Chapter 09

Kaede stared at the glowing screen in front of her, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

---

NAME: Maple | Lv: 8

HP: 2800 / 2800 (+5000) | MP: 350 / 350 (+500)

STATUS

STR: 36 (+50)

VIT: 20438 (+1000)

AGI: 34 (+50)

DEX: 31 (+50)

INT: 32 (+50)

SP: 0

Physical Damage Resistance: 1700%

Acquired Skills:

Strength Boost (S) (Passive)

Vitality Boost (S) (Passive)

Agility Boost (S) (Passive)

Dexterity Boost (S) (Passive)

MP Boost (S) (Passive)

HP Boost (S) (Passive)

Awakened New Stat: Perception +50

For awakening a new stat, you have been rewarded with 2 extra SP per level up.

---

A second screen overlapped the first.

---

NAME: Maple | Lv: 8

HP: 7800 / 7800 | MP: 850 / 850

STATUS

STR: 87

VIT: 21438

AGI: 84

DEX: 80

INT: 82

PER: 50

SP: 0

Physical Damage Resistance: 1700%

---

Kaede’s jaw nearly dropped. 'What the fuck?'

Her fingers twitched as she scrolled through the changes, reading and rereading the absurd numbers. The moment she had tapped into her S-Rank power, everything had changed.

'So this is the power of an S-Rank?' Her eyes flicked to the skill descriptions, mind racing. '(S) means Small, so that gives +50 to a stat? That’s like leveling up fifty times without even using my stat points. No wonder S-Ranks are so strong, this is cheating.'

She exhaled sharply, still processing the new stat, Perception. It was strange. She wasn’t just seeing better. It was like she could feel everything around her, even things outside her line of sight. 'Is that why everything suddenly feels so clear?'

Her mind jumped to Kanae. 'She’s been an S-Rank way longer than me. If I’m getting (S) level boosts, she probably has hers at (L) by now...' Kaede clenched her fists. 'I have a lot to catch up on.'

That assumption was completely wrong.

Because Kaede’s power wasn’t normal.

Normal S-Ranks didn’t have a system granting them passive stat increases or stacking skills like hers. Even if they could boost their abilities, it wouldn't come close to anything Kaede had just done, their strength came from relentless training, and even that had a hard limit.

Blissfully unaware of the sheer magnitude of what had just happened, Kaede turned to Kanae with a bright smile.

"How was that?"

Kanae didn’t respond immediately. She looked dazed. Behind her, aside from Korra, the other Hunters had instinctively retreated toward the walls, their expressions caught between awe and fear.

Kaede blinked at their reactions before realization struck. "Ah, of course! You won’t be able to tell unless you see me in action. Alright, let’s go fight some monsters!" she cheered.

Then she was gone.

Kanae remained still, staring at the spot where Kaede had just been, her mind struggling to process what she had witnessed.

Korra walked up beside her. "Did you see…? What was that?"

Kanae exhaled slowly, only now realizing she had been holding her breath. "I… don’t know. I think I saw… something."

"Right?" Korra shuddered. "I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was terrifying." She ran a hand through her hair, her nerves still on edge. "Damn, she’s gonna be a powerhouse. Even among S-Ranks, I can already tell."

Kanae blinked, barely registering her words. Her thoughts drifted back to the instant Kaede had moved. For just a split second, she had seen something.

Or had she?

'I thought I saw…'

A chill ran down her spine.

Eyes.

Millions of them.

All staring.

Was that just her imagination?

Korra's voice snapped her out of it. "We should catch up. I'm not sure what you had her do, but when she took off just now... I barely even saw her move."

Kanae hesitated, then shook off her unease.

"Yeah… Let’s go."

With Korra leading the group, the Hunters hurried deeper into the dungeon, chasing after the girl who was rapidly leaving them all behind.

---

"This is so much easier." Kaede grinned as she effortlessly sidestepped a wendigo that lunged at her from behind.

With a single-handed shield bash, she sent the creature crashing into the wall with a sickening splat. Around her, the blood-soaked remains of numerous wendigos littered the ground, their lifeless bodies sprawled in pools of crimson.

She sheathed her dagger with a sigh. "I barely even had to use this."

A sudden screech rang out...

Kree!

From within the walls, a hidden wendigo lunged at her, landing directly on her shield. Kaede instinctively blocked, but the creature used her shield as a platform, propelling itself away in an attempt to escape.

"Gah!"

It barely made it mid-air before Kaede snatched its leg in a vice-like grip. "Yeah, that got old fast. Now die!"

With a casual yet brutal motion, she slammed the monster into the ground, its head bursting apart on impact. A sickening splat echoed through the chamber.

---

You have leveled up!

LV: 8 → 16

---

Kaede chuckled, stretching her arms. "That’s twenty four points into Agility." She took a moment to assess herself, then smirked. "I can feel myself slowly turning into Sally."

She paused, then burst into laughter. "Who am I kidding? No amount of Agility can make me move like that speed demon."

"Who are you talking to?"

Kanae’s voice broke through her thoughts as she arrived, accompanied by Korra and the rest of the Hunters.

Korra let out an exasperated sigh as she scanned the carnage around them. "Did you have to kill every last monster on the way here? You couldn’t have saved a little for us?"

Kaede laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away. I haven’t entered the boss lair yet, though."

She gestured toward the massive opening behind her, from which an icy wind howled, sending a sharp chill through the air. The entrance was completely frozen, jagged stalactites protruding from every surface like the fangs of some great beast.

"We’re really going to fight the wendigos in there? Aw man." One of the Hunters groaned, brushing snow off his shoulders.

Murmurs of agreement spread through the group. None of them seemed eager to fight the nimble, deadly creatures in such an unforgiving environment.

Korra scowled. "Quit your whining. We’re already here, so we do our jobs."

Kanae chuckled. "Hey, Korra. Mind if Kaede and I take it from here?"

Korra turned to her, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

Kaede perked up, flashing a confident grin. "Yeah, don’t worry. Sis and I can handle this, no problem."

Korra blinked, glancing at the other Hunters. None of them protested, if anything, they seemed relieved to leave the dungeon’s most dangerous part to the S-Rank sisters.

"Fine." Korra sighed. "You guys go mine the crystals. If you want to be lazy, do it on your own time."

The Hunters groaned but didn’t argue, dropping their gear and pulling out their mining equipment before making their way to the monster free crystal-filled chambers.

Korra turned back to Kaede and Kanae. "I’m coming with you." She crossed her arms. "Just because you’re both S-Rank doesn’t mean I’ll leave my job to you two."

---

As the trio stepped into the frozen chamber, a wave of icy air washed over them, stinging their skin. The boss lair was vast, an open cavern of jagged ice formations and towering stalagmites, their razor-sharp tips glistening under the dim, eerie blue light reflecting off the walls. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they advanced, their breaths visible in the freezing air.

Then, the air shifted.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the cavern.

Kaede’s gaze snapped to the center of the room, where a massive wendigo loomed. It was easily five meters tall, its skeletal frame wrapped in thick, matted fur. Its eyes, deep, sunken pits of glowing red, locked onto them, a primal hunger burning within. Its elongated claws scraped against the ice as it shifted, exhaling a misty breath that reeked of decay.

Then came the guards.

Fourteen of them, each standing at least three meters tall, stepped forward in unison, surrounding their alpha. Unlike the usual wendigos Kaede had fought, these ones carried weapons, rusted axes, jagged spears, and crude swords, each dripping with frost. Their bodies were lean but muscular, built for both speed and raw strength.

Kaede let out a low whistle. “Huh. Why are the final bosses always big?”

Kanae shrugged, her breath steady. “Don't know, don't care.”

Korra, however, raised her arms, lifting shards of ice from the surroundings, her instincts screaming at her. "Be careful. This is a boss."

The boss wendigo let out a chilling shriek, its guards immediately launching into motion.

Two of them lunged at Kaede, their rusted weapons slicing through the air. She barely tilted her head, letting a jagged spear scrape past her cheek, sparks flying, before twisting her shield up to deflect the second attack. The force behind it sent vibrations through her shield, but she barely felt it.

Then she moved.

Before either wendigo could react, Kaede surged forward, planting her foot into the nearest one’s chest. The impact sent the creature skidding backward, cracking the ice beneath it. She spun on her heel, swinging her shield in a brutal arc, CRACK!, the second wendigo’s skull split open, blood splattering across the frozen ground.

Kaede smirked. “One down.”

Kanae, meanwhile, had already vanished from sight.

A split second later, slash! a wendigo’s head tumbled to the ground, its body collapsing before it even realized it had been attacked. Another one tried to react, but Kanae was already behind it, driving a blade through its spine before twisting sharply, snap!

Korra wasn’t idle either. She intercepted two wendigos with a swift swing of her arm, summoning shards of ice that fused together into a jagged ledge, slamming into their attacks and knocking them back. One of them recovered instantly, its frost-coated axe flashing toward her in a deadly arc. She ducked low, pivoting on her foot before kicking upward, an ice spire erupted from the ground, slamming into the wendigo’s jaw with bone-crushing force. Teeth shattered, and the creature reeled back. Without hesitation, Korra followed up with a swift stab, driving an ice dagger straight through its throat.

Before she could engage another enemy, Kaede’s voice rang out.

"Stop!"

Both Hunters froze mid-action, Kanae turning to her sister with a questioning look. "What is it?"

Kaede clasped her hands together, eyes pleading. "Let me handle the rest of the fighting."

Kanae frowned. "Why?"

Kaede hesitated, biting her lip. She couldn't exactly say, 'If you guys keep killing them, I won’t get the experience points!' That would sound ridiculous. Instead, she quickly reworded her reasoning.

"I want to test myself against them," she said. "Please?"

Korra crossed her arms. "This isn’t some kind of game, Kaede."

"No, it's okay!" Kaede insisted, her hair shifting to a shimmering gold as a warm, golden light spread from beneath her feet, covering the entire chamber. "As long as this light is active, you guys won’t take any damage. Just trust me."

She tilted her head, widening her eyes into an unmistakable puppy-dog expression.

Kanae stared at her for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "Fine. Korra, let her do her thing."

Korra gave Kanae a disbelieving look. "You’re seriously just going along with this?"

Kanae smirked. "You’ll understand in a second."

As if on cue, one of the wendigo guards reappeared behind Korra, its spear already thrusting forward. She barely had time to react. Instinctively, she braced herself for impact, expecting pain.

CLANG!

The spear shattered the moment it made contact with her. Not against armor, not against a barrier, against her skin.

Korra stared in shock, touching her arm as the broken weapon clattered to the ground. "What… What just happened?"

Kanae chuckled. "As long as you're standing in Kaede’s light, you’re constantly under the effects of Cover."

Korra’s eyes widened. "That’s… an incredible ability."

Before she could say more, the boss wendigo finally moved.

And it was fast.

One moment, it stood watching from afar. The next, it had already closed the distance.

Kaede barely had time to react as the creature’s massive dagger slashed toward her neck.

SHNK! BOOM!

The blade connected, only to stop dead against her skin.

The sheer force of the strike released a huge displacement of air in an explosion, as well as making her head tilt slightly to the side, but that was all.

Korra’s breath caught in her throat. "What… just happened?"

Kanae smirked, watching the stunned expression on Korra’s face. "You know, I think you were right." She turned her gaze back to Kaede, her smile widening.

"She’s going to be a Hunter among Hunters."