Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: First Time Seeing a Saintess Good at Magic?
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"M-My leg! Fuck!"
The stalker clutched his shattered shin and screamed bloody murder.
I reached out and clamped my hand over his face.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Much better.
Now it was quiet.
"Little sis, mind if I use the bathroom for a moment?"
"Uh, s-sure...?"
I dragged the stalker into the bathroom.
He struggled fiercely, but he was no real threat.
A mid-tier Hunter, a C-Rank, and this was all he had?
Something felt off.
Perhaps the gap between ranks grew exponentially in this world.
"Hey."
I hoisted the stalker up by his hair until our eyes met.
Simultaneously, I released my mana to erect a barrier around us.
Not a single sound would leak out of the bathroom now.
"Let's start with a beating."
"Mmph...! Mmmph!"
He looked like he wanted to say something, but I ignored him.
I pulled my arm back.
And slammed his head into the wall with all my might.
BAM!
Holy Power reinforced my body, and the full force of the blow landed true.
Even though I was holding back, the wall cracked deeply, and blood sprayed from the man's head.
I could fix the bathroom with magic later.
For now, it was time to make him repent.
Siyun stared anxiously at the bathroom door.
Ever since her former oppa—now her unnie—had dragged the stalker inside, not a single sound had come from within.
Sihyun had claimed to have defeated the Demon King.
But to Siyun’s eyes, her sibling looked smaller and more fragile than she was.
And hadn't she said it herself? That she was a Saintess.
The image that popped into Siyun's mind was of a healer safely praying from the rear lines.
The guy was a vile stalker, sure, but he was still a Hunter.
A C-Rank, no less.
It was common knowledge that mid-tier Hunters and above were given a tacit pass by the government.
Unless they were involved in a major incident.
That was why she couldn’t even report him to the police.
The stalker hadn't laid a direct hand on her yet—just pressured her, like he had today.
As Siyun fidgeted nervously,
-Creak.
The bathroom door opened.
A man with a corpse-pale face stumbled into the living room.
Spotting Siyun, he rushed over and slammed his forehead into the floor.
"I'm so sorry for everything! Please forgive me!"
"......"
"Y-Your unnie is an amazing Hunter!"
"A close-combat type? Incredible!"
It was a perfect groveling posture.
Siyun’s eyes went wide as she peered toward the bathroom entrance.
Her unnie had emerged, leaning against the wall with an icy expression.
"Hey, Stalker."
"Yes!"
"What should you be saying right now?"
"......Siyun! I sincerely apologize for everything I've done up to now!"
"......That's it?"
"I swear I'll never set foot in this house—no, anywhere near this neighborhood again!"
My god.
Siyun alternated trembling glances between her unnie and the stalker.
Was her unnie really that strong...?
Seeing that murderous expression, honestly, even she started feeling a bit scared.
"Siyun, what do you think? Does he need more education?"
"Uh, um.... Isn't this enough?"
"Yeah?"
At her sister's response, Sihyun grabbed the stalker by the scruff of his neck.
She dragged him out just like before and tossed him outside.
A loud thud echoed in the hallway.
Sihyun glanced outside briefly before shutting the door.
"Sorry, the bathroom got a bit messy. Give me a sec to clean it."
"Uh-huh...."
Siyun broke out in a cold sweat.
The stalker's face had looked clean, but the heavy scent of blood wafted from the bathroom.
Yet moments later, when she nervously checked the room, it was spotless.
Impeccably so.
It was as clean and fresh as if it were brand new.
"How does it look?"
"I-It looks good...?"
"Hehe."
"Ahaha."
Siyun responded awkwardly, staring at her unnie.
The blank, cold expression had bloomed into a flower-like smile the moment their eyes met.
In that instant, Siyun realized one thing.
Sihyun had changed a lot, but she was still her sibling.
Overlaid on that beautiful face was the gentle person who had raised her in their parents' stead.
-Ding-dong!
"Wanna get some chicken?"
"Yeah!"
Siyun beamed brightly.
After a fierce debate over who got the bed and who took the sofa, the next day arrived.
I went shopping with Siyun.
With no ID yet, I got a smartphone under her name first.
I picked only the essentials—clothes and underwear to wear immediately.
After grabbing other daily necessities, we finally headed home.
"Siyun, how do I go back on this?"
"Go back? Like this."
Handling a phone after so long had me fumbling a bit.
But I was getting the hang of it quickly. Probably.
"We spent a ton today, didn't we? Sorry."
"Once I get my ID, I'll look for work right away."
"Like I said yesterday, it's really fine!"
"Unnie, you're a hero who beat the Demon King, right? Don't you need some rest?"
"......Well, yeah."
"Don't worry about it!"
Even if she said not to worry, I had seen her eyes waver when she swiped that card.
I wouldn't say it out loud, though.
"Oh! By the way, unnie. As a Saintess, can you do miracle stuff?"
"Miracles?"
"Yeah. Like in novels or games, bringing back the dead and all."
"Nah, I can't revive the dead."
I could save someone on the brink of death, though.
"What about regenerating arms or legs?"
"That's a no-go too."
If the limbs were still attached nearby, I could reattach them, sure.
"Like the stalker said, are you really a close-combat fighter? Even as a Saintess?"
"You mean fighting up front? Yeah, I've done plenty of that."
The party members had nagged me to stop just buffing and actually put in some work.
"......You're not a Saintess—you're a Warrior. Or a Holy Knight, right?"
"Hmm, maybe?"
The Hero's party had drilled it into me every day.
The feats they performed while strengthened by my buffs?
That was their strength, not mine.
So if I wanted to stay alive long enough to beat the Demon King, I had to prove my worth to them.
So I trained endlessly.
Honing my magic further using the memories of the original owner of this body.
Mastering the buffs and debuffs that suited me best.
And getting proficient enough in Holy Power to handle both Priest and Holy Knight roles.
As the healer, I was always the first target in every fight.
So I had to roll and adapt until I could do anything.
Not that it mattered to them.
[Can you tank up front as reliably as me?]
[Your attack spells are way weaker than mine!]
All I ever got back were complaints about how I fell short.
It stung, but they weren't wrong, so I naturally shrank back more and more.
Plus, the Hero's obsession with me bordered on madness.
He kept me locked in the dorms whenever we weren't in battle.
The female party members' jealousy and harassment ramped up too.
If the porter hadn't handled extra supplies for me, I might not have survived.
"Ah! It's this late already. Unnie, I gotta head to work."
"At this hour?"
"Yeah, um.... I'm freelance!"
"The room next door might get noisy sometimes—don't mind it, okay?"
"Got it."
Siyun waved and slipped into the next room.
I watched her go for a moment, then turned back to my smartphone.
Time to figure out how the world worked these days. Cataclysm, Hunters, and so on.
I searched for answers to my curiosities and read through trending posts.
News first.
[Korea Faces Support Hunter Shortage. Dealer Oversupply Worsens.]
[(Expert Interview) Recent Gate Surge Predicted as 'Calm Before the Storm.']
[Hunter Individualism and Corrupted Collectivism: Causes and Solutions?]
Next, the communities.
[Any foreign Hunters come to Korea lately? Female ones?]
[Know any Production Hunters? Hook me up.]
[(Chat) This Vtuber I've been watching lately...]
An ocean of information... so much of it.
Finally, I checked Ttube for videos, but it wasn't much help.
A-Rank or S-Rank Hunter clips? Just ad-heavy montage edits like old game 'mad movies.'
Otherwise, it was just concept streams or weird characters—Vtubers, was it?
The world had changed a lot, that much was clear. End of story.
Strangely, there wasn't a single scrap of info on Holy Power.
Was it because this was Earth?
Anyway.
"Guess the Hunter Management Bureau is my best bet for info."
Civil servants should have the straight facts. They seemed like the type to answer properly.
They'd promised quick contact for my Returner consultation and Awakening measurement.
I'd keep a few things straight and head there.
I was sick of being bound, so I’d dodge duties and obligations smartly.
I’d hide the fact that I was Support-class too, since they were short on those.
For now, I’d earn just enough to ease my sister's burden and rest up.
Once I grasped the modern world better, I could get serious.
Maybe find a teaching job with my major...
Come to think of it, the Cataclysm kept me from ever graduating college.
"Phew...."
An ordinary-looking young man looked up from his smartphone.
He rolled his shoulders lightly and glanced around the subway station.
Then his gaze snagged on one person.
A woman was walking around, looking curiously at her surroundings.
Thin black shirt, red A-line skirt falling just above her knees.
Nothing fancy, but once caught, his eyes wouldn't let go.
Her long limbs swayed gracefully, and her long white hair shimmered softly.
And those prominently full breasts were certainly asserting their presence.
A celebrity visiting from abroad? She was the kind of beauty you only saw in videos.
She's lost.
The woman kept looking left and right. She tilted her head, studied a nearby map.
Compared it to her phone, looking up and down.
Her slight frown made him want to help, but the young man hesitated.
Her unreal beauty was intimidating, but more than that, his English sucked.
He just watched the exotic beauty with pitying eyes.
That was when—
"......!"
Their eyes met by chance.
She hesitated for a moment, then approached him with a resolute expression.
The young man swallowed hard, tensing up.
Should he download a translation app now?
No, web translators were good these days, right? But could he even understand her first?
A flurry of thoughts raced through his head in seconds.
"Um...."
"Y-Yes! Yes!"
Answering on instinct, he gaped unwittingly.
Her lovely voice was sweet, but above all, her Korean pronunciation was flawless.
We can talk!
"Wh-What's up?"
"......I'm not used to the subway. Could you help me?"
"Of c-course! Where are you headed?"
Instead of answering, she held out her phone.
His eyes flicked to her slender fingers, then back to the screen.
"Hunter Management Bureau?"
"Yes."
"Then go this way and—"
The young man tried to keep his voice steady.
Explaining up close, a pleasant scent wafted from her.
"Ah...!"
"Got it?"
"Yes, thank you. You explain so well."
"H-Heh.... Glad I could help."
She bowed politely and walked away slowly.
He watched her back with longing eyes.
Sour grapes, sour grapes, he chanted in his mind over and over.
But then—
She spun around suddenly, trotting back to him.
Bewildered, he stared as she smiled warmly.
"I hope your kindness is rewarded."
"Ah, ahh.... Y-Yeah."
She left again.
The young man felt an unfamiliar energy surging through him. Vitality overflowing!
Just seeing her smile filled him with vigor. Truly, people should live kindly.
He strode forward energetically. Something told him his Hunter work would go smoothly today.