You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 23

After Jung Da-on stormed out of the office, silence lingered inside.
It felt as though a storm had swept through.

"Is she really out of her mind?"
A whisper spread among the gathered rookie hunters after a moment's pause.
"Wow, I heard rumors online."

"I should've known from the auditorium video earlier."
"Her actions are crazy, but her personality seems even crazier..."
"I heard all S-rank hunters are a bit crazy, but doesn't she really seem like one?"

"What if we end up in the same training camp? My teammates would be dead."
"Quiet."
Han Jae-young silenced the rookie hunters.

While he could understand their reactions, there was no reason to gossip in front of someone possibly facing a tragedyâsomeone who might lose a child.
Han Jae-young glanced at the employee, nearly on the verge of exhaustion.
âMaybe itâd be better to knock him out.â

The truth was, the likelihood of Jung Da-on rescuing the child was extremely low.
Han Jae-young wasnât denying Jung Da-onâs talents.
Heâd seen the video that had shaken South Korea just two days ago, and if someone still doubted her abilities after that, they wouldnât be fit to call themselves a magician.

However, no matter how talented she was, facing off with a C-rank monster bare-handed, without even using a magic circuit, was nothing but reckless.
After all, mages weren't particularly suited for combat.
Of course, as shown in the video from two days ago, mages who handled elements lethal to living beings, like lightning, might find it easier to use magic in combat.

But even then, controlling mana through sheer mental will to draw magic circles and change the laws of the world was a far cry from the quick reflexes and judgment required for combat.
So, despite high stats, mages almost never tackled dungeons solo. For a mage to fight, a tank to buy time until the magic was cast was essential.
But Jung Da-on had nothing right now.
It was practically a suicide mission.

Still, Han Jae-young didnât stop her. The reason was simple.
âSheâs too stubborn. Well⦠sheâs at that age where self-consciousness is high.â
Trying to talk her out of it would only hurt her feelings, and he knew he wouldnât be able to stop her. He didnât want to waste his energy or time.

Besides, it wasnât the first time heâd seen someone like Jung Da-on.
There were plenty of hunters who, after reaching adulthood, couldnât resist the heroic urges, burning with a sense of justice like they were in a movie, even if it meant risking everything.
Especially those with S-rank talents.

The sense of power, like everything would go as they wished.
The freedom that came with being released from a society where violence was prohibited.
But over time, most of them, like Han Jae-young, learned one hard truth.

No matter how great your talent, the world doesnât let you navigate it with just that one gift.
Not everyone can be a hero like Yoo Han-ul.
âSheâll probably have to rescue them at the right moment.â

Estellaâs cursed item had wreaked havoc on the magic circuit, and it still needed more time to recover. Fortunately, there were a few attack magic scrolls.
While their power was still limited, they should be enough to bring Jung Da-on back from her reckless run, even if she couldnât break through to the daycare.
She wouldnât get far anyway.

But...
â...What?â
Han Jae-young expected that Jung Da-on, being unarmed and rushing in blindly, would likely slow down once she faced monsters. She would probably be too scared to move quickly.

Although Yoo Han-ul had cleaned up some of the mess, the bodies of the people who had already died and the monsters' corpses would make it hard to advance, even if her mind stayed intact.
But the figure on the screen was unstoppable.
"Wow, no fear at all..."

Someone gasped at the sight of Jung Da-on casually stepping over the monster remains scattered in the hallway.
As they had said, Jung Da-on's calmness as she passed the gruesome scene seemed unnervingly collected.
"Uh, uh... she's moving really fast."

"Is she actually going to break through?"
As it turned out, they were right. Her speed was faster than expected.
Already, the CCTV footage on the hallway was showing no trace of her, but her image had already appeared on the emergency stairway screen.

Han Jae-young, who had been stunned watching the footage, suddenly snapped out of it.
âShould I go after her now?â
Heâd come to protect an S-rank talent who could be targeted by other countries or large guilds, and now he regretted not intervening sooner to prevent something worse from happening. If she was just injured, thatâd be one thing, but if she died... he would have a difficult time explaining it.

Beyond the potential political fallout and press backlash, Yoo Han-ul might seriously kill him for this.

"What... whatâs happening? Is she really going to die?"
"Why is she suddenly standing still?"

"Looks like sheâs frozen up!"
"She was so cocky earlier, and now look at her."
They were right.

Just moments ago, Jung Da-on, who had been running freely, was now standing still, allowing monsters to gnaw at her body.
Thud, something fell to the ground. It was the knife Han Jae-young had given her.
Anyone could tell she was frozen in place, helpless and disoriented in the sudden chaos.

"Hey, hey! Is she really going to die, what should we do?"
"What should we do? Sheâs the one who ran out, even after being told not to!"
"Y-yeah, but! Han Jae-young Hunter, Jung Da-on...!"

The rookie hunters were panicking and calling for Han Jae-young, but he didnât answer.
To be precise, he couldnât.
â...Whatâs going on?â

Han Jae-young stared at the screen, transfixed.
At first glance, it looked like an inexperienced hunter was just paralyzed by the monsters' sudden attack, frozen in fear.
However, Han Jae-youngâs instincts told him something was off.

Jung Da-on, despite being a rookie who had only awakened two days ago, didnât seem to be trembling in fear...
She had lowered her body, like a predator preparing to pounce, waiting for the right moment.
And then it happened.

Rumble!
The building shook.
Han Jae-young narrowed his eyes.

Could there really be an earthquake in the middle of a Dungeon Break?
No, it wasnât that.
Crash!

"Ahhh!"
"Duck! Duck!"
All the windows in the building shattered from a sudden gust of wind.

It wasnât a scream of terror, more like a natural reaction.
"Whatâs happening? A new monster is appearing?"
"Impossible! Things canât get worse here!"

"Help!"
The scene had turned into utter chaos.
Amidst the rookie hunters' screams, Han Jae-young couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

"Hahaha, what the...?"
It wasnât a new monster, nor was it an earthquake.
Simply put, the magic in the area was churning like a storm.

And, as a magician, Han Jae-young knew when this kind of phenomenon occurred.
A mageâs terrifyingly determined will was rewriting the very laws of the world.
Those mages in the building, confident in their abilities, must have felt the colossal flow of magic.

And thatâs why it was absurd.
âDoes this even make sense?â
A mage who had just awakened two days ago, controlling this level of mana?

In a state where she couldnât even use a magic circuit due to the smoke inhalation?
âThis is impossible!â
If she were using basic spells from the Systemâs tutorial with insane firepower, that could be explained by calling her a "genius of the century."

But this, this type of forbidden magic that the System didnât provide... that was impossible.
Magic was a study, and creating oneâs own magic was even harder. To come up with a new spell required immense time and theory.
It was impossible for a mage who had only awakened recently to wield such magic.

It was outside common sense.
Yet, it was happening right before his eyes.
All the magic in the area was being sucked into one point.

Like it was responding to the long-awaited call of a master.
And Han Jae-young, too, found himself mesmerized by the scene.
What was happening didnât make sense, but he couldnât help but feel awe.

And that was when he realized.

Jung Da-on, just as she had said, would rescue the children.
The greatest advantage of the forbidden magic I created was that it amplified mana itself, without being limited by typical magical systems.

Not all magic has only benefits, but in a situation where I had limited mana, this was the most appropriate form of magic.
Though still weak, I was pulling mana through my soul, compensating for my frail magic circuits and body.
Now, all that was left was controlling the amassed mana.

The mana, densely concentrated and rebellious, was wriggling, looking for a chance to break free.
But controlling and suppressing it was my specialty.
Though the laws of the world might be natural, humans have always eaten away at and destroyed nature since the dawn of time.

Boom!
The gathered mana whipped into a whirlwind, clearing the shadow ghosts who had been trying to scatter.
It was like dust before the wind, as the shadow ghosts were torn apart by the powerful mana storm.

In an instant, all the monsters in the emergency stairwell were wiped out.
Splash!
The monsters' bodies and fluids splattered everywhere.

Now, I was the only living being left in the stairwell.
âWhat did I just do?â
My head throbbed.

It was no surprise that my mana circuits overheated after handling such an excessive amount of mana with my frail body.
But the result wasnât bad.
Though I couldnât tell exactly how many, it seemed like more than 30 monsters were slain.

User, âJung Da-onâ has achieved an incredible feat!
She slaughtered 32 âShadow Ghosts.â
This achievement will reflect in future quests.

 
Thank you for the kind counting.
Well, considering I had to use forbidden magic, this outcome was expected. The real problem was my physical state.

âThe mana circuits didnât break...?â
Surprisingly.
Carefully extending my mana, I found that, despite the pain in my body, my magic circuits were actually in good condition.

I had braced myself for not using magic for at least a month, but to my surprise, Jung Da-onâs body had handled this reckless act better than expected.
âNo, wait... Did my magic circuits actually expand? Could it be that the potential S-rank talent isnât just my soul, but the very body of Jung Da-on?â
Honestly, I had never thought much about the talents the body of âJung Da-onâ held, because I had avoided using magic for the past 20 years to keep it from the Systemâs notice.

Considering how far superior my previous bodyâs magic circuits were, this new body was naturally weaker.
But this was a completely unknown territory I would now have to explore.
Stepping on the monster's fluids, I walked down the stairs.

Getting to the daycare floor was ridiculously easy now that there were no monsters in the way.
As I reached the daycare, the monsters that had been roaming the hallway earlier were now lying dead from the effects of the magic.
Creak!

I opened the sliding door to the daycare, and the surprised teacher looked up first.
"Ah, are you... the rescue team?"
"Yes, Iâm here to rescue."

I answered casually, then immediately drew the curtains to block out the light. The sunlight flooded into the dark daycare.
It was so bright, it was almost blinding.
The children huddled in the corner raised their heads.

"Are you the rescue team, Miss?"
"Yes, I am."
Before I could even finish answering, the teacher, relieved, started to speak in a teary voice.

"Everything will be okay now. Everyone, be sure to thank the rescue team hunter!"
"Wow, sheâs a hero!"
"Wow! So cool!"

"No, Iâm... Iâm not..."
The moment the children rushed toward me, I felt embarrassed.
I wasnât a hero, not even a member of the rescue team. To be honest, Iâd like to tell them that I was a human enemy who destroyed a world in my past lifeâ¦

The System leaves the judgment of âJung Da-onâsâ actions to societyâs members.
The results are being processed...
The majority of societyâs members consider âJung Da-onâsâ actions as just.

Quest, âYou will be blessed if you do good deedsâ has succeeded, and âJung Da-onâsâ ability restrictions have been weakened.
 
"..."

I couldnât help but laugh bitterly.
Anyone would think I was a true, righteous hero now.