Ch.15Lady Saint! You shouldn’t hit people!

The door opened, and someone’s shadow appeared.

“I’m back, boss! Wow, this time was really tough! So, I went into this B-rank dungeon, and my goodness, it was incredibly spacious!! In terms of size alone, it could’ve been S-rank, I swear! Ah, of course, I’ve never actually been in an S-rank dungeon, but you know how people have that intuition? You don’t have to taste poop to know it’s bad… Oh, I got sidetracked! Anyway…”

A chattering, high-pitched voice echoed throughout the room.

It was a woman.

She was slightly shorter than Aila.

She looked quite young, not just because of her height, but because of that distinctive aura that teenagers emit, like a radiating heat.

The girl with orange hair tied in a ponytail was rapidly speaking while walking just as quickly when her eyes met Aila’s.

“Wow, amazing! She’s super pretty!! What’s with those eyes? Colored contacts? No? Don’t tell me they’re natural?! And that hair isn’t just white! Kyaa!! Look how silky it is!! So beautiful!! Did you bleach it? No way, right? Bleached hair couldn’t possibly be this silky!! Wow, so mana can change hair color like this… I’m so jealous! Some of us are stuck with smoked salmon color! Boss? Who is this person? A model?!! A client?”

“Calm down a bit.”

“Kyaak!! That hurts! I surrender!”

The girl, who appeared to be around middle school age, rushed toward Aila as soon as she saw her.

Then came the barrage of verbal bullets.

Seeing Aila bewildered by this verbal assault, Kang Seona grabbed the swinging orange ponytail with a firm tug.

“Ugh, that hurts… Boss! This isn’t fair!!! Don’t you know they say hair is a woman’s life? You’re trying to end my life right now!!! Murderer! Devil! Evil boss!!!”

“Say one more word and no salary.”

“Boss is an angel! Savior! Kind li… ah, that’s physiologically impossible…”

“This damn girl…”

“Hehehe.”

“Haah…”

Kang Seona sighed.

It was truly an exhausting day.

***

“Well, this is…”

“Hello! I’m Lee Sekyung! I’m 16 years old! I have an older brother who’s 3 years older!! I like money! I hate mean adults who take money away! I’m A-rank, and someday I’ll rise to S-rank and destroy this damn company–“

“Shut your trap, you little brat.”

“Ow!!”

The orange-haired girl’s name appeared to be Lee Sekyung.

Aila nodded.

Lee Sekyung…

If she’s 16 and her brother is 3 years older, that makes him 19?

“Excuse me, is your brother’s name ‘Lee Chanwoo’?”

“Huh? Yes! That’s right! How do you know?! Do you know my brother? Wow! The world is so small! You know, there’s that saying that if you pick any random person on the street, you’re connected to them by at most five degrees of separation, but I’m… Oh, by the way, how old are youEEK!!”

“JUST! SHUT UP!!”

“Aaaah, it hurts!!! Stop! I surrendeeer!!! My hair’s going to break off!!!”

Kang Seona grabbed the back of Sekyung’s head as she was spewing words non-stop and lifted her up, swinging that long hair around.

Watching Sekyung scream every time her hair was swung, Aila felt her mind going blank.

“…[Mental Stability].”

A green light enveloped her head, and Aila felt her mind becoming more at ease.

Kang Seona’s voice was heard.

“Ahem. This is Lee Sekyung. Almost our company’s only worker. She already mentioned her age and family… Her rank is A.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“As you can see, she talks a lot.”

“Hey, this is actually me being reserved~ I’m the quietest among my friends, oh, speaking of friends…”

“She’s like this, so get used to it.”

“Ah, yes.”

Aila’s eyes were spinning.

This was her first time encountering someone like this.

None of her companions in the hero’s party talked this much.

“And this is Aila. She’s 17, and she just signed an employment contract with our company as a new recruit.”

“New recruit…? She joined this stupid company? Why would someone as pretty as her… Boss! What dirt do you have on her?!”

“You crazy girl, what’s wrong with our company?”

“Hand on your conscience… Oh, sorry. I forgot you don’t have one, boss…”

“You adorable little shit…”

“Kyaak! Boss is bullying me!! Save me, unnie!!”

“Huh?”

Startled by Sekyung suddenly hiding behind her, Aila bit her tongue.

“Haah…”

Kang Seona sighed.

“She’s a hunter affiliated with our company. She was out for about 3 days on a dungeon conquest request and just returned today.”

“It was super hard!! So, maybe you could add a little incentive? Please?”

“Get lost.”

“Hiing!! Boss, you’re so mean!!! You don’t have to talk like that in front of a junior!! Would it kill you to let me save some face as a senior?”

“What about my face as the boss? But you’re back early?”

“Ah, I originally thought I’d finish by lunchtime today, but somehow I found the core quickly! Actually, I destroyed the dungeon yesterday evening, but one thing led to another and I arrived today. I thought about rushing straight here, but it would’ve been too late and might’ve woken everyone up, and sleep rights are important, right? It’s something I thought about when I couldn’t sleep properly in the dungeon because of monsters and was forced into contemplation, sleep rights are really–“

“She talks a bit much, doesn’t she?”

“…Yes, a bit… much. Haha.”

The two shared a hollow laugh.

Of course, it wasn’t audible under someone’s intense chatter.

But with just an exchange of glances, the two could share their feelings.

“But, unnie, if you joined here, that means you’re a hunter too, right?! What rank are you? If someone as pretty as you were around, I would’ve known.”

“Ah, I just recently became a hunter… I’m C-rank.”

“C-rank…?”

Sekyung’s eyes widened.

Her black pupils sparkled.

Sekyung couldn’t understand why.

That money-obsessed boss hired a C-rank?

Sure, she hired my E-rank brother too, but that was only because I refused to join unless she hired him as well.

“Boss, is she really C-rank?”

“Yes… wait.”

Kang Seona paused for a moment, then looked at the two and said.

“Since we have a new recruit, we should have an initiation, right?”

“”Initiation?””

“Yes, initiation.”

Kang Seona smiled.

***

“Umm… are we really doing this?”

Sekyung mumbled hesitantly.

“We don’t have a choice.”

Aila said.

The two were now in a sparring arena.

The reason was simple.

Because the boss ordered it.

“I’m sorry. Our boss can be like that sometimes…”

“It’s okay. Since it’s come to this, let’s both do our best!”

The two warmed up.

A wide platform made of square stones stacked together.

The sparring arena was in a corner of the building where Aila had visited earlier to measure her rank.

Aila recalled the conversation from earlier.

‘What do you mean by initiation?’

‘We need to know what level of skill you have, don’t we?’

‘That’s true, but… is this okay?’

‘Yes! I’m fine with it!’

‘Fight seriously. Got it? Especially you, Aila.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t really believe you’re C-rank. There must be something more.’

‘Is that so…?’

‘Yes, so fight seriously. If you win… I’ll take you to a buffet.’

‘Buffet?’

‘Yes, a place where food is piled like mountains, where you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want—‘

‘I’ll fight with all my strength!!’

‘Ehhh?! Boss! What about me? What do I get if I win?!’

‘I’ll give you 500.’

‘…H-hey~ I’m not falling for that! You’ll just give me a 500 won coin–‘

‘5 million won.’

‘…Holy shit. We’re all dead.’

Buffet, buffet.

A place where food is piled like mountains, and you can eat as much as you want…

“Heh, hehehe…”

Aila laughed.

She wanted to fight as soon as possible.

“Well, shall we begin?”

“…Are we fighting with real swords?”

Sekyung pointed at the holy sword hanging at Aila’s waist with her wooden sword.

Although injuries sustained in the sparring arena heal immediately after the match ends, it’s recommended to use practice weapons or non-lethal weapons for safety.

That’s why I brought a wooden sword, but unnie brought a real one.

“Hmm~ Then is it okay if I use a real sword too?”

“Ah, I don’t mind.”

“Okay~! Oh! And is it okay if I speak casually? With just a year’s age difference, we’re practically the same age.”

“That’s fine.”

Aila smiled.

It felt like having a little sister.

Like the novice nuns who used to follow her around in the Holy Kingdom.

I wonder if they left without pain.

“Unnie? Is something wrong? Why did your face suddenly change?”

“…It’s nothing. Shall we start?”

“Sure! Boss! We’re starting!”

“Alright.”

Hearing Sekyung’s words, Kang Seona manipulated some controls.

-Warning, warning. Sparring request in Arena 2. Everyone except the participants, please retreat beyond the safety line immediately. Repeat. Sparring request in Arena 2—

“Unnie, just so you know.”

The announcement sounded.

Through that alarm, Sekyung’s voice was heard.

“I’m pretty strong, you know?”

Sekyung said with a grin.

She must be quite confident in her abilities.

Her rank is A, and with S being the highest rank, she must be quite a powerful fighter.

Hearing Sekyung’s words, Aila fell into thought.

Now, what should I do?

This is my first time fighting a person, how should I approach this?

Aila took her stance.