Spilled Water

The high-ranking officials on the other side of the one-way mirror harbored a faint hope.

They secretly wished that Kang Cheol-ung would subdue the off-guard magic-type boss.

Although he was the type to use his body rather than his brain and was prone to boasting, when it came to monsters, he was a hunter more reliable than anyone else.

'We can't just recruit an otherworldly entity just because we can communicate with it.'

'The fact that she's cooperating so easily makes her even more suspicious.'

'If we can just subdue her, it would be best to transfer her to the research facility.'

This was especially true for those who had voiced negative opinions during the meeting.

And Kang Cheol-ung, who loved to step up, had a track record of always meeting expectations.

Usually, the face of a hunter team—the protagonist, so to speak—was occupied by the damage dealers who were responsible for the team's offensive power.

They were flashier than anyone else and were the ones who actually brought down the monsters.

However, unless they were just planning to slaughter trash mobs in a low-rank dungeon, forming a team of only damage dealers was practically suicide.

The higher the rank of the dungeon, the more essential a tanker became.

In such situations, Kang Cheol-ung was the ultimate all-rounder, capable of handling any variable thanks to his Super Regeneration ability.

In other words, he was the protagonist of protagonists. A self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged top-tier tanker.

Countless damage dealers wanted to team up with Kang Cheol-ung, and that very demand had been the driving force that allowed the Ilhyeon Guild to grow into a major guild.

And yet, that very same Kang Cheol-ung...

CRACK! CRUNCH!

Without even being able to throw a proper punch.

"Arghhh!"

Was being unilaterally pulverized!

He was handled as easily as a toy.

By the time the officials snapped out of it, Kang Cheol-ung was already turning into a lump of raw meat.

Even for a boss of a Special Gate, her strength was absurdly excessive.

Rumble, rumble—

The building vibrated, and the furniture rattled. Stone dust fell from the ceiling. A sharp crack split across the specially treated mirror in front of them.

It was, quite literally, a calamity.

The delicate-looking young lady was, without a doubt, the boss of a dungeon.

The power latent within her was nothing short of a natural disaster.

The officials hurriedly reached a consensus.

No matter how great the mighty Kang Cheol-ung was, in that state, he might become beyond saving in a matter of minutes—no, seconds.

Thus, they hurriedly spoke into the microphone, pleading with her to stop.

"Is that so?"

Her casual voice asked back.

"But who's to say you won't change your tune later?"

"..."

A look of misery washed over everyone's faces.

Distrust.

It was perhaps the most natural reaction.

What on earth were they supposed to do about this?

This was not a problem that could be easily solved with a few words.

Were they really going to lose a precious S-rank hunter before they could even begin negotiations...?

It was then, amidst the gloomy atmosphere, that a laugh like a bird's song rang out.

"Fufu. But I'll believe you."

Thud. The brutally mangled Kang Cheol-ung rolled onto the floor.

"Isn't trust something built together over time?"

"Y-yes, indeed! We will prove it to you!"

"Good. I can feel the respect in your words."

Having said that, the boss walked over with measured steps and stood in front of the mirror. Then, *tap*.

With a movement that looked incredibly light, her fingertip tapped the glass.

Crack— Shatter!

The one-way mirror, which was supposed to be absolutely impenetrable,

the special mirror manufactured by mobilizing state-of-the-art science and magic technology, shattered into pieces.

It collapsed downward with a loud crash.

The officials flinched and took a step back.

Scanning their faces, Ari smirked.

"Take that thing away. Though, I wonder if it can even survive?"

She pointed her finger at the lump of flesh that was wriggling and twitching in spasms.

A few agents, finally snapping to their senses, hurriedly moved to retrieve Kang Cheol-ung and rushed out.

During all this, no one dared to open their mouth.

Ari was the first to break the silence.

"I want to eat something delicious. I'll be eating, so please prepare some temporary lodging for me."

It was a natural display of power-tripping.

Yet, no one could raise an objection.

After Ari left the room under the guidance of an agent, dragging along a tearful Han Ji-hyeon,

"...This is insane."

"Who on earth is supposed to control that monster...?"

"There's no other way to describe this than the appearance of another anomaly beyond S-rank... *Sigh*."

Only then did the tension release, and they hung their heads, letting out deep sighs.

It seemed resolved for now, but in truth, this was only the beginning.

No one in the room was ignorant of this fact.

Extraordinary measures had to be taken.

Meanwhile, having moved to another reception room, Ari...

"Whew, *pant*... Was this always this spicy?"

"A-are you okay?! Here's some water!"

...was savoring the taste of cup ramen while being attended to by Han Ji-hyeon.

Given the nature of the place they had been driven to, she had decided to save a proper meal for later.

'I used to eat this until I was sick of it, and it's still around.'

A budget ramen with a yellow and red cup. Honestly, she was incredibly glad to see it.

She had relied on it often during her days living alone in her past life.

And today, wondering whether to eat the mild or spicy flavor, she had chosen the red one...

"Whew. Maybe I should have gone with the blue one."

My goodness. She discovered she had become a total lightweight when it came to spice.

She gulped down the water Han Ji-hyeon handed her.

Using chopsticks felt awkward since it had been so long, but she got the hang of it again quickly enough.

"Aren't you going to eat, Ji-hyeon?"

"Ah, yes! I will eat!"

Only after being prompted did Han Ji-hyeon pick up her still-unopened wooden chopsticks.

She tapped them against the table two or three times.

Then, *snap*! They split cleanly in half.

Ari, who had been watching, looked down at the chopsticks she was holding.

"..."

She grabbed another pair of wooden chopsticks from the bundle in the corner and copied her. *Snap!*

"Mhm."

Smiling with satisfaction, she savored the ramen with her new chopsticks.

Han Ji-hyeon, who had been walking on eggshells the entire time, unconsciously covered her mouth with her palm.

'This is seriously foul play...'

With beauty like that, acting like this was just too cute!

She looked exactly like a baby bird copying its mother.

It made Ji-hyeon want to stuff her mouth full of delicious treats.

However.

'Don't let your guard down. Don't let your guard down. Don't be fooled by her looks!'

Han Ji-hyeon merely fidgeted with her fingers under the table and didn't take any other action.

Because the girl in front of her was a terrifying entity who could crush someone like her as easily as a bug.

It was just as she was repeating this to herself over and over.

*Bzzzt— Bzzzt—*

She felt two vibrations in her pocket.

Han Ji-hyeon did not pull out her smartphone immediately.

Feigning composure, she watched the fairy slurp her noodles.

She took a bite herself to match.

And only after she saw the fairy lift the cup to drink the broth...

...did she sneakily...

...check the message that had arrived on her smartphone.

It was an instruction handed down from the upper echelons of the Bureau.

Conscious of her trembling hands, Han Ji-hyeon slipped her smartphone back into her pocket.

'W-w-what should I do?'

The fairy was coughing from the spicy broth and chugging water.

Looking at her like that, she was truly cute and adorable, but...

...if Ji-hyeon tried to strike up a conversation for no reason, she might accidentally step on a landmine.

Just moments ago, when Hunter Kang Cheol-ung praised her as being beautiful like a goddess, hadn't she shown clear discomfort?

'Ugh. What do I do, seriously?'

She wondered why such a trial had been bestowed upon her innocent self.

She resented the world, but there was no god to resent.

Han Ji-hyeon was an atheist.

'Ah, whatever!'

Things would work out somehow!

She decided to ask the question she was most curious about first.

"U-um. Miss Ari."

"Yes?"

"U-uh, I am terribly sorry to ask such a thing, but... may I inquire as to why you keep looking out for me...?"

Without realizing it, her tone had become bizarrely formal.

At least she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sense to replace the phrase "ordering me around" with "looking out for me."

As she waited for an answer with those thoughts in mind...

'Oh. Was I being too selfish?'

Ari wore an apologetic expression.

"I've lived alone for so long that I guess I didn't properly consider your position, Ji-hyeon. I'm sorry."

"Ah, u-uh..."

An apology out of nowhere?!

Han Ji-hyeon froze at the response, which she hadn't anticipated in the slightest.

She unconsciously nodded and gestured to indicate that it was fine.

"Ah, and you don't have to speak so stiffly either."

"It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable," she added with a bright smile.

Han Ji-hyeon squeezed her eyes shut.

She felt like she would be completely bewitched if she kept staring.

Keeping her eyes closed, she pushed forward with her mission.

"Uh, so... do you have any future plans? A schedule? A dream? Anything like that?"

"Plans?"

Her voice, like rolling glass beads, tickled Ji-hyeon's ears.

"I see! Maybe I should write a bucket list. That sounds like a good idea. Hmm."

She even heard a quiet murmur: "Thanks for the suggestion."

Han Ji-hyeon bit her lower ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lip.

A short while later, in a meeting room in the same building.

Han Ji-hyeon, who had slipped away under the pretext of using the restroom, delivered her report.

What drew the most attention was the list she had written down in the meeting room, recalling the items Ari had mentioned as her bucket list.

It was undeniably an ordinary and heartwarming list.

And yet, the expressions of those reading it were anything but warm.

"Setting aside the housing and food..."

"As expected. She wants to roam around freely."

"Ha! If she decides to go on a rampage in the middle of the city...!"

Their heads were already beginning to throb with pain.

What on earth were they supposed to do with this walking time bomb!

The anxiety of those gathered in the meeting room only grew deeper.