"Shishō, what are you doing here?" Sung Jinwoo asked, startled.
"I came to see you." Scáthach narrowed one eye, smiling. "With all the nasty comments you've been getting, I figured I'm partly to blame. After all, you backed out of this operation because you knew I'd be watching their backs."
"How could that be your fault? This was my choice. Whatever the outcome, it's on me to bear it."
Scáthach studied his face and could tell he wasn't forcing out pretty words. He meant it.
"Hm. Not bad. You're starting to look more and more like a proper warrior." A faint smile surfaced in Scáthach's crimson eyes. "Delightful. Truly delightful. Watching a warrior grow under my guidance, step by step into maturity… it's satisfying in a way few things are."
Being looked at with something close to a fond, almost maternal gaze by a young, striking woman would normally feel strange—yet Jinwoo didn't find it odd at all. He knew perfectly well that she only looked young. Her true age was… unknown.
…And if he kept thinking about it, it would get dangerous, so he cut it off. Those who knew, knew.
To keep Scáthach from reading his thoughts, Sung Jinwoo hurriedly changed the subject.
"Shishō, where's Esil? Didn't you say you'd arranged more training for her, to make her stronger before the Jeju Island operation?"
"Esil is fine. I made sure everything was set before I came." Scáthach replied casually. "I left her homework: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run. At her level, she can manage even without me hovering over her."
Sung Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. That was too easy—so easy it didn't feel like something Scáthach would come up with.
"…That's it?"
"Of course." Scáthach's smile turned faintly innocent. "I'm not some devil who takes pleasure in torturing people… I only increased the gravity around her a little, that's all."
Jinwoo would've bet his life that Scáthach's "a little" and a normal person's "a little" were separated by an ocean.
Scáthach was an S-Rank Hunter now, but unlike Jinwoo, she didn't have to worry about waves of hate. The Hunters Association hadn't released any information about her—name, appearance, contact details, nothing. To the public, she was barely more than a rumor: an S-Rank exists, somewhere.
Esil, on the other hand, had become a crowd favorite. Before her, South Korea had only one female S-Rank Hunter—Cha Hae-In. Esil was cute, and despite not being Korean and having only recently become S-Rank, she was still willing to join the extremely dangerous Jeju Island operation. In just a few days, she'd built a surprising amount of popularity.
Online, people compared Esil and Sung Jinwoo constantly.
More pedestrians were starting to turn and look. They didn't recognize Scáthach, but they recognized Sung Jinwoo. He'd put on a cap precisely to avoid being identified in public, but it clearly wasn't working.
They'd lingered too long. They decided to move somewhere else to talk—right as Sung Jinwoo's phone rang.
It was his little fanboy, Yoo Jinho.
"Hyung! I found us a place for our guild office. Want to come take a look?"
Yoo Jinho—the second son of Yoo Myunghan, chairman of Yoojin Construction—was only a D-Rank Hunter, but he was also filthy rich. He'd met Sung Jinwoo during a party raid clearing a C-Rank Dungeon. That was the same raid where Hwang Dongsuk tried to screw them over and steal all the loot, even eyeing the expensive equipment Yoo Jinho was wearing.
In the end, Sung Jinwoo killed Hwang Dongsuk, and from that day on, Yoo Jinho became his devoted fanboy. Back then, Jinwoo had only recently gained the System and was badly short on cash. It was Yoo Jinho who paid a steep price to hire him for dungeon clears.
"Hyung, what do you think?" Yoo Jinho said excitedly. "I picked the best one out of all the places near your house!"
When they arrived, Yoo Jinho immediately launched into an enthusiastic tour.
Because the place had only just been purchased, there were only a few desks and office chairs. It felt empty.
"It's so small," Scáthach said without thinking, sweeping her gaze once and taking in the entire room.
"Isn't this too big for us?" Sung Jinwoo asked reflexively, looking around.
Then both of them turned to each other, surprised—because their opinions were completely opposite.
"What are you saying, hyung?" Yoo Jinho hurried to explain. "A guild needs at least three Hunters to be officially established—guild master, vice guild master, and at least one employee."
"So we still need to recruit one more?"
Sung Jinwoo's expression tightened as he seriously considered which acquaintance he could drag in just to fill a slot.
"By the way, hyung…" Yoo Jinho tugged his sleeve and pulled him aside. He leaned in, pointed at Scáthach, and whispered, "Who is that woman with you? I've never seen her before."
"She's—"
"Little Jinwoo," Scáthach cut in, one hand resting lightly at her waist. She tilted her head, lips curling with amused interest. "You're starting a guild? You never told me."
"You—who do you think you are?!" Yoo Jinho snapped before Sung Jinwoo could speak.
"'Little Jinwoo'? Who gave you permission to call my hyung that? My hyung is an invincible S-Rank Hunter! You're just some girl who looks young—what makes you think you can talk to him like that? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you've got a pretty face and some charm! The bond between me and my hyung is something a little girl like you could never shake!"
He worked himself into a frenzy. If Sung Jinwoo hadn't grabbed him, he might've ended up pointing a finger right in Scáthach's face.
"Hyung, why are you stopping me? Don't you think she's way out of line? I'm standing up for you—"
"She's my Shishō… and like me, she's also an S-Rank Hunter," Sung Jinwoo said quietly. "If you make her angry, even I won't be able to save you. Worst case, I'll be right there with you when she beats us to death."
Yoo Jinho froze like a statue.
"M-Ma'am! Boss! Goddess! I'm sorry! I had eyes but failed to see greatness! Please—please let me off! Treat me like a fart and let it out!"
The moment he snapped back to himself, Yoo Jinho dropped into a knee-slide and went straight into a full prostration—smooth as flowing water.
It was so absurdly entertaining you'd never guess he was a rich heir worth hundreds of millions.
"Enough." Scáthach chuckled. "Ignorance isn't a sin. I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge against a kid who doesn't know better."
"Yes! I'll carve it into my heart!"
Scáthach nodded, then turned her gaze to Sung Jinwoo.
"If you're short on people, you can count me in. I've never joined a guild."
"If it's you, Shishō… would you be guild master?"
The image of him as guild master while his Shishō worked as an ordinary employee was terrifying to even imagine.
"No. Being guild master is too much trouble." Scáthach waved it off. "I'm only joining to make up the numbers. Other guilds are boring. A guild founded by little Jinwoo sounds far more interesting."
She strolled to a desk and sat on the edge of it with easy grace, like she owned the place.
"By the way—why not pull Esil in too?"
"If we do that, our guild would instantly have the most S-Rank Hunters in all of South Korea."
Sung Jinwoo. Scáthach. Esil. Three S-Ranks at once—while even the top Hunters Guild only had two.
Yoo Jinho listened from the side, feeling crushing pressure.
Guild Master Sung Jinwoo was S-Rank. Both "employees" were S-Rank. And then the vice guild master—him—was D-Rank.
Was that even normal?
"Then why not bring Cha Hae-In as well?" Scáthach mused. "That way, my two disciples could be in the same guild."
"Shishō, Hunter Cha already belongs to a guild. If we poach from the Hunters Guild, Guild Master Choi Jong-In will come after us."
...
Later, Scáthach followed Sung Jinwoo home. His mother and younger sister welcomed her warmly, and they ate a meal together.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the Jeju Island operation.
Helicopters carrying the participating S-Rank Hunters flew straight toward Jeju Island.
Out at sea, a fourth-class destroyer and twelve frigates held position. The heavy non-mana weapons mounted on the ships weren't very effective against monsters; their main role was transport. The A-Rank and B-Rank Hunters—those below S-Rank—would be ferried in to form an encirclement and prevent the ant monsters from escaping Jeju Island.
Hunters below B-Rank would remain on the mainland to defend the country.
A total of five thousand people participated in the operation. Even retired Hunters—and people who had taken the Awakened test but never became Hunters—joined in, contributing what they could to protect their home.
On the helicopter, besides the S-Rank Hunters, there was also a cameraman. He would broadcast the operation live, letting the nation see the battle as it unfolded.
Though he was a cameraman, he was also an A-Rank Hunter—otherwise he would never have been allowed anywhere near the front line.
"What's wrong? You look tense." Cha Hae-In lifted her head and met Choi Jong-In's eyes beside her.
"It's nothing." Cha Hae-In lowered her gaze, her expression complicated. "I can understand why Miss Scáthach isn't coming, but… why isn't Hunter Sung Jinwoo participating in this battle?"
As she spoke, she stole a glance toward the corner—where Esil sat silently, saying nothing.
"I asked Esil. I wanted to know what Miss Scáthach and Hunter Sung Jinwoo were planning, but Esil wouldn't tell me anything…" Cha Hae-In's voice thinned. "If they were here, it might even be possible to take Jeju Island back without a single casualty…"
"They must have their reasons," Choi Jong-In said, though he wasn't sure how to comfort her. He didn't know those two as well as Cha Hae-In did. "All we can do is handle what's in front of us. Don't let anything else distract you."
"…I understand, Guild Master."
Cha Hae-In exhaled softly. When she opened her eyes again, it was as if every trace of uncertainty had been cast away—leaving only resolve as unyielding as bedrock.
She would never blame Scáthach and Sung Jinwoo. After all, everything she'd achieved today was because of them.
As Jeju Island drew closer, Cha Hae-In silently replayed Scáthach's teachings, forcing herself into peak condition.
Japan's Hunters landed earlier than Cha Hae-In's group.
What had once been Jeju City was now a dead city.
Not a single human figure could be found. Corpses of ant monsters—some larger than grown adults—were scattered everywhere. Trapped on Jeju Island, with no humans left to eat, the ant monsters had been forced to feed on their own kind to survive.
According to the plan, Japan's S-Rank Hunters spread out to four points across the island and released their mana at the same time. Ant monsters were drawn to powerful mana signatures; using them as bait would drastically thin the guards around the Ant Queen.
Soon, Cha Hae-In's side completed their landing as well. They didn't waste time getting bogged down by endless swarms. Instead, they made straight for White Deer Lake—now remodeled into an ant nest—where the Ant Queen was said to be.
...
Bang!
Akari Shimizu, a healer, swung an axe larger than her entire body, smashing one ant after another as they surged in. The blade quickly turned slick with purple blood.
"Hah… this is ridiculous." Akari adjusted her breathing and flicked her chin toward the mountaintop. "That huge commotion—was that Choi Jong-In, the one they call 'humanity's ultimate soldier'?"
"Even from here you can see the firelight." Tatsumi Fujishima, who was on the same team, spoke slowly, awe in his voice. "In weather this gloomy, it's like a little sun."
Then Tatsumi glanced at Akari. "By the way—Goto-san told you to work hard at getting along with Hunter Scáthach. Any progress?"
Akari's face brightened with smug pride.
"Heh, heh, heh! Kanae-neesan and I really put in the effort. We've already gone shopping together and eaten together. We're good friends now! I've even figured out her tastes."
"Is that so?" Tatsumi said. "Sounds like a good thing—though even if you explained it in detail, I probably wouldn't understand."
"Of course you wouldn't. It's girl talk. You boys don't know shit."
"Oi! Akari, heal me!" Kenzo Tanaka came over covered in blood—both ant blood and his own. "These ants are nastier than we expected."
"Heal you? Sure." Akari's lips curved into the smile of a swindler. "Agree to one condition, and I'll—"
None of the three S-Rank Hunters present sensed the danger closing in.
Too fast.
It moved so fast it left even wind and sound behind.
When its claw reached for Akari's throat, she still wore that naive smile, busy thinking about how to squeeze Kenzo for a bigger price.
At the very last instant, a long spear snapped across and intercepted the strike.
CLANG—!
The razor claw—sharp enough to rip steel like paper—smashed against the spearhead. The impact rang out like a great bell, deep and resounding, and blinding sparks exploded outward.
The shockwave hurled Akari back. Even as someone caught her, she still didn't understand what had happened—her eyes blank, her face drained.
They all stared toward the center of the clash—toward the source of that bone-deep fear—and then…
They saw the two sides locked together.
The figure holding the spear was familiar: one of the S-Ranks who had come to fight—
Esil.
And facing her…
Was an ant.
A black ant, close to human size and shape, radiating terrifying pressure with every breath. Under that aura—strong enough to bend even the light—S-Rank Hunters like them felt despair and helplessness clawing up from the depths of their hearts.
---
T/N: YESSSSS ESIL AURA FARM!!! cant believe she really died in canon :sob: (akari)