Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: A Saintess Good at Magic? That's a First!
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The next day, I found myself in the passenger seat of Jia’s car on our way to the gate.
"Having your own car really is convenient..." I thought to myself, watching the city blur past the window.
Jia glanced at me and spoke up. "What kind of weapon do you use? I'm a spear user."
"Hmm, I couldn't bring my usual weapon back with me when I returned... so I just use whatever is on hand."
I decided it was a good time to try out the sword Dayoung had given me. I pulled it out with simple intentions.
Seeing this, Jia’s eyes widened. "A Saintess with a sword?"
"I’ve picked up a fair bit just by watching," I replied nonchalantly.
During large-scale battles, I’d often grab whatever was available in the chaos. Plus, I’d spent years traveling with the Hero’s party. It wasn't formal, systematic training, but I knew enough to get by.
"Hmm... shall we get started then?"
"Yeah, let's go."
The two of us stood side by side and stepped forward energetically into the gate.
Deep within the dungeon, we soon encountered a pair of trolls. They stood over three meters tall with thick hides and incredible regenerative abilities.
It was a matchup that would make any regular C-Rank hunter tense up, but we didn't fall into that category.
"One each. Does that work for you?"
"Of course."
We each claimed a troll and prepared for battle.
Jia assumed her stance, then flicked her gaze toward me. Regardless of her confident attitude, she’d never actually seen me fight up close. To her, a single C-Rank troll was easy pickings, so she planned to observe me first.
But the feeling was mutual.
Trolls were monsters I had slain countless times. I could probably take one down blindfolded. Thus, we both noticed the other trying to size us up.
"Haha..."
"Ahaha!"
We were thinking the exact same thing.
We shared a laugh before turning back to face the monsters. The dungeon was spacious enough that we could observe each other at our leisure.
With our mindsets adjusted, we launched into combat as the trolls charged.
Jia went first. She exploited her swift movements and the long reach of her spear to the fullest. Maintaining her distance, she unilaterally targeted the troll’s weak points—joints and knees—spots that would slow its movements.
No matter how tough the troll was, it couldn't stand up to an A-Rank hunter’s skilled spearwork. As she repeatedly hit the same areas, its regeneration couldn't keep up, and it dropped to one knee.
In that instant, Jia activated her spearman skill. Her spear shot forward in a brilliant blue arc. Infused with mana, it pierced straight through the troll’s throat.
"Grraaak—!"
No amount of regeneration could shrug off a fatal blow like that. The troll collapsed, its life extinguished.
"Hoo...!" Jia shook out her body lightly and flicked the blood from her spear. She turned to check on me.
"...Oh." A soft exclamation escaped her lips.
My troll was already finished. Its head had been cleanly severed. Even though she hadn't gone all out herself, she hadn't expected me to finish faster than her.
Sihyun is way stronger than I thought, she mused.
"...But is a Saintess really supposed to fight like that?"
I overheard Jia's mutter as I approached. I gave her a wry smile.
"Holy Knight."
"Ah." The meaning landed perfectly, and Jia nodded with a grin.
Everything that happened in the dungeon today would stay our little secret.
"Remember how I said I’d bless you once we entered?" I asked.
"Oh, right."
"Is it similar to what those support-specialized hunters do?" Jia asked curiously.
"Probably... something like that?" I tilted my head. I’d never seen them do it, so who knew. We’d find out by trying.
I lightly channeled Holy Power to toughen Jia’s body. Then, I used mana to layer on buffs, boosting various efficiencies. Since it was just a C-Rank dungeon, I dialed back the power accordingly.
Once the Blessing was complete, Jia clenched and unclenched her fist in wonder.
"...This feels different."
"Does it?"
"A bunch of effects are stacked right now, aren't they?"
"Yep."
Jia pondered the feeling deeply before speaking. "At the very start, there was this energy I’d never felt before. The rest feels like mana, though."
"Holy Power?"
"Is that what it's called? Yeah, that’s a completely new sensation."
"Hmm..." I paused. No one had ever pointed that out to me before. An A-Rank hunter might be sensitive enough to notice the difference.
But I concluded it was a question even I couldn't answer definitively. Holy Power came from prayer and faith. Mana involved theory, though instinct played a big role too. Awakened folks and their status windows are definitely different from me, I concluded.
"No issues? No side effects?"
"None at all! If anything, I’ve got so much power surging through me that it's almost too much. I feel like I could take on an S-Rank right now!" Jia shouted confidently.
Strength and vitality flooded her body. It was no wonder major guilds were so desperate for support hunters. Everyone hits a wall of power at some point, and a way to punch through it—even momentarily—is irresistibly tempting.
"Wanna go wild for a bit?" I teased.
"Yeah, let's do it!"
Jia’s energy was infectious, making me feel invigorated too. Her reaction felt refreshingly novel. We charged through the rest of the dungeon with gusto.
We were just farming a C-Rank dungeon, but both Jia and I were more excited than ever.
After clearing the dungeon and exiting, Jia asked a sudden question.
"Sihyun, you've never done a C-Rank dungeon before, right?"
"Yeah? This was my first time."
"And you handled it that smoothly?"
Jia recalled my movements. It wasn't just talent or physicality reacting to attacks—it was prediction. My motions were those of someone who already knew the enemy's patterns inside out. Combined with my strength, I toyed with C-Rank monsters like they were nothing.
"Ah... I don't really know why either," I said, scratching my cheek. I grasped her doubt perfectly. "But the monsters here are exactly like the ones from my world."
"For real? From E to C-Rank, all of them?"
"Yep. I’ve fought them so much I’m sick of them. Countering them is just muscle memory now."
"So then..." Jia looked stunned. If I knew the B-Rank and A-Rank monsters just as well, and if I even knew the rare S-Rank ones that had barely appeared... the world would lose its mind.
"Ah, it's not like I know everything? Just what I know," I muttered, then added with a small smile, "Anyway, Jia, you’re seriously strong."
"Huh? Where did that come from?"
"I’m serious. You surprised me. You’re definitely on another level from the lower-rank hunters."
"R-Really...?" Jia’s cheeks flushed at the sudden praise. Flattery could make even a whale dance—her heart was pounding, and it didn't help that I was a total knockout looks-wise.
Embarrassed, Jia decided to change the subject. "Are you really skipping shopping with Siyun?"
"...Yeah. It sounds tiring."
"Aw, c’mon, dungeons are way more exhausting than shopping!"
"I'm good. You two have fun."
I threw up an iron wall against the idea of a shopping trip. Jia tried to knock, but she couldn't breach it.
A bit of time passed, and the weekend arrived.
Jia wandered through a nearby mall with Siyun. In the midst of their browsing, she spotted the bracelet on Siyun’s wrist.
"Siyun, that's a cute bracelet. Where’d you get it?"
"Oh, this?" Siyun beamed and raised her arm. "A gift from my unnie! She said her custom order finally finished recently."
"Hmm..." As Siyun proudly showed it off, Jia touched the bracelet absentmindedly. She felt a familiar sensation.
"Huh? Status Window."
She promptly opened her window to check the item info. Unlike normal accessories, it was made with a mana stone, so the details appeared.
"This is a mana stone accessory?"
"Oh, was it? That explains it. She was all 'what if it's dangerous' and gave me the rundown on it..."
Jia gave a wry smile. Classic sister doting. How long had it even been since I’d returned?
"...Now I wanna get something too."
"An accessory shop?"
"Yeah."
The two of them browsed through shops far and wide. It took a while, but Siyun finally found something she liked. The moment she picked up the wrapped gift, chaos erupted.
"E-Everyone! Evacuate!"
"What's going on?!"
A young man shouted desperately, and people stared at him, clueless.
"A d-dimensional rift...!"
His words were cut off. A massive roar echoed as a huge gate, swirling with crimson energy, materialized out of thin air. The mall-goers were sucked inside, frozen in shock.
It was a special dungeon the Hunter Management Bureau had failed to detect—an irregular outbreak.
Among the countless civilians pulled into the void were Jia and Siyun.
Left alone at home, I was alternating between surfing the internet and watching TrTube. Suddenly, breaking news started popping up everywhere.
[Gate outbreak in Seoul mall—Detection failed]
[Bureau announces one-way dungeon. No exit once entered]
[Measured as Korea’s strongest observed A-Rank dungeon to date]
"..."
I stared at the bracelet on my own wrist. My sister had insisted that I activate it if anything happened to me. I hadn't even asked where they were shopping today.
There was no reaction from the device yet, so they were probably fine... but I couldn't help worrying.