Sisterhood

Mid-April.

Before I knew it, two months had passed at the Academy, and Friday, with the weekend just around the corner, had arrived.

Today, I chatted with the kids and had meals together as usual.

I attended classes diligently and swung my sword in the training ground.

Even just swinging the sword to warm up gave off an impressive vibe.

‘Wouldn’t it be okay to brag about my sword skills now?’

Hmm, no.

Saying something like that would get me in big trouble with Peng Jin-ah.

She’s always there to discipline me with tough love, telling me never to be arrogant.

“Whew…”

I put down the gravity sword in my hand.

I lifted my head to gaze at the twilight beyond the window.

‘I’m happy.’

A life spent with irreplaceable characters.
Many who cherish me.
Learning and progressing with each lesson taught here, feeling the joy of moving forward.

What particularly moved me was the fact that I was enjoying school life, something I thought would be impossible even if I died trying.

‘…I didn’t even go to university…’

I hadn’t even been able to attend elementary school.
Well, it wasn’t something I particularly regretted.
I was an orphan, abandoned in the midst of war.
Rather, I was grateful to have met comrades who took care of me like a father and a brother.

‘……’

But sometimes…

Yes, occasionally, I had such thoughts.

‘If only I…’

Had met ordinary parents…
Grown up in an ordinary family, formed ordinary relationships, and received an ordinary education…
If I hadn’t been born into such a tragic life…

“…Would things have been a little different?”

…Bah, what a fool.

Even I think I’m being overly sentimental.

The guy who found it hard just to survive day by day is now lamenting his luck.

I chuckled and shook my head.

Anyway, I was waiting for the class, and soon Peng Jin-ah approached.

Normally, we would greet each other and start the class right away.

But she suddenly said, “The Chairman is calling you,” and wanted to accompany me.

‘…I wonder what it’s about.’

Soon, Peng Jin-ah, who was leading the way, stopped.

The place she stopped at was the Chairman’s office, which I had visited once before.

After knocking, we entered upon hearing the call to come in.

“Chairman. I’ve brought Cadet Yu Seha.”
“Thank you for your effort.”

A familiar face was visible beyond the open door.
About 160 centimeters tall.
Slender build.
Black hair and attractive black eyes…
Definitely an objectively beautiful person.
But the dark circles from so much hard work had taken away all that beauty.

Especially impressive were the mountains of documents in the office and the IV drip stuck in her forearm.

That IV drip.

Seeing the words [Coffee Flavor Added], it seemed that this was not an ordinary IV drip.

Anyway, that was a long introduction.
The Chairman of [Gonis Hunter Academy].

According to the setting, she was in her late 30s, unmarried, had never been in a relationship, and the closest she had ever gotten to a man was holding hands with a boy in kindergarten.
Moreover, during her college days, the person she confessed to was officially known to have been repulsed and left—this was ‘Yu Neung-hae.’

“…Yu Seha? Are you perhaps thinking something very rude right now?”
“It’s been a while, Chairman.”
“…Maybe it’s just my imagination. Anyway, yes, thank you for coming, Yu Seha.”
“Yes, so… what’s this about?”

Getting straight to the point, the Chairman glanced at Peng Jin-ah as if to ask, ‘You didn’t explain it to him?’

“I thought it would be better to explain it properly here.”
“…Hmm, that’s true. Sigh… Mr. Yu Seha? I’m sorry for being so abrupt…”

The hesitant Chairman trailed off, then pulled something out of the drawer and handed it over.

‘…Oh, this is…’

A ‘Confidentiality Agreement?’ I’d seen it once at the guild.

“…I’m sorry to ask you like this, but…”

Yu Neung-hae smiled awkwardly.

Can you sign it first?

After signing, I silently listened to Yu Neung-hae’s explanation.

In summary…

“…So, you’re saying that when the [Sticky Sewer] disappeared, you discovered a hidden place underneath?”

A special event dungeon where mysterious slimes proliferate.

[Sticky Sewer].

After clearing it neatly with Moon Bora, I transferred the ownership rights to Peng Jin-ah.

I heard they also perfectly completed the closure process.

“Yes, I think you might already know, but when a gate appears, the surrounding area tends to disappear and erode proportional to the size of the dungeon, right?”

That’s right.

The thing about <Dungeons> is that they’re incredibly selfish.

They appear out of nowhere, and even if you eliminate them, the affected area never truly returns to its original state.

So, occasionally, when a <Dungeon> is discovered halfway up a mountain and you conquer it, the ground collapses, causing landslides.

“At first, I didn’t notice it… but recently, suspicious magical energy has been swirling around, so I investigated again. And surprisingly, there was an additional space beneath the eroded waterway.”
“…Judging by the fact that you’re telling me, it must not be just an ordinary space. So, could it be another dungeon?”
“That’s right… Sigh. My guess is that the <Sticky Sewer> was just an additional occurrence, and the real deal is probably this newly discovered one.”

Yu Neung-hae rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache.

Thanks to that, I could guess why she called me.

She probably wanted to entrust me with the newly discovered dungeon.

But I didn’t understand.

“…Then why me…? Wouldn’t it be better for the professors to form a party instead?”
“…Ahem, uh, do you know the phrase ‘adult circumstances’?”

Yu Neung-hae explained.
The <Twin Head Troll> incident that occurred just two months ago, and the <Dormitory Terror>.
Since incidents that influenced both the Association and the government had occurred frequently, many watchful eyes were now on the Academy.

“So… it’s difficult for our staff to act. Hence, we plan to entrust it to the cadets.”

According to the investigation, the newly discovered dungeon was a C-grade dungeon similar to the <Sticky Sewer>.

A little higher in level, but it didn’t exceed B-grade.

“There were several candidates… but Professor Peng Jin-ah recommended Yu Seha.”
“…Me…?”
“Yes, she said she could trust you. I agree with her.”

I glanced at Peng Jin-ah.

When our eyes met, she coughed and turned her head.

A newly discovered dungeon.

The so-called <Underground Waterway> dungeon was an ‘undiscovered dungeon’ that no one had entered yet.

This meant there were additional rewards for the first conqueror.

Therefore, I guessed that Peng Jin-ah brought it up to give me a chance.

I bowed my head in gratitude.

Peng Jin-ah’s coughing grew stronger.

With this…

‘There’s no reason to refuse.’

“Understood. You mentioned there’s no limit on party members. So, can I bring my companions?”

The first thing that came to mind was the angelic Meowi.

Next were Moon Bora and Ju Na-young.

With a total of four people, they could easily clear most dungeons.

However, Yu Neung-hae shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but to avoid drawing too much attention, we need to limit the party to just three people, including you.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Oh, right! And the most important thing! Actually, this is the biggest problem. Even the professors had trouble with this obstacle.”
“A problem?”

Yu Neung-hae sighed and continued speaking.

“This dungeon, it’s a [Class] restricted dungeon. And it requires at least one [Divinity Class] member.”

I was a bit surprised at that.

A [Class Restriction] was already unusual, but to require a Divinity Class member? I’d never heard of such a condition in all my time playing [GAL].

What kind of [Dungeon] could it be to demand such a strict condition?

There was only one place in the Academy if it was a sacred profession…

“…No way…?”

“Yes, I think we should visit the <Sisterhood> first. I heard Yu Seha is a [Divinity] bearer, right? They probably won’t turn us away. I’ve already given them a heads-up… I’m sorry, but could you pick someone there to come with us? Including the contract signing, of course.”

I fell into thought.

<Sisterhood>…

A very exclusive <Circle> and powerful sacred group.

‘…Maybe this is actually a good thing?’

Just in time for the restriction release of the [Overlord Sword Technique], I needed to visit the church.

This meant I didn’t have to handle matters at the church.

Simultaneously, a nun’s image lingered in my mind.
A party member I thought of when I first recruited Meowi.

Someone with good synergy with our Meowi.
They would support each other perfectly.

At the same time, to Meowi, it would literally be a ‘fateful encounter.’

Finally, the opportunity to officially recruit that party member had arrived.

“Understood.”

Then, I’ll set off right away.

After the meeting, the first person I sought out was, of course, Meowi.

“Meow? Seha?”

She was wiping off sweat, tilting her head as if she had been training.

‘She seems to have gotten a lot stronger.’

Maybe it was the elixir from the Academy’s treasure vault, combined with the intense training recently.

It definitely felt like Meowi had grown a lot.

‘I should take her along for the promotion exam later.’
Thinking that, I first sat her on my lap.

“M-Meeooow… I smell like sweat.”
“Not at all~”

In reality, Meowi’s body odor was almost imperceptible.

It was the complete opposite of the knowledge that those from the [Beast Tribe] had a strong scent.

“Meow…”

Soft and squishy.

“M-Meeeeoooow!”

Wriggle, wriggle.

“…Meeeooow.”

After resisting a few times, Meowi eventually gave up.

While fondling her soft cheeks and cat ears, I explained the reason for my visit.

“Meeeoow? A [Dungeon] under there?”
“Yes, it’s essentially the source of the [Dormitory Terror].”

A gate that appeared for an unknown reason.

And that gate became the foundation, creating an undiscovered dungeon called the [Sticky Sewer].

That was the rough explanation.

“So, it’s an [Undiscovered Dungeon]. Is it okay for me to go there?”

Oh, saying strange things again.

“If our Meowi doesn’t go, who will? You’re the shield I trust the most.”
“Meeeoow…”

Meowi blushed, seemingly embarrassed.
Then she clenched her fists, and her eyes sparkled with determination.

“Yes! I’ll protect Seha!”
“Alright. Take care.”
“Ah, but… shouldn’t we inform the two of them?”

There was no need to ask who the two were.

Hmm, maintaining secrecy is important.

Perhaps it’s best to inform them next time…

‘No, wait. Stop.’

I imagined what would happen if I didn’t explain anything to the two.

Specifically, the aftermath.

―…(Moon Bora puffing her cheeks, crossing her arms, and glaring in silence.)
*―Roooaaarrr! *

‘Uh, um…’

It seems like it might be troublesome.

“Should I leave a brief message?”
“Yes!”

Next is…

The restriction conditions for entering the dungeon.
It’s time to find a <Divinity> Class.

After finishing our preparations, we headed to the most remote part of the <Academy> grounds.

“Wow…”
“Meow…”

Exclamations of awe naturally came out.

A building so huge it seemed to touch the sky.
Should we call this a church…?
Or a real castle…?
Or… hmm, yeah…

“A waste of money…”
“Meow! Seha! That’s blasphemy!”

I heard this was all built with ‘holy funds’.

‘…So, the 50 million won from the 3★ exam went into this place, right?’

It felt, well, quite complicated.

“How is this in any way a <Circle>…?”
“It’s nominally a <Circle>… but in reality, it’s a force that collaborates with the Order… that’s what it means.”

Then, Meowi said, ‘Let’s go in quickly.’

I stroked her head and moved forward.

I heard that the Chairman had given a heads-up in advance.

‘Well, then…’

There shouldn’t be any trouble, right?

But five minutes later.
We got caught up in trouble as if it were a lie.

“Kyaa~ Hyung. What kind of cosmetics do you use to have such smooth skin?”
“Do you have a girlfriend? If not, can I apply for the position?”
“……”

I glanced away from the chattering nuns in front of me.

“Kyaa! Sister, you’re so cute! Can I touch your cheeks?”

“M-Meow. You’ve already touched–”

“Oh my, how can you be so cute…? Can I touch your ears?”

“M-Meow. Th-they’re sensitive–”

“Do you like Churu? I have a few with me right now.”

“Meeooow! I am of the <Myoin Tribe>. I am not a cat!”

Hmm, damn.

I let out a small sigh inwardly.

It seemed like things were already getting…

‘Troublesome, right at the entrance.’