”
A joyful smile blossomed on Si-hyun’s face.
Ji-a smiled back at her.
*
As they progressed through the dungeon, Ji-a and Si-hyun chatted occasionally.
“Si-hyun, I’m a little worried…”
“Yeah? About what?”
“When you teach at the academy, you’re not going to be nervous around the students, right?”
“Not at all?”
Walking ahead, Ji-a cast a sidelong glance at Si-hyun’s face.
She wore a confident expression.
“Right, you need to be confident! You’re the professor!”
“Of course! They’re all definitely beneath me.”
“…Huh?”
That direct phrase caught Ji-a’s attention.
She could vaguely understand why Si-hyun sometimes reacted the way she did and looked wary.
‘Should I push a little more?’
Ji-a asked lightly.
“What do you think is the role of a Saint in battle, from start to finish?”
“Um…”
Si-hyun pondered, folding and unfolding her fingers.
After a moment, she spoke.
“Giving buffs, casting blessings, drawing aggro if the Paladin is struggling. And, um… if the dealer is having a hard time, contributing damage as well? Healing when there’s an injury, and stepping in for roles. Um, what else…”
“Wait, wait a minute!”
“Huh? Why?”
Ji-a interrupted Si-hyun, who was listing endlessly the roles of a Saint, looking serious.
It felt like she would continue forever. That was already enough.
She had already claimed out loud to handle all roles: tank, dealer, support.
The mere fact that she thought there was more to add was simply ridiculous.
“If we talk in terms of Hunters, a Saint is a support Hunter, right?”
“…I guess so?”
Seeing Si-hyun’s confused look, her eyes widening, Ji-a shook her head and continued.
“A support role only needs to provide safe healing from behind to count as one. Safety first! Usually, just taking care of yourself is enough to be considered great.”
“……? What’s that? How is that even one share? It’s like being dead weight!”
“Just having that one existence can change the party’s stability!”
“Uh-huh…?”
Si-hyun still didn’t seem to understand.
Ji-a realized more than ever that the influence of those so-called Heroes was incredibly deep-rooted.
“Hunters are all just people in the end. Life is the most precious thing. The one who takes the best care of that is precisely the healer, the support class.”
“Hmm…”
“The numbers are too few, which is the problem. Most, if not all, belong to large guilds.”
“Even so, isn’t it a bit much to just stay safe? We’re not just here to fight. They’re useless!”
“…Ugh.”
Ji-a subconsciously bit her lip.
Pointing out such deeply entrenched misconceptions wasn’t easy.
It’s true that just focusing on your safety can be seen as enough.
Some Hunters stay so poorly protected that they require escorts.
But even so, they’re in short supply.
That’s why support Hunters are accorded high status.
Compared to those people, what about Si-hyun? A jack of all trades.
If she can handle every role, then she should.
It’s an ideal that’s not common, nor is it something everyone can achieve; it’s solely Si-hyun’s outstanding ability.
This isn’t about it being necessary; it’s just that Si-hyun is something special.
There’s a clear distinction between ‘must do’ and ‘can do.’
Ji-a let out a small sigh and spoke.
“Phew… never mind, let’s focus on the dungeon today.”
“Yeah, we should!”
It was true that Si-hyun hadn’t been back to Earth for long.
Ji-a recalled the saying, “Time is the best medicine.”
She just needed to continue to support and help her.
“Phew——”
Releasing a deep sigh, Ji-a fueled her resentment toward the so-called Hero party within this world.
Every time she heard about them, all she could think was that they were despicable.
She probably wouldn’t encounter them, but…
If they happened to appear before her, she’d skewer them with a spear.
“Oh, Ji-a! This is the boss room.”
“Already? We’re so fast!”
The two women exchanged glances and nodded.
Then Si-hyun smiled slightly and said,
“Can I just do one share?”
Pffth, you’re already exceeding that!
At Si-hyun’s joke, Ji-a burst into laughter.
Si-hyun also giggled playfully.
Seeing her face, Ji-a thought…
Maybe she didn’t have to worry too much after all.
Si-hyun would surely manage just fine.
Maintaining a reasonable level of tension, the two women entered the boss room.
