Sibling Reunion
The S-rank area boss Fenrir leaped lightly over the forest.
And the receding figure of her brother, leisurely pursuing it and vanishing from sight.
Yu Hwa-yeong could scarcely accept the chain of events unfolding right before her eyes.
Her brother, whom she'd thought dead, reappearing after three years was unbelievable enough—but for that same brother to thrash an S-rank monster?
If she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes, Yu Hwa-yeong never would have believed it.
No, honestly, she was still only half-convinced.
Am I dreaming?
Is this scene before me just a lantern-slide illusion conjured by my own longing to see my brother?
Yu Hwa-yeong pinched her cheek lightly.
A small sting of pain followed, as expected.
So, it wasn't a dream or illusion.
That meant everything up to now had been real—and her brother really had sent Fenrir flying.
Yu Hwa-yeong stared blankly toward the forest where Fenrir and her brother had disappeared.
A plaintive whine─ echoed from somewhere, like a sorrowful dog's cry.
It still didn't feel real.
And as Yu Hwa-yeong lost her sense of reality, a calm voice reached her.
"Your wounds are quite severe. It will be dangerous if not treated swiftly."
A slightly cool voice reverberated in her mind─bzzzz.
Snapping to attention, Yu Hwa-yeong whipped her gaze around.
Before her stood a woman of elegant beauty, seeming to belong to another world entirely.
She cradled a fox and a rabbit in her arms, with a snake perched atop her head—an odd sight, yet somehow strangely harmonious.
"…Who are you?"
Yu Hwa-yeong had glimpsed her earlier with her brother, but perhaps due to the woman's mystifying aura?
As it was effectively their first meeting, Yu Hwa-yeong spoke cautiously.
The white-haired woman showed no reaction to her tense, guarded tone.
With the same impassive expression, she approached Yu Hwa-yeong and gently extended a hand.
Reacting instinctively, Yu Hwa-yeong tried to move—but her exhausted body refused her command.
Aside from a brief flinch, she offered no resistance, glaring sharply at the woman instead.
Meeting her gaze, the white-haired woman spoke calmly.
"Fear not. This one has no intent to harm you."
The voice was as cool and detached as before, yet somehow reassuring.
Without realizing it, Yu Hwa-yeong relaxed her tension and wariness, staring blankly at the woman.
A swirl of mana rose above her outstretched hand, accompanied by a pure white glow.
Yu Hwa-yeong's wounds vanished cleanly.
"…Healing magic."
Only then did Yu Hwa-yeong realize what the woman had intended, letting out a quiet gasp.
She felt foolish for her needless suspicion.
Hastily, Yu Hwa-yeong expressed her gratitude.
"…Thank you."
The white-haired woman gazed at Yu Hwa-yeong's face for a moment without replying to her soft thanks.
Those clear blue eyes made Yu Hwa-yeong flinch involuntarily.
Her cheeks felt inexplicably flushed.
"…You do bear an uncanny resemblance, upon closer inspection. There are matters this one must inquire about once all is settled."
"Congcong─!"
After murmuring something incomprehensible, the white-haired woman slowly rose.
As Yu Hwa-yeong hurriedly tried to stand as well, the woman quietly stopped her.
She handed over the fox and rabbit cradled in her arms.
Caught off guard, Yu Hwa-yeong clutched them to her chest and stared blankly at the woman.
"Wait here obediently. This one shall check on your comrades."
"…Ah! Everyone…!"
Only then remembering her comrades, Yu Hwa-yeong looked around frantically.
There they were, huddled together in a heap, collapsed.
Aside from the healer Yang Yu-i, all were gravely wounded.
Even Yang Yu-i bore various injuries and was exhausted from mana depletion.
As Yu Hwa-yeong confirmed their states and moved to rush over—
The white-haired woman lightly extended her hand toward the comrades, just as before.
More mana and light gathered than for Yu Hwa-yeong, and their wounds vanished cleanly.
Their gear remained battered, but their faces now looked peacefully asleep.
Yu Hwa-yeong gasped again.
"…High-tier Heal."
A skill possessed by only a rare few among healers.
It consumed far more mana than standard heals, making it unusable even for those who had it.
Seeing the woman wield it effortlessly, Yu Hwa-yeong murmured in awe.
She had to be at least S-rank.
The woman accepted her gaze impassively and leisurely shifted her steps.
Her eyes turned toward the wolves encircling them.
Realizing belatedly the wolves surrounding them, Yu Hwa-yeong tried to rise once more.
Or tried to, anyway—if she hadn't glanced at the wolves following the woman's gaze.
"Nng─kiing──."
"Kiing──."
Where had those ferocious beasts gone, the ones snarling around them earlier?
The wolves she saw now were uniformly pitiful.
Tails tucked between their legs, they slunk about, stealing glances.
No savage growls emerged from their maws—only pathetic whimpers.
All eyed the woman warily.
"Your plight is pitiable… but misfortune has befallen you this time. My husband is thoroughly wroth."
"Nng─kiing─."
An A-rank specimen whimpered at the woman's feet.
Its eyes gazing up at her brimmed with pathos—where had its ferocity gone?
"No use pleading so. Even this one cannot intervene."
"Nng… kiing…."
"It was unavoidable from your perspective… but you touched my husband's sister, of all things. Consider it ill fortune."
"Kiing…."
The woman shook her head slowly, and the A-rank monster rolled onto its back at her feet.
Utterly defenseless, it whimpered; the woman hesitated, lips twitching.
"…Very well, this one shall try to intercede as best she can. But harbor no great hopes. This one has no desire to irk my husband needlessly."
"Kiing─."
Satisfied, the A-rank monster joyfully rubbed its head against her leg.
An unbelievable sight for a ferocious monster—like a mere pet dog.
Yu Hwa-yeong gaped stupidly.
"What in the…?"
Another incredulous scene before her eyes, and she blurted blankly.
The fox in her arms cried "Congcong!"
Its plump paw patted her arm insistently; without thinking, Yu Hwa-yeong stroked it.
So fluffy.
Mindlessly petting it, a thought arose: Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore.
Yu Hwa-yeong let her questions fade.
She and her comrades were safe—no issue there.
Above all, she'd reunited with her supposedly dead brother; petty details could be ignored.
"Hm… it seems that side has concluded."
As Yu Hwa-yeong mindlessly stroked the fox in her arms, the woman suddenly spoke.
Ignoring the wolf pleading at her feet, she stepped forward leisurely.
A man emerged quietly from the forest, dragging the massive Fenrir by one hand.
Naturally, it was Yu Hwa-yeong's brother.
His casual demeanor nearly made her lose her senses again—
"Congcong─!"
The fox patted her arm.
Yu Hwa-yeong stroked it again.
Yeah, it really doesn't matter now.
"It ended sooner than expected."
"There was something more urgent over here…."
Thud─ The man tossed Fenrir aside carelessly, exchanged brief words with the woman, then turned his gaze.
Slowly scanning the surrounding wolves, his eyes finally settled on his sister.
His stiffened expression softened at the sight of her blankly petting the fox, and he let out a soft chuckle.
The heavy atmosphere around the wolves eased.
"…You okay?"
"…Huh? Oh, Oppa?"
"…Yeah, it's Oppa."
The man approached Yu Hwa-yeong quietly and scanned her once over.
Caked in dirt and crusted blood, she looked far from fine—but no wounds remained.
His gaze flicked briefly to the white-haired woman.
She nodded lightly.
"…My thanks."
"'Tis nothing. More importantly, you must explain this matter to this one clearly."
"Ah, of course."
Nodding to the woman, the man turned back to his sister.
Yu Hwa-yeong gazed quietly at her brother as well.
The siblings, reunited after three years, met eyes in silence.
No words passed between them for a moment.
The man stared at his sister, lips parting several times.
Words welled up to the tip of his tongue but died unspoken.
Yu Hwa-yeong stared back at her brother, lips twitching similarly.
Unspoken words filled her mouth, but she couldn't voice them.
Thus, they stood wordlessly moving their lips—until at last, they spoke.
"…Have you been well?"
"…Have you been well?"
The words breaking the silence were identical.
Like blood siblings, their questions matched perfectly, drawing chuckles from both.
That broke the dam.
Their blocked conversation flowed freely.
"I've been fine. And you, Hwa-yeong?"
"Me too… I'm an S-rank hunter now. Got some good comrades, too."
The man frowned faintly at Yu Hwa-yeong's calm reply.
"Why the hell did you become a hunter? You know how dangerous the labyrinths are?"
His long-awaited nagging poured out, and Yu Hwa-yeong scowled.
"Is that something you should say? At least I awakened. You were diving into labyrinths without even awakening."
Her quiet retort shut him up.
He had no comeback for that.
Especially since he'd literally died once.
"…It wasn't that I didn't—it was that I couldn't… Anyway, do you even grasp how dangerous labyrinths are? You nearly died today! If I hadn't been here…!"
"I'm an S-rank hunter, you know? Today was just an exception. Normally, no problems!"
"That 'exception' could kill you!"
This time, Yu Hwa-yeong fell silent.
Her brother was right.
Just because things went fine before didn't guarantee the next time.
The labyrinth took lives on a single exception.
Yu Hwa-yeong, confident after two years of smooth raids, felt it bone-deep today.
She inwardly agreed with her brother—but that didn't mean she'd yield completely.
Her head knew he was right, yet her heart resisted capitulation.
Blame the brother who'd lived fine but vanished without contact for three years.
And above all.
You have no idea why I became a hunter…!
How hard had she searched for him?
Ignoring fools who called her mad, urging her to quit—she'd focused solely on finding him for over two years.
Her brother, oblivious to it all, just nagging blindly—it infuriated her.
Yu Hwa-yeong clamped her lips, glaring at the man.
Scowled brows, pursed mouth.
He glared right back, unyielding.
The siblings' staring contest mirrored their uncanny resemblance.
And what halted their standoff—destined to drag on—was the white-haired woman watching quietly from the side.
"…So, will you end this pointless glaring contest? Or at least converse via thought projection so this one may comprehend. 'Tis utterly baffling."
The quiet voice buzzing in their minds ended the stare-down.
At least now, they could have a more productive talk.
"…So quit being a hunter. It's dangerous."
"…No."
"…Yu Hwa-yeong!"
"What? Why are you calling me?!"
…Probably.