NOVEL NEXT Chapter 101
At first, Ye Do-hyeong awkwardly smiled, but soon relaxed his expression and said,
“……These days, there has been a lot of commotion due to the dungeons. How have you been doing?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been fine.”
“That’s a relief. If you’re okay with it, would you like a ride home? Just let me know if it’s inconvenient.”
“Hmm….”
I hesitated for a moment. We weren’t close enough for me to just accept without a second thought.
…but it felt a bit awkward to flat-out refuse.
Since we’d likely be seeing each other often, was there really a reason to put up walls?
Building some rapport might not be a bad idea.
Besides, I had some curiosity brewing.
Noticing my hesitation, Ye Do-hyeong spoke softly,
“Or, I can just call a taxi for you. What do you think?”
“……No, um, since I’m already indebted to you, I’ll take the car to chat a bit with you, Do-hyeong.”
When I slightly lowered my head and replied, Ye Do-hyeong paused for a moment, then smiled subtly.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“……Yes, thank you.”
“Haha, no worries. If I had failed at escorting you, Eun-byeol would have been disappointed and scolded me thoroughly. I should actually be thanking you more.”
Ye Do-hyeong shrugged exaggeratedly. It seemed like he was making an effort to lighten the mood.
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
* * *
…After getting Si-hyun into the car, Ye Do-hyeong took the wheel.
The car slowly began to move.
There was still some awkwardness lingering between Do-hyeong and Si-hyun.
Do-hyeong focused on driving while Si-hyun looked out the window.
‘…This isn’t what I intended.’
Si-hyun pondered for a bit. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how to start the conversation.
Just then, at the perfect moment, Ye Do-hyeong broke the silence.
“How’s your life as a professor at the Academy, Si-hyun?”
“Hmm….”
Si-hyun took a moment to think before answering.
“……It’s enjoyable. The students who work hard are really adorable. It feels rewarding.”
“Ah, I see. You must be quite busy.”
“Well, I’m a part-time instructor, so I’m not all that busy.”
“Oh really? That’s still impressive. Just being a Hunter is tough enough, I couldn’t even dream of becoming a professor at the Academy.”
Do-hyeong smoothly continued the conversation.
Si-hyun narrowed her eyes, looking at Do-hyeong. He was quite good at talking, it seemed.
Feeling Si-hyun’s gaze, Do-hyeong smiled lightly.
‘Looks like the tension is easing.’
As the traffic light turned red, Do-hyeong turned his head slightly to glance at the passenger seat.
Si-hyun’s hand was resting gently on her lap, fiddling with the hem of her clothing.
She adjusted herself, leaning back against the seat.
Do-hyeong wore a relaxed smile and spoke again.
“You continue to venture into dungeons with your Hunter work, right?”
“Ah, yes. I go whenever I have the time.”
Si-hyun, having answered honestly, paused for a moment before asking,
“Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“You’ve tackled several S-rank dungeons, right?”
“Ah yes, although I haven’t had extensive experience since they are quite rare dungeons.”
“Then, you participated in that undead-themed S-rank dungeon, right? How did you find its difficulty compared to other dungeons?”
“Hmm, regarding difficulty….”
Do-hyeong slowly recalled his memories. He didn’t take long to answer.
“While the standard differs for everyone, for me, that dual dungeon was the toughest.”
“……Really?”
“Yes, frankly, I think there might need to be new difficulty ratings established in the future.”
“Ah, I see. That’s helpful. Thank you for the thoughtful answer.”
“Haha, no problem at all.”
When Si-hyun offered a bright smile and thanked him, Do-hyeong modestly replied while looking ahead again.
The red light turned green.
He resumed driving.
Even while focusing on the road, Si-hyun’s lovely smile lingered in his thoughts.
It was the kind of smile that made one’s heart flutter just by looking at it. He wondered if there would be any repercussions later on.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about? I’ll answer earnestly.”
Do-hyeong showed a willingness to take questions.
He wanted to see that smile again.
“……Hmm, well, what else could there be?”
After briefly pondering while looking at Do-hyeong, Si-hyun lightly chuckled and tilted her head slightly.
Her graceful neck was exposed, and her long hair cascaded naturally down her shoulders.
‘There’s really no reason to pass this up.’
Si-hyun mentally checked if there was any more information she needed for what lay ahead and calmly continued the conversation with Do-hyeong.
…When the car finally reached Si-hyun’s home, the previously gloomy sky had cleared up. The clouds had just passed by briefly.
Warm sunlight softly caressed Si-hyun.
* * *
The Academy, an institution for training Hunters.
It offers various facilities for students to conveniently use, from a library to cafes, parks, and auditoriums.
One such facility is the gym.
Super rookie Go Ah-reum had been visiting this place daily recently.
She aimed to strengthen her basic physical condition.
Though still a beginner in exercise, her passion was unmatched by anyone.
‘…Aja aja! Let’s give it our all today too!’
She wanted to become someone like the brilliant Professor Jeong Si-hyun!
This was Ah-reum’s powerful motivator. It was also her firm dream.
Before taking the Introduction to Monsters course, Ah-reum had never really exercised.
Despite that, now she clocked in daily at the gym.
Meeting Si-hyun completely changed Ah-reum’s life.
‘When I get home I need to…’
While tirelessly training her basic fitness, Ah-reum checked her schedule.
She also had to study magic theory learned at the Academy and practice her divine power for Professor Jeong Si-hyun’s assignment. Not to mention constantly tackling dungeons!
Ah-reum’s days were indeed busy, but she was determined not to neglect anything.
She didn’t want to disappoint the professor, who generously spent time on her.
“Ah-reum, hey! You’re really working hard today too.”
“Ah, yes! Jae-woo, hey!”
Jae-woo, whose class ended later than Ah-reum’s, entered the gym.
They exchanged casual chatter.
“Hey, once our first joint class is over, let’s set a date and all go to a D-rank dungeon!”
“Shall we? We’ve done enough prep.”
The Academy organizes joint classes considering the parties formed by Hunters.
The timetable is distributed with that in mind from the get-go.
Ah-reum was referencing that.
And for Jae-woo,
Recently, he had succeeded in ranking up to D-rank around the same time as Eun-byeol.
Now, all party members—Ah-reum, Eun-byeol, and Jae-woo—were D-rank.
Most students tend to dungeon dive during the break after the first semester ends.
They gather practical experience and rank up, which makes it the norm.
So Ah-reum and her friends were achieving the fastest rank-up speed in Academy history.
This super rookie trio unanimously declared this was all thanks to Professor Jeong Si-hyun.
Thus, the prestige and value of Professor Jeong Si-hyun rose steadily.
“Haah… Jae-woo, I’ll head out first.”
“Oh, you did well today too.”
Having finished her workout first, Ah-reum said goodbye to Jae-woo.
After hydrating from her tumbler, she headed to the shower facilities.
While changing after her shower,
Ah-reum accidentally overheard a conversation among other female students.
“Hey, did you see the news just now?”
“Hmm? What news?”
“They say they just cleared an S-rank dungeon that popped up a few days ago.”
“No way? Wow, that’s insane! Which guild did it?”
As the other girl reacted with surprise, the one who initiated the conversation wore an intrigued smile.
“They’ve kept that part a strict secret at the Management Agency, so no one knows.”
“Huh? Why keep it a secret?”
“Who knows? Personally, I’m thinking it might be that mysterious nun we talked about before.”
“Ohhh, I remember that story.”
The two gossip-loving girls became engrossed in their talk.
However, this topic didn’t last long.
There simply wasn’t enough material to discuss regarding the mysterious nun.
“Oh, by the way, I heard that the World Hunter Association announced that higher-ranked dungeons than S-rank are starting to appear?”
“I heard about that! That’s really terrifying.”
The two women smoothly transitioned to a new topic.
Ah-reum also listened with one ear while moving along her way.
* * *
Morning time. At home, Si-hyun was enjoying a relaxed morning.
After a simple breakfast, she sat on the couch with her younger sister, watching the news on TV.
– A failed observation gate has occurred in Busan. While the assault was successful, because it was a conditional dungeon, many citizens and Hunters lost their lives.
– American returnee Evan Harper stated that improvements to equipment are still in the works.
– As a result, a trend is emerging among Hunters to consider entering dungeons more cautiously.
Si-hyun, staring blankly at the news, turned to look at her sister.
“Si-yoon.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I think it’s about time to make another accessory.”
“Suddenly? The bracelet you gave me before is still fine!”
As Si-yoon waved her wrist to show the bracelet, Si-hyun shook her head.
“No, it’s not enough. I need to make something that can last until I get there, even if I’m thrown into a dungeon.”
“……Wouldn’t that be too expensive?”
“Hmm.”
Si-hyun placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
“If I reveal my identity! The Hunter Management Agency would throw hundreds of billions my way!”
“Whoa….”
Si-yoon’s eyes widened.
She was aware that her older sister had a lot of money these days, but that number was beyond what she could imagine.
At home, she was a cute little sister type, but out in the world, she was an exceedingly impressive person.
“How should I make it this time? Should it be the same as the bracelet? Or maybe a necklace?”
“Um, I’m not sure…”
Watching the enthusiastically inquiring Si-hyun, Si-yoon awkwardly scratched her cheeks.
It seemed she needed to quickly figure out the summer-themed merchandise she was preparing.