Chapter 7: The Unexpected Hunter

The sky was split by a sword.

In that moment, the sound of the atmosphere being torn apart filled the air, and a tremendous shockwave spread outward.

The rain was pushed away, scattering in all directions from the force.

The woman with black hair quickly raised a defensive barrier, blocking the trajectory of the sword.

Her eyes narrowed. It seemed she instinctively sensed that her opponent was no ordinary foe.

From the opponent’s hand, a swirl of white energy flickered before gathering at the tips of her fingers.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re strong. However, if you don’t reveal your identity, I will kill you.”

“Filthy lowly species… Do you know who I am?”

Without hesitation, she thrust her sword forward again.

The opponent swung formless energy with her fingertips.

The attacks collided, and the sky trembled with the sheer force of the clash.

…What’s going on?

I was watching this unfold in real time.

[Your connection and vision are shared.]

“…You’re sharing vision?”

The scene before me was quite unfamiliar.

I wasn’t physically present, but it felt as though I was right next to the fight, watching it unfold.

I didn’t know what it was, but it was kind of perfect timing.

“How exciting.”

I hugged my teddy bear tightly while watching the battle.

A bit of popcorn would’ve been nice.

“Hey, Lord Neryongmunju! Hello?”

“Haha, is it Yeoul? I didn’t get a chance to greet you during the World Boss event.”

“I should come by your dojo sometime…”

“Being S-rank 5th must keep you busy. But speaking of when I was in LA, the US…”

The guardian who came with them was chatting with some old man, so I wasn’t disturbed by their conversation.

But then…

“Filthy lowly species…!”

I tilted my head.

I felt like I’d heard that voice somewhere before.

“…What’s this feeling of familiarity? It’s impossible that someone as insignificant as me would have built any relations.”

I muttered to myself while watching the fight.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

I should just enjoy watching this.

As I shifted to a more comfortable position while cuddling the teddy bear, a voice suddenly rang in my head.

A clear voice seemed to pierce through space, whispering directly into my ear.

[My Lord, the girl is waiting for your command.]

“Who are you?”

…It couldn’t be a ghost.

I blinked slowly, trying to locate the source of the voice.

No one around me, not even the person in the hood, seemed to notice me.

Could it be… the woman wielding the sword was talking to me?

[The girl came here because she was called by you. She is your first Valkyrie, Kiriel.]

“Kiriel?”

[My Lord, there is filth before us. Please give the order! I shall deal with any enemy as you wish.]

Oh, so Kiriel is…

Who is she?

I couldn’t recognize her at all.

“Lord, calling a woman filth is rude.”

[The girl is not the ‘Lord,’ I am the Valkyrie who serves you, My Lord. Please give the order!]

“Then… let’s not fight. How about we try to make peace?”

[My Lord, I am not a weakling!]

“I thought I got the hang of it… Should I just call you ‘weakling’ and ‘Lord Gold?’”

[The title doesn’t change, but I will follow your order.]

The black-haired woman hesitated for a moment.

The sharp atmosphere that had been hanging in the air until just now dissipated as if blown away by the wind.

It was because Kiriel, with utmost courtesy, apologized.

She lowered her body, bowing her head as if confessing her sins in a holy sanctuary.

Her movement was flawless and dignified, with something noble and sacred about it.

Such grace emanated from her actions, a sense of divine nobility.

She listens well.

Satisfied with the outcome, I nodded to myself.

“Fighting is bad, after all.”

Once again, the angel brought love and peace to the world.

I recalled a line from somewhere:

“The First Commander of the Legion, Valkyrie Kiriel, greets the glorious Lord.”

Clearly, I must have skipped over a lot because I was annoyed.

I needed to quickly get to the content mill, and there was no time to waste on stories.

In other words, I had no idea who this person was.

“”

So, I really didn’t have anything to say.

An NPC from the game had materialized into reality, and it was essentially like not knowing someone I should’ve known.

However, that was only the case for me. For some reason, the person before me was treating me with reverence and pledging loyalty.

“U-Um, Kiriel-nim?”

“Hiik! My Lord! Please, cease using honorifics. I cannot tolerate this disrespect!”

Unlike me, she had a very large chest.

She was assertive, to say the least.

Watching her made me feel slightly self-conscious as a woman.

Her face, even her ears, were completely flushed red.

‘She’s so easy to tease. A strange knight with a historical drama concept who refers to herself as “the girl.” So bizarre.’

My life’s goal is to be pampered and get a lot of sleep while being taken care of.

But I ended up getting a subordinate who could be easily used for free.

The system is the best.

I pressed a few buttons to learn more about her.

“[Connection]: Kiriel”

That was all that appeared on the screen.

This didn’t help me understand anything.

So, I immediately began gathering more information.

I needed to check if she was suitable for my needs.

“Do you know how to clean, do laundry, or cook?”

“I would never be capable of such trivial tasks!”

“Then, do you have a lot of money?”

“If you are referring to the currency here, I have none!”

To summarize:

The only thing she had was her rather undesirable body.

In short, she was useless.

She was a lower-tier version of Cheon Yeoul-nim.

She wasn’t fit to raise me.

“…Then, Kiriel-nim, would you consider learning domestic skills?”

“My Lord, my value can only be realized on the battlefield.”

“You’re of no use at all…”

I let out a heavy sigh, and she looked up at me with a panicked expression.

“My Lord, is there something lacking in me? I am prepared to defeat your enemies, bring peace to the world, and eliminate any threats!”

“Hmm, I don’t really want to be involved in wars…”

Kukung?!

Was my statement really that strange?

She froze with a shocked look on her face.

I hugged my teddy bear tighter and thought it over again.

No matter how I thought about it, battle skills and war tactics weren’t needed by me at all.

Kiriel was filled with loyalty, but well,

Right now, I didn’t really need that.

“…My Lord, such tasks are too trivial for me to handle.”

“Useless.”

I muttered while hugging my teddy bear again.

She looked desperate.

Did I unintentionally hurt her?

She tried very hard to defend herself.

Then, when she caught sight of me cuddling the teddy bear, as if realizing something, she suddenly exclaimed.

“Instead, My Lord, I can do this!”

In an instant, her body shrank, and she transformed into a small, cute creature.

With a round body and bright, sparkling eyes, she turned into an adorable cheese cat.

[My Lord! I can make you happy like this, in this small and cute form!]

“…?”

I hesitated, unsure of what to say, and in the meantime, her tail gently swayed.

She nestled closer to my feet, rubbing her face against me.

While letting out a soft “meow,” she looked up at me.

Her cuteness made my heart flutter slightly.

Without thinking, I reached out and petted Kiriel-nim’s head.

…This is a little, no, a lot. I really like it.

She’s so cute.

Very cute indeed.

“Hmm, alright. If you’re this cute, I’ll let it slide.”

Something to cuddle with while sleeping had been added.

“Kyah, so cute!”

[Let go, human!]

“You little cutie. What do you like?”

Kiriel immediately joined the Fong Fong team.

The infiltration was successfully carried out, and Cheon Yeoul-nim ended up raising both of us.

She seemed happy too.

That’s good enough.

I was registered as an F-rank Hunter.

“Why? You have such great healing skills.”

“Well, that’s how it turned out.”

“Don’t you think that’s unfair?”

“Not really.”

“Well, even if a new S-rank were to emerge now, it would just drag such a small child into dangerous fields.”

She nodded as if she had convinced herself.

Life was peaceful.

Except for the occasional need to enter a gate.

-F-rank Hunter, Yoo Baekseol-nim, has been assigned a gate.

-The gate coordinates and time have been sent to you via personal messenger.

We wish you success in your conquest. Hunter-nim.

[F-rank Gate, Goblin Plains]

Clear conditions

• Defeat all goblins 0/100
• Defeat Goblin Leader 0/1

“How annoying…”

Hunters sometimes get assigned tasks by the association.

Not many, but occasionally there are these menial tasks.

It was a poorly rated gate that got chosen in the random draw, so the rewards were minimal.

You can’t refuse it either.

[Leave it to me, My Lord!]

That’s when Kiriel would take action.

The goblins, who initially seemed so terrifying,

“Kwaang!”

They charged with their mouths wide open, but Kiriel twisted her body and moved forward.

Every time she turned her neck, there was a sound of bones cracking.

Woodduk!

“My Lord, please stay still. I’ll handle everything!”

I thought she was useless, a burden,

But she made everything so easy.

“The ride is nice.”

Swoosh!

Every time she swung her sword, the goblins were split in half and died.

Some goblins fought desperately, knowing they were doomed.

“Kweeeek!”

But it was all pointless.

Every time they tried something, more bodies piled up.

“Wow.”

This was easy.

She was so ridiculously strong, as expected from someone who came from a game full of scheming and power moves.

I yawned and easily cleared the gate.

“[F-rank Gate has been cleared]”

“[Clear level: Ex-rank]”

Kiriel didn’t even show off her full strength.

The gate was completely destroyed.

“[Ex-rank rewards have been granted]”

“30,000 Inx”

“[Skill Drawing Ticket]”

“[You have an unused skill drawing ticket. Please use it.]”

“If I don’t use it, I’m definitely going to get spammed with alerts.”

No choice.

I used the drawing ticket.

“[You have learned a new skill]”

“[San-Jaek Swordsmanship]”
Rank: F
Description: A sword technique consisting of three basic movements symbolizing the three elements (Heaven, Earth, Man).

It is useful for beginners to establish a foundation, but not very significant for masters.

However, for someone who hasn’t properly learned swordsmanship, it becomes an important first step.

I acquired a skill.

“But what exactly is a coin?”

“[Coins are a currency that can be used to purchase materials or items in the shop window. You can also exchange them for cash with other hunters in the user market.]”

When I checked,

“[Zz Owned Coins: 331,255,100]”

[Market] [Coin Exchange]
“Coins for sale, urgent sale”
Transaction volume: 1,000,000 coins
Price: 98 KRW per coin
(Non-negotiable/Online/Lowest price in the country/Immediate transaction available)

“???”

Here I was, a woman unknowingly holding 30 billion won.