The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 13

Joo-ah focused on Restoration magic.

 

She tried to increase the amount of recovery as much as possible without using her Mana recklessly. She could feel the recovery amount increasing as her concentration improved, but it still wasn’t enough.

 

Restoration magic alone couldn’t do much to help her teammates.

 

Jae-rim swung his sword, but the monster blocked it effortlessly. With a roar, it shoved him away with its thick hand. Jae-rim was sent flying and slammed his back hard against the floor.

 

The monster charged at him. Jae-rim barely managed to block its massive foot with his hands.

 

Yeon-joo was struggling to get back up.

 

Watching the two of them from behind, Joo-ah gritted her teeth.

 

Restoration magic was useless in this situation. She needed a more effective ability.

 

Joo-ah checked how much Mana she had left.

 

【Mana: 53 / 193 (-90)】

 

Her light brown eyes stared straight ahead. Jae-rim’s sword trembled as he struggled to hold back the virtual monster.

 

Joo-ah raised her hand and tried to draw out as much of her remaining Mana as possible.

 

This wasn’t the time to use Restoration magic. She needed to increase Jae-rim’s defense. His attack power also had to improve in preparation for the fight ahead.

 

She concentrated on the energy she could feel at her fingertips.

 

Now was the time to use Enhancement magic.

 

She sensed the flow of Mana. Within the pitch-black darkness, she saw golden energy burning fiercely. A vivid flame reflected in Joo-ah’s eyes.

 

Golden light surged through Jae-rim’s body. His sword, which had been trembling under the monster’s weight, became sturdy, as if it had been encased in something solid. Joo-ah saw him turn his head in surprise.

 

Their eyes met briefly before he effortlessly pushed the monster away. Green wind formed a circular ring around the sword in his hand. A refreshing breeze swept through the training room.

 

The monster began thrashing wildly, as if enraged. Its gray body hardened like armor. It charged forward, then leaped into the air in an instant. Its body, covered in heavy steel, came crashing down toward Jae-rim.

 

BOOM!

 

White smoke filled the air, and the floor was crushed beneath the impact. However, the area where Jae-rim stood remained intact. A circular barrier had formed around him.

 

Now it was Jae-rim’s turn.

 

He stomped on the monster’s leg, climbed upward, and sliced its body apart with a single swing of his longsword.

 

The training ended quickly.

 

The training room, which had sustained damage as if the battle had been real, returned to its original state as though nothing had happened. This was because the entire training room was virtual.

 

However, the Hunters’ injuries didn’t disappear completely. To improve the effectiveness of their training, the system was designed so that they would physically experience half the impact of the attacks.

 

Jae-rim returned his longsword to his inventory. Yeon-joo also slowly stood up, letting out a small gasp of admiration.

 

“Hunter Seo Joo-ah just used Enhancement magic, didn’t she? Jae-rim’s stats seem to have increased tremendously.”

 

Both of them turned to look at Joo-ah behind them.

 

Joo-ah stared at them blankly before suddenly clutching her head and sinking to the floor.

 

Yeon-joo and Jae-rim hurried over with startled expressions.

 

“Hunter Seo Joo-ah, what’s wrong?!”

 

Joo-ah held her head in her hands and tried to catch her breath. She pressed her lower lip tightly between her teeth before lifting her head. Her gaze fell on the glass wall outside the training area.

 

More precisely, she was looking at Chan-hee, who stood in front of the glass wall with his arms crossed, watching the training session with an amused expression.

 

Jae-rim followed her gaze, and his expression hardened.

 

“Wait. Was it Yoo Chan-hee who caused your stats to increase so excessively just now?”

 

Joo-ah felt so sick that she was on the verge of retching. Her head throbbed as if someone were hammering it, and she could barely breathe.

 

She lowered her head again and gritted her teeth.

 

Meanwhile, the tightly shut training room door opened. Chan-hee strolled inside with his hands in his trouser pockets.

 

Yeon-joo asked in a sharp voice,

 

“Yoo Chan-hee, did you use your ability on Hunter Seo Joo-ah?”

 

Chan-hee curved his lips into a smooth smile at her question and looked at Joo-ah, who was sitting on the floor.

 

“She was struggling too hard despite her low rank.”

 

He shrugged and grinned.

 

“I was just helping her.”

 

Jae-rim spoke in a much lower voice.

 

“You know you’re not allowed to use your ability on someone without their consent, right? And look at the difference between your rank and Hunter Seo Joo-ah’s. How could you do something so dangerous?”

 

Chan-hee shrugged in response.

 

“Well, whose fault is it that her rank is so low? I was only trying to help my teammate out of the goodness of my heart.”

 

His tone was playful. Joo-ah lifted her head and glared at him. Even under her furious gaze, he merely smiled.

 

During the training session, Jae-rim’s attack and defense had increased dramatically. Joo-ah had used Enhancement magic from behind, but the result wasn’t entirely her doing.

 

In the first place, it made no sense for an E-rank Hunter like Joo-ah to increase Jae-rim’s stats so drastically.

 

If Chan-hee hadn’t controlled Joo-ah’s Enhancement magic from outside the training room, Jae-rim wouldn’t have been able to defeat the S-rank virtual monster so easily.

 

However, as Jae-rim had said, using one’s abilities on a teammate without consent was prohibited by the Association. This rule applied even between members of the same team.

 

Of course, when entering a Tower or participating in training that everyone had agreed to, the Hunters implicitly consented to one another’s assistance. But what Chan-hee had done just now was unquestionably an act of his own accord.

 

The consequences were especially severe for lower-ranked Hunters when there was a significant difference in rank, as was the case between Joo-ah and Chan-hee.

 

The headache, nausea, and difficulty breathing that Joo-ah was experiencing were typical symptoms. If Chan-hee had used his Controller ability any more excessively, she might even have lost consciousness.

 

“Hunter Seo Joo-ah, are you okay? You should go outside and rest for a while.”

 

Yeon-joo carefully helped Joo-ah to her feet. As Joo-ah passed him, Chan-hee clicked his tongue.

 

“Stop being so dramatic.”

 

Joo-ah’s steps came to an abrupt halt as she was walking toward the exit. She shook off Yeon-joo’s support and strode toward Chan-hee.

 

He had been walking farther into the training area, but he frowned and turned around.

 

His eyes met Joo-ah’s dark brown ones.

 

“If you pull a stunt like that on me one more time…”

 

She looked straight up at Chan-hee and spoke in a chilling voice.

 

“I won’t let you get away with it.”

 

Her calm voice echoed throughout the training room. Despite her slender frame, she had the presence of someone who could burst into flames at any moment.

 

Chan-hee merely looked at her with a crooked expression.

 

Joo-ah glared at him fiercely, then turned around and strode out of the training room on her own, without Yeon-joo’s help.

 

Watching Joo-ah leave, Yeon-joo chuckled softly and said to Chan-hee,

 

“Looks like you just got put in your place instead.”

 

Chan-hee’s face twisted in an unpleasant grimace.

 

He turned his gaze toward the direction Joo-ah had gone.

 

She had already closed the training room door and left.

 

Once training was over, Joo-ah left the special-class room without looking back.

 

As she took the elevator down and exited the training center, she muttered under her breath,

 

“What an obnoxious bastard.”

 

【Anonymous Constellation prepares to rush out and execute Yoo Chan-hee for making their big sister angry.】

 

Joo-ah gave a small snort as she looked at the status window floating in the air.

 

“I won’t stop you.”

 

She searched her inventory for the mid-grade longsword. After briefly looking around, Joo-ah headed toward the Second Tower.

 

【Anonymous Constellation wonders where their big sister is going in such a hurry.】

 

“Where else? I’m going to kill monsters.”

 

An alert announcing a Gate occurrence had sounded before the training session ended. The boss hadn’t been defeated yet, so monsters were still roaming around.

 

Joo-ah spotted a monster wandering behind a car and quickly rushed toward it, swinging her sword.

 

【Anonymous Constellation wonders why their big sister has suddenly started hunting monsters and is curious about her intentions.】

 

After easily defeating an E-rank monster, Joo-ah extracted the magic stone from its head.

 

“Why are you asking when you already know? I’m trying to unlock my Second Awakening. I have to kill a hundred monsters, after all.”

 

She placed the magic stone in her item box and opened the system window.

 

【Special Skill: Angel’s Blessing】

 

First Awakening: Divine Protection

 

Second Awakening: ??? (Defeat 100 monsters. 1/100)

 

Until now, Joo-ah had avoided fighting monsters unless it was absolutely necessary. The reason was simple: her rank was far too low.

 

She could get enough training by fighting virtual monsters in the special-class room or regular training rooms, where her safety was guaranteed.

 

【Anonymous Constellation proudly raises their chin, asking if their big sister has finally recognized their true worth.】

 

Joo-ah let out a breathy laugh and replied indifferently,

 

“I’ve finally recognized your true worth, but even I don’t know when I’ll manage to kill the remaining ninety-nine monsters.”

 

Her hidden skill was an incredibly attractive ability. Above all, it was undoubtedly useful and necessary for someone whose rank was so low.

 

Therefore, she needed to defeat monsters to unlock her Second Awakening. With Divine Protection, she no longer had much to fear.

 

Joo-ah spotted a D-rank monster attacking an ordinary person in front of a building across the street and took out her Taser Gun.

 

The distance was a little far, bu

t that didn’t matter.

 

Joo-ah aimed her gun directly at the monster.

 

BANG!

 

The bullet struck its head precisely, and the monster collapsed on the spot.

 

She had ninety-eight monsters left to kill.