The next day, Sihyun got into Ji-a’s car and headed toward the gate.
Sihyun found herself thinking absentmindedly, *“It’s nice having your own car…”* when Ji-a glanced over and asked,
“What kind of weapon do you use? I’m a spearmaster.”
“Well, I didn’t have ti to grab my original weapon before returning… so I’ll just use whatever works for now.”
Maybe I should try out the sword Ms. Dayoung gave ?
Thinking it would be simple enough, Sihyun took out the sword.
Seeing this, Ji-a’s eyes widened slightly.
“A Saint with a sword?”
“I’ve picked up enough over ti to use it,” Sihyun replied nonchalantly.
In large-scale battles, she’d often used whatever she could get her hands on in the heat of the mont. Plus, she had years of experience with the hero’s party.
Though she hadn’t trained in any particular technique, she could use the sword well enough.
“I see… Well, shall we begin?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
The two of them stood side by side, striding forward with determination. As they advanced into the dungeon, they soon encountered two trolls.
Over three ters tall with thick skin and strong regenerative abilities, trolls were an opponent that would typically make a C-rank hunter tense.
But neither of them fit into that category.
“One each sound good?”
“Of course.”
Each preparing to take on one troll, Ji-a adjusted her stance and stole a quick glance at Sihyun.
While confident in her abilities, she’d never actually seen Sihyun fight. For her, a single C-rank troll was a manageable opponent, so she planned to observe Sihyun first.
However, Sihyun was thinking the sa thing.
Trolls were monsters she’d fought countless tis. She was confident she could handle one with her eyes closed.
So both ended up watching each other.
“Heh…”
“Haha!”
Realizing they had the sa thought, they both laughed and turned their focus back to the monsters ahead.
The dungeon was spacious anyway; they had plenty of ti to observe each other later.
Adjusting their approach, they each engaged their respective troll as it charged forward.
Ji-a used her swift movents and the reach of her spear to her advantage.
She maintained a certain distance, targeting the troll’s weak points—joints, knees, areas that would slow its movents.
Despite the troll’s durability, the skillful spear techniques of an A-rank hunter attacking the sa area repeatedly eventually overwheld its regeneration, forcing the troll to its knees.
At that mont, Ji-a activated a spearmaster skill.
Her spear, leaving a blue streak, shot forward with great speed.
Mana-filled, the spear pierced the troll’s neck.
*“Argh—!”*
Even the troll’s regeneration couldn’t handle this fatal wound, and it collapsed lifelessly.
“Phew…!”
Ji-a relaxed, shaking off the blood from her spear, and turned to look at Sihyun.
“…Oh.”
Ji-a let out a small sound of admiration.
Sihyun’s battle was already over. The troll lay with its head neatly severed.
Though she hadn’t gone all out, she hadn’t expected Sihyun to finish first. Sihyun seed much stronger than she’d anticipated.
“…But is that really fitting for a Saint?”
As Sihyun approached, she overheard Ji-a’s muttered comnt and responded with a wry smile.
“Holy Knight.”
“Ah, I see.”
Though it was just one word, the ssage was clear. Ji-a laughed and nodded. Whatever happened in the dungeon today would stay between them.
“Rember, you promised to bless when we entered the dungeon?”
“Oh, right.”
“Does it work similarly to how support-type hunters do it?”
“I think… probably?”
Sihyun tilted her head, unsure how to answer Ji-a’s question. She hadn’t seen a support hunter in action before. *Well, we’ll find out.*
With ease, Sihyun used divine power to strengthen Ji-a’s body. She then added mana to increase her various attributes.
Since this was only a C-rank dungeon, Sihyun kept the power level moderate.
As the ‘blessing’ finished, Ji-a clenched and unclenched her fists, murmuring with fascination.
“…This feels different sohow.”
“Does it?”
“There are multiple layers, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
As Sihyun confird this, Ji-a spoke thoughtfully.
“The very first one—it’s sothing I’ve never felt before. I can recognize the mana from the middle, though.”
“Divine power?”
“That’s what it’s called? Yes, this feeling is new to .”
“Hm…”
Sihyun thought for a mont.
No one had ever ntioned it before. Perhaps A-rank hunters were sensitive enough to notice it.
Still, she reached the conclusion that she, too, didn’t have the answer.
Divine power ca from prayer and faith, while mana was a subject she’d studied in theory but mostly applied intuitively.
*“There really are a lot of differences between awakeners and myself with the status screen,”* she thought, putting an end to her contemplation.
“So, no side effects or anything?”
“None! I feel so energized that it’s almost a problem. Right now, I feel like I could even take on an S-rank opponent.”
Ji-a declared confidently, feeling a surge of strength and vitality.
No wonder major guilds actively sought support-type hunters.
Everyone eventually hit that wall—the limit of their strength. Even if only for a mont, Sihyun’s support seed to shatter that barrier effortlessly.
It was incredibly appealing.
“So, shall we go wild?”
“Yes, let’s do it!”
With Ji-a’s excitent, Sihyun felt her own energy rising. Ji-a’s reaction was refreshing.
The two charged through the dungeon with enthusiasm.
It was only a C-rank dungeon, hardly challenging, but both Ji-a and Sihyun were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
---
After clearing the dungeon and stepping outside, Ji-a voiced a thought that had co to mind.
“Sihyun, isn’t this your first ti in a C-rank dungeon?”
“Hm? Yeah, it’s my first.”
“Then how were you handling them so smoothly?”
Ji-a recalled Sihyun’s movents in the dungeon.
It wasn’t just talent and physical ability; she responded to attacks as if she’d anticipated them.
Her movents reflected an understanding of the monsters’ behavior and patterns, coupled with her strength, making it seem like she was toying with the C-rank creatures.
“Well… I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Understanding Ji-a’s question, Sihyun scratched her cheek.
“The monsters here are exactly the sa as the ones I fought in the other world.”
“Seriously? E to C-rank?”
“Yeah. I’ve fought them so many tis; the strategies are second nature to .”
Ji-a’s eyes widened.
If that were the case, then Sihyun might know about monsters that appear in B and even A-rank dungeons.
And if she knew about the S-rank monsters, which had only appeared a handful of tis?
It would cause an uproar.
“Oh, I don’t know everything. I only know what I know.”
*If I don’t know it, I don’t know it,* Sihyun added quietly to herself.
Then she smiled faintly and continued.
“By the way, Ji-a, you’re really strong.”
“Huh? Where’s this coming from?”
“I was honestly surprised. You’re on a different level from lower-ranked hunters.”
“R-really…?”
Ji-a’s cheeks reddened slightly at Sihyun’s sudden complint. Her heart fluttered a bit, just like the saying goes—praise makes even a whale dance.
Sihyun’s looks only made the feeling stronger. Embarrassed, Ji-a decided to change the subject.
“So, about the shopping trip with Si-yoon. Are you really not coming?”
“…No, I think it’d just tire out.”
“Oh, co on, the dungeon was way more exhausting!”
“I’ll be fine, so you two go and have fun.”
Sihyun, uninterested in tagging along for a shopping trip, set up a solid wall of refusal.
Ji-a knocked on the wall lightly, but it didn’t budge.
---
So ti passed, and the weekend arrived.
Ji-a and Si-yoon wandered around the nearby shopping mall.
As they strolled, Ji-a happened to notice a bracelet on Si-yoon’s wrist.
“Si-yoon, that bracelet is pretty. Where did you get it?”
“Oh, this?”
Si-yoon smiled brightly, raising her arm.
“It’s a gift from my sister! She had it custom-made recently and gave it to .”
“Hm…”
As Si-yoon proudly showed off her bracelet, Ji-a couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. She imdiately recognized the familiar sensation.
“Hm? Status screen.”
Opening her status screen, Ji-a checked the bracelet’s details. Since it was crafted with mana stones, it displayed basic information.
“It’s an accessory made from mana stones?”
“Is it? I thought it might be since she kept explaining it to , talking about safety and all…”
Listening to Si-yoon’s muttering, Ji-a chuckled.
*Sihyun’s definitely got that doting older sister vibe.* For soone who’d only recently returned, she was already taking care of these things.
“…I want to get sothing, too.”
“Shall we check out the accessory stores?”
“Yes.”
The two won explored various shops, browsing through accessories. After so ti, Si-yoon finally found sothing she was
happy with.
As Si-yoon was getting her gift wrapped, a sudden commotion broke out.
“Everyone! Evacuate imdiately!”
“What’s going on?!”
A young man shouted urgently, drawing the attention of those nearby.
“D-dinsional rift…!”
Before he could finish, a loud crash sounded, and a massive gate radiating a crimson aura appeared.
The people in the mall froze in fear as they were sucked into the gate.
It was a special dungeon that had failed to be detected in advance by the Bureau.
Among the nurous civilians pulled into the gate were Ji-a and Si-yoon.
---
Left alone at ho, Sihyun was idly scrolling between the internet and TrTube.
Then she noticed a series of “Breaking News” headlines that all seed to say the sa thing.
[*Unmonitored Gate Erges in Seoul Mall*]
[*Bureau Confirms: One-Way Dungeon, Entry Prevents Exit*]
[*asured as the Most Dangerous A-rank Dungeon Observed in Korea*]
“…”
Sihyun stared at the bracelet on her wrist.
She’d repeatedly insisted that Si-yoon use it in case anything happened.
She didn’t know which mall they’d gone to, but there hadn’t been any response yet, so things were probably fine…
But she couldn’t help feeling worried.
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