Chapter 15: What is the hunter society? (2)

“You’re saying you ‘won’t interfere’? You shouldn’t be interfering in the first place. Is Korea a communist state? Or a hunter dictatorship? No, it’s a free country. There’s no rule here that says solo players can’t enter, right? You keep talking about ‘hunter society,’ but that’s your business, not mine. Or what, were you the type of person who used to bully people and block their way back in school? Would you really feel proud of yourself if this was shown to the public? Like on the internet or something?”

As I fired off my words like a machine gun, Yoo Ji-ho’s face twisted into an expression of irritated disbelief.

“Fine. I get it. We were wrong.”

“I want compensation then.”

“You want compensation for this?”

I wasted several minutes of my life dealing with this idiot.

That’s a pretty big deal.

“Yeah. This weird guy wasted my time and not only insulted me but also my goddess. Isn’t that right? I think he should crawl over and beg for forgiveness.”

“Like this?”

Yoo Ji-ho’s face showed a mix of shock and disbelief.

Well, yeah, that would definitely be a better look.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the better look.”

I smiled seductively as I pointed to the man lying on the ground with his arms broken.

“Kim Ki-tae. Beg.”

“Wh-what? She started it!”

Why is he blaming me?

Who was the one that started all this?

“Do I need to kick you out of the Hero Guild myself for disgracing its name?”

“Oh. I understand.”

The guy who had been messing with me just moments ago bowed his head.

Good.

This is exactly how things should be.

The dumb idiot, whose name I didn’t even know, dragged his broken arms as he crawled over to me on his knees and begged.

“The Lord commanded atonement through death, but I stopped him. Make sure you behave from now on.”

With that, I turned my back and started to go on my way.

“Hey, you.”

This time, Yoo Ji-ho called out to stop me.

“What now?”

“This isn’t over yet. Aren’t you just an ordinary person?”

An ordinary person?

Was I an ordinary person?

Well, I guess technically, that’s not wrong.

“And?”

“Even if there aren’t restrictions, hunters have a duty to protect civilians.”

“Oh, the duty to protect civilians.”

I glanced over at the guy who had been messing with me earlier.

Now he was acting all meek, but just a little while ago, he had tried to mess with me.

Duty to protect civilians?

What a load of crap.

“So, you’d like me to prove that I’m capable?”

“If you could, yes. Maybe a fight would do?”

Well, this works out perfectly.

If I crack a few heads in front of everyone, they won’t mess with me anymore.

So, I just need to crack this guy’s head open, right?

I pulled out my mace from my sleeve.

“Ah, I’m not the one who will fight. It’s better for a woman to face another woman, don’t you think?”

“Hmm?”

Yoo Ji-ho pointed to a woman with blue hair standing next to him.

“This is Choi Ji-ae from the Paewang Guild. She’s a hunter from an allied guild. Her ability is speed.”

“What? Me?”

Choi Ji-ae looked confused, clearly not expecting this.

Well, I do prefer fighting women over men.

It’s been a while since I cracked a woman’s head open.

“Isn’t this great? You’re a returnee, so it’s a good chance to verify your skills.”

“Well, I can tell she’s strong, but in front of me… Hmm, maybe I should go easy on her?”

Choi Ji-ae stretched casually, showing off.

Who needs you to go easy on me?

“There’s been a whole truckload of girls who tried going easy on me and ended up crying.”

“Wow, are you taunting me? A nun, of all people? Do you seriously think I’m like that limp guy over there?”

“Are you sure you’re in a position to be taunting when you can’t even gauge if your opponent is worth going easy on?”

I said to her, full of disdain.

The fact that she saw my words as a taunt proves she’s lacking.

Hunters really have the worst personalities, don’t they?

They always think they can solve everything with force.

Choi Ji-ae’s face twisted in annoyance as my words seemed to sink in.

Life’s rough sometimes.

“Fine. I won’t hold back. But…”

“But?”

“After this, you’d better never think of entering a dungeon again.”

She glared at me.

“Oh, I’m so scared. What am I supposed to do, cry?”

As soon as I finished speaking, she disappeared from in front of me.

Oh, right.

She said her ability was speed.

Usually, it’s not smart to reveal your ability like that, though.

What kind of fool tells their opponent exactly what they can do?

“What a foolish girl. You caught some weak hunter and now think you’re hot stuff. Do you even know who I am?”

The girl, who had vanished, was now circling around me at high speed, taunting me.

Maybe she just wants to show off?

The other hunters had already become spectators.

They must be thinking I’m going to lose.

Whatever.

I don’t care about them or what they think.

Why would I bother learning the name of some random girl?

Oh, right, her name is Choi Ji-ae.

Fine, she’ll be Choi Ji-ae.

That’s all I need to know.

Or should I call her a human female?

Maybe a rat?

A rat scurrying around in circles.

“You know, people should know their place. You only reveal your abilities when you’re certain you can win.”

“Didn’t you ever consider that maybe I’m your match? Ha ha ha!”

As expected, hunters have terrible personalities.

I might as well just send her to my goddess.

“Well, if that’s how you’re going to be, I don’t have much to say.”

“Then let’s see if you can catch me. If not, I’ll leave a scar on that pretty face of yours!”

“What harsh words.”

A scar on my face?

She told me to catch her, so I guess I should.

I grabbed the leg of the girl who had been darting around like a rat.

Squeezed tight.

I grabbed the woman’s leg, who was spinning around like a mouse.

Clack!

“Huh? How? How did you…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? You need to know your place.”

With her leg still in my grip, I slammed her to the ground.

Crack!

I went easy on her, so she probably won’t die, but it’s going to hurt quite a bit.

I think I just heard the sound of her leg breaking.

“Argh! Aaahhh! Aaaaahhh!”

“They said it was a skill test, so I held back, but it’s an open fracture. How weak are you?”

Her leg bone had torn through the skin, blood pouring out everywhere.

Choi Ji-ae clutched her leg, wailing miserably.

I dragged my mace on the ground as I slowly approached her.

“Y-You crazy bitch! Psycho! Don’t come any closer!”

“Oh dear. You told me to catch you, so I did. I even held back, but now that you’re getting beaten, you’re swearing? You’re just like that useless cripple.”

“Get… Get lost!”

I considered swinging my mace at her, but pretty me decided to hold back.

Actually, I wanted to, but I didn’t set up a respawn field here.

This world is different, so killing recklessly would be troublesome.

“Alright, fine. I don’t like making noise either, and dealing with people with messed-up morals annoys me. Since this was a skill test—”

I looked over at Yoo Ji-ho, who was watching me seriously from a distance.

“So, I’ve proven myself. May I go now?”

At my words, he nodded.

“This time, it was our side that was wrong, but if you keep acting like that, you’ll end up in big trouble. There are many strong people in this world.”

You’d think the condition of the crippled people under him would be proof enough of that.

“Those people beneath you, who act tough but end up with broken arms and legs—that’s all the result of your guild members. Maybe you should manage them better before worrying about a stranger.”

With that, I opened the door to the third floor.

What pathetic people.

They’re really just flaunting their status as hunters.

As I started to climb the stairs again, I heard a voice.

“Hey! Sister, wait up!”

“I’m not a sister; I’m a saint, you old man.”

The old man kept following me, annoying as ever.

“Yeah, saint! But seriously, are you going alone?”

“You’re really persistent, aren’t you?”

“No matter how strong you are, I can’t just leave a girl around my daughter’s age to go somewhere dangerous by herself.”

Ugh, this old man is getting on my nerves.

But he’s got a daughter, and he’s clearly different from those morally bankrupt fools downstairs, so I can’t just take it out on him.

He really seems like the type who gets called nosy a lot.

“People probably tell you you’re nosy, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Besides, it’s probably worse for you to be here. You have a daughter, right? Shouldn’t you be more careful, especially since things seem tough for you?”

“I can’t help it. I’m the one who let you pass.”

Ugh.

Can’t he get it after seeing my skills?

I’m not going to lose.

If he’s got a daughter, maybe he should value his life a little more.

Following a girl his daughter’s age into danger just because he thinks she’s at risk?

It’s a bit much.

Still, I guess it’s because I don’t have parents.

That guy’s daughter must be happy.

She’s lucky to have a dad like him.

We made it to the third floor.

The surroundings were pitch black.

“Whoever your daughter is, she must be really happy. Alright then, let me show you clearly why you don’t need to worry about me.”

In the distance, a monster in a cloak resembling a skeleton floated in the air.

That monster is a Wraith.

If you mess with it the wrong way, it’ll rip out your soul. Physical attacks don’t work on it, but…

I charged toward the Wraith.

“Wait, a Wraith? That’s a ghost-type! Physical attacks won’t work—”

“Holy Crash!”

CRAAACK!

Physical attacks don’t work, you say?

That doesn’t apply to me.

Physical immunity, magic immunity—none of that matters.

One hit and it’s over.

“You just killed a Wraith… with a mace?”

Wraiths or whatever else, when they take a hit from me, they’re done for.

At least hitting a Wraith has some satisfying impact.

Not that it matters since it only takes one hit.

“Hmm. I guess this floor is a bit more satisfying to hit. Huh? What’s this? A piece of Wraith cloth? Useless.”

When you kill a Wraith, the skeletal ghost vanishes, leaving only a scrap of cloth behind.

It’s no use to me, so I usually leave it where it falls.

“Hey, that’s valuable, you know?”

What’s this? The old man’s telling me it’s expensive.

In the other world, there were all kinds of materials, and Wraith cloth wasn’t even that rare.

It wasn’t even worth much when you sold it.

There’s a reason I resorted to scamming princes, doing illegal experiments, and growing drugs.

“I told you, I’m a returnee. I don’t need it. The fact that this is expensive… Earthlings, or at least Koreans, have strange tastes.”

“These days, it can be processed. You can make high-quality clothes out of it.”

“If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”

It’s useless to me anyway.

But for some reason, the old geezer is really happy about it.