Gulp.
The rescue team stood behind the torn-off door, peering intently into the room beyond. They knew there were a hundred Demons inside.
’Junior... will he really be okay...?’
Lim Ga-eul had been on various dungeon raids with Jin Yuha, but she had never witnessed his true capabilities.
After all, Utopia always operated as a party.
Lim Ga-eul would buff the entire party, and the tank, Lee Yoo-ri, would aggro the monsters. Then, the main damage dealer, Kang Do-hee, would step in, with Jin Yuha cleaning up any stragglers. Jin Yuha also acted as the party leader, giving instructions to the group. As such, she had rarely seen him fight alone, and now he was thrown into a group of savage Demons. It was natural for her to be worried.
However, as a re student, she couldn’t openly disagree with a plan devised by an Academy instructor. Jin Yuha had also agreed without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
And, to her surprise, Jin Yuha began to wreak havoc among the group of Demons.
"Aaaahhhh!"
"Ugh?!"
"Aaahhh!!"
Blood splattered everywhere as the Demons scread in agony.
Gulp.
Lim Ga-eul swallowed hard as she watched the scene unfold.
’This is... my junior when he’s serious...’
It was overwhelming.
Cruel and ruthless, his sword showed no rcy.
Of course, this wasn’t the first ti Lim Ga-eul had witnessed Jin Yuha’s killings.
She hadn’t participated in the first-year mid-term evaluation, but she had experienced sothing similar in the past.
Lim Ga-eul recalled the ti they had raided the Thorny Grassland dungeon, when the Darkness Guild party had led monsters to attack Utopia. Utopia had abandoned them to the monsters and fled, which could also be considered an indirect killing.
However, they had a valid reason for their actions then, and it wasn’t sothing they had done directly, so it felt different.
But what Jin Yuha was displaying now was on a whole other level compared to the pressure she had felt during that incident.
’I’m fine... I knew what being a Hunter entailed when I signed up...’
Lim Ga-eul may have been at the bottom of her class for a year, but she was still a second-year student. She had learned enough to understand the nature of being a Hunter.
Of course, this was the first ti she had witnessed sothing so raw and brutal, hence the trembling of her hands.
As she watched the battle unfold with shaking eyes, Lim Ga-eul slowly turned her head to the side.
There, she saw Instructor Baek with a barely perceptible smirk on her face.
Instructor Baek was a seasoned Academy instructor, so her reaction was understandable.
However, Lim Ga-eul’s concern shifted to Sophia. This scene would undoubtedly be shocking to a child who had only recently entered this world.
But Sophia, far from being disturbed, lowered the cara she had been holding.
"...., this footage won’t do. It’s so cool, but I can’t use it like this..."
Sophia pouted, disappointed that she couldn’t share this amazing scene with the world. How was she able to remain so calm?
’Isn’t she scared at all? This girl...’
Lim Ga-eul felt bewildered.
"Sophia, are you... okay with this?"
"Hmm? What do you an?"
"Are you really unaffected by Yuha’s... well, I an, I’m fine with it, but I thought it might be a bit too grueso for a junior to witness..."
"Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?"
Sophia tilted her head, still not understanding the question.
"Yuha-san killed Demons during the mid-term evaluation too. There’s no difference between then and now."
"...., weren’t you... surprised?"
"Well, I was surprised when I first saw him during the mid-term evaluation, but if it weren’t for Yuha-san, all the students would have died."
Sophia’s clear golden eyes seed to pierce right through Lim Ga-eul.
"In the end, this is what Hunters do. I accepted all of that."
There was not a hint of hesitation in Sophia’s voice.
"Right now, those Demons are holding civilians captive in an underground prison, treating their lives like garbage. And it could have been my mother or father in there. If I decided to fight alongside soone like that, wouldn’t it be wrong of to turn away or close my eyes?"
"...."
"Also, I’m a fan of hardcore gore."
Sophia added with a slight smile. Lim Ga-eul opened her mouth to say sothing but closed it again. She let out a deep sigh.
’She’s stronger than ...’
Perhaps the weakest-hearted mber of Utopia was herself.
Baek Seol-hee, who had been glancing at their conversation, turned her attention back to the front.
’This new one is fine. And this one still has room to grow. She has the potential, but her heart is fragile compared to her abilities.’
However, this wasn’t sothing that could be forced. Ultimately, it was up to them to break out of their shells.
Most people tended to view Hunters as a glamorous and shining profession, slaying monsters and rescuing people.
There was so truth to that statent. Top Hunters earned unimaginable sums of money and enjoyed corresponding status and admiration.
But as the leader of the Demon Slayer Squad, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t help but scoff at that notion. She knew how many Hunters were devoured by monsters, killed by Demons, or sacrificed by their fellow Hunters every year.
And even more Hunters retired after sustaining ntal trauma from their experiences in combat.
However, in terms of ntal fortitude, Jin Yuha was flawless.
Even now, observe his wide field of vision, his efficient movents driven by a clear purpose, and the unwavering sword in the face of countless enemies.
Of course, these were all factors that contributed to her high evaluation of Jin Yuha, but there was sothing else she valued even more.
His ntal strength.
When Baek Seol-hee first began teaching Jin Yuha, she started with teaching him how to kill.
Later, when the Utopia party was ford and Jin Yuha began to make a na for himself, other instructors approached her, curious about how she had trained him.
Proudly, she demonstrated her teaching thods without holding back.
The expressions on their faces were priceless.
’You’re the Slaughter Maniac, but this is too much. There’s no way any of the new students could withstand such insane training.’ They raised their voices as if to say, ’Don’t joke around.’ They even advised her to consider what would have happened if she had undergone such training at that age.
The shock Baek Seol-hee felt at that mont was significant.
’...., yeah, I probably couldn’t have handled it.’
Yes, it was a training regin that only soone with her level of experience could endure. But because Jin Yuha was her first student, she had inadvertently applied her own standards to him. In other words, she had misjudged the starting point.
So, she decided to adjust the intensity of the training.
─ Why are you acting like this today?! Master!
Jin Yuha, usually obedient and compliant, suddenly rebelled against her.
─ This training is too advanced for you.
─ Did I do sothing wrong?
─ No, I just feel that this training is too advanced for you right now.
─ I need to get stronger, Master! Please continue as before!
─ If you push yourself too far, you might break.
─ No, I won’t break. Please believe in . You can even test if you want!!
Jin Yuha’s determined gaze t hers, and Baek Seol-hee reluctantly agreed to test him.
To her surprise, Jin Yuha passed every test with flying colors, even those that seasoned mbers of the Demon Extermination Squad would struggle with, only managing to pass about half of them.
’I’ve been outplayed.’
Baek Seol-hee let out a soft laugh.
Honestly, she still couldn’t quite believe how a kid his age could possess such ntal fortitude. Typically, doing this kind of work would leave so kind of mark on a person, but Jin Yuha’s mind was as solid as a fortress.
’The last ti he gave in to his anger, it was because he was furious about the harm done to his comrades. That’s a sign of his ability to separate his emotions when it cos to allies and enemies, which is actually a strength.’
And now that he had learned that lesson, she was confident he wouldn’t make the sa mistake again.
He was truly perfect, without a single flaw that she could pinpoint.
’Hmm, co to think of it, he did say he wanted to cook for personally next ti. I’m looking forward to that.’
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Jin Yuha, who had been fighting the Demons, suddenly smashed the floor, creating a cloud of dust.
Recognizing this as the signal to move in, Baek Seol-hee spoke up.
"Then, go."
"...., yes."
"Yes!"
Baek Seol-hee led Lim Ga-eul and Sophia into the building.
With Jin Yuha drawing all the attention and even creating a smokescreen, it was much easier to sneak in.
"Yo─!"
Screech!
However, due to Lim Ga-eul and Sophia’s inexperience with stealth, they were occasionally spotted by the Demons. But Baek Seol-hee silenced them with a single stroke of her sword.
’The path to the underground is... over there.’
Tap tap tap tap!
She sprinted towards the basent.
So Demons from below had heard the commotion upstairs and were coming up, but Baek Seol-hee’s expression remained unchanged as she swung her sword.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
With chilling brevity, she cut them down without breaking her stride.
The running speed remained unchanged, and the enemies fell, clutching their necks.
After slaughtering dozens of Demons on the stairs, they reached the basent level.
An open door.
The scene beyond the door caused Lim Ga-eul and Sophia to simultaneously gasp.
The putrid stench assaulted their noses. The dirty, fly-infested room resembled a pigsty, and countless emaciated people were huddled on either side.
In the center, a massive, pitch-black magic stone hovered in mid-air.
"As I thought... it was here. They’ve been kidnapping humans and sending them here."
Baek Seol-hee took in the scene, her voice cold and detached.
Thud thud thud!
A man in a doctor’s gown erged from behind the magic stone.
"Ah! It’s you, isn’t it? The Slaughter Maniac. I had a feeling sothing annoying was going on upstairs..."
The speaker was a young man with white hair and a face covered in stitched scars.
He stretched his lips into a grin that threatened to split his face.
"But what can you do now? It’s too late. The Demon Summoning Ritual has already begun."
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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