Chapter 116 – Chapter 116: The Academy’s Lioness – Jeong Su-Ryun (13)

I thought it would go up so quickly.
For Jeong Su-ryun, dungeon phobia must have been the problem she most wanted to solve.
However, it went up so quickly after the first test.

‘It seems that he was in such a hurry.’

It must have been painful up until now.

“Go catch the next monster.”
“Ah, yes. Okay.”

I took the lead, and Jeong Su-ryun followed suit.

‘The atmosphere in the dungeon after a long time isn’t too bad.’

Breathing in the tingling air thick with mana, I headed a little deeper.
Thoughts from the past came to mind.
In the past, I often came to dungeons alone or in a party like this.

I remembered the time when I drew the future while hunting monsters and collecting their by-products.
In the past, I met many colleagues and gave them advice so that they could each grow in different directions.

“Whoa.”

It was a memory that can no longer be returned.

‘Let’s not get caught up in the past.’

I had to think more about the future than the past.
Now we have to create a better future.

“Hey, sir?”

Jeong Su-ryun, who was quietly following me, asked.

“Why?”
“Sensei, he was also a Hunter, right?”
“… Okay. He was a Hunter.”
“Then why did you quit Hunter and become a tutor? It’s a way for Hunter to make more money and become more famous.”

Have you acknowledged it a bit now?
It was Jeong Su-ryun, who was still speaking in half-speak, but her tone was much softer than before.

“Why do you want to be a private tutor?”
“If you are as good as a teacher, I think you can be treated as at least A grade, but even…”
“I think you can get S-class treatment, are you saying?”
“Huh.”

Jeong Su-ryun spoke to me as if she was sincere.

“Do you have any secrets you can’t tell?”
“It’s something I don’t want to say. Because everyone has their own secrets.”
“It is not…”

She ran after me.

“But there are fewer monsters in the dungeon than I thought.”

Perhaps it was awkward, Jeong Su-ryun kept opening her mouth first.
Is it because of the increased aggression?

“It’s a dungeon that’s been created for quite a while, and a certain guild is regularly subjugating monsters so that breaks don’t occur.”

Dungeon Break.
When the gate reached full saturation, she said the gate could not stand it and discharged the monsters.
Most dungeons made money by periodically processing monsters and using by-products to prevent dungeon breaks until the core of the dungeon was found and processed.

I heard that there are guilds that use dungeons like farms, taking advantage of the fact that they don’t disappear unless you break the core.

‘Because now the gates have reached a stable period.’

It was thanks to the level of average hunters that became stronger thanks to subjugating several gates.
Of course, when S-level dungeons or SS-level dungeons appeared, they would create a raiding party and quickly find the core and subdue it.
Since dungeons below grade B were often subjugated without damage, they were often used as a means to obtain by-products.

Times have changed, and so have methods.

“Maybe it will come out in a little while. Then one more test…”

I miss you!!!

I felt a huge echo.

Cooong!

A monster appeared.
An ice goblin that appears as an elite monster in a B-grade dungeon.

– Kreurreung!

A monster that carries a terrible chill and wields a huge bat made of ice.

“We fight like before. I’ll pull the aggro from the front, so finish it.”
“Huh! Okay!”
“If your heart is pounding, or if you suddenly start feeling dizzy, tell me. I will take action right away.”
“Don’t worry. I know that.”

I got into a position.

Throbbing.

“Long time no see. This feeling too.”

Tension of battle.
Unlike Dalian, the feeling of a precarious battlefield where even the slightest mistake can lead to death.
The ice goblin was a monster that couldn’t even hurt me when I was active.
However, the tension of the fight I felt after a long time kept giving me a sense of uplift.

‘What is this?’

However, I could feel it apart from that.

‘I’ve become stronger.’

I felt that the power felt in my whole body was stronger than before.
This must be because whenever the stats of other students go up, my stats also go up slightly.
Statistically, nothing appeared, but the experience was definitely different.

In addition, Yuara’s telekinesis, Lee Hye-ri’s mobile strike, and even Han Mi-na’s hypnosis, which are not used in battle.
3 skills not used.
If you write this…

It was clear that they could attack higher level dungeons in the future.

The ice goblin swung an ice club at me lost in thought.

Wow!

Slightly out of his attack range.
Narrow avoidance.

“Tsk, you’re annoying.”

I drew my saber and slashed the ice club.

Cooong!

-Do you miss it?

The goblin looked at his club with a surprised face.

“You swung harder than I thought.”

Certainly, it still seemed like it would take some time to regain the full sense of the actual battle.

“How long do you think it will take?”

I turned my head and looked at Jeong Soo-ryun.
But she was staring blankly at my back, not the monster.

“What are you doing?”
“To? Oh, I’m sorry! That, I’ll do it soon.”
“Focus. Don’t be distracted during the fight.”

She straightened up and pulled on her string.

Paang!!

The goblin’s head was pierced by a mana arrow.
His body turned into a piece of ice and then collapsed.

Coogg!

After confirming that the ice goblin had completely stopped breathing, I looked back at Jeong Soo-ryun.
I couldn’t do my part properly because I didn’t concentrate during the fight.
This one needed to be said.
It was possible because it was me now, if a party with similar skills made this mistake, the party could suffer damage close to annihilation.

“Hey, Jeong Su-ryun. Are you out of your mind?”
“Oh, that, that! Guilt, sorry, no, me, sorry…”

Jeong Su-ryun hesitated and lowered her head, not even making eye contact with me.

What?
Why is he suddenly like this?

***

The memories of the past still remained in Jeong Su-ryun’s head.

Parental accident.
I don’t know why I keep remembering this all of a sudden.
I thought I had forgotten, but I swore I wouldn’t remember anymore…

Run away, nun!
Run away!

The image of her parents who were willing to sacrifice their own lives to save her.
That scene lingers in my mind over and over again.
Why is that?

Because of hunting monsters?
Did I overcome something myself while avenging my parents?

I don’t know why.
However, Jeong Su-ryun felt her heart lighten.

It still hurts my heart to think of my parents.
Little by little, I found confidence in the thought that I would be able to honor the spirits of the two people, seeing myself taking revenge on the monsters for them.
And that moment.

She remembered her unidentified man who had saved her from her monster.
Her mysterious hunter who killed the monster that killed her parents and recovered the bodies of the two of her.
Thanks to him, she lived and was able to return home safely.

Of course, the grief of losing her parents could not be lightened, but at least she was able to safely hold the funerals of both of them.
If it wasn’t for him…

It occurred to her that she must have been killed by a monster.

The reason Jeong Soo-ryun wanted to become a Hunter.
It prayed to avenge her parents, but she also prayed to protect others, like her nameless hunter who protected herself.

But why, why
Does the figure of the lifesaver, whose identity is still unknown, resemble the back of Kim Si-woo standing in front of her?

Soo-ryun didn’t know.
She realizes that Siwoo Kim’s mana, which permeated her together when he implanted her memories with hypnosis, affected her memories of the past.
Because of that, she suspected that Jung Soo-ryun and Kim Si-woo might be the tall man who saved her.

This was a problem that Kim Si-woo, who implanted her memories, also did not anticipate.

‘No way… Isn’t it?’

No way.
Her lifesaver who saved her becomes her private tutor and comes to heal her trauma.

It was something that could only be achieved through a combination of coincidences and coincidences that made no sense.
How likely is that?

The odds were worse than winning the lottery.

It was unbelievable.
Unless you know in advance.

‘Know in advance… ? If only you knew who I was…’

What if Kim Si-woo came to her because of her regret after seeing her who couldn’t properly enter her dungeon because of her past memories?
At that time, what if she came to help herself in her heart that she couldn’t save properly?

It was a pretty believable story, given that she taught without saying anything in spite of her cocky attitude.
Nor did he approach her through her teaching and her students.
Leading her by forcing her way through her nonsense.

It felt like the pieces of a puzzle were coming together one by one.

She remembered Siwoo Kim’s words that she was a hunter in the past.
She is only a private tutor now, but says that she was once a Hunter.

I was sure of that.

She made her feel her walls, so it was clear that she must have been a strong hunter.

‘That’s right. This man, Mr. Siwoo…’

The hunter who saved her was right.

Jeong Su-ryun was already convinced.

She doesn’t have to hear back from him.
I’ll probably say no.
‘Cause you don’t want to be caught
Because Mr. Long Legs must have been a person who helped others without being noticed by others.

At that time, I met Siwoo Kim, who was dragging the ice goblin’s aggro.

“Focus. Don’t be distracted during the fight.”

Only then did she realize that she was fighting a monster.
The monster was so focused on him that it completely disappeared from her nerves.
She hurriedly got her stance and fired an arrow.

The fear of monsters he had felt until now had long since been forgotten.
She tells her that her monster trauma has long since disappeared.

In her eyes, Kim Si-woo, who was not a monster, kept getting caught.

Throbbing.

My heart raced.
The Hunter who saved himself a long time ago.
I thought that person would be Siwoo Kim.

Somehow it was too strong.

Gulp.

The monster collapsed, and Kim Si-woo approached with his eyes narrowed.
Every time he approached, Jeong Soo-ryun felt her breath suffocate.
I don’t know why.

“M-I’m sorry…”

Words didn’t come out of my mouth.
I’ve never had anything like this before.

“Oh, I won’t be like this from now on.”

She shook her head and avoided Kim Si-woo’s gaze.

Why are you doing this?
Why is your face so red?
Why is the heart beating
Did the dungeon phobia come back again?

It became difficult to breathe.

“What? What’s the matter?”

Siwoo Kim is approaching.

“Hey!”

Jung Soo-ryun hurriedly stepped back.

“Oh, don’t come.”

Because every time he approached, he became stuffy to the point of not being able to breathe.

“Did your dungeon phobia kick in again?”
“I-I don’t think so.”

Jung Soo-ryun twisted her hair and avoided her gaze.
She was her own body, so she knew it well.
This wasn’t dungeon phobia.

This…

***

[Jeong Soo-ryun: Attack Rate – 98%]

After all, it’s good that you’ve gotten better after solving your dungeon phobia.

“Kuh hmm! Whoa, okay, okay. Let’s go now.”

Jeong Soo-ryun’s condition was strange.

After she dealt with the tenth monster, she didn’t even make eye contact with me and kept about five steps away from me.
It’s good that she got rid of her phobia, but why is she doing this?

No way…

I made eye contact with her on purpose.

[Jeong Soo-ryun: Attack Rate – 99%]

That’s right.
I’m hooked.

But why?