NameError: Name 'Seoya' is Not Defined
Seoya watched the insect documentary on TV with rapt, curious eyes. Everything in this world felt fresh and amusing to her. Truth be told, being exiled to this place had left her feeling down, so she was desperately trying to distract herself with anything else.
"Hey, unnie."
"Huh?"
"The praying mantis's body length is about 70 to 82mm. Roughly the size of half a hand span. Typical mantis colors are yellowish-brown or green. See? Blending perfectly with nature's hues."
Ji Sein, who had been staring at her laptop on the kitchen table and tapping away for ages, finally turned at the sound of Seoya calling her.
"Um, a monster wave is about to break out?"
Seoya pointed casually out the window.
"W-what?!"
"This mantis that's just appeared has a very aggressive appearance. Just like most mantises. Its front legs are curved like sickles, perfect for carnivorous predation. Oh, look at those razor-sharp spines on the front limbs."
Beep—
As the mantis zoomed in on the TV screen, Ji Sein quickly shut it off.
"Why are you talking about a monster wave while watching an insect doc...?"
"Over there, that super tall building—behind it..."
Through the high-rise apartment window stretched the cityscape, bathed in a crimson sunset sky. Floating in the heavens was a massive window visible only to Seoya.
D-Rank Monster Wave ‘test_test_697’ occurring in 17:28
If it was a monster wave, it meant a situation like last time. If they didn't stop it in advance, there could be major casualties.
"R-really?!"
"Yeah, 17 minutes 27 seconds—no, 26 seconds now."
"Agh, I hate this so much..."
Ji Sein clutched her head, recalling the Nonhyeon Station B-rank monster wave incident that Lee Gayeon had told her about earlier. She knew Seoya's words weren't some baseless lie.
Ji Sein snatched her phone and dialed guild master Lee Gayeon.
Baek Yena and Lee Gayeon were probably out working as hunters by now, so they needed to contact the guild members who were already on site.
"Gayeon unnie! Monster wave! The princess says she sees it again?!"
"About 17 minutes left!"
"Yeah, and it's D-rank."
Seoya, eavesdropping with her overly sensitive hearing, chimed in.
"And the location is... uh..."
Ji Sein stared intently at the spot Seoya had been pointing at. But she couldn't see the alert window, and from Seoya's vantage, the city was obscured by tall buildings, making it hard to pinpoint the exact gate location.
"Unnie, looks like I might have to go check it out myself?"
"W-what...?"
Both Ji Sein and Lee Gayeon were dead set against taking Seoya anywhere dangerous, but they had no other choice.
Lee Gayeon trailed off over the phone. Ji Sein glanced at Seoya, who was staring at her with wide, sparkling eyes, unable to give a firm answer.
It's weird. There are plenty of active 17-year-old hunters out there.
Kwon Yooseok in the top 10 rankings is the same age as her.
But why does our princess look so much younger?
Of course, her petite build and youthful appearance played a part, but beyond that, it was probably the otherworldly aura from her origins.
Lee Gayeon's voice continued from the phone.
"Unnie, you're always so cold. Sending our princess into danger like that... Fine, got it..."
In the end, Ji Sein accepted Lee Gayeon's decision in a deflated tone. Time until the gate opened was ticking down, so her call was the right one.
"You just tell us the gate location and stay safe somewhere, got it? Promise?"
"Yeah, promise..."
Seoya nodded with an unconvincing tone.
"Right here?"
"Uh, no—wait, not right, straight ahead!"
Lee Gayeon drove according to Seoya's directions. Seoya, in the passenger seat, widened her view as far as possible, focusing on spotting the location.
"Ah, I see it clearly now! We're almost there!"
In the back seat rode Park Haejun and Baek Yena. Normally, the best way to handle a monster wave—with monsters scattering in multiple directions—was to gather as many hunters as possible. But this time was different.
They couldn't tell anyone that Seoya had predicted the monster wave via the System. So, the group consisted solely of those who knew her otherworldly origins.
A D-rank monster wave was something an S-rank like Baek Yena could handle alone anyway—it was practically overkill.
"Our baby has to stay safe no matter what."
Baek Yena muttered while peering out the car window. This overkill lineup—domestic rank 4 S-rank hunter Baek Yena, large guild master Lee Gayeon, and vice-guild master Park Haejun—was purely for one person's protection.
"What about Sein unnie?"
"Oh, Ji Sein hunter... she doesn't go out much. Yeah, she loves staying home."
"How's she even a hunter if she doesn't do hunter work? Total freeloader. Ugh, that hikikomori should get her internet cut off."
Baek Yena ruffled her hair in irritation, thinking of Ji Sein pounding away at her laptop in her room. Park Haejun, as always, smiled gently while pondering how this chaotic guild had become a major powerhouse.
The two highest-ranked in the guild—one with a broken personality, the other a hikikomori. Is this really okay?
"There."
Lee Gayeon slammed on the brakes. A blue gate hovered in mid-air, the space rippling as if monsters would pour out any second.
"That one's about to burst."
"Ah, damn it!"
No time to waste even a few seconds. Baek Yena rocketed out of the car like a bullet, gesturing wildly for civilians to evacuate. The panicked crowd, already unnerved by the ominous gate, screamed and bolted at her command.
"Park Haejun, Seoya."
"Understood."
Lee Gayeon got out, and Park Haejun slid into the driver's seat. Luckily, it wasn't a congested road, so they could maneuver the car easily. Few pedestrians meant minimal risk.
"We heading somewhere else?"
"Yeah, it's dangerous here."
The monsters are all weaklings anyway.
Even so, Seoya stayed put in the car. She had promised Ji Sein. Back on Toda, Ibin had drilled into her that promises must always be kept, so all Seoya could do was plaster herself to the window and watch.
"D-rank monsters, sawblade mantises!"
Countless mantises began swarming out of the dungeon. Seoya recalled the insect doc she'd just watched and gaped.
"The praying mantis's body length is about 70 to 82mm. Roughly the size of half a hand span."
"...Half a hand span?"
But the mantises in Seoya's view weren't half a hand span—they were more like two humans tall...?
"What the hell, they're huge?"
Even non-insect haters would faint at that size. Anyone would feel instinctive revulsion and fear.
"This mantis that's just appeared has a very aggressive appearance. Just like most mantises. Its front legs are curved like sickles, perfect for carnivorous predation. Oh, look at those razor-sharp spines on the front limbs."
"Sharp, alright."
Too sharp—that was the problem. The doc hadn't shown anything like this. Each swing of a mantis's front limb cleaved wooden chairs clean in half.
Ah, so that's why they're called sawblade mantises.
Those weren't mere insect spines; they were genuine sawblades.
"Agh, this pisses me off! The very existence of these horrific bugs on Earth is a crime!"
Baek Yena snapped at the onrushing mantis horde. Seoya pressed against the window, scrutinizing the fresh swarm from the gate.
Frustrating.
She itched to leap in and blast them with mana. But unleashing mana from this distance might blow the car roof off first—Seoya's control wasn't that precise.
Endure. Yeah, unnies can handle it. And I promised Sein unnie.
Seoya glared at the sawblade mantises with burning eyes.
Screeech—
"What the...!"
Park Haejun, just starting to drive away from the monsters, slammed the brakes to narrowly avoid a mantis.
"Where'd that come from...?"
He'd been heading opposite the monsters, so how had one gotten here already? Park Haejun turned and realized.
"Ah, Miss Seoya."
Seoya was staring at the mantises with eyes that now felt intensely fervent.
So this is what it means to be overwhelmed by presence...
He'd thought it was just wuxia novel stuff, but Park Haejun was feeling the tangible pressure of one's aura right now. Wherever Seoya's gaze fell, the monsters scattered in panic—instinctual desperation to survive.