Chapter 6

An Orc swung its club down at me from above.

With a straight, vertical swing.

I casually sidestepped and grabbed the back of its head.

“Ke-rcch?!”

Then I spun around…

And hurled it directly into a nearby group of Orcs.

The pure physical strength granted by divine power,

Combined with boosted buffs for even greater efficiency.

It was a talent inherited from the original body I merged with,

Plus the new abilities that blossomed after becoming a Holy Maiden.

Through ceaseless effort, I’ve optimized their combination to maximum efficiency.

This is the result of all that training.

Even though I held back, there was still plenty of force behind it.

The Orc went flying through the air…

Smashing into several others like bowling pins.

Pffft, krrk!

They toppled over one by one like dominoes.

The surrounding Orcs looked at me in panic.

“Come on then.”

“Kieeeek!”

I wiggled my fingers tauntingly and turned back to face them.

Several Orcs were already rushing in.

Regular Orcs are small.

Their attack range is short.

And they only know how to attack in straight lines.

With minimal movement,

I easily dodged their swinging clubs.

But dodging alone won’t get you anywhere.

I delivered a swift roundhouse kick as a counterattack.

Two charging Orcs got hit and went flying back,

Taking out several more in the process.

Following up, I spun around using my front foot as an axis,

Building momentum to deliver a powerful spinning kick.

Whoosh! Bam!

It was a strong enough kick to clear a path in front of me.

Moving forward, I immediately cast a spell.

The Orcs who had been trying to flank me from behind

Bounced off an invisible wall.

Mana Shield.

The most basic defensive magic.

Ignoring the ones behind me, I pressed forward.

Dodge, counterattack, advance.

There’s no flair here.

Just simple repetition.

After fighting countless monsters for your life,

These kinds of skills become second nature whether you want them to or not.

At this point, I should look like a fairly talented E-rank Hunter, right?

Any C-rank Hunter should be able to do all this, don’t you think?

* * *

“Huff, huff…”

The last remaining Orc nearby fell.

The Leader wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The Human Totem had already passed out from getting hit in the back of the head.

Han-gyeol was finishing off the remaining Orcs a little ways away.

The Leader looked toward where Si-hyun was fighting.

He was still shaken from nearly having a heart attack earlier.

She looks so delicate…

Yet she started throwing Orcs around and playing with them like toys.

Most of the aggro was drawn to her because of that.

If she hadn’t done that, the Human Totem would have died instead of just passing out.

Both he and Han-gyeol were pretty worn down at that point.

“This is unbelievable…”

“Yeah…”

Han-gyeol approached after finishing off the last Orcs.

The Leader nodded in agreement.

“Do you think we need to help?”

“It might actually be more of a hindrance at this point.”

BOOM!

Pfft, krk!

Another group of Orcs went flying everywhere.

“Is this what talent looks like? I can’t even close my mouth watching this.”

“If she had awakened earlier, she might already be a high-ranked Hunter by now.”

The two men exchanged impressed glances.

Then…

KWAANG!!

A huge explosion sounded.

The clearing shook slightly.

The transparent barrier that had repelled the Human Totem shattered,

and the central magic circle disappeared.

The Goblins attacking Si-hyun flickered and vanished one by one.

The two men finally realized the gimmick.

“AH! So it wasn’t about killing all the Goblins, but breaking the wall!”

“Handling dozens of enemies while figuring out the gimmick… She’s on a completely different level.”

“Exactly! Si-hyun is really amazing. The more I see, the more impressed I am.”

At this moment, both men’s thoughts were perfectly aligned.

They looked at Si-hyun with eyes full of admiration.

Not only does she have a beautiful appearance, but her abilities are outstanding too.

The Leader was confident anyone who saw today’s battle would feel the same way.

Si-hyun opened the chest.

Watching her, the Leader thought:

Even B-rank Hunters occasionally seen wouldn’t fight as cleanly as Si-hyun.

Though in terms of raw destructive power and flashiness, B-rank Hunters are definitely stronger.

But couldn’t she catch up to them in an instant?

Maybe someday she could reach A-rank, or even…

One of the few S-ranks in Korea called “Hero.”

All day the Leader had been giving Si-hyun the side-eye with ulterior motives.

But now those feelings were completely gone.

He simply admired her from afar.

She’s not just pretty – she’s incredibly capable too.

The Leader was certain anyone who saw today’s battle would feel the same way.

Si-hyun returned to the group holding a large mana stone from the chest.

She looked as calm as when they first met before entering the dungeon.

She didn’t appear tired or exhausted at all.

Rather, she seemed nonchalant, as if doing her duty was completely normal.

The Leader felt she resembled a noble Holy Maiden.

“What should we do about this?”

Si-hyun held out the mana stone on her palm to the men.

The Leader stared at it silently for a moment.

“I think it’s only right that Si-hyun takes it.”

“Really, is that okay?”

Si-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.

The Leader smiled and replied.

“Hehe, without you, we wouldn’t have gotten it in the first place. What do you think, Han-gyeol?”

“Let’s do that. Honestly, you basically cleared this room alone.”

“But still…”

Si-hyun’s gaze shifted to the unconscious Human Totem.

The Leader shrugged.

“What does someone passed out even know? We can just gloss over it.”

“…Ah.”

Finally understanding, Si-hyun nodded.

She cupped the mana stone with both hands and hugged it to her chest.

Her cheeks flushed slightly pink.

The two men watching couldn’t help but smile warmly.

Then suddenly…

WHOOSH.

The cave lights went out.

The Human Totem’s skill must have cut off when they passed out.

“Ah, darn. Let me grab a torch.”

Han-gyeol quickly brought up his status screen.

But Si-hyun was faster.

A faint glowing orb appeared above their heads.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Surprised by the unexpected light source, the men looked at Si-hyun.

“Let’s wrap up the dungeon run and head back, shall we?”

“…”

“…”

What exactly is this Paladin class anyway?

That was the common question on both men’s minds at this moment.

* * *

After clearing the dungeon and exiting outside…

The Leader looked at the still unconscious human slumped over.

He had carried them piggyback style until now, but today’s schedule was finished.

Time to disband the temporary party.

Noticing his thoughts, Si-hyun discreetly used healing power.

Rather than waste time on trivial matters,

She wanted to quickly finish up and go home.

Thanks to the healing power, the woman regained consciousness.

“Huh…?”

“Ah, good. You’re awake.”

The Leader sighed in relief.

Of course, taking them to the hospital would be proper etiquette,

But it would also be troublesome.

“Let’s settle up.”

“Um, what about the secret room…?”

When the woman asked, the men skillfully deflected the question.

Saying they had cleared the dungeon but didn’t get any special rewards.

The woman looked confused but didn’t press the issue.

Since it was her first rare dungeon with gimmicks anyway.

Seeing the final profits from the D-rank dungeon made her face light up.

Thoughts of the secret room naturally faded away.

“Wow, the D-rank dungeons official Hunters go on really are different!”

The combined mana stones from defeating Goblins and Ogres

Added up to nearly 250,000 won in profit.

When the woman exclaimed in surprise, the Leader chuckled.

“That’s because the danger level is twice as high too. It’s basically hazard pay.”

“That’s true, I guess.”

While the two were talking,

Han-gyeol quietly approached Si-hyun.

“S-Si-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Where do you plan to use today’s earnings?”

“Hmm…”

Si-hyun blinked, not having thought about it much.

She had planned to sell the mana stones with them later.

Was there a better use?

“T-The Guild Master mentioned our crafting guild earlier, right?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“If you’re ever interested, please visit.”

Han-gyeol nervously handed over a business card.

Internally cheering ‘Yes! Nice!’ when Si-hyun took it.

Even if she doesn’t come, it would be disappointing,

But if she does, it would be good for both him and the guild.

Then,

The Leader approached the two and spoke.

“Si-hyun, did you happen to…”

“Are we done? I’m going.”

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

Si-hyun coolly left.

Han-gyeol gave a sly smile to the Leader and followed.

The middle-aged woman playing the Human Totem also left,

Cleverly tricked by the Leader into not noticing anything suspicious about her settlement.

Alone now, the Leader blankly stared in the direction Si-hyun disappeared.

Thinking to himself:

From today onward, my ideal type is:

Long-haired silver-haired cool beauty.

* * *

As twilight began to fall,

Han-gyeol returned to the guild building and immediately sought out the Master.

“Master!”

“Han-gyeol? You’re late today.”

The woman with shoulder-length hair looked up from her desk in the office.

“I felt great today, so I cleared two E-rank dungeons and one D-rank.”

“What? Three runs? Work hard, but don’t overdo it.”

“Hehe, there’s a reason.”

Da-young tilted her head in confusion.

Despite running three dungeons, Han-gyeol looked more energetic than this morning.

“I found a secret room in today’s D-rank dungeon?”

“Oh! Did you get anything good?”

“W-Well, I ended up giving away the reward.”

“…What? That was wasted effort then.”

Han-gyeol gave an awkward laugh.

But once he told his story, the Master would surely be surprised too.

Without pausing to breathe, he launched into his tale.

“I met a newly awakened E-rank Hunter girl today. No joke, she’s incredibly talented! Easily at the level of a D-rank Hunter already.”

“Really? Well, it happens sometimes.”

“She’s a Paladin class, but fights like a martial artist and seems to have magical skills too.”

“……? That’s unusual.”

While Paladin is definitely a first for a Hunter class,

Da-young wasn’t particularly interested.

After all, awakened Hunters have all kinds of unique classes.

That reaction annoyed Han-gyeol, so he frowned.

How can I convey the excitement I felt today?

“Seriously! She’s really amazing! I didn’t get her number, but I did give her a business card. If she contacts us, please treat her well. She’s top talent.”

“Hmm… Is she pretty?”

“Yes… Why do you ask?”

“You’re acting like a horny male in heat.”

“…”

“Haha, just kidding! Just kidding!”

Han-gyeol’s overly honest reaction made Da-young burst out laughing.

Whoever this person is, she’s clearly seen right through our innocent youth.

Talent, not bad.

Even if they don’t join the guild, they’d make a good trading partner.

And since Han-gyeol recommends them so highly, she must be trustworthy.

Da-young smiled softly, hoping to hear from them soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Si-hyun’s case.

After texting her sister that she’d be returning soon,

She headed straight home.

Entering with the door code,

Her sister sitting on the couch watching TV looked up.

“Ta-da!”

She proudly showed off today’s large mana stone.

Hee-hee, smiling brightly.

For a brief moment, Si-yoon thought her boasting older sister looked absolutely adorable.

Too cute! It’s bad for my heart!

“This is valuable! Settlement is still pending, but let’s order some delicious food for dinner!”

“Is that a mana stone? I’ve never seen one before!”

Since they regularly exchanged messages about their daily lives,

Si-yoon immediately recognized it as a mana stone.

Taking the offered stone, she examined it from all angles.

“It’s really pretty. How are they made?”

“Mana… Oh.”

Realizing she was about to explain using another world standards,

Si-hyun closed her mouth.

It might work differently in Earth’s dungeons anyway.

She smoothly changed the topic.

“Do you like it? Want it?”

“Eh? No way! You said it’s expensive!”

“I can always earn more.”

“It’s pretty, but I don’t have any use for it. Rather, let’s order delivery! Aren’t you treating us to something delicious?”

“Of course!”

At Si-yoon’s suggestion, Si-hyun vigorously nodded.

Her body was feeling the exertion now, making her stomach growl.

Even excluding the secret room rewards, the pure profit from the D-rank dungeon approached 500,000 won.

Time to indulge and rest.

Thus, the two browsed the food delivery app on Si-yoon’s phone.

When Si-yoon suggested something, Si-hyun would respond “Sounds good.”

In Si-yoon’s mind, she hoped her sister would choose something according to her own tastes.

“Actually, I don’t know much about modern food…”

came the reply.

Really? Something feels off.

Though it was strange, she accepted it and ordered food that probably wouldn’t exist in another world,

Thinking she’d cook Korean food herself later.

“By the way, Si-yoon, I have a question.”

“Hm?”

Si-hyun handed her sister her phone.

The YouTube app was open on the screen.

“While browsing online, I clicked on something called ‘BerTube’ out of curiosity, but this keeps coming up. Why is that?”

“Ah, that’s because of the algorithms. It recommends videos.”

“Ah.”

Nodding, Si-hyun clicked on a video and put an earbud in one ear.

It was a BerTube video.

Seeing this, Si-yoon broke out in a cold sweat and said:

“Is it entertaining?”

“Yeah. I used to read a lot of comics and novels, and played many games too. This seems interesting as well.”

“G-Good! How about reading some novels tomorrow while resting?”

“Should I? What’s popular these days?”

Having fallen into a world with almost no entertainment,

Anything she tries now will probably be fun.

Understanding this, Si-yoon naturally steered her sister’s interests toward novels on BerTube.