041. A Top-Tier Woman
041. A Top-Tier Woman
"I asked you a question. What are you doing right now."
Kang Do-hee spoke in a hard voice, still gripping Kim Ok-ja's wrist.
Kim Ok-ja stared back at her with a startled expression at first.
Then her eyes rolled around, taking in the surroundings, and she gave a shaky little smile.
"Oh my. If it isn't Fighting Dog?"
"Don't call me by that shitty fucking nickname. It's dogshit."
Kim Ok-ja subtly tried to pull her hand free, and when it wouldn't come loose, she spoke in a slick, slippery voice.
"Alright. Alright. Ooh, how scary. Anyway, how about letting go of my hand?"
As she said it, Kim Ok-ja glanced around.
She'd been flustered at first when Kang Do-hee suddenly barged in.
Honestly, the best move would've been to avoid getting tangled up with her at all.
But it was already too late.
Once a fight was picked, she couldn't back down.
Before entering the academy, an older girl she knew had told her that the Hall of Valor had a firmly established pecking order.
So taking control of the initiative early on was critical.
Of course, she didn't overestimate herself. A direct confrontation with Kang Do-hee was the worst possible plan.
Unlike Cheonhwa, Fighting Dog was the real deal—a Damage Dealer who operated solo.
'But that doesn't mean I'm out of options.'
Kim Ok-ja activated her 《Eumhwa》 skill.
It was a worthless little skill; all it did was infuse her voice with Mana to make it a bit clearer.
But she knew exactly when to use it.
'No matter how much of a solo act she is, can she really ignore the voices of everyone else?'
The girls in this place weren't your average women.
Every single one of them was a promising talent who'd one day claim a spot in the Hunter industry.
Even if individually they were no match for Kang Do-hee, making an enemy of all of them at once was a choice she could never make.
'And the most important thing is, she's got no justification.'
Well, if she'd accidentally made physical contact with Jin Yu-ha or something, that'd be one thing—but she hadn't done anything yet.
If Kang Do-hee resorted to violence in the current situation, the only one who'd end up looking bad was her.
And taking a punch or two was no big deal.
Kim Ok-ja smirked and opened her mouth.
"Anyone watching would think I'd done something terrible. My hand just slipped for a second. Why are you being so oversensitive?"
Kim Ok-ja raised her voice, as if she couldn't understand it at all.
"What?"
Kang Do-hee was so dumbfounded she let go of the wrist and frowned.
Kim Ok-ja shook out the arm that had been grabbed, all nonchalant.
"No, I mean, it's weird, isn't it? I haven't done anything at all. I genuinely don't get why I have to be sworn at by you."
Then she opened her eyes wide, feigning a sudden jolt of shock.
"Oh—don't tell me...!? Could it be that Kang Do-hee, a special admission cadet, has got a thing for a male quota student?"
Murmuring─
The onlookers around them began buzzing.
*
'Wow, there really are so many ways to commit suicide.'
I watched the scene unfold, looking at Kim Ok-ja with cold, cynical eyes.
'She hates that kind of mob-mentality bullshit more than anything, in the first place.'
Having heard about Kang Do-hee's past from Shin Se-hee, I could roughly guess how she was feeling right now.
Hadn't her role model, the leader of the Parandis Guild, been destroyed because of people whipping up a mob?
I glanced.
I looked toward Kang Do-hee.
Just as I thought.
Kang Do-hee stood with her arms crossed, mouth hanging open as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Then she burst out laughing, a "pfft," as if she found it genuinely amusing.
"Hey, what's your name?"
When she asked for her name, Kim Ok-ja flinched.
But she raised her voice even louder, as if to show she wasn't scared.
"Wh-why would you need to know that! D-don't tell me you're going to send someone else to...!?"
But Kang Do-hee shook her head immediately.
"As if. Why would I waste something that precious?"
"P-precious?"
"Yeah. I only asked because I thought it was funny."
Swish─!
Abruptly, Kang Do-hee's face went dead serious as she reached for Kim Ok-ja's head.
She was so fast that Kim Ok-ja couldn't even react. A fistful of her murky blonde hair was snatched up in Kang Do-hee's hand.
"But it's not funny anymore, so you don't have to tell me."
"Aagh!!! L-let go of this—!"
Kim Ok-ja, who hadn't expected Kang Do-hee to come at her so directly like this, let out a panicked voice, her eyes straining upward.
But Kang Do-hee gave no answer.
BAM─!!!
She slammed her head straight into the floor.
Then Kang Do-hee crouched down in front of her, grabbed her by the hair, and lifted her head back up.
Kim Ok-ja, a smile still plastered on her lips, spoke.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth—maybe she'd bitten her tongue.
"Ghk! Y-you actually hit me!? A mere cadet who hasn't done anything? Is this okay just because you're a special admission student!?"
BAM─!!!!
Kim Ok-ja's face was slammed down into the floor once more.
Her skull rattled from the shock, which was no joke, and Kim Ok-ja's face instantly turned deathly pale.
But she still kept up her bluff.
"Kgh! Fine! Fine! Our dear Fighting Dog must be really angry! Just like you want, I'll grovel on my hands and knees—!"
BAAAM─!!!!
"You—! If you lay a hand on me......! The academy will discipline—!"
Before the words even finished, her face was smashed back into the floor.
The composure on Kim Ok-ja's face slowly began to vanish.
"Th-that—!"
BAM─!
"Why!?"
BAM─!
"Ghk!"
BAM─!
"Urk!!"
Expressionless, Kang Do-hee grabbed her opponent's head, lifted it up, and slammed it back down.
There wasn't a shred of mercy in the mechanical repetition.
BAM─!!
"Urghk─!!!"
Her bloodied face had gone blank, as if unable to believe it.
The floor where she'd been slammed was cracked and caved in.
And Kim Ok-ja, who'd collided with that floor again and again—her teeth were broken, her blonde hair was torn out in clumps. She was a ruined mess, too horrific to look at.
"......Kghhk......."
A ragged groan leaked from her lips.
BAAAM─!!!!!
Twitch-twitch─
She trembled, face planted in the floor.
Kang Do-hee, who'd been staring at the back of her head, slowly straightened her knees and stood up, taking a look around.
Every single woman dropped her gaze and averted her eyes.
Kang Do-hee let out a hollow laugh. "Hah."
"Hey, you motherfucking bitches."
She swept her gaze over them, as if memorizing each of their faces.
Flinch─
"From now on, if you're gonna touch Jin Yu-ha, come find me first."
"......."
"Disciplinary action? I don't give a shit about crap like that. Go ahead and try it, if you can."
Everyone clamped their mouths shut, and a murderous hush settled over the room.
Tch.
Kang Do-hee clicked her tongue, as if she didn't like what she was hearing.
"Answer."
"Y-yes!!!!"
The women gathered around hurriedly bobbed their heads.
Just then.
Squirm─
Kim Ok-ja's body, which had been collapsed on the floor, twitched.
Her arm trembling violently behind her, she grasped the handle of the hand axe at her waist.
Springing up─!
Seizing the opening, she shot to her feet.
"You fucking...!"
She charged with fire in her eyes.
But the direction she charged wasn't Kang Do-hee—it was me.
'......I'm an idiot for even briefly thinking she might've been a game character.'
I'd already detected it, and I looked at her with cold eyes.
The instant she was about to bear down on me.
Spin─
I grabbed my sword hilt and pivoted my body.
Whoooosh─!!
Thwack─!!!!
I swung Moonlight, still in its scabbard, and smashed it right into her skull.
"Krggh─!"
Thud.
Kim Ok-ja's eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed right there after taking a scabbard to the skull.
Everyone's gaze followed me and Kang Do-hee, their faces dazed.
"Hey, Kang Do-hee. Let's go."
"Yeah."
I jerked my chin at her, and Kang Do-hee nodded.
And so, after reducing one cadet to a bloody pulp,
Kang Do-hee and Jin Yu-ha leisurely left the scene.
* * *
While walking with Kang Do-hee, I suddenly remembered what had just happened and burst out laughing.
"Pfft!"
Kang Do-hee turned her head toward me, frowning.
"Ah, sorry. It was just too funny."
"What was."
I hardened my expression.
"Hey, you motherfucking bitches."
Flinch─
Kang Do-hee's body twitched.
"From now on, if you're gonna touch Jin Yu-ha, come find me first."
"Disciplinary action? I don't give a shit about crap like that. Go ahead and try it, if you can."
When I mimicked her way of talking, chin jutting out, Kang Do-hee's face twisted into a weird expression.
"Pfft! Damn, you really are one hell of a woman, Kang Do-hee."
I burst out laughing and clapped her on the shoulder.
"Answer."
Kang Do-hee gritted her teeth and stared straight ahead, pretending to be unfazed.
But there was no hiding the way her face was starting to flush the exact same color as her hair.
"Don't do that......."
"Don't do that......."
"Don't copy me......."
"Don't copy me......."
She spoke through gritted teeth, and when I copied her, Kang Do-hee whipped her head around and glared at me.
"Thank you."
I wiped the grin off my face and spoke seriously.
Kang Do-hee's mouth, which had been about to say something, shut tight like a clam.
She turned her head away and spoke in a small voice.
"......I know. That you could've handled it on your own."
"No. Living here from now on could've gotten really exhausting. You stepping in saved me a ton of trouble."
And honestly, from my perspective, it really was a bit of a problem.
Living in the dorm, I had a feeling that besides that weirdo just now, other women would've started circling around me too.
Judging by the looks on their faces when they were staring at me earlier,
they weren't going to come at me directly like that NTR thug, but they were definitely going to be watching my every single move.
'If it got bad, the creepier ones might've even resorted to stalking or sneaking into my room.'
Of course, I could've stepped in and dealt with it myself each time,
but with us being different sexes, it would've been awkward for me to get physical first unless they dug their own grave like that woman just did.
But since Kang Do-hee sorted out the pecking order, that problem was wiped clean.
"Thanks, Kang Do-hee."
Honestly, I hadn't expected her to go this far for me.
Unlike Shin Se-hee or Lee Yu-ri, my relationship with Kang Do-hee was still nothing if not straightforward.
She had come to me later saying she'd join my party,
but that didn't mean we'd had a ton of conversations or anything.
Even the process of recruiting her for the party was plain.
─ Will you join my party?
─ Sure.
Then we shook hands, and that was it.
But that Kang Do-hee—when I got tangled up with some weird woman,
she stopped it and personally issued a warning to the other female cadets in my place.
This was a clear, significant improvement in our relationship.
"A-ahem!!!"
Maybe feeling awkward, Kang Do-hee kept turning her head away and coughing dryly.
"Since I'm grateful, I'll repay you."
I smiled and told her.
Kang Do-hee scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed.
"......I didn't really do it expecting something like that."
"I know. I'm just doing it because I'm grateful, so take it. It's nothing expensive."
Grabbing Kang Do-hee's hand and pulling her along,
I felt the corners of my mouth curl upward with rising anticipation.
'Finally, I can feed her that combo.'