Under normal circumstances, a sigh of relief should have escaped.

But silence lingered among the reporters.

And it was no surprise.

Even though Jung Da-on had received an S-rank classification during the Awakened Ability Test, it only signified potential. It didn’t mean she was ready to be deployed in real-life combat. While her ability development might progress faster than that of the average person or lower ranks, some level of training would still be necessary.

No matter how normalized systems and dungeons had become, it was hardly easy for someone to pick up a weapon and charge at a monster for the first time.

There was fear: fear of wielding violence for the first time, fear of killing, and fear of retaliation from unfamiliar, alien creatures.

Yet here was a 19-year-old high school student brutally dispatching monsters.

And not just dispatching them—utterly overwhelming them.

“Must be the paralysis toxin.”

Thud!

Jung Da-on flung the corpse of the ant monster aside and dusted her hands off on her school uniform skirt. She barely seemed to care that green liquid had splattered onto her skirt. Dusting off her hands, she reached out to help the elderly woman stand.

Frowning as she checked the woman’s condition, Jung Da-on muttered,

“Hmm… healing magic is still a bit tricky…”

“Um, excuse me. Hunter Jung Da-on?”

One of the reporters, also paralyzed by the toxin, called out hesitantly. There was no real reason to feel intimidated—after all, she was just a 19-year-old high schooler in a uniform.

But the reporter felt a strange, distant sensation when their eyes met.

“What is it?”

Her tone was polite, even gentle. Yet the feeling was disturbingly similar to locking eyes with the ant monster earlier.

It was as if he had glimpsed something profoundly inhuman, something that sent shivers down his spine.

He couldn’t explain why. Outwardly, Jung Da-on looked like nothing more than a fragile girl.

Stammering, the reporter managed to speak.

“Well, actually, I… have an emergency potion set in my jacket…”

“Hey!”

Another reporter lying nearby hissed urgently.

“Don’t say that out loud! There are too many people here! Just keep it hidden and drink it yourself!”

“But what choice do I have? I can’t even move.”

Until now, the reporters hadn’t dared to use the antidote, as the paralysis toxin had rendered them immobile. But with Jung Da-on here, they had a chance to strategize.

The first reporter pressed on.

“There’s not enough for everyone. But maybe two or three of us could drink it, recover, and help the others. What do you think?”

“You idiot. You’re just asking for a fight.”

The second reporter muttered under his breath.

And he wasn’t wrong.

“We should give the antidote to the healthiest people first. We need to hold out until the rescue team arrives.”

The reporter who had been berating the old woman earlier spoke up, his tone confident but uneasy. He worked for a major news outlet and usually carried himself with an air of superiority, but the current situation clearly had him rattled.

His colleague scoffed.

“I’m probably healthier than you. You’re always reeking of booze from all those meetings.”

“What?!”

“Everyone, stop! Older people should get the antidote first. The paralysis toxin might affect them more severely!”

“What nonsense is that?!”

“This isn’t the time to be moralizing! We need to prioritize survival!”

Voices rose, and tensions escalated quickly. Being paralyzed and trapped for hours was enough to fray anyone’s nerves. With over ten people stuck in the room and only a tiny vial of antidote available, an argument was inevitable.

“We can’t keep fighting like this! What if more monsters show up? We need to build a barricade, and that means treating the healthiest people first!”

“Do you really think a barricade will stop them? Be honest—you just want to save yourself!”

“How dare you! For your information, I’ve completed the latest mandatory training!”

“Everyone, calm down! Aren’t you ashamed to be arguing in front of a minor?”

“That’s a good point. Since there’s a minor here, we should give the antidote to someone who can protect her!”

“Are you insane? How are you planning to protect an S-rank hunter?!”

“Who do you think you’re swearing at?! When we get out of here, don’t expect any help from me!”

“Do you think we’ll even make it out of here alive?!”

Had they not been paralyzed, the reporters might have come to blows.

At the peak of their shouting match, a voice cut through the chaos.

“You’re all wasting energy over nothing, aren’t you?”

Jung Da-on’s calm voice carried across the room, instantly cooling the heated atmosphere.

“I’m the only one here who can move anyway.”

“What, what did you say?”

The reporter who had been the loudest turned red with indignation.

“Jung Da-on! Are you mocking us? We’re just trying to survive! How dare you, you brat—”

“First, you call me a hunter, now a student. Make up your mind.”

“What kind of tone is that—”

She interrupted him with a pointed remark.

“Well, you seem to be in the best shape here. Mind if I borrow that vial?”

“Huh? What? Wait!”

Before he could react, Jung Da-on snatched the antidote vial from his jacket. Helplessly paralyzed, all he could do was watch.

“T-That’s mine…”

He protested weakly, but she ignored him.

Looking around at the group of paralyzed adults, Jung Da-on turned back to the man who had spoken the loudest.

At that moment, the reporter noticed something odd.

Her gaze seemed to be fixed on empty air.

Is she reading a system message?

It made sense, given that she had just awakened. But what kind of message could she be reading?

Jung Da-on’s eyes shifted briefly, a subtle, ominous gleam flickering in them.

“So, you’re saying you’re the healthiest person here and that you want the antidote, right?”

The reporter’s bluster evaporated as he nodded eagerly.

“Y-Yes! If I recover, I’ll help you rescue everyone!”

“So, this is what you want?”

“Yes, exactly! Now give it to me!”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

Without hesitation, Jung Da-on poured the antidote into his mouth. The tiny vial emptied almost instantly.

“Damn, what a waste.”

Another reporter muttered bitterly as the first gulped the antidote down.

Jung Da-on waited a moment before asking,

“How do you feel? Can you get up?”

“Yeah, I think I can…”

The reporter tried to lift himself up, his voice slightly stronger.

Gurgle.

But before he could sit up fully, his body convulsed. A sickening bubbling sound filled the room.

“He’s acting strange! That wasn’t an antidote?!”

“It was an antidote! It’s a certified emergency potion!”

“Then why is this happening?!”

Amid the growing panic, Jung Da-on spoke calmly.

“This ant monster is the first of its kind recognized by the system. Whether existing antidotes work against its toxin is something we can only know after testing.”

“W-What are you saying?”

“The antidote seems to have reacted with the toxin to create a synergistic effect. Drinking it makes things worse. We shouldn’t use it anymore.”

Her explanation was delivered with unnerving detachment.

“W-What? Then what are we supposed to do? Is he going to die?!”

“Hunter Jung Da-on, can’t you do something?!”

Even moments ago, they had been fighting over the antidote, but the idea of someone dying in front of them clearly unsettled them.

The elderly woman beside Jung Da-on snapped.

“Shame on all of you! Why are you blaming her? You begged her to give it to him!”

“T-That’s true, but we didn’t know—”

“So now you want to whine because you didn’t know better? He just stuffed it in his mouth himself! Serves him right!”

“Relax, ma’am. You’re right, but still.”

Despite someone choking to death nearby, Jung Da-on remained eerily composed. If you closed your eyes, her tone made it hard to tell if you were in a dungeon or a classroom.

“Don’t worry, he won’t die. I’ve observed how the toxin interacts with the antidote. I can create a proper antidote now.”

“W-Wait, what?!”

The room erupted into astonished gasps. One reporter shouted reflexively, earning a frown from Jung Da-on.

“Keep your voice down. There might be more monsters nearby.”

“S-Sorry! But did you just say you can make an antidote?!”

“I watched how the antidote and toxin interacted. Now I just need to modify a healing spell accordingly.”

“Is that even possible? You awakened today, didn’t you?”

“Haah…”

Jung Da-on sighed audibly. Her expression revealed thinly-veiled exasperation, as if explaining something to particularly dense children.

“For someone unfamiliar with the system, this might be hard to understand.”

Her tone was condescending, yet it felt strangely natural, even though everyone present was at least five years older than her.

“The system provides hunters with basic shared spell templates during the tutorial. I just need to tweak the healing spell to account for the toxin.”

“Is… that really possible?”

It wasn’t unreasonable to doubt her. While the system did provide hunters with basic skills, modifying a spell template in real-time was unheard of.

But Jung Da-on was no ordinary high schooler.

She was a former Demon King, disguised as a frail girl.

“Well, I can’t carry you all out myself.”

And more importantly, she was annoyed.

She disliked being in crowded places to begin with, and the earlier bickering had only tested her patience further.

She had no intention of offering a detailed explanation.

“Alright, I’ll get started. Wait here.”

Grumbling, Jung Da-on began sketching a magic circle on the ground. As they watched, the reporters felt a mix of fear and admiration.

At least she’s not abandoning us.

She’s young, but she’s responsible.

Jung Da-on, of course, wasn’t thinking anything of the sort.

She glanced briefly at the system messages floating in the air.

User "Jung Da-on" will face ability restrictions for actions deemed inconsistent with societal standards.

System guidance: “Abandoning civilians in a dungeon despite having the capacity to assist” is currently considered unacceptable.

System guidance: “Killing civilians in a dungeon” is currently considered unacceptable.

Tch.

She had briefly considered sneaking the boss out and leaving the others behind, but the system’s barrage of warnings made it clear that wasn’t an option.

Living as a human is such a chore.

The former Demon King sighed deeply.