The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 12
Joo-ah couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Chan-hee knew perfectly well that she had entered the special-class room, yet he continued his affectionate display without stopping.
No, if anything, he kissed the woman even more passionately.
The warm air inside the special-class room was filled with nothing but the embarrassing sounds of their intimate actions.
What was even more ridiculous was that Chan-hee never took his eyes off Joo-ah, even while passionately kissing the woman. His gaze was so suggestive and languid that Joo-ah forgot she was supposed to leave and simply stared back at him in a daze.
Chan-hee finally pulled his lips away from hers. A wet, smacking sound followed. The corners of his eyes narrowed as he continued looking at Joo-ah.
With a mischievous expression, Chan-hee smiled and mouthed a word.
“Pervert.”
He formed the word with his lips alone.
Joo-ah stared at him for a moment before furrowing her brows and turning around.
SLAM!
She deliberately shut the door loudly and left the special-class room.
The woman who had been tangled up with Chan-hee had probably only just realized that someone had entered the room.
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah, why are you here?”
Before long, Yeon-joo and Jae-rim arrived.
Joo-ah was standing in the training center hallway with her back against the wall. At Yeon-joo’s question, she answered with a bored expression.
“Hunter Yoo Chan-hee wouldn’t let me in.”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t Chan-hee let you in?”
Yeon-joo tilted her head in confusion and reached for the doorknob. Jae-rim, who had been silently watching Joo-ah, also moved toward the special-class room.
However, before they could enter, the door opened from the inside, and Chan-hee stepped out. The woman he had been getting intimate with was hiding behind him.
It wasn’t the woman with twin ponytails who had come looking for Chan-hee in the special-class room before.
Yeon-joo was so shocked that she exclaimed,
“Yoo Chan-hee! You brought another woman into the special-class room?!”
At her voice, Chan-hee casually raised the corners of his mouth and glanced at Joo-ah standing against the wall. Then he pointed toward the woman hiding behind him.
“I’ll walk her out.”
“How many times have I told you not to bring women into the special-class room?”
Yeon-joo continued scolding him, but Chan-hee seemed accustomed to it. He waved his hand and walked away.
Joo-ah watched his retreating figure with an expression of utter disdain.
“Let’s go inside.”
Yeon-joo entered the special-class room and spoke to Joo-ah. Only then did Joo-ah move from her spot. Jae-rim followed behind them.
“Oh? Did Hunter Seo Joo-ah do this?”
Yeon-joo asked as she looked at the four flowerpots by the window. Beautiful flowers of various colors were blooming in them.
“Yes. I’d say it turned out pretty well, don’t you think?”
Joo-ah smiled as she spoke. Yeon-joo nodded and examined the flowerpots.
“It’s more than just pretty well! Look how lively the flowers are.”
Yeon-joo called out to Jae-rim, who was about to enter the training room.
“Come take a look at this. Hunter Seo Joo-ah did it.”
Jae-rim glanced at Yeon-joo, then turned his head to meet Joo-ah’s eyes.
“I’ve already seen them.”
Yeon-joo looked puzzled by his answer.
“When? We were still on our training break yesterday.”
“I slept here this morning.”
Only then did Yeon-joo understand. She nodded, and Jae-rim headed back toward the training room.
Yeon-joo turned to Joo-ah and asked,
“Would you like to train with us today? We’ll handle the fighting, so just stay behind us and use Restoration magic.”
Hunters with healing abilities usually stayed in the rear and supported their teammates. Moreover, with Joo-ah’s current rank, directly confronting high-ranked monsters was too much for her. The safest option was to train under her teammates’ protection.
Joo-ah had no reason to refuse.
She had already fought an A-rank virtual monster once before and had continued practicing against virtual monsters in the regular training rooms.
“Yes, I’ll train with you.”
Yeon-joo nodded at Joo-ah’s answer and opened the training room door. When they entered, Jae-rim stopped midway through selecting a monster’s level and turned to look at Joo-ah.
He frowned and looked at Yeon-joo.
“Isn’t it a little too soon?”
He was talking about Joo-ah. Yeon-joo explained her role briefly, as if it were no problem.
“Healing-type Hunters usually stay in the rear anyway. I’ll have her practice using Restoration magic from behind us.”
Jae-rim sighed at her words and turned his gaze forward.
His finger was about to select SS-rank on the system window, but he moved it upward and selected A-rank twice.
Soon, a virtual monster appeared in the center of the training room.
Jae-rim took a longsword out of his inventory. An A-rank monster would probably be a relatively easy opponent for him.
Yeon-joo cast an ice spell. Blue energy flowed from her hands and struck the monsters. They nearly turned into blue statues, but before long, they broke through the magic. The monsters rushed toward Yeon-joo in an instant.
Jae-rim moved in front of her and blocked the monsters with his sword.
CLANG!
The sharp clash of blades echoed throughout the training room.
Pointed chunks of ice formed above the monsters. When Yeon-joo lowered her hand, the ice suspended in the air attacked the monsters with terrifying force.
The ground shook, and the monsters’ groans echoed through the training room.
Just then, Yeon-joo turned around and shouted at Joo-ah.
“Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and increase our stats!”
Joo-ah had been watching their fight silently. She hurriedly cast Restoration magic.
White light surged around Yeon-joo.
【Mana: 617 / 823 (+24)】
The numbers were pathetic. Joo-ah then increased Jae-rim’s stamina.
【Stamina: 1421 / 1520 (+29)】
Joo-ah’s expression darkened. She had finally come face-to-face with the limitations of her E-rank.
If this had been a real battle and they had encountered a stronger monster, she wouldn’t have been able to help her teammates at all.
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah.”
After finishing off the fallen monster with his massive longsword, Jae-rim spoke in a calm voice.
“You said you preferred someone to acknowledge the process rather than the result, didn’t you?”
Joo-ah turned her head to look at him. Jae-rim quietly watched the remaining monster and tightened his grip on his sword before continuing.
“I agree with that. However, when it comes to actual combat, it’s true that we can’t focus only on the process. That’s because we’re not alone.”
“…”
“We’re fighting alongside our teammates, so we have no choice but to care more about the result. If we make a mistake, our own shortcomings could get a teammate killed.”
There was a faint strength in Jae-rim’s voice as he spoke his final sentence. Joo-ah couldn’t tell why.
But he wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t the time to feel discouraged.
Joo-ah focused on the monster.
Jae-rim turned to her and asked,
“Can you cast more protective magic on us?”
Joo-ah nodded.
“Yes. I’ll keep trying until the end.”
Jae-rim quickly rushed toward the monster and swung his sword. Yeon-joo unleashed a barrage of ice bombs. The monster writhed in pain and attacked them recklessly.
From behind, Joo-ah cast Restoration magic on Yeon-joo and Jae-rim.
【Stamina: 771 / 943 (-20/+26)】
【Mana: 546 / 823 (-100/+29)】
【Stamina: 1444 / 1520 (-7/+30)】
【Mana: 1321 / 1321 (-9/+9)】
Both of their stats increased. The numbers were still insignificant, but Joo-ah continued helping them recover.
The monster disappeared after Yeon-joo landed the final blow.
This time, Jae-rim summoned an S-rank virtual monster.
Joo-ah became aware of the tension stiffening her body. A strange sense of pressure filled the room, as though she could sense the danger.
When Joo-ah tried to cast Restoration magic on them, Yeon-joo turned around and spoke.
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah. It’s good that you’re focusing on your teammates, but make sure you take care of yourself before using magic.”
Only then did Joo-ah let out a small gasp and check her own stats.
【Stamina: 213 / 263 (-50)】
【Mana: 43 / 193 (-150)】
She had used up quite a lot of Mana.
When she used Restoration magic on her teammates, it consumed some of her own Stamina as well as Mana.
If she used the spell one more time with the Mana she had left, she wouldn’t be able to continue training.
She simply didn’t have enough Mana.
Joo-ah thought for a moment. What she needed during training was Mana. However, if she used Restoration magic on herself, her Stamina would increase while her Mana decreased.
Either way, she wouldn’t be able to continue training.
“You’re in a difficult situation, aren’t you?”
Yeon-joo, who was fighting the monster, turned her head toward Joo-ah. Then she took something out of her item box.
“That’s what happens when you use your Mana too carelessly.”
She tossed a small green bottle toward Joo-ah. Joo-ah caught it with a puzzled expression.
“It’s a Mana recovery potion. You should be able to keep training for a while after drinking it, so give it a try.”
Joo-ah looked momentarily flustered. She hadn’t expected Yeon-joo to hand over one of her own items so readily.
“…Thank you.”
【Mana: 143 / 193 (+100)】
After drinking the potion, Joo-ah’s Mana increased by much more than she had expected.
Yeon-joo cast an ice spell to immobilize the monster. Seizing the opportunity, Jae-rim fired his Taser Gun.
BANG!
A sharp gunshot rang through the training room. However, the monster was no easy opponent. It shattered Yeon-joo’s ice in an instant, then struck downward with its hand and deflected the bullet.
While Yeon-joo staggered, the monster charged toward her. It crushed her body beneath its massive foot and let out a terrifying roar. Yeon-joo’s Stamina was dropping rapidly.
Joo-ah hurriedly cast Restoration magic.
【Stamina: 102 / 943 (+32)】
【Mana: 132 / 823 (+29
)】
It was nowhere near enough. The monster’s continued attacks were causing Yeon-joo’s Stamina to plummet.
Jae-rim fired his Taser Gun from behind, but it barely worked. In the end, he switched weapons in his inventory and drew his longsword.
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