You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

"Seriously, what should I do?"

After the day's training, during the evening personal maintenance time, Lee Seung-hee couldn’t hold back her tears and burst into crying.

She had made repeated mistakes during today's afternoon training, just like in the previous one.

Choi Ji-su, sitting next to her, patted Seung-hee's back as if used to it.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about something as small as that. It's normal during basic training. Once we get into actual combat, you'll get it right."

"I really feel like I can't do it... I keep failing in the tutorial. Did you see Jeong Da-on’s expression earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"She looked at me like I was a complete failure... it was... really..."

"Seung-hee."

Yi Pyeonghwa spoke to Lee Seung-hee.

"If it’s really too hard, you can quit early. You can leave now and come back later..."

"No."

Seung-hee wiped her nose as she shook dirt off her military knife.

"If I leave here, my dad will kill me."

The military is a place where you meet all kinds of people you wouldn't normally interact with. Even special forces aren’t an exception.

Moreover, in a closed environment like this, a sense of camaraderie naturally develops. Yi Pyeonghwa and the others, despite only having spent two weeks together, had already learned about each other’s family situations.

Seung-hee’s father was a well-known B-rank Hunter and wizard in the industry. When Seung-hee received a B-rank during the Hunter exam, he was both happy and immediately pressured her to complete the magic tutorial.

Seung-hee had tried her best, but the pressure seemed to have been too much, and she hadn’t finished the tutorial before basic military training. Her father had kept scolding her right up until she enlisted.

Choi Ji-su shook her head.

"Seung-hee, don’t worry about it. Once you get assigned to a unit, you'll just follow the seniors’ orders and everything will be fine."

"But... my dad will come to the graduation ceremony and ask about the tutorial and my training scores."

"Ah, you can just lie about it."

"Ji-su, didn’t you say you’re a devout Christian?"

At Yi Pyeonghwa’s words, Choi Ji-su scrunched her nose and smiled.

"Yeah, but isn’t saving lives the priority?"

"I can’t lie... my dad can see right through lies... he’s like a ghost. So, Ji-su, today too..."

"Seung-hee."

Yi Pyeonghwa interrupted, cutting off Seung-hee’s continuous complaints.

Ji-su might be listening to Seung-hee, but Yi Pyeonghwa wasn’t interested in such talks.

"That’s domestic violence."

"Huh?"

Seung-hee’s eyes widened.

"Why are you so tied up with your father? You’re an adult now. If you don’t like it, go independent."

It wasn’t impossible.

The 39-month compulsory service provides food and lodging, and although the salary is low, it adds up over time.

After completing compulsory service, Seung-hee could work as a Hunter, so financially, there wouldn’t be a significant problem.

"If you really have to go back to that house, then stand up to your father. What’s he gonna do?"

"That’s true, but..."

Choi Ji-su, who had been listening, shook her head.

"Cold, really cold. How can you cut someone off like that? Especially when it’s family."

"Yeah!"

Seung-hee, with tears welling up, nodded in agreement.

"Pyeonghwa, I know you’re good at everything, but..."

"When I got A-rank, my family went crazy too."

At that, both Ji-su and Seung-hee fell silent.

After all, Yi Pyeonghwa’s A-rank from the Hunter exam was a national sensation.

"And I made it clear. This isn’t my fault."

There were countless cases like this in the arts world.

Parents pressuring their children because their talents aren’t being fully realized.

And children struggling with the pressure of their parents’ expectations.

The parents had already invested a lot, and naturally, they wanted a return. But in the arts world, it’s rarer for that investment to pay off.

But children are not investments.

Parents’ disappointments aren’t something the children should carry.

"Pyeonghwa..."

"How can you change innate talent?"

It was a phrase I had heard since childhood.

"Pyeonghwa, you were born with talent."

From birth, Yi Pyeonghwa had the physical attributes to stand out.

Humans are born into an unfair world.

No matter how unfair it feels, there’s nothing to be done.

Race, gender, environment, and talent are all parts of life we can’t choose.

Yi Pyeonghwa was simply lucky to have been born with extraordinary talents compared to others.

And that talent, which had seemed like an endless streak of luck, was only rated A by the system.

That’s all.

Nothing had changed.

Just doing my best with what I’ve been given.

"....."

Yi Pyeonghwa continued to maintain her silence and continued her maintenance.

"This afternoon, we will carry out a D-rank dungeon clear for this unit. Be sure to follow orders and be careful. Understood?"

"Yes, understood!"

"Can’t you answer louder?"

"Yes, understood!"

Yi Pyeonghwa responded with a firm tone.

While regular basic training usually ends with a march, the basic training for ability users was different.

After receiving their unit assignments, most of their tasks would involve dungeon expeditions to maintain security, so they had to experience dungeon exploration during their basic training.

Of course, being newly trained, they would select the safest low-level dungeon available.

Thanks to that, the trainees were busy during the morning, reviewing manuals for the dungeon expedition scheduled for later that afternoon.

Even though it was a low-level dungeon, it could still be challenging for beginner soldiers, and this was to prevent any potential accidents.

The training instructor spoke sternly.

"Today, in addition to the commanding officers, a special Hunter will be accompanying us for safety. They’ve come all the way here for your safety, so you must follow orders without question. Understood?"

‘A Hunter is coming?’

‘Who is it?’

And with the curiosity of everyone in the room, the person who appeared was a familiar face, one seen often in the media.

"Hello, I’m Han Jae-young, your special instructor."

Han Jae-young.

An S-rank Hunter, second only to Yoo Han-ul in fame within Korea.

At his appearance, some of the trainees gasped in surprise.

"Haha, I know I’m pretty good-looking, right?"

Han Jae-young greeted the trainees with a charming smile.

Yi Pyeonghwa was genuinely surprised.

‘...Oh my God. Why is someone like him here?’

But the surprise didn’t last long.

Yi Pyeonghwa quickly glanced at Jeong Da-on, who was standing next to her.

There was a reason for that.

‘Is he here to see Jeong Da-on?’

It seemed like the others were going through the same train of thought as Yi Pyeonghwa.

Since they were trainees, they couldn’t outright ask, but their eyes kept darting between Jeong Da-on and Han Jae-young.

Han Jae-young, however, didn’t seem to notice their curiosity. Instead, he smiled and addressed the trainees.

"Hi, juniors. Don’t be too nervous with me around, but don’t let your guard down either. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, understood!"

"Alright, let’s do this well today."

The trainees were excited to see an S-rank Hunter in person.

It was less like seeing a senior and more like seeing a celebrity.

After the greeting, it was lunch break.

"I seriously think I’m gonna throw up."

Lee Seung-hee, trembling, tried to pick up some side dishes with her chopsticks but kept missing.

Her hands were actually shaking.

"Are you okay? You’re too nervous. This is just practice. If you keep this up, you’ll end up missing out..."

"No, no, I can’t!"

Lee Seung-hee slammed her chopsticks on the table, causing everyone in the cafeteria to look at her.

She quickly shrank into herself, clearly embarrassed.

Yi Pyeonghwa frowned slightly as she observed.

‘This doesn’t seem right.’

A little tension is helpful, but it looked like she was overdoing it. Her hands were shaking, and more importantly, she was starting to stutter more and more.

"Pyeonghwa, it’s okay. Seung-hee will do well once we get into real combat. If you keep giving her a hard time, she’ll get even more nervous."

"Really?"

"Of course, I’m in her unit. I’m watching out for her."

Choi Ji-su patted Seung-hee’s back and pushed a water cup toward her.

"Don’t eat too much. You might end up getting sick."

"Right, I guess?"

At least it was good that those two got along well.

"I’ve finished eating, so I’m heading out first."

Yi Pyeonghwa stood up after finishing her meal.

Actually, she herself was a bit nervous about the upcoming first dungeon expedition and planned to stretch a bit before the time came.

‘Maybe I’ll go to the area behind the cafeteria...’

Just then, Yi Pyeonghwa froze mid-step when she heard a voice.

Behind the cafeteria, she saw Han Jae-young, the special instructor, and Jeong Da-on talking.

"I sometimes come to these new recruit training camps as a special instructor."

"S-rank Hunter? Are you really that free?"

‘Wait, is that... informal speech?’

Yi Pyeonghwa was honestly shocked.

She didn’t know Han Jae-young’s exact age, but as a veteran Hunter, why would he use informal language with Jeong Da-on, who was his peer?

"Not really. Honestly, I’m so busy it makes me want to throw up. Especially lately."

"Your words and actions don’t match."

He still spoke formally, but the tone was off.

‘Are they close?’

Come to think of it, Yi Pyeonghwa remembered a news article about the Gwanghwamun dungeon break, where both Han Jae-young and Jeong Da-on were involved. Maybe that’s how they met?

Even then, it was strange that only Jeong Da-on was using informal speech.

‘Wait, why am I eavesdropping?’

Han Jae-young laughed lightly.

"This isn’t working... alright, I’ll tell you."

"Quick, I’m on lunch break."

"I’m here to make a special assignment. I need to pull some people out before their official unit assignments."

Han Jae-young smiled at Jeong Da-on, who was standing before him.

In the news or articles, he had always seemed like a commanding figure, but seeing him tease Jeong Da-on, he felt more like a mischievous older relative.

"Jeong Da-on Hunter, no wait, 44th trainee, after basic military training, will be assigned as a social service worker to our guild. Surprised? Surprised?"

At those words, Yi Pyeonghwa tilted her head.

‘Social service worker?’

So, after finishing basic military training, instead of being assigned to a unit, Jeong Da-on would be placed in Han Jae-young’s HP Guild?

"An S-rank mage is so special that even in the military, assigning them to a unit would be too costly, so..."@@novelbin@@

Han Jae-young explained enthusiastically.

"Wait, you’re not surprised? You knew about this, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t know."

"I knew it! You signed the contract fast, didn’t you? Guess I got tricked."

"Didn’t I say I didn’t know?"

"Guess I shouldn’t underestimate you."

"Why don’t you just talk to yourself in the mirror?"

"Hey, where are you going? Our future guild member."

Han Jae-young grabbed Jeong Da-on’s shoulder as she tried to walk away.

Jeong Da-on, with an annoyed expression, flicked his hand away like swatting a fly.

"Go away."

"Hey, it’s awkward if you go back now, right? Why not hang out with me for a bit? It’s legal for me to slack off."

"Legal, huh."

"Listen to me for a bit, and your mind might change. Oh, before that..."

Han Jae-young turned his head.

Just as Yi Pyeonghwa peeked around the corner, she quickly stepped back.

Swish.

She heard the faint sound of sand brushing against her boots.

She was startled by the sound she herself made.

Han Jae-young’s voice was heard.

"There are a lot of people passing by here, so let me just use some soundproof magic."

"Isn’t using magic like that inside a military base against the rules?"

"Now’s not the time to be asking me that..."

With a prickling feeling, Han Jae-young and Jeong Da-on’s voices completely cut off.

They must have used the soundproof magic as mentioned.

Yi Pyeonghwa bit her lip and left.

‘I’m crazy. Why did I eavesdrop on that?’

If she had just walked away right away, none of this would’ve happened.

But anyway, Jeong Da-on is going to be a social service worker?

Yi Pyeonghwa had thought Jeong Da-on would be assigned to the same unit as her.

Although unit assignments are supposed to be completely random, she had heard that ability users are often assigned based on their ability rank.

Since dungeon grades are influenced by potential ability levels, it made sense to expect that.

But now, it seemed Jeong Da-on would never be in her unit, and they wouldn’t see each other for the next 39 months.

‘Maybe it’s for the best.’

It felt like a weight was lifted off her chest.

The reason Yi Pyeonghwa had been angry with Jeong Da-on was because Jeong Da-on was disrupting the unity in the unit.

With such strong abilities, she still wouldn’t help others or cooperate properly.

How would the other trainees feel about that?

They would probably feel like Jeong Da-on was looking down on them, and on top of that, they’d feel insecure about their own abilities.

‘Like Lee Seung-hee...’

Jeong Da-on didn’t take noticeable actions, but every time Lee Seung-hee failed with her magic, she could feel Seung-hee looking at her with envy.

It seemed that showing such weakness in front of Jeong Da-on was hurting her pride.

‘It would be different if she dominated us.’

But it seemed Jeong Da-on had no intention of fitting into this group.

If she wasn’t going to address this subtle tension, it would be better for her to leave quickly.

‘Well, at least I can endure it for a little longer.’

Yi Pyeonghwa thought, and she didn’t feel any guilt about it.