episode_0034

*Thump thump!*

Gojuyoung suppressed the sudden surge of emotion.

For an archer, the most important thing is to maintain composure in any situation.

And for her, who would one day be called a Divine Archer, this wasn’t too difficult.

‘Hoo! Calm down, Gojuyoung. What’s with all the heart-thumping over something like this?’

Admittedly, seeing a man who was clearly hopeless suddenly show such strength gave her a feeling of what people call a ‘gap.’

He’s also secretly tall, making his back view quite impressive.

His face is decent enough, so you couldn’t say he’s not handsome.

But!

She was too old to fall into such bittersweet feelings.

Was she some kind of adolescent girl, falling in love just because she was rescued?

‘Besides, I know perfectly well that Eunhye likes this guy.’

If that was all, it might be different.

She even openly declared that she would support them.

Trying to snatch the man after that would be nothing short of war.

No, wouldn’t that make her a two-timing bitch who steals her friend’s man?

For conscience’s sake, something like that should never happen!

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Kyaaaa!”

She was trying so hard to convince herself and control her emotions when…

Nam Doyeong suddenly stuck his face in front of hers, causing her to let out a girlish scream without realizing it.

“…Even so, you don’t have to scream like that just because you see someone.”

“N-No… it’s not that…! Ahem! Ahem! Anyone would be surprised if you suddenly stuck your face in front of them.”

“Am I that ugly? Anyway, judging by how loud you are, your body seems to be fine.”

“Of course. I’m not going to be…ugh!”

Gojuyoung frowned as she tried to get up.

Pain shot up from her ankle, which she had twisted earlier.

“Wow. The heiress of the Go clan sprained her ankle…”

“Shut up.”

Gojuyoung’s face flushed red.

To be called a future Divine Archer and then injure her ankle like this.

Even considering the cramped space and the level of the urban legend, it was embarrassing.

If they were still in battle, she would have accepted being abandoned and left to run away.

‘…Did I survive thanks to this guy?’

A spell that killed an urban legend with that much spiritual power in one blow.

What on earth was that ability just now?

‘A spell that’s invisible even to my eyes.’

The Go clan specializes in archery, so their eyesight is pretty good.

But even Gojuyoung’s eyes couldn’t see the flow of spiritual power.

It wasn’t just a matter of good spiritual power control.

It must be a secret technique passed down through the family.

“A-Are you okay?”

Only then did Yu Eunhye approach and take out a talisman.

“It’s a healing talisman. It’ll relieve the pain a bit.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s really effective.”

Gojuyoung sighed inwardly.

How could she possibly steal a man from someone as kind as this?

“…Enough, let’s go quickly. Now that the urban legend that had established its territory is gone, other ghosts might come flocking.”

“Can you walk with that leg?”

“I have to try.”

“Would you rather I give you a piggyback ride?”

Gojuyoung flinched at Nam Doyeong’s casual offer.

“P-Piggyback ride?”

“You can’t walk in that state, can you?”

“So, you’re saying I should put my arms around your neck, and you’ll support my thighs and butt with your hands? And your back will touch my front?”

“…What is this? Are you a pervert?”

Nam Doyeong looked at Gojuyoung as if she were a human possessed by evil spirits.

“What on earth do you think about in your daily life? Don’t worry, I have no ulterior motives.”

“N-Not that, it’s just…”

“We need to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

In fact, there was a reason why Nam Doyeong was rushing.

‘If Gojuyoung isn’t here, it’ll be too dangerous if petty ghosts come.’

He had already used his instant death ability.

Even if he hadn’t, this technique was the worst against multiple opponents to begin with.

‘Eunhye can exorcise, and Gojuyoung can still shoot an arrow as long as her hands are okay, but…’

He wanted to get out as quickly as possible, just in case there was any threat.

“Ah, never mind. Just get on my back. Even if you don’t want to, getting out quickly is the top priority.”

“W-Well, it’s not that I don’t want to…”

Nam Doyeong crouched down in front of Gojuyoung as if urging her to get on his back quickly.

‘His back is broad. Now that I see it like this, his shoulders are quite…does he work out?’

Gojuyoung cautiously got on Nam Doyeong’s back.

Surprisingly, the position was quite stable and comfortable.

On the other hand, Yu Eunhye was wearing a complex expression next to them.

‘Ugh! My conscience hurts…’

And so, Nam Doyeong’s group escaped the underground shopping center.

During that time, Gojuyoung had to struggle to control her pounding heart.

****

The headquarters of Cheonjihae.

I returned to the company and reported the details of the mission to Lee Jaehak.

“…So there are no additional urban legends in the underground shopping center?”

“That’s what our investigation suggests. We also caught a significant number of petty ghosts during the investigation.”

“I’m sorry. I never thought I’d end up assigning a formal urban legend exorcism to a trainee.”

“Well, what can you do. Exorcising urban legends is like that.”

Originally, you can’t know what’s going to come out until you actually experience an urban legend yourself.

As an exorcist, you have to be prepared to face a certain amount of danger.

‘That’s why the salary and benefits are so good.’

All the information that has been revealed so far was written in the blood of previous exorcists.

I know more than others thanks to the original work, though.

“But I can’t just end it with words. I’ll give you a proper reward.”

“Oh, weren’t you just going to end it with the entry score?”

“That’s the compensation that was measured when this was just a simple investigation. If it’s that kind of urban legend, it’s only fair to give you a proper reward.”

As expected, he’s easy to talk to one way or another.

I’m getting a bonus I never even thought about.

“It’ll be deposited into the salary account registered with Cheonjihae. Report it if it doesn’t come in within three days.”

“Thank you. I’ll let the others know.”

“Any injuries or anything else to report?”

“Trainee Gojuyoung injured her ankle. Fortunately, she’s fully recovered now.”

“…What about you and Yu Eunhye?”

“We’re fine.”

“……I see.”

Lee Jaehak looked at me with a strange gaze.

What, why is he like that?

Is he upset because a young lady from a prestigious family got hurt?

‘No. The Lee Jaehak I know wouldn’t give a shit about that.’

Lee Jaehak nodded and said,

“Then good work. The entry score will be reflected, so you can go.”

“Yes, excuse me.”

As soon as I came outside, I clenched my fist in victory.

‘Kyah! The entry score is good enough. And money too! As expected, hooray for big corporations!’

It felt like winning the lottery ticket you forgot you put in your wallet.

I walked down the hallway with a light step.

So, how should I spend this money I got after all this time?

****

‘An interesting fellow.’

Gojuyoung, who injured her ankle during this mission, is one of the most talented in this class.

In terms of the completeness of her technique or pure skill, she is second to none.

‘The fact that the others are unharmed while Gojuyoung was injured…’

It’s unlikely that Gojuyoung took all the damage alone.

To begin with, Gojuyoung isn’t the kind of person to do that.

It’s hard to imagine a situation where only she, as an archer, would be in danger.

‘Does that mean this class valedictorian has the ability to overwhelm the heir to a high-ranking family?’

Both of them showed exceptionally good skills even in Lee Jaehak’s lectures.

Not to mention the valedictorian, Nam Doyeong.

Yu Eunhye also has a lot of potential.

‘Most of all, it’s interesting that the valedictorian is connected to other talented people.’

People like Chuk Jiyeon and Gojuyoung, Yu Yeonhwa from prestigious families.

They had strange connections with Nam Doyeong.

As friends, through bets, or for reasons such as working together on a mission like this.

They all have skills that can be used in the field already.

On top of that, they are geniuses who are expected to grow much more in the future.

The middle point connecting them was none other than Nam Doyeong, this year’s valedictorian.

‘Those who make a name for themselves early often have bad relationships due to family interests or competition. But Nam Doyeong could be the link that connects them.’

Or, conversely, he could become the seed of anxiety.

‘Anyway, he’s definitely an interesting guy.’

The evaluations of those around him and the results of this time.

He still needs to be evaluated more, but he is definitely an exorcist who can be used in the field.

‘…Considering the average of this class, it wouldn’t be a problem to hold the internship exam a little earlier.’

Trainees and interns may not differ much in terms of potential, but there is a big difference in terms of authority.

Perhaps the shortest internship in the history of Cheonjihae might be coming.

****

The money came in from Cheonjihae as soon as I reported it.

A sum of money that was hard to imagine for me right now!

‘Kya~ Cheonjihae is definitely fast at processing things.’

Looking at my fattened bank account makes my heart feel richer.

I was wondering how to spend this money, and I decided to have a company dinner with the three of us.

Everyone readily agreed to the sudden request.

I thought it would be good to wrap things up neatly.

But I got an unexpected reply from Gojuyoung.

[I’m okay. Just you two go.]

“Huh? Why? I’m treating, so feel free to come.”

[…It’s okay. I also have something to do.]

“Aha! Is it because you’re a noble young lady and can’t go to a humble barbecue restaurant that commoners like us go to?”

[Hey, what are you doing, making me out to be a bad person? I really have something to do, so you two have fun.]

Gojuyoung declined the dinner.

In fact, she had a certain romance about having her first dinner with friends, but….

‘I can’t get in between them with such complicated feelings. That’s a betrayal to Eunhye.’

She had to distance herself for the sake of female loyalty and friendship.

At least, it was dangerous to get any closer to that man than this.

It was a decision that Gojuyoung had made after much deliberation.

“What should I do? I already made a reservation for three.”

“Since it’s a special occasion, should we invite Jiyeon too? It’s a shame she couldn’t come with us because she had something to do.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

Unfortunately, Gojuyoung’s support was not conveyed.