Chapter Text
The wooden wheels of the carriage creaked in protest against the dirt road. Every turn of the wheel was another mile closer to the Tower, and another mile closer to the Demon King.
Chaewon sat alone inside, her back straight despite the rocking. She didn't look out the window for the scenery—mountains high into the clouds, forests swaying in the wind—she looked because she needed to remember what she was fighting for.
This wasn't about gold, or titles, or bards singing her name.
It was about proving that she could do it. That she wasn't just another name in a casualty list. That she could face the thing everyone else feared and walk away alive.
The driver's voice drifted in from the front. “We'll be making the next town before sundown if the roads stay clear.”
Chaewon only hummed in acknowledgment. Clear roads meant nothing in a world where a beast could be lurking behind the next bend. She tightened her grip on the sword lying across her lap.
A faint tremor shook the carriage. Subtle at first, like the ground had merely sighed. The horses snorted, their pace faltering.
Then another tremor—heavier this time, enough to rattle the glass in the carriage windows.
The driver cursed under his breath. “That's… that's not right.”
Chaewon's gaze flicked toward the trees lining the road. The air had shifted—it was thicker now, harder to breathe, as if the forest itself had decided it no longer wanted them here.
The driver's muttering grew frantic. “It shouldn't be this far south…”
And then the forest erupted.
A black, hulking mass tore through the trees in a shower of splinters. Two yellow eyes glowed like molten metal beneath the shadow of a skull-shaped head. The beast's hide was plated with jagged, obsidian scales, it's breath steaming in the late afternoon chill.
Chaewon's heart slammed against her ribs.
An S-Rank Nightfang Basilisk.
It shouldn't be in this kind of habit at all.
Her sword was in her hand before the thought finished forming.
The carriage driver was already scrambling away, the horses panicking as they bolted into the trees, snapping the harness. The beast lowered it's head, muscles coiling like drawn steel.
Chaewon didn't wait—she dove out of the carriage just as the monster's claws ripped through it, wood exploding into shards behind her.
This was definitely a battle she couldn't fight alone. Maybe not even at all.
She rolled, came up on one knee, and slashed upward. The blade cut across it's foreleg—a clean strike—but the monster barely flinched.
It moved faster than it's size should allow. One swipe of it's tail sent her skidding back, boots digging into the dirt. Her arms ached from the force of blocking.
Another charge.
She sidestepped, bringing her sword down on it's flank. Again, the blade bit in—and again, nothing. Just a shallow cut weeping dark ichor that only seemed to anger it.
Her lungs burned, sweat prickling at her temples. It was reading her movements now, learning her style. One mistake and she'd—
The tail came faster this time. She couldn't dodge it. The world tilted as she hit the ground hard, sword slipping from her grasp.
Her vision swam, the sound of her heartbeat drowning out the monster's heavy steps.
It loomed over her, claws raised.
And then—
A blast of pale blue light slammed into it's side, sending the beast stumbling.
Chaewon blinked through the haze. Someone stood between her and the monster—tall, lean, and strands of light ginger hair covering the person's face.
They moved like water, weaving through the beast's strikes with inhuman agility, each motion sharp and desperate, like they weren't fighting for victory—they were fighting because running wasn't an option. A flash of steel. A surge of magic that crackled in the air.
Chaewon pushed herself up, forcing her aching limbs to obey. She caught a glimpse of the stranger's face—sharp eyes, unreadable, with an edge that wasn't just from the battle.
The beast roared, but the sound was cut short as the stranger's hand drove deep into the joint of it's neck. A twist. A wet snap. The monster collapsed in a shuddering heap.
Silence fell, broken only by the stranger's uneven breathing.
They turned to her at last, seemingly shocked by her standing there.
Now face to face with the person, she took in the person's strange attire. They looked like one of those prostitutes on the streets near the drinking hall begging men for money in exchange for a night together.
The person—well, woman, wore these wide dark shorts over tights of the same tone, doing little to hide the extent of her long legs. Her chest was covered by a see through black shirt, a purple vest hiding anything that could possibly show.
She was wearing knitted gloves that looked like they were made for flower picking instead of monster fighting, because, seriously? Knitted gloves? Although, the sharp nails poking through the sizable holes made up for it.
But the strange part wasn't her clothes. It was the horns standing tall on the sides of her head and the long, thin, arrow pointed tail swishing behind her.
Chaewon had never seen anything like her before. Not in the books she read to study monsters, which was every volume for one to ten, and she'd never skip over a page.
No one in the adventure guild looked like her either, and that's funny coming from someone who's seen it all.
Realizing that she'd been observing her for too long, Chaewon spoke up.
“Hey, uh… what are you? I've never seen anything like you before. The power you displayed was admirable. I mean, taking down an S-Rank monster with only your hands? Impressive.” She tried for the casual icebreaker, complimenting fighting skills.
“Oh… uh… I'm…” The woman stammered, her tail flickering behind her. After a brief moment of silence, her face shifted into a sudden cold expression that had Chaewon taking a step back.
“Fear me, if you dare,” The woman started in an intimidating voice. “…for I am the, uh… Almighty Huh Yunjin, Great Guardian of The… Devians!”
“Devians…?” Chaewon repeated. “Is that some sort of gang?”
“What?” The woman's stumped facial returned. “No. It's what I am. A… Deviant. Yeah, that.”
“What did you say your name was again? Hujin?” Chaewon asked.
“Yunjin.” She replied dryly. “You don't seem like the brightest person out here, huh?”
“Actually, I'm the strongest person in my village!” Chaewon declared defensively. “That's why I'm setting out on my own to defeat the Demon King and bring his head back as a souvenir!”
The woman—Yunjin—had noticeably slumped, face darkened out of nowhere.
Suddenly, Chaewon felt the air around her chill.
“Do you think someone like you can defeat the Demon King on your own? That's a big goal. Well, I'll leave you to it. I need to, uh… do guardian things.” Yunjin stammered, turning her body animatedly in search of an escape.
“Not so fast!” Chaewon reached out and grabbed her. “Since you're a guardian, why don't you be like… my unpaid scout?”
“I'm hearing unpaid.” Yunjin crossed her arms.
“You'll be fed.”
“Getting better.”
Chaewon sighed. “I can offer you half the money I get for killing the Demon King as a licensed adventurer? C'mon, this forest is dangerous and you took out an S-Rank monster! Any further and I'll be attacked by more creatures because there's critters crawling in every corner!”
Yunjin paused, seemingly having a change of heart. “Well, if you… insist. On needing my help, that is. I guess we can… figure something out.”
“Really? Okay, let's go!”
And with that, the adventurer and the Devian set off deeper into the forest, one more fidgety than the other.
“So, Sujin, was it?” Chaewon said.
Yunjin stared at her sideways. “Yunjin.”
“Right, Yunjin. The names Kim Chaewon, if I hadn't mentioned. What do Devians like you come from?” Chaewon continued, unaware of the fidgeting mess Yunjin started to become.
“We, uh… fight. Tons of monsters. Big ones. I was, you know, in the frontline because I was extremely strong and overpowered. Had one last big battle and they sent me on vacation.” Yunjin mumbled, looking as if she was one second away from crying and the only thing that could trigger it was a sudden jumpscare.
Chaewon, oblivious to her dilemma, only kept going. “What kind of creatures did you fight.”
“Oh, I fought all kinds, you know? Something new everyday. Festerlings, Ashclaws, Lurkers, Gloomfangs… nothing I couldn't handle.” Yunjin let out a short laugh, running a stressful hand through her hair.
“I can only imagine what those are like if you're able to defeat an S-Rank monster by just slamming into it and giving it a few hits. That's the fastest I've seen someone defeat one.”
“They were something, alright…”
“There should be a village nearby. I don't think they'll take kindly to Devians. New species, you know? Society nowadays.” Chaewon warned, patting her shoulder.
Yunjin rocked with every pat, letting out a grunt each time. “Heh, okay… hey, hey, hey! Stop doing that. Stop doing that!”
“Stop doing what?” Chaewon had to lean her head back to look up at her, watching Yunjin rub her shoulder, seeing that her horns and tail were now gone and her eyes shifted to a deep brown. “When did you do that?”
Yunjin's cheeks flushed a bright red as she frowned. “Shifting magic. Takes a lot of… energy… that's why I told you to stop so I could… concentrate.”
“Ah… I'll be more careful next time, then. You Devians must be extremely talented if even a hit as soft as that can break concentration of high power spells.”
Yunjin didn't say anything for the rest of the walk.
It was silent most of the whole, the forest not giving them anymore challenges thrown their way. The S-Rank monster probably scared away all the lower ranks, giving them a clear path to the town.
When they arrived, it was slightly dark, the sun beginning to set.
Chaewon led Yunjin through the crowd filled with the locals who eyed them in passing. She wonders if it was because of Yubin's odd clothing or the fact that an adventurer was traveling through their streets.
She stopped at an Inn, paying the amount for one room since she didn't want to leave Yunjin out of her sight.
They went into the room, decently sized, a neatly made twin bed in the corner, a desk next to it, and a door leading into a bathroom.
“Jujin, I'm assuming since you're a new species, you don't know that much about this world. The bathroom is—”
“Yunjin,” She cut Chaewon off. “And I know absolutely nothing about this world, just to confirm that, but I do know basic manners like this.”
“Good to know?” Chaewon said slowly. “But I was going to say that you can sleep in the tub after I take a shower and make sure to wipe it dry before you get in.”
Yunjin pursued her lips with furrowed eyebrows, but after a long moment of blank staring, she nodded her head without a word.
“Good! You stay here while I shower. You're welcome to feel the bed that I'll be sleeping on by myself while I go take a shower out of the tub you'll be wiping dry so you can sleep in it.”
“I think I got it the first time.” Yunjin grumbled, plopping down on the bed with crossed arms.
She hoped Chaewon was joking.
However, the next day, as Yunjin stretched inside the tub, hugging a pillow when she woke up, she knew that her hopes had been for no reason.
What is wrong with this Chaewon lady? She doesn't know. She may genuinely be messed up in the head.
“How'd you sleep?” Chaewon asked when they were in the dining hall of the Inn, pushing around the food on her plate.
“It was surprisingly comfortable, thank you for asking.” Yunjin responded with unamused, bloodshot, and tired eyes.
“It seems like your species can adapt as well…” Chaewon whispered, a hand covering her mouth like she was sharing some top secret of the nation.
Yunjin sighed, wishing there was an option to turn back everything she did to even end up in this realm.
That day, Yunjin had been dragged around by Chaewon, unable to protest or even get a chance to speak. How could a person answer their own questions?
Chaewon visited the town's blacksmith to sharpen her sword, headed towards the Adventures Guild to turn in the S-Rank monster Yunjin killed, getting it's meat in return. Afterwards, she headed to a leather shop to get a new backpack using the money earned from selling the creature, then proceeded to buy a carriage to the next town over after stopping by the stall to get Yunjin some food for the road.
In total? A very busy day for someone who'd just crash landed into this world.