Bab 11: Facade

"Water Blade!" The remaining wolves were taken down with ease. The power up had raised her strength significantly.

It honestly felt like she was cheating.

When she reached the last wolf, she landed one last strike and effectively ended its life.

The grind ended right then and there.

A notification rang.

[<Blue Wolf> 50/50.]

[Level increased by 1.]

Aria Schreiner | Lv.12

Title:

- <Player>

Job:

- <Adapter> | Stage 2

EXP: 2031/45396

HP : 927/927

MP : 121/121

System Points(SP) : -

Strength: 10

Vitality: 10

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Dexterity: 10

Remaining status points: 60 (+20)

Skill:

-[Tempered Body]

'...' She glanced through the changes in her status.

There was a set of new information that contained five attributes, from strength to dexterity. She could decipher the use just by matching them to the information she possessed.

However, the job <Adapter>, along with the title <Player> bugged her.

The System mentioned things like unlocking the power. She had never heard of such an occupation like <Adapter> before.

What power was it? Who could explain it to her?

'I was the Seventh one to join.' Aria remembered the notification.

It meant that apart from her, six other people who possibly has the same fate as her existed.

'The world is vast. Could I meet them without any clues?'

Then again, one day hadn't passed since she came out of the coffin.

Rather than focusing on others, she should focus on herself, first and foremost.

The blood that was dripping down from her sword wasn't something she appreciated, so she asked Dianthe to wash it down.

It was then that she remembered where the sword came from.

Turning back, she could see the trio huddled up in one corner, Il-hoon being the only one conscious, whilst Yoo Jin was still hiding behind a wall.

She looked down and twitched at her current attire.

"..You there," Aria pointed her sword at Il-hoon, whose face was filled by tears.

"Can you.. take off your clothes?" Scratching her temples, she didn't even think about how weird the sentence must've sounded like.

She just wanted to wear clothes and not look like a pervert.

Though, the expressions that the men wore after her words came to an end entailed that they misunderstood.

"Ah! Wait, hold on. Before you think weirdly of me.. I don't need everything, just something to.. cover up with." Aria clarified, realizing how strange it sounded.

Unfortunately for her, even if she hadn't said those words, the people gathered here still thought of her as a freak for the grand entrance she made compiled with her fighting strength.

Il-hoon was a bit taken aback, but he quickly realized the reason Aria said that and took off his jacket.

The woman was naked, possibly because of another battle that happened right before this. It wasn't something unheard of.

Furthermore, as his savior, even if she told him to strip down completely, he would do it without a doubt.

The length of the coat covered her body from shoulders down to her knees.

The lack of undergarments was a little discomforting, but she had to deal with it for the time being.

After Aria was satisfied, Il-hoon's gaze went back to his two fallen comrades. They weren't dead yet, but there was no chance of them surviving.

"..That, aren't you going to do anything about it?" Aria saw the aggrieved look on Il-hoon's face and asked.

"It's.. too late. This place is pretty far from the main city. Normal hospitals won't be able to take care of injuries made by dungeon monsters of rank D or above. Not to mention, it's so severe... I'm going to mourn here for a while before going back. Thank you for saving me, lady. I don't know who you are, but if there comes a chance in the future where I can repay your efforts, please do seek me out."

Il-hoon was still absorbed in his own mind and did not question why Aria was unaware of such basic knowledge for hunters, especially one of her caliber.

"..Well, that's too bad. Can you get out of this gate alone?" Aria felt some sympathy after seeing Il-hoon's broken state.

The location they were in right now was not far from the entrance. If the man wanted, she could escort him.

It wouldn't hurt her anyway. She got stronger in such a short time. A round two with those wolves wouldn't even bother her in the slightest.

She took their sword and a coat that helped her solve her naked problem.

"Yes, since we passed the substage phase, the gate's entrance will be opened for a short while. Savior-nim, are you not going to..?" Il-hoon wanted to ask if Aria really wanted to continue.

C-ranked gates weren't meant to be cleared alone. Aria's decision to stay in the dungeon meant that she wanted to subjugate it by herself.

That was a stupid idea.

"I have some unfinished business here. Don't worry, you can just trust me. Ah, could I also borrow some money? The carcasses of those guys, I'll give it to you."

"Ah.. ahh, of course, that's not a big deal at all!" Il-hoon was shocked to see how Aria wasn't interested in the wolves' leftovers at all.

Even though the wolves would be worth so much more than just money when they were turned in to the Association. Not only will they get revenue from the materials, they will also be noted down for the achievements. It would boost their Hunter levels.

Then, it clicked.

Aria was clearly a high-ranked hunter. One that was enough to take care of a C-ranked dungeon by herself.

Sure enough, she was leagues above him. Taking care of 50 wolves alone, whereas they couldn't even handle it with three people. These wolves wouldn't matter to her.

But why did she want money?

If she was that powerful of a hunter, she could've just came back to the Association and report her journey, no?

"Haa... I think you're skeptical of this whole tirade.. But to answer your question, I'm not from this place. I need money to go back and reunite with my comrades. Not Korean." Aria added on to her story after noticing Il-hoon's deep frown.

Il-hoon was still heavily affected by the death of two of his brothers. Perhaps, that was what made him susceptible with Aria's words. He was persuaded and did not ask more questions.

Although it sounded convincing, those who listened and paid attention to the information clearly would know that something was amiss.

Yoo Jin, who did exactly that, couldn't help but gaze at Aria in a strange way.