Chapter 9

After Si-hyun and Da-young’s deal was set in stone…

Si-hyun made a firm plan to meet up with Da-young every afternoon to run D-rank Dungeons.

Thus, the day after their first meeting, sometime after lunch…

The two met in front of the gate of the D-rank Dungeon to review their plans.

“We pretty much have all the miscellaneous materials, but we don’t have the core magic stones.”

“So that’s what we’re gonna farm ourselves.”

“Yeah! Honestly, I’d like to make the best stuff for you too, but Si-hyun, you’re not exactly rolling in cash, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“It is a deal after all. Let’s start by making some D-rank accessories!”

“Got it!”

With that, Si-hyun confidently entered the gate alongside Da-young.

Da-young constantly emphasizing that this was a transaction put Si-hyun at ease.

She wasn’t trying to create something extravagant and end up indebting herself.

Just doing her best within their current means…

Since she had managed to get a B-rank Hunter to invest their time…

Si-hyun felt she should also give her all.

Once inside the dungeon, she started moving around as if she were a C-rank Hunter in her own estimation.

Thinking that performing at about the level she did when she partied with Han-gyeol would be fine…

Si-hyun’s control over her strength was absolutely perfect.

Though there was one problem…

From an onlooker’s perspective, there was no way she looked like an ordinary C-rank Hunter…

“Eh? I get that she’s not E-rank, but… This looks ridiculous compared to even C-rank…”

Da-young watched Si-hyun with her mouth agape.

Yesterday had already been unbelievable, but this was just absurd.

Every time she took a step forward, monsters shattered left and right.

Even monsters twice her height were no different.

A single punch…

And they ended up with holes punched clean through them.

Was she focusing solely on offense? No, that wasn’t it either.

She dodged every single attack from the monsters without fail.

Not allowing a single effective hit from the enemy.

It was as if…

She had fought so many times before, knowing exactly how each monster would act.

There was no sign of any skills being used.

No matter how many times she looked, this was definitely pure physical prowess.

While it was true that Awakened Hunters became physically stronger thanks to mana…

This level of raw power was unprecedented.

Already this strong…

What would happen when she becomes more experienced, ranks up, and gains more skills?

If her body got even tougher than this…

“Man, she’s basically a monster…”

Da-young thought to herself, still looking flabbergasted.

Could it be that she was…

Witnessing the living history of someone who would soon become legendary?

At first, Da-young tried participating in the battle together, but she quickly stepped back.

It only seemed to get in the way.

Being sensitive to gazes, Da-young could tell…

Whenever she participated in combat, Si-hyun kept giving her looks.

That meant she had enough room to spare in battle.

In that case, it was more efficient to focus on gathering the byproducts like magic stones.

So when they were halfway through sweeping the dungeon…

Da-young decided to approach Si-hyun to build some rapport.

I can’t handle witnessing legends in the making like this. Gotta get closer!

She’s a rare B-rank crafting Hunter, so I think I qualify to ask…

Having psyched herself up, Da-young spoke up.

“Hey, Si-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Where are you originally from?”

“I’m Korean.”

“…An honorary citizen?”

“…Hmm.”

Si-hyun paused to think.

How much should she explain?

Honestly, even though they hadn’t known each other long, she liked this woman.

While she wasn’t particularly skilled at judging good or bad people…

Da-young gave off a friendly vibe just from her gaze and mannerisms.

She could have said she was a foreigner, but she didn’t feel like lying.

Maybe just the basics would be fine?

After organizing her thoughts, Si-hyun spoke.

“Have you heard of Returners?”

“…Huh? You’re a Returner?!”

“Yeah, the Management Agency hasn’t released my info yet.”

“Woah… There’s supposed to be only one in America, so there hasn’t been much info out yet!”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

As Si-hyun nodded, Da-young’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward eagerly.

Her lips moved restlessly.

She had so much she wanted to ask, but she kept debating if it was okay.

Watching her silently, Si-hyun smiled faintly and said:

“If you have any questions, go ahead and ask.”

“T-Then I will!”

Agreeing, Da-young fidgeted with her fingers.

One, two, three.

These were the most pressing ones.

“Is this your original appearance?”

“…It changed a bit when I went to the other world.”

“Ngh, I want to go to another world too…”

Da-young’s envious gaze made Si-hyun smile wryly.

“How did you end up back in Korea?”

“I defeated the Demon King and came back.”

“…Huh? Suddenly the scale’s gone crazy.”

“The Hero Party was super strong. I just helped out.”

Hero Party!

It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

However, Da-young didn’t pursue this line of questioning further.

Because Si-hyun’s demeanor had changed.

Half-closed eyes, slightly drooping eyelids.

A cold, subdued expression.

She seemed to have some kind of backstory.

Deciding to move on to another topic, Da-young asked:

“S-So that’s why you’re so strong! Then wouldn’t it be better to enter the Academy and quickly rank up to C-rank? I’d probably do that.”

“Hmm…”

Si-hyun paused to organize her thoughts.

There were clear reasons and vague reasons.

“The biggest reason is that I need a break.”

“Ah, a break.”

Da-young nodded.

If the story was true, she was a hero who had defeated the Demon King and returned!

Of course she deserved some downtime.

“That’s right… Honestly, I haven’t really thought deeply about it.”

Si-hyun chuckled wryly.

“I’m still awkward with social interactions and don’t want to meet lots of people.”

“Ah…”

It was a sentence missing a lot of information.

Why was she awkward with social interactions, and why didn’t she want to meet people?

But Da-young felt like she understood vaguely.

The woman in front of her had come back bearing many wounds from the other world.

She looked like an injured kitten.

Instinctively, she wanted to comfort her.

“Boring story, huh? Let’s wrap up the dungeon?”

“Eh, no! I found Si-hyun’s story really interesting! Can you tell me more when we get closer?”

“…Hehe, sure.”

As Da-young enthusiastically replied, Si-hyun gave a faint smile.

“Closer, huh?”

It felt like a pleasant resonance.

“I have plenty of stamina thanks to Paladin skills. How about we keep going after finishing here?”

“Oh, so that’s why Han-gyeol had so much energy. Let’s go until we’re exhausted!”

Da-young immediately agreed to Si-hyun’s suggestion, which naturally framed her abilities as skills.

They quickly began clearing the dungeon.

Handling the monsters skillfully and smoothly, Si-hyun thought to herself.

Unlike the temporary party right after returning…

Running dungeons with just Da-young was surprisingly enjoyable.

There was no unpleasant feeling.

Looks like who you’re with really matters.

“Wait, why is a Paladin fighting like that? Aren’t you supposed to be a knight?”

“…Now that you mention it…”

Do I need to pick up a sword or something?

* * *

Director Jang Han-soo of the Hunter Management Agency was once again pulling his hair out.

He simply couldn’t figure out the psychology of the Hunter he was closely monitoring recently.

Returnee Jeong Si-hyun.

For the first week, she seemed to be emphasizing “I’m totally normal.”

Now it appeared she was claiming “It’s not me, it’s my partner who’s amazing!”

She was teaming up with another Hunter in a duo to drain the seeds of the D-rank Dungeons in Seoul.

It wasn’t bad that Dungeons were decreasing. That was a good thing.

The issue was that her partner was a crafting Hunter.

No matter how you looked at it, the partner was clearly just support.

It was obvious she was sweeping through the Dungeons herself.

“Mentorship was rejected, huh…”

At this point, it seemed she might just dislike organized groups like the nation.

Some new strategy needed to be devised.

He wanted to apply exceptions to the rules and raise her rank.

But the problem was that she didn’t seem to want that.

What to do?

How did Hunter Moon Da-young even connect with Si-hyun?

“Ahhh!”

A small realization flashed through Director Jang’s mind.

Did he really need to rack his brain alone?

He knew Hunter Moon Da-young personally, so he should just ask her directly for help.

The director immediately called Guild Wings’ Moon Da-young.

– Yes, this is Guild Wings.

“It’s been a while, Da-young. This is Director Jang Han-soo from the Management Division.”

– Oh hey, it has been a while. What’s up?

“Actually, I heard you’ve been running Dungeons with Si-hyun recently.”

– Yeah, so?

“Could you tell me how you two became acquainted…?”

– Nope.

“…”

Before he could finish speaking, he was flatly rejected.

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

“C-Could you at least tell me why?”

– Don’t bother my girl.

“…”

– Is that all you needed?

– “…Yeah.”

– Then I’ll hang up now.

Tut-tut-tut…

The call ended instantly before he could say anything.

“Don’t bother my girl”…

Even though he was trying to treat her according to her abilities…

And was planning to respect her wishes as much as possible…

How did he end up getting treated like this?

Frustrated, the director rubbed his forehead.

Today called for some drinks.

* * *

“Si-hyun, how about we grab a drink today?”

“Huh? Drinks?”

After finishing their last dungeon of the day and stepping outside…

As I was watching the sky start to darken, Da-young suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.

Drinks out of nowhere?

“Been working out for a few days and I’m craving it. Keep me company! We’ve collected all the materials we need anyway, right?”

“Uh, well…”

We finished collecting everything yesterday actually.

Today was mainly about making money while helping Da-young out.

“Aw, so our friendship was fake then? Thought we were just business partners…”

“…”

“My place isn’t crowded and it’s quiet, but I know an amazing restaurant…”

“…”

“Come on, it’s not far! Worst comes to worst, I’ll cover your taxi fare back.”

Hmm, maybe it is kind of intriguing…

It was quite a tempting offer.

Thinking about it, it’s been over 5 years since I’ve had alcohol.

Never got to try with this body since I started.

Didn’t care about church doctrine or anything, purely because of the Hero.

Couldn’t risk losing control and ending up vulnerable to the Hero somehow…

So I just avoided drinking altogether.

Now that I’m free though, shouldn’t it be fine to have some?

Definitely of legal age both mentally and physically.

“…Alright.”

“Decision! No backing out!”

Da-young grinned widely and gave my shoulder a friendly pat.

Honestly, we’ve only known each other for less than a week…

But like attracts like, Da-young seems like a genuinely good person like Han-gyeol.

Are all Guild Wings members like this?

Only know two people, but the guild itself is starting to grow on me.

No plans to join, but would like to maintain regular contact.

“Let’s go!”

Da-young cheerfully shouted and took off ahead.

Such an energetic person.

I followed behind with a wry smile.

Arriving at a quiet street bar…

While Da-young picked out food and snacks, a major realization hit me.

Oh right, I became spice intolerant.

…What if I can’t handle alcohol either?

I could normally handle two bottles of soju easily…

Kinda nervous now…

* * *

---