chapter_0032

Chapter 30: Time to Work as a Host, Not a Hunter

The moment the woman appeared, Im So-yeon reacted.

Her twin daggers, which had just been sheathed, flashed through the air.

Even with Si-woo’s enhanced nervous system, all he could see was a faint afterimage of her attack.

A precise strike aimed directly at the monster’s throat.

There was no way to react.

Im So-yeon had confirmed it.

Or so she thought.

CLANG—!!

“?!”

Her daggers bounced off.

The attack had been stopped.

This wasn’t just a matter of speed.

Her strike had been reinforced with mana and executed with perfect precision.

It should have been far beyond what a D-rank gate boss could handle.

Yet—it had failed.

Retrieving her daggers, Im So-yeon instinctively stepped back.

And then—locked eyes with the woman.

“How rude. The knight should stay out of the way.”

The moment their gazes met.

A chill ran down Im So-yeon’s spine.

Platinum-colored heterochromatic eyes.

And behind them.

Madness.

This thing wasn’t human.

It was a monster.

She could feel it.

A flood of frost energy so intense it felt like her lungs were freezing.

‘I can get close to her……but I can’t kill her.’

Becoming intangible was easy.

She could slip through the cold itself.

But even if she phased into striking range.

There was no way to land a killing blow while staying undetected.

“Haa…”

The mana condensing around the woman made it hard to breathe.

Unlike the Demon Worshiper, she wasn’t just intelligent.

Her mana density was on an entirely different level.

And the pressure she exuded.

It was suffocating.

“A hidden boss?”

“Looks like it.”

“You should hurry up and disappear.”

Hidden bosses were far stronger than the main boss monsters of a gate.

And to prove that fact.

With a single flick of her hand.

The woman split the icy ground beneath Im So-yeon in two.

“!!”

That wasn’t the end of it.

From the deep fissure in the ground, massive ice blades surged upward.

They raced toward Im So-yeon in less than a second.

But just before they could reach her.

She vanished.

“Tch.”

The woman frowned.

She clicked her tongue in mild irritation.

She had failed to eliminate Im So-yeon.

But rather than frustration, her expression quickly softened.

Now that the interruption was gone.

She turned her gaze toward Si-woo.

“Now then, my hero.”

With a bright smile, she finally prepared to say the words she had held onto for so long.

Yes—those words.

The ones she had sworn never to forget.

The words she had repeated endlessly in her mind.

The words she was meant to say.

“…?”

Si-woo had never lowered his guard.

And it didn’t take long for him to notice something strange.

For a brief moment.

The light in the woman’s eyes flickered.

The faint trace of humanity within them vanished.

And in its place.

A twisted, demonic hunger took over.

“…Huh?”

What was she trying to say again?

Her mind froze.

She forced herself to remember—desperately.

She fought against the darkness, straining to recall what she had waited so long to say.

Her eyes trembled violently.

She had waited.

For so long.

And now, the one she had been waiting for was finally here.

And yet.

“Why… am I here?”

She couldn’t remember.

All that remained was a forgotten obsession.

A fixation without reason.

“My hero… My… hero?”

Her impenetrable walls began to crack.

And the three of them seized the opportunity.

Launching their strongest attacks at once.

“Who was that again?”

CRACK—!!!

CLANG!!

But even their best efforts.

Were still not enough to break through her defenses.

Wind and ice—two intertwined elements formed the dual-layered barrier.

It didn’t just block physical attacks—even magic-based assaults were completely negated.

And once again, their attacks had failed.

The invisible wall of wind and frost was impossible to penetrate.

Neither pure strength nor refined magic could break through such a perfected defense.

“There’s no way something like that should be coming out of a D-rank gate.”

Even Saria’s flames, which had clashed against the woman’s ice magic until the very end, were finally extinguished.

The barrier had been damaged.

But barely.

They had only managed to peel away a single layer.

And even then—only under the assumption that the woman allowed herself to be attacked.

Feeling true helplessness for the first time, Saria clicked her tongue and quickly downed a mana potion.

Meanwhile.

The woman, who had taken all of their attacks head-on, remained completely unbothered.

Lost in thought, she suddenly recalled something important.

Her expression brightened.

“Ah, right! I need to invite you to the manor.”

As she grasped onto this fragment of a forgotten memory, she clapped her hands together.

Then—her voice, now infused with magic, echoed across the frozen wasteland.

“Everyone, prepare to welcome our guest.”

The Yuki-onna began to move.

Even while the Demon Worshiper was dying, they had remained motionless.

But the moment this woman spoke.

They obeyed without hesitation.

“Bring the hero to me. Leave the other intruders here.”

Nod. Nod.

Unlike their mistress, the Yuki-onna could not speak.

Instead, they simply nodded in perfect unison.

Satisfied, the woman spun around dramatically.

Her gaze, however, never left Si-woo.

And with a twisted grin, she whispered:

“I’ll be waiting for you, my hero.”

Then.

She vanished.

‘Spatial magic…’

Saria bit her lip.

The woman had used Teleportation.

Not just short-range teleportation, either.

She had moved so far away that even Saria’s detection magic couldn’t sense her anymore.

A monster capable of intelligent conversation.

A monster that could control an entire horde.

A monster that could reshape the battlefield itself.

A monster that could teleport across vast distances with ease.

This wasn’t just a B-rank threat.

‘No… with this much power, she’s at least a pseudo-A-rank.’

They had to run.

Even a B-rank monster was dangerous enough to warrant an immediate retreat.

And yet—this thing was even stronger.

But before she could say anything.

“Running might not be an option.”

Si-woo’s voice cut through the tension.

But Si-woo and Im So-yeon immediately rejected Saria’s idea.

As Saria was about to demand an explanation, she suddenly sensed something.

A surge of mana radiating from the Yuki-onna.

“Wait… don’t tell me…?”

A magic circle began to form beneath them.

Compared to the hidden boss, their spellcasting was far slower.

But the fact that these creatures—who had only ever relied on Allure— were now casting magic was shocking on its own.

“It feels like the hidden boss’s appearance triggered an overall difficulty spike in the gate.”

“At this point, the Demon Worshiper was basically a fake boss.”

Escaping with everyone intact would be difficult.

Individually, each Yuki-onna was weak.

Even if they could use magic, they were still far weaker than the Demon Worshiper.

“The real problem is their numbers.”

A sheer overwhelming force.

They had nowhere to run.

The flat terrain offered no strategic advantage.

And even if they somehow defeated the Yuki-onna in front of them.

A second wave was already approaching from the distance.

Using Saria’s magic to carve an escape path through the gate?

If they were lucky, it might actually work.

“If we run now, we’re just delaying an even bigger disaster.”

But even if they escaped, the problem wouldn’t be solved.

Failing the gate expedition was one thing.

But that wasn’t the real issue.

Time still passed inside the gate.

And if the hidden boss realized Si-woo had run away.

She would chase him.

No—she definitely would.

Si-woo had dealt with enough women like her to know that for a fact.

‘Running now would just be passing the bomb to someone else.’

Quick decisions.

Clear choices.

That was what he had learned—not as a student, not as a disciple.

But as a Hunter.

“Make the choice… and commit to it.”

His resolve solidified.

Si-woo sheathed his sword.

“I’ll be back.”

“Si-woo!!”

“This is the best way to survive.”

As he calmed his breathing, Si-woo smiled.

Just like always.

Recalling the memories of his time as a host.

And with practiced ease.

“Trust me.”

“What on earth are you talking about! Im So-yeon, stop Si-woo…!”

“Yeah, I understand. I trust you.”

Unlike Saria, Im So-yeon knew that look.

It was the same smile Si-woo had worn every day when he faced the despair of going to work.

Even Kitsunezawa, a regular customer, and Baek Eun-seol, a current S-rank Hunter, had been fooled by that smile.

Si-woo, with that smile, could pull anything off.

Seeing Im So-yeon’s confidence, Si-woo nodded, straightened his clothes, and spoke.

“Both of you, close your eyes and cover your ears.”

As always, Si-woo remembered the moments of his host work.

“Just trust me.”

“What on earth are you talking about! Im So-yeon, stop Si-woo…!”

“Yeah, I understand. I trust you.”

Unlike Saria, Im So-yeon knew that look.

It was the same smile Si-woo wore every morning when he had to face the despair of starting work.

Even Kitsunezawa, a regular guest, and Baek Eun-seol, a veteran S-rank Hunter, had been deceived by that smile.

With that smile, Si-woo could accomplish anything.

Im So-yeon’s confidence made Si-woo nod, straightened his clothes, and said:

“Both of you, close your eyes and cover your ears.”

At Si-woo’s voice, the Yuki-onna, who had been preparing to cast a spell, nodded in compliance.

Si-woo loosened his tie and ran a hand through his hair.

“Shall we go to work again after such a long time?”

Not as a Hunter, but as a Host.