Chapter 8: Pretty Devil Girl

Seo Ieung fainted.

…Is this my fault?

I put myself in her shoes.
If I weren’t in angel mode.
If a beautiful girl got that close to my face?

I don’t even want to imagine it.
I’d definitely have fainted too.

Thinking from her perspective, this does seem like my fault.

‘I’ll apologize properly when she wakes up.’

More than that, I was worried.
Is it okay to leave her like this?
The ground must be cold.

‘Should I at least offer my lap as a pillow?’

I considered it briefly but decided against it.
If I were her, I’d never want that.

So, I chose not to touch her at all and wait until she woke up.

About five minutes passed.
No monsters approached.
Seo Ieung was still unconscious.

I was staring blankly at her face.

‘…She’s really, really pretty.’

A refined nose.
A delicate jawline.
Flawless, smooth skin.
Glossy golden hair.

Every glance drew a sigh of admiration.
Is this really a human’s face, or a sculpture?

‘She might be the prettiest girl I’ve seen so far.’

There’s no ranking among beautiful girls.
They’re all stunning.
But preferences differ.

Among the girls I’ve seen, Seo Ieung matches my taste the most.

Of course, I’m talking about real-life encounters, not internet photos.
I’ve rarely observed a beautiful girl this closely.
I’m still a frog in a well.
There could be someone even more my type out there.

‘The staff member earlier was pretty too, but glasses aren’t my thing.’

For the record, I’m not into the delinquent vibe.
Seo Ieung’s overall aura may be thuggish, but up close, her face exudes a pure charm.
Her makeup isn’t heavy either.

‘It’s probably her usual expression that makes her seem like a delinquent.’

Plus, her swaggering walk.
And the piercings in her ears add to it.

‘Comparing her to the delinquents from my past life is unfair too.’

Honestly, those delinquents relied on heavy makeup.
The ones I thought were beautiful in my old world wouldn’t hold a candle to anyone here.

Seo Ieung wears makeup, but it’s light and natural.

‘Anyway, I planned to prioritize personality like most guys here… But she’s so my type looks-wise, I could fall for her face alone…’

Dangerous.
If I were in human mode, I’d have fallen hard.

Good thing I’m in angel mode.
No emotions right now.
It’s like looking at a pretty rock.
A beautiful rock I never tire of.

As I admired her face and wiped the blood from her nose.

“Ugh…”

Seo Ieung finally stirred.
I quickly pulled my hand back.

“Why was I asleep…?”

She rubbed her head, sitting up.
Squinting, she looked around.

The moment her eyes met mine.

“Y-You…!”

She flinched, backing away.
Like she’d seen her parents’ killer.

Keeping a safe distance, I bowed my head and apologized.

I had something to check. Got carried away and acted rudely. Sorry for not asking your permission.
That kind of thing.

Seo Ieung accepted my apology.
But issued a no-approach order.

In angel mode, don’t get too close.
And no staring either.

“But didn’t you hate being near girls? How’d you do that earlier?”

She asked as we walked, keeping our distance.

“It’s fine in this state.”
“Huh? So you’re only not a misogynist as an angel? Some racial trait? Makes sense—angels shouldn’t hate a specific gender.”

Another weird misunderstanding.
I hurried to clarify, since talking is easier in this state.

“I’m not a misogynist normally either. I just struggle with girls.”
“Hmm…”

She gave me a skeptical look.

“Fine, let’s go with that.”
“It’s not ‘go with that,’ I’m really not a misogynist.”
“Yeah, I believe you.”

It didn’t feel like she did.
She wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said.
I’d just have to prove it later by overcoming my trauma.

“By the way, how long can you maintain your transformation?”

She asked again, avoiding my gaze.
My angel mode still seemed to unsettle her.

“About two hours.”
“Two hours? That’s long.”
“But I can only transform once a day.”
“Oh, that’s why it lasts so long.”

She nodded, stopping in her tracks.
And pointed in one direction.

“Let’s take down some monsters before your transformation runs out.”

Where she pointed.
A swarm of ghouls gathered.
Probably the ones that fled after seeing her bear paw earlier.
So that’s where they went.

“Do you fight bare-handed, or do you have an attack ability?”
“I’ve got one attack ability.”

Judgment Light.
A beam of light shot from my palm.
The only ability I, a defective angel, can use.

“Never used it on anyone, though.”
“Really? Perfect chance to test it.”

That was my plan.
I’ve only shot Judgment Light into the air, so I don’t know its power against monsters.

Not expecting much.
It probably isn’t strong.

‘Should’ve tested it on a soda can or something.’

I stepped forward.
The ghouls’ eyes locked onto us.

“I can leave one for you… Never mind, just attack.”

I nodded slightly, opened my palm, and aimed at the ghouls.

And then.

[“Judge.”]

The moment I chanted in angelic tongue.

FWOOSH!

A brilliant light shot from my palm.

The ghouls, standing dumbly, were engulfed.

“Ki, KIEEK!”
“KRUH!”
“Urgh, ugh…!”

Their bodies burned instantly.
Screaming, they vanished without a trace.

What the…

“…I’m stronger than I thought.”
“…Yeah, but they’re just ghouls.”

Calming my shock, I glanced at Seo Ieung.
She looked pretty shocked too.

While roaming the dungeon.
Another group of ghouls appeared.

“KIEEEK!”
“KRUH!”

I blasted them with Judgment Light.
Then found another group.

“KR, URGH…!”
“ARGH!”

Burned them too.

Every one I saw.
I took them all down.
Not a single one left.

“You’re really into this.”

Seo Ieung shook her head, watching me.

I was definitely having fun.
Since every monster went down in one shot.

I wasn’t sure before, but now I know.
Being a Hunter suits me.

As I kept slaying monsters.

[Warning! Beyond this point is the boss area. Even in an F-rank dungeon, the boss is powerful. Freshmen are advised to attempt it only during class.]

A sign blocked our path.
Seo Ieung muttered, looking at it.

“What? They even put a boss in here? Now the high fee makes sense.”

I agreed.
I’d heard bosses are rare even in real dungeons.

“Kang Hawi, you know, right?”
“Know what?”
“That the two of us can’t handle a dungeon boss. An F-rank dungeon boss needs at least five C-rank Hunters. If it’s a demon, ten to twenty.”

I knew a bit.
I’d read about it online.
Bosses come in two types: monsters and demons.

“What do you want to do? Turn back?”

Seo Ieung asked.
I didn’t answer right away.
We paid a fortune to get in—wouldn’t it be worth seeing the boss’s face?
That’s what I was thinking.

I asked her opinion first.

“What do you want to do?”
“Me? Obviously, I want to keep going. It’s just an illusion dungeon, we can’t actually die.”

Her thoughts matched mine.
Fearless, as expected.

“The Academy won’t care if we enter the boss area, right?”
“Doubt it. They didn’t block it like E-rank dungeons and above.”

“…”
“…”

“Shall we go?”
“Let’s do it.”

We ignored the sign.
And decided to seek out the boss.

About ten minutes later.
Seo Ieung spoke, her face tense.

“If we meet the boss, we’re dead for sure, so prepare yourself. Escaping might be impossible too.”
“Is the boss that strong?”

“Of course. Why else would they put up a warning?”
“If it’s that dangerous, shouldn’t they have kept bosses out of dungeons we can access?”

“I’ve been thinking. It’s probably a test to weed out unqualified Hunters.”
“A test?”

“Remember what the guide said? I bet every guide told other freshmen the same thing. And some students, like us, will ignore the warning and push forward.”

She continued, scanning our surroundings warily.

“They probably let those types get killed by the illusion boss to break their spirits and make them quit. Arrogant people are likely to die quickly as real Hunters.”
“So we’ve already failed the test?”

“Not yet. You only fail if you give up after dying. I’m confident I won’t care if I die. I’m not arrogant, just brave. If this were a real dungeon, I wouldn’t have come.”

I got what she meant.
Being arrogant is fine.
But being arrogant and mentally weak means you’re unfit to be a Hunter.

Of course, even then.
They’re just trying to make you quit.
The Academy won’t expel you directly.
This isn’t an official test.

So, even if you’re arrogant and weak.
As long as you don’t drop out, you’re fine.
Though it’s hard to stay a Hunter with monster trauma.

‘If you stay despite trauma and overcome fear, that’s passing too.’

Not an overreach.
Why else would they leave the boss area open?

“Hey, hey…!”

As I organized my thoughts, Seo Ieung called out urgently, eyes fixed ahead.

I looked too.
Not far off.
A woman stood, staring at us.

“Oh, a cute kid’s here.”

Bluish skin.
Two horns on her head.
And beautiful.
The appearance of a demon, like I’d seen in photos.

The beautiful demon sent me a contemptuous glare.

“Ugh, a disgusting angel too.”

I felt the same.

The moment I saw the demon, revulsion surged within me.

Disgust.
An urge to tear her apart overwhelmed me.

As negative emotions swirled.
I felt my mind briefly disconnect.

*

“I’ll attack first, so stay back… Huh? Where’d he go…?”

Seo Ieung’s voice faded.

“First, I’ll slaughter the angel… Urk!?”

The demon’s voice grew closer.

“…”

The demon stopped making sounds.

“Ah.”

When I came to.
My hands held two objects.
In my right, the demon’s heart.
In my left, her head.

Title for Chapter 8: Crimson Moon and Unseen Instincts