Chapter 60
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Have You Ever Seen a Saintess Skilled in Magic?
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After getting out of the car, I silently trailed after the Section Chief.
The conversation went smoothly, and I successfully joined the rear guard.
Of course, it couldn't pass without any incidents.
"Foreigners?"
The man appointed as rear guard leader, Kang Cheolmin, eyed me.
S-rank hunter from Cheongrim Guild, or so I'd heard.
He was a hulking figure decked out in flashy gear from head to toe.
"Can you communicate? It'd be a problem if you can't follow orders."
"Yes, basic communication is more than possible. Right?"
I nodded.
If needed, I could use alteration magic.
But unless the situation absolutely demanded it, I had no intention of speaking at all.
...It was something that happened often back when I wore the nun's habit every day.
Though whether it was voluntary or forced made all the difference.
"Hmph, whatever. We'll just stick her in the rear."
His arrogant gaze flicked toward me for a moment before shifting away.
I watched the rear guard leader depart for a bit, then turned to the Section Chief.
"I'll head back to my duties. Got to keep today's promise, after all."
Nod, nod.
"Then, I wish you a safe raid."
The Section Chief walked off toward where he'd parked the car earlier.
So I stood there blankly, a short distance from the rear guard hunters.
"Alright, time to move out!"
With the group, we entered the A-rank undead dungeon.
The dungeon's chilling aura washed over us, thick with mana density.
At the Cheongrim Guild leader's command, everyone took their positions.
About half the rear guard were from the same guild.
I could see them chatting familiarly as they settled in.
Most of them were frontliners. I was rear guard.
I'd planned to just spectate unless something major happened anyway. Perfect.
"This way!"
One thief began leading the path.
From what I'd heard beforehand, he was one of the hunters who'd scouted after the incident.
As we followed his guidance, traces of the earlier battle started appearing here and there.
"Ugh, undead corpses are just as gross every time."
"Tell me about it."
"The boss is tied to some boss showing up, right?"
"Please, no weird stuff popping out..."
I walked along, listening to their hushed whispers.
In the midst of our swift advance,
we ran into a group of skeletons that had resurrected in fairly intact condition.
Definitely an A-rank dungeon.
Skeleton warriors, archers, mages—they'd formed ranks by type.
Enhanced variants dotted the mix.
"Clear 'em quick and join up!"
"Got it!"
Battle erupted with Kang Cheolmin's booming shout.
"Urraa!"
Boom—!
Crash—!
Every swing of his massive hammer cratered the floor.
With each blow, skeletons shattered into clouds of bone dust.
The archers and mages zeroed in on Cheolmin, who'd charged first, with ranged attacks.
"Kahaha! Dream on!"
His shiny gear blocked everything without so much as a scratch.
Cheolmin rampaged wildly, practically baiting them to target him.
Behind him, the other hunters formed up and pressed the fight.
The skeletons weren't even in perfect shape to begin with.
So the battle wrapped up in no time.
"No time to dawdle! Move out again!"
"Yes, sir!"
The hunters shouted energetically and broke into a jog.
I hurried after them, keeping pace.
The vanguard had clearly swept the path ahead.
Battles were only sporadic.
We spent most of the time pushing deeper into the dungeon.
After one more skirmish,
a brief rest was called. The magic-class hunter woman plopped down beside me with a groan.
"Ugh...! The deeper we go, the more my body's shivering! The mana density here's insane..."
"R-right? Wasn't just me, then."
Another hunter chimed in agreement.
The woman shuddered like goosebumps were crawling all over her.
"Huuu..., seriously, you think there's an S-rank dungeon deeper in?"
"We'll have four S-ranks once we link up. They'll handle it!"
"Y-yeah, right?!"
As if desperate to shake off the tension,
chatter bubbled up here and there.
Then I felt eyes on me and turned. The magic woman was staring.
"...?"
I tilted my head, wondering what she wanted.
"You understand Korean, right?"
She approached and struck up a conversation.
I nodded lightly and waited.
"Oh, uh. Nothing big. You're not joining the fights, so I was curious about your job."
Ah, so that's why she'd approached. It clicked.
Things were going fine without me, so I hadn't stepped up.
But from their view, I must look like some weirdo slacking off.
Couldn't have that. Baggage detail.
I drew the sword from my bracelet—one I'd skipped pulling out to avoid hassle.
Swish—
I swung it sharply once, then pointed at myself, followed by her.
"Ah, you're escorting us?"
Nod, nod.
"Hmm, got it. Then your rank—"
"Time to move!"
Just as she started probing further,
the big man's voice rang out, and everyone sprang up.
The magic woman was no exception.
Didn't seem too hung up on it. She gave a quick bow and wrapped up the chat.
The group pressed on into the dungeon.
As I followed, I mulled over the faint sense of déjà vu creeping in.
...Hmm, hazy.
I shook my head and focused on my steps.
Amid the rear guard's forced march,
the magic hunter woman glanced back at the woman following silently.
'...Definitely a woman?'
Her guess stemmed purely from height.
The nun's habit, with zero skin showing, could pass for priest robes at a glance.
She hadn't uttered a word once, shown no standout actions.
But she didn't strike her as mere baggage either...
'There's just something solid about her.'
Once inside and pushing deeper, the mana density crushed the spirit of her and many others.
Yet two hadn't changed a bit since entry.
The rear guard leader from Cheongrim Guild, Kang Cheolmin.
And the nun-clad woman tagging along at the very back.
Once she framed it that way, she even felt reassured.
And it wasn't just her imagination.
Battles were rare, but the rear guard had fewer high-rankers than the vanguard.
Inevitably, an emergency hit.
"Damn it, what if they break through?!"
"Rear guard! Watch out!"
"Hurry and follow—!"
Quadrupedal beast-type undead soaked up the frontliners' attacks with their bodies and charged.
A few dropped.
But not all.
"Stay calm and respond!"
"A-attack!"
The rear hunters fired off skills in a panic.
Flashy spells poured out hastily toward the beasts.
But rushed skills lacked punch.
One big undead trait: no pain.
The beasts leveraged it, never slowing their charge.
They barreled straight for the rear.
"Grulk, kyak—!"
The first to arrive let out a low, sinister growl.
With a throat-scraping rasp, it lunged at a rear hunter.
"Kyaa?!"
"Hueek!"
Screams erupted from the hunters in its path.
That instant!
Slash—
Thud.
The beast's head severed clean and tumbled across the floor.
It all happened in a blink.
The hunters, failing to process it, stared at the one who'd stepped forward.
The nun-clad woman took up position calmly in front of the rears.
"Krr!"
"Kiiik—!"
More beasts rushed her.
Rotting flesh and teeth bared, they screeched eerily.
Unlike before, several undead beasts came one after another.
Yet the outcome didn't change.
"Whoa..."
"Huh...!"
The hunters gawked, eyes wide, at the nun's movements.
She calmly raised her sword.
The first beast lunged.
Swaak——
Her wrist snapped like lightning, quartering the beast neatly.
She reset her stance as it collapsed behind her.
Next, two beasts came at once.
The nun woman sidestepped smoothly, whirling her sword in a spin.
No motion wasted—clean, refined precision.
Slash—, thud.
Both beasts lost heads and rolled.
"......"
The woman steadied herself and eyed the rest.
"Gruk...!"
Undead monsters, devoid of fear.
Yet they hesitated for a beat.
The woman surged forward nimbly.
The remaining beasts prepped counters, but her sword was quicker.
A slight body twist, then an upward slash.
"Kyak!"
Followed by a downward slice, carving another.
One beast left.
Predictably, the finish took a split second.
The rear hunters stared at the nun woman, jaws slack.
Too fast— the fight barely registered.
The piled corpses proved she was one hell of a hunter.
'Wow... she fights like a pro.'
'No wonder the Section Chief dragged her here in a rush!'
Amazed eyes locked on the nun from all around.
At that moment, the magic hunter woman felt a gaze.
The veiled head had turned her way.
Without thinking, she shot up a thumbs-up.
Thumbs up.
The nun woman paused briefly, then reciprocated with her free hand.
Thumbs up.
From the nun sleeve's edge peeked a delicate hand and fingers.
The magic hunter woman smiled softly.
Invisible, but surely under that nun's habit hid a kind, diligent, cute woman.