Chapter 17

Just as Ji-a was starting to buy some time, in Si-hyun’s case…

Even though there was no signal on her bracelet yet, she had already changed clothes.

She sent a text to Si-yoon and waited, but it went unread…

Eventually, unable to wait any longer, she called—but the call wouldn’t connect.

So, fully dressed in her pitch-black nun’s habit, she glared at the news just then…

When suddenly, her wrist reacted.

“Shit…”

Si-hyun muttered under her breath before quickly pulling her veil over her head.

A perfectly prepared combat outfit.

Without wasting another second, Si-hyun bolted out of the house.

She ran all the way to the road, where—thankfully—a taxi happened to be passing by.

Waving her arms wildly, she stopped the taxi and hopped in.

“Where to?”

“To where the gate incident happened.”

“Hmm…where was that again…?”

“…”

There were minor hiccups, but she swiftly arrived at the scene of the disturbance.

Si-hyun dashed off at full speed.

“Wha—What is that?!”

“It’s a surprise!”

The wind caused by Si-hyun rushing past startled some citizens who turned around in shock—but the dark figure was already long gone.

Avoiding obstacles with ease, Si-hyun reached near the gate in an instant.

She leapt right over the barricades.

“Hey! Stop right there!”

Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, the Hunter Management Agency agents and soldiers tried to stop her.

But Si-hyun skillfully evaded them all and entered the gate in the blink of an eye.

“What…what *is* that thing?!”

“Uh…must be a Hunter…”

People helplessly watched as Si-hyun disappeared without a trace.

They may not have been able to stop her, but the event had already unfolded…

Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, Si-hyun wasted no time wrapping herself in her strongest buffs.

Finally, drawing her sword, she completed her battle preparations and moved forward without hesitation.

Though the dungeon’s open layout could easily disorient someone, her bracelet guided her direction.

Without hesitation, she pressed onward.

Not long after, Si-hyun encountered a group of monsters.

But her steps didn’t falter.

Snap!

With a flick of her finger, waves of mana surged around her.

The mana detected hostile entities and immediately shifted its nature.

Like a predator devouring its prey, it aggressively pressured and weakened her foes.

One of Si-hyun’s signature skills: a wide-area debuff spell.

The nearby monsters began losing their edge, one by one.

While allies grew stronger through buffs, enemies became weaker through debuffs.

This was Si-hyun’s definitive method of support combat.

“RAAAHHH!”

An ogre, sensing something strange, charged at Si-hyun.

But its momentum was weak. Its strength diminished, its speed slowed.

Si-hyun effortlessly dodged its punch, leaped lightly, and slashed cleanly with her sword.

SCHIIING—

A sharp sound tore through the air.

“GURKHHH!”

Si-hyun’s blade pierced the ogre’s neck and cleanly severed it.

Its head hit the ground, its eyes rolling lifelessly before death claimed it moments later.

It took only one strike. Thanks to Si-hyun’s magic, the ogre’s toughness had been significantly weakened.

More monsters attacked next.

Her fighting style remained largely unchanged:

Dodge, attack, advance.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Sometimes she’d use elemental magic for variety or allow herself to be hit when avoiding wasn’t feasible.

But she never stopped moving.

After all, Si-hyun was the Holy Maiden.

Her body, reinforced by divine power, shrugged off attacks from weakened monsters like they were nothing.

And any injuries healed instantly through blessings.

If there was a single way to stop Si-hyun…

It would be to kill her outright in one go.

Otherwise, her resilient body recovered from even fatal wounds in seconds, while enemies exposed to her mana grew progressively weaker as she continued to strengthen herself.

Superb stability, advantageous endurance in prolonged battles, combined with balanced offensive and defensive capabilities—it was clear A-rank monsters stood no chance against her.

THUD!

Soon, the entire group of monsters lay decapitated on the ground.

“Si-yoon, Ji-a… I’ll be there soon. Just hold on a little longer…”

Si-hyun, whose mind was filled solely with thoughts of those two, muttered unconsciously as she advanced toward her target.

Since entering the dungeon, her pace hadn’t once slowed.

And so, breaking through countless monsters alone…

After slicing a troll in half…

Finally, Si-hyun reached Ji-a.

Her eyes widened dramatically beneath the veil.

The civilians behind her, including Si-yoon, appeared unharmed—not a single person looked injured.

But how about Ji-a?

Her whole body was covered in wounds.

Her left arm hung uselessly, nearly torn apart, and she struggled to stand upright, leaning heavily on her staff with her right hand.

The sight itself was astonishing—she shouldn’t have been standing at all.

One eye was almost closed, the other barely open as she weakly gazed at Si-hyun.

She looked like she could drop dead at any moment.

Yet, she had endured.

Alone, she protected all the civilians.

She bought time until Si-hyun arrived.

Truly, she deserved the title of hero.

“…You’ve worked hard. Sorry for being late.”

Si-hyun cast every possible blessing onto Ji-a.

Although divine power didn’t recover as quickly on Earth as it used to, consistent daily prayers ensured she still had enough for immediate use.

“Hmph…seeing your face here, Si-hyun, is a pleasant surprise. Thanks to you, I might live…”

Ji-a chuckled weakly as she examined her own body.

Her wounds began healing rapidly.

Energy surged back into her limbs.

Her shredded left arm started responding again.

In mere seconds, what could only be described as a miracle occurred.

Ji-a realized her body had fully restored to peak condition.

She clenched and unclenched her left fist, assessing her now-recovered physical state.

“Wow, this is incredible…”

Every injury vanished.

Depleted mana replenished at an accelerated rate.

Strength coursed through her veins, clarity filled her mind.

She felt invincible, brimming with confidence.

If this was the case…

“Si-hyun, with these buffs, I think I can clear this place by myself.”

“Ho ho…are you sure?”

“Absolutely! You’re amazing! The best!”

Hidden behind her veil, though Ji-a couldn’t see it, Si-hyun unknowingly smiled faintly, lost in thought.

How long had it been since giving buffs elicited such enthusiastic praise?

Reinforcing and healing allies was something she always considered a given duty—not something worthy of commendation.

It was drilled into her that it wasn’t praiseworthy.

No matter how efficiently she maximized her abilities at the right moments, it rarely drew attention.

Her treatment within the Hero party never changed.

So she stopped expecting anything.

She simply kept working hard alone.

But hearing Ji-a’s compliment now…

A surge of pride and validation washed over her.

All her efforts finally felt rewarded.

The feeling of being acknowledged by someone warmed her heart.

Si-hyun felt her chest swell with emotion.

“Well, if you insist, give it a try. Anyway, I don’t want to get famous yet, so you take care of everything.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Originally, I planned to say something cool like ‘Leave it to me now’…”

“Aww! That’s too bad. My bad.”

Si-hyun’s words made Ji-a chuckle softly as she straightened up.

“I’ll give you all the rewards. It’s only fair. And afterward—”

“That’s enough. I’m already satisfied knowing you protected Si-yoon. Thank you.”

“Hmm…maybe we can discuss the details later.”

Gratitude was mutual; Ji-a truly felt thankful for having her life saved.

However, a new group of monsters was already approaching.

Ji-a loosened up her muscles casually.

“Civilians, I’ve got this.”

“Yeah.”

As Si-hyun nodded, Ji-a dashed toward the monsters with lightning speed.

Already swift on her feet, the buffs pushed her movement to levels far beyond her usual capabilities.

The monsters couldn’t keep up with her rapid movements.

Ji-a danced between them, delivering devastating blows.

It was pure mockery.

As if venting frustration from earlier, she swept through the monsters alone.

Watching this briefly, Si-hyun turned away with a satisfied nod.

She seemed trustworthy.

“Big sis!”

“Si-yoon, thank goodness.”

A cute younger sister came running with tears streaming down her face, clearly unharmed thanks to Ji-a.

* * *

Less than a day after its emergence, the special A-rank dungeon was cleared.

Even regular A-rank dungeons typically required weeks of effort—not just clearing them but also accounting for exploration and preparation phases.

It wasn’t uncommon for teams to barely finish before things spiraled out of control.

Moreover, this particular dungeon was a one-way entrance conditional dungeon.

Yet, impossibly, it disappeared less than a day after appearing.

The world erupted in astonishment.

[A-rank Hunter Kim Ji-a Single-handedly Clears A-rank Dungeon!]

[All Dozens of Trapped Civilians Unharmed, No Injuries Reported.]

[(Hunter Interview) Standing Alone Against Monsters, Truly A Heroic Figure.]

[A New S-Rank Hunter May Have Emerged in Korea.]

[Management Bureau Plans To Award Medal To Hunter Kim Ji-a.]

News outlets continuously bombarded audiences with reports about Hunter Kim Ji-a.

Online communities couldn’t escape the hype either.

[Title: A-Rank Special Dungeon Cleared Within Half A Day?]

[User Comments]

Why tho lmao

– Dang

– Hahahahaha

– Kya

– Kim Ji-a! Kim Ji-a! Kim Ji-a!

[Deleted Post]

[Title: Guilds Freaking Out Over This Situation LMAO]

[User Comments]

Kim Ji-a works like she’s part of the Management Bureau but is actually independent. Everyone’s scrambling to recruit her rn lol.

– Lmao yeah if I was her I’d snatch her up too

└ Plus she frequently tackles avoided dungeons solo. Level difference is real tho.

└ With a party, she’d be unstoppable legit.

– Absolute god

– Eye goooollll

[Deleted Post]

[Title: WTF THIS IS WHAT A REAL HERO LOOKS LIKE]

[User Comments]

(Image: Kim Ji-a leaning on her staff)

– Lit

– Damn, Kim Ji-a again

– Back view looks SO dependable legit

– Kim Ji-a! Kim Ji-a! Kim Ji-a!

– She also defeated the boss apparently?

└ Some unknown person healed her mid-battle. Ultimately, she wiped everything out alone tho.

└ MC gaht dang

[Deleted Post]

[Title: Why Are Posts Getting Deleted?]

[User Comments]

jk nvm

– Idk seems fine tho.

– I saw it, people asking about the nun outfit.

└ Suddenly why nun?

└ Idk lul