WebNovels

Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Misunderstanding (3)

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As she watched Jin Yu-ha's back leading the way, Kang Do-hee recalled a memory from the past.

It was a memory from when she had just awakened her Status Window and become a rookie hunter.

Back then, she was utterly infatuated with herself.

And she couldn't help but be.

Because she had been born different from everyone else.

A high specialization grade.

Decent stats from the start.

Even a special skill called 'Rage'.

Everything recorded in her Status Window told her, "You are special."

It was more than enough to instill conceit in the young girl.

A C-rank gate she had bravely headed to right after awakening, to test her powers.

There, she found herself on the verge of losing her life.

The corpses of bipedal wolf monsters, Lycanthropes, were scattered around her,

and even more of them surrounded her.

—Grrrrrrr…

They were monsters that hunted in packs.

No matter how much power she had awakened, it was ultimately just potential.

They weren't easy opponents for someone who still lacked basic knowledge and understanding of hunters and gates.

—Growl—!!!

At that desperate moment, the largest one among them lunged at Kang Do-hee.

Slish—!

That person appeared.

Choi Hye-seo, the guild leader of Parandis.

Having coincidentally passed by, she effortlessly sliced down a Lycanthrope and approached.

—Looks like a freshly awakened rookie hunter, huh? But you hunted this many all by yourself? Wow, you're amazing.

If not for that encounter back then, she wouldn't be here now.

—Why are you so tense? Heh heh, I'll help you out, so relax.

Choi Hye-seo stroked her rigidly frozen head and smiled.

—Ughhh… Let's just take care of these guys quickly and then go rest. I'm tired.

With those words, her back, leading the way, moved forward without hesitation.

—Alright, rookie! I'll protect you! Go wild to your heart's content!

A command filled with conviction.

Strangely, Jin Yu-ha's back seemed to overlap with Choi Hye-seo's.

Jin Yu-ha charged at the Demon and swung his blue sword.

Clang—!

Sword met sword, and a sharp clang echoed.

"Kang Do-hee! I'll hold him off. Use Rage!"

Jin Yu-ha's command overlapped with Choi Hye-seo's voice.

'…Rage?'

It wasn't a skill she used often.

Because when she used Rage, her reason blurred, and everything before her eyes vanished.

The feeling of losing herself was never a pleasant experience.

The only times she would use it were when someone who could control her—Choi Hye-seo—was by her side.

It was a skill she hadn't used once since Choi Hye-seo retired.

'How does *he* know about that…?'

Though that doubt fleetingly crossed her mind,

Kang Do-hee found herself moving her feet towards the Demon's illusion without realizing it.

Thump—

Thump—

Her heart began to pound rapidly, and blood vigorously surged through her entire body.

In response, her body temperature rose, as if heating up,

her head felt numbly drenched, and her vision flickered as if paralyzed.

Clang—!!!

Graaaah—!

Jin Yu-ha lowered the Demon's sword, as if certain she would come.

—Rookie! Now's your chance! You take care of this one!

In her hazy consciousness, instinct spoke.

Now, this very moment.

Whoosh—!

Kang Do-hee pushed off the ground and leaped into the air.

And in mid-air, she spun her body.

"Hyaaaah—!!"

A downward strike utilizing centrifugal force.

Whoosh—!

Her heel sliced through the air, swinging towards the Demon's head.

With most of her magic power restricted, her current body was incredibly slow even when using Rage, unlike her past self.

But,

why?

She felt no worry at all.

Crunch—!

Her heel slammed down onto the Demon's head.

The moment its movements briefly halted,

Slish—

Jin Yu-ha's sword smoothly sliced through its neck.

Soon after, the Demon's illusion faded into a hazy mist.

Kang Do-hee turned her gaze.

There,

Jin Yu-ha, as if he had expected it all along,

was nodding his head.

"As expected, you're amazing, Kang Do-hee."

—Hey, rookie, you're seriously incredible!?

*

With Kang Do-hee's Rage as the finale, the joint training session came to an end.

Perhaps the afterglow of battle still lingered,

or perhaps she was displeased about having her command usurped and following my instructions—

Kang Do-hee was breathing heavily, staring intently at me.

"G-Good work?"

Her expression was somehow frightening.

"…"

Just then, Baek Seol-hee approached from behind with a stern expression.

She put a hand to her ear nearby and clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, didn't I tell you no?"

Then, with an annoyed look,

abruptly,

she drew her sword.

Shing—

Her sword stopped near my neck.

The chilling cold of the blade touched my neck.

I couldn't help but be flustered.

'What's going on all of a sudden?'

"Cadet Jin Yu-ha."

"...Yes?"

She looked at me with an expressionless face.

"Let me preface this by saying this isn't my intention."

"What in the world…?"

"It seems there's someone in the Hunter Management Bureau who suspects you."

"...Suspects me?"

Baek Seol-hee gave a small nod.

"They say there's a possibility you might be a Demon. So, I recorded your training process and shared the video to show them… but it seems that only fueled their suspicion."

A Demon? Me?

'Ah, could this be…?'

As soon as I heard the word 'Demon,' something came to mind.

The Cheat Suspicion Event.

Or, in other words, the 'High Praise Event.'

In Velvet Sra, when you pull off an incredible play against an enemy that should be unbeatable at your current level,

or when you play like a veteran, situations like this occasionally arise where your character is suspected of being a Demon.

Of course, the developers' intention was to prevent bug-abuse or cheating, but…

'Usually, this is an event only experienced by people who get told, 'Wow, you play this game like an asshole, don't you?'...'

That's why Velvet Sra players often called this event 'High Praise' or 'Veteran Certification.'

I, who progressed almost entirely through tactics and strategy without spending much money, received it quite often.

'But this is the first time I've gotten 'High Praise' so early on. No, I haven't even enrolled yet, for crying out loud!'

Baek Seol-hee said in an annoyed voice.

"There's a woman in the Hunter Management Bureau who just goes berserk whenever anything related to Demons comes up. She's the type to report anyone if they show even the slightest hint of suspicion."

I knew.

She was a character designed to catch bugs, yet she was treated as a joke because she could never actually catch a real Demon.

It seemed that showing off an incredible 'adult play' with Jin Yu-ha, a male quota, one-star trash character, had earned me that woman's suspicion.

'Maybe it started back in Carmela's Forest.'

Even though I was being suspected of being a Demon, my mind was paradoxically calm.

Because proving I wasn't one was simple.

All I had to do was go directly to the Hunter Management Bureau and get tested.

"Then, should I go to the Hunter Management Bureau right away?"

I said to Baek Seol-hee.

"No. I have the authority as well. We can confirm it right here."

"What…?"

With her other hand, she pulled out a device from her pocket that looked like a diabetes test kit.

'A Demon Detector? Wasn't that supposed to be a device only handled by the Hunter Management Bureau in the game's lore? What in the world is this person's true identity?'

"Cadet Jin Yu-ha. I'm sorry to ask, but could you give me a drop of your blood?"

"Ah, yes."

I gave a reluctant nod, then brought my finger near my neck and ran it along the blade.

Prick.

Blood oozed from my fingertip and stained Baek Seol-hee's sword.

As she retrieved the sword and dabbed the blood onto the device,

the Demon Detector pulsed with a yellow light.

Beep—

Beep—

Beep—

Ding—♬

The yellow light turned green,

`[ Not a Demon. ]`

and from the device, the 'High Praise' rang out in a synthetic voice.

Baek Seol-hee let out a sigh.

"As expected, you're not… I apologize for suspecting you, Cadet Jin Yu-ha."

She bowed her head deeply, as if ashamed.

An unprecedented event: an instructor bowing to a cadet who hadn't even enrolled yet.

But then again, that was just like her.

"Ah, no, it's fine. You said you didn't suspect me anyway, Instructor."

"Even so, being suspected of being a Demon isn't something that ends with just discomfort. If things went wrong, your life could have been in danger."

"Cough—!!"

Suddenly, Kang Do-hee coughed from behind.

"If there's anything you desire, tell me. If it's within my power, I will grant it to the best of my ability."

Now that the game was reality, 'High Praise' wasn't just about suspicion anymore.

'Honestly, this isn't even a bad thing.'

Baek Seol-hee looked at me with calm eyes.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

'Instructor Baek Seol-hee, huh… I don't know her, but that might actually make it worth a shot…'

While training under her, I had already grasped that her swordsmanship level was S-rank or higher.

Considering that there were no S-rank classes available for freshmen,

being able to learn swordsmanship from her even after enrollment would definitely be helpful in the future.

"Then… Instructor, if I enroll, could you continue to teach me swordsmanship?"

At that, Baek Seol-hee shook her head as if dumbfounded.

"Ha, that's not something you can ask for, Cadet Jin Yu-ha."

What? Is it not possible?

Does this person not offer classes?

"Your major has already been designated as my swordsmanship class."

"...What?"

…Me? …Since when?

"So tell me something else. If you want an apology, I can drag that woman here and make her apologize. If you want money, I'll give you compensation. That's what it means to accuse someone who isn't a Demon of being one. It's something that should never be rashly judged based solely on circumstantial evidence."

'That woman truly gets on my nerves,' Baek Seol-hee clicked her tongue.

"Ugh—"

And for some reason, Kang Do-hee let out another groan from behind.

'Oh… Then maybe, that might work too?'

I looked at Baek Seol-hee and opened my mouth.

"Then, Instructor. Could you grant me party creation authority immediately after enrollment?"

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