FRSBS 08

Chapter 8

“Not bad, huh?”

The support mage asked Yena.

Was it really worth chasing an F-rank hunter all the way out here to an unpopular gate?

When they’d left before dawn, everyone except Yena had their doubts.

If she hadn’t insisted it would be worth investing a single day, none of them would’ve even looked at the rookie.

“Honestly, I thought you’d be wrong this time.”

“Oh come on~ You still don’t trust me?”

That skepticism didn’t last long.

Not long after entering the gate, everyone’s opinion changed.

“Beating the Angel Guildmaster’s son wasn’t luck. Just look at his stance with the sword.”

A perfectly clean, efficient form with no wasted motion.

Yena might be an archer, but as a scout, she understood the basics of every weapon.

“He didn’t just win with one lucky counter. He blocked every single attack, then crushed him in overtime. That’s no coincidence.”

She still remembered vividly—
Lim Hyungju, the brilliant vice top student of Year 3 and son of the Angel Guild’s master.

She’d gone to watch that match out of curiosity—wondering how talented the guildmaster’s son really was.

But what she saw was a shocking upset from a completely unexpected student.

“I mean, yeah, I heard the rumors all over the place, but… isn’t it a little exaggerated?”

“It’s not. He won flawlessly—didn’t let a single hit through.”

“…”

The support mage looked at Juhyeok and frowned slightly.

He didn’t seem convinced. After a moment, he spoke again.

“I don’t really know what happened back at the academy, but… he’s giving me weird vibes today.”

He couldn’t care less about some academy rumor of a rank-200 student beating the vice top.

It sounded like a tabloid story.

But what Juhyeok was showing right now—
that was far less believable than any rumor.

“You sure this guy’s really a first-timer in a gate?”

Despite it being his first dive, he showed zero signs of panic.

His calm, unshaken eyes radiated a composure that most elite hunters didn’t have.

Every new hunter flinched when they first faced a monster that wanted to kill them—no matter how weak.

But Juhyeok… he just pressed his boot down on the goblin’s foot and drove his sword clean through its back,
as casually as if he were practicing in a training hall.

“Tell me—what about that looks like a rookie F-rank hunter?”

“…”

Yena didn’t answer right away.

Honestly, she agreed.

When they’d deliberately let a stray monster slip through just to test him, he hadn’t even blinked.

If anything, he’d been waiting for it—spinning behind and delivering a killing blow straight through the back.

It had left a deep impression.

“Well… I’m not really sure either.”

His actions were too calm for a rookie.

It was almost enough to make you suspect he’d faked his identity.

If he hadn’t come straight from the academy, she’d have thought there was something hidden behind that unassuming profile.

But based on what her instructor friends and his classmates had said,
the chance of a fake identity was practically zero.

So, the only conclusion left was vague at best—

“Maybe he just… has talent for killing monsters.”

It sounded halfhearted, but it was the only thing that made sense.

Yena glanced at Juhyeok, who was quietly eating a piece of jerky, and asked,

“What do you think?”

“…Do people usually have this kind of conversation in front of the person they’re talking about?”

If they’d been whispering behind his back, he might’ve ignored it.

But they were sitting right beside him during a break, talking as if he weren’t even there.

He half wondered if he’d turned invisible.

When he called them out, Yena just smiled brightly, completely unfazed.

“Maybe I just want to get on the good side of a talented rookie?”

“…”

That harmless, friendly smile again.

Even before they’d entered the gate, he’d noticed how naturally she disarmed people’s wariness.

Whether it was an act or genuine, he couldn’t tell. But he had no intention of dropping his guard.

Tearing off another piece of jerky, he finally answered her question.

“I’m not the talented type. I’ve just run through it in my head a thousand times.”

At school, he’d memorized everything—every monster between F and A rank.

He trained mentally until his brain went numb, running simulations again and again in his imagination.

“The goblin’s anatomy is similar to a human’s, so its weak points are roughly the same. I just moved based on that.”

“The impressive part,” Yena replied with a smirk, “is moving like that without hesitation.”

“Like I said, I’ve practiced it in my head countless times.”

Even before stepping into this gate, his mind was full of mock battles.

From the moment he helped his mother open the shop in the morning
to the moment he closed his eyes at night,
he was always running mental drills—how to respond, how to survive.

“If you’re fully prepared, there’s no reason to panic.”

Be prepared, and you need not fear.

Through meticulous preparation, he’d reduced every variable he could think of.
That was why he moved with such composure—like a veteran.

The guild members exchanged glances.

“He’s like a grumpy old man.”

“He talks like my grandpa, and he’s twenty.”

His disciplined tone radiated sheer earnestness.

They already knew, from their background checks, that he spent nearly all his time between the dorm, training hall, and library.

But hearing those textbook words in person made it hit harder.

“Anyway,” he added, “if I had any real talent, I wouldn’t have needed to work this hard.”

“Hm~”

Yena exaggeratedly nodded, her playful expression returning.

“Then we really should keep you close.”

There was certainty in her voice now.

Her tone was still casual, but there was weight behind it.

“A person with no talent but enough drive to overcome that? That’s the kind of talent we need.”

“…”

He didn’t dislike hearing that.

Having someone acknowledge his effort was… nice.

“I’m not joining any guilds.”

But that didn’t change his stance.

Yena didn’t seem like a bad person—but that wasn’t the issue.

“No guild like Mir out there, but fine~ We’ll keep trying once we’re out. Anyway, time to move again.”

She got up with a stretch.

Her persistence was noticeable, but she never crossed the line into being pushy.

That, at least, was a relief.

“Wanna grab dinner together after we get out?”

“I’m fasting.”

“…Didn’t you just eat the jerky I gave you?”

“The fast started just now.”

Of course, that didn’t stop her recruitment attempts.

She kept probing gently, getting deflected again and again.

That light banter repeated a few more times as they cleared their way deeper into the gate.

Eventually, the support mage announced from behind,

“About ten minutes more and we’ll hit the exit gate.”

“Got it.”

Their first raid together was nearing its end.

Just as the guidebook said, the number of monsters had dwindled the further they walked.

So this is why no one comes here.

Today’s haul was only seven F-rank mana stones.

It wasn’t bad, since he got to keep everything—but split four ways, it would’ve been barely worth the trip.

Guess I’ll have to find somewhere a little better next time.

He’d come to this unpopular gate to avoid other hunters’ eyes,
and also to get a sense of real combat in the weakest possible environment.

But now that he’d cleared it, it felt almost too easy.

And I’ve already been found by a guild anyway. I might as well move somewhere busier.

He was still thinking that when—

Boom!

A heavy tremor ripped through the ground beneath them.

Everyone froze, exchanging quick glances.

“…What was that?”

“There aren’t supposed to be any large monsters in this gate.”

Juhyeok knew that too.

This gate was a natural forest-type area—goblins, slimes, small to medium monsters at best.

It had been open for over ten years; the info was reliable.

Boom!

But the tremors didn’t stop.

His hair stood on end. His mouth went dry.

That kind of pressure made a person turn to stone.

“Where’s it coming from?”

“…Nothing close. I can’t detect anything nearby.”

Even with the support mage’s detection magic, no presence appeared within a 200-meter radius.

And yet, the ground shook again—

Thud!

“Southwest!”

The support mage pointed just as another, heavier impact hit.

Yena opened her mouth to issue an order—

KUUUUUUUAAAAAAHHH!

—but the earth-shaking roar came first.

It hit like an explosion, making everyone cover their ears in pain.

Through the ringing in his skull, Juhyeok saw it clearly.

Not a club, but a greatsword.

The creature holding it—a massive, muscle-bound orc.

Yes, an orc.

Five times a human’s size, glaring down at them with red eyes.

Before they could even process what they were seeing, it let out another deafening bellow and leapt high into the air.

“Move!”

No one had expected to encounter an armed orc inside an F-rank gate.

For a split second, everyone froze.

Juhyeok’s brain kicked into overdrive.

Can’t save everyone.

Even he was reeling, adrenaline spiking.

He grabbed Yena by the arm and dove backward.

As they fell away, he locked eyes with the front-line warrior.

The man had already drawn his sword.

“Good call.”

BOOM!

The next instant, the orc slammed down on them.

Dust exploded everywhere, blinding them.

“Jaehwan! Sua!”

Yena, barely spared by Juhyeok’s pull, shouted for her teammates.

No answer.

As the dust slowly cleared, the scene came into focus.

A low, guttural growl rumbled through the trees.

The orc stood there, its blade slick with blood.

And the two she had called—
lay crumpled against a tree, motionless, covered in red.