Chapter 57: Ideal volunteer
“Let’s make Lindel beautiful together.”
An indecipherable expression formed on Sun Hee-young’s face at my words, and a moment of what seemed like clarity passing through her eyes. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting her to shift this easily. She looked as if she’d been given a new burst of motivation.
She had been exposed to a scenario that was both frightening and life-threatening, so in a way, I also found this sudden turn understandable. However, I had been expecting her to be all frightened and shaky. It seemed that she had a different response in mind.
‘She’s trembling… Poor thing.’
Of course, as I assessed her, Sun Hee-young was indeed still shaking and trembling from what she had just experienced. I knew somehow it would have been impossible to get her to admit defeat in her normal state of thinking. Her frightened disposition had worked in my favor.
‘Good.’
Something new bloomed in Sun Hee-young’s expression then - a sense of purpose. From beneath the shaking exterior was a feeling of determination blossoming within her eyes.
She had started walking slowly, a dagger expertly held in one hand. In a way, this was both a beautiful and disturbing scene, almost like a religious ritual. What was even more disturbing about it was the fact that it looked as natural as praying for her.
Inwardly, I knew she did not blame these people outright for what they did.
‘However…’
“Priest… We… We were wrong…”
“I don’t know what has come over me… Please forgive us…”
“Please spare me, Priest… I beg you…”
“Y-You said you’d save us…”
“Forgive us just this once, please?”
At this point, the perpetrators, now at our mercy, had started begging Sun Hee-young to let them go. I looked over at them, smiling to myself. This was indeed an entertaining sight.
Sun Hee-young paused and looked towards us, specifically at Jung Hayan, responsible for the magic trap.
“Really… Can I do it?”
She sounded like she was waiting for confirmation. Of course, I had no intention of letting her stop.
“Yeah, you don’t need to worry. Think of it as the same thing you’ve been doing so far. It is definitely helping others. If there is trash, it is only correct to remove it.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Sun Hee-young was indeed a talent that should join the party.
Smiling brightly, she approached the men and raised the dagger high in the air. The screams erupted once more.
The way she handled the dagger looked beautiful to me for some reason, not at all grotesque.
“Ahh!”
“Priest! Please save-”
“Help…”
“Ahhhhh!”
Any passerby that happened to stumble upon this scene would feel highly disturbed, if not frightened. The grotesque sounds of blood splattering on concrete, mixed with the screams of those affected, rung in the ominous air.
No one responded to the voices asking for help. Of course, that may well be because of Jung Hayan’s sealing magic masking us, but I was sure that even if we hadn’t gone through the hassle of doing so, no one would have come to their aid.
As they had said themselves, asking for help here was stupid. Everyone in the slums was too busy with their own lives.
When I remembered the Sun Hee-young from this morning, the one who would have scoffed at my words and would’ve helped the poor without batting an eyelash, I supposed the Sun Hee-young now was not that different in a sense. She still did not blame them - she just genuinely believed she could help them in a new manner.
“Priest! Priest! Please…”
“You bitch! Are you even human?!”
“I’m sorry… Please!”
“Ahhh!”
As Sun Hee-young moved, I couldn’t help but observe her. I had a feeling this woman was already abnormal since the start. There was no other way to explain her level of altruism.
Sun Hee-young remained silent during the whole ordeal. After a while, the screaming gradually subsided. She was still wearing that strange, creepy smile as she panted slightly.
“So, how did it feel?”
Although her face was still swollen and bleeding from what she had suffered earlier, she did not seem to mind.
“That felt… rather rewarding,” she responded in a creepy voice. Nevertheless, there was a quality to her that seemed beautiful to me in its entirety. Her state of mind might seem worrying, but I knew she would be fine. I had just helped her out by broadening her perspective, after all.
‘My plan is working.’
“Shall we go, then?”
“Where…?”
I did not offer her a direct proposal. Instead, I reached out and took her hand in mine as a response. Jung Hayan shifted uncomfortably behind me, but I knew that this shouldn’t be a problem.
“This new meaning of service is not something you can do alone. And unlike before, you need to be a little more discreet. I’ll help you.”
“Together…?”
“Yes. Together. There will be many problems when it comes to realizing your values. It’s something the average person won’t understand.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll try to prove you weren’t wrong.”
“Yes, Kiyoung.”
“First of all…”
“It’s okay. I can do it myself.” Sun Hee-young quietly began to memorize the spell. It was daunting as to how quickly she was able to heal herself.
Because of the ring that Jung Hayan wore, I had already experienced the effects myself once before, but Sun Hee-young’s magic capabilities made recovery more effective from its looks.
‘She’s good.’
I now understood just why priests were considered very precious. It was difficult to find a person who would fit the priest’s aptitude, and it was also difficult for them to stay a priest. This was why it felt good thinking about having such a powerful ally by my side.
All that remained was to bring Sun Hee-young back to the guild.
Jung Hayan stuck up to me closely, and I knew she was worried about the gentle kindness that I had dared show Sun Hee-young. At this, the woman in question leaned away but began to speak to her in turn.
I let them host a little conversation. It felt a little ironic to have a daily conversation if one were to think about what had just happened a few minutes ago, but seeing Jung Hayan respond to Sun Hee-young’s words eased what little anxiety I had. The two didn’t seem to feel hostility towards each other.
It was then that I saw a familiar figure making its way towards us.
“Hyunsung?”
“Oh, if it isn’t Kiyoung. It’s a coincidence to meet you here. I thought you were in the lab… Did you come out with Jung Hayan?”
“Ah. The fact is…”
When Kim Hyunsung caught sight of Sun Hee-young, the priest smiled brightly and spoke.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sun Hee-young, here for a little volunteer activity…”
“Ah. It’s also nice to meet you. I am Kim Hyunsung.”
At their exchange, I felt a little confused. Wasn’t Kim Hyunsung here for Sun Hee-young?
Then I saw a little kid peeking out from behind Kim Hyunsung. It was a little difficult to properly distinguish whether the child who had not yet taken off her oversized tee was a man or a woman.
There was an unknown poison in the kid’s eyes, and her face covered in broth seemed to explain that she had come from the slum area.
‘Perhaps…’
I quickly activated my ability to find out more about the kid.
[Check player Kim Ye-ri’s status window and potential.]
[Name-Kim Ye-ri]
[Title-None. You should try a little more.]
[Age-14]
[Propensity-A wounded thief]
[Job-Archer]
[Job Effect-Acquisition of basic archery knowledge]
[Capacity]
[Strength-10/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Agility-31/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Health-12/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Intellect-15/Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Durability-14 /Growth Limit: Hero or less]
[Luck-15/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]
[Holy-10/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]
[Overall Review-Has a stat limit above the legend level. Agility and magic power have legendary potential. The potential of other stats is also incomparable to player Lee Kiyoung. Please move carefully so as not to adversely affect children. She has gotten hurt, but she is still a pure child. The kid is quick to notice, but please don’t hate her for it.]
‘Huh…’
This was the first time I saw anyone whose stats referred to heroes and legends except for Kim Hyunsung’s. I immediately realized that Sun Hee-young was not who he was aiming for.
The reason he headed to the slums in the first place was to bring in this child.
Looking down at the kid, I also noticed that Sun Hee-young was looking at the little kid with distaste. Nevertheless, she did not act out of line.
“Ah. This kid…”
“This is a child I met by chance here in the slums that looked so talented, so I brought her with me with the intention of teaching her. She still seems a little too young to go hunting herself… Ah! She’s also a little shy, so it will take a little while for her to get acquainted with you.”
“Ah… I see.”
“What about you, Kiyoung?”
“The same is true for me. I was walking around the slums and accidentally came into contact with Sun Hee-young, the priest. We eventually got around to talking.”
“Ah.” Kim Hyunsung blinked and seemed to be regarding Sun Hee-young for the first time since he approached us. Silence reigned as he inwardly weighed her.
‘What is this feeling…’
If I were Kim Hyunsung, I would have also tried to recruit her somehow while also focusing on the kid. The limit of her divine talent was beyond legendary.
It didn’t make any sense. Although the slums were generally a large place, it would be impossible not to bump into her at least once.
This could only mean one thing. Sun Hee-young did not give off the same impression as the kid did to Kim Hyunsung.
‘Why not?’
She was a priest guaranteed a bright future. As of now, she had the potential to grow even stronger if she was given the right kind of training.
It was then that I suddenly had a strange thought. Could Sun Hee-young have gotten herself in a dire situation in the future? Is that why Kim Hyunsung did not bother trying to recruit her?
However, they might not have met until now, so he had not tried to get her. Lindel was, after all, a big place, where events transpired almost everywhere.
If Kim Hyunsung had been busy hunting to survive or had been stuck in training somewhere, he may not have heard the stories. This was also a possibility I had to consider. I shouldn’t have panicked so fast.
However, the thought that Sun Hee-young could have died for nothing came into my mind and refused to leave. Of course, I had no way of knowing how she would have died.
After accepting a clan or guild’s offer, she may have died in the middle of exploration, or maybe war would break out shortly and would sweep her away. She may also have fallen ill or may have been damaged by her chosen guild out of its selfish interests.
Only
But perhaps…
‘Perhaps she also died because of the poor…’
As I said, I had no way of knowing.
There was nothing I could do except to anticipate, but for some reason, I thought that Sun Hee-young had a bitter life in her previous lifetime.
No, I didn’t think. I was almost sure she did.
“Thank you in the future, Ms. Hee-young.”
“Likewise… Thank you very much, Mr. Hyunsung. I think I’ll be in your debt for a long while.”
Ah, Sun Hee-young. Always the ideal volunteer.