Chapter 88

The traffic light turned red.

As the director stopped the car, he casually glanced over at Si-hyun.

An unfamiliar and strange marking was engraved on the back of her hand.

Noticing his gaze, Si-hyun lightly shook her hand and said,

“It’s the symbol of the god I believe in.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“…Were you a religious professor? Ah, right! You were a paladin!”

“Uh, not exactly…”

At Ah-reum’s question, Si-hyun gave a wry smile.

“It’s not about believing in religion. It’s about believing in the existence of god.”

“Eh, uh… Isn’t that the same thing?”

“…Is it?”

Deciding there was no need to explain further, Si-hyun casually waved her hand as if dismissing the topic.

After all, even what she knew herself was mostly speculation and assumptions.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Since the conversation had come this far, conducting a small experiment might not be such a bad idea.

Back when she wanted to become a proper professor…

She thought about making this her research topic if she ever pursued studies.

Back then, it was just her, but now she had Ah-reum with her.

“Ah-reum, while we’re at it, how about we conduct an experiment today?”

“Huh? An experiment?”

“Yeah, it’ll be related to my upcoming research.”

Upon hearing Si-hyun’s explanation, Ah-reum involuntarily made a puzzled expression.

Because whenever Professor Jeong Si-hyun said this, the same thing always happened.

‘It’ll definitely be beneficial… but also incredibly tiring…’

A mix of excitement and worry crossed Ah-reum’s heart.

She soon steeled herself.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

“Mm, mm.”

Satisfied with the enthusiastic reply, Si-hyun nodded approvingly.

The light turned green.

Director Jang Han-soo restarted the car.

‘Ah-reum is going to have a tough day today.’

Though the dungeons Si-hyun booked were all low-tier,

…there were five of them.

With a bittersweet expression, he focused on driving.

Meanwhile, the group arrived at the first gate.

Parking nearby, the three got out of the car.

Director Jang checked his watch and said,

“Si-hyun, please contact me as soon as you exit the gate.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I have some errands nearby anyway, and they won’t take long. Since public transport can be inconvenient, let me assist you.”

“Uh, well, thank you, but are you sure?”

“Yes, of course. It’s no trouble at all.”

Confused by Si-hyun’s bewildered look, the director kept reassuring her and bid farewell to both women.

Once the two females entered the gate,

the director sighed deeply.

‘Guess I should head to the café nearby.’

He had no specific schedule.

It was simply because assisting the nun of national importance was Priority Zero in his job description, so he’d just come up with a plausible excuse.

[Make sure the nun has zero inconvenience!]

Recalling the words of the team leader before departure, Director Jang shuffled his steps forward.

—

On the other hand, inside the E-ranked dungeon, Si-hyun and Ah-reum leisurely chatted while entering.

“Where should I start… Ah-reum, can you use mana without a status window?”

“Eh, yeah! To some extent.”

“In fact, I’ve been curious for a while. How does the status window differentiate between support and magic?”

“…?”

At Si-hyun’s question, Ah-reum wore a perplexed expression.

Until now, supernatural phenomena had decided everything automatically, so she hadn’t given it much thought.

“I mentioned I believe in god, right? Actually, I can manipulate something called holy power, which is separate from mana. Watch.”

Si-hyun raised both hands with palms facing upward.

In one hand, she summoned holy power, and in the other, mana, creating a faint glow.

Ah-reum tilted her head as she observed the phenomenon.

‘Uuuuh…’

One side feels like mana, alright.

But the other one is unclear.

‘Is it just a slightly different kind of mana?’

This energy felt foreign to Ah-reum.

Considering she was still unfamiliar with mana itself, it wasn’t surprising.

“How about this energy? Do you sense anything familiar?”

“Uh, hmm… Not really. Just that it feels unfamiliar?”

“Hmm, really none at all…”

Shaking her hand marked with the sacred scar, Si-hyun stroked her chin deep in thought.

That’s when—

“Kerrik!”

“Ke-hee-hee!”

A group of goblins appeared.

Both women’s gazes shifted toward the monsters.

“P-professor!”

“Yeah, hang on.”

As Ah-reum shouted, raising her alertness, Si-hyun continued walking, lost in thought.

The goblins, seizing the opportunity, charged at Si-hyun—but—

“Swish!”

“Gyaaah!”

With a casual flick of her hand, as if brushing off flying dust, Si-hyun sent the goblins crashing to the ground, ending their lives instantly.

The fate of a monster who picked the wrong opponent.

“Wow…”

To Si-hyun, it was as natural as breathing, but not to Ah-reum.

Cupping her mouth with both hands, Ah-reum sparkled her eyes watching her professor’s prowess.

Having quickly dealt with the goblins, Si-hyun called out to Ah-reum.

“Oh, right. Ah-reum?”

“Yes!”

“Can you try giving me a buff?”

“Understood!”

Ah-reum cast a skill on Si-hyun.

Si-hyun carefully observed Ah-reum’s energy while checking for any changes in her body.

“Even without wounds, can you heal? Want to try that too?”

“Yessir!”

Whenever Si-hyun asked, Ah-reum acted without hesitation.

Thanks to this, time was used efficiently, and soon after, Si-hyun wore a peculiar expression and spoke.

“When you use your shield and healing, I can clearly see a difference. What do you think?”

“D-difference…?”

“Yeah, let’s try each one separately. I’m unsure myself.”

“Yes sir!”

The two repeated actions continuously.

The same behavior went on endlessly.

Eventually, Ah-reum declared her surrender first.

“P-professor… My mana is depleted…”

“That’s fine. Rest while I clear the dungeon, then we’ll try again.”

“Yes…”

Already exhausted, Ah-reum nodded.

The duo swiftly cleared the dungeon.

They contacted Director Jang Han-soo and moved to the next dungeon.

They repeated the exact same process they did in the first dungeon.

Clearing the second dungeon,

then sweeping through the third dungeon.

Without rest, heading into the fourth dungeon,

Si-hyun returned after sweeping away the monsters, and Ah-reum suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“P-prof-professor!”

“What is it? Did you notice something?”

“Just now, I felt something! On my status window! The ability called Holy Power has been added!”

“Finally!”

Overjoyed, Ah-reum bounced around gleefully.

Approaching Si-hyun closely, they excitedly exchanged high-fives with both hands.

Ah-reum looked amazed and said,

“With the addition of holy power, my mana values adjusted. Incredible…”

“Hmm. Want to try using holy power?”

“Yes, yes! Watch this!”

Smiling brightly, Ah-reum manipulated the holy power.

While observing her disciple with interest, Si-hyun’s expression stiffened.

Seeing the professor’s hardened expression, Ah-reum sheepishly said,

“Am I really clumsy at manipulating it…?”

“No, no. It’s just different from mine.”

“Huh?”

“Check it out.”

When Si-hyun demonstrated her own holy power, Ah-reum tilted her head.

Ah-reum was inexperienced with both mana and holy power.

Si-hyun could read her thoughts just by her expression.

With a wry smile, she explained,

“Anyway, assuming it’s based on the same principle, I’ll explain it to you.”

Si-hyun began her explanation.

Commonalities and differences between mana and holy power, clarity about each person’s limitations, etc.

Ah-reum instinctively realized:

No one else in the world could teach her this information.

Professor Jeong Si-hyun was probably the world’s only ‘paladin.’

She committed the teachings deeply into her memory.

After finishing the explanation,

Si-hyun grinned and said,

“Well, time for homework.”

“…!”

“To become more proficient with holy power by our next meeting.”

“A, yes! I’ll work hard!”

Though initially shocked by the word ‘homework,’ Ah-reum relaxed.

After all, this was something she should naturally be doing regardless.

However, this wasn’t the end.

“Wake up early every day for prayer. The target of your prayers… Hmm? Whoever you want to believe in.”

“But I’m an atheist…”

“Well, you don’t have a choice. I pray every morning, and that’s when my holy power rapidly builds up. If it doesn’t seem effective, we can stop then.”

“…G-got it…”

After listening to Si-hyun’s explanation, Ah-reum fidgeted her fingers together and said,

“My god is Professor Jeong Si-hyun…”

“…Cough! W-well, though the sentiment is appreciated, I’m human.”

“Hehe…”

As Si-hyun blushed bright red and averted her gaze, Ah-reum giggled shyly.

It was lip service, but half of it was genuine.

—

After clearing all five dungeons,

Si-hyun and Ah-reum returned to Seoul in the car driven by Director Jang Han-soo.

The first to get out of the car was Ah-reum.

“Thank you for all your hard work…”

She trudged home, completely drained.

Anyone could tell she had been pushed to her limits.

‘J-just thought I was gonna die…’

It was truly Spartan training.

At first, she was told to face one goblin at a time, but the numbers gradually increased.

By the final dungeon, she found herself fighting like a melee hunter, exchanging blows in fierce combat—something entirely new to her.

‘I’ll sleep first, and I’ll pray tomorrow…’

Entering her home, Ah-reum immediately passed out.

Meanwhile, inside the car, the director and Si-hyun chatted during the drive.

“Ahh, Miss Ah-reum seems quite tired.”

“She’s grown a lot recently. So, I had her try some combat. She did pretty well.”

“Hmm, but isn’t Miss Ah-reum a supporter? Wasn’t that dangerous?”

“Nah, I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Aha…”

The director chuckled wryly.

He silently cheered for Ah-reum in his heart.

“Hey, Director. Can I get off at the district office?”

“District office?”

“Yes, I figured I have time, so I’ll apply for a passport and head back afterward. I already prepared the necessary documents.”

Though Si-hyun said it casually, the director felt his hands tremble on the steering wheel.

“If you’re tired, Director, I can handle applying for the passport and go home by myself.”

“A, ah, no! U-uh, why do you need a passport…?”

“Well, thinking of traveling with my brother after the semester ends during summer vacation!”

“A, ah, vacation. Yes, sounds like a good plan.”

The director continued the conversation while sweating nervously.

It wasn’t time to cheer for Ah-reum. His own wavering under this innocent purity was the issue.

—

A few days later, on the day of the Introduction to Monsters lecture,

Eun-byeol, Ah-reum, and Jae-woo shared lunch together.

At this moment, Ah-reum revealed some shocking news.

“Whaaaat?!”

“For real?!”

“Hmph!”

Eun-byeol’s mouth dropped wide open, unable to close it.

She eventually covered it with her hand.

Jae-woo wasn’t much different.

He stretched his neck forward, staring at her.

“Mwahaha!”

Ah-reum proudly puffed out her chest.

It was difficult to hold back the urge to boast.