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The morning after tomorrow.

Si-hyun, who originally wakes up early, leisurely starts getting ready to go out.

She takes out the new clothes that were delivered yesterday.

“Same-day delivery is really great.”

“Right?”

Si-yoon, sitting on the sofa, responds with a big yawn.

In the meantime, after changing into her clothes, Si-hyun stands in front of the mirror to check her appearance.

She feels the pressure of the black leggings wrapping around her legs.

The loose gray sweatshirt falls to her hips, reducing exposure.

Not really interested in appearances from the start, Si-hyun feels a sense of freshness in this outfit.

Si-yoon, watching from the side, chuckles softly and says,

“The outfit looks great on you, even if it’s a casual look.”

“R-really…?”

Surprised by her younger sister’s sudden compliment, Si-hyun’s face turns red.

It was a little embarrassing, but it didn’t feel bad.

“Just so you know, I might come home late today. If you haven’t heard from me and it gets late, go ahead and eat dinner.”

“Okay, got it!”

After exchanging farewells with her sister, Si-hyun steps out the front door with a light step.

She heads to the place where she decided to meet Ah-reum using public transport.

They planned to grab a quick bite before the Wings Guild comes to pick them up.

Si-hyun arrives a little earlier than the appointment time in front of the café.

She spots Ah-reum, who was already waiting there.

Ah-reum, who had been loitering in front of the café, also realizes that the person she was waiting for has arrived.

Si-hyun greets her cheerfully first.

“Hey, you got here early?”

“Ah, hello, Professor!”

“Uh….”

At Ah-reum’s greeting, Si-hyun gives a shy smile and scratches her cheek.

Being called ‘Professor’ in a place completely unrelated to the Academy makes her awkwardly blush.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yeah!”

Having been conscious of the gazes around her, she becomes even more aware.

She quickly scurries inside the café.

Once they find a suitable spot to sit down,

Si-hyun, who had crossed her ankles absentmindedly, slightly lowers her head to look at her legs.

She feels the unfamiliar pressure of the leggings, which still don’t feel quite right.

Rubbing her thighs together lightly for sensation, she raises her head again.

“Did you choose what you want to eat?”

“I-I’ll have this one!”

They each order sandwiches according to their tastes.

The two start their meal, exchanging random conversations.

“Ah, the novel you recommended last time is a long one, so I’m not done with it yet.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah. But it’s interesting, so it’s fun.”

“Right….”

After taking a bite of her sandwich, Si-hyun stares absentmindedly at Ah-reum.

Although she has always had a shy personality, today seems particularly intense.

Did she do something wrong?

While watching Ah-reum’s stiff posture, Si-hyun tilts her head in confusion.

Unable to deduce the cause, she directly asks,

“Ah-reum.”

“Yes, yes?!”

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“Um, well….”

At Si-hyun’s question, Ah-reum’s eyes start darting around.

Eventually, she lowers her head deeply and speaks hesitantly.

“It’s about the, um, dungeon…”

“Yeah.”

Ah-reum slightly raises her head to gauge Si-hyun’s reaction.

She falls back into her worries again.

Watching this, Si-hyun contemplates, touching her chin as she thinks.

Dungeon, dungeon. Is she suddenly scared because they are going to a C-rank dungeon?

She never intended to make Ah-reum participate directly; she just thought she would help her understand while observing.

…Upon further thought, Ah-reum is still an E-rank novice, so it’s understandable for her to be scared.

Perhaps she had been too focused on her own efficiency…?

Starting with an E-rank or D-rank dungeon would have been the proper order.

Si-hyun feels a sense of guilt towards Ah-reum in her heart.

“Ah-reum.”

“P-professor!”

The two call out to each other at the same time.

Si-hyun offers a small smile and gestures for Ah-reum to speak first.

Ah-reum, hesitating yet gathering courage again, begins to speak.

“Um, about, um, the rank….”

“Yeah, the rank.”

It seems the issue was indeed going to a C-rank dungeon suddenly.

Si-hyun thinks she should apologize once Ah-reum finishes speaking.

“Uh, today’s dungeon. Isn’t it, um, a bit too high? Y-you’re a D-rank….”

“…Ah.”

Oh my gosh! That was it!

Si-hyun’s eyes widen in surprise.

She had thought Ah-reum was simply afraid of the dungeon itself.

That may be true, but the core of the matter was something else entirely.

The other people they would be with in the dungeon are all strangers.

The only one she could somewhat trust is her because she’s a D-rank Hunter.

That’s why Ah-reum was trembling!

Feeling guilty, Si-hyun gently rubs the back of Ah-reum’s trembling hand.

“Uh, Ah-reum?”

“Yes, yes…”

Si-hyun ponders briefly. How much should she reveal?

Saying not to worry and revealing everything might have the opposite effect.

This time, it may cause her to feel pressured not by the dungeon, but by herself as a person.

After sorting her thoughts, Si-hyun slowly begins to speak.

“The truth is, I’m a C-rank, but I haven’t taken the upgrade exam yet.”

“Uh, huh? Really?”

“You know? Professors are busy. I thought it wasn’t urgent.”

“Is that so…!”

Using words she had previously heard from the male Hunters of the Wings Guild, she makes her excuses.

Ah-reum’s expression instantly brightens.

Watching her, Si-hyun can’t help but smile bitterly.

Somehow, she feels like the lies will pile up more and more as time goes by.

When they become closer in the future, there will surely be opportunities to talk about everything.

It’s something to consider when the time comes.

Si-hyun makes efforts to ease Ah-reum’s worries as much as possible.

It seems her efforts are paying off, as Ah-reum’s previously tense posture starts to relax.

Si-hyun lets out a breath of relief inwardly.

Afterward, the two finish their light meal and get into the vehicle sent by the Wings Guild.

* * *

As the vehicle departs for the location of the gate,

Ah-reum fidgets and moves closer to Si-hyun, sticking to her side.

She carefully hugs Si-hyun’s arm.

Feeling the soft warmth from her arm, Si-hyun turns to look at Ah-reum.

‘Hmm….’

Ah-reum seems to be getting tense again.

Is it because all the other people are men and she doesn’t know them?

Si-hyun thinks they need a brief moment to introduce themselves.

“Everyone.”

“Yeah?”

At Si-hyun’s gentle voice, everyone except the driver looks at her.

Si-hyun clears her throat lightly and continues.

“This is Ah-reum, the student who will be joining us this time.”

“Ah, hello….”

In a faint voice, Ah-reum greets them.

The men’s gazes shift from Si-hyun to Ah-reum.

The first thing that stands out is the large glasses.

With her thick bangs covering her forehead.

Since she hid her face behind Si-hyun’s arm, only that part is visible.

Even so, her beauty does not diminish.

Thanks to the two beauties, the once dull atmosphere in the Wings Guild’s vehicle feels fresher.

With two beautiful women, it almost feels like the air has cleared, making everyone feel invigorated.

“Ah-reum, these guys are all Hunters from the Wings Guild. Let me introduce them one by one—”

Then, Si-hyun starts introducing the men.

Having calmed down a bit, Ah-reum recalls the faces of the men.

They were the ones featured in the introductory monster studies lecture videos.

Once the introductions are done as they greet each other one by one,

Si-hyun tilts her head and says,

“Jihan’s here today as well?”

“You can speak comfortably!”

Jihan grins as he continues the conversation.

“I heard it’s a large dungeon today, so I’m here to help before heading off on my business trip.”

“…Business trip?”

“Uh, I mean, did you hear? The reason we agreed to go to the large dungeon today.”

“Da-young just said, ‘What a coincidence!’”

At Si-hyun’s response, Jihan looks towards Han-gyeol, who is sitting next to him.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, but it still wasn’t something they should be discussing casually.

Once Han-gyeol nods, Jihan continues.

“You’ve heard that most of us in the Wings Guild are from the same large guild, right?”

“Ah, yeah, I’ve heard that.”

“You can speak comfortably. Anyway! Those guys, I mean, they can be very petty.”

As Jihan almost lets a curse word slip out, he quickly corrects himself.

“They don’t touch E-rank or D-rank dungeons, but the moment a C-rank dungeon is requested near Seoul, they seem to just know and steal the reservation.”

“……Is that allowed?”

“The higher the ranking of the dungeon, the more the management committee takes charge of the strategies.”

“Ah….”

She remembers hearing something similar before.

Previously, Ji-a mentioned that a large guild had snatched up the reservation for an A-rank dungeon, preventing her from going.

As Si-hyun nods, Han-gyeol and Jihan alternate speaking.

“This has improved a little thanks to the management committee’s mediation.”

“They only provoke us enough for us to feel discomfort. They don’t take everything away.”

“Aha….”

That’s why there had been occasional changes in appointment dates or times during this request.

Si-hyun comes to understand the situation of the Wings Guild.

“I guess they don’t touch the provinces?”

“Yeah. It seems even they consider that too bothersome.”

What a complete sham.

Si-hyun’s expression tightens as she feels displeased.

Then, as if trying to lighten the mood, Han-gyeol smiles and says,

“You don’t have to worry too much! After all, who’s our master?”

“B-rank crafting Hunter Moon Da-young!”

Jihan chimes in cheerfully.

Han-gyeol nods and adds,

“Our master has plenty of connections, and the management committee pays at least minimal attention, so they can only bother us a little.”

“And if our master were to also achieve A-rank! They’d start to panic!”

“Hehe, I’m really looking forward to that.”

“Right? I’m more excited about my master achieving A-rank than about me becoming B-rank!”

“Hahaha!”

As Jihan playfully shrugs his shoulders, all the men burst into laughter.

With that, the atmosphere in the car begins to brighten up again.

Ah-reum, who is gradually getting used to it, peeks out and listens to the conversation.

Curious, Ah-reum takes out her phone.

She searches for information on crafting Hunters online.

“Not as many as support Hunters, but the numbers are ridiculously low…”

The highest rank in Korea was A-rank.

However, there were only a handful of them, all of whom were elderly.

They were all at an age where it wouldn’t be surprising if they retired at any moment.

Therefore, it made sense why B-rank crafting Hunters received so much attention.

Next, Ah-reum tries to search for which large guild is associated with the Wings Guild.

She became curious about how this situation arose.

There’s a chance it might have even been covered in the news.

But just as Ah-reum’s finger is about to move, the vehicle stops.

“We’ve arrived!”

“Shall we go?”

“……Yes!”

If she remembers later, she can search again.

As soon as Ah-reum gets out of the car, she sticks to Si-hyun again.

Being close, she catches the pleasant scent coming from Professor Jeong Si-hyun.

Smelling this fragrance makes her feel at ease.

Of course, if the professor finds it uncomfortable, she will immediately let go.

But until then, she plans to stay tightly connected to her.

After all, the C-rank dungeon is frightening.

Si-hyun looks at Ah-reum’s head with a hesitant expression.

After scratching her nape once, she begins to walk behind the men.

“Si-hyun, today is the last day. Thank you for your hard work!”

“Let’s do our best today too!”

“Hoho, I look forward to working with you as well.”

At the strong voices of the men, Si-hyun lightly smiles and responds.

As the group approaches the gate, they meet a group of men who arrived beforehand.

As the group approaches, a man who seems to be the leader greets them with a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you. Shall we do some brief introductions before we start?”

The man introduces his party first.

All of them are close-combat Hunters; he is a B-rank, one C-rank, and two D-ranks, making a total of four members in the party.

What’s unique is that all of them have the profession of ‘Thief’.

He seems aware of this point, smirking as he says.

“Thieves don’t get invited to parties much. So, we’ve created a fixed party just among ourselves.”