A New Path (1)
Sword of Light (Weapon Linked)
Heals allies within range (excluding self) while active.
I stared at the floating status window and pushed back my bangs. At first, a thrill had washed over me. An S-class skill? I’d never seen or heard of such a thing. It felt like it should be overpowered, but it was just a bit disappointing that they were all support skills.
However, as I looked over the rest, my brow began to furrow. Why the hell was my Intelligence stat like this? What was it? 7.5? It had definitely been in the triple digits before! What’s with the decimal point, you bastards? Are you mocking me?
'What the f*ck.'
As I glared at the status window, Park Jungsoo watched me closely. "You just cursed, didn't you?"
"Huh?" I shook my head, feigning confusion. "No? I didn't curse? Ugh, I don't know, give me back my Intelligence stat, you assholes..."
"Intelligence stat?"
"I don't know! My Intelligence dropped to 7.5!"
A brief silence followed my words.
"Pfft, pffft." Park Jungsoo, who had been desperately holding back his laughter, grabbed his stomach and burst out laughing. "Kwahahaha! You wanna be a comedian? Pfft, now you're even making me laugh with your stats! 7.5? Hey, even a monkey would have higher than that. What's with the decimal? You couldn't even give up the 0.5?"
"Don't laugh! Stop laughing, you sh*t! You're laughing at my stats? You wanna die?"
As I flared up, Park Jungsoo wiped away his tears and asked, "What about the others?"
"...They're similar. They went up a little."
"Whoa... Four digits?"
Under Park Jungsoo's piercing gaze, I turned my face away. "...That's a secret."
"Whoa..." Park Jungsoo's jaw dropped. "It's really four digits? You crazy bastard, you monster, you workaholic, you insane woman."
"Get lost, ugh. I didn't even say it, how did you know?"
"Oh~ it's all written on your face~"
I rubbed my face irritably. "Ugh, dammit! It's because my body changed!"
"That aside," Park Jungsoo's expression shifted instantly. "What are you going to do now?"
"Why?"
"Are you going to stay in Korea?"
I blinked at his question. "Huh?"
"If you wanted to, you could go to the US, China, Japan, anywhere."
"Ah, you mean other countries. Well, maybe I will, maybe I won't."
"Tsk. Well, normally I'd try to stop you, but you've been through so much."
"..."
Just as I was discussing my future with Park Jungsoo, the hospital room door swung open.
"Huh?"
"What's this?"
Before anyone could say a word, a crowd of people in suits swarmed in. What kind of situation was this?
"What is this?"
"...Are these the Seoul bastards?"
As Park Jungsoo scowled and growled, someone emerged from the doorway. He was a man with black-rimmed glasses, neat hair, and an impressive white suit. He looked like a celebrity from TV. Or maybe a cult leader?
Wait, was he the Guild Master of the Seoul Guild? My expression hardened as memories of the Tower flooded back.
"Cheon Myeong-seok of the Seoul Guild?"
At my words, Cheon Myeong-seok's nose twitched. "Haha, that's right, it's me, the S-class hunter Cheon Myeong-seok. Want an autograph?"
"No thanks."
At my cold response, Cheon Myeong-seok shrugged at Park Jungsoo. "Did you already work on her?"
Park Jungsoo chuckled. "You're famous inside the Tower, you know. She must have already known."
"..."
Cheon Myeong-seok adjusted his glasses. "Haha, that's all just rumors. You know? Our Seoul Guild is the undisputed No. 1 guild in Korea. We've specially decided to scout Kang Hyunseo this time..."
"No thanks. I'm not going."
Like I'd go, you bastards. Do you know how much you've tormented me? The number of assassins you sent could fill a truck. I waved my hand as if I had no business with him. "Get lost. I have nothing to say to you."
"How insolent..."
As the man behind him tried to approach me, Cheon Myeong-seok stopped him. The man glared at me as if he wanted to kill me. Was his name Kim Do-yoon? The third-in-command of the Seoul Guild and Cheon Myeong-seok's hunting dog.
The moment I thought of Kim Do-yoon, I felt a stinging sensation on my face, as if I'd been cut by something.
'Sending killing intent? You little brat...'
I ignored the stinging intent and said, "I see you keep a pet. Education is important for dogs, you know."
"..."
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
"Hmm, you'll regret this later."
I smiled brightly at Cheon Myeong-seok's words. "Still, I have no business with a pimp like you."
"..."
At my words, a sharp energy surged momentarily. Oh.
"I know what this is. You're 'tilted' right now, aren't you? Tilted?"
That's how you use it, right? I can talk like the kids these days, too. As I looked at Park Jungsoo with sparkling eyes, he avoided my gaze, sweating nervously.
"Why, that's right, isn't it? I do that internet thing too? Tilted...?"
When I turned back, a vein was pulsing on Cheon Myeong-seok's forehead. "Ahaha. A joke. You must be incredibly tilted."
But he seemed quite angry, and a sticky, black energy felt like it was strangling my neck. "Kek. Kek-kek. Ugh, your killing intent is foul, cough."
As I made a choking sound, the sticky energy vanished in an instant.
"Let's go. This isn't the person we were looking for."
Cheon Myeong-seok left, looking furious, and the people who had swarmed into the room poured out. On the way out, I made eye contact with Kim Do-yoon and smiled. At the same time—
'Little brat, this is how you send killing intent.'
I drove my killing intent straight into his heart. Kim Do-yoon's face turned deathly pale as he was hit by it.
"Did you leave something behind?"
When I looked at him with a confident expression, Kim Do-yoon stared at me in disbelief before rushing out of the room.
"You know that's basically a declaration of war, right?"
"Huh?"
"Cheon Myeong-seok has a complex about being called a pimp."
"A complex?"
As I blinked, Park Jungsoo clicked his tongue. "It's like a weak point."
"I know that, I poked at it because it seemed like one?"
But it's true, I was just stating facts.
"You're not the Lone Demon King right now."
"True."
"Then why did you fight with the Seoul Guild?"
"Uh..." I rolled my eyes. "What's the reason for beating up bad guys? You just beat them up."
Park Jungsoo rubbed his face. "Haa... it's not good to make an enemy of the Seoul Guild."
"Is that so? They're just a guild, aren't they?"
"Do you have any idea how connected that bastard is to the political and business worlds?"
"...Really?"
"Yeah, do you think the Seoul Guild is the No. 1 guild for no reason?"
I blinked and said, "So, I just did something useless?"
"Yeah, you blockhead."
"...Ugh."
"If you'd just stayed quiet, the Seoul Guild would have tried to pamper you with all sorts of items, money, and support."
"Really? Would they have given me a house and food too?"
"What does it matter now? The opportunity is gone."
"Ahem."
I closed my eyes and recalled the master's teachings. 'Words spoken cannot be taken back, and time passed cannot be reversed...'
'But I have to do it anyway, you idiot! Let's go bow our heads and apologize quickly.'
"...Should I go and bow my head?"
"Do you think that'll work?"
"Hmm. It won't, will it?"
"Yeah, you idiot. Cheon Myeong-seok is too prideful; he'll never accept it."
"Tsk. Then forget it. I have the Paradise Guild anyway."
Just as I was shrugging my shoulders—
"Is this the place?"
"Yes, this is Room 101."
Once again, black suits swarmed in.
"...Ah, please."
"Heh, pfft, you're popular, aren't you?"
Following the Seoul Guild, I received visits from the Hunter Bureau and the four major guilds. Every time I received a visit, I had to guess their intentions because I didn't know what they were thinking. On top of that, half of them used words I'd never heard before, so I felt like a dried squid.
"Stop..."
"Please, stop..."
"I am a blockhead... I want to stop..."
I lost. Teachers, please, just leave me alone. Now I'm scared of people.
"...Then, thanking you once again for your decision, we hope to see you with good news in the future."
As soon as I sent the man who closed the door away, I collapsed onto the bed. What even is a 'decision'? From the middle, I just pretended to understand everything, and my head felt like it was going to explode.
"I guess my Intelligence of 7.5 was accurate."
As I lay sprawled on the bed, familiar voices reached me.
"Hyunseo!"
"Oh, our Hyunseo."
"Hey Kang Hyunseo! What's with this state you're in?"
It was the Paradise Guild.
"..."
Eunseo, seeing me for the first time, burst into tears. "Oh my, the child has been cut in half."
"Eunseo... I want to leave... stop the visits... no more cooperation... I hate guilds..."
"Wait, has the child lost her mind?"
"Did her brain break or something?"
At Park Hyung-tae and Cha Il-do's words, Park Jungsoo raised his hand. "That was the case from the beginning."
"Ah, was it?"
"Well, she was never normal to begin with."
I pulled away from Eunseo's embrace and shouted, "What do you mean 'was it'! I was always normal!"
As I shrieked, Eunseo stroked my hair with teary eyes. "Our poor Hyunseo, haven't you been able to eat properly?" She glared at Park Jungsoo.
"Ah, that's not it. We were just caught in the middle of a scout war between major guilds until a moment ago."
"Ah..."
"The Hunter Bureau, Seoul, Future, Sky, Taehyung, Jueun, Blue. A lot of them came."
As Park Jungsoo explained, he scanned Eunseo's chest and Cha Il-do's right arm. "I watched your performance from afar as well. Entering the defense battle must have been a difficult decision for a small-to-medium guild. Thank you."
"Ah, yes."
"We didn't really help much, Hunter Park Jungsoo, you suffered more."
"Wow, I never thought I'd live to hear an S-class thank me." Park Jungsoo chuckled at the Paradise Guild members' words.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you." Park Jungsoo glanced at me once before saying, "Take good care of this blockhead."
"Ah, yes..."
As Park Jungsoo hurried out, Eunseo asked, "But by any chance, what is the relationship between you two?"
"Come to think of it, you seemed to know each other during the defense battle last time."
"That's right, since we're involved now, we should know exactly."
Park Hyung-tae whispered to Cha Il-do, "Maybe she's a hidden daughter or something."
At those words, Park Jungsoo and I shouted at the same time, "No!" "That's not it!"
Me, Park Jungsoo's daughter? Are you crazy? I said irritably, "We were just party members who worked together for a while in the past."
"Oh..."
Park Jungsoo, who had been staring at me blankly at my explanation, chuckled. "Yes, that's right. A party member from a long, long time ago."
"Whoa."
"You were in a ranker's party?"
I scratched my cheek. "Well, we just met while passing by. I'm only D-class."
"...Does that make sense?"
"Ah, just say it does! I'm going to live as a D-class! I don't want to be in the spotlight."
"Rank or whatever, let's just go home first."
At the mention of Eunseo's home, I smiled brightly. "Yes! Let's go home!"
As I tried to leave the hospital room, Eunseo pointed at my clothes. "Hyunseo, you have to leave the hospital gown behind."
"Ah, this! I have to change!"
As I pulled my pants down, all the men hurriedly turned their heads. "Hyunseo! Put them back on quickly!"
"Does this girl have any sense or not!"
"Tsk, that blockhead."
"..."
I pouted and changed my clothes. "Park Jungsoo, that bastard even showered with me, why is he acting like that?"
At my words, everyone's gaze hurriedly turned to Park Jungsoo. Eunseo's eyes, in particular, were so round they looked like they might pop out. "Oh, Hyunseo and Hunter Park Jungsoo?"
"My goodness, I didn't think Hunter Park Jungsoo was like that."
"Hyung-tae, lend me a knife."
At everyone's contemptuous gaze, Park Jungsoo shook his head. "Argh! No! It's not like that! Hey! Everyone's misunderstanding!"
I burst into laughter, looking back and forth between the flustered Park Jungsoo and the others.
*
"So you're saying your body changed?"
"Yes."
"..."
I observed Eunseo's body and tilted my head. There was no visible difference on the outside. Was it the work of a monster? Or did Oblite, the boss, have some kind of special ability? I tapped my forehead and said, "For now, if we search everything, maybe something will come up."
At my words, Hyung-tae was startled. "Search? Search what?"
"We have no choice but to search the body thoroughly to see if there's anything strange."
"Se-search thoroughly, that is..."
"If it's a monster or a curse, there will be traces left on the body."
As I grabbed Eunseo's head, a bright beam of light soared up. "Huh?"
Notification: The activation condition for Apostle Appointment has been completed.
As soon as the beam of light subsided, Il-do and Hyung-tae, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped up from their seats. "I-I'll be back later."
"Me, me too."
"What? You're leaving? Where? No, why? If there's a problem, we should look for it together..."
Why are they running away all of a sudden? I stared blankly at their retreating backs as they rushed out, then turned my head at Eunseo's murmuring voice.
"Aaaah."
Eunseo's face was flushed bright red. "Why are you like that?"
"My clothes..."
Her clothes had vanished without a trace.
"Yo-you, you."
Eunseo's face was as red as a tomato. A wave of soft, child-like skin filled my eyes. Wow... Wow... I really have so much I want to say, but I can't.
--- (Censored) ----
Really. Truly. As I stared blankly, my gaze met Eunseo's.
"Ah, wa-wait a minute. I haven't seen anything yet!"
I covered both my eyes only then. "I didn't see anything!"
At my words, Eunseo said with a tearful voice—