Chapter 111
Chapter 111
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: What Should I Do?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 111
'What should I do?'
Ji-hee gripped her wand with both hands, watching Jeong-hyeon.
She panicked as she watched the wind spirits' attacks barely graze past him.
Someone was under attack from monsters.
She had the power to protect him.
So why couldn't she?
Because she had failed before.
Her trait was too powerful, and she had failed to protect someone because of it.
"A-young, what are you doing? The party leader's in danger!"
No.
He was S-Rank, just like her.
There was no way he'd die to mere low-grade wind spirits.
She knew that in her head, but she couldn't calm her racing heart.
- Breathe, breathe!
A voice echoed in her mind.
It sounded like it might cut off at any moment, yet it rang out forcefully.
She filled her lungs to the bottom and gathered her scattered wits.
'He's doing this on purpose...'
She could guess why he had deliberately leaped into the midst of the spirits.
He probably meant for her to take her time and prepare calmly before using her trait properly.
He knew how to wait, unlike the others.
But could she really do it?
When it mattered most, she hadn't been able to before.
- In a war for the nation, what role could you even play? Blow away allies and enemies alike?
Her first partner, terrified by her accidental misfire in panic, had left with those words.
He had just reached level 6.
- Sigh... Ji-hee. Being S-Rank is actually a curse like this. Who would hunt with you?
Her second partner had stuck around a bit longer but abandoned her the moment he leveled up.
They couldn't handle her rampaging magic and ended up leaving.
'Will he be okay?'
People who knew her called her S-Rank status a blessing, but Ji-hee didn't see it that way.
To her, her trait was a curse.
One that drove everyone away.
The more she used it, the more people left—and the less she used it, they still left.
"A-young, hurry!"
Healer Kim Seung-yeon's voice rang out like a scream.
By now, the vanguard had taken down the water spirit and was focusing on the fire spirit.
The combined assault from the hunters had the remaining fire spirit on the brink of collapse.
Ji-hee bit her lower lip.
Even if they held out like this, it would be fine.
Whether Jeong-hyeon or the vanguard claimed it, they could handle the wind spirits.
That might even be better.
Ji-hee squeezed her eyes shut.
At first, the name "Ruler of Fire" had left her stunned.
Now, it was an unbreakable shackle around her neck.
"A-young!"
At that moment, Jeong-hyeon called out to Ji-hee.
She reflexively opened her eyes, and their gazes met.
Just then, an invisible blade rushed toward him.
It looked ready to sever his neck at any second.
'No!'
An overwhelming flow of mana surged around Ji-hee.
***
'Whoa, shit.'
This is gonna kill me.
Even with the synergy-boosted mana sensitivity, he couldn't track that massive surge properly.
Jeong-hyeon immediately launched himself away, changing position.
The wind spirit's attack, which he hadn't even paid much attention to, futilely tore up the ground where he had stood.
'Shouldn't poke her when her eyes are closed?'
He had called out thinking she was giving up on the fight since she closed her eyes, but who knew she'd unleash magic the moment she opened them?
Maybe she had been preparing to cast and his call broke her focus.
Either way, now that Ji-hee had activated her magic, he had to move.
He had no idea what was coming.
'What if something that big flies at me...'
Jeong-hyeon swallowed hard.
Sure, it was a hologram—far inferior to the real thing—but it was still a death knight and gargoyle.
Pouring an attack that one-shotted those into just two low-grade spirits?
Even for an S-Rank, that was overkill.
Back in the testing room, Jeong-hyeon had been behind her and still had to suppress his combat sense going haywire. She collapsed right after, legs giving out.
Her firepower could sweep away level 6 monster holograms in one shot, but the recoil left her exhausted immediately.
That was Ji-hee's fatal weakness—the limit she had to overcome.
Roooar—
Surely that was enough. Jeong-hyeon glanced back at Ji-hee.
Just then, her magic completed and was about to unleash.
'Need to move back more.'
No time to think about maintaining his D-Rank disguise.
If that hit him, he'd be ash, armor and all.
Her magic swept through not just his original spot but an estimated 10-meter radius.
Even at a safe distance, Jeong-hyeon felt the scorching heat—intense enough that a normal person would suffer full-body fourth-degree burns and die instantly.
Flames that seemed to burn for eons.
But unlike the impact, they vanished in an instant.
Naturally, no trace of the wind spirits remained anywhere.
Thud—
And once the magic ended, Ji-hee predictably went pale and collapsed on the spot.
'Not quite... magic.'
He hadn't been sure in the testing room since she seemed out of it, but this second time was clear.
Ji-hee hadn't cast magic.
To be precise, it wasn't the systematized technique used by hunters with flame magic traits.
It was fire itself.
That was what set the "Ruler of Fire" trait apart from ordinary ones.
"......"
Even the hunters who had only glanced at the situation fell silent.
The vanguard, who hadn't properly seen the moment her magic manifested, was no exception.
No matter how little mana sensitivity they had, they couldn't have missed that absolute presence.
"A-A-young...? Uh, yeah!"
Of course, the most shocked was Seung-yeon, right beside A-young.
She had to catch the staggering Ji-hee before even processing the shock.
'Guess I should explain.'
Anyway, the hunt was over.
Now, he had to spin this absurd situation into something plausible.
"Everyone, you must've been shocked, right? No one hurt?"
'You gotta ride the momentum.'
Jeong-hyeon decided to play it thick-skinned.
Making excuses like "it could've happened" or "that's normal" would just tangle things up.
Act like nothing was weird!
Act like doubting it made no sense!
Especially when everyone was still dazed—this was the perfect time to sell it naturally.
"Huh? Oh... yeah, we're fine."
"Ours ended smoothly too."
The people, who had been blankly staring at Ji-hee, finally checked themselves and nodded.
"As expected, low-grade spirits are easy. Any spirit stones drop?"
"Yeah, one."
One out of four.
Not a great yield on its own, but that wasn't the point now.
'But when Ji-hee uses magic, only one stone left?'
Coincidence or not, the two spirits Ji-hee took down dropped no stones.
Maybe it even melted the stones?
As that thought crossed his mind, Jeong-hyeon's gaze landed on Yun-ho and Jeong-jun.
Suspicious from the start, the two were still ignoring him, eyes fixed on Ji-hee.
"You two did great too. Melee traits aren't easy against spirits, but you handled it well."
"Huh? Oh, well..."
Only when Jeong-hyeon singled them out did they finally look away.
Suspicious, but he'd watch a bit longer.
"Now you all understand the warning I gave before entering. A-young here still can't control her power well."
"Yeah, that scared me."
Seung-yeon nodded in agreement.
Having watched Ji-hee nearly collapse right beside her, she'd buy it easily.
Usik seemed to get it too.
B-Ranks might not grasp the nuances, but dumping enough power into one spell to collapse afterward seemed plausible for that level of magic.
"Let's take a break then. A-young, about 30 minutes okay?"
Ji-hee gave a small, weary nod at Jeong-hyeon's question.
It might feel forced, but no one else seemed too upset.
Resting after a fight was natural anyway, and her magic had shortened the hunt significantly.
A normal clear would've still had them fighting.
The benefit of vanguards and rearguards fighting simultaneously was huge.
"From now on, leave spirits matching A-young's trait to her. If one spawns during breaks, handle it by the book."
"Got it."
With that, the hunters sat and rested.
Spirit gates could have stragglers even after clears, but that was bad luck.
In spirit gates, staying put was safer than wandering for "safe" spots.
About five minutes passed.
Ji-hee's expression and breathing returned to normal.
'She's a real monster.'
Jeong-hyeon inwardly whistled at the sight.
Even after going all-out in the association's testing room and collapsing briefly, she recovered in five minutes.
Mages collapsed from total mana depletion.
Normally, they'd need an hour's rest to cast again at reduced power.
Recovering from zero mana in five minutes showed her rank and talent.
'There's a story there... but why can't she use magic?'
Curious, but not the time to ask.
It might trigger trauma, and if it was that deep, he couldn't fix it anyway.
He'd wait until they were closer.
"But how do you hunt like this every time?"
Lost in thought, Jeong-hyeon heard Seung-yeon speak up.
She didn't specify, but it was obvious.
Dumping everything into one shot wasn't sustainable for hunting.
"We partied with close friends before. They knew the situation."
"Ah, I see."
If association staff counted as "close friends."
Seung-yeon nodded, seemingly solving another puzzle.
A B-Rank not using their trait fully—plenty of rumors fodder, yet none.
Good if she figured it out herself; Jeong-hyeon didn't elaborate.
He joined Seung-yeon and Usik's chat afterward. The friendly Seung-yeon even drew Ji-hee in.
Ji-hee didn't speak but nodded or shook her head.
"Eek, not sure if I should say this, but A-young, you're too cute!"
Seung-yeon fawned over her.
As the party's rest time passed normally,
Jeong-hyeon subtly observed Yun-ho and Jeong-jun.
They sat apart from the other four.
No conversation.
Bonding as stoic vanguards?
Possible, but Jeong-hyeon didn't buy it.
'Something smells off...'
His instincts, honed through countless gates since awakening, screamed.
A rotten stench.