The Sword Saint of the Alliance
While we were waiting and keeping the perimeter of the anomalous Gate secure... someone appeared. I had sensed an approach, but the speed was so blistering that they arrived before I could even ask who it was. A figure that had been soaring through the air descended gracefully onto the ground. The man... was wearing a peculiar set of martial arts robes. His features weren't exceptionally handsome, but he was decent-looking enough. However, the most striking thing about him... was his razor-sharp aura. He was like a sword—a finely honed, masterfully crafted blade in human form. He was so incredibly sharp and precise that even his physical appearance seemed to carry a keen edge.
"Oppa!" The one who reacted to the man's arrival was... my sister.
"Seohui. I came as quickly as I could upon your urgent summons, but what seems to be the matter?"
"As you can see, it's a Gate." The man looked slightly displeased.
"The estimated rank is at least B-class, and there's a high probability it's A-class or higher."
"Hmm... Did you summon me for such a trivial matter?"
"Oppa, stop trying to act all solemn and dignified in front of others."
Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment at her sharp retort, the man muttered, "Ahem! Still, a man must maintain his dignity."
"Anyway, the environment inside is highly problematic. Even if there are valuable resources, it's far too dangerous. That's why I want to close it if possible." Her words carried several layers of meaning.
"No matter how powerful I may be, I cannot simply defy the government's wishes."
"But if you're the one who speaks up, the government will have no choice but to reluctantly agree."
"Indeed. I must see the details for myself to be certain."
"Yes." Having finished his conversation with my sister, the man turned his gaze toward me.
"My word, what a divine presence. I am Namgung Min, leader of a humble guild." The man spoke as if he could sense my energy. Was his intuition just incredibly sharp, or did he possess some sort of insight skill...?
Standing nearby, Gyuri gasped before I could even respond. "The Sword Saint, Namgung Min?!"
Hmm... 'Sword Saint' must be a title, just like my sister's 'Silver Butterfly Sword'. And he said he runs a guild... Judging by his overwhelming aura and the pieces of information I had gathered, this man was the Guild Master of the Murim Alliance—often called the Alliance Leader. He was South Korea's top-ranked S-class hunter.
"I'm Nix Hemera. Seohui and I are like sisters."
"Ah, so you are..." It seemed this man had already heard of me.
"Ahem. Before the rest of the crowd arrives, I shall take a quick look inside the Gate."
"It could be dangerous to go in alone, Oppa," Seohui warned, but the man was entirely confident in his own safety.
"I'll go with him."
"Oh, are you sure you'll be okay, Unni?"
"Yeah, I want to check it out myself." With that, I stood before the Gate alongside the man known as the Sword Saint.
"I have heard you are a remarkably talented healer. There is no need to force yourself if you wish to remain behind." His way of speaking was strangely old-fashioned, like an elderly martial artist. But more importantly...
"By the way, is your name 'Gung-min'? That's a pretty unusual name." In an instant, the man's face contorted, looking deeply offended.
"As a foreigner, it is understandable that you would not know. 'Namgung' is my family name, and 'Min' is my given name." Ah! A double-character surname. They were rare, but they did exist...
"My bad."
"Think nothing of it. It is a common mistake for foreigners." I had accidentally committed a social blunder, but luckily, my exotic appearance saved me. Feeling slightly awkward, I quickly tried to change the subject.
"Anyway, the monsters inside are elves—specifically, those trashy dark elves. The battlefield is a dense, overgrown forest, so we have to watch out for ambushes." I rattled off information about the Gate to distract him.
"Hmm..." Namgung Min listened with a cautious expression.
"Also, there's a corruptive energy called Magi spreading through the forest, so be careful. And since dark elves are still elves, they can cast magic. Keep your guard up."
"Elves... Understood." I stepped through the Gate with him, immediately casting a protective barrier around us.
"This is..." The man scanned our surroundings, looking slightly taken aback. A portion of the forest was still ablaze from the Sacred Fire I had cast earlier, and a few dark elves were frantically trying to extinguish the flames.
"Why is this place burning?"
"I burned it down. Those filthy creatures disgusted me." Sensing our presence, the dark elves began to slip into the shadows.
"Ho... It seems you are far more than a mere healer." Several cloaked dark elves were watching us warily from their hiding spots. Perhaps because we were just standing still, one of them loosed an arrow, only for it to clatter harmlessly against the barrier I had set up beforehand.
"Defensive magic as well... You are highly capable."
"Well, yeah. So, what are your thoughts after seeing the dark elves in person?"
"Hmm. For me, they pose no threat." His words carried the unspoken implication that they would indeed be a major problem for anyone else.
"Right? What about the Magi?"
"This ominous energy... Yes, it will undoubtedly cause complications." I knew it. The fact that he had picked up on my Holy Power and immediately recognized the Magi meant he definitely possessed some sort of detection or sensory skill.
"Thank you for understanding." I conjured another spark of Sacred Fire, tossed it toward an unburned section of the woods, and stepped back out of the Gate with the Sword Saint.
"It is indeed a perilous Gate..."
"That's why I told my sister it needs to be closed."
"I cannot give you a definitive guarantee, but I shall speak to the government." The Sword Saint coolly stepped back to observe the situation. Meanwhile, Ah-young and Gyuri looked completely starstruck at the mere sight of Namgung Min. Well, he was South Korea's strongest hunter, so I suppose it made sense.
"Whew..." I took a deep breath and stared at the Gate. To think I could watch my own Sacred Fire burn so peacefully like this...
"Unni, what did you think of Oppa?" Hearing her call someone other than me 'Oppa' was still something I couldn't quite get used to, but...
"His instincts are sharp, and he's capable. Once he saw it for himself, he agreed with my assessment."
"Well, his skills are undeniable." Even our brief interaction made it clear why my sister trusted and followed him. He was a reliable man. Though not exactly the same, he shared a certain quality with the Hero, Yu Jin.
"But why does he talk like that?" My sister suddenly burst into a soft chuckle.
"Oh, that? He's mimicking the way people talk in martial arts novels." Was it a persona? Apparently, since he was the leader of the Murim Alliance, he felt he had to act the part. Having spent years playing the role of a Saintess myself, I couldn't exactly laugh at him.
We kept the campsite secured and waited for about two hours before several buses arrived, escorted by police cars. "They are here." It seemed the government officials had finally arrived. However, one bus that looked slightly different from the rest parked a bit further away on the outskirts.
"How shall we explain the situation to them?"
"I'll leave that to you and my sister."
"Hmm..." With a sullen expression, the man stepped forward to meet the arriving crowd. I watched them idly for a moment before walking over to Ah-young and Gyuri.
"Haaah..." Ah-young looked incredibly overwhelmed.
"You're both hunters. Why are you so tense?"
"What do you mean 'both hunters'?! He's an S-class!" Well, I suppose that's true.
"But wow, Nix-ssi... you're even more amazing than we thought..."
"What makes you say that?"
"I heard earlier that you were scouted by the Murim Alliance. It makes sense, though. Your healing and buffs are already incredibly powerful, and you can even fight. You're so capable." It didn't seem like jealousy, but...
"We just feel like we're being shameless by holding you back." Ah. It seemed they thought I was wasting my talents on them.
"I'm the one who wants to hang out with you guys, so don't think like that."
"Ahaha..." They probably found it hard to believe.
"If it really bothers you that much, do you want to join the guild with me?"
"Huh?"
"My sister did say she could look after you guys too." At that, Gyuri frantically waved her hands in refusal.
"People of our level joining the Murim Alliance?! No way!" I had heard that the Murim Alliance was once South Korea's top guild, though it wasn't anymore...
"Anyway, I'm going to keep hanging out with you two, so don't get any funny ideas." Where do you think you're running off to? If all else failed, I would simply drag Ah-young and Gyuri into the guild with me. That way, they wouldn't be able to escape. It felt a bit strange, as if the tables had turned and I was the one becoming obsessed, but...
"Unni, are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"To raid the Gate." Seohui walked over and filled me in on her conversation with the government agents. They needed to conduct an investigation, but before they could do that, they had to clear the Gate first. Naturally, the raid had been assigned to the Murim Alliance. Apparently, the bus parked further away belonged to the guild. Anyway...
"To be honest, the healers on our side are pretty sub-par... If the dark elves are as strong as you say, we're going to take heavy casualties." That was why she was asking for my help.
"Sure. I wanted to check out the Gate anyway, so I'll tag along." I told Ah-young and Gyuri that things had turned out this way, so they could head home, and that I would contact them later. But for some reason, I got the distinct feeling that they were going to try and drift away from me...
"You know what happens if you ignore my texts, right?" I gave them a playful threat. The two of them nodded vigorously. I had wanted to teach them proper swordsmanship, but things had somehow ended up like this. As I parted ways with them and walked toward the raid party with my sister...
"See? I told you to just bring them to the guild."
"Haha..." Back then, I had declined because I thought it might make them uncomfortable, but my mind had changed. If Ah-young and Gyuri tried to run away from me, I would simply join the guild and tie them down there.
"I guess I'll have to do that."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand." I walked with my sister toward the raid party. To be honest, the atmosphere among them was quite fierce. There were almost no women; it was a crowd of rough-looking men.
"This is my older sister, and she'll be joining us for this raid."
"Ah! I heard you're an incredible healer! We're in your hands!" A rugged-looking man stepped forward to greet me.
"He's our main tank. He's the one who needs your help the most, Unni." Ah, no wonder he was welcoming me so enthusiastically.
"Fight without worries. I've got your back." He thumped his chest. "Ho! I shall place my trust in you, then!" The atmosphere was surprisingly warm and passionate...
Everyone began equipping their gear and preparing for the raid. My sister was doing the same. I waited quietly.
"Did you say you do not have any equipment?"
"You guys are going to protect me anyway, right? So I'll be fine like this." Besides, as long as it wasn't an instant-death blow, the Holy Power inside my body would automatically heal any injuries.
"Ho! Leave it to us." The Murim Alliance raid party consisted of one S-class, seven A-class, and eight B-class hunters. With me included, there were seventeen of us in total. Apparently, some government investigators and hunters were scheduled to join us as well.
Looking at their gear, everyone seemed to wear similar equipment. Perhaps because they were all modern-designed armor? Their weapons varied, but they were mostly melee weapons—predominantly swords, with no ranged weapons in sight. However, there was one person dressed in a truly bizarre fashion: the S-class hunter, Sword Saint Namgung Min. He was still wearing the exact same martial arts robes from earlier. It looked like a simple, lightweight outfit, but...
"This isn't just ordinary clothing." I had noticed it earlier, but stepping closer and touching the fabric confirmed it wasn't normal cloth. It was made from monster materials and was incredibly durable.
"Hmm?"
"Oh, I just thought your outfit was unique."
"It is a custom-made piece." He proudly puffed out his chest, showing off his collar. It was indeed tough and resilient.
"Anyway, I'm in your hands."
"We are the ones who look forward to witnessing your legendary healing." And so, alongside the Murim Alliance, I stepped into the Gate.