Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect (4)

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Gulp—

The rescue team stared intently at the interior from behind the torn-off door.

They said there were a hundred Demons inside.

'Junior... Is he really going to be okay...?'

Im Gaeul had tackled various dungeons with Jin Yu-ha until now.

But she had never truly seen his full power.

After all, Utopia always moved as a party.

She would support the entire party, Yi Yu-ri, the tank, would provoke the monsters. Then Kang Do-hee, the main dealer, would step forward. And Jin Yu-ha would clean up any stragglers she missed.

Moreover, it was Jin Yu-ha who encompassed and directed the entire party, so there were almost no opportunities to see him fight alone.

It was only natural for her to be worried, having thrown him alone into that formidable horde of Demons.

But as a mere student, she couldn't blindly object to a strategy devised by an Academy instructor herself.

Jin Yu-ha had also nodded as if it were obvious.

And to her concern's dismay.

Jin Yu-ha began to stir up the Demon horde by himself.

"Aaaargh!"

"Urk!?"

"Aargh!!"

Red blood spurted, and the Demons shrieked as if boiling.

Gulp.

Im Gaeul swallowed dryly.

'This is... junior when he's serious...'

Overwhelming.

Brutal and cruel.

There wasn't a trace of mercy in the sword he wielded.

Of course, this wasn't the first time she had witnessed Jin Yu-ha kill.

Although she hadn't participated in the first-year midterm evaluation, she had other experiences.

Im Gaeul recalled a time when they were clearing the Thorny Plains Dungeon.

When a party from the Darkness Guild led monsters to attack Utopia.

The Utopia party had abandoned them among the monsters and fled.

That too was an indirect killing.

But back then, there was justification, and it wasn't something he had done directly, so it was fine.

But what Jin Yu-ha was showing now was on a completely different level from the pressure she'd felt back then.

'I... I'm fine... I knew that being a Hunter involved things like this, after all.'

Even though she'd spent a year at the bottom, Im Gaeul was still a second-year student.

Meaning she had learned enough to roughly grasp what it meant to become a Hunter.

Of course, this was her first time experiencing it so rawly, so she couldn't help her hands from trembling uncontrollably.

Im Gaeul, watching the battle inside with trembling eyes, slowly turned her head to the side.

There, she saw the instructor, her lips faintly curving upwards, almost imperceptibly.

Even if this person was a seasoned Academy instructor, worn out by experience.

Her concern, however, was for Sophia.

For this child, who hadn't been in this world for long, it must be a shocking sight.

But Sophia, with an indifferent expression, was lowering the camera she had raised.

"...Aww, I can't use this for a video. He's incredibly cool right now...!!"

On the contrary, Sophia was smacking her lips, as if disappointed that she couldn't make this scene public.

How was this possible?

'Isn't, isn't she scared? This kid?'

Im Gaeul felt bewildered.

"Sophia, junior... are you okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not bothered by Yu-ha, junior's, appearance like that, are you? O-of course, I'm fine!! But I just thought it might be a bit cruel for a junior to see..."

"Is there anything not to be okay with?"

Sophia still tilted her head, as if she didn't understand what was being said.

"Jin Yu-ha killed Demons in the midterm evaluation too. It's no different now than it was then."

"...W-weren't you surprised?"

"Hmm, I was surprised when I first saw him during the midterm evaluation, but even then, if it weren't for Jin Yu-ha, all the students would have died."

Sophia's clear golden eyes fixed on Im Gaeul, as if piercing through her.

"Ultimately, doing this is what being a Hunter means. I've accepted all of it."

There was not a trace of hesitation in Sophia's voice as she said that.

"Even now, those Demons are holding civilians in underground prisons and treating their lives like trash. And that could have been my mother or father. So, if I, who decided to fight alongside such a person, were to turn away or close my eyes, wouldn't that truly be wrong?"

"..."

"And also, I'm actually good with hardcore gore."

Sophia added with a slight smile.

Im Gaeul was about to open her mouth again but pressed her lips shut.

And let out a deep sigh.

'She's better than me...'

Perhaps the one with the weakest heart in Utopia was herself.

Baek Seol-hee, who had glanced at their conversation, fixed her gaze forward again.

'The one who joined this time is fine. And this one isn't there yet. Her heart is too soft for the power she possesses.'

But this wasn't something that could be said directly.

After all, breaking out of one's shell was something one had to do oneself.

Ordinary people usually thought of Hunters as a wonderful and brilliant profession that defeated monsters and saved people.

That statement itself was understandable.

In reality, high-ranking Hunters earned unimaginable sums of money and received equivalent treatment and admiration.

However, from Baek Seol-hee's perspective, operating as the commander of the Demon Extermination Squad, it was a statement that made her scoff.

Only those who didn't know how many Hunters were devoured by monsters, killed by Demons, or sacrificed by fellow Hunters in a year could say such a thing.

And the number of Hunters who suffered psychological trauma in combat, never recovered, and ended up retiring was twice as many.

However, her disciple.

Jin Yu-ha was perfect in that regard.

Look at him now.

A wide field of vision encompassing the front. Efficient movements aimed at accomplishing his goal. And a sword that didn't waver even in the face of countless enemies.

Of course, those were indeed factors that led to her high evaluation of Jin Yu-ha, but.

There was something else Baek Seol-hee valued even more.

His mental fortitude.

When Baek Seol-hee first taught Jin Yu-ha, she started by teaching him murderous intent.

After that, when the Utopia party was formed, and Jin Yu-ha began to make a name for himself in the world with his outstanding achievements.

Other instructors came to Baek Seol-hee and asked her how she had taught Jin Yu-ha.

And she, with a proud heart, demonstrated her teaching methods to them without reservation.

What were the instructors' expressions then?

Expressions as if they were looking at a madwoman.

They raised their voices as if to say, 'We know you're the Butcher Madwoman, but that's not right. No one among the newly admitted students could endure such crazy training.'

And she even received advice to consider what would have happened if *she* had received such training at *that* age.

At that time, the shock Baek Seol-hee felt was considerable.

'...Right, I wouldn't have been able to endure it.'

Yes, it was a method that was only possible because she herself had accumulated a certain amount of experience.

But because it was her first time taking a student as a disciple, she ended up teaching Jin Yu-ha in a way that was familiar to her current self.

In other words, her perspective was wrong from the very beginning!

So she changed her mind and lowered the intensity of the training.

"—Why are you acting like this today, Master?!"

Jin Yu-ha reacted vehemently, as if his usual obedience had vanished.

"—It was training too advanced for you."

"—Did I do something wrong?"

"—No, I just felt that this training was still too much for you."

"—I must become stronger, Master! Please go back to how it was!"

"—If we continue at this pace, you might break."

"—No. I won't break. Please trust me. You can even test me!!"

To him, speaking with clear black eyes, Baek Seol-hee reluctantly gave him a test.

Jin Yu-ha passed all those tests as if to show her.

A test so brutal that even experienced Demon Extermination Squad members might only pass half of it.

'He got one over on me.'

Baek Seol-hee let out a small laugh.

Honestly, she still couldn't believe how that was possible at such a young age.

Usually, doing this kind of work inevitably breaks something little by little, but Jin Yu-ha's mind was as solid as an iron fortress.

'Even when he gave in to rage before, it was because he was furious about the damage inflicted on his comrade. That means he can separate his mindset towards allies from his mindset towards enemies, which is actually an advantage.'

And since she made him realize it then, he probably wouldn't make that mistake again.

He was truly perfect, without a single flaw to point out, no matter who raised him.

'Hmm, come to think of it, he said he'd treat me to a meal he cooked himself last time. I'm looking forward to that.'

CRASH—!

Jin Yu-ha, fighting the Demons, suddenly shattered the floor, sending up a thick cloud of dust.

Baek Seol-hee, realizing that was the signal to enter, opened her mouth.

"Then, let's go."

"...Yes."

"Yep!"

Baek Seol-hee led Im Gaeul and Sophia into the building.

With Jin Yu-ha drawing attention at the front and even creating smoke, it was much easier to slip in unnoticed.

"You, you're a—!"

Slice—

However, due to Im Gaeul and Sophia not being accustomed to stealth yet, there were instances where they were spotted by Demons.

Baek Seol-hee silenced them with a single strike.

'The way to the basement... is that way.'

Pat-pat-pat—

She swiftly ran towards the basement.

Meanwhile, Demons from below heard the commotion upstairs and came up.

Baek Seol-hee swung her sword without a change in expression.

Slice—

Slice—

Slice—

A sword path so short and concise it was chilling.

Her running speed didn't decrease at all, and enemies clutched their throats and fell on the spot.

As she descended the stairs, turning dozens of Demons into corpses.

The basement level was now before their eyes.

An open door.

At the sight inside, Im Gaeul and Sophia simultaneously gasped.

A stench that stung their noses.

A filthy scene reminiscent of a pigsty swarming with flies.

Countless people, reduced to skin and bones, were huddled together on both sides.

And in the center, a colossal black demon stone floated in the air.

"Indeed... So it was here after all. They were abducting humans and sending them all to this place."

Baek Seol-hee took in the entire situation, then spoke in a cold voice.

Thud, thud—

From behind the demon stone, a man in a doctor's coat walked out.

"Aha!? It is you, after all? The Butcher Madwoman. I had a troublesome premonition ever since the commotion started upstairs..."

The voice belonged to a handsome young man with pure white hair and numerous stitched scars across his face.

He stretched his lips into a wide, almost tearing grin.

"But what to do? Even for you, it's already too late, you see? The Demon Descent Ritual has already begun."