Red, Yellow, Red - 1
Unlike the bodyguards who could not carelessly abandon the perimeter around their protectee, Baek Seojin advanced straight into the fray and waged a fierce battle against the villain organization's executive-level members. In the midst of the chaos he would suddenly whirl his body and hurl something. Each time he did, several people who had looked like ordinary civilians would scream and collapse. They were all villain operatives disguised as civilians. Thanks to him, the burden on those guarding Kim Suhyun was reduced dramatically. He was shouldering more than half the attacks himself, and even the remaining half were being dismantled by him—whether the enemy realized it or not. The bodyguards on the outer perimeter provided backup when they could, but in the end it meant Baek Seojin was handling the majority of the villains all by himself.
“Shouldn’t we join him?”
“No. That examiner is far more skilled than we are. If we barge in, we’ll only tie up his hands and feet. It’s better to watch his back properly so he can fight without worry.”
Fearing they might interfere with the battle, the bodyguards focused solely on villains attempting to slip behind him. And just as they had predicted, Baek Seojin was single-handedly blocking every enemy that charged from the front.
“…..”
Kim Suhyun sat among the bodyguards, watching the scene in silence. Just who was that man? He had no obligation to fight like this. The reasons were vague at best. He was, quite literally, an ordinary person.
He was a good man. Someone she felt deeply grateful toward. Someday, she wanted to repay that kindness.
That was why, when she heard he had been injured during his spar with Jeong Yuhyeon, the sight of blood on his side had filled her with such rage. He had shown her a worth she had never been able to see in herself. He told her not to compare herself to others. To accept who she was now and move forward slowly. That if she set one clear goal and followed it, wouldn’t that be enough?
From those words, Kim Suhyun had begun to admire the man named Baek Seojin.
And today, at this very moment when the villains had appeared before her eyes once again—just as he had once stood before the Elder—watching him protect her yet again, Kim Suhyun finally began to cherish him.
The examiner is fighting alone. For my sake.
Kwaaaang—!
In that instant Baek Seojin blocked a flame-wrapped attack head-on. Blazing embers scattered in every direction, belching thick black smoke. Even from this distance the heat pressed clearly against her skin. It must have been scorching. The man touched by those flames had to be in terrible pain.
Once again, rage surged inside Kim Suhyun. And along with it rose the fierce desire to become someone like him.
I can do it too. I can fight for the examiner!
The intense emotions—wanting to rage for him, to admire him, to become the person who cherished him—caused the seeds planted deep within Kim Suhyun to germinate.
Sssss— Her eyes gradually flooded with crimson. It was not the whites turning bloodshot. The irises, which until moments ago had been no different from anyone else’s, began to drink in a deep red light.
Inferiority and self-doubt still lingered, yet she could not stop the seeds from sprouting, growing, and finally blooming.
“Support arriving in one minute. We should start to… Miss?”
“Miss! What’s wrong? Miss! Why are you suddenly drawing a sword…”
She ignored the bodyguards’ cries. With eerie naturalness she simply drew the sword from the man standing beside her.
Shiiing— Aside from the clear ring of the blade, a red aura was already creeping along the steel like rising smoke.
“Miss!”
“I’m sorry, everyone. I’m truly sorry. But… I’ll be right back. Just a moment.”
“Miss! It’s dangerous. Drop the sword and get back—”
“The examiner is over there. I’m sorry. I have no choice.”
Her timid posture and small voice were exactly as they had always been. Yet the bodyguards could no longer restrain her. As awakened individuals, their senses screamed warnings at them.
Danger. Withdraw while the opponent still feels goodwill toward you.
At that instinctive cry the bodyguards forgot even their duty and staggered backward.
He’s hurt. Again.
The vivid burn marks on Baek Seojin’s arm made Kim Suhyun frown as though the wounds were hers. She was furious. Because the man she admired, the man she cherished, had been injured. This time she wanted to erase the black-clad man responsible with her own hands.
She wanted to take one more step toward her goal of becoming like Baek Seojin.
Her footsteps felt impossibly light. The sword in her grip felt perfect. Where to cut, where to stab, how to make the enemy suffer—every answer appeared clearly before her eyes.
“Wha…”
The black-clad man, who had barely risen, recoiled in terror. But a long sword wound had already been carved across his chest.
Pshk—!
*
I couldn’t see it. How Kim Suhyun had moved just now. Which direction she had swung the blade. I hadn’t caught any of it.
Was it because the Red Witch trait had surfaced and I was distracted? That possibility existed, of course. Yes, it did… but still, this was too much.
“Ugh…”
The black villain who had endured so well collapsed backward. It wasn’t an instant kill, but blood poured from the gaping wound. If her sword had gone in even a fraction deeper, I might have witnessed a human torso split cleanly in two.
“Support’s here! Run!”
“Boss! Reinforcements have arrived!!”
“Ah, shit. You! Grab him and go!”
Almost simultaneously one villain swiftly scooped up the black-clad man. Kim Suhyun swung her sword immediately, but the villain was faster. He didn’t look particularly strong; he must have been specialized in speed.
“Where do you think you’re running!”
The bodyguard leader who had been fighting the one-eyed woman roared. But the distance had already widened, and chasing someone dead-set on fleeing was difficult. Above all, their original mission had never been to capture the villains. Pursuing them now might only cause unnecessary losses, so stopping here was the correct choice…
“Examiner. Should we chase them?”
Kim Suhyun, who had been quietly watching me, asked the question outright. The trembling, fear-filled girl from earlier was gone. In her place was someone who would chase and eliminate every last one of them the moment I gave the order.
What on earth just happened?
Notification: All seeds required for blooming have fully germinated.
All penalties carried by previous traits have been erased.
◎ Kim Suhyun: Red Witch
◎ Details: A being who has finally bloomed, steeped in the blood of the battlefield. The more blood she sees in combat, the stronger she becomes. The clearer her killing intent, the longer her super-sensory state lasts. She does not weaken even when injured. She will not collapse as long as there is someone to guide her.
— Currently in the early stage of blooming.
— The trait can be strengthened in the future.
— A sub-trait has been generated.
◎ Sub-Trait: Berserk
◎ Details: Upon reaching an emotional critical point, all combat abilities are amplified.
: Normally cannot distinguish between friend and foe, but the ‘Red Witch’ trait controls this.
: Can activate ‘Berserk’ without losing reason.
This was nothing short of shock and horror. First, the trait name itself was Red Witch. There was no doubt. The future I had tried so desperately to avoid had come back around. On top of that, the trait’s description was brutally efficient. It grew stronger the more blood it saw in battle. The clearer the killing intent, the longer the super-sensory state lasted.
A Lee Hyunwoo-level overpowered character.
That strike had cut the opponent down with terrifying indifference. Speed, accuracy, power—none of it lacked. And that was only the early stage of blooming. The trait could still be strengthened later. No wonder the original Lee Hyunwoo had struggled so much against the Red Witch.
And then there’s the sub-trait. Berserk. Even that alone is terrifying enough…
The fatal flaw of Berserk was the inability to distinguish friend from foe. Drunk on blood and slaughter, the user would cut down enemy and ally alike. That was the destiny of every berserker. Yet the Red Witch trait casually blocked that weakness. It said she could use Berserk without losing her reason.
In short, she could wield an overpowered buff with zero penalties.
Just as I had wished, Kim Suhyun had risen dramatically. Yes, she had risen to a degree that made me wonder if such a thing was even possible. So why did this creeping anxiety keep tightening around my chest?
“...You’re hurt again.”
At some point Kim Suhyun had moved to my side and was gently touching my arm. Whether the villains escaped or not, whether the bodyguards asked if we were all right or not—none of it seemed to reach her. Her gaze was fixed solely on the burns along my arm.
The Elder who had fought the original Lee Hyunwoo like a madwoman. The Red Witch. The unprecedented villain who had dragged hundreds of thousands of people into hell during the Seoul attack. That same woman had now become an academy student and was looking at me with an expression of heartbreaking pain.
“This? It’s nothing, Suhyun. Just a little scalding water.”
“It must have hurt a lot. Am I wrong?”
It had hurt. Yes, there was no way it didn’t. Burns were said to be the most painful of all injuries. But did it really warrant such a worried look? At best it was like hot oil splattering while grilling meat.
“I’m sorry, Examiner. I’ll… I’ll work harder.”
That word—work harder—probably meant she would train more diligently. Yes. Train harder, perform better in evaluations, become stronger. From a teacher’s perspective it should have been a source of immense pride, yet…
Then why does it keep sounding like she’s saying she’ll get better at killing?
I hope it’s just my imagination. Please. Let it be nothing more than my own misunderstanding.