(Cha Hae-in – POV)
As soon as the new porter arrives, I feel his eyes focusing on me. For a second, I thought he was going to be one of those creepy perverts.
But at the same time, it feels like I'm being dissected under his gaze. I don't understand why I'm feeling this, but it's as if he can see right through me.
And then, as if by magic, the sensation disappears as quickly as it came when he looks away and starts introducing himself to the group.
Meanwhile, I observe him more closely.
White hair falling a little past his shoulders — a very uncommon color, even with all the powers floating around these days. He's also quite tall — I'd say somewhere between 187 and 193 cm — and he has an above-average appearance.
But what grabs my attention the most are his eyes: a blue so deep that they look almost supernatural.
I don't dwell too much on these thoughts when he turns toward me and nods as he's introduced. I give him a slight nod back and look away. No matter how strange he seems, he still has that unpleasant scent that every hunter has.
And as soon as everyone enters the portal, only one thought crosses my mind:
'Did Choi really have to make me babysit this group? I'm sure there were several other Rank A hunters available. But just because I was a little free, it had to be me?'
"Enough complaining. Let's just finish this quickly," I mutter before stepping through the gate as well.
We were already far into the dungeon, and this one had very common monsters.
Goblins, hobgoblins, and a few variations here and there. The hunters I was supervising were doing very well, considering this was their first dungeon, and I still hadn't needed to intervene.
Of course, they have areas to improve, but most of that comes from real experience. With a few more portals, they'll definitely become an elite party.
I shift my gaze away from the group — who gathered to discuss their team coordination — and focus on the porter collecting important monster materials, along with some relatively rare minerals found in smaller quantities, just in case the mining team isn't fast enough before the dungeon closes.
After watching him for this long, I've noticed that he's… quite strange. He watches everything with an absurdly intense stare while people fight, especially when they use their abilities.
As I kept observing him, I noticed something else I had overlooked. Normally, any Awakened leaks a bit of aura from their body.
That aura is simply excess mana overflowing. Even mages — who have more control — still waste a fair amount passively.
But when I look at that man, it's almost like I'm looking at a normal person. If not for the tiny amount of mana that occasionally escapes his body, I wouldn't believe it if someone told me he was a Rank C Awakened.
"Strange," I murmur before setting it aside and continuing to walk as soon as the group finishes their discussion.
And so we move on until we reach the boss room.
As I watch them fight the boss, I can tell this won't end well — they're becoming more and more uncoordinated.
And as soon as two members fall and the healer starts panicking, I move forward and strike the boss before anyone else gets seriously injured.
Swoshh—
With a single sword strike, the monster dies. In the end, it was just a Rank B boss. Even if it was slightly stronger than others of the same level, it's still nowhere near Rank S.
I turn to them and can't help but sigh.
"You were doing well, but that ending was disappointing. You'll need more training when we get back."
"Alright…" I can tell the archer didn't like that, but he seems to understand it's necessary.
Just when I think everything is settled, I see the archer turn toward where I came from, eyes wide as he screams:
"WATCH OUT!!!"
When I turn around, I see one of the hobgoblins attacking the porter. I was too focused on the boss to notice they weren't dead.
I start moving, but I know I won't make it in time. The monster's fist is inches from hitting the porter's head.
But then I see something surprising.
The porter dodges — with slightly awkward movements — at the last second, and counterattacks with a decent but clearly amateur punch.
I think about yelling at him to run; I could protect him now. As far as I remembered, he was just a mage with no active abilities.
A simple punch shouldn't be able to kill a hobgoblin.
"WAIT—!"
But before I can finish, his fist lights up and connects with the monster's face.
And what happens next is shocking.
BOOMMMM—
The upper half of the hobgoblin simply disappears from the impact. The monster's arms fall to the ground, no longer connected to anything, and the rest of the body soon collapses.
I freeze for a moment. I only hear the archer's voice behind me:
"That guy wasn't a mage?!"
And I couldn't help but ask myself the same thing.
(Merlin Hermes – POV)
Right after killing my first monster, I find myself staring at my hands, which are slightly steaming from the excess mana I used.
But if anyone saw my face right now, they'd be surprised by the grin stretching from ear to ear. My eyes glowed blue as I analyzed the entire process.
I was a bit inefficient with my mana, but nothing a little more training won't fix. Now I just need to finish my channels and use real magic — not these parlor tricks. After all, I'm a mage.
Before I could get even more lost in thought, I sensed someone appear next to me.
"Are you alright?" Miss Cha asked, looking between me and what remained of the poor monster on the ground.
With a lighthearted smile, I answered, "I'm fine. Just a bit surprised by the situation, but thanks for the concern."
"I apologize for letting this happen. As the highest-ranked hunter here, I should have kept you safe." As she said that, she bowed her head toward me.
That surprised me more than the monster attacking me. I never imagined a Rank S Awakened would bow and apologize to me.
I quickly told her it wasn't a big deal and that everything was fine as long as it ended well.
When I realized she wasn't going to insist, I sighed in relief. Situations like this are stressful for me.
"Dude… and here I was thinking you were just a regular Rank C, but you were hiding all of that? You sure you're a mage?"
When I turned, I saw it was the party leader, approaching after confirming everyone was safe and leaving the others to be healed by Jinah.
"Haha, I train a bit, so maybe it's that." Not even my sweet grandma would believe such a blatant lie.
But he just smiled and looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes. I returned it with my best rehearsed smile.
"Well, you gotta show me that training later, man."
"Sure, definitely."
"Well then, gather what you can and let's move out."
Miss Cha said that after confirming everyone was in good enough condition to leave the dungeon.
And just like that, I finished my first dungeon. It was a bit boring, but definitely a memorable experience.
Shortly after saying goodbye to the party members and waving at Miss Cha — who was staring at me in a strange way — I called Hyun and waited for him to pick me up.
A little while later he arrived, and I got into his car.
"How was it?"
"Quite the experience. I even killed a monster."
"Uhh… that must be good for you, since you're all smiles talking about it," he said, skeptical about my excitement over killing a monster.
"YES! And to celebrate, let's grab some drinks. My treat!"
As soon as I said that, a wide grin spread across Hyun's face, and he hit the accelerator with renewed enthusiasm.
"That's what I'm talking about, kid!!"
…
The next day, I remembered why I'm not a fan of alcohol.
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Hello, dear readers!Tell me what you thought of this chapter. I don't have much experience writing, so I decided to try a different POV for you to see Merlin from another perspective.Please, donate some powerstones and don't forget to comment.Bye bye!