Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Have You Ever Seen a Saintess This Good at Magic?
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Whoa, that gate is f*cking massive
Hasn't been long since the last high-grade dungeon popped up right in the middle of Seoul, right?
Apparently it's A-Rank too.
For real, that creepy vibe? It's got it bad.
Can you feel the mana if you go there? I wanna awaken too.
In your dreams lol.
News says it'll take forever to clear
It's not an S-Rank, but it's insanely tough.
Is everyone just gonna camp out until the S-Ranks on dispatch come back?
Yeah, dozens got sucked in, right?
Pretty much a guaranteed wipe.
What the f*ck is the Bureau even doing?
Can't the local A-Ranks just form a party?
Our guild is in an emergency meeting, but since it's a one-way dungeon, everyone's avoiding it lol.
An A-Rank special dungeon had appeared out of nowhere.
The Hunter Management Bureau and the major guilds were in an uproar.
High-grade dungeons popping up wasn't entirely rare, but this one presented two major problems.
First, the Bureau had failed to detect it in advance. Second, it had spawned right in the heart of the city, sucking in dozens of civilians.
Citizens unable to reach their loved ones wailed in despair near the perimeter.
"Please save our family!"
"I don't want to lose anyone else!"
But even the nation had no immediate solution.
This wasn't a standard C or B-Rank special dungeon—it was A-Rank, and it came with the brutal restriction of being one-way only.
Hunters valued their own lives, and most shied away from such high-risk entry conditions.
Gathering enough A-Rank hunters to enter immediately was like trying to pluck stars from the sky.
There were simply too few A-Rank hunters, and they were far too precious to risk in a gamble.
Civil servants controlling the area near the gate exchanged tense words, their faces grim.
"There aren't many A-Ranks in Seoul right now, are there?"
"Half of them are out on provincial dispatches. Without a major guild coalition, an entry is impossible."
One man sighed, while the one across from him clapped his hands together as if struck by a sudden thought.
"What about Hunter Kim Jia? She came back to Seoul a few days ago."
"She's famous for handling 'avoidance' dungeons, but we can't reach her."
"Pardon?"
As the man looked on in shock, the other furrowed his brow in reply.
"She might have been sucked into the rift herself."
"Th-then... the civilians might have a chance?"
"No way. Even an A-Rank can't handle a dungeon of that density alone."
"...We might lose a valuable national asset."
"If she prioritizes herself and runs, she might save her own life."
Maybe that would be for the best, the civil servant thought, his expression turning bitter.
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon,
Jia—having repelled several waves of monsters—was sitting on the floor, struggling to catch her breath.
Her body was covered in deep wounds, and blood flowed freely from her shoulder.
Siyun fidgeted beside her, checking Jia's complexion with mounting anxiety.
"U-Unnie... Are you really okay...?"
"...Yeah. I stocked up on potions beforehand, so I can hold out for now."
It was a lie. Jia had used up her last potion in the previous fight.
The next battle would truly carve into her flesh and bone.
The mental strain was immense, but she gritted her teeth and endured for the sake of the civilians.
"Siyun, it's dangerous to stay this close to the front. Go stick with the others."
"B-but..."
"You trust Unnie, right? I'm one of Korea's rare A-Rank hunters."
"Y-yeah..."
Siyun knew she was only a hindrance, but she couldn't bring herself to stay away.
She wanted to help Jia, even if only mentally.
"Unnie! When we get out of here, I'll buy a round of ice-cold beers and we can drink with Sihyun-unnie!"
"Heh... That sounds good."
"She’s gotten so bad at spicy food, her alcohol tolerance must have tanked too. Aren't you curious?"
"Huh, now that you mention it, I am wondering."
"I bet she's adorable when she's tipsy!"
Siyun chatted about random things before finally heading back to the civilian group.
Jia watched Siyun's back, then glanced at the two hunters and the gathered citizens.
Some were quietly sobbing. Others were praying to gods they hadn't spoken to in years.
Many were simply trembling, their eyes darting wildly into the darkness.
All of them were clinging to Jia as their only hope amid the terror.
She etched that sight into her mind. It was exactly why she couldn't afford to fall.
Jia turned back to face the corridor, ready to fight the moment the next wave appeared.
'Sihyun, huh...'
In the chaos, Jia hadn't asked Siyun if she had activated the bracelet Sihyun gave her.
Conflicting emotions surged within her. Even if Sihyun came, it would be dangerous for her alone—so perhaps it was better if she didn't show up. But deep down, Jia desperately wished for someone to stand with her, to support her weight.
"Can't get weak now..."
Why had she fought alone all this time? Because she didn't want to watch people die.
Why did she take on so many dangerous dispatches and clear avoidance dungeons? To protect as many as she could.
Jia forced herself to rise.
Another pack of monsters had spotted them and was lumbering closer.
"Hoo...!" She took a steadying breath.
Dozens of trolls were approaching. Trolls usually appeared in C-Rank dungeons, but these were mutated, higher-level variants.
And unlike a C or B-Rank raid, there were over a dozen charging at once.
Jia couldn't retreat. She couldn't let a single monster past her. She had to defeat them all right here.
"Here I go—!"
Her shout sliced through the dungeon's eerie air as she kicked off and charged.
Her sharp spear pierced the nearest troll's knee with precision.
"Kraaak—!"
The troll screamed in agony, swinging a massive arm in retaliation. Jia calmly maintained her distance, dodged the blow, and stabbed the same spot again.
In a one-on-one, this would have been enough. But she was alone against a horde.
As she attacked, other trolls closed in, their massive fists flying. Jia barely twisted away from the first punch, but another was already rushing at her.
If she were in top form, she would have dodged with ease. But now, exhausted in both body and mind, she barely grazed past the strike.
Her stance crumbled. She barely blocked the next troll's kick with the shaft of her spear.
"Hng...!" Her body slid back several meters, her arms numbing from the impact.
Yet Jia didn't retreat. Gritting her teeth, she advanced again, clashing with the front line once more.
She doggedly targeted the troll she had already wounded. Since she couldn't sweep them all at once, dropping them one by one was her only viable strategy.
Thanks to her tenacity and efficient judgment, one troll finally slumped to the floor, lifeless.
But Jia was not unscathed.
"Aak—!" A troll's fist smashed into her shoulder. The size difference was simply too great, and even an Awakened body had its limits.
She was sent flying back, her body tumbling across the stone ground.
Her consciousness flickered, but her iron will held it together. "Cough, cough..."
Her left arm was no longer responding. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Using the spear in her right hand as a crutch, she struggled to stand.
"Oh god..." "Wh-what do we do..." "The Hunter-nim is hitting her limit, isn't she?"
The terrified voices of the civilians drifted from behind her, but Jia didn't look back.
With her left arm dangling limp and her right hand gripping the spear tight, she advanced again.
"You won't pass. Not one step further."
Even now, if she fled, she might survive. Her legs were still functional. Running at full tilt might buy her enough time until backup arrived outside.
But she couldn't. That wasn't who Kim Jia was. Her identity as a hunter wouldn't allow retreat.
She firmly believed that her drive to protect others was the reason she had awakened in the first place, and why she had reached A-Rank faster than most.
So, there would be no backing down.
"Kraaak!" Her spear sliced through another troll's throat, but the resulting counter-impact sent her flying back once more.
"...Going again."
The fight dragged on. Time blurred as the number of trolls was cut in half, but Jia's body was a wreck. She could feel her absolute limit approaching.
Still, she endured. She couldn't fall until every one of these trolls was down.
She staggered forward. Whoosh! Bam! Kill, get hit, repeat.
Jia forced one eye open, glaring ahead. There was only one troll left.
She had cleared over a dozen mutated trolls alone. Victory was right there.
But her body finally refused to obey.
"Please... move...!" She commanded her limbs, but they were spent.
That one remaining troll was enough to wipe out all the civilians. The other two hunters were useless.
Just a bit more—really, just a little further! even if more waves came, she just wanted to secure their survival until then.
Jia glared at the last troll. It smirked viciously and approached her, rearing back its fist for a final, fatal swing.
One swing, and it would all be over.
'Damn...' Her eyes widened in desperation, her body frozen.
The troll swung with all its might.
In that instant—
Crack—!
The troll's massive body was suddenly bisected diagonally into three clean pieces.
Jia's eyes flew wide as the corpse collapsed. And there, standing behind the falling meat, was a figure in a pitch-black nun's habit.
A veil obscured the newcomer's face, but Jia knew instinctively who it was.
The Saintess, Jung Sihyun, had arrived.
The corner of Jia's mouth curved into a weary, relieved smile.