Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: My Crush is Too Cool
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5th Floor, Men's Luxury Goods Section.
Normally, refined classical music would be playing softly in a place like this, but now it was filled with the roars of beasts and the screams of people.
“Kieeeeek!!”
“Grrr…!”
Leopards clad in black leather poured out from the Gate.
B-Rank Monster, Wind Panther
Even in a situation like this, Yoo Na-yeon’s mind drifted back to the old days.
Back in elementary school, she and Lee Sang-hyuk had spent every recess debating whether Wind Panthers or Cenji Orcs were stronger.
Shh-shh-shak!
True to its name, the Wind Panther was fast.
It tore through the store at speeds so blistering that even a normal person’s eyes couldn’t track its afterimages, smashing display racks and mannequins to pieces.
Kwajik! Puck!
Suits worth millions of won were shredded, and watch displays priced in the tens of millions shattered into fragments.
“Kyaaah! Save us!”
The employees and customers who hadn’t managed to evacuate huddled in a corner of the store, trembling in terror.
“Grrrng…”
One panther licked its chops as it prepared to pounce on a quivering employee.
Kwaaaang!
A fireball shot from Yoo Na-yeon’s hand struck the panther’s head dead-on.
“Kkaek…!”
It was basic magic, but from an S-Rank Hunter.
The panther couldn’t withstand the explosion and died in an instant.
“Everyone! Get down!”
Yoo Na-yeon kicked off her uncomfortable high heels and ran barefoot, spewing fierce flames from her palms.
“Kieek?!”
The prowling panthers were engulfed in fire, screaming as they burned to death.
Yoo Na-yeon scowled fiercely at the monsters reduced to charred lumps in seconds.
“You worthless pests, ruining my date!”
The hidden people erupted in cheers at Yoo Na-yeon’s arrival.
“I-It’s Yoo Na-yeon the Hunter!”
“An S-Rank!”
Relief washed over their faces at the sight of an S-Rank Hunter, but the situation wasn’t so optimistic.
Compared to Yoo Na-yeon, B-Rank monsters were small fry, sure.
But the problem was the location.
This was inside a department store, completely enclosed on all sides—and a clothing store full of flammable materials, no less.
And she was a flame mage, her role limited to dealing damage.
Protecting people came with all sorts of restrictions.
‘I can’t crank up the firepower.’
Yoo Na-yeon bit her lip.
If she unleashed her full-powered spells like usual, the department store would melt and collapse before the monsters did.
Not to mention, people would suffocate even faster than that.
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
“Grrr…”
The panthers were clever.
They’d figured out she was protecting the people and targeted a department store customer’s neck, clamping down and refusing to let go.
“H-Hiiik…!”
“S-Save… save me!”
Yoo Na-yeon snapped her fingers.
Pachijik.
A dozen flames sparked into existence around her and flew toward the panthers.
It happened in an instant.
The flames danced like butterflies but struck with the speed of bees!
With bullet-like penetration, they pierced the panthers’ vital spots.
The hostages were freed unharmed. Well, aside from their shirts getting shredded.
“Uwaaak! Uwaaaak!”
“They keep coming!”
“You’re S-Rank—can’t you do something?!”
“Hey, come on! Smash the Gate and it’s over! The Gate!”
The people fled toward the 4th floor via the path Yoo Na-yeon had cleared.
Not one of them prayed for her safety or victory.
They just screamed like children or yelled advice like drunk soccer fans watching a match.
“No more hostages now—you’re all done for.”
“Kieeeeek!”
The remaining panthers charged at Yoo Na-yeon all at once.
She still couldn’t use big spells.
There were too many people left in the department store.
Yoo Na-yeon calmly fired fireballs to intercept them.
Peng! Peng!
Precise aim. Direct hits meant instant death.
But there were too many monsters.
Panthers kept pouring endlessly from the dimensional rift.
To destroy the Gate, she needed overwhelming firepower.
The kind that would leave not even ashes of the department store.
Or shatter it from point-blank range.
“These damn things just won’t stop…!”
Yoo Na-yeon advanced bit by bit toward the Gate, sweeping the monsters aside.
Then, in that moment—
A panther playing dead leaped up, aiming its sharp fangs at Yoo Na-yeon’s ankle.
‘!?’
It was a mistake.
She’d been too focused on making sure people evacuated and neglected sensing the monsters.
Yoo Na-yeon twisted away urgently, but her bare foot slipped on shards of broken glass, throwing off her balance.
“Ugh!”
Yoo Na-yeon fell flat on her butt.
The panther’s razor fangs were about to sink into her pale neck.
……?
The world stopped.
Or rather, the panther’s head froze mid-air.
“……?”
Yoo Na-yeon blinked in a daze.
The panther dangled in mid-air, limbs flailing, its head gripped tightly in a man’s fist.
Yoo Na-yeon looked up at the reliable face holding the panther with one hand.
The man in the luxury suit outshone any designer label under the department store lights.
“Hey. Aren’t you S-Rank? How do you fight without any caution?”
That steady, familiar voice always put her at ease.
Her childhood friend.
Her long-time crush.
Lee Sang-hyuk.
“Sang-hyuk… ah?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I was watching to see how an S-Rank fights, but it’s nothing special.”
He crushed the panther’s head in his grip and slammed it into the floor.
Peureok!!
The panther’s skull burst on impact.
The marble tiles cracked like spiderwebs, sinking in, hot blood pooling to form grotesque patterns.
“You… why didn’t you run! It’s dangerous here!”
Yoo Na-yeon shouted, but Lee Sang-hyuk casually brushed the dust from his hands.
“I was gonna. But I did the math, and running would’ve cost me more.”
“Cost you? You’re calculating even now?”
“Of course.”
Lee Sang-hyuk loosened his tie with a grin.
“If my personal stylist gets hurt, it’ll be a hassle next time I shop. Finding someone who picks clothes as well as you would cost a fortune in salary.”
Yoo Na-yeon’s face flushed red.
‘What the hell is this idiot saying in a situation like this…!’
It wasn’t even a particularly cool line.
But her pounding heart wouldn’t stop.
“Grrrng…”
Now the panthers turned toward Lee Sang-hyuk, not Yoo Na-yeon.
As if they could instantly tell who was the real threat.
The bloodlust from dozens of beasts was chilling, even for B-Ranks.
“Be careful! They’re faster than they look!”
Yoo Na-yeon warned, but Lee Sang-hyuk yawned.
He stayed utterly relaxed even as the panthers closed in right before his eyes.
“Fast, huh?”
He smirked.
Honestly, she trusted him completely.
“Eh, to me they look like earthworms crawling.”
Shak!
Lee Sang-hyuk vanished.
Even Yoo Na-yeon’s S-Rank dynamic vision couldn’t track him.
Kwajik! Peureok! Kwaang!
Nothing but impact sounds echoed through the air.
The charging panthers bounced off like they’d hit an invisible wall, crashing into the store walls.
Some had heads embedded in the ceiling; others lay with necks twisted 180 degrees.
No elemental power at all.
No wind magic buffs—just pure, overwhelming speed clearing the battlefield.
‘This can’t be real…’
Yoo Na-yeon stared blankly at the scene.
She’d been too drunk to see clearly when he took down the Red Ogre.
This was beyond imagination.
‘No wonder everyone’s chasing after Blue Vest!’
The monsters scattered like autumn leaves before Lee Sang-hyuk.
They died faster than they emerged from the Gate.
He delicately brushed the dust from his suit and stood before the Gate.
“Hoo.”
About three seconds later.
Lee Sang-hyuk reappeared beside Yoo Na-yeon.
“The Gate?”
Lee Sang-hyuk grinned and pointed to where it had been.
“Maybe I should debut as a magician. There was a Gate, and now… poof, it’s gone?”
In his cheeky hand gleamed a bundle of sparkling mana stones.
“Heard B-Rank mana stones have dropped in price, but still around 300,000 won each… fifteen hundred? Recouped half my outfit cost.”
“You… were always this strong…?”
“Something like that. One’s running away over there.”
All the others died fighting, but one disloyal bastard was fleeing solo to the 4th floor.
Lee Sang-hyuk gripped one mana stone like a baseball pitcher.
“Whatcha doing?”
“Even if I can move fast, throwing’s less hassle than chasing.”
Too lazy to run, so he’d chuck a rock instead.
The mana stone flew too fast for Yoo Na-yeon to see and cleanly pierced the fleeing panther’s skull.
“Alright. Situation cleared.”
Silence fell over the store.
The department store security who arrived late had nothing to do.
They’d just ask Yoo Na-yeon what she’d report to her guild anyway.
“You took down all the monsters and destroyed the Gate alone…?”
“No. Blue Vest was here too. Probably off cashing in mana stones excitedly.”
Yoo Na-yeon lied glibly even with Lee Sang-hyuk right there.
Partly because he’d asked, but also because she didn’t want him getting more famous. She wanted to keep him to herself.
“Who’s that guy next to Yoo Na-yeon? Never seen that hunter before.”
“Boyfriend maybe?”
“No way! He’s a model! Stupid handsome.”
Whispers made Yoo Na-yeon’s face turn scarlet.
Lee Sang-hyuk cleared his throat awkwardly under the stares.
“Ahem. Business at the department store’s done—let’s go before reporters swarm for interviews.”
“Ah, yeah. Kyaa!”
Yoo Na-yeon yelped in surprise as Lee Sang-hyuk scooped her up.
“Wh-What’re you…?”
“Your feet are hurt. Geez. Mages cut themselves on glass too, huh?”
“Put me down!”
“I’ll drop you at the guild? Way faster than driving.”
“Even so, with people watching…”
Yoo Na-yeon blushed but wrapped her arms around his sturdy neck.
She felt solid, manly muscle.
She’d always seen him as her immature childhood friend, but today he seemed especially reliable.
“What if someone takes a picture…?”
Yoo Na-yeon asked in a cute, troubled voice.
But her worries were unfounded.
Before she even noticed, they’d arrived at the guild.
No one had time to snap photos.