Even Today, the Ranker Dreams of Retirement

‘This can’t be real…’

Chae Jiseok couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Is this… is such a raid even possible?

Swish swish swish-

The speed was practically invisible. After Habin’s first strike, the cloud of monsters was being cleared in an instant.

From afar, it looked as if a giant eraser was wiping away a pencil drawing.

Even his eyes couldn’t follow it. Despite Chae Jiseok’s dynamic vision being among the best of world-class rankers.

‘At this level, compared to the top domestic, no, world-class rankers…’

…No, no.

He stopped comparing altogether. This skill was simply beyond comparison with any ranker on Earth.

“……”

His mouth went dry with tension.

Come to think of it, things were suspicious from the start.

First, that iron sword Habin carried around.

He had thought it odd since she entered the training institute. Despite its ordinary appearance, his couldn’t discern anything about it.

This special skill, which had seen the monsters’ health bars earlier, could see the characteristics and hidden aspects of monsters and items. But it couldn’t glean anything from that sword.

Just in case, when he used his secret rare skill that only he possessed,

[Skill application failed!]

[The constellation ‘Nearest Light’ fades away.]

‘W-What?’

Not only did the skill shatter and fail, but even his constellation temporarily vanished.

In the end, he couldn’t obtain any information. Except that it might be an immeasurably vast entity, perhaps far surpassing his constellation.

…And what about Hyun Habin herself?

Though she always hid it well, her aura when glimpsed sent chills down his spine.

Her soft eyes before delicious food, or her quiet chuckling while watching dramas, made her seem no different from other college students skipping training. How on earth was she hiding such power?

“Come to think of it, there was something odd about how she skipped training all this time. Always just enough to avoid retraining…”

At that very moment, Chae Jiseok wasn’t the only one surprised.

[No, when did she learn my skills so…!]

Ahezar was also flustered.

Powerful sword strikes unfolding like a dance. The numerous skills Habin was using now were all Ahezar’s techniques brought forth by the trait.

Skill applications changing madly by the second and dazzling footwork on display. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation between them.

[W-When did she analyze and learn to use all my skills?]

It was hard to say she was using them randomly. Ahezar was, after all, called the unprecedented war god. Even at a glance, he could tell the intent behind each technique used.

Right now, Habin was extracting maximum efficiency. No one else, not even Ahezar himself, could squeeze more out of his skills than this.

“Jaljal, we’re in a hurry, so let’s not chatter.”

[B-But still!]

“I looked up your skills before when hiding my power, remember?”

[That’s impossible! How could you, just from that alone!]

Swoosh!

Habin frowned as she continued slicing through monsters. She muttered in a truly annoyed tone.

“…Jaljal, no matter how curious you are, do you really have to ask now? In the middle of these monsters? Let’s be mindful of time and place, shall we?”

At Habin’s rebuke, Ahezar had no choice but to shut his mouth.

◆◇◆◇◆

And, not long after, Habin took down the dungeon’s boss monster.

It was truly a simple and quick clear. The boss monster was a ‘dragon’ straight out of legend, which was astounding considering this was just a tutorial dungeon.

‘W-What, a dragon appears? I haven’t even seen this in SS-rank dungeons!’

Unlike Chae Jiseok who was shocked at the sight, Habin merely commented, “They’re really overdoing it,” before slicing it down with a swish.

And then, next…

Shing.

Towards Chae Jiseok, the sole witness,

Habin pointed her sword.

“……”

Jiseok swallowed hard. Habin spoke in a cold voice.

“…Honestly, I think you’ve seen too much. You know that too, right?”

“……”

Without answering, Chae Jiseok nodded. Two people with grim faces amidst the swirling ashes of monsters.

Jiseok thought once again that he was going to die helplessly like this.

[Wait! Wait, wait, stop!]

It was at that moment. Ahezar hurriedly intervened.

[A-Are you really, really going to kill him?]

“……”

[But… he gave you pork cutlet… and he had the heart to protect you earlier…]

Ahezar whined, earnestly defending him. Was he always this sentimental? As Habin tilted her head at this unexpected reaction.

[D-Don’t kill him! Isn’t this going too far! He seems like a good human!]

When Habin showed no reaction, Ahezar shouted loudly in desperation. Chae Jiseok’s eyes widened as if he had heard those words.

“Was that just now, perhaps a constellation…”

Flinch.

“……”

It was a moment when Habin broke out in a cold sweat.

Ahezar dug himself deeper.

[…N-No, it’s not!]

“Hey! How can you deny it with your own mouth!”

[……]

Silence.

For now, Ahezar and Habin decided to try and salvage the situation as best they could.

[I-It’s not a constellation, but that lower spirit… sword guardian… spirit…!]

“Artificial intelligence… like that Apple phone Siri thing…!”

But their coordination was off, resulting in a spectacular failure.

‘So it is a constellation.’

Chae Jiseok thought as he avoided eye contact. Habin shouted as if giving up.

“Ah geez, Kim Jaljal! I told you to be quiet…! Don’t let other humans hear you!”

[Uh, uhm.]

Habin pointed her sword at Chae Jiseok again. She muttered more menacingly than before,

“…Th-This is bad. Chae Jiseok, you’ve just learned another secret you shouldn’t know.”

“……”

[I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Chae Jiseok!]

Habin sighed, and Ahezar was frantically apologizing.

…It was truly a cauldron of chaos and confusion.

Chae Jiseok glanced at the sword pointed at his neck.

“…Alright, I understand.”

He smiled bitterly.

Truthfully, from the moment Habin revealed her power, he didn’t think he’d be able to leave quietly.

Given the situation, he had no choice but to tell the truth.

Still in a tense standoff, Chae Jiseok opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

“…Hyun Habin, so you were the ‘Guardian of Deception’ after all, right?”

“…!”

Habin’s movements stopped at those words.

‘…How did he know my job title?’

Guardian of Deception.

That was the job title Habin had hidden. It shouldn’t be visible outside, disguised as ‘Magic Swordsman’.

When she didn’t answer, Jiseok continued.

“You don’t have to answer if it’s difficult. If my guess is correct… you’re in danger.”

Habin tilted her head slightly as if telling him to go on. Jiseok’s expression turned heavy.

“It hasn’t been reported in the media, but… right now, all SS-rank and above rankers have been given a quest to eliminate the ‘Guardian of Deception’.”

‘What?’

[What did you say?]

A quest to eliminate the Guardian of Deception.

If this was true, it was a blatant hint to kill Habin.

It’s unlikely there would be another person with the strange job of Guardian of Deception besides Habin…

[I agree. It’s a job that can’t be obtained without a forbidden route in the first place. There probably isn’t anyone else but you.]

In other words, a quest to kill Habin.

‘Could it be… related to becoming hostile to the Administrator?’

As Habin was lost in thought, Jiseok continued.

“Our ‘Solaris’ is against this quest. If you join our guild, we can officially protect you.”

“……”

“That’s why I came as a mentor too. Actually, from the start, I approached with the purpose of protection rather than recruitment.”

“Protection…?”

[Protection…?]

At those words, unusually, both Habin and Ahezar echoed the same incredulous question.

[Protection…]

“Protection…”

Hmm.

Habin slowly looked around at the scattered monster corpses. She opened her mouth with a genuinely curious expression.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt the serious mood, but who… is protecting whom here?”

“……”

“You’re… protecting me?”

Habin creakily pointed her finger at Chae Jiseok and herself. She raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t that she was displeased. It was a pure ‘What are you talking about?’ expression. A sincere lack of understanding.

She muttered in a serious voice.

“Hmm, that doesn’t seem to make much sense. If anything, it would make more sense if I were protecting you…”

[That’s right! I’d sooner believe humans were protecting the environment, or mice were protecting cats!]

Ahezar vehemently agreed.

“……”

Whooosh-

A peaceful silence. The ashes left by monster corpses rolled between them.

Chae Jiseok, looking around at the swept-away monster corpses, swallowed hard to himself.

…Come to think of it, it was true.

The one who showed overwhelming skill wasn’t Chae Jiseok but Habin, and the one who saved him today was… Habin.

“…This really leaves me speechless.”

Chae Jiseok let out a hollow laugh as if resigned and hung his head low.

◆◇◆◇◆

Because Habin had swept away the monsters too quickly, they had about 30 minutes of free time left.

The two still hadn’t left the dungeon.

Habin first tied up Chae Jiseok, the witness, tightly, then interrogated Ahezar.

“Jaljal, don’t think you can slyly get away with this. I clearly told you not to let other people hear you.”

Thanks to Ahezar shouting loudly, Chae Jiseok became certain of Ahezar’s existence. Ahezar hurriedly protested.

[T-That’s… couldn’t it happen? Even a constellation might… make a mistake once in a while…!]

“What?”

Such an excuse wouldn’t work. Habin muttered in a tone of exasperation.

“Oh, Kim Jaljal… You’ve already accumulated a Mariana Trench worth. Do constellations have no memory? Why do you always want to talk when you see other people?”

[N-No! I’m sorry! Anything but the Mariana!]

When Habin struck her sword against a rock with a clang, Ahezar wailed.

[I-I was wrong… Please forgive me…]

Chae Jiseok, still tied up, stared blankly at the scene.

‘Mariana? What kind of conversation is this…?’

Habin and Ahezar had been whispering among themselves for a while now. To be precise, it was closer to Habin berating Ahezar.

Listening to their conversation, Chae Jiseok fell into thought. Suddenly, words from before flashed through his mind. The incident at the cafeteria.

‘There’s someone sitting there.’

‘That’s my friend, Kim Jaljal’s seat.’

‘Could it be that the Kim Jaljal Habin pretended was her friend was actually that sword?!’

Despite the serious situation, the corners of Chae Jiseok’s mouth twitched, unable to hold back a smile.

‘…I thought it was a joke, but Kim Jaljal actually existed. And it turns out to be a constellation.’

[The constellation ‘Nearest Light’ urges you to get a grip, saying we’re in mortal danger right now.]

‘That’s true.’

Jiseok, who had been silently laughing, finally raised his head. He honestly found it hard to resist laughing in such a serious situation.

“Hey hey, now we need to interrogate that human. Jaljal, be quiet for a bit.”

“…Pfft.”

The conversation between Habin and Ahezar was the problem. Who on earth handles a constellation like that?

Strangely, the more he tried not to laugh, the funnier it became. It was almost like torture. Chae Jiseok desperately bit his lip.

Amidst all this, his interrogation time finally came.

“…Now, Chae-ssi. You need to speak straight too.”

Habin cleared her throat awkwardly and casually pointed the tip of her sword at Chae Jiseok’s neck.

“How did you know I was the ‘Guardian of Deception’? That I was hiding my power?”

“……”

Despite her light tone, her eyes were sharp and piercing.

There was no way a flimsy lie would work in front of her.

Chae Jiseok sighed. This was an ability only he and his sister knew about, but given the situation, he had no choice.

“…Untie my hands. I have something to show you.”

He spoke as if admitting defeat.