To shift the tide, Do-joon let out a loud shout, signaling his bandits, who began to disappear one by one, using their stealth skills.

As a result, the remaining members reacted in various ways.

“Damn it, where did they go?!”

“I-I can’t sense a single trace!”

Some spun around, scanning their surroundings.

“Are you here?”

“Stop hiding and fight us fairly!”

Others swung their spears and swords wildly into the air, wasting energy.

But despite Do-joon’s loud command, nothing significant had happened yet.

“P-Professor! W-What should we do?!”

Areum shouted, her voice trembling.

Just moments ago, she had felt immense excitement watching her allies suddenly spring into action. Although it wasn’t apparent, it was clear that the professor had used a skill, as their fighting spirit had surged, as if they’d leveled up. But with the bandits now hidden, the situation shifted once more.

The two C-rank hunters stood calm and ready, while the D-rank hunters were visibly uneasy, casting anxious glances in every direction.

“Areum, do you know what usually happens in a situation like this?”

“W-What?”

At last, the professor’s serene voice reached her. Areum’s gaze returned to Si-hyun.

At that exact moment—

“Gah!”

“So, they really thought they could target us easily.”

Si-hyun reached into the air, grasping firmly at something invisible.

‘W-What is that…?’

Areum’s eyes widened as she watched her professor’s actions.

Si-hyun slammed whatever she was holding down onto the ground.

“Urgh!”

With a loud noise, a bandit appeared, bouncing off the ground after being slammed down, rolling over several times before collapsing.

He no longer moved.

Areum covered her mouth with both hands, watching in awe.

But it didn’t end there.

Swoosh—

A whistling sound cut through the air, and Areum turned her head in surprise.

“Hm.”

“Wow…”

Professor Si-hyun caught a flying dagger with two fingers, effortlessly stopping it mid-flight. Areum was speechless, staring at the display.

“Are you kidding?!”

A panicked voice came from seemingly nowhere.

At the same time, Si-hyun leaped forward, knee thrust out.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

A bandit, struck in the stomach, was forced to reveal himself, bent over in pain, drooling and staggering until he collapsed unconscious.

Areum blinked, stunned by what she’d just seen.

“Now then…”

Si-hyun flicked the dagger up with two fingers, sending it spinning into the air.

Catching the handle as it fell back down, she loosened her wrist and, with precision, threw the dagger behind her.

Swoosh—

“Agh!”

Areum whipped her head around. Not far away, a C-rank bandit was writhing on the ground, the dagger embedded deep in his calf.

“P-Professor! That was amazing!”

“Heh…”

“You’re absolutely incredible!”

“Mm, thank you.”

Areum couldn’t contain her excitement and cheered, jumping up and down.

In truth, she hadn’t even seen the dagger fly. She only realized it when she looked over at the professor.

‘How did she hit someone she couldn’t even see?!’

The man’s direction suggested he was attempting to lure monsters their way. If he’d been left alone, the clearing would have been swarming with them.

Areum looked at her professor with awe. A true all-rounder—supporting and fighting flawlessly.

“Areum, this is what it means to be a true one-person support. Understand?”

“Ah! Yes, I understand!”

Areum nodded vigorously, her admiration uncontainable.

Regardless of whether she could one day match this level, her professor was shining brightly, like a beacon of light.

‘Dream big…!’

In that moment, the image of the ideal support hunter etched itself into Areum’s mind.

Seeing her student’s expression, Si-hyun nodded, satisfied.

Despite the villains appearing today, she’d achieved satisfactory results in training her student, washing away any unpleasant feelings caused by the thug leader.

“Areum, could you gather the unconscious bandits here while I finish with that thug?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Straightening up, Areum answered loudly and headed toward one of the men who had rolled a short distance away.

With effort, she dragged the unconscious man back, dropping him beside the others who were sprawled out.

“Whew—”

She let out a deep breath and glanced at the C-rank bandit. The dagger was lodged deep in his calf, preventing him from standing, and he was now trying to crawl away.

‘W-What should I do about him…?’

Though he looked pitiful, he was still a C-rank hunter, and she was an E-rank support hunter.

Areum hesitated for a moment.

Professor Si-hyun had said to gather the unconscious ones, so it should be fine to leave him. But letting him crawl away seemed pathetic.

With a determined look, Areum approached him stealthily.

The bandit, so focused on escaping, didn’t even notice her approaching.

‘Damn it! Just hide and drink a potion…!’

He was entirely focused on crawling away when he suddenly sensed a hostile presence and looked up.

“Eek?!”

A woman stood over him, holding a long wooden staff and looking down coldly.

Although she hadn’t needed to use it in the previous battles, she now wielded her staff with determination.

Without hesitation, Areum swung the staff at him with all her strength.

Whack! Thud! Bam!

“S-Stop! Ugh!”

The bandit tried to resist, attempting to shield himself despite his injured leg.

But—

‘Why can’t I move my body all of a sudden?!’

His body wouldn’t respond, as if he were bound by an unseen force. Unable to resist, he took blow after blow.

In this moment, his C-rank endurance backfired, turning the beating into pure torture.

“Please, just stop!”

“Why aren’t you passing out already? Take this!”

“Agh! P-Please stop!”

Wanting to lose consciousness, the bandit cried out in agony.

Meanwhile, Si-hyun, having given Areum the freedom to handle things her way, turned her attention to Ji-han and the thug leader, moving toward them.

The leader, hidden in stealth, tried to sneak up on Ji-han. But as he moved in to attack, Ji-han quickly turned and blocked the attack.

“Predictable!”

“Grr…!”

Ji-han smirked at Do-joon.

As hunters level up, their senses sharpen. And right now, Ji-han was even more alert than usual. If the thug had tried to escape, he might have succeeded, but an ambush? Ji-han could handle that.

‘Damn it…’

Do-joon took a step back, frowning as he assessed the situation. In this short time, all his allies had been defeated.

At the edge of his vision, he spotted a woman who seemed to be approaching them carelessly. His target changed immediately.

‘I’ll just take her hostage…!’

He might have lost his comrades, but he was a B-rank hunter. It was time to show the difference.

“Foolish!”

“Huh?!”

Feigning an attack toward Ji-han, Do-joon spun around and darted toward Si-hyun, activating his stealth skill once again.

Caught off guard, Ji-han shouted in surprise.

“S-Sis! Watch out!”

“…Sis?”

Si-hyun let out a sigh and casually shifted to the side, reaching out into the air.

“You’re kidding, right?!”

She accurately caught the thug’s invisible wrist.

Whoosh—

Without a moment’s hesitation, she spun 360 degrees with incredible force.

Boom!

Using the momentum, she swung the thug over her head and slammed him into the ground.

“Gaaaah!”

The thug dropped his dagger as he hit the ground, rolling and clutching his face in agony. Broken teeth and blood scattered across the floor.

It all happened so quickly that Ji-han stood with his mouth open, unable to close it.

“That was… incredible… Absolutely amazing…”

He couldn’t stop himself from whispering in awe.

Every movement was flawless, perfectly executed with elegance. Even the way she turned her head nonchalantly afterward was impressive. Ji-han, breathless, stared at Si-hyun in a daze.

Meanwhile, Si-hyun looked around.

Seeing that the fight had ended, the men of the Wing Guild began to regroup. In the distance, Areum was struggling to drag one of the unconscious bandits.

“Hmm…”

As she processed everything, Han-gyeol approached her. Si-hyun, still watching the thug writhing on the ground, spoke to him.

“Han-gyeol, do you think you can handle the boss without me?”

“…Of course! Thanks to you, I’m back to full strength!”

“Then take Areum with you to the boss room. I’ll take care of things here.”

“Excuse me?”

When Han-gyeol answered with some confusion, Si-hyun pointed back the way they had come.

“A group of monsters is heading this way. I’ll hold them off and catch up; please go defeat the boss in the meantime.”

Han-gyeol looked between Si-hyun, the bandits, and Areum, thinking briefly before nodding.

“Understood!”

The other men, who had heard Si-hyun’s instructions, quickly began moving. They led Areum in the direction of the boss room.

Meanwhile, Si-hyun grabbed the thug leader by

 the hair, lifting him up.

“Agh… I-I’m sorry! Please… stop!”

Ignoring his pleas, she dragged him along, walking over to the other three bandits and using holy power to revive them.

One by one, the unconscious bandits began to regain consciousness.

“Gah?!”

“Huh?!”

As they came to, they saw their leader beaten and bleeding, nose and mouth smeared with blood. Taking in the situation instantly, they dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the floor as they stole nervous glances at Si-hyun.

Si-hyun crouched down and issued a command.

“…Hand over everything you’ve got.”

“W-What?”

“You’ve been collecting loot along the way, haven’t you? It’s your turn to give it up.”

“T-That’s…”

“Hmm.”

Though they were in a submissive posture, they seemed not to understand the situation. Si-hyun clicked her tongue and lifted their leader’s face for them to see clearly.

Then—

Thud!

She slammed his face back into the floor, scattering teeth and fresh blood across the dungeon ground.

“Gah!”

“W-We’ll give you everything!”

“Please, spare us!”

Panicking, the bandits began fumbling with their status screens, pulling out items and offering them to her.

They seemed to have already handed over most valuables, leaving only a few potions. She felt it wasn’t worth interrogating further.

Si-hyun pocketed a few daggers and potions, then spoke softly.

“You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

“W-What?”

Ignoring their puzzled expressions, she stood and, using magic, bound them tightly before leading them toward the approaching monster horde.

Realizing what was happening, they began to scream, trying to resist, but their bodies wouldn’t move. All they could do was beg.

“Please! Have mercy!”

“Just let us live, please!”

Si-hyun ignored their pleas.

Once they reached the undead-infested area, she looked at them coldly.

“All the things you’ve done to other parties…”

She spoke without emotion.

“Now you’ll experience it all yourself.”

One by one, she tossed them into the throng of monsters.

“Creeeak?”

“Hehehe…”

The dungeon wasn’t just filled with skeletons but other undead monsters as well. Sensing the living among them, the undead let out eerie chuckles.

“Kheheheh—!”

The bandits were engulfed by the hungry monsters, who wasted no time sinking their teeth into flesh, tearing at limbs, muscles, and organs.

“Aaagh!”

“No—!”

Si-hyun’s binding spell dissipated, but it no longer mattered to the hunters surrounded by the undead.

They were devoured alive.

Si-hyun frowned slightly and turned away.

She’d sent Areum with the men from Wing Guild to avoid exposing her to such a sight. Now, she intended to join them soon, to ensure their safety.

Without a second glance, she left.

Meanwhile, Areum…

“Wow…”

Watching the men of Wing Guild battle in the boss room, she couldn’t help but marvel, yet again.

“S-Skeleton Mage…”

It was the very monster the professor had predicted when they first entered the dungeon. Her professor’s foresight was impeccable.

‘Professor Jeong Si-hyun… you really are amazing!’

With eyes shining, Areum eagerly awaited her professor’s return.