Let's Go on Another Date Next Time
Ha Chaewon was incredibly happy today.
Perhaps it was the happiest day of her entire life.
A date with Ha Doyun, whom she loved so dearly.
Everything was perfect.
Driving while sipping the coffee Doyun had made for her.
Walking hand-in-hand with Doyun through the department store.
Eating delicious food together with Doyun.
It was, without a doubt, a flawless day.
Chaewon truly wished today would last forever.
'Ah... seriously... this is why I can't give up on you. You're so adorable... how could I ever let you go?'
It would be one thing if Doyun spoke harshly, but he was always gentle and sweet.
Every single moment spent with Doyun was a joy.
No matter how many expensive, precious luxury goods surrounded her, Chaewon only had eyes for Doyun.
'Ah... really... if only we weren't siblings... I would have confessed to you over and over again. Why did we have to meet as brother and sister? If God exists, He must have a very twisted personality.'
Actually, at this point, it didn't even matter that they were siblings.
For Chaewon, Doyun was her one and only love.
Whether Doyun was her biological brother or her biological father, it didn't matter anymore.
Chaewon had resolved to love only Doyun forever.
'An unrequited love that can never be realized is painful... but even so, I can't give up on you, Doyun. So... let's keep staying like this.'
This love could never be realized.
A thick wall called incest blocked their path.
Therefore, Chaewon resolved to simply enjoy the present moment.
She decided to cherish this moment with Doyun, whom she truly treasured, for a long, long time.
But unfortunately, their precious date was ruined.
The culprit was a Gate that had manifested inside the department store.
As evacuation announcements blared, telling everyone to flee, people began leaving the department store in terror.
Continuing their date in such a chaotic place was impossible.
"...Ah. How annoying."
The time she could spend dating Doyun was incredibly precious to Chaewon.
If it were possible, she would have gladly spent her entire fortune to buy it.
But since their date had been ruined by a mere Gate, Chaewon couldn't help but feel genuinely furious.
She wanted to slice the Gate and everything else to pieces right then and there.
However, she was currently in front of Doyun.
Chaewon absolutely did not want to show a scary side of herself to Doyun.
Thus, she exerted superhuman patience to force her expression under control.
Masking her boiling rage, she looked at Doyun with a warm smile and spoke.
"Doyun. It looks like a Gate has appeared. I'll go take care of it quickly, so please wait here for a moment."
Ha Chaewon.
The youngest S-class Hunter in the country, the woman known as the Sword Saint.
For her, there was no such thing as an uncleared Gate.
If Chaewon willed it, she could slice a low-class Gate itself out of existence.
As long as she was here, this Gate would vanish in no time.
Even so, Chaewon did not let her guard down.
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, she set up a very reliable insurance policy for Doyun.
"Doyun. Hold onto this dagger. As long as you have this, nothing in this world will be able to hurt you."
Chaewon summoned a golden dagger and placed it in Doyun's hand.
The weapon was the Guardian Sword, created through her unique ability.
It possessed the authority to unconditionally block any attack weaker than Chaewon herself.
With this, Doyun's safety was perfectly guaranteed.
Before leaving to clear the Gate, Chaewon stroked Doyun's hair.
"I'm sorry for ending our date like this. I apologize. So, next time, we..."
Let's go on another date next time... she wanted to say.
But when she actually tried to speak, the words wouldn't leave her mouth.
Chaewon was afraid.
Afraid that Doyun might reject her proposal...
Afraid that he might say something he didn't mean just to be considerate of her, even if he didn't want to date...
...And terrified that Doyun might look back on today's date as an unpleasant memory.
That was why Chaewon couldn't bring herself to say it easily.
Just then, Doyun spoke up first instead of her.
Doyun approached the hesitating Chaewon and gently pressed his lips to her cheek.
Smooch.
A light peck on the cheek.
Chaewon was startled by the incredibly sudden physical contact.
She couldn't say a word, simply staring at Doyun with wide eyes.
Doyun just smiled brightly and spoke.
"Chaewon Nuna. Today was just bad luck. But it's okay. Thanks to having my reliable sister by my side, I'm not scared at all. I'm really fine, Chaewon Nuna. So don't make such a sad face. It's not your fault at all. If anything, I'm super grateful to you."
"..."
"Pfft. Nuna, what's with that face? You look like a total dummy. Were you really that surprised?"
"Uh... yeah... a little... no... I was really surprised..."
"Hehe. Well, we only did pecks on the cheek when we were kids, and we haven't done it recently. Ah, you're not upset, are you?"
"N-No! I'm not upset at all! In fact, it felt amazing! I just... I just didn't expect you to give me a kiss on the cheek..."
Terrified he might misunderstand, Chaewon actively emphasized how much she liked the kiss.
Doyun laughed as he looked at her, and only then did Chaewon realize.
At some point, her mind had become incredibly peaceful.
There was no anger, no sadness, no worry.
Right now, she was simply content with things just as they were.
'Ah... I see... Doyun... wanted to calm me down. I must have looked very unstable to him... Haha. I ended up showing him a rather pathetic side of myself.'
It was a bit ticklish to be comforted by her younger brother.
But she wasn't embarrassed.
Because the one doing it was Doyun.
Only then did Chaewon regain her smile.
Smiling gently just as Doyun had, she stroked his hair.
"Doyun. Thank you for worrying about me. Thanks to you, I feel much calmer."
"Hehe, I'm glad then~ More importantly, hurry up and go clear the Gate. The initial response is the most important part of clearing a Gate, right?"
"Yes, I should."
Chaewon gave Doyun's cheek one last gentle squeeze before standing up.
Sensing the flow of mana, she began to pinpoint the exact location of the Gate.
Before setting off to clear the Gate, Chaewon looked back at Doyun one last time and spoke.
"Doyun. If it's alright with you... would you like to go on a date like today next time too?"
Chaewon summoned her courage to suggest a next time.
To her proposal, Doyun smiled brightly and replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah! Of course! Let's go on another date next time!"
Hearing that answer, Chaewon simply smiled without a word.
She cast one final look at Doyun, then walked away.
The department store's underground parking lot.
A dimensional rift known as a Gate was forming there.
As pinkish demonic energy spilled out around it, small-type demons in the shape of beasts crawled out from beyond the Gate.
Less than three minutes after the Gate's appearance, the underground parking lot was already crawling with small-type demons.
A few Hunters who happened to be at the department store tried to hold back the demons pouring from the Gate, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.
The defensive line the Hunters had hastily formed was slowly but surely being pushed back.
Just then, a monster crossed over the Gate.
The Archdevil, Lilith.
A succubus of mesmerizing beauty instantly suppressed the entire area with her ominous mana.
"Ah... is this the human world...? Truly... it is as trivial a place as I have heard."
Every Hunter in the parking lot knew instantly.
This entity was not something they could handle.
The moment they realized this, the Hunters began to act on their survival instincts.
The defensive line collapsed in an instant.
The Hunters ran for their lives.
But they could not escape.
No one could flee this place without her permission.
"Yes... for my first meal, taking everyone here seems quite fitting. This should be enough to satisfy my hunger for now."
Lilith's mana enveloped the entire department store building.
Every living thing touched by her authority became honest with their desires, just as the queen willed.
An undeniable greed.
The devil's touch softly, yet thoroughly, brought ruin to the world.
"Rejoice. Your queen has arrived. Bow your heads and worship me."
The Archdevil, Lilith.
Danger level: Special Class.
The vicious Archdevil who ruled the Demon Realm began to leave her mark on the human world.
...
The danger levels of Gates and monsters are classified starting from 5th Class, then 4th Class, 3rd Class, 2nd Class, 1st Class, and finally Special Class.
5th Class to 1st Class are standard ranks, which top-tier guilds can sufficiently handle.
But not a Special Class.
These were monsters that even the Hunter Association couldn't properly rank.
They were never meant to be subjugated in the first place.
The designation of Special Class was created solely to signal the need to run.
...But that didn't mean there was no way to kill a Special Class.
A very select few... the ultimate Hunters, numbering around thirty worldwide, could fight against a Special Class.
S-class.
That was the weight carried by the S-class rank.
"A Special Class... a rather annoying one crossed over."
Chaewon's voice echoed through the parking lot.
Upon her appearance, the small-type demons instinctively felt an alien sensation.
But it was of no use.
By the time the demons turned their heads toward Chaewon, their bodies had already been sliced into thousands of pieces.
The hundreds of demons filling the parking lot turned to dust and vanished in an instant.
An utterly unbelievable sight.
The Archdevil asked, her expression completely blank.
"...You. What are you?"
"Who knows... just think of me as a Hunter."
There are two ways to become an S-class Hunter.
One is by building up achievements.
Clearing countless 1st Class Gates and monsters, and surviving multiple encounters against Special Class threats.
If these conditions are met, the Hunter Association grants the S-class rank.
But aside from building up achievements, there was another way to become S-class.
And that was by demonstrating an absurd, nonsensical level of strength.
Displaying a power that could completely overwhelm a Special Class.
If that was possible, the Hunter Association would grant the S-class title immediately, no questions asked.
And Chaewon was a case of becoming S-class through the latter method.
The youngest S-class Hunter in the country.
No... the youngest S-class Hunter in the entire world, Ha Chaewon.
Her strength was easily within the top three globally—she was a monster among monsters.
The Sword Saint, Ha Chaewon.
That monster was not something a mere Archdevil could hope to face.