Chapter 319: Stigma (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 319: Stigma (3)
Elena Mikhailova Dobreva.
A blonde foreigner from Bulgaria.
By a stroke of chance, she had enrolled in a university in a distant, foreign land with only one goal in mind.
‘I have to make money.’
Money. That was it.
Her reason for choosing Korea University over an academy in Europe—which was much closer—was along the same lines.
The scholarship opportunities at Korea University were far more generous than those in Europe.
The language barrier was no obstacle for her.
After all, there was nothing in this world she feared more than being broke.
‘I just have to prove myself with my skills.’
Besides, wasn't being a Hunter a profession where you proved yourself with your body and your skills, not with words?
And so, she arrived in Korea, full of confidence.
But there, she wasn't seen as a fellow Hunter-in-training, but as a burdensome foreigner who couldn't communicate.
Her skills were undeniably exceptional.
She was talented enough to overwhelm not only her peers in the same position but even most of the upperclassmen.
However, she didn't know.
She didn't know that the Korean Hunter society’s training system was thoroughly centered around party play.
“Fuck, how are we supposed to come up with a strategy if we can’t even talk to her!”
“What good are her skills? She just raises her shield whenever she wants and ends up blocking our own attacks.”
The students who had approached her, impressed by her skills, soon left with sour expressions.
It was only then that Elena realized the fear that came with being unable to communicate.
From that point on, alongside her training, she threw herself into learning Korean, a task that had been progressing sluggishly.
And her fierce determination paid off.
“I can communicate now.”
“Shield timing? I will match it to your will!”
She reached a point where she could understand most things, aside from difficult phrases like four-character idioms.
And so, it seemed that people were starting to seek her out again.
But that was when another problem arose.
“Hey, Elena! What are we supposed to do if you slow us down too!”
“What kind of fucked-up trait is this?”
“Argh, I’ll change my family name if I ever party with you again!”
It was then that she realized all Koreans must be incredibly wealthy.
‘Change his family name…?’ Do all Koreans have their own castles (seong) and think so little of them that they’d just get rid of them…?!
It took her quite a long time to learn that the seong he meant wasn't the seong she was thinking of.
Because everyone had distanced themselves from her.
Her trait created a slowing field by using a portion of the shock from an impact.
It was an incredibly appealing trait, but its inability to distinguish between friend and foe held her back.
What was even more absurd was that it hadn't been like this before.
‘Why all of a sudden…?’
It was something she couldn't understand.
Why had an ability that only affected monsters back in Bulgaria suddenly started tripping up her own party members?
But one thing was certain.
‘I have to fix it.’
If she didn't, her future would be as bleak as a pitch-black night sky without a single star.
In the end, however, she couldn't fix it.
As time went on, she became a burden that everyone avoided.
She could have endured that, but a much bigger problem arose.
“In your current state, it may be difficult to continue your scholarship, Elena.”
“I… will try harder.”
The very reason she had come to this distant foreign land was on the verge of disappearing.
She tried harder, her heart filled with desperation, but nothing changed.
Everyone turned their backs on her. Just as her desperation pushed her to the edge of a cliff, bringing her close to giving up…
She met him.
Kim Do-jin.
A prodigy who had caused a stir at Korea University the moment he enrolled as a special admission student.
Back then, she thought of him as someone who had fallen for her sales pitch.
‘A sucker.’
A kind sucker whose personality was as naive as his innocent face, who had let a bundle of flaws like her into his party.
Now, a lot of time has passed, and her opinion of Kim Do-jin has also changed significantly.
‘A benefactor, and someone who understands me better than I understand myself.’
After meeting him, she changed.
She fixed her troublesome trait and earned a decent amount of money with her temporary Hunter license.
Her skills grew rapidly, and she had now advanced from a C-rank to a B-rank Hunter.
“B-rank…”
The rank where a Hunter starts to handle some serious money.
She had reached that starting line, so she should have been happy.
“……”
But for some reason, she was now gripped by a depression that overshadowed her joy.
It had all started three months ago.
The day she went on her first dungeon raid as a C-rank Hunter.
She recorded the lowest contribution among the party members, excluding Kim Do-jin, who was just eating popcorn in the back.
If it had happened just once, it wouldn't have been so shocking.
But surprisingly, she had reached B-rank while consistently recording the lowest contribution for three straight months.
Had she gotten weaker?
‘No.’
Then had her desperation vanished after becoming a Hunter?
‘That’s even more wrong.’
She wasn't the problem.
It was simply that Shin Yu-jeong and Im Na-eun’s skills had suddenly skyrocketed.
Im Na-eun’s magic had become faster and more powerful, and Shin Yu-jeong had become more solid in both offense and defense.
To put it bluntly, Shin Yu-jeong could now handle all the monsters’ aggro by herself, even without Elena.
‘Right. That’s the problem.’
That was the source of her depression.
She had been reduced to a presence whose absence in the party wouldn't make much of a difference.
That realization triggered a sense of crisis.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep up with their growth rate.
When she took one step forward, they took two or three, widening the gap even further.
How in the world were they training?
After agonizing over it alone, she finally went to find the one person who might have the answer.
“Knock, knock.”
She made the sound with her mouth, and a voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
The president’s office in the Waving the License club room.
When she opened the door and entered, Kim Do-jin was sitting in a chair.
“What are you doing, Do-jin?”
“Just resting… Why?”
“Hmm, I see.”
Elena studied Kim Do-jin’s face.
His expression definitely looked a little strange today.
Perhaps from accumulated fatigue, he kept knitting one eyebrow and breathing heavily.
“I came to ask something… but if you’re tired, I can postpone it.”
“Uh…”
He seemed lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“No, it’s fine. I can at least listen to what you have to say.”
“As expected of Do-jin…”
He’s just too damn nice.
While she was busy misunderstanding, Kim Do-jin asked.
“So… um, what was it you wanted to… ask?”
His voice was slightly halting.
But she didn't think much of it.
The worries weighing on her heart were too immense for her to spare any attention for anything else.
“I’ve been very afraid lately.”
“Afraid…?”
“That I’ll be kicked off the team. I’m… worried sick? I do that every day.”
At her words, Kim Do-jin tilted his head, looking puzzled.
Kicked off the team? What was this all of a sudden?
“Why would we kick you off the team?”
As the team leader, the thought had never even crossed his mind.
Then, her true worry came out.
“I… feel useless lately.”
“Useless… ungh, you feel?”
“Yu-jeong has grown tremendously. She’s good at attacking, and even better at defending.”
“Well… um, that’s true.”
Kim Do-jin readily agreed.
Shin Yu-jeong and Im Na-eun’s growth had been remarkable recently.
And the secret to that growth was the stigma Kim Do-jin had carved on them.
According to them, when his mana mixed with their own, their movements became much smoother.
They said they could now perform delicate controls with an ease that would have been impossible before.
‘Thanks to that, they’re like fish in water.’
Im Na-eun’s magic had advanced to another level.
Her casting speed was noticeably faster, as was her destructive power.
Shin Yu-jeong had quickly mastered techniques that required skillful mana manipulation.
He figured the two of them were probably in the mid-to-high tier among B-ranks by now.
Kim Do-jin finally understood her anxiety.
“So… you don’t want to be left behind?”
“…That’s right.”
Elena gave a small nod.
Being the only one falling behind in the party meant that one day, she would become a shackle to them.
And what choice would people make when they had heavy shackles on their feet?
‘Of course, they’d break the shackles.’
She was afraid of being abandoned by her teammates.
Afraid of being abandoned by the very people who were the only ones to accept her when she was shunned by everyone in this distant, foreign land.
She also hated the idea of earning money without properly fulfilling her role.
All she wanted was to be paid what she was worth.
That was why she had to get stronger, and faster.
To walk side-by-side not just with Shin Yu-jeong and Im Na-eun, but with the rest of her teammates.
“I… came to you, Do-jin, because I thought you might have the answer.”
Elena looked at Do-jin, her eyes filled with desperation, and pleaded.
“Do-jin, what can I do to get stronger?”
Just as she was about to ask him to please tell her the answer…
“Ah, wait a second…!”
Suddenly, Kim Do-jin slumped over the desk, his body trembling violently.
“Do-Do-jin…?”
Startled, Elena tried to approach him.
“Stay there!”
Do-jin lifted his head and held out a hand, stopping her in her tracks.
After a moment…
“Hoo… Sorry. My leg suddenly cramped up.”
Having regained his composure, he spoke with his usual smile.
“So… you want to grow as fast as Yu-jeong, right, Elena?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kim Do-jin thought for a moment at her answer.
“Hmm… I do know how she grew so fast.”
“R-Really?” Elena asked back, her face lighting up.
It wasn't a lie. The secret to their growth stemmed from the effect of the stigma he had carved.
A frantic Elena rushed to the front of the desk and reached out.
Her target was his hand, resting neatly on the desk.
Grabbing it tightly, she cried out as if begging.
“That method… please tell me, too! I’ll do whatever you say, Do-jin!”
He was momentarily taken aback by her forceful declaration.
Mulling over her words, Kim Do-jin asked again.
“You can really do anything?”
“Yes, really!”
“Hmm… if you’re that determined, I’ll try to put together a training schedule just for you, Elena.”
Her face was awash with joy.
“Thank you so much! Thank you, Do-jin!”
He shook his head at her over-the-top expression of gratitude.
“No. I should be the one thanking you.”
And Kim Do-jin truly meant it.