Originally, Castorice had only been worried about discouraging Sung Jinwoo, so she'd chosen some vague, encouraging words—and now she had a headache.
Although the Underworld was basically on track, it wasn't completely there yet.
Sung Jinwoo's busy schedule lately felt like the climactic part of a story before everything settles down—the absolute peak of busyness.
If Sung Jinwoo left now, she'd have to step in and handle things herself. After all, no one else dared to make decisions lightly.
But seeing Sung Jinwoo looking more determined and spirited than ever, Castorice couldn't bring herself to say no.
She forced a smile. "I wish Hunter Sung a smooth journey."
Unaware of her inner thoughts, Sung Jinwoo naturally accepted the blessing and replied, "Then I'll see you at the Hunter Association in three days. There's still a lot to take care of over there, so I'll head back now."
Huh? Oh, right.
Even though he wanted to improve himself, Sung Jinwoo didn't have a guild, so bidding on an A-rank Gate would be difficult.
That made Jeju Island the most accessible place to bring him substantial gains in the near future.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Hunter Sung. Even time itself slumbers over there. We never need to rush that much."
That's what she said, but she really hoped he could wrap up his work within those three days.
As for whether he planned to use his vacation to start a guild or something after Jeju Island—well, that was beyond her control.
Watching Sung Jinwoo step back through the purple Gate, Cha Hae-in withdrew her gaze.
The aura emanating from that man felt very similar to Castorice's, though not as pronounced.
She didn't understand what they meant by 'over there' either… Still, it didn't seem like he received the same special treatment from Castorice that she did.
Realizing this, Cha Hae-in's mood lifted considerably.
"It looks like you've gained control over the Sephira Crystal's power," Castorice spoke up suddenly.
"Huh? Oh… seems that way."
Cha Hae-in glanced down at the red spiritual dress, regal as a royal guard, that now adorned her.
"Earlier, I couldn't properly control Sandalphon's power, but now not only can I control it—I can even shape it into a longsword."
Remembering how her arm had almost been dragged along by Sandalphon at first, she still felt a chill.
She'd nearly killed Hunter Sung.
"In that case, let's head back."
Castorice nodded and opened the purple Gate once more.
As they stepped through and her phone regained service, Castorice received a text.
Akari Shimizu: [Castorice-chan, want to join us for dinner? After trying Korean-style Japanese food, Kanae-nee got so annoyed she decided to make it herself!]
Akari Shimizu: [Speaking of, are you interested in Japanese cuisine, Castorice-chan?]
Akari Shimizu: [If it's not a good time, maybe next time? Kanae-nee is a great cook, but chances to taste her dishes are pretty rare!]
The last message was from twenty minutes ago; the first, an hour ago.
Even though she knew Tawata Kanae had ulterior motives, Akari Shimizu's enthusiasm was genuinely hard to refuse.
It wasn't that others hadn't been this enthusiastic toward her before—in fact, many D- and C-rank hunters who'd cleared dungeons alongside her had been plenty enthusiastic.
But she knew one thing well: it's hard for people on different levels to become true friends.
Sure, there was a huge power gap between S-ranks and herself, but at least they could stand together and offer emotional support during missions.
Castorice knew she was destined to get involved in increasingly dangerous incidents—things Han Song-Yi couldn't join her in. Even if Castorice brought her along, it wouldn't benefit either of them.
As for boosting Han Song-Yi's strength, making her leap in power like Cha Hae-in had… that would just be charity.
Care and favoritism could exist between friends—charity could not.
So, Castorice replied: [Sorry, I was out of service range just now.]
Akari Shimizu: [Eh? Did you head straight to a Gate after training, Castorice-chan? With Hunter Cha?]
Akari Shimizu: [Oh, wait, Castorice-chan didn't participate in the training, did you?]
She hadn't expected a reply so quickly.
"Are you chatting with that girl?"
Noticing Castorice had been on her phone since returning, Cha Hae-in asked curiously.
She knew about Han Song-Yi—they'd met before, but hadn't spoken much beyond that.
"It's not Song-Yi."
Castorice looked up from her phone. "It's Shimizu-chan. She invited me earlier to join her for R-cuisine."
"Shimizu-chan… ah."
Cha Hae-in wasn't quite used to the pronunciation, and she didn't fully understand why the other girl was so forward—though it wasn't exactly unpleasant. "Are you going, Castorice?"
"They've probably finished eating by now."
Castorice wasn't sure, so she sent Akari Shimizu a follow-up.
Akari Shimizu: [We haven't eaten yet! Kanae-nee said she'd wait for your reply. Oh, is Hunter Cha with you? She should come too!]
Naturally assuming both had just come from a dungeon, she figured neither had eaten.
And she happened to be right—after training, they'd spent time helping Cha Hae-in master the Sephira Crystal's power, so neither had eaten anything yet.
After getting the reply, Castorice explained the situation to Cha Hae-in.
Cha Hae-in was also somewhat curious about these two female hunters from a neighboring country, so she agreed to the invitation without much hesitation.
Time passed quickly, and three days later.
Originally, six people from Korea were set to participate, but at the last minute, the number grew to eight.
The newly appointed S-rank hunter Sung Jinwoo, who hadn't planned to come, and the healing-type S-rank hunter Min Byung-Gyu both decided to join the operation just before departure.
Sung Jinwoo's addition made Goto Ryuji's already unpleasant expression turn even darker.
Before, he'd thought only Castorice and Cha Hae-in were worth his attention.
Leaving Castorice aside for now, Cha Hae-in—who'd originally seemed strong but not particularly noteworthy in his eyes—now radiated a level of magical power he couldn't see through.
And now, on top of that, Sung Jinwoo had joined, whose magical energy felt profoundly dense.
How had Korea produced so many powerful individuals in just the last couple of years?
Though, to be fair, Castorice wasn't exactly Korean.
His feelings grew more complicated, but he was glad he'd made a decisive move.
His goal of weakening the neighboring country was clearly off the table now, which made securing a National Level identity here all the more crucial.
At the very least, he couldn't return empty-handed.
With Goto Ryuji lost in his troubled thoughts, the group arrived by helicopter at Jeju Island—surrounded by swarms of insects.
Wait… surrounded?
Seeing the inexplicable, overwhelming swarms of insects covering Jeju Island like a dark cloud pressing down, everyone frowned.
Why were there so many? These insects should only have a lifespan of one year… And why were there other bugs besides ants? Weren't there supposed to be only ants on this island?
This sudden change cast a shadow of uncertainty over everyone's hearts.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.