Chapter 34 With the Party Members
Chapter 34: {With the Party Members}
{With the Party Members}
"Yu Ji-hu. Seeing you in person, you resemble the Empress but feel like an entirely different person."
Back in her room in Korea, Erika Mochida found herself thinking about Yu Ji-hu.
She had known that Empress Yu Ha-rin had summoned her as a party member for him after careful consideration, but the real Ji-hu was far different from what she had imagined.
That only made her more curious about him—she wanted to know everything.
'It's fascinating. He has the same face as the Empress, yet his gentle aura makes him feel completely different.'
Ji-hu's features bore a striking resemblance to his older sister, Ha-rin. Side by side, anyone could instantly tell they were siblings.
But if seen separately, it would be surprisingly hard to associate him with the Empress.
'Their presence is just too different.'
Ji-hu's warm, gentle demeanor contrasted so sharply with Ha-rin's cold, regal bearing that despite their identical faces, the connection wasn't immediate.
'I can't wait to see what the party will be like tomorrow.'
Though Erika Mochida was Japanese by birth, her nationality had never been an issue within the Underground Guild.
While the guild gathered talents from all over the world, as long as one belonged to it wholeheartedly, origins didn't matter.
The treatment was more than satisfactory, and Erika always believed joining the Underground Guild had been the right choice.
'I want to grow stronger.'
And she had her own aspirations.
To become a more powerful Ability User.
Though the guild provided her with ample resources to grow, she had never formed a permanent party, only temporary alliances.
Many had sought to team up with her, but Empress Ha-rin had told her, "You can remain solo or stick to temporary parties if you prefer. But if a good party comes along, I'll recommend it to you."
With that permission, Erika had strived to grow stronger—yet her progress hadn't satisfied her.
'None of the temporary party members ever clicked with me.'
Especially when some members got too forward, she found it irritating.
Of course, she had entertained the thought of romance and marriage someday.
But for now, she simply wanted to grow stronger as an Ability User.
'If this is the party the Empress recommended, maybe I can finally reach new heights.'
The party consisted of Ji-hu as the sole male, with the rest being women. As Erika observed the others, she considered them one by one.
She didn't know much about Seo Yu-rin, whom she had just met yesterday, but she was well acquainted with Sophia Clark and Irina Isteden.
Like her, they weren't the type to focus on romance—they, too, sought personal growth above all else.
'Maybe the Empress handpicked us with that in mind.'
The next day, all members of Ji-hu's party gathered in the training hall of the residence shared by the Yu siblings.
"Good morning, Ji-hu oppa."
"Good morning, Ji-hu."
"Greetings, Ji-hu."
"Ji-Ji-hu... Hi..."
"Yeah, good to see you all."
The Saintess, Sophia Clark.
Blazing Heat, Erika Mochida.
The Fairy, Irina Isteden.
And Seo Yu-rin, who had yet to earn a title.
"......."
Ha-rin stood slightly apart, arms crossed, silently observing. She made no move to interfere today, but her mere presence alone was enough to put everyone but Ji-hu on edge.
"Alright, let's get started."
Ji-hu smiled warmly as he began his explanation.
"Our party will focus on conquering Rifts. We'll start with lower-difficulty ones to build teamwork and experience, then gradually move up. Our ultimate goal is to become a party capable of clearing every Rift in this world."
Declaring such an ambition might have seemed overly idealistic to most.
Currently, the only person in the world capable of soloing every Rift was Empress Yu Ha-rin herself. Even the Underground Guild, composed of the world's top Ability Users, needed teams to tackle certain Rifts.
"I can't promise we'll definitely achieve it, but I believe it's possible."
Ji-hu's tone remained kind and encouraging. Watching him, Ha-rin's lips curled slightly, her gaze fixed on him with quiet pride—though only Ji-hu noticed.
For now, he focused on engaging with his party members.
"Since I'm the only one here who's been to the Other World, I'll share what I've learned. First—Yu-rin, come here."
"Okay."
Yu-rin cautiously stepped forward.
Holding a sword and shield, she stood before him. Ji-hu smiled.
'Good. Always be prepared.'
The party would face countless battles from now on.
Rifts could appear at any moment, and unforeseen dangers lurked everywhere. Being battle-ready at all times was non-negotiable.
Given his past experiences, Yu-rin's preparedness was already a pass in his book.
"Yu-rin, try swinging your sword at me."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Though momentarily taken aback, she obeyed without hesitation—trusting that a simple swing wouldn't harm him.
In a way, it was faith in him.
But in another, it was an acknowledgment of her own limits.
Clang—!
"Ugh!"
Her strike was effortlessly deflected.
In an instant, Ji-hu had drawn a crimson shield and parried her attack.
"Whoa."
"So fast."
"As expected of the Empress's brother."
Murmurs of admiration rose from the others.
As Yu-rin staggered back from the recoil, Ji-hu spoke.
"Yu-rin, your role in this party will be close-range DPS and tank. You don't need overwhelming attack power, but you do need enough strength to pressure enemies. Understood?"
"...Yeah, I get it."
"Here, take this."
Ji-hu retrieved something from his subspace and tossed it to her—slow enough for her to catch easily.
"What's this?"
It was a book.
"Open it and see."
Yu-rin flipped through the pages and realized it was a swordsmanship manual.
An advanced one, at that—focusing on Qi manipulation. Ji-hu had translated and compiled these techniques from the Other World, adding his own notes where explanations fell short.
'I thought these might come in handy back on Earth. And here we are.'
He watched as Yu-rin examined the manual with fascination.
"There's shield techniques too," she muttered.
That was precisely why he had chosen this manual—it covered both sword and shield combat, allowing for seamless offense and defense.
Even Iris had once remarked, "This is an incredible swordsmanship and shield art. It'll be useful."
'...Still hurts, though.'
A pang of tightness gripped his chest, but it was more bearable now than before.
"Practice it diligently. We'll head to a Rift after lunch—two hours from now. Use that time to study."
"Okay. Thanks, Ji-hu."
Genuine gratitude colored her voice as she stepped back, assuming others would be called next.
'Hmm. Aside from Yu-rin, the others don't need much guidance.'
Frankly, the other three already had solid foundations.
The only one lacking was Yu-rin, who hadn't received proper training until now.
Erika, Irina, even young Sophia—their basics were all well-established. Clearly, Ha-rin had prepared them beforehand.
Besides, as sturdy as this training hall was, its confined space wasn't ideal for Erika or Irina to unleash their full potential.
'Seems like Noona raised these three specifically to support me.'
Yesterday, he hadn't been sure, but today, their demeanor confirmed it.
Their enthusiasm and anticipation were even stronger than before.
Though they would tackle a Rift after lunch, there was something more important first.
'Lunchtime.'
Even during the fiercest battles against the Demon King's army, they had never skipped meals.
Dying from exhaustion due to an empty stomach would have been the most ridiculous way to go.
So lunch was non-negotiable.
"Noona, I'm gonna grab lunch."
"Then let's go together. Noona's treating."
Ha-rin, who had been silently observing, finally stepped forward.