Chapter 11

Si-hyun hurriedly moved her steps.

The situation unfolding before her eyes needed to be resolved quickly.

A huge, muscular man was pressuring Miss Da-young.

Miss Da-young’s body was trembling slightly.

Normally, she would have first gone through the process of confirming their relationship.

But due to the alcohol she had consumed after a long time, her body, which had never experienced alcohol before, reacted strangely.

Without much thought, she immediately took action.

Tock, Tock.

Ignoring the somewhat familiar woman glaring at her, Si-hyun tapped the man’s back.

“Huh? What is it?”

The man turned around.

His eyes widened instantly.

“Whoo! What does this pretty lady want with me?”

The man whistled lightly as he observed Si-hyun from head to toe.

Jackpot!

Instead of answering, Si-hyun extended her arm.

At that moment, Da-young shouted in surprise.

“S-Si-hyun! This guy’s kinda dangerous…!”

Da-young’s words were cut off before they could finish.

Because Si-hyun immediately launched into action.

She grabbed the collar of the arrogant man standing there.

The man smirked, finding her cute.

But then…

KUDANGTANG!

The massive man soared through the air and slammed his head-first into the roadside.

“…Eh?”

Da-young’s eyes widened in shock. Her mouth hung open without closing.

This guy was not just big; he was a hunter.

When she left the large guild, he was someone who was about to reach B-rank.

Plus, judging by his appearance, he was a close-range hunter.

In short, an incredibly strong person.

So even though this was Si-hyun, she thought it was dangerous.

“Ms. Da-young, are you okay?”

“Eh, uh-huh…”

Da-young looked back and forth between Si-hyun and the man.

Just how strong is our Si-hyun?

“You crazy bitch!”

The auntie watching the scene screamed and immediately used a magic-type hunter skill.

A fireball the size of a human head formed and flew towards Si-hyun at high speed.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Over! Over there!”

Da-young shouted urgently.

The magic-type hunter’s flame magic surged.

Si-hyun didn’t move to dodge.

She didn’t even turn her head.

‘She must not have noticed!’

Da-young tried to move her body to take the hit for her.

That’s when…

Si-hyun stopped Da-young with one hand and casually swung the other.

She swatted away the fireball flying towards her with the back of her hand.

The fireball collided with her hand and made a ‘Pik!’ sound before disappearing.

It was like swatting away a fly.

With just that simple motion, the magic-type hunter’s skill vanished.

“M-Madness…”

The female magic-type hunter involuntarily stepped back in fear.

While she had thought the white-haired woman was strong for an E-rank during the last cave incident, she didn’t expect her to so easily counter the D-rank skill she was about to achieve.

A towering wall loomed ahead.

An impossibly tall wall that seemed to stretch endlessly upward.

“Shit…”

The bulky man lying on the ground regained consciousness.

He slowly stood up.

After briefly looking at him, Si-hyun spoke to Da-young.

“Isn’t he a bad guy? Should I discipline him?”

“Huh…?”

Drinking the same amount of alcohol as Si-hyun, Da-young couldn’t follow what was happening and absentmindedly nodded.

Even more so since it was bomb drink—soju mixed with beer.

“Since he dared to bother my sister… He needs to repent.”

Si-hyun muttered to herself while preparing magic.

Magic she hadn’t used recently.

Although its usage had decreased in this world because enemies’ resistance had grown stronger, it felt like it might work on this guy.

Click!

As if performing a show, Si-hyun flicked her finger.

Then black smoke billowed out and began enveloping the man.

“What the hell is this!”

The man resisted, shaking his body and swinging his arms, but was completely swallowed up.

“Si, Si-hyun, what exactly is that?”

“It’s a skill, a skill. A paladin skill.”

“Oh…?”

It certainly didn’t look like something a holy knight should use.

Da-young gave up trying to understand.

Giving up made her feel lighter somehow.

The sinister-looking black smoke gradually disappeared.

Inside it, the man revealed himself with bloodshot eyes bulging out.

A crazed look, ready to explode any second.

He rolled his eyes wildly.

Spotting his target, his eyes gleamed as he let out a loud roar.

“You son of a bitch!”

Kicking off the ground, he charged at his target.

Reaching his goal instantly, the man raised his large palm.

His opponent didn’t even react properly.

“I’ll teach you some manners!”

“Kyaaah!”

The woman struck on the cheek fell to the ground.

But the man didn’t stop.

He climbed atop the woman and mercilessly beat her.

“How dare you! Hit ME?!”

“Hey, buddy! That’s enough!”

“Buddy?! Shit!”

The woman screamed in pain, but the man didn’t stop.

He continued the assault.

Even though the street wasn’t busy, there were definitely people around.

People started gathering to watch the commotion.

Dae-young wiped sweat from her brow and whispered quietly to Si-hyun.

“Uh, why is that guy acting like that?”

“Have you ever played games? It’s a kind of debuff. An abnormal status.”

“Huh? Abnormal status?”

“Yeah, right now, this uncle sees that aunt as me.”

“…”

Dae-young closed her mouth.

Though it was a bit cruel to watch, she started thinking maybe she should intervene.

But then, hearing Si-hyun’s explanation changed her mind.

If Si-hyun had been weaker than that guy…

The one lying beneath him could have been Si-hyun or even herself.

Dae-young watched the violent scene with cold eyes.

Thinking about it, all Si-hyun did was act in self-defense once.

The violence was being committed by the man.

So, we haven’t done anything wrong here.

Changing her thoughts brought relief.

It was just that bastard focusing too hard; the aunt’s glare was annoying too.

She snickered quietly.

It was a clean execution of justice.

“Hmph…”

“Hic, hic…”

The woman’s face swelled up so badly it was unrecognizable, and the violence stopped.

The man got up, looking satisfied.

Si-hyun stared silently at the man.

Sure, getting rid of that disgusting aunt from the dungeon was good, but…

Seeing this man committing violence with such a smug expression…

It didn’t sit well with her.

Turning her body, she walked towards a secluded alley.

“Hey, buddy? Where are you going?”

The man hastily followed her.

Dae-young hesitated for a moment whether to interfere or not.

…Since it’s Si-hyun, she’ll probably be fine, right?

She gave up thinking deeply.

The two disappeared into the dark alleyway.

And after a few minutes…

The man reappeared first.

With a pale, corpse-like face.

His eyes lacked any life, as if his soul had been sucked out.

He shuffled towards Dae-young.

Dae-young flinched momentarily but stayed still to observe his actions.

“I’m sorry! It was all my fault! I won’t come near here again!”

The man slammed his head into the ground and shouted loudly.

His voice was so sincere that Dae-young unconsciously nodded.

“Should I educate him further?”

“No, that’s enough.”

At Si-hyun’s question, who had approached unnoticed, Dae-young shook her head.

It felt as refreshing as chugging a cold ice beer.

This guy may only be a regular member of a large guild, but where are we?

Thanks to Si-hyun, she felt refreshed for the first time in a while.

But spending more time on these guys was wasteful.

“Si-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you call me sister earlier? I want to hear it again.”

“…I never did that.”

“Aww, I’m sure I heard it.”

“Nope.”

“Tch…”

Dae-young stuck out her lower lip.

Her cheeks puffed up cutely.

Si-hyun stared at her expression silently before speaking.

“Ms. Dae-young, shall we go for round two?”

“Let’s go!”

Dae-young answered enthusiastically.

Good thing they didn’t run out of drinks.

Even though they left some food, the place felt awkward.

The two gulped down the remaining alcohol.

Dae-young went inside to settle the bill and came back out.

Looking at Si-hyun waiting for her, Dae-young noticed her cheeks flushed red from intoxication.

She grinned happily.

Too cute and adorable.

There was lethal cuteness that was bad for the heart.

She wanted Si-hyun to call her sister affectionately.

A new goal had emerged in Dae-young’s life.

* * *

The next morning.

Han-gyeol, as usual, diligently arrived at the guild early.

Part of his daily routine included greeting Dae-young in her office.

Then he naturally slumped onto the table and mumbled.

“Master, you smell like alcohol.”

“Eh, really?”

“Looks like you drank a lot. Who did you drink with?”

At Han-gyeol’s question, Dae-young smiled slyly and said,

“Me and Si-hyun, just the two of us.”

“Eh? With Si-hyun-san?!”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Han-gyeol sat up abruptly.

Dae-young chuckled mischievously and said,

“Yeah. Are you jealous?”

“I wish you’d invite me too…”

“Why should I?”

Han-gyeol looked at Dae-young with eyes filled with envy.

Which made Dae-young feel playful.

Should I tease him a little more?

“Maybe because it’s girl-to-girl. We get closer faster than with guys, right?”

“Not necessarily, but yeah… You know…”

“That you’re a horny male?”

“NOT AT ALL!”

Han-gyeol yelled angrily at Dae-young’s joke.

Dae-young enjoyed his reaction, thinking,

‘Si-hyun seems to attract a lot of men…’

Honestly, even she thought it was strange not to fall for Si-hyun.

Of course, whether Si-hyun is interested in romantic relationships is a different matter altogether.

In Dae-young’s opinion, she seemed indifferent to such things.

Well, Si-hyun’s default face is usually emotionless anyway.

“Yesterday was truly impressive. She effortlessly threw a 2-meter tall giant with one hand.”

“Wait, 2 meters tall?”

“Yeah! Remember that guy from our old guild?”

“Ohhh…! You ran into that guy? That was dangerous… He has a terrible personality.”

“But our Si-hyun protected me~”

“Aaagh…”

As Dae-young laughed playfully, Han-gyeol held his head in frustration.

He envied the master so much.

“And that’s not all. A magic-type hunter’s skill was deflected by her with the back of her hand.”

“Huh?”

Han-gyeol blinked, unable to comprehend what Dae-young was saying.

What did she deflect with what?

“She didn’t even look, just swiped her hand like this and BOOM! The fire magic disappeared.”

“Huh?”

Dae-young mimicked Si-hyun’s gesture with her hand.

Still, Han-gyeol couldn’t understand.

“Is that even possible?”

“That’s how sturdy she is, right? She’s a paladin.”

“But she didn’t even look, how is that possible?”

“If it works, it works, right?”

“I guess…”

Since the master wasn’t the type to lie, Han-gyeol slowly started to believe it.

“Ah, I’m so jealous. Please invite me next time.”

“Start by asking for her number? You don’t even know Si-hyun’s number, do you?”

“…”

“Ugh. Are you repeating ‘That is divine grape.’ in your head right now?”

“…”

“You know me too well, don’t you?”

Han-gyeol muttered dejectedly.

Dae-young responded with an expression of disdain.

That’s when…

Dae-young’s phone vibrated.

“Hello? Yeah, Ji-han. Oh, it’s over already? We’ll see each other soon. Be careful coming back. Yeah.”

After a brief conversation, Dae-young put her phone back in her pocket.

Han-gyeol, who had been quietly waiting, spoke up.

“Ji-han cleared the dungeon already?”

“Yeah. Looks like the kid’s got talent.”

“Seriously, he might reach B-rank soon.”

“You need to level up to C-rank too.”

“Yeeees…”

Han-gyeol sighed under the natural flow of scolding.

‘Time to leave?’ he thought, unconsciously picking up his phone to check messages.

“Huh…”

The master’s chat profile picture was a photo taken with Si-hyun.

Before realizing it, he pressed the power and volume buttons simultaneously.

“You were trying to look at Si-hyun by checking my profile picture, weren’t you?”

“Too perceptive…”

Caught immediately by Dae-young, Han-gyeol scratched his cheek.