"What... what did you do just now?"

"Well, have you never seen someone throw a knife before?"

"That's not what I'm asking!"

Kim Somi was so surprised that she froze, her eyes wide. Her voice was loud, and the enemies immediately reacted.

I could hear their voices in my ears. I was already a hunter with two S-rank classes. It's safe to say that there is no other hunter in the world at my level. The fact that I possess two S-rank classes makes me a unique being.

"Isn't that a woman's voice? We were told he was alone!"

"I wondered why he came here, but he was just playing with a woman. You're amazing, you pervert professor."

I felt a little annoyed at the word "pervert professor". If I had actually done something like that, I wouldn't even be upset.

"Good! Let's kill this guy and take the woman for ourselves."

"Kukukuk, I've had a twitch in my crotch ever since we got here!"

One of them had just been killed by the knife I threw. But the fact that they were having this conversation meant they didn't understand the situation. They must have been far away from the guy who just died. At the same time, I could guess the level of the assassins. If they were high-level, they would have heard the guy who died's voice after being hit by my knife, and they would have heard what Kim Somi said.

"Hyunho, leave the rest of these guys to me."

"Are you sure?"

"We can talk later. I'm not including these guys in the calculations."

What Kim Somi meant by not including them in the calculations was that she wouldn't count it as helping me. She must not have liked what these guys were saying. And why wouldn't she? Kim Somi was an S-rank hunter who had exuded charisma in South Korea. She had stepped down from active duty because of her injuries, but her name still held weight. The assassins probably didn't know who they were talking about, which is why they were making those lewd remarks.

Kim Somi, who had said she was going to put on her gear, went outside with a grim face. I was a little worried, so I took two more knives and followed her.

"Oh! She's beautiful!"

"Damn, we hit the jackpot today?"

Two hunters, who didn't recognize Kim Somi, muttered. Judging from their slightly awkward pronunciation, it seemed like they were Korean, but they didn't seem to be from the mainland. They sounded like they were from Joseonjok or Southeast Asia. I had heard that hunters from those areas often became villains and were used to kill people. It seems that's why they didn't recognize Kim Somi.

The guys reached into their inventories and pulled out weapons. One of them had a curved sword like an Orcish blade, and the other one had a long spear.

"Whew..."

Kim Somi let out a low sigh. And then, a moment later,

Boom! Boom!

Two flashes of light, then the two villains fell, making sounds like "Ugh!" and "Gulp!" One of them had his upper chest cleanly cut off, the other had his head sliced in half. Seeing her merciless hand, it was clear that Kim Somi was no ordinary woman.

Bang!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the darkness.

"Ugh!"

At the same time, Kim Somi ducked.

I looked at the distance, startled, and saw a shadow swaying among the trees.

"He's right there!"

I quickly ran towards him. The bushes rustled, crackle, crackle, and I saw the assassin running away. Even with two S-rank classes, I wasn't exactly fast, so sadly, I couldn't catch the guy who was far away.

I stopped chasing him and threw the knife I was holding in his direction.

Swoosh-

Two knives flew out, making a sharp sound.

I heard a "Kuck!" but the footsteps didn't stop. One of the two knives seemed to have hit the guy, but it didn't manage to inflict a fatal wound.

'I can't help it.'

He sent four assassins, probably because he was bothered by the fact that he had sent one guy and failed.

'I should make a move after receiving such a gift.'

I had enough motivation to strike back.

I went back to where Kim Somi was. She was treating herself. She drank a potion and sprayed medicine on her wound. Even after that, her expression didn't improve much.

"Sigh..."

Kim Somi let out a sigh that sounded like a groan. A moment later, she collapsed like a doll with its string cut.

Kim Somi was dreaming. A nightmare. It was a dream she had been having ever since that day. She was attacked inside an S-rank dungeon. It definitely wasn't a monster. She was attacked from behind, and one of her legs was pierced. She heard laughter, a woman's voice. Besides her, there were three S-rank female hunters in Korea. Two of them had entered the dungeon with her.

She was left behind, badly injured, and managed to crawl out of the dungeon, barely alive. She lost consciousness for a week, and after waking up, she confronted the two she suspected, but they both got angry. There was no evidence, and if she pressed further, her situation would only worsen. They were S-rank hunters. Their situation was different from hers, who was seriously injured. If she kept fighting, she would only be at a disadvantage.

The burning pain of the injury she had suffered that day, coupled with the resentment and anger, made her feel like she was going to die. She moaned and groaned, then suddenly opened her eyes.

"What were you mumbling about? You should be completely healed."

"...What?"

"Whew... I didn't intend to heal you for free, but what can I do? You were going to die."

"What did you say?!"

Kim Somi sat up in bed, startled. She lifted the blanket and looked down at her leg. She couldn't tell if she was really healed, just from looking at it.

"If you're doubtful, just stab it yourself. It'll heal up now."

Han Hyunho said nonchalantly. Kim Somi pulled a knife out of her inventory and immediately stabbed it into her right thigh.

"No! What are you doing, stabbing yourself for real!"

Her thigh, which was pierced by the knife, started bleeding. Hunters have self-healing abilities. They can heal wounds of a certain level without any treatment, and S-rank hunters' self-healing abilities are naturally high. But Kim Somi's right thigh had significantly lower abilities. The reason was that she had suffered an irreversible injury. The spot she had been shot yesterday was also on that side.

A moment later,Tears streamed down Kim Somi's eyes.

The bleeding stopped, and the wound on her leg, which had been torn open, healed.

"Tsk! Some people just can't be trusted."

"How did you do that?"

Kim Somi asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"Can you understand if I explain?"

"No, but..."

Her gaze went downwards. She stroked her thigh, her face lost in thought. She looked different when I looked at her like this.

"Those guys who came yesterday, they were sent by Park Seokcheol, right?"

"Probably."

"Why are you just standing there? You could easily get revenge with your abilities, Hyunho."

"I want to do it properly."

"Properly?"

"Properly, without missing a single one."

"Ah..."

Kim Somi got out of bed and put her feet on the floor.

"I dirtied your blankets and sheets because of me. I'll buy you new ones."

"Don't worry about it. You can just order them online. Even the wallpaper delivery is fast these days."

"You really want to kill them all, without missing a single one?"

"Well, I wouldn't say kill, I want to make sure they know. They shouldn't underestimate me."

"Sorry to say this, but I think what you said was only half true. If you could have gotten revenge immediately, you would have done so. There's a reason why you came here and why you're stalling. You didn't ask me to stay here and kill the assassins for no reason. Is this place making you stronger, Hyunho?"

She was a smart woman. I knew from the beginning that she wasn't the type to be easily taken in, but I didn't know she could infer this much.

"That's only half true. Until yesterday, I couldn't defeat the assassins who came for me. But as you saw last night, things changed. I didn't even know I could become this strong."

"So... I'm not needed anymore?"

There was a strange sense of unease in Kim Somi's eyes. I didn't know why, but a message I hadn't expected popped up.

• Kim Somi's affinity for you has reached 80.
• She's starting to become obsessed with you.
• She will never betray you and will be emotionally dependent on you.

"Uh... ?"

Her affinity is 80? Before treating her, I registered her as a tutoring target. It was because that was a clean way to heal her injuries, but I also didn't want to heal her without receiving anything in return. Human distrust. After what happened at the academy, I decided not to trust anyone. I thought it was necessary to either get something in return when I did something for someone, or have a backup plan in place to prevent them from betraying me.

The easiest way was to register Kim Somi as a tutoring target. At least her affinity would immediately increase to 60, and if she did anything strange, I could revoke her tutoring target status and reclaim the growth effects I had given her.

I didn't expect this development. In normal relationships between men and women, an affinity of 80 is only possible between lovers, right?

• Kim Somi is attracted to strong men.
• She may act tough on the outside, but deep down, she wants a man who's stronger than her to lead her.

'Ah...'

I understood. Kim Somi's image was strong. Her personality and aura were aloof, and she had the powerful title of S-rank hunter. But the essence was different. The reason she seemed so sharp was because she hadn't met a man who was stronger than her. She needed a man who could control her, not one who praised her.

"What's wrong?"

Kim Somi asked, seeing me thinking to myself silently.

"No, I should ask you, Kim Somi. Do you need me?"

"Y, you... ?"

Kim Somi's eyes widened.

"Wh, wh, what are you talking about?"

Her face flushed red.

'It's stronger than I thought?'

It was different from when I was tutoring students at the academy. Something had fundamentally changed. I didn't fully know my changed abilities.

"What are you misunderstanding, why is your face like that? It was like that at the academy, are you the kind of person who thinks about those things a lot, Somi?"

"Wh, what are you saying!"

"Okay, okay. Anyway, tell me. Do you need me?"

Kim Somi, who seemed to be hesitating, finally answered quietly.

"Yes..."

"Your injury is healed. Why do you need me?"

"Can't you just talk about your story first? You're the one who needs me, aren't you?"

"Why?"

"I'll help you. I know that you were unjustly framed. No, even if it wasn't a frame, it's clear that Park Seokcheol and those people at the academy crossed the line. Even if you have abilities, it's hard to take on all of those guys by yourself. I'll help you."

"How specifically?"

"I took a day off and came here. I'm going to go back to the academy and kill Park Seokcheol!"

"You're going to kill the Chairman?"

"My legs are fine now. It's not a difficult task for me."

"Hmm..."

I imagined Kim Somi going back to Alpha Academy and killing Park Seokcheol. Kim Somi could kill him more cleverly than most assassins. But would that be the strategically right way? Even if Park Seokcheol died, it would dilute the meaning of revenge if Kim Somi was the one to kill him. I want to see that bastard die with my own eyes.

"Let's go together."

"What?"

"If we stay here, they'll keep sending assassins. We let one go yesterday. There's no guarantee that you can kill Park Seokcheol without suspicion if you go back to the academy. Let's go together."

"Are you sure?"

"What's not to be sure about? You and me, Somi, two S-ranks."

Park Seokcheol was desperate to kill me. My attempt to build a new academy had angered him. By now, he would know that the second assassins he sent had also failed. What would his next move be? I didn't want to let him think, it seemed better to confront him directly.

"You're right. I'll get ready."

Kim Somi left the room. I could hear her footsteps, it seemed like she was going to the bathroom.

'Should I get ready too?'

After treating Kim Somi, I moved the assassin's bodies into the abandoned dungeon. Then I continued working on the equipment and weapons. S-rank equipment and weapons for close-range damage dealers. They were simple in shape, but their performance was solid.

• 3/100 experience recovered.

I gained today's worth of experience.

'Good.'

I decided to use the experience I gained on the third day to acquire an S-rank Swordsmanship skill.