Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Never Seen a Saintess This Good with Magic?
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The next morning.
I left the house early, my heart fluttering with quiet excitement.
I took the bus to the Wings Guild building, moving through the city with a new sense of purpose.
As soon as I entered the office, two familiar faces greeted me warmly.
Dayoung was sitting comfortably, sipping her morning coffee, while Hankyeol—who had been sprawled across the table—sat up straight the moment he saw me.
"Sihyun! Come on in!"
"Oh, it's been a while, Sihyun."
"Hello."
After a light greeting, I sat down beside Dayoung at her gesture.
"Want some coffee?" she offered.
"No, I'll just grab the item and head out."
"Does it have to be that quick?"
"......Don't I have nothing else to do?"
"Hmm... Well, true."
Dayoung made a slightly regretful face as she pulled up her status window.
She took out two bracelets and handed them to me.
"Just like we talked about, these two make a set. Want to check the functions?"
"Sure."
I took the bracelets and examined them.
Without a status window, I had to feel the mana flow closely to understand the intricate details.
But regardless of the specs, I trusted Dayoung’s craft.
I nodded and pocketed the items.
"Right now, they're equipped with a danger alert alarm and location tracking. Later on, we can make something even better."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"You bet!"
Dayoung and I shook hands, the deal finalized.
These were items specifically designed for civilians to use.
I memorized the activation sequence so I could teach Siyun later that night.
With my business concluded, I stood up to leave.
At that moment, my eyes met Hankyeol's.
He looked like he was hesitating, fidgeting awkwardly as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"...Is there something you need?" I asked.
"Ah, no. It's just......"
Hankyeol's lips twitched.
I tilted my head, watching him, when suddenly I remembered what Dayoung had mentioned during our drinking session.
"Hankyeol."
"Y-Yeah!"
"Um, do you want to exchange phone numbers?"
"......!"
Hankyeol's mouth curved up into a massive grin that nearly reached his ears.
"Y-Yeah! Let's do it!"
"Okay."
"Pfft..."
I heard a muffled laugh and glanced over to see Dayoung covering her mouth, chuckling to herself.
What was so funny?
Regardless, I successfully swapped numbers with Hankyeol.
Someday, when my contacts list fills up, this might not feel like a big deal.
But right now, my list didn't even fill a single screen.
The fact that it had grown by even one person made my heart tingle—a strange, pleasant feeling in my chest.
I've got to keep building it up. Hehe...
"See you next time."
"Yep!"
"Catch you later!"
I exchanged goodbyes and headed out of the building.
I checked my phone on the way, and there was a new message from Siyun.
- Jia unnie is coming up to Seoul today! She said she'll swing by our place tonight.
It looked like I was going to see an old acquaintance after five long years.
The Academy.
It was a facility established after the Great Cataclysm to boost hunters' efficiency and survival rates.
Since most hunters were adults, the institution borrowed heavily from the university system.
Of course, being a specialized institution, there were plenty of differences.
A prime example was the faculty, which consisted almost entirely of active or retired hunters.
A sleek car pulled into the academy grounds.
It parked directly in front of the building used by the professors.
The driver's door opened, and a young woman with refined, elegant beauty stepped out.
Her neat office attire was complemented by shoulder-length hair that swayed softly with every step.
She entered the building without hesitation, clearly familiar with the layout.
She stopped in front of a door with a specific nameplate:
[Academy President's Office]
She knocked twice, waited for a response, and walked inside.
A woman in her late thirties, seated behind a large desk, stood up to greet her.
"Jia, you're here."
"Long time no see, President."
After a warm greeting, the two moved to the consultation desk and sat across from each other.
"I heard the news," the President began. "You cleared a mid-sized B-rank dungeon in the provinces all by yourself?"
"Well, I am an A-rank hunter, after all."
"Still, solo runs are dangerous."
The President shook her head lightly.
Dungeon ranks, sizes, and hunter classes varied wildly, but for profit and safety, parties of four or more hunters were the standard.
This was even more crucial for higher-rank dungeons.
Even though A-rank hunters were rare, solo clears were almost unheard of.
"That's why you should've retired first," Jia teased.
"Hey, is that my fault?"
The two traded playful jokes, their smiles genuine. Before the President had retired from active duty, she and Jia had been partners.
The women sipped their coffee as they caught up on life.
They spoke of Jia's dungeon adventures and the President's headaches running the academy.
The conversation flowed freely between old friends.
"Still a faculty shortage?"
"Yeah. Active hunters just make way more money."
"Can't argue with that logic."
"Mana research is stalled, too. I wonder if we'll ever get a Returner like the one in the US..."
"......Hmm."
It had been just over five years since the Great Cataclysm.
It was a period that felt both short and long, depending on who you asked.
Countries worldwide were researching mana and status windows vigorously, and new uses for mana stones were emerging constantly.
But progress was undeniably slow.
Nothing was truly known about the underlying principles of mana or the origin of status windows.
Gates could now be predicted, but their cause remained a mystery.
Irregular "special" dungeons still sometimes evaded detection altogether.
"Want to do some part-time lecturing next semester?"
"I'll see."
"You'll probably be too busy raiding dungeons anyway."
"Ahaha......"
Jia gave an awkward laugh instead of a direct reply to the President's grumbling.
After a bit more trivial chit-chat, Jia stood up first.
"I'll head out now."
"Take care of yourself."
After saying her goodbyes, Jia left the office and checked the time.
If she left now, she would arrive at Siyun's place exactly on schedule.
Ding-dong!
Jia, her arms full of bags filled with food, rang the doorbell.
Moments later, the door cracked open, and a woman with a cool, striking expression peeked out.
"Hm?"
"Ah......"
Having already exchanged stories through Siyun, the two recognized each other instantly despite the five-year gap.
"Is it really you, Sihyun?"
"Yeah... Long time no see."
Sihyun gave an awkward smile and stepped aside to let Jia into the apartment.
Sihyun returned to the living room first, while Jia kicked off her shoes and gazed at Sihyun's back in wonder.
She had heard the details beforehand, but seeing the transformation in person was still astonishing.
"Unnie, come on in!"
"How've you been, Siyun?"
Siyun welcomed Jia with a warm embrace.
During the five years after Sihyun—who was then her older brother—went missing in the Cataclysm, Jia had stepped in.
She had supported the orphaned Siyun, forging a bond that was closer than blood sisters.
Sihyun watched Jia set down the bags for a moment before speaking up.
"Um, Jia..."
"Yeah?"
"So, like......"
Sihyun hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.
Her old college friend, once a fresh-faced student, had blossomed into an elegant, sophisticated woman.
The poised demeanor and the confidence in her eyes—Sihyun had always admired that about her.
"F-First, I wanted to say thank you. For looking after Siyun so much. Truly, from the bottom of my heart."
Sihyun bowed deeply to Jia in a gesture of sincere gratitude.
Jia's eyes widened briefly in surprise.
Then she smiled brightly, her voice clear and kind.
"Hehe, I only helped out occasionally. Right, Siyun?"
"Yeah! Especially when I was first settling in Seoul—she helped me with everything!"
"No place is completely safe, but Seoul is still the best place in Korea."
Jia reached out, grabbed Sihyun's shoulders, and pulled her back upright.
The thanks were appreciated, but she hadn't helped Siyun expecting any kind of repayment.
This level of formality felt a bit too stiff for old friends.
"Wow, honestly, after five years, I could barely remember your old look. You've changed so much!"
"......I'm still getting used to it myself."
Jia’s dramatic exaggeration drew a wry smile from Sihyun.
The three of them began to unpack the bags Jia had brought.
They set the food on the table and moved the drinks to the fridge, preparing for a long night of catching up.
Once everything was ready, they finally sat down to talk properly.
Jia turned to Siyun first.
"Siyun, how is the str— Mmph! Mmph!"
"Ahaha! The room's a bit messy, isn't it?"
Siyun clamped her hand over Jia's mouth at lightning speed.
As Jia rolled her eyes pleadingly, Siyun met her gaze with trembling, desperate eyes.
She shook her head vigorously from side to side.
Only after Jia gave a small nod of understanding was her mouth finally freed.
"Haa... Was that really necessary?"
"It's embarrassing! ......I'll clean it more later."
"Uh, yeah. Clean your room. Got it."
Sihyun, completely clueless about the secret, simply tilted her head.
'Isn't the house clean enough?' she wondered.
Seeing Sihyun's clueless reaction, Siyun let out a long sigh of relief.
"Oh yeah, has any info on the Returner leaked out yet?"
"Nope, not yet."
Jia stared at Sihyun thoughtfully.
If even the Academy President didn't know, the information must be strictly restricted.
All she knew were the basics she had heard from Siyun.
"I heard you returned and you're a hunter now. What rank are you?"
"E-rank."
"Ah. And your class?"
"Holy Knight."
As Sihyun finished, she heard stifled giggles from the side.
Siyun was covering her mouth, struggling not to laugh out loud.
......Yeah, there was no point in hiding it from Jia.
Changing her mind, Sihyun spoke up with a straight face.
"...Actually, I'm a Saintess."
"Huh? Say that again?"
Jia's sharp ears caught the word, but her brain failed to process it immediately.
Siyun repeated it for her, enjoying the moment.
"Saint. Ess."
She emphasized every syllable.
Finally understanding, Jia stared at Sihyun blankly.
"......Why?"
"It just... happened."
Jia pondered the situation dazedly. Now that she looked at her, Sihyun's current appearance fit the Saintess vibe perfectly.
Flawless, pure white hair and beautiful golden eyes shimmering with a faint, holy light.
Once she saw it that way, even Sihyun's faint smile seemed benevolent and divine.
"...Do you grant blessings if we pray to you?"
"If we raid a dungeon together, sure."
The two of them locked eyes and giggled softly.
"E-rank is just a cover, right?" Jia asked.
"Mm, pretty much."
"Mind sharing the real deal? What rank are you actually?"
"......Not B. I'm probably around A-rank?"
Sihyun thought about it calmly. The higher the rank, the wider the gap grew even among peers.
S-ranks were said to transcend humanity entirely. If "transcending humanity" was the level of the Hero's party, then she figured she was around that mark.
The Returner in the US was B-rank, after all, and she had a bit of wishful thinking mixed in.
Besides, comparing her pure mana and holy power usage to status-boosted hunters wasn't a fair comparison anyway.
"Ooh, now I'm really curious. You heard I'm A-rank, right?"
"Yeah, Siyun told me."
"Wanna hit a dungeon together tomorrow?"
"Uh.... You mean a D-rank?"
As an E-rank, even with high-rank company, D was technically her limit.
Sihyun pointed this out, but Jia shook her head with a smirk.
"A special application lets us go higher. You haven't tried a C-rank yet? Let's do that."
"...That sounds good."
Sihyun was curious about the strength of an actual Earth A-rank.
Jia was equally curious, wondering what level a Returner Saintess was truly at.
Their interests were perfectly aligned.
"Wow, just leaving me out. Being a non-awakened is tough......"
"Hehe, Siyun, do you want to go shopping with me after so long? This weekend?"
"Sure! You're coming too, right unnie?"
Siyun looked at Sihyun expectantly.
But Sihyun shook her head immediately.
"Shopping is a bit much for me... You two have fun."
"Aw......"
Siyun pouted, but Sihyun ignored it. She knew she'd just get exhausted tagging along anyway.
"Enough talk—let's eat before it gets cold!"
They began to unpack the takeout Jia had brought.
The savory aroma of meat and spicy marinade filled the living room.
"Sihyun, you used to love spicy stuff back in college. So I picked this out especially for you."
"Uh, uh-huh......"
It was spicy pigs' feet.
Sihyun appreciated Jia's memory, but her facial muscles twitched faintly.
Among the opened dishes, there were also mild, salt-baked pigs' feet.
'Should I just go for those?' she wondered.
No, that would bruise her pride. She didn't want to surrender before she even started.
Sihyun cautiously took a bite of the spicy version.
"Cough! Cough...!"
"Y-You okay?!"
She surrendered immediately.
I'll adapt bit by bit and conquer it someday......
Even in her agony, Sihyun vowed firmly to reclaim her spice tolerance.