"Lord Jinwoo, who is this woman?"
It was Esil's first time seeing Scáthach. Watching the Sung Jinwoo she admired become wary and jumpy around this woman, she couldn't help but feel a bit sour.
If Lord Jinwoo is this afraid of her… Could it be… that woman is his girlfriend?
Only then did Scáthach turn her gaze toward Esil.
Esil was weak—so weak that, had she not spoken, Scáthach would have continued ignoring her. Still, the hostility and caution threading Esil's gaze amused Scáthach.
Like watching a kitten puff up and hiss.
Sung Jinwoo's heart lurched. He was terrified Scáthach might take offense at Esil's bluntness, but the exact opposite occurred. When he looked at Scáthach, he noticed a faint curve at her lips—she seemed to be in a good mood.
"What are you worrying about, my disciple?" Scáthach lowered her lashes, an inscrutable smile on her face. "Do I look like the sort who'd get angry because a little hajimi hissed at me?"
"…No."
As he spoke, Sung Jinwoo instinctively glanced up at the sky, as though checking if lightning was about to strike.
He still didn't understand why Scáthach wasn't angry, but to prevent Esil from provoking her further, he explained that Scáthach was his master.
"S-so she's your master… I thought she was…"
"Hm?" Sung Jinwoo hadn't caught the rest. He made a startled sound and asked curiously, "You thought she was what?"
"N-no! No, no, no… it's nothing!"
Esil flailed her hands, face bright red. Under Sung Jinwoo's puzzled gaze, she turned her head away, unable to meet his eyes.
To be honest, Esil was practically broadcasting it at this point—yet Sung Jinwoo remained blind, completely oblivious to her feelings. He turned back to Scáthach.
"Shishō, why did you suddenly leave the Land of Shadows? And why did you come all the way into the Demon Castle?"
Scáthach shifted her gaze away from Esil—now lost in a lovestruck daze—and explained flatly, "Cha Hae-In… you know her, don't you?"
"Of course. 'The Dancer' Cha Hae-In—there's practically no one in South Korea who doesn't know her. She's one of the extremely rare female S-Rank Hunters." Sung Jinwoo nodded. "I've met her a few times. In South Korea, her strength is probably second only to Chairman Go Gunhee."
"I think that girl has good talent. I want to take her as my disciple," Scáthach said. "But earning her trust has been difficult. So I need you to appear and convince her that you're truly my disciple."
"Just for that?" Sung Jinwoo scratched his head. For something like that, you opened a Gate and came all the way into the Demon Castle?
"What? Are you blaming your master for interrupting your fun?" Scáthach glanced between Sung Jinwoo and Esil, nodding approvingly. "Worthy of my disciple—able to subdue even a demon woman. It's a shame her talent isn't particularly outstanding. If the two of you had a child, the little one would struggle to inherit sufficiently excellent genes from both parents. In that regard, Cha Hae-In would be more suitable…"
"Shishō! Stop—stop! You've got it wrong! It's not what you think!"
Sung Jinwoo took a long moment to process Scáthach's meaning before blurting out his interruption. As for Esil… she'd basically turned into a boiling kettle, cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.
"Hm? What's there to be shy about?" Scáthach asked, genuinely puzzled. "Women have always admired strength. That rule applies equally to humans and other races. In my era, the number of women who desired you was a measure of a warrior. My disciples were, without question, the finest warriors—never lacking admirers. You, on the other hand, lag far behind your senior brothers. You don't even have the courage to confess your feelings to the opposite sex."
"I'm telling you, Shishō, you've really misunderstood! Esil and I truly have nothing going on! Saying things like that puts her in a really awkward position."
His senior brothers—the warriors Scáthach had taught before him… Sung Jinwoo had heard her mention them more than once, always using them as a yardstick. He'd previously had a decent impression of these seniors he'd never met.
But now…
Hearing they'd essentially slept with double-digit numbers of women, leaving affection everywhere they went, Sung Jinwoo immediately felt distaste.
…Alright. Maybe along with a tiny sliver of envy.
After all, what normal man hadn't fantasized about being surrounded by women? But this was beyond that—sleeping with dozens, and most outrageously, without even needing to take responsibility.
So intent on refuting Scáthach's assumption, Sung Jinwoo completely missed the disappointment that flickered across Esil's face behind him.
Scáthach did notice, but she didn't point it out. This development was interesting in its own way—why not let it unfold naturally?
Sung Jinwoo paused his run through the Demon Castle and returned to Earth—to South Korea—with Scáthach.
Scáthach avoided opening a Gate in front of others; she had no interest in causing a scene. When she and Sung Jinwoo arrived, they appeared in a secluded spot with no one around.
Walking down the street later, when they passed an ice cream shop, Scáthach even had Sung Jinwoo buy her an ice cream cone—naturally, at his expense.
"As your master, I've treated you to grilled fish before. Yet, as a disciple, you've never once treated your master with filial respect," she said, utterly matter-of-fact. "And I rarely come to your world. Yet you, the local, haven't shown the slightest inclination to take me around."
What could Sung Jinwoo say?
Her grilled fish really had been incredible. He'd eaten his fill back then.
Sung Jinwoo was an S-Rank Hunter now. He wasn't an E-Rank struggling to scrape by, risking his life in a Dungeon for a few hundred won. He had the means to ensure he—and his family—lived well.
The two of them strolled openly down a main street. Plenty of people saw them. Sung Jinwoo, an S-Rank Hunter who belonged to no guild, was already a major public figure.
Before long, news of Sung Jinwoo and Scáthach reached the ears of those paying attention.
Neither Scáthach nor Sung Jinwoo cared about the stares. They carried on as if nothing had changed.
Of course, they didn't waste much time on the road. Cha Hae-In had begun to accept Scáthach's claim about her identity, but she hadn't expected Scáthach would actually summon the elusive Sung Jinwoo here in person.
"Since we've confirmed your identity, I'll head back now."
Cha Hae-In wanted to speak longer with Sung Jinwoo—it wasn't often she got the chance to see him. But he left immediately, as if staying here was uncomfortable for him.
"That was Hunter Sung, right?"
"Yeah, that's him. He used to be a miner on our team. Back then, I thought the kid was born to mine—quiet, hardworking. Never imagined I'd see him on TV as an S-Rank Hunter."
"Because of Sung Jinwoo alone, our mining team finished two hours early!"
"An S-Rank Hunter applying to mine here? If I told anyone, they'd think I was insane!"
"Tell me about it."
"Hah! You're not S-Rank—how could you possibly understand what an S-Rank Hunter is thinking? That's S-Rank! S-Rank!"
The feverish chatter around them was all about Sung Jinwoo, who had just left. They didn't know Scáthach, but Sung Jinwoo was famous enough.
Scáthach scanned the area, then glanced curiously at Cha Hae-In, who'd fallen quiet after failing to speak with him.
"And where's that kid Choi Jong-In? I don't see him."
Cha Hae-In tucked away her disappointment and answered, "The Guild Master is in the Dungeon right now. The mining and recovery teams have mostly finished their work. Once we take down the Final Boss, the raid will officially conclude—led personally by the Guild Master."
"…Hm."
"Heh. I see."
Even though she hadn't gotten to speak with Sung Jinwoo again, Cha Hae-In's spirits rose. Once Scáthach became her master, she'd become Sung Jinwoo's junior disciple.
That meant plenty of future opportunities to talk—especially since they'd both train under the same master.
Cha Hae-In had already noticed that, aside from Sung Jinwoo, Scáthach also carried no stench at all. Once she learned mana control from Scáthach, she'd finally be rid of her mana allergy.
Suddenly, a phone rang, slicing through Cha Hae-In's pleasant daydream.
"Sorry, Miss Scáthach. I need to take this…"
Cha Hae-In gave Scáthach an apologetic smile. Only after Scáthach nodded did she step aside and speak quietly into the phone.
"Chief Woo? What is it?"
"Guild Master Choi Jong-In? He's raiding a Dungeon right now. There's no signal inside, so he can't answer. Do you need something passed on to him? …You mean Hunter Sung—"
"Yes, Hunter Sung was just with me, but he's already left. Miss Scáthach summoned him here. And Hunter Sung Jinwoo himself confirmed it—Scáthach is his master."
If Scáthach wanted, her senses were sharp enough to clearly overhear the call. But eavesdropping didn't interest her; it was an invasion of privacy.
Then, abruptly, she sensed it—Cha Hae-In's heartbeat and breathing slipping into disorder. The shift in her state rippled through the air.
"Thomas… you mean Thomas Andre? The National-Level Hunter from the United States?"
An S-Rank Hunter panicking over a single name—clutching her phone, confirming it again and again.
"Why would he come looking for Hunter Sung and Miss Scáthach?!"
"Explaining now would waste time," Woo Jin-chul said urgently. "Listen, Hunter Cha. Before Thomas finds you, you need to take Miss Scáthach and leave immediately—avoid attention and get out of there. Many pedestrians saw Miss Scáthach and Hunter Sung Jinwoo walking together. If Thomas can't find Hunter Sung, he'll definitely come for Miss Scáthach. Those two must not meet Thomas. Absolutely not!"
Cha Hae-In understood the gravity of the situation. She didn't even hang up—instead, she turned sharply toward Scáthach.
"Miss Scáthach, I—"
"If you're planning to grab me and run," Scáthach cut in smoothly, "then I can clearly tell you—it's already too late."
Cha Hae-In froze, staring blankly at Scáthach's calm, composed expression.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop," Scáthach said. "But I thought I heard my name, so I listened briefly. I don't know who this Thomas Andre is… but I've been sensing him for a while now. A very powerful presence is approaching."
She lifted her gaze thoughtfully, then turned back toward Cha Hae-In.
"At least far stronger than you."
"Far stronger than me…"
Cha Hae-In knew she hadn't reached the peak of S-Rank yet, but she was close. Someone significantly stronger than her…
That could only mean one thing—a being above S-Rank.
A National-Level Hunter.
People in this world didn't know how to control mana or conceal their presence. At this distance, Cha Hae-In had no chance of escaping Thomas's notice.
Of course, Scáthach could.
With her abilities, if she wanted to vanish, Thomas wouldn't even notice her passing right by. If she wanted to leave alone, she easily could.
But the question was—
Why would she run?
Why should she be the one to retreat?
This was a National-Level Hunter.
Even Sung Jinwoo wasn't yet stronger than a National-Level Hunter, and only five existed worldwide. Such an opponent wasn't easily found—even with deliberate searching.
Sensing the fierce presence drawing closer, Scáthach's crimson eyes—like blooming red spider lilies—ignited with battle intent. Her lips slowly curved into a breathtaking arc.
The smile transformed her otherworldly beauty into something dangerous—absolute, lethal elegance.
A breeze stirred, lifting a few strands of deep violet hair by her ear, brushing her pale, nearly translucent cheek—but unable to sweep away the pure anticipation in her gaze.
Before long, a black sedan stopped near the construction site where Scáthach stood.
Thomas stepped out, an arrogant smile on his face that openly declared aggression.
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T/N: YESSSSSS TIME FOR ASS BEATING