Chapter 390: Sudden Summons (4)

Although a slightly unexpected accident had occurred once, thanks to quick improvisation, we were somehow able to conclude the battle itself.

If it weren’t for Hye-eun’s immediate change of orders and Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s fighting spirit despite her injury, the battle would not only have dragged on, but victory itself would have been hard to guarantee.

Fitting for the two of them, the party leader and the eldest sister, their roles in this battle were crucial in many ways.

The flame sword I made with Cha Yuri-ssi last time only provided a little bit of assistance.

After somehow finishing the strategy against the White Crystal Spider Queen, I immediately ran towards Cheon Jihee Sunbae, who had continued fighting while in a considerably deeply wounded state.

She was slumped down in her spot, with a pained expression, fiddling around her feet.

“Hoo, hah…”

“Jihee-ssi!”

“Are you okay, Sunbaenim?!”

“…Th-this much… isn’t anything.”

Even though just moments ago she had been fiddling around her feet with a pained voice.

Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to show weakness, seeing as Hye-eun was watching.

I understand the desire to show off in front of a woman you like, but still, I wondered if it was the kind of bravado needed to hide the fact that she was injured.

“Let me take a look at your wound, Cheon Jihee Sunbaenim. Please give me your foot here.”

“…Alright.”

Hearing my words, with a quiet reply, Cheon Jihee Sunbae offered her injured part.

Last time, she clearly said something like, ‘This kind of wound heals quickly if left alone,’ as if indicating it wasn’t needed, but it certainly seemed like the injury she sustained today was serious.

In fact, injuries that looked serious to anyone who saw them were visible across both of her feet.

As I wrapped both my hands around her feet one by one and began casting the recovery spell, suddenly, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s urgent cry was heard.

“W-wait…!”

“Yes?”

“…Th-this much… isn’t anything.”

“There’s no need for everyone to gather around worrying about me. Others, go gather the materials first. As time passes, the materials will spoil, making them harder to dismantle.”

“…”

Although she said that, her true intention was probably meant in a slightly different way.

She didn’t want to show her weakened state due to her injuries to others. Especially to Hye-eun, whom she loved, she probably didn’t want to show weakness even more.

“…Understood, Jihee-ssi. Yuri-ssi, and Min-ah, let’s dismantle the White Crystal Spider Queen first.”

“…Okay.”

“Ah, yeah. Got it.”

Fortunately, the quick-witted Hye-eun, as soon as she heard Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s words, took the other two people and moved to dismantle the White Crystal Spider Queen’s corpse.

The other two also followed Hye-eun, leaving only the injured Cheon Jihee Sunbae and me, the healer, remaining in the spot.

“…It’s fine now, you can treat it.”

“Yes.”

As soon as I heard her words, I resumed channeling divine power, which had paused for a moment.

As my recovery spell’s divine power flowed into Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s feet, her expression contorted slightly in pain.

“Nngh, hhh…!”

“Hold on just a little longer, Sunbaenim. The pain is only for a moment.”

“I kno-ow…”

Perhaps because the injury itself was quite severe, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s appearance as she recovered from her wounds, accompanied by a rather pained expression, was noticeable.

Fortunately, perhaps because it was an injury treatable with my recovery abilities, her right foot, which had been covered in wounds, was slowly regaining its beautiful form thanks to my recovery magic.

Excluding the old scars that were too old for recovery spells to work anymore, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s injuries were healed in a surprisingly short amount of time.

…To be precise, only one foot’s injury had been treated, though.

“Now, give me the other foot.”

“………”

“You’re not planning to limp all the way out of the dungeon, are you?”

“…”

Perhaps because the treatment process was quite painful, her hesitation in offering the other foot looked a little cute.

Well, given how severe the injury was, it couldn’t be helped that she complained of pain.

Just enduring it without screaming during the treatment of one foot was actually quite a display of patience.

The fact that the injury was sustained while trying to rescue me, who was about to be thrown into the swarm of White Crystal Spiders, made me feel even more sorry.

Of course, it was just that the results of acting according to the plan we all made didn’t quite work out, and my actions targeting the White Crystal Spider Queen’s weakness at that time weren’t inherently wrong, but

still, as a human, it was unavoidable to get a little emotional.

“Hhngg, Aaaahk…!”

…Especially when looking at Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s face contorting in pain like this.

Anyway, to reduce her pain, the best course of action was to treat her as quickly as possible, so I channeled the divine power from my recovery spell into her feet.

After letting out several more pained groans, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s treatment somehow came to an end.

“It’s finished, Cheon Jihee Sunbaenim.”

“…Good work.”

“You endured well. The injury was quite severe, but thanks to you calmly receiving treatment, Sunbaenim, I could finish quickly.”

“…Don’t tell the others that I acted disgracefully while getting treated.”

“Why would I go around saying things like that? I’m not a psycho.”

I don’t have a hobby of relieving stress by broadcasting others’ flaws everywhere.

And the fact that it ended with just this level of screaming was actually an achievement worth being proud of. In other words, it also meant that the injury she sustained initially was that severe.

“We’ll finish dismantling the monster materials, so please sit and rest without using your feet until we leave the dungeon.”

“It’s not like it’s bad enough to warrant such dramatics…”

“Listen to the healer. To ensure complete healing internally, I need you to leave it as is for a bit longer, that’s why I’m saying this. If you really want to receive treatment again outside the dungeon right now, you can get up and walk around now.”

“…”

As soon as she heard my words, Cheon Jihee Sunbae, who had started to get up, sat back down on the floor and obediently waited for recovery.

No matter how much of an A-rank fighter she was, it seemed pain was still quite difficult for her to endure.

“And please give me your arms too. I’ll treat the remaining parts as well.”

“…These weren’t hurt much.”

“That’s why the treatment won’t hurt. The painful part like just now is all over, so you can give them to me with peace of mind.”

“…”

–Swish.

Perhaps because the recent pain was so memorable, she looked quite uneasy, but she didn’t refuse the treatment itself and accepted it obediently.

I took one of her arms and treated the shallow wounds with my recovery spell.

“…Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

“…I have something to say for a moment, so listen quietly while I’m being treated. Don’t raise your voice or anything.”

“Okay.”

I listened more closely, wondering if she perhaps had another serious injury from the battle, but the words that came out of Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s mouth were slightly different from what I expected.

“…Your Awakening ability. Are you sure that strange thing is really your Awakening ability?”

“Which part are you referring to as strange? Is it the part where I get stronger the more I have relations with female Hunters, or the fact that I can wield various powers, including swordsmanship and magic, with just one Awakening ability?”

“…There was also the part where if you and a female Hunter ‘mix bodies,’ the other Hunter’s Awakening ability recovers.”

“I can’t be completely sure about that part, but maybe about 80% of it is correct?”

“…You can’t be sure? What kind of irresponsible statement is that?”

“Irresponsible? What are you talking about all of a sudden.”

She herself had never ‘mixed bodies’ with me in the first place, yet she was saying strange things like ‘irresponsible’.

It was actually me who was dumbfounded by her statement.

“The part I’m not sure about isn’t about me, but about the other person. I’m not yet sure if the way to prevent a female Hunter’s Awakening ability from weakening is simply by having sex with me, or if it requires a true emotional exchange with all one’s heart.”

“Wi-with all one’s heart… requires a true emotional exchange…?”

“I said I wasn’t sure. Of course, up until now, there hasn’t been a single case where the Awakening ability didn’t recover; it has fully returned properly. Excluding those who didn’t need my Awakening ability from the start.”

“…”

“You and I aren’t in a relationship where we ‘mix bodies’ in the first place, Cheon Jihee Sunbaenim. So I don’t think you have the right to say things like ‘irresponsible’ regarding that matter.”

If I had approached Cheon Jihee Sunbaenim from the start with dishonest intentions, like promising to restore her Awakening ability, perhaps, but there was no connection between us regarding that matter.

The women I had approached in that manner were, up until now, only Cha Yuri and Do Sihee, just two people.

I had no intention of approaching others in that way now, so I had no reason to accept complaints like ‘Why didn’t my Awakening ability recover when we shared a relationship?’

Especially not from Cheon Jihee Sunbae, who not only had no experience ‘mixing bodies’ with me, but had vehemently refused it herself.

“Well, since everyone who shared a relationship has recovered, it might be a worthwhile gamble to stay by Hye-eun’s side like before… But I had decided my first time would definitely be with Hye-eun. If, even after this, my Awakening ability doesn’t return…”

Whether she was properly listening to my words or not, Cheon Jihee Sunbae muttered something in a small voice while receiving treatment.

She was so lost in deep thought that she momentarily forgot I could hear everything she was saying right in front of her.

Soon, she seemed to have reached a conclusion in her mind, and with considerable determination, she blurted out what I had roughly expected.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Huh?”

“…I’ll try having a night together with you.”

“…”

“I don’t know if it will bring back my Awakening ability or not, but it’s certainly worth trying once. Anyway, the first time isn’t that valuable to a woman. It can be seen as gaining experience for later…”

Cheon Jihee Sunbae had already started muttering various things to herself, as if having sex with me was already a done deal.

To be honest, I was also positively considering having a relationship with her myself, but

Separately from that, the answer I needed to give Cheon Jihee Sunbae right now was far from positive.

“I don’t want to.”

“…Huh?”

Does she think I’m someone who just sleeps with anyone who asks?