Han-gyeol glanced sideways at the person next to him.
Si-hyun fidgeted a bit, adjusting her sitting posture comfortably.
She casually tucked her hair behind her ear with her fingers.
Her outfit was undoubtedly ordinary and neat, but Si-hyun’s unique aura and figure had a magical power that captured people’s attention.
“Ooh, how about we watch this now?”
“Ah, this one?”
The sounds of guild members in the back conversing as they watched a video on their phones could be heard.
Si-hyun’s ears perked up.
She tilted her head slightly, seemingly intrigued, and a small smile spread across her lips.
“Whoa—! Watching this makes me want to use a spear too.”
“Cut it out, enough with the spear talk. Why don’t you just use the big sword for your awakening skill?”
“Calling myself a spear master? Not happening, it’s my turn to show a sword hunter video now.”
The sound of giggles continued.
Han-gyeol noticed it right away.
Si-hyun’s previously small smile vanished, replaced by a neutral expression.
Pouting her lower lip slightly, she crossed her legs.
Feeling concerned about this change, Han-gyeol carefully opened his mouth.
“Si-hyun?”
“…Yes?”
“Uh, well… Aren’t you bored? Would you like to watch some videos together until we head to the dungeon?”
“Hmm, what kind?”
Han-gyeol pulled out a tablet and earphones from his bag.
Recalling the conversation from earlier, he deduced some information.
Kim Ji-a the Hunter, or maybe the spear master.
One of these two was clearly what Si-hyun was interested in.
There was no need for guessing, so he typed “Kim Ji-a Hunter” right into the search bar.
“Heh….”
He got it right!
A faint expression returned to Si-hyun’s previously emotionless face.
She shifted and moved right next to Han-gyeol.
Receiving one earphone, she put it in, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
As Han-gyeol felt the sweet scent wafting as she drew closer, his mind started to spin.
Nervously operating the tablet with his tense fingers.
“Oh, I’ve seen that.”
“Oh, really? Then how about this one…”
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1WnJmY0k5RDNwaTJPTG90WmU4Zm0wTjE2cUVLS0hnOXVEUEtDa0YzU2pYUQ
A smooth voice came from right next to him.
Hearing it up close was even sweeter.
Si-hyun’s shoulder brushed against Han-gyeol’s arm.
Si-hyun fidgeted with the fabric around her chest as if her formal shirt was feeling tight.
Han-gyeol, who had been quietly observing, couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Unaware of Han-gyeol’s inner thoughts, Si-hyun asked lightly.
“Are you a fan of Kim Ji-a the Hunter too?”
“Uh, um… I watch her from time to time.”
“I see.”
Si-hyun nodded once and then focused on the screen.
And Han-gyeol quietly made a decision.
From now on, I am a fan of Kim Ji-a the Hunter.
It was a chance to form a common interest.
And then, at that moment.
“Whoa!”
“Let’s watch together! The screen is bigger and easier to see!”
Two male guild members, having finished watching a hunter swordsman video, leaned forward.
In the video, Kim Ji-a the Hunter showcased her dazzling spear skills.
“Oooh! This is awesome!”
“Seriously, don’t they ever do signings? I totally get Ji-han’s feelings!”
The two guys were making a ruckus.
Si-hyun, considering the men in the back, made some space between Han-gyeol and herself so the tablet could be easily seen.
Though Han-gyeol felt a big sense of disappointment inwardly, he didn’t show it on the outside.
Meanwhile, Si-hyun thought:
Hehe, I can get Ji-a’s signature anytime.
She nodded cheerfully, feeling a sense of relative superiority.
Just like she was a friend of a famous celebrity. No, she actually was.
She had no idea that knowing someone famous could be this sweet.
Back in the fantasy world, if someone fawned over a hero party, she felt nothing but annoyance.
If it wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t good either.
It really was all about the context and the people involved.
Si-hyun was reminded of how important social environments are.
*
Han-gyeol, Si-hyun and five male guild members entered a C-rank gate.
Although most were D-rank hunters, with Han-gyeol being a C-rank, entry was possible.
The scenery changed, revealing a lush forest filled with trees and plants.
Si-hyun immediately spread her mana lightly around her.
The quest was to help the men adapt to a C-rank dungeon.
Think of it as practical training.
It was a general studies class, so there wasn’t much to do, but it would surely come in handy in the future.
“Hmmm….”
“Phew….”
The men, who had been laughing and chatting in the car, fell silent.
They were tense now that they had entered a C-rank dungeon.
The master contracted Si-hyun, a D-rank hunter, as a safety measure.
They knew she was much stronger than her rank, but they had no real idea how strong.
She was strong enough to take down Ji-han, the guild’s ace.
That was just the extent of the rumors they had heard.
The only one who wasn’t too tense, Han-gyeol walked over to Si-hyun and asked.
“How many knights skills can you give us, Si-hyun?”
“…I can give all of them.”
“Whoa, that’s impressive!”
“Um….”
Han-gyeol clapped his hands, beaming.
But Si-hyun tilted her head, looking puzzled as she stared at the guild members.
What’s up with them?
Han-gyeol thought about why Si-hyun was reacting that way and pondered quietly.
…No clue. He decided to just ask directly.
“Do you have something on your mind, Si-hyun?”
“…It’s about whether to use the skills. Which option would be better for adapting to the dungeon?”
“Oh, ah—! That’s what you were worried about.”
Finally solving the mystery, Han-gyeol flashed a friendly smile.
“Don’t worry! I’m an experienced person. I preferred the one you give me.”
“…Is that so?”
“Holding that feeling of going beyond your usual limits is honestly the best feeling, right? It’s like getting a sneak peek into the future.”
“Wow, I see.”
Si-hyun’s face lit up as her worries were alleviated.
She had never thought of it that way before.
Getting a preview into future experiences is quite something.
The detailed stories Han-gyeol shared gave Si-hyun a fresh perspective.
“Then shall we go?”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
Si-hyun manipulated her mana.
Part of the mana that had been lightly spread surrounded the guild members.
While they called it a skill in front of everyone, since she wasn’t an awakened one, she was merely creating a magical phenomenon with her own power.
“Whoa, whoa!”
“Something’s boosting my energy?!”
The men who were buffed all raised their arms, admiring their muscles.
All doing the same thing, Si-hyun couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“This is my knight skill. Shall we start moving?”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
“Charge!”
“Let’s show those monsters what we’re made of!”
The excited men arranged themselves and began moving.
Si-hyun walked behind, following them.
Before entering the dungeon, she had swapped her shoes for athletic ones.
Walking comfortably, time began to flow.
After a little while, the first monsters the party discovered were two giant trolls.
With a towering height of over three meters, their destructive power was tremendous.
Coupled with their thick skin and outstanding regenerative ability.
Despite the small numbers, each was an incredibly strong monster.
Since they were still some distance away, the monsters did not notice the humans.
All the guild members held their breath, hiding behind the trees.
The excitement they had moments ago vanished.
Such was the immense aura of the giant monsters.
Han-gyeol quietly suggested to the others.
“Let’s safely lure them out one by one.”
“That makes sense.”
“Who’ll be the one to lure them?”
They whispered and exchanged strategies.
Si-hyun watched them silently.
Using a lure for a stable dungeon strategy made sense.
Though the issue was how long it took.
“Um…”
“Yes, Si-hyun?”
Si-hyun interjected into the men’s conversation.
Considering the number of monsters they were about to face, spending this much time on each battle was going to take forever.
She wanted to have dinner with Si-yoon when they got back.
So she decided to step in. A simple reason.
“I’ll handle one; you guys can try tackling the other.”
“Is, is that alright?”
“It should be easier for all of us.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
The men nodded in a daze.
That was how commanding Si-hyun’s attitude was.
“If anything looks dangerous, I’ll help you. Just try and experience it first.”
With that, Si-hyun stepped out toward the trolls.
The men hurriedly followed her.
They slowly closed the distance.
Si-hyun launched forward, charging at the trolls.
In an instant, she closed the gap.
The trolls were surprised, their eyes locked onto her.
Si-hyun quickly moved in the opposite direction.
The monsters naturally followed her lead.
At that moment, a hunter shot an arrow that struck one troll in the back.
Though it was infused with mana, it lacked the strength.
The arrow only grazed its skin and fell to the ground.
“Uuu?”
One of the attacked trolls growled low and spun around.
Upon spotting the men, it stomped toward them.
One by one, aggro was effectively distributed.
Han-gyeol moved forward first.
As the strongest in the party, he wanted to take the lead in dodging the troll’s attacks.
“Graaargh!”
“Uff!”
The power-packed fist of the troll shot toward Han-gyeol.
He calmly sidestepped to avoid the attack.
Taking advantage of the moment, the other hunters all piled their attacks on the troll.
Scrapes appeared all over the trolls’ bodies—arms, back, thighs, everywhere.
The troll seemed unaffected by such feeble attacks, swinging its fist wide.
“Whoa!”
“Damn!”
The excited men cursed as they stepped back.
With great size came long arms.
As the troll spun around, its fist collided with a massive tree, causing it to stop.
Creeeak!
Boom—!
The tree buckled under the force and crashed to the ground, creating a huge noise.
Dust and leaves flew into the air.
Even merely swinging its fists manifested an incomprehensible might compared to the E-rank or D-rank monsters.
“Holy crap, this is fierce…”
“C-rank is definitely C-rank…”
D-rank men murmured in disbelief.
But their enthusiasm didn’t wane.
“Hey, don’t you think it looks doable because of Si-hyun’s buff?”
“Yeah, for sure… If it weren’t for that, I might not have dodged that punch earlier?”
“I’m feeling a boost of confidence.”
“Haha! Same here!”
Han-gyeol dodged yet another troll’s attack.
As the men exchanged confident conversations, they seized yet another opportunity to strike.
“Graaaargh—!”
Each strike may seem small.
However, the cumulative damage was terrible as they hit the troll over and over.
“It’s manageable!”
“Haha! What does it matter if it’s sturdy!”
The men, in high spirits, launched their one-sided assault.
Eventually, the troll, infuriated, started smashing its fists wildly against the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground shook violently with every punch.
“W-Whoa?!”
“Hey, be careful!”
One hunter, charging in, lost his balance.
He tried to keep his footing but ended up planting his foot back down firmly.
At that moment!
He was unfortunate. He stepped on a protruding stone.
His body slipped, causing him to fall backward.
“WAAAAH!”
“Uuu?”
Along with the scream, the troll’s gaze turned toward the fallen man.
It stopped punching the ground and made a fierce expression.
With its weighty body, the troll tightened its legs as it crouched.
The muscles of its legs bulged.
Then, using all its strength, it jumped!
The giant torso of the troll soared into the air.
Against gravity, it climbed, only to soon begin its rapid descent.
“D-Damn it!”
The man quickly tried to get back on his feet.
But his movements were slow.
‘I’m gonna die——!’
The man looked up with tears welling in his eyes.
He was moving with all he had, but the troll was much too fast.
At this rate, he would die! He didn’t want to die! He wanted to live!
In a desperate situation, he wanted to scream out, but no voice emerged.
Time seemed to slow down for him.
As the massive troll descended rapidly, he was left helpless.
In just a few seconds, I’m done——
Boom——!
“Huh…?”
With wide-open eyes and mouth, the man gazed into the void.
In the blink of an eye, something had swooped in, leaving a white trail and landed a powerful kick on the troll’s belly.
The massive troll was sent flying like a toy.
Thwomp—!
Crashing onto the distant ground with a loud noise, raising dirt and rocks around.
A moment of silence followed.
With her long hair flowing, Si-hyun lightly touched down.
Afterward, she made her way to the fallen hunter with gentle steps.
“…Are you alright?”
Si-hyun extended her hand with a neutral expression.
“T-Thank you….”
The man still couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Well, he had to get up. He thought, staring blankly as he reached for her hand.
Just then, he realized his hand was filthy with dirt.
“Ah, I’m sorry. My hand’s so dirty.”
He tried to pull back his hand.
But Si-hyun was quicker.
Without hesitation, she helped him up, grabbing his dirty hand.
Tap! Tap! She lightly dusted his hand off and smiled.
“You made a mistake at the end, but up until then, you did well. Your distance control was excellent.”
“Um, yeah…?”
Still dazed, the man unintentionally asked back.
But Si-hyun had already said what she needed and turned away.
She peered at the other hunters fiercely attacking the troll.
The man was left staring blankly at the back of the woman who had saved his life.
“You did well, excellent distance control…”
Si-hyun’s lovely voice echoed endlessly in his mind.
It was an unexpected compliment he never imagined.
He glanced down at the hand she had held.
A dainty, dirty hand, gripping his without hesitation.
Replaying her words in his mind again.
You did well, excellent…
His eyes narrowed, and a smile crept up on his lips.
One feeling filled his heart.
Joy.
It was just a simple compliment, but who said it mattered.
The one who effortlessly kicked the troll away was the one standing before him.
He had heard she was strong for her rank, but he never expected her to be this capable.
What an incredible person… It’s clear now that being an academy professor isn’t just for anyone!
The man nodded and shifted his gaze.
He looked at Si-hyun with a different light in his eyes.
It now sparkled with admiration.
