TSOT#1 Chapter 12
by RenJoo-ah couldn’t believe the situation unfolding before her.
Even though Yoo Chan-hee clearly knew she was inside the deluxe suite, he didn’t stop his affectionate display.
No, instead, he deepened the kiss with the woman he was with, as if to emphasize his disregard.
In the sweltering air of the deluxe suite, the only sound echoing was the embarrassing noise of their physical interaction.
What was even more shocking was that while passionately kissing the woman, Chan-hee’s gaze never left Joo-ah. His eyes were hazy and suggestive, making Joo-ah freeze in place, forgetting to leave, as she blankly stared back at him.
Chan-hee finally pulled away from the woman’s lips, a slick noise filling the air. He looked at Joo-ah with narrowed eyes and a mischievous grin.
“Pervert.”
He mouthed the word silently.
Snapping out of her daze, Joo-ah frowned and turned on her heel.
Clack—
She deliberately slammed the door as she left the suite.
The woman entangled with Chan-hee might have only just realized that someone had entered the room earlier.
“Seo Joo-ah Hunter, why are you here?”
Not long after, Yeon-joo and Jae-rim arrived.
Leaning against the wall in the corridor of the training center, Joo-ah answered Yeon-joo’s question with a bored expression.
“Hunter Yoo Chan-hee wouldn’t let me in.”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t Chan-hee let you in?”
Tilting her head at Joo-ah’s response, Yeon-joo reached for the door handle. Jae-rim, who had been silently watching Joo-ah, also moved toward the suite to enter.
However, before they could step inside, the door opened from within, and Chan-hee emerged. Behind him, the woman he had been intimate with was hiding.
It wasn’t the twin-pigtail-haired woman who had once come looking for Chan-hee in the deluxe suite.
Yeon-joo’s jaw dropped as she started to yell.
“Yoo Chan-hee! You brought another woman into the deluxe suite again?!”
In response to her voice, Chan-hee smirked and glanced at Joo-ah leaning against the wall. Then, pointing at the woman behind him, he said, “I’ll drop her off and be back.”
“How many times have I told you not to bring women into the deluxe suite?”
Despite Yeon-joo’s scolding, Chan-hee, seemingly used to it, waved dismissively and walked away.
Joo-ah watched him leave with an exasperated look.
“Let’s go inside,” Yeon-joo said to Joo-ah as she entered the deluxe suite. Joo-ah finally moved her feet, following her. Jae-rim trailed after them.
“Oh? Did you do this?”
Yeon-joo gestured toward four flowerpots by the window. Vibrant flowers of various colors were blooming beautifully.
“Yes, I’d say it’s pretty successful, wouldn’t you?”
Joo-ah smiled as she spoke, and Yeon-joo nodded, inspecting the pots closely.
“It’s incredibly successful. Look how lively the flowers are.”
Yeon-joo called out to Jae-rim, who was heading into the training room.
“Come look at this. Hunter Seo Joo-ah did it.”
Jae-rim glanced at Yeon-joo before turning his gaze to meet Joo-ah’s.
“I’ve already seen it.”
His response left Yeon-joo looking puzzled.
“When? Yesterday was a rest day.”
“I slept here early in the morning.”
At that, Yeon-joo nodded in understanding. Jae-rim turned back toward the training room.
“Want to join us in training today?” Yeon-joo asked Joo-ah. “We’ll handle the fighting; just cast recovery magic from the rear.”
Support-type Hunters like Joo-ah typically stayed in the backlines to assist their teammates. With her current rank, it would be impossible for her to confront high-level monsters directly. Training under her teammates’ protection would be the safest option.
Joo-ah had no reason to refuse.
She had already faced an A-rank virtual monster once before and had been continuously training with virtual monsters in the regular rooms.
“Yes, I’d like to join the training.”
At Joo-ah’s response, Yeon-joo nodded and opened the training room door. Upon entering, they saw Jae-rim selecting the monster level. He paused and turned to look at Joo-ah.
His expression darkened as he glanced at Yeon-joo.
“It’s a bit too early for her, don’t you think?”
He was clearly referring to Joo-ah. Yeon-joo casually dismissed his concern and briefly explained Joo-ah’s role.
“Support Hunters usually stay in the rear anyway. She’ll only be casting recovery magic from the back.”
Letting out a sigh, Jae-rim returned his focus to the system. He moved his finger away from the SS-rank option and selected A-rank twice instead.
Soon, a virtual monster materialized in the center of the training room.
Jae-rim pulled out a longsword from his inventory. An A-rank monster would be a relatively easy opponent for him.
Yeon-joo used her ice magic, blue energy flowing from her hands to freeze the monster. While it almost became a blue statue, it soon broke through the spell and charged at her.
Jae-rim quickly moved in front of Yeon-joo, blocking the monster with his sword.
Clang—
The sharp sound of clashing blades echoed in the training room.
Above the monster, sharp ice shards formed. As Yeon-joo lowered her hand, the suspended shards attacked the monster menacingly.
The ground shook, and the monster’s groans filled the air.
“Why are you just standing there? Boost our mana already!” Yeon-joo shouted at Joo-ah, who was watching the fight.
Flustered, Joo-ah hurriedly cast recovery magic. White light surged around Yeon-joo.
Mana: 617 / 823 (+24)
The numbers were pitiful. Joo-ah then boosted Jae-rim’s stamina.
Health: 1421 / 1520 (+29)
Joo-ah’s expression darkened. She had hit the limits of her E-rank abilities.
If this were a real battle with stronger monsters, she would have been no help to her team.
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah.”
Jae-rim, who had just taken down a monster with his massive longsword, spoke calmly.
“You said you value the process over results, right?”
Joo-ah looked up at him. Jae-rim, now observing the remaining monster, gripped his sword tightly and spoke again.
“I agree with that sentiment. But in actual combat, focusing only on the process isn’t enough. Because you’re not alone.”
“…”
“When you’re with your team, you can’t help but prioritize the outcome. Because if you make a mistake, your shortcomings could cost your teammates their lives.”
There was a faint weight to his words as he spoke the last sentence. The reason was unclear, but what he said wasn’t wrong.
Now wasn’t the time to wallow in despair.
Joo-ah focused on the monster.
Jae-rim turned to her and asked, “Can you cast more protection magic?”
Joo-ah nodded firmly.
“Yes, I’ll see this through to the end.”
Jae-rim dashed toward the monster, swinging his sword, while Yeon-joo bombarded it with ice bombs. The monster, writhing in pain, retaliated recklessly.
Joo-ah continued to cast recovery magic for both Yeon-joo and Jae-rim from behind.
Health: 771 / 943 (-20 / +26)
Mana: 546 / 823 (-100 / +29)
Health: 1444 / 1520 (-7 / +30)
Mana: 1321 / 1321 (-9 / +9)
The numbers were still modest, but Joo-ah persistently supported them.
Yeon-joo finished the monster with a final blow, making it vanish.
Jae-rim summoned an S-rank virtual monster this time.
Joo-ah instinctively tensed up. A strange sense of dread filled the air.
As she prepared to cast recovery magic again, Yeon-joo turned and said, “Hunter Seo Joo-ah. It’s good to focus on your teammates, but make sure you’re taking care of yourself too.”
Realizing her oversight, Joo-ah checked her stats.
Health: 213 / 263 (-50)
Mana: 43 / 193 (-150)
Her mana was almost completely depleted.
Casting recovery magic for her teammates had drained not only her mana but also a portion of her health.
If she used recovery magic one more time, she wouldn’t be able to continue the training.
Joo-ah hesitated, torn between options.
“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” Yeon-joo, still engaged in the fight, glanced back at her. She pulled something from an item box.
“You’re low on mana because you’ve been using it recklessly”