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***
Walking beside me, Jin-A looked around in surprise.
She was simply shocked at how impressionable the schoolgirls were looking back at us. Yes, I had to admit, my appearance had definitely changed since I had started pumping. Superhuman strength, agility, stamina, it was all reflected in my body. A near perfect balance expressed in my physique. And even my face had subtly changed. So at first glance you can't even tell what's wrong, but I've definitely become more attractive, as indicated by the looks of the girls.
- And you're popular..." my sister said.
She also seemed to think that my status as an S-ranked hunter was to blame. While the association hadn't even made an official announcement about my appearance, and therefore the various news outlets hadn't reacted to such a change in the hunter lists yet. My data just changed in a moment, that's all. No fuss.
- Why did your teacher want to talk to me separately?
- How should I know? - The girl was worried. - I didn't do anything like that... and my grades are good.....
- I believe you. - I nod. - Okay, well, we'll find out now.
Anyway, I knew what it was going to be about.
And it went exactly as I expected. Not yet old, but not young woman met me in the teacher's room. To my surprise, she immediately offered me a seat and even gave me tea.
- Thank you. That's very... nice... of you.
- It's just a courtesy. - The woman smiled.
I nodded in agreement.
- So, what did you want to talk about? Is my sister causing trouble? She's a real troublemaker at home, fighting all the time, getting violent, is she behaving the same way at school?
The teacher's mouth dropped open at that statement.
- What? - She was stunned. - N-no... she... Jin-A is a good student. And her behaviour isn't questionable, she's an example to the other students....
- Don't let yourself be fooled by her innocent appearance, this girl is evil in the flesh. So be strict with her.
From the direction of the door, a knock sounded. Jin-A, eavesdropping outside resents it.- ''Mmm, so... if it's not about my sister, why did you call me?
The woman blinked in surprise.
- Ah... yes, you're a hunter aren't you?
- Hmm, that's right.
- Please tell me, if Jin-A's ability awakened, would you make her work as a hunter?
- Of course not. - I shook my head. - If she had the strength and wanted to become a hunter herself, I would help her, but forcing her? The profession of a hunter is not a military duty, it's just a profession, people with abilities decide for themselves whether to be hunters or not.
- Ah, that's how... - The woman frowned. - But... if a student with an ability decided to drop out of school?
- Hmm, in theory I should say that's definitely wrong, but it depends a lot on the individual situation. The rank of that student, his ability. If he has a high rank, then even without school, he can easily settle in the hunter world. An A-rank hunter would be able to earn enough in a couple of years to retire and live peacefully for the rest of his life.
The teacher sighed.
- What if it's a weak... umm... E-rang?
- Then, if at all possible, it's better to forget about the hunter's life and study for a civilian speciality.
Now the teacher looked really dumbfounded.
- Do you think so? Why?
- E-rang is almost no different from ordinary people. Such hunters can only go to the simplest dungeons. They won't be able to earn much from it, as the raid income will be divided amongst the entire group and the E-rang get the bare minimum. They don't even have enough strength to use the hunters' weapons effectively. And it's the E-rank hunters who die the most.
- That's... huh... I get it. Can you please talk to one of the students?
- I understand she became a hunter?
- Yes. - The teacher nodded. - She's the weakest rank, but she's already stopped attending classes... I've tried to talk to her, but... maybe she'll listen to you? An experienced hunter.
- All right. - I agreed.
I didn't remember that girl's name, but I know she's Jin-A's friend. I didn't feel like dragging her to the dungeon with me like Jin Wu did. But still, I could try to talk to her. I've been given her address, but before I do that.
- Brother, you.
As soon as I left the teacher's lounge, I was confronted by my sister's furious face.
- Oh, don't worry, your teacher complained about you, but I told her what a good girl you are, just an angel....
- Liar!
- Ha ha...come on, it was funny.....
- You came to school just to spread rumours about me?
The sight of Jin-A just couldn't help but bring a smile. She looked like an angry ruffled sparrow.
- Let's go, I promised to buy you a cake.
- You can't buy me for a cake!
Moving closer, I quickly moved behind Jin-A's back and put my hands on her shoulders.
- You can order any desserts you want.
- Umm... what if...
- Right, you probably just want a hearty meal. Roast chicken?
- Yes! My sister's excited.
- All right, let's go to the diner. Hmm... we can call your friend. Song Yi.
- You were asked to talk to her... - Jin-A sighed.
- Well, you were eavesdropping, weren't you? - I shrug. - By the way, if you hadn't been keeping your ears to the door, I wouldn't have snapped at you. But you're reacting so sweetly, it was impossible to resist.
- Grr!
Growling, the girl bumped my shoulder with her fist.
- Shh... what the... what the...? Are you made of stone?
Immediately, she hissed painfully, shaking her hand.
- Sister, I fight in close combat against monsters that can lift a truck and break a stone wall. What do I care about your little girly fists?
- Really? - The girl was surprised.
I just shrugged my shoulders.
Well, Jin-A didn't ask much about the gate. In fact, she herself did not really understand very well what danger the dungeons could pose to the hunters. Nor what the actual strength of the hunters themselves were. Even after the double gate incident, when Jin Wu went to the hospital, I ended up discharging myself and returning to her. She can't even imagine that her brother could be killed by monsters in the dungeon. So she doesn't worry about it too much.
Meanwhile, we just got to the diner where we met up with Sun-Yi. Actually, we just got lucky with her because she was there when Jin-A called her.
- Ajussi? You're... here... - She was surprised to see me.
- What a small world. - I hummed.
My sister looked at her friend, then at me.
- You two know each other?
- She was one of the hunters that Jin Ho hired to clean up the dungeons.
- That... wait... - Jin-A hesitated. - That super generous guy?
- Yes. But it wasn't that he was particularly generous. His contract was completely fair.
- So you worked together in the dungeon?
- Well... not exactly... - Sung-Yi hesitated.
- The dungeons were cleared by me. The other hunters were only needed for the association to grant us the right to raid. No groups of less than ten people are allowed into the S-rang dungeon.
- Ah... that's how... - Jin-A was surprised.
- ''Alright, let's order something already. Sun-Yi, you can choose whatever you want.
- Thank you... - The girl nodded.We already took a seat at one of the tables, made an order, and....
- Did your teacher ask you to talk to me? - Sung-yi frowned.
- 'You're quite perceptive, aren't you? - I smile at her. - Let's eat first and talk later.
- Okay..." she mumbled, lowering her gaze.
Soon our order was ready, and Jin-A was happily eating her favourite fried chicken. Yeah, I could take her to any restaurant I wanted, but that girl's soul was drawn to fast food. In general, I just didn't want to spoil a girl's appetite before eating with heavy conversations. Although I wasn't going to push Seon-Yi, I'll just tell it like it is. I'll let her deal with it from there.
- Tasty... - My sister sighed contentedly, licking her fingers.
- You have a napkin.
- The most delicious things are left on my fingers!
- You can't argue with that.
But we finally had lunch.
- Are you going to talk me out of it? - Sung-yi frowned.
I shrugged my shoulders.
- I'm just sharing my experience as a hunter. I'll give you some advice, but whether you listen to me or not is up to you.
The girl crossed her arms over her chest.
- You're an E-rang hunter, right?
- Yeah, so what?
- Have you fought monsters before?
- I've been trained.
- That's not what I asked you. - I shake my head. - Normal attacks are ineffective against monsters. You'll need enchanted weapons, but even the simplest knives are expensive. If you raid low-rank dungeons, you won't be able to recoup the cost of your equipment before it becomes unusable. And if you don't have a good team, you'll die.
- You're an E-rang too, aren't you, ajussi? - The girl muttered.
- That's... - The sister mewled.
With a mere sigh, I showed the girl my updated licence.
- Ah... - She gaped at me. - W-what? S-rank?
- I passed the re-awakening.
- That's... unbelievable... - Sung-yi's breath just went out of her mouth at such information.
- But, I really was an E-rank hunter before. And, I'll say this... if I had a choice, I would have quit that job long ago.
Jin-A gave me a strange look. I guess her brother always told her that he was fine and didn't need to worry about anything.
- What? But why? - Sung-Yi was surprised.
- Our mum has sleeping sickness. - I explained. - Without this job, I wouldn't be able to pay the bills for her treatment, for our house, for Jin-A's tuition. I didn't have the opportunity to finish my own schooling and education to get a trade. I had to risk my life all the time. Probably if we didn't have a B-rang healer in our group, I would be dead by now. Even though I always went to the safest dungeons.
- B-brother... - Jin-A got worried.
- There's one more thing. You made good money from our contract. But be warned, if E-rang is usually offered that kind of money, it's probably a trap.
- What?
- In the dungeon, you can be killed not only by monsters but also by other hunters. You could be sent ahead to ferret out the boss's weaknesses, you'll die, but the main team will figure out how to deal with the monster. And then they'll just say you had an accident.
Song-Yi now looked really worried.
- ''I'll tell you about two incidents that happened to me just recently. First, I took a contract that was very similar to you and me. I was just supposed to carry things to the dungeon and fill a spot on the team that it would be let into the dungeon. But as we approached the boss, the team leader blocked the passage and triggered the boss. I, with one other person, found myself trapped in the same room with a monster that would have easily killed two C-rank hunters. But, at that time, I was already reawakened and was able to defeat the monster. And then I had to face the rest of the team. Eight hunters who decided to kill us so we wouldn't tell anyone about their crime.
- Then... you...
- I killed them. - I nod.
- Haa? - Jin-A shuddered.
It was probably the first time she had ever seen her brother so cold-blooded. She couldn't understand how I could even talk about murder calmly.
- The second case was more recent. Due to the lack of hunters, the association sent some prisoners to the dungeon under the supervision of Inspector B-rang.
- And these prisoners.
- The problem was with the inspector. He was paid to kill the prisoners. One man didn't want them to ever be released. We were the witnesses.
Sung-yi exhaled tensely.
- 'I don't want to intimidate you. But you must be aware of the dangers you may face. Any unusual occurrence will practically guarantee death for the E-rang in the raid. Chances are, if you become a hunter, you will die.
When I finished, there was a sepulchral silence at our table.
At least I'd given the girls some time to comprehend everything I'd said. And, this speech wasn't just for Sun-yi. I also wanted to let Jun-A know how much her brother was risking for her. But when the silence started to get too oppressive, I got up from the table.
- Okay, that's all I wanted to say. What you do next is up to you. Jin-A, let's go home. Hey, I promised you a cake, let's buy it on the way.
- Brother...'' The girl whispered depressed. - W-why?
- Hmm, what are you talking about?
The girl had already stood up, coming closer.
- Is it really that dangerous?
- Yes.
- W-why? Why didn't you ever talk about it?
- Could I tell you, going on a raid, every time, risking not coming back?
- What if you-- what if you did die?
- You'd get the insurance money and at least you'd be able to finish your studies.
- N-no, what the-
- I promised mum... that I'd take care of you. - I sighed, "I'm sorry that your foul-mouthed brother only found that way. But, that's already in the past, Jin-A. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even started this conversation, especially in front of you.
And he simply took her hand and led her out.
She was very quiet, trying to make sense of the recent conversation. Even when we went to the pastry shop, she was very passive, and, in fact, I chose the cake myself. That's how we got home. And the girl was still as silent as ever. I guess this conversation had affected her more than I thought.
- Yeah... I probably shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't think you'd be so worried.
Jin-A raised her eyebrows pitifully.
- ''Brother... you... you said you've already earned a lot, right? Can we not go to the dungeons now?
- Yes. - I shrugged my shoulders. - But it's a completely different situation now. I don't go raiding because I don't have a choice. I now have enough strength to close dungeons on my own without any risk.
Walking up to my little sister, I ruffled her hair.
- You don't need to worry about me anymore.
The girl lowered her head and took a step towards me and hugged me tightly.
- Oh... and maybe it's a good thing I told you about it! You're so affectionate now. - I hug her back.
- Brother, you... promise me that you won't take any more risks like that....
- I will. - I stroked her head. - Jin-A, I'll definitely come back to my cute little sister.
Just, we need to end this hug soon, because I'm already getting a little embarrassed. Just a little more and my sister will feel it too.
- Ahem... okay. - I pulled away from her. - Let's play something, shall we?
- Mm-hmm...
Playing games helped take her mind off this conversation a little. And half an hour later, she was already wielding the gamepad vigorously, trying to rip my head off in the game.
- Ohhh... Jin-A, how can you be so hard on your brother... - I wrinkled my nose.
- Hehe...
The girl just grinned contentedly as she watched her character naturally slicing up my fighter. First quick stabbing strokes, then a cut from groin to chest, and then a slash through and through. And, Jin-A really has quite a bit of experience in this game, as I, even with my superhuman reactions, couldn't beat her. Well, it's partly logical, even if I could move lightning fast, it doesn't mean that my game character could move the same way.
- Ha ha! I win! The loser has to grant the winner's wishes!
- That wasn't part of the deal.
- Pfft.
- So, tell me what you want and I'll think about whether to spoil you or not.
The girl smiled happily.
- When we choose a new house, let there be a pool. - She said.
- Oh... that's what you mean. So you don't mind moving in? Even if I ask Ju Hee to move in?
- That's the girl who saved you before... well, I guess I don't mind. - A little awkwardly, Jin-A confirmed.
- Alright, I'll introduce you two first, and then we'll look at the options together.
So, our relationship straightened out and, after this conversation, it even got better.
Except that in the evening, when I started packing, my sister got worried. But seeing my relaxed attitude, she calmed down a little. Before I left, I glanced at the girl's shadow, in which the mysterious light of the shadow warrior's eyes flickered.
Alas, although I was worried about her, I was clearly not as worried as Jin Wu. I didn't leave my strongest servants to protect her. I use them in the dungeons so that they too would pump up and become stronger. Because accordingly, by staying in Jin-A's shadow and just keeping an eye on her, the shadow is lagging behind my other servants who are swinging with me at the same time.
Having an idea of what I was about to face, I knew that I needed all the strength I could get.
Well, from ordinary people, weak hunters or monsters, even a shadow warrior can protect a girl. Especially if it's an elite shadow warrior. I don't have any ordinary shadow warriors left at all after the recent raid in the Demon Castle, all the lower ranked shadow warriors have been upgraded to elite. But, it's the same here, the higher the rank, the harder it is to level up to the next rank.
And finally...
- Mr Jin Woo! - I was greeted by Sangmin.
The White Tiger's manager looked very lively, and his gaze directly glowed with triumph. He seemed to have noticed the change in my stats on the association's website. I, on the other hand, paid more attention to the raid group itself. They are all new and trained, but this is their first raid. Nevertheless, there are many B-rank hunters among them. And the leader of the group was an A-rang tank. Even with no experience, it was enough to clear the C-ring's dungeon. And these guys also have the best equipment.
- This is the one..." Kim Chul wrinkled his nose. - The gate is no fun.
- Oh, don't worry, I won't need extra protection. - I smiled. - You can just ignore my presence and lead the group as if I'm not there.
- Hnn... - The tank frowned.
- Kim Chul... - The manager stretched out excitedly.
But I raised my hand without letting him finish.
- If you're ready, then, we can go.
Chul turned to the gate, having lost interest in me.
- Let's go.
As I approached that blob of energy, I felt a power pulsing somewhere deep inside me. The Shadow Monarch's heart was beating vigorously, warning of danger. These red gates, it seems, are a natural anomaly. It wasn't the system that had altered them for the sake of my progress. And yet, I was prepared for what awaited me.
And so I was calm as the gate began to emit a scarlet light.
- W-what the...
The group had already gone inside.
- Hmm, unusual... - And I hurried after them before the gate was locked.
There was a chill coming from the other side.
It was the same gate.
***
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