CHAPTER 238: PAST MIDNIGHT (1)

"EVERYONE, RETREAT!"

Semi clicked her tongue when she heard the square-headed boss-level villain yell for his minions to retreat.

[If I remember correctly, it’s the person that Song Moonho calls ’Commander.’]

"Graham," Semi said, getting ready to jump. "Don’t let that bastard escape."

"Got it, Noona!"

The ’Commander’ opened a portal again, obviously preparing to escape with his minions.

Semi knew they had to catch that bastard, however...

[WARNING!

DO NOT FOLLOW THE ENEMY!]

Semi paused when her Status Window popped up.

Graham also did the same, so he probably got the same message from the System.

Moreover...

"Jang Semi-ssi, Han Graham-ssi, please get behind me!"

It was Hwang Minsu, an A-Class Hunter from the Winter Guild.

During an emergency, the Big 4 should be the one leading Hunters lower than their ranks.

However, Semi and Graham both knew that ranks didn’t matter in a life-and-death situation. Hence, they listened to the A-Class Hunter and teleported behind her without questions.

[Because we know that arrogance and pride will kill you on a battlefield.]

Hwang Minsu raised her hands and created a beautiful and clear crystal-like barrier shaped like a dome.

It was a barrier meant to protect everyone inside it.

[It’s not as strong as Hwang Yejun or Do Ahyeon’s barrier, but it’s definitely stronger than what Graham and I could make since we don’t have expertise in making shields.]

Even if Hwang Minsu failed, Hamin was there to support them.

[Guildmaster Hamin is also famous for his sturdy barriers.]

Semi noticed the green-haired woman in Hamin’s arms, but she didn’t ask him questions.

[That must be our Hee-ya’s friend from the dungeon.]

Aside from Hamin and the mysterious green-haired woman, there were other people inside the barrier, too.

"Why are these bastards here?!" Graham complained while pointing at Zaizai and Dawn— Song Moonho’s team members who were just fighting their side a while ago. And then Graham carefully carried the unconscious Gong Yool in his arms, still complaining. "Aren’t they enemies?!"

Dawn just yawned, completely ignoring Graham’s complaint.

"Let bygones be bygones, Graham-ssi," Zaizai said casually, laughing. "Our boss didn’t betray you! He was just acting to get information from the enemies? Didn’t you see our boss risk his life to accompany Gong Yool inside the dungeon?"

’Inside the dungeon’ and not ’to the other world.’

[I guess Song Moonho didn’t tell his team members the whole truth.]

"Graham-ssi, please stop yelling— I need to concentrate," Hwang Minsu scolded Graham. "The System asked me to protect the Hunters from the Autumn Guild. If you don’t like it, then please complain to the System."

Graham immediately shut his mouth. "Sorry, Noona."

It was a bit funny.

[Graham is really more childish than Hwang Yejun. Anyways...]

Semi wanted to ask Hwang Minsu why the System asked her make a barrier.

However, she didn’t have to when it happened next.

The square-headed boss-level villain— aka ’Commander’— threw a huge ’water balloon’ at them.

Semi was a bit irked.

[It’s like my signature weapon.]

When the ’water balloon’ hit Hwang Minsu’s crystal-like barrier, it exploded as expected.

And then dark liquid flowed, covering the entire dome-like shield.

IT SIZZLED.

The barrier sizzled as if it was getting melted by the acid-like liquid that hit the barrier.

"According to the System, that liquid is a kind of virus that can corrupt our Status Window," Hwang Minsu explained. Her face was still full of concentration, and it looked like she was really having a hard time maintaining the barrier that she created. "The System also said that just one drop of that virus is enough to corrupt us."

Haaah.

[So, that dark liquid is more dangerous than the miasma.]

"Do you need help?" Hamin asked Hwang Minsu bluntly. "I can make a second layer of barrier."

"Thank you for the offer, but I can manage," Hwang Minsu said, now clenching her hands tight. "I don’t deserve to be in the Winter Guild if I can’t do this much."

And those weren’t just empty words.

Hwang Minsu then changed the shape of her barrier from dome to an umbrella, then to a sphere— trapping the black liquid inside.

And then Hwang Minsu threw the crystal ball barrier containing the harmful liquid at the Commander.

The Commander clicked his tongue, running towards the portal.

Semi also clicked his tongue.

After all, the portal closed before the barrier even hit the enemy.

"Graham, go and catch the remaining square-headed villains," Semi said, sighing when the Commander had escaped. "Don’t burn them to death this time..."

She trailed off when her Status Window popped up again.

This time, she received a message from Yeon Soobin.

[Noona, come home quickly— something happened to our Hee-ya.]

Semi almost had a heart attack after reading the message.

[Hee-ya...!]

***

"UNNIEEE!"

Hmm?

Semi blinked, confused.

When Soobin contacted her and told her that something happened to their baby sister, she expected the worst.

However...

"Unnie!" Baby Wonhee called her fondly, raising her short and chubby arms. "Hee-ya missed Unnie a lot!"

OH MY GOD!

Wonhee was speaking in third person!

[She stopped doing that after her parents died...]

Semi shook her head, getting rid of the bad thoughts in her head.

"Unnie, you don’t want to hug Hee-ya?"

Oh.

Semi immediately got down on one knee and hugged Wonhee.

It was real.

Her baby sister had turned into a toddler!

Semi looked up and met Soobin’s eyes.

"It’s the System’s way of helping our Hee-ya recover faster," Soobin explained. "Hwang Yejun is also in the same condition."

Huh?

Hwang Yejun also turned into a little kid?

"Reverse Guiding," Soobin said, sighing. "Hwang Yejun used Reverse Guiding to help our Hee-ya expand her Mana Tank."

Oh.

"And our Hee-ya demoted Hunter Bride from S-Class to F-Class."

"What?!"

"I’ll explain later, Noona. For now, I need to go."

"Where are you going when our Hee-ya is in this condition?"

"Noona, I’m still the Vice President of APA," Soobin reminded her playfully. "Kwon Jiwoong is here— I can’t let him know what happened here."

Oh, right.

"Go and make a good excuse," Semi said, nodding while hugging Wonhee tight. "I’ll bring our Hee-ya to my house first before I report to APA about what happened at Namsan Tower."

"Alright, Noona," Soobin said, nodding. "I’ll tell President Kwon that you’ll report to him tomorrow."

***

"GUILDMASTER Hamin, this is the first time you brought a woman home."

"Yes, it is," Hamin said bluntly in response to what Ryung Dae said. "Is that a problem?"

After the ordeal in the Namsan Tower, he went home with the sleeping Bitna in his arms.

By ’home,’ he meant the penthouse in the Fall Guild that he shared with Ryung Dae— his long-time friend.

Ryung Dae looked at him funny. "Hamin-ah, I was teasing you."

"Oh, were you?"

"It’s really no fun teasing you," his friend said, sighing while shaking his head. "Is everything over now? You came home earlier than expected."

"Jang Semi Noona shoved all the work to Han Graham. I’m not a member of the Big 4, so I wasn’t obliged to help with the clean-up."

"You just hate doing menial tasks that don’t interest you."

"Yeah," Hamin said, looking down at Bitna’s sleeping face. "I can’t concentrate on anything else when I already have something I’m interested in."

"But isn’t that woman Chu Wonhee’s friend?"

"I guess. What about it?"

"Then don’t you have to give her back to Chu Wonhee?"

"Why would I need to do that?"

"Chu Wonhee is protective of her friends, dummy," Ryung Dae said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don’t make Chu Wonhee upset. You know that she’s well-loved by the most powerful monsters in the country, right?"

He wasn’t that dense.

[I know how influential Chu Wonhee is, but...]

"Bitna is my friend first," Hamin insisted, feeling possessive of Bitna for some reason. "And Chu Wonhee doesn’t own her friends."

***

Please ADD MY LIFE AS THE FIRST S-CLASS GUIDE to your LIBRARY to be notified when an update is posted. Thank you! :