A Step Toward Growth
After finishing off the Hobgoblin in the dungeon-type Gate, I checked on the other two. Ah-young had been diligently luring the goblins and taking them down one by one, while Gyuri used her magic to finish them off. I had seen this play out several times now, but I'd still worried because of their sheer numbers... Well, they didn't look like they were in any real danger. They weren't so weak that they'd struggle against mere goblins.
As soon as the battle ended... "Are you okay?" the two of them asked, rushing over with worried faces. They really were sweet girls. They could clearly see the dead Hobgoblin lying there, which should have been proof enough that I was fine, yet they always insisted on asking.
"Of course. You two did a great job holding your ground, too." It was a situation where they easily could have panicked and made a mistake. But they hadn't. They kept their cool and held the line beautifully. Well, if things had gone south, I would have unleashed my full power to protect them anyway, but it was heartening to see them handle it so well on their own.
We took a brief rest before leaving, harvested the mana stones, and stepped out of the Gate. By the time we made it outside, it was around the same time as yesterday. "Mm, not bad." I felt like I'd gotten a solid grasp of their capabilities. Honestly, those two could probably clear dungeons just fine without me. In a way, I was just acting as their insurance policy—someone to step in if they got injured or if things went sideways.
"Let's go sell the mana stones quickly! We got a rare mana stone today, so we should make more than yesterday." Ah-young was incredibly spirited. Gyuri, on the other hand, looked exhausted, gently rubbing her eyelids. "Sure, let's get going."
As we strolled away from the Gate... "You!!" someone screamed, stomping toward us. "What now?" I turned to see who it was... Wow, talk about persistent. The guy who had thrown a tantrum this morning, and then again at lunch... was still waiting for us.
"I'm going to kill you!" Seriously, does he not realize he's completely outmatched? The gap in our strength was as clear as day... Why was he doing this? I slid my right foot back, settling into a stance. The bandit-looking man raised his weapon, preparing to swing. But his posture was riddled with openings. I twisted my hips and whipped my right leg forward... Thwack! My foot connected squarely with his exposed flank.
I didn't hold back, kicking him hard enough to send him flying. He bounced along the ground like a cartoon character before finally coming to a halt. "Sigh, he just doesn't know when to quit." "I know, right? Does he seriously not realize he's no match for you?" Gyuri chimed in, shrugging. It really was impressive dedication, though. How did he manage to wait out here the entire time we were inside? If he had that kind of patience, he should have spent it clearing Gates instead.
I nudged the groaning man with my toe, rolling him out of his awkward, contorted position, and... cast a quick Divine Magic spell to heal him. I only did it to avoid any potential legal trouble, but... Man, he is incredibly weak. To end up in this state from a single kick...
"Let's go." Since this was the third time, neither Ah-young nor Gyuri showed even a shred of concern for the man. They were completely ready to ignore him. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. We went straight to sell the mana stones, and the Hobgoblin's stone was indeed worth a decent amount. Granted, it was only a difference of about ten thousand won, but still...
"Are you heading straight home?" "Hmm, I don't know. Want to grab dinner together?" When I suggested it, Ah-young's face lit up. Our dinner menu of choice was... fried chicken. Our clothes and gear were a bit dusty, but the restaurant didn't turn us away.
"I heard restaurants near Gates are usually very welcoming to hunters," Ah-young explained. Apparently, it was common for hunters to head straight to nearby eateries right after a raid. From the restaurant owners' perspective, turning hunters away was a risky move. If word got out that a place was unfriendly to hunters, they would immediately lose all their hunter clientele. So, they had no choice but to be accommodating... Still, I was grateful for the hospitality.
"Good work today." We ordered chicken along with a few beers to wash it down. "No, we should be thanking you. It must have been exhausting dealing with us," Gyuri said. "Not at all." If anything, it felt like I was getting back in touch with my roots... and my desire to keep working with these two was growing. I wanted to watch them grow stronger. I hoped my suspicions about their limits would prove false. I wanted to see these sweet, earnest girls shatter their boundaries. So, I planned to stay with them for the time being. At least until they acquired new skills and grew a bit stronger...
When the chicken arrived, I took a bite, and... "It's spicy!" It was incredibly hot. "Ah, I forgot to consider your tolerance, Nix!" They said they had ordered their favorite menu item, but it was far too spicy for me. Seriously, ever since I returned, Earth—specifically South Korea—had gone crazy. I had no idea why the food had gotten so ridiculously spicy. I quickly gulped down my beer to wash away the burning sensation.
"Haaah..." "Ah, you speak Korean so perfectly, Nix, that I completely forgot you're technically a foreigner... I'm so sorry." "I-it's fine..." Ugh. Back in the day, we had gochujang and Cheongyang chili peppers, sure. But even then... I was positive food had never been this spicy. It was on a whole different level now. I tried to pick out the pieces with the least amount of sauce, but even those burned my tongue, forcing me to constantly munch on pickled radish and chug beer to put out the fire.
"It's delicious, but it really packs a punch." "To be honest, this is actually considered pretty mild," Gyuri said. I shuddered at the implication that there were even spicier dishes out there. I hadn't eaten anything this spicy in the past year... Sure, I'd had kimchi and bibimbap, but those were perfectly manageable. This chicken, however, was on an entirely different plane of existence. Twice as hot as a Cheongyang pepper? No, it was a strange, artificial kind of heat that felt fundamentally different from natural chili peppers... It tasted good, but...
As we chatted, they mentioned that eating spicy food to relieve stress had become a massive trend among women. Apparently, it had been a thing for several years now... Well, I had to admit, sweating it out over a spicy meal did feel somewhat therapeutic. In any case, we discussed our future plans over the chicken.
"Without buffs..." "Yes. If you two want to grow, I think it's best to train without relying on my buffs." I hadn't thought much of it at first, but now I genuinely wanted to see them reach new heights. "I'll do my absolute best," Ah-young promised, her eyes filled with determination. I definitely didn't need to worry about her. As for Gyuri... "But I'm a mage." She was subtly suggesting that maybe a little buff to boost her magic power wouldn't hurt...
"Well, you need to learn how to manage your mana efficiently first." "Ah, I suppose that's true." I then asked them if they knew anything about Qi Gong—specifically, the art of manipulating internal mana. Since it wasn't a technique taught at the Academy... "Is there really a skill like that?" Gyuri asked, clearly clueless. "They never mentioned anything like that at the Academy..." "I only heard about it from my sister... but it seems the top guilds are all aware of it."
Their expressions darkened slightly at the mention of the top guilds. The reason the Academy didn't teach it was simple: it wasn't a technique that just anyone could master. "Anyway, they say learning this technique makes physical combat much easier." The only catch was that I didn't actually know how to do it myself. However, I doubted it was any different from the mana manipulation methods used in the Other World. "Ah..." "Looks like you'll have to work hard, Ah-young." "Yeah..." Though it sounded daunting, Ah-young clenched her fists, determined to at least give it a try now that she knew such a technique existed. Well, since she had already felt the sensation of mana moving while using her skills, she might actually grasp it faster than expected. After finishing dinner, we parted ways and headed home. On the way back, we texted each other and agreed to hit another Gate tomorrow.
Ten days had passed since I started running the goblin nests with Ah-young and Gyuri. With each passing day, our clear times grew faster and our runs became more efficient. There were a few reasons for this, the first being that Ah-young had upgraded her gear. It wasn't her shield, but her weapon. Her old one had no redeeming qualities other than being sturdy, but she had finally saved up enough to buy a proper sword. Apparently, it was crafted from the hardened parts of a monster and was quite expensive, purchased by pooling her savings with the money she had earned recently.
Once she swapped her blunt club for a sword, Ah-young was able to handle goblins on her own with ease. Gyuri, on the other hand, couldn't upgrade her gear even if she wanted to. Staves that boosted magic power weren't simple items. They required complex magical processing, making them rare even in the Other World, so they were bound to be even harder to find on Earth. It seemed crafting wasn't entirely impossible since some Awakened possessed production-related skills, but... between the materials and the labor, the price was astronomical. Because of that, Gyuri had actually chipped in to help Ah-young buy her sword. When I asked why they hadn't told me about their financial struggle, they replied, "We're already holding you back because of our lack of ability, so how could we ask you for help?" That left me completely speechless. I didn't see it that way at all, but since they did, the only thing I could do for them in this situation was... to teach them.
During my ten years as a Saintess, I had fought on the front lines wielding weapons and had been trained in highly systematic combat techniques. I began passing those skills down to the two of them. And so, after completing three runs of the goblin nest today, we went to sell our mana stones. "We cleared it even faster today!" "Indeed. Upgrading your weapon and learning how to wield it properly has made a huge difference." It was rewarding to see the fruits of the swordsmanship lessons I gave them in our spare time. Gyuri had also learned basic weapon arts so she wouldn't have to rely solely on her magic. No matter how stupid goblins were, they still knew magic was dangerous, meaning they would try to dodge or block it. If she just blindly fired off spells only for them to be evaded or blocked, it would be a massive waste of mana. To prevent that, I taught her weapon arts. The goal was to use a weapon to disrupt the goblins' movements—preventing them from defending or evading, thereby making it much easier to land her spells. On top of that, learning how to handle a weapon improved her close-quarters combat capabilities, giving her a way to hold her own even if a monster managed to get too close.
"What are you two doing this weekend?" I asked, since tomorrow was Saturday. "Oh, I'm not sure." Last weekend, I had spent my time teaching them swordsmanship. There was still so much left to teach; what I'd shown them before didn't even cover the absolute basics. "If you don't have any plans, do you want to practice swordsmanship again?" "Is that really okay...?" Ah-young asked, sounding hesitant. "It's an amazing opportunity for me, but I worry we're taking up too much of your free time, Nix..." Ah, so that was why. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I want to teach you." I genuinely wanted them to get stronger as quickly as possible. "In that case, please do!" I knew Ah-young would jump at the chance. As for Gyuri... "Do I have to go too?" "It would be good if you did." Since she was a backline damage dealer who focused on magic, there wasn't as much I could teach her directly, but it was still beneficial. At any rate, our plans for the upcoming weekend were set.