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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 40
Executor Priest Kiril felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
A woman he had never seen before was smiling sweetly while holding a photo of the Saint.
‘…Who is she?’
No one knew when or how she had appeared and seated herself among them.
The chilling realization struck Kiril that if she hadn’t spoken first, they would never have noticed her at all.
Never noticed?
Them?
They were trained professionals ‘Cleaners’ of the Orthodox Church.
Shadows of the faith, specialized in abductions and assassinations.
And yet, they hadn’t noticed her presence?
Even now, looking right at her, it was hard to believe.
The woman, with her innocent smile and pure demeanor, seemed completely out of place in this room.
It was like seeing a ghost.
“May I ask why you're targeting Lady Jeanne?”
“…That’s…”
Kiril trailed off, exchanging a glance with the other executor priests.
“The reason we're targeting the Saint is...”
Splat!
Kiril suddenly lunged at the woman.
The other executor priests moved at the same time.
And in that exact moment.
Schlick—
A red line flashed through the air, and a head flew off its shoulders.
***
On her way back to the shop after a pleasant outing with benefactor,
Venessa noticed something.
Someone was watching them.
Sensing another’s presence came as naturally to Venessa as breathing.
Stealth. Darkness.
Those were the very essence of the awakened ability she had mastered.
She was a born assassin, one who could manipulate the shadows from the moment she entered this world.
Using a walk as an excuse, Venessa slipped away and began tailing the observer.
At first, she merely intended to watch.
She didn’t know what they wanted from the benefactor.
But the moment she realized they were after Jeanne, her purpose shifted.
From observation to elimination.
Anyone targeting Jeanne, the woman who had saved her, or benefactor, was unacceptable to Venessa.
Eliminate the threat at its root.
She still remembered all too clearly what happened to the people of East End—those who failed to do just that and paid the price at the hands of the British government.
She needed to find out who was behind this.
“Where are you people from?”
“You really think we’d tell—”
Schlick—
The priest's voice was cut short, his throat cleanly sliced open.
His head rolled across the ground with a dull thud-thud-thud.
“Where are you people from?”
Venessa repeated the question calmly, golden scissors dripping with blood.
“Ugh… I-I can’t tell you…”
Schlick—
With that same serene tone, Venessa went around to each priest.
Kindly asking them, one by one, who sent them.
If they refused to answer, she simply eliminated them.
There was only one question.
But many mouths to answer it.
Not many were left now, though.
Schlick—
Venessa turned her head after slicing through another silent priest’s throat.
“Looks like you're the only one left.”
She smiled sweetly at the last remaining priest, who stood frozen stiff.
“Where are you from?”
“……”
Kiril couldn’t believe it.
All eight executor priests who had come with him were dead.
He was the only one left alive.
And even that might not last if he didn’t answer her question.
She had literally been cutting people apart.
Kiril couldn’t understand how such a thing was possible.
Even with all his experience kidnapping and disposing of targets, he’d never seen a technique like this.
He had certainly never heard of someone using scissors as a weapon.
But more terrifying than the weapon… was her face.
She looked like a farmer harvesting crops utterly unchanged, even as she killed.
She smiled, yes.
But there was no emotion behind it.
Not even while committing murder.
“Why are you after Lady Jeanne?”
His legs trembled.
Even Kiril, a man long accustomed to killing, was afraid of this woman.
‘…A monster.’
He began backing away without realizing it then turned and ran.
“U-Uaaaah!”
Screaming for the first time in his life.
“……”
Venessa didn’t chase him.
She let him go.
After all, she had already imbued him with her magic.
Her subtle enhancements were nearly impossible to detect and lasted a very long time.
As long as the magic remained, Venessa could track him at any time.
Kiril would serve as a perfect guide leading her straight to whoever was behind this attack on Jeanne.
As she made her way back to the General Store, Venessa felt like she understood now.
Why had she come to be with the benefactor in the first place.
In a world where people like that roamed freely,
This place was clearly even more dangerous than the East End had ever been.
“Did you enjoy your walk?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, benefactor, I had a lovely time.”
Venessa gave Choi Seojun a bright smile as he welcomed her home.
And as she did, she made a silent vow.
That no one would ever lay a hand on this man.
***
The next day, after a night of bowling, a shower, and a good night’s sleep.
Kim Hayoon sent a message saying she'd found a place to live.
[Hello, Seojun!]
[I found the house we talked about! I’ll send over the list and take your time picking one you like.]
[Thank you.]
[No problem! You’re part of our guild now, Seojun. Helping you find a place is the least I can do.]
(Hamster doing jump rope emoji)
[Also, I sent the payment for the mana stones to your bank account. Let me know if the amount’s off!]
(Hamster smiling emoji)
‘She really likes emoticons, huh.’
Still, having a guild really did make things more convenient.
Especially now that Venessa was here too, a new place was becoming a necessity.
The general Store had been expanded, sure, but still… it’d be better to have a separate home.
You never know, after all.
More people might end up joining them in the future.
I summoned Jeanne and Venessa to ask for their input.
“Which house do you two like best?”
“I think the current one is already great. If you’re looking just because of us, please don’t feel like you have to.”
“I was already planning to move, so don’t worry about it.”
“In that case, I think you should just choose the one you like best, Seojun.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
Jeanne looked perfectly content with the life they had now.
She was the type who wouldn’t complain even if they were living in a tiny attic room.
Honestly, she was just too kind.
Which made me want to take even better care of her.
“What about you, Venessa?”
“How about this one?”
Venessa pointed to a quiet house with an open view of the surroundings.
“I picked it because it looks like there wouldn’t be many people around.”
She smiled brightly.
It seemed she cared more about the environment around the house than the interior itself.
‘Guess she prefers quiet places.’
And yeah there’s nothing good about being surrounded by crowds.
I was looking over the listing Venessa chose when she spoke up again.
“Benefactor.”
“Yes”
"Could you summon me again tonight?"
"That’s no problem. Is something going on?"
"I want to explore this new world a bit more."
"Got it."
I nodded without a second thought.
Back when Jeanne had first arrived, she too had wandered off sometimes to explore the surroundings.
They’d come all this way from a distant land; it only felt right to give them the freedom to look around.
In the end, I decided on a spacious, quiet house near the shop based on Venessa’s suggestion.
But then...
‘…Wait, that’s kinda pricey.’
The lease deposit alone was 3.2 billion won.
Meanwhile, I had around 3.6 billion won saved up including what I got from selling Ahn wi’s Hwando.
I hesitated for a moment... but seeing that stunning 80-pyeong house, my mind was made up.
‘Screw it. Let’s just go for it.’
Can’t make money if you don’t have a proper home, right?
I got up from my seat.
"Let’s go make some cash."
"Huh?"
"The Gate. Gotta make some money now."
Starting today, it was grind time.
***
[You are now entering Gate B-1.]
I’d only run C-rank Gates until now, so I was a little tense.
From B-rank onward, they were considered true high-tier Gates.
‘Would be nice to unlock a new slot while I’m at it…’
[Summon Slots: 4/4]
All my current slots were full.
If I wanted a new Transcendent or relics, I’d have to expand my slots first.
But the only ways to upgrade were to absorb Essence… or Gate Rewards.
And then.
==
[You’ve entered a High-Rank Gate.]
─Complete 5 high-rank Gates or certain quests to unlock additional slots at a fixed probability.
==
‘Now that’s what I’m talking about.’
The message wiped away any doubts I had.
"Let’s go."
I stepped forward, watching green giants emerge from the forest.
‘With ogres, the usual tactic is to lure them one by one and pick them off.’
I was running through the basics in my head, just as one of the ogres came into view, towering and hulkling.
Pshak!
Venessa darted ahead and sliced.
The ogre’s ankle was cleanly trimmed.
“GRAAARGH!”
Boom.
Toppling over from the sudden loss of balance, the ogre crashed down. I stabbed it in the heart, and just like that it was over.
"…What?"
I blinked.
That was way too easy.
Flap flap.
“GRUUH!”
Another ogre charged at us but it froze, covering its face like it’d been blinded by the sun.
Just like a vampire caught in broad daylight.
Shk-k-kkt!
Before it could even react, Venessa appeared like a ghost and snipped its head off in one smooth motion.
‘…Is this really a B-rank Gate?’
Why does it feel easier than the C-ranks?
“GRAAAAHHH!!”
The frenzied Ogre King had been barreling toward us until he saw his fellow ogres getting massacred like weeds in a rice field.
He suddenly skidded to a halt.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned around and casually walked back into the forest.
His retreat was so smooth I almost thought he’d just come out for a stroll and forgot to grab his umbrella.
‘That guy’s straight-up running away.’
I raised Napoleon’s rifle and aimed for the thick calf muscle exposed mid-stride.
BANG—!
The bullet tore into him, splitting the skin open.
And through that wound, Jeanne’s holy energy seeped in, rapidly widening the injury like divine rot.
Then Venessa dashed in.
Shhk, A single snip, and it was over.
[Gate B-1 Cleared]
[Clear Rank: SSS]
"……"
At this point, I wasn’t even sure I needed to be here.
‘Might as well figure out how to make better use of the fountain pen.’
***
That night, after they returned from clearing the Gate.
Venessa stood quietly by the darkened window, watching the sky.
The trace of magic she had implanted in the priest the day before had started to move… and now, it was circling a single location.
She slowly turned her head toward Seojun’s room.
She could sense he was asleep.
Without a sound, Venessa slipped out of the shop.
Tonight’s walk… was going to be a little longer.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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