Chapter 860

EP.860 [Light Novel Side Story] Death Dinastia of the Eternal Sky Volume 1 Chapter 7

January 29th. That is, on Seollal morning.

Yuinah’s relatives gathered as usual at Yuna’s house in New Seoul. Although Yuna’s parents weren’t too thrilled about it, Yuna reassured them she was fine while trying to comfort her parents. And just as Yuna’s parents feared, reality struck.

“So, our Sungyun got into New Seoul University, right? In the Magical Engineering Department, no less!”

“Congratulations.”

Yuna sincerely congratulated her cousin Sungyun. Having gotten into New Seoul University’s Magical Engineering Department herself, Yuna knew all too well how difficult it was to get in.

“Yeah. Congratulations.”

Yuna’s father couldn’t hide his discomfort. Despite Yuna’s mother giving him a nudge from beside, Yuna’s father couldn’t contain his irritation.

“Thanks, Yuna-sshi.”

The pride Sungyun showed while smiling at someone was painfully obvious.

“It’s such a shame you couldn’t be my senior. I heard you ranked second in your entrance exams?”

“…Yeah.”

It was an obvious provocation. Yuna clenched her trembling fists tightly but didn’t lose her smile. This level of humiliation had become commonplace for her ever since Academy days. Because Yuna endured it, her parents refrained from getting angry too.

“That’s true. Congrats. You must’ve worked really hard studying.”

“Hard work? I studied using the materials you passed down, so this much was expected. Still, it’s really disappointing. You could’ve been my senior by one year if only you hadn’t gone to Hero Academy.”

“Sungyun.”

Even his father tried to rein him in, but Sungyun made no effort to hide his feelings.

“Hey, I heard that all the guild applications you submitted recently failed, right? What are you going to do? How will you manage second-year classes?”

“Yo, Sungyun!!”

Sungyun was reprimanded harshly by his father, making the atmosphere among the relatives gathered in the living room awkward. The first person to break the silence was none other than Yuna.

“Well, there hasn’t been a case like mine before, so the professors said they’ll discuss after the holidays.”

Yuna scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. Yuna’s mother dramatically stood up, urging Yuna to join her.

“Yuna, let’s go peel some fruit together, shall we?”

“Yeah.”

Though extremely uncomfortable, Yuna obediently followed her mother into the kitchen. ‘Escape’ was the appropriate term; the looks the relatives gave Yuna were filled with pity and disdain. Especially this year, with a direct comparison now present, it was even worse.

“Brother, Yuna might not be cut out for the hero path…”

“Enough.”

With a swift slice, Yuna’s mother chopped the apple in half with exaggerated force. Yuna, peeling an apple roughly, spoke up.

“I’m fine. I feel more sorry for you guys.”

“…Yuna.”

“Hmm?”

Yuna’s mother avoided eye contact. Looking at Yuna’s innocent eyes made her heart soften, so she stared determinedly at the cutting board, hardening her resolve like a sharp blade.

“How about dropping out and retaking a year…?”

Clang! As Yuna reached for a plate, she dropped it. The plastic dish spun across the wooden floor, but Yuna could only stare disbelievingly at her mother.

“How can you say that, Mom?”

“Yuna, the truth is…”

“…”

Suddenly, the kitchen felt unfamiliar to Yuna. No, the entire house felt strange. Backing away without realizing it, Yuna bumped into the wall, catching the gaze of relatives gathered in the kitchen.

Tsk. Yuna noticed immediately. Sungyun’s smirk watching her was twisted. Sending a final plea to her father, Yuna received only a bowed head as a reply. Her father agreed with her mother.

“…I’ll be back after taking a breather.”

Yuna grabbed a baseball jacket from her room and left the house. Staring at her reflection in the elevator mirror was unbearable. Though tears welled up due to her choked-up feeling, Yuna didn’t give up hope.

‘That’s right. Joining a guild should be enough. Even if it’s E-Rank…’

Walking aimlessly, Yuna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Realistically, there was nowhere that would accept an E-Rank Light Attribute Healer worth less than a 30,000 won commercial potion. If her growth limit was B to A Rank, she could have entered a guild’s training program looking toward the future, but Yuna’s growth limit was all ’10’.

10. Enhancing her body with magic power only brought her to the level of someone who exercised regularly, a level not even recognized as a special ability user. Not to mention, as a hero, it was far from sufficient.

And yet, Yuna chose the path of a hero.

“…There has to be somewhere.”

Checking anonymous posts she’d made while walking, Yuna found quite a few replies thanks to everyone being bored during the holiday.

– Just give up already

– I think I know who this person is lol really harsh lmao

– Professor,,,,Assistant,,,,Really,,,,Pitiful,,,,But,,,Maybe,,,Finding,,,Another,,,Path,,,Is,,,Wise,,,,,

Depressing. She had traveled solo across the US to steady her wavering heart, yet no one in the world seemed to be on her side. Blinking rapidly to wash away dust from her eyes with tears, Yuna fell into deep despair upon reading the last comment.

– Someone like you wouldn’t be accepted anywhere except ■☜here lol

Still, she clung to hope. The comment helpfully included a link. Ignoring her parents’ calls, Yuna clicked the link and read the job posting.

“Woah, even I think this place is a bit…”

Yuna shook her head repeatedly. But her feet were already walking towards the office location listed in the announcement.

“Angel-sama.”

That was about 50 minutes ago. Now, Yuna wanted to turn back time.

* * *

“Hero Academy freshman student. Name: Yuinah. Current rank: E-class Supporter. Special skill: Healing.”

Xian read through the profile Yuna handed over. Even considering their past acquaintance, this talent required thorough verification.

“‘Carrying a potion is more efficient than dragging around one person.’ Don’t worry, I won’t say that. You probably already know it yourself.”

Well, whether you say it or not. Yuna swallowed her frustration but decided to endure it, thinking it was worth the risk. After all, they did save her life at the airport.

“Growth cap of 10 across all seven attributes? Wow, what a balanced talent. To have healing as your specialty and still have Light attribute capped at 10 is something I’ve never seen before.”

Then why don’t you find some divine medicine or something. Yuna swallowed her frustration again, calming herself with cold coffee. Still, this was the only place offering her an interview.

“Hmm… Doesn’t seem quite right.”

Xian muttered to himself, tilting his head. This was becoming too much for Yuna to bear. Normally, she would have laughed it off, but Yuna was in a pretty twisted state right now.

“Excuse me, even if-”

“Yes. You’re hired.”

“Thank you.”

Yuna instinctively bowed her head. Then she carefully replayed Xian’s words and her own actions.

“…? Huh?”

“Yes. You’re hired. Congratulations. Looks like our connection continues.”

Xian extended his left hand. Yuna hesitantly reciprocated with her left hand for a handshake. Xian smiled slyly, sliding a contract towards her.

“Here. Sign please, esteemed first teammate Hero-san.”

“Wait a moment. I’m still a student, right?”

“So?”

Xian raised an eyebrow over his coffee cup. Yuna wondered why the fridge was stocked only with plastic cups full of coffee but swallowed her curiosity, focusing on the most important question.

“I mean, I’m basically worse than a potion healer. Why are you hiring me as a guild member so casually?”

“Ahh, we’re not officially a guild yet. Recruiting members. Need at least three D-Rank members, but we were about to give up since no one applied.”

“But I’m E-Rank, right?”

Exactly, that’s what Yuna was most curious about. What was this guy thinking hiring her, an E-Rank? Was he planning some kind of human trafficking? Yuna subtly shifted her butt off the sofa, inching towards the exit. Xian chuckled nervously, tapping his desk.

“So what if you’re E-Rank? I’m not completely powerless either.”

“…Huh?”

Xian pulled out a gun from his coat. The heavy weapon placed on the table made Yuna’s heart sink.

“You don’t use core weapons like me. You fight with your own magic power, right? It’s okay. Sure, you might be weak now, but with experience, you’ll grow sufficiently. Do you play RPGs? If you do, it’ll be easier to explain.”

“…I don’t know much about games.”

Xian broke into a cold sweat. He was terrible at explaining theories. What to do? After pondering briefly, Xian put the gun back into his coat pocket and stood up.

“A hundred words are not worth one action, a hundred actions not worth one practice. Shall we go then?”

Xian turned off the office lights, preparing to leave. Confused by Xian’s sudden movement, Yuna stood up hesitantly.

“Where are we going?”

“Hunter’s Guild. Where else would we go?”

Xian formed a gun shape with his fingers and shot.

“Let’s raid a dungeon. Just the two of us.”

* * *

<4 PM, Chuncheon-si Dungeon Management Area E.>

Screech. The autonomous vehicle pulled over to the shoulder. Yuna stepped out absentmindedly, and Xian swiped his magical gear’s screen against the car’s leader device inside.

[Payment confirmed. Thank you for using Yusung’s autonomous driving service today.]

“Tch.”

Xian clicked his tongue, stepping out and slamming the car door shut. Mentioning “Yusung” slightly irritated him for some reason. Holding onto the magical staff rented in New Seoul with both hands, Yuna’s anxious demeanor was evident.

“Wait, you really expect me to clear the dungeon alone?”

“Yes. There’s a pretty old ‘trick’ that will achieve your ‘achievement.'”

Xian stretched lightly, loosening up his body. Yuna struggled to understand his sudden statement.

“I know what achievements are, but what does clearing the dungeon alone have to do with that?”

“Exactly that. <Cleared a Dungeon Alone>. It’s the fastest way to raise your growth cap by one point. Randomly, though.”

“So you’re saying you’ll promote me to D-Rank with that??”

For the past year, she had tried everything possible to reach D-Rank. Yuna couldn’t believe what Xian was saying. It was more believable that he brought her here to do something sinister in the dungeon.

But the one truly curious was Xian.

“This thing is pretty famous, right? Surely you didn’t know?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know! Besides, that’s not the issue. I’m a healer!”

“Does that mean healers can’t attack?”

Are you mocking me? Yuna gripped the staff tightly. Xian pointed to the veins popping on the back of her hand.

“Right. That spirit. Hit it with all your might.”

“Are you serious? Even here…”

Yuna pointed at the entrance leading underground. The security guard standing by the entrance had been watching Xian and Yuna since they arrived. Xian shrugged and pointed to the statue next to the guard. The statue depicted a slime-like monster.

“They say three hits from any healer can take down a slime.”

“The boss is the problem, <King Slime>!”

Yuna wasn’t unaware of that achievement. But realistically, she knew she couldn’t handle it with her current abilities.

“I can’t defeat that alone. Even if you try to use it…”

“Because of damage distribution, it’ll count as a party clear, right?”

Yuna squeezed her eyes shut. If Xian used his gun, he could probably deal with King Slime easily. But even then, the ‘System’ wouldn’t recognize it as a solo clear by Yuna.

“It’s fine. Trust me, alright? Did I really bring you all the way here spending hundreds of thousands of won just to waste it? I told you, it’s a ‘trick.'”

“…Can I really trust you?”

“If you don’t trust me, trust Oracle. Surely you don’t doubt Oracle too?”

“I trust Oracle, but it’s hard to believe they’d give you something like this. …Alright. Let’s give it a shot since it’s worth losing anyway.”

Yuna stuffed the business card imbued with Oracle’s magic power into her pocket.

In the end, Xian sold Oracle. While muttering under his breath about hours of persuasion being less effective than Oracle’s name, Xian’s fairly sensitive hearing allowed Yuna to catch every word.

“Just make it to D-Rank, and I’ll lock you into a lifetime contract.”

“Heh.”

If he could promote her to D-Rank, she might commit to working for the guild until it went bankrupt. Praying her desperate prayers would reach the heavens, Yuna followed behind Xian as they entered the Slime Dungeon.