The Unexpected Party Member

Chairman Yu Neung-hae covered her mouth with both hands.
‘Oh my, oh my!’ she gasped, her eyes twinkling with excitement like starlight.

‘Wow, wow, wow!?’

Without realizing it, she was making hand gestures in the air, as if eating imaginary popcorn, her feet tapping excitedly.

Despite being in her 40s and occasionally called a spinster, Yu Neung-hae’s heart was as passionate as that of a young girl lost in a romance.

This situation was just too thrilling for her.

‘Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my…?!’

Indeed…

Living long enough, she thought she had seen it all.

‘…Could it really be that Peng Jin-ah?’

Yu Neung-hae briefly recalled the past.

The journey with Professor Bong Mi-chun to recruit new academy professors.

It was Bong Mi-chun who had suggested meeting the woman known as <Overlord Sword>.

When they finally met Peng Jin-ah, it was a shocking encounter.

‘…Is this really Peng Jin-ah…?’

A wreck that didn’t look human at all.
A body so emaciated it seemed she hadn’t eaten properly, and a room full of trash.

Bong Mi-chun was equally shocked.

First, they entered the house, cleaned it up, and forced her to eat before persuading her.

They left a message asking her to think positively about becoming a and returned.

Bong Mi-chun said, “She’s just feeling down right now… Please don’t judge hastily.”

Maybe she said that because she was worried that her former student would be misunderstood.

There was no need for her to say that to Yu Neung-hae.

Because Yu Neung-hae already knew Peng Jin-ah very well.

How, you ask?

‘Well, because we were in the same <Academy> class!’

Well, of course…
Not only Peng Jin-ah, but even Bong Mi-chun didn’t recognize her at all.

‘…Haha…’

Actually, it was natural…

Back then, Yu Neung-hae, even in her own mind, was far from sophisticated.

She had always been overweight and unattractive.
She wasn’t bullied, but…
She didn’t have many friends…

She was just an ordinary cadet who graduated from the <Academy> with mediocre grades.

Then, thinking she couldn’t live like this forever, she started wearing makeup, taking care of her face, and got rid of her old glasses, completely transforming herself.

Finally, after endless effort, she rose to the position of chairman.

That was the current Yu Neung-hae.

It was natural that the two didn’t recognize her.

‘Anyway, anyway! This isn’t what’s important!’

Yu Neung-hae vividly remembered it all.

Seeing Peng Jin-ah, who walked around wearing an eye patch without having an eye disease, in her second year with middle school syndrome.

She had changed drastically after the incident known as <The Day of Tragedy>.

“They said her mother passed away.”

She didn’t know the detailed circumstances behind it.

Just the fact that the Peng family, known as a prestigious martial arts family, was wiped out overnight.

“They said that house was haunted.”
All that spread was the notoriety that “nothing good comes from associating with that family.”

Additionally, it was then that Peng Jin-ah was called a madwoman for being solely devoted to training.

“It was scary…”

At that time, Peng Jin-ah was truly terrifying.

A ghostly figure swinging her sword madly without any emotional change.

Even those who picked fights with her were mercilessly beaten without any leniency.

She was practically considered a walking nuclear bomb.

Love and affection seemed foreign to her as she dedicated herself entirely to her sword.

This continued even after Peng Jin-ah graduated from the <Academy> and became a hunter.

She became respected and feared by all, known as the <Overlord Sword> Peng Jin-ah.

But Yu Neung-hae knew well.

That this was not Peng Jin-ah’s true nature.

In the end, wounds inflicted by people are healed by people.

As time passed, Peng Jin-ah was gradually returning to the gentle personality Yu Neung-hae remembered.

Appropriate advice from her former mentor, Bong Mi-chun.

And the significant influence of Ju Na-young, who followed her around like a younger sibling.

‘Of course, she’s still quite rigid…’

Such Peng Jin-ah…
The Peng Jin-ah who would never show any weakness even if it killed her…
…She was now revealing her emotions without hesitation to Yu Seha.

Look at those eyes, filled with worry.

There was no way their relationship was purely that of master and disciple.

‘Oh my, oh my!’

Peng Jin-ah, y-you sly woman!

There’s an old saying: even the quietest cat jumps onto the stove first.

Is she harboring such sly thoughts in her mind?

‘…You’re a woman after all, aren’t you?’

Someone might say this.

Some might say she was just a concerned mentor.

But Yu Neung-hae was confident in her intuition in these matters.

She was sure that Peng Jin-ah’s feelings were not so simple.

‘Ah, youth~’

Yu Neung-hae enjoyed the innocent charm of a young girl for a moment.

But only for a moment.
Soon, she was shocked and dismayed by what Peng Jin-ah said next.

“This can’t be solved with words. Chairman, I’ll just go myself.”

“Ugh! No! It’s already causing a stir that we took one member of the <Sisterhood>! We can’t let the Academy become a topic of gossip any further! Now is the time to hunker down and deceive the <Villains, Demons> who will attack…”

“I don’t care about that; I’ll just go!”

“No, don’t!”

The two people bickered.
Yu Seha, watching the naturally escalating conversation, sighed inwardly.

After a while, the two reached a compromise.

I looked at the pendant Yu Neung-hae handed me with a puzzled expression.

“Chairman, what is this…?”
“It’s a forced return artifact made by the <Mage Emperor>.”

A forced return artifact.

Apparently, it would automatically transport the wearer back if they took a certain amount of damage or faced a life-threatening situation.

It could be resisted by sheer willpower, but an instant death attack would trigger it no matter what.

It seemed like a very expensive item.

“…Is it alright to just give me something this precious?”
“Given the situation… and we have quite a few. Don’t worry and take it, Yu Seha.”

The number of [Pendants] that Yu Neung-hae handed over was five in total.

This could only mean one thing…

“Are you telling me to gather more party members?”

“Yes, since it’s a [Trial], we need to reinforce our strength. A formal party of five. Additionally, if you judge it to be dangerous, use the [Pendant] to return without hesitation. This is exactly what we agreed on. Right, Peng Jin-ah?”

“……”

“Hey~ [Overlord Sword]? Relax your face a bit. You’re at an age where you need to take care, or you’ll get wrinkles… Ah, s-sorry… Don’t raise your hand. I was wrong. I apologize!”

Yu Neung-hae advised the party to bring <Flame Dragon> and <Snow Ice>.

A textbook example of a party formation.

I racked my brain, analyzing the lineup appropriately.

‘A tank led by Meowi, two all-around melee dealers, and one mage to support the situation. Lastly, a properly unleashed holy priest and a striker.’

Hmm…
This should be…

‘Doable.’

It was more than feasible.

In fact, except for Choi Mari, it was the <Academy> first-year all-stars.

As I nodded, a piece of trivia popped into my head.

“Uh, Chairman?”
“Yes?”
“If my memory serves me right, these return <Artifacts> usually require a mage to continuously adjust the mana.”

In <GAL>, there were items like return stones and scrolls, emergency escape gems that bypassed death penalties and allowed for a quick retreat.

However, the management deemed it too overpowered and made it unusable as is.

A highly skilled mage in related talents and magic operations was required in the party.

“BoraBora—oh, I mean, <Snow Ice> is outstanding, but isn’t it still difficult?”

“…Huh?”

Yu Neung-hae looked at me as if my question was strange.

Soon, she understood with an ‘Ah~’.

“Oh, Seha doesn’t know whose blood flows in <Snow Ice>‘s body?”
“…No?”
“It’s not hard to tell, but as an outsider, it’s not my place to say. Ask her yourself later. Anyway, because it’s <Snow Ice>, she can handle the <Magic Emperor>’s artifact. So, trust her, okay?”

I nodded absentmindedly at Yu Neung-hae’s words as she winked cutely.

Well, if she says so, there shouldn’t be any problem.

But…
Then what about ‘that’?

“Excuse me, Chairman. Do you remember the report about the powerful barrier at the entrance of the [Trial]? What should we do about that?”

“……”

At my words, Yu Neung-hae gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.

Crazy…

Did this woman really forget about it?

Peng Jin-ah, who was next to us, also looked as if to say, ‘No way…’

“……” (Yu Neung-hae sweating profusely)

“…Chairman?”

“Wh-what?! Ahem! D-don’t worry. I asked Professor Sarang-mi for help. She should be working hard on it, right? Let me just check… Huh? She said it will take at least a month?”

“…Chairman?”

“Um… Peng Jin-ah, please don’t bring your face so close. It’s scary.”

A month, huh…

It seemed like a long time, but honestly, it was probably faster than I had expected.

The barrier around the <Sea Dragon Temple> didn’t look like something that could be easily undone.

If that’s the case…

‘I can make that proposal.’

There was someone I’d been thinking about since clearing the <Underground Waterway>.

Someone I hadn’t contacted in a while—my ‘noona’

“…So, about that, is it possible to get one more <Pendant>?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I want to invite an outsider.”

“…A-an outsider?! Se-Seha! Th-this is supposed to be a <Secret Mission>. You can’t just tell anyone.”

“I know. But if it’s the person I want to invite, they can tear that barrier apart like a piece of paper. Their reliability is also certain.”

“…Is that possible? Are they some famous grand mage? Equivalent to S-grade?”

“No. She’s an ordinary blacksmith in the city.”

“…Huh?!”

At my words, Yu Neung-hae and Peng Jin-ah looked at me in disbelief.

Regardless, I smiled faintly.

A day later.

Jingle, jingle!

The sound of bells filled the shop.

A woman carrying cargo shouted loudly.

“Welcome! We serve with a heart like Hyeja!”

The woman was a beauty with attractively tanned brown skin.

She was none other than Im Hyeja.

Though she was in her mid-thirties, her youthful appearance made her look only in her late twenties.

Currently, Im Hyeja was preparing to deliver equipment to a party she recently struck a deal with.

“Hmm?”

Seeing that the incoming customer said nothing, Im Hyeja quickly turned her head to see who it was.

Soon, her face brightened at the sight of the handsome man standing still.

“This is our Seha, isn’t it?”
“Long time no see, Hyeja noona.”

Then, the approaching Im Hyeja put him in a headlock, a symbol of affection.

At first, she rejected and disliked him.
But after realizing Yu Seha’s sincerity, she acknowledged him, and they quickly became close.

Additionally, the many photos of the cute Meowi doing the Zero Two dance greatly influenced her favorability.

Jiggle!

Im Hyeja pushed her ample chest, which couldn’t be concealed even by her large work clothes, into his face.

“You rascal! You haven’t called me much lately!”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. I’ve been quite busy recently…”

“I know, I know. I’m an [Academy] graduate, too. So? Are you here to buy something? Oh, is it to prepare materials for the [Blacksmithing] class?”

“No, it’s not that. I have a serious request.”

“…A request?”

Im Hyeja shuddered at the smile of Yu Seha, who grinned broadly.

An inexplicable sense of unease washed over her.

She flinched even more at the words that followed.

“…Hyeja noona.”

“Hmm?”

“You were once a renowned <Hunter>, so it’s only natural…”

<Backup> position change.
You’ve learned it, right?