So That This Doesn’t Happen Again (1)

The dagger looked ordinary and plain at first glance, so I was uncertain for a moment.

‘…It definitely looked like this in the game icon…’

Since I hadn’t seen it in person before, it could have been something else.

I asked Ju Na-young for permission and checked the information window.

‘…It’s for real?’

[Dagger of the Pilgrim].

As you can see, it was a (Rare) grade dagger and had poor durability.
But it was a sub-weapon with the powerful special effect of sealing the recovery of the target it struck.

Of course, in the cases of bosses who constantly receive corrections through the power of dungeons, recovery reduction is applied only when physical strength falls below a certain level.

But even with that considered, it was still a formidable weapon against bosses.

The reason I noticed it was because it was a frequently seen item in ‘GAL’.

‘…I’ve seen this way too many times in PvP.’

As this was a very common item in fights between supervisors, I knew very well how useful it could be.

While I was staring blankly at it, Ju Na-Young who was watching, said, ‘Young-ah…’, and asked me with a smile,

“…Do you like it?”

Do I like it?

What is this girl saying right now?

The price of the [Dagger of the Pilgrim] I checked through the [Hunter App] was at least 100 million won.

Due to low supply compared to demand, I knew it could go up to 1 billion won at the auction house.

In short, it was way too expensive to just accept it as a casual gift.

‘…No, this is a bit…’

With a stiff expression, I put the dagger back into the cylindrical case.

“H-hey Ju Na-young. This is a no-go. It’s way too expensive.”

“It’s fine. I’m giving it because I want to. I can’t use it anyway since I don’t have divine power. Rather than letting it rot in storage for years, it’s better to find an owner like you who can use it.”

…Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that Meowi and I had divine power.

“…No, but still…”
“I don’t care. If you don’t take it, I’ll just leave it here.”
“……”

I felt confused by his stubborn insistence, almost like dealing with a child.

‘…Is this girl a silver spoon?’

As I have said before, Ju Na-young’s personal story doesn’t include details of her family or background.

The story states that she enters the Gonis Hunter Academy following the hunter she admired.

Since there was no description of her ever being in financial trouble, I could only guess she was wealthy among map guides.

The moment I felt so confused.

Ju Na-young, who hesitated back, said, ‘Young!’ and ran.

“B-bye then.”
“?! Yah! Ju Na-young!”

Ju Na-Young ran away, as if she didn’t want it back.

I screamed at her.

“Thank you!!”

I will use this well!

A few hours later.

“Heu~”

Ju Na-Young, who left the dorm, thought that today’s walk felt light.

And then she stopped for a moment.
The scene at the training ground.
She precisely recalled Yu Seha’s flustered expression.

‘…You liked it, right?’

Although he was extremely flustered, the twitching corners of his mouth showed he definitely liked it.

Following that, he shouted, *‘Thank you! I’ll use it well!’ *while waving his hand widely.

That radiant smile, as warm as his laughter, was deeply engraved in Ju Na-young’s heart.

“…Young-ah!”

Of course, Ju Na-young knew well.
That it was an expensive item to just give away as a gift.

However, Ju Na-young believed that for her, weapons were not just for display but had value when used in the hands of the right owner.

‘…Rather than letting it rot in the warehouse…’

Wouldn’t it be better for it to be in the hands of someone qualified like Yu Seha?

Besides…
She could see his happy face, too.

‘…It’s like seeing it for the first time.’

That genuinely happy smile.

Ju Na-young blushed like a child.

“…Uh, what?”

Then, the ticklish feeling came over her once again.

It was the same emotion she felt when she was carried on Yu Seha’s back during the first-week exam.

A bubbling, indescribable sensation.

“…?”

Ju Na-young rubbed between her two perky breasts.

She tilted her head slightly but dismissed it as nothing significant.

‘…Alright, this repays all the perilla mint choco I received over the past few days.’

Now, she could prepare with all her strength without any reservations.

For the third-week sparring match that would take place in just a few days.

Ju Na-young was certain that Yu Seha would make it to the finals.

Of course, she would too.
There was no way she would lose.
Absolutely not…!

‘…That’s where the real competition will be.’

For the position of Professor Peng Jin-ah’s exclusive disciple!

It was when she was crossing the bridge with a pleasant feeling.

‘…Huh?’

At that moment, she saw someone leaning on the bridge railing, staring at the night sky.

Their eyes naturally met.
This led to both of them being surprised.

“…Oh my?”
“…Young-ah?”

About 165 cm tall.
Long, glossy purple hair flowing down to the waist.

Combined with skin as white as snow, her appearance clearly screamed ‘beauty.’

“…Miss Ju Na-young?
“…?”

Moon Bora.
It was a completely unexpected nighttime encounter.

“……”
“……”

An awkward silence quietly flowed between the two.

For about one to two minutes…

Neither of them spoke first.

‘Young…’

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Ju Na-young finally asked cautiously.

“…Why are you here… at this time?”

“I couldn’t sleep well. I thought a walk might help, so I came out here. How about you, Miss Ju Na-young?”

“M-Me too… I couldn’t sleep.”

“I see.”

No further conversation followed.

Ju Na-young and Moon Bora.

Each a promising talent with the nicknames and .

However, regardless of the cadets’ evaluations, the two had no particular connection with each other.

Sure, they’d been hanging out together recently because of Yu Seha’s knack for drawing everyone in.

And Ma Hana, the soft and chewy adhesive that healed her heart just by looking at her.

But the two had never shared a personal conversation.

It was the kind of relationship where it was fine with three people.
But with just the two of them, it quickly became awkward.

‘Young…’

Ju Na-young felt uncomfortable in many ways.

She hadn’t really talked with Snow Ice, so she had nothing to say.

With unexpected awkwardness added, it was literally driving her crazy.

Should she just leave first? At that moment, she heard Snow Ice’s voice.

“That…”
“Huh?”
“Did Yu Seha give it to you?”

What Moon Bora pointed at was the perilla leaf mint choco Mentos.
She seemed to have noticed when she took it out of her pocket.
So, Ju Na-young handed her one, seeing her curious look.

“Do you want to try it?”
“…Thank you.”

Chew, chew.

Surprisingly, she ate it well without any change in her expression.

Seeing this, Ju Na-young thought she was a very interesting woman.

‘…Judging by her appearance, she looks like she only goes to fancy restaurants…’

But she enjoys hearty dishes like broth-rice and pork stir-fry with sesame seeds…

Even for a first-timer, she seemed to savor the Mentos well.

Ju Na-young often watched her with astonished eyes alongside Ma Hana.

In contrast, Yu Seha nodded knowingly as if he understood.

‘…Could it be that she has known Yu Seha for a long time?’

Maybe so…
Despite her characteristically aloof atmosphere, Moon Bora casually struck up a conversation.

“…Indeed, it’s a flavor that some people would appreciate.”
“R-Right? Everyone else hates it, but it’s surprisingly good, isn’t it?”

Unexpectedly, just a single Mentos.
That single piece broke the ice between the two of them.

Before long, Ju Na-young and Moon Bora began to exchange stories about each other.

“Ah, I see. [Flame] requires special attention to explosiveness.”

“[Frost] is a bit different?”

“Because we have to use the heat energy from the backlash of magic in reverse. Rather than explosion, we focus on sustainability… and steadily hold the magic to draw the line.”

Although their ‘classes’ were different, they shared a common story in how they dealt with the attributes.

“Haa, personally, I wish it was something cooler than Flame Dragon…”

“I don’t really like Snow Ice either… It sounds like some shaved ice brand. I don’t get why they have to place such a title.”

“…It isn’t like it changes anything.”

“Which is why it is a problem… Sigh.”

They even discussed the titles they had been given.

In the end, their conversation naturally led to the topic of Yu Seha—the person who had initiated the conversation and remained the central subject.

“…Sometimes, he acts like an oldie.”

“Right, right! That guy must have been a thousand-year-old fox in his past life.”

“I agree. The way he closes the distance with that look… It’s not good for the heart. Right?”

“Right, right!”

Ju Na-young and Moon Bora found themselves surprisingly getting along.

Perhaps bolstered by that thought.

Ju Na-young cautiously looked around and asked indirectly.

“Hey, [Snow Ice].”
“Moon Bora is fine.”
“Oh, okay. That… just in case…”
“Hmm?”
“You and Yu Seha…”

Are you… in that kind of relationship?

“…?”

Moon Bora, not understanding the meaning for a moment, stared blankly at Ju Na-young.

‘Wha…t?’ she pointed at herself with her finger.
Then she tilted her head once, and her face gradually started turning bright red.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you saying?!”

At the moment she tried to protest.
The sound of a phone ringing interrupted their conversation.

The owner of the sound was none other than Ju Na-young.

She flinched at the caller ID, clasped her hands together with an apologetic look, and answered the call.

It seemed to be quite an important call.

Moon Bora, unable to do anything, suppressed her boiling emotions and felt dumbfounded inwardly.

‘Ha, seriously!’

No matter how much time they spent together recently, still…

To misunderstand like that…

‘Come to think of it…’

There were posts on the Academy bulletin board asking if the two were in that kind of relationship.

‘I just brushed it off back then…’

The rumors seemed to have spread quite a bit, enough to reach even the ears of .

‘…Should I take some action?’

As she pondered over this, waiting.

She turned her gaze at the sudden shout.

“…Shit. What the hell are you talking about?!”

Ju Na-young, seemingly quite angry, shouted, mixing in curses she rarely used.

She put down the phone, switched it to ‘speaker mode,’ and shouted loudly at the person on the other end.

“Best villain, you say?”

Flinch.

Moon Bora shivered reflexively, unable to control her body’s reaction.

She trembled even more at the name that followed.

“Accomplice? Yu Seha and… what?”

Ma Hana?

What kind of nonsense is that?!