Chapter 14

The next day, Si-hyun hopped into Ji-a’s car that had come to pick her up, and they headed toward the gate.

“Having a personal ride sure is nice…” Si-hyun thought absently when…

Ji-a looked over at Si-hyun and spoke.

“What kind of weapon do you use? I’m a spear user.”

“Hmm, I didn’t get to bring my usual weapon after returning… so, kinda just winging it?”

Maybe I should try out the sword Da-young gave me?

Si-hyun casually thought this as she pulled out the sword.

Seeing this, Ji-a widened her eyes and said,

“A holy maiden using a sword?”

“I’ve picked up quite a bit by sight alone.”

Si-hyun replied as if it were no big deal.

During large-scale battles, she’d used whatever she could grab in the chaos.

Plus, she’d spent a few years with the Hero’s party.

Though she hadn’t trained systematically, she knew enough to handle herself.

“Hmm… Shall we begin then?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Side by side, the two stepped forward energetically.

Advancing into the dungeon, the two soon encountered two trolls.

Over 3 meters tall, with thick skin and powerful regenerative abilities—these were tough foes for your average C-rank Hunter.

But these two weren’t ordinary.

“One each. Sound good?”

“Of course.”

They decided to take one each and prepared for battle.

Ji-a assumed her stance and glanced at Si-hyun.

Though confident in her own abilities, she hadn’t yet seen Si-hyun fight directly.

For her, a C-rank troll was an easy opponent, so she planned to observe Si-hyun first.

However…

It was the same for Si-hyun.

She’d killed countless trolls before—she could handle them blindfolded.

Realizing they were both sizing each other up, they exchanged glances.

“Haha…”

“Ahahaha!”

So, we’re thinking the same thing!

After sharing a hearty laugh, they turned their attention back to the monsters.

The dungeon was vast anyway.

There’d be plenty of time to observe each other later.

With their thoughts aligned, the two began their fights as the trolls charged.

First, Ji-a.

Using her agility and the length of her spear to its fullest extent, she kept her distance from the troll while targeting its weak points.

Joints and knees—areas that would slow down its movements.

No matter how sturdy the troll might be,

the skilled spear technique of an A-rank Hunter repeatedly striking the same spots eventually wore it down.

Its regenerative powers couldn’t keep up, and it dropped to its knees.

At that moment!

Ji-a activated her spear skill.

A blue streak shot out, piercing straight through the troll’s neck.

“Graaaah—!”

Even with great regenerative powers, this was a fatal blow.

The troll collapsed onto the ground, ending its life.

“Huff…!”

Ji-a relaxed a little, swinging her spear to shake off the blood.

Turning her gaze toward Si-hyun, she muttered softly.

“…Oh wow.”

Already, Si-hyun’s troll lay defeated.

Its head cleanly severed.

Though Ji-a hadn’t held back completely, she hadn’t expected to lose to Si-hyun.

Seems like Si-hyun is stronger than she thought.

“…Is this really a holy maiden?”

As Ji-a murmured this aloud, approaching Si-hyun heard her and responded with a wry smile.

“Paladin.”

“Ohhh.”

Though only one word, the meaning was clearly conveyed.

Ji-a smiled and nodded.

Today’s events in the dungeon would remain a secret.

“Remember yesterday when you said you’d bless me once we entered the dungeon?”

“Yeah?”

“Is what you do similar to support-focused Hunters?”

“Hmm… maybe?”

Si-hyun tilted her head, unsure since she hadn’t seen such Hunters in action.

Guess we’ll figure it out as we go.

Si-hyun lightly channeled divine power to strengthen Ji-a’s body,

then boosted her efficiency by layering buffs powered by mana.

Since it was just a C-rank dungeon, she adjusted the strength appropriately.

When the “blessing” ended, Ji-a clenched and unclenched her fists, muttering in surprise.

“This feels… different?”

“Does it?”

“It feels like there are multiple layers on top of each other right now.”

“Yeah, that’s correct.”

Upon confirming this, Ji-a pondered aloud.

“The very first sensation… that’s something new to me. From midway onward, I recognize it as mana.”

“Divine energy?”

“That’s what it’s called? Yeah, this feeling is brand-new to me.”

“Hmm…”

Si-hyun paused for a moment.

This was something no one had pointed out before.

Maybe A-rank Hunters can sense things like this.

Still, she reached the conclusion that she couldn’t answer definitively either.

Divine power came through prayer and faith,

while mana, though theoretically understood, relied heavily on intuition.

‘There are indeed many differences between Awakened individuals and myself.’ She concluded her thoughts.

“Are there any issues? Any side effects?”

“Not at all! If anything, I have too much energy now. I feel like I could take on an S-rank opponent right now.”

Ji-a declared confidently.

Her entire body surged with strength and vitality.

It wasn’t for nothing that large guilds often sought out scarce supporters.

Everyone hits a limit or wall in their power at some point.

Being able to break through it so easily—even if just momentarily—is truly intoxicating.

“Shall we go wild a little?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Feeling Ji-a’s overflowing energy, Si-hyun also felt invigorated.

Her reaction was refreshingly unexpected.

With renewed vigor, the two advanced deep into the dungeon.

Though it was merely a C-rank dungeon,

both Si-hyun and Ji-a were more energized than ever.

* * *

After finishing the dungeon and stepping outside,

Ji-a voiced a question that had been nagging her.

“Si-hyun, didn’t you say you’ve never been to a C-rank dungeon before?”

“Yeah? This is my first time.”

“Then how did you handle things so smoothly?”

Recalling Si-hyun’s movements inside the dungeon, Ji-a realized it wasn’t just raw talent and physical prowess.

It was prediction.

The movements of someone who had thoroughly analyzed the actions and patterns of their opponents.

Combined with Si-hyun’s strength, she made dealing with C-rank monsters look almost mocking.

“Ah… I don’t know why either.”

Understanding Ji-a’s question, Si-hyun scratched her cheek.

“The monsters in the world I came from were exactly the same.”

“Really? All from E to C ranks?”

“Yeah. Monsters I fought endlessly. Their counters are already ingrained in me.”

“In that case…”

Ji-a’s eyes widened in shock.

Perhaps Si-hyun also had a perfect understanding of the B-rank and A-rank monsters that appeared.

If she even knew about the rare S-rank monsters that had barely shown up yet…

The world would be flipped upside down.

“Ah, but I don’t know everything. Just what I know.”

“There are things I don’t know.” Si-hyun added quietly with a small smile.

Continuing, she said,

“Anyway, you’re really strong, Ji-a.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Yeah, honestly, I was surprised. You’re definitely on a different level compared to lower-ranked Hunters.”

“R-really…?”

Caught off guard by Si-hyun’s compliment, Ji-a’s cheeks turned red.

As the saying goes, flattery makes even whales dance, and her heart began to race.

Anyway, Si-hyun was not only strong but also drop-dead gorgeous.

Embarrassed, Ji-a decided to change the subject.

“You’re really going to skip shopping with Si-yoon?”

“Uh-huh. I’ll probably be too tired.”

“But dungeons are way more tiring!”

“I’m fine, you two go enjoy yourselves.”

Not interested in joining the girls’ shopping trip, Si-hyun put up an impenetrable wall.

Ji-a tried to chip away at it but couldn’t break through.

* * *

Time passed, and the weekend arrived.

Ji-a and Si-yoon strolled around a nearby shopping district.

In the midst of their outing, Si-yoon’s bracelet caught Ji-a’s eye.

“Si-yoon, that bracelet is pretty. Where did you get it?”

“Oh, this one?”

Responding to Ji-a’s question, Si-yoon grinned and lifted her arm.

“Our sister’s gift! It just got finished recently, so she gave it to me.”

“Hmm…”

As Si-yoon extended her arm proudly, Ji-a absentmindedly touched the bracelet and felt something familiar.

“Huh? Status window.”

Instantly opening the status window, she checked the bracelet’s information.

Unlike regular items, this one was crafted using magical stones, so its basic stats were listed.

“This is jewelry made from magical stones?”

“Oh, is that what it is? That explains why she kept telling me all sorts of things about being careful with it…”

Hearing Si-yoon’s mutterings, Ji-a chuckled wryly.

Who says older sisters aren’t dorks?

And they’d only been back for how long, yet she’d already taken care of this?

“…I think I want to buy something too.”

“Should we check out the accessory shops?”

“Sure.”

The two women wandered around the mall, exploring various accessories.

Though it took some time, Si-yoon eventually found something satisfying.

Just as Si-yoon was picking up her wrapped present…

“Hey, everyone! Evacuate!”

“What’s happening?!”

Suddenly, an unexpected event unfolded.

A young man shouted urgently.

Confused, people turned to look at him.

“C-cosmic rift…!”

He didn’t finish his sentence.

A massive noise erupted, and a giant gate filled with crimson energy appeared.

People in the mall were helplessly sucked into the gate.

Among the many citizens pulled in were Ji-a and Si-yoon.

This was a special irregular dungeon that had failed to be detected by the management agency.

Meanwhile, back at home, Si-hyun was alternating between the internet and TTube when she noticed the same news popping up under ‘Breaking’.

[Unobserved Gate Emerges in a Seoul Mall]

[Management Bureau Announces It’s a One-Way Dungeon; Once Entered, There’s No Exit]

[Strongest A-Rank Dungeon Ever Recorded in Korea]

“…”

Si-hyun stared blankly at the bracelet on her wrist.

She had been explicitly instructed to activate it in case of emergencies.

She hadn’t been told where they were shopping,

and since there was no reaction yet, they were probably okay…

Still, worry crept in.