Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: From the Day I Grabbed That Hand
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Hae-rin took Jae-hyeok as her mentor.
She wanted to learn how to advance on her own without being swayed by others.
"Be generous to yourself."
She memoed it in her head.
It was when she wore a proud expression after gaining yet another lesson through Jae-hyeok.
"For now, why don't you all calm down and move to the reception room? I'll prepare some refreshments."
A middle-aged woman with an awkward expression made the suggestion.
Things were starting to get noisy outside the front gate.
It was the presence of people who had instinctively fled from Woo Kyohwan's pressure but were now returning.
From the talk of lightning, the association, 119, and such, it seemed someone had made a report somewhere.
Woo Kyohwan, who had laboriously risen to his feet, brushed the dust off his coat.
"I appreciate the kindness, but I'll decline. It's nearly time for my departure from the country."
Even he was in a state of not knowing the identity of the culprit who had attacked Jo Seong-hyeon.
The limit was providing the clue: "Beware of professors who voted in favor."
There was no more conversation to be had.
As he rummaged in his inner pocket and pulled out a spare pair of glasses, Jae-hyeok asked him a question.
"In the midst of all this busyness, why did you go out of your way to come find me and give me advice?"
Woo Kyohwan's methods had been extreme, but they had certainly been helpful.
They had planted vigilance in him.
"I, at least, trusted the professors."
There were rampant rumors that the faculty had been personally recruited by Seol Sua.
Who else could seat heavyweights like Grandmasters as professors if not her?
At least, he had thought the professors, unlike ordinary staff, did not divide into factions and followed Seol Sua.
But the reality was different.
"Was Seong-hyeon hyung a disciple of the professor?"
"Jo Seong-hyeon is a specialist in mana studies."
Woo Kyohwan shook his head and stared steadily at Kang Jae-hyeok.
"I just stepped forward hoping that a student coincidentally caught up in a major incident wouldn't get hurt. Keep this in mind. It's true that your skills surpass my expectations, but you're still lacking against professors. I recommend you strictly control what comes out of Jo Seong-hyeon's mouth."
Of course, Jo Seong-hyeon was no fool.
He hadn't carelessly blabbed to just anyone about how Jae-hyeok had saved him and the staff.
All he had done was praise Jae-hyeok to the gatekeepers he was friendly with as a "good and outstanding student."
But that small clue had drawn Woo Kyohwan's attention to Jae-hyeok.
The culprit targeting Jo Seong-hyeon had lost their Evil Eye and likely hadn't noticed Jae-hyeok yet, but if the tail was long, it would eventually get stepped on.
"Understood."
Jae-hyeok suddenly found himself liking Woo Kyohwan.
A person who stepped forward just to help a student.
His adherence to his proper role resembled, to some extent, the noble demeanor Jae-hyeok pursued.
"I wouldn't use such crude methods myself."
No matter how good the intentions, resorting to violence right off the bat was not great...
"You have to consider the perspective of the one on the receiving end. Anyway, it's a shame if this connection ends as a one-time thing."
After pondering briefly, Jae-hyeok picked up on one issue.
"I understand how you could infer my relationship with Seong-hyeon hyung and learn that Professor Lee So-young and the student council were searching for the beastkin through the information Evil Eye brought. But why did you summon the student council president? Weren't you aware that with the president absent, other students could be put in danger?"
"Of course I knew. But at that time, there were no other options. I had sensed an enormous monster's presence near the beastkin's underground tunnel."
"Monster...?"
"An utterly monstrous thing was dormant there. I had a gut feeling that the moment it opened its eyes, many things would go awry. So I needed to urgently seek help before the tunnel was completed, and at the time, that was the president."
"It was sleeping underground...? Could it possibly be a Death Knight..."
"Death Knight? That could be it. It definitely existed, yet I felt no life force from it at all."
"......"
I know who it is.
How did it get tangled up like this?
Jae-hyeok clicked his tongue recalling Deodor, then quickly grew tense.
"But for a professor to describe it as a monstrous beast, how much has it grown in the meantime?"
No, rather than growth, recovery would be the right term.
Having understood the situation from various angles and somewhat dispelled his suspicions, Jae-hyeok tossed out some bait.
"Understood. But how do you evaluate the tactical value of sword formations, Professor?"
"...?"
The sudden question slightly startled Woo Kyohwan.
A National Treasure candidate(?) seemed interested in tactics.
He gauged the benefits he could gain by taking Jae-hyeok as a disciple and readily answered.
"It's an outdated tactic, but I see it as effective. Swordsmen who have awakened their skills are each outstanding tactical weapons, so if there's a sword formation that can maximize their abilities, it could unleash infinite potential."
"The House Kang's standard forms contain the subtleties of sword formations."
"What?"
It was a story too significant to brush off lightly.
Woo Kyohwan was of the generation that had witnessed House Kang's golden age.
Moreover, today he had learned of their hidden potential through Jae-hyeok, which he hadn't known before.
If Yaksha hadn't met with misfortune that day eight years ago.
Korea, not Japan, might have been Asia's hegemon today—such vague suspicions had even taken root in him.
He felt tremendous interest in House Kang's hidden secret techniques(?).
His excited reaction, with his breathing growing rough, made Jae-hyeok smile.
"When you return to school, contact me. If you wish, Professor, I will teach you House Kang's sword formations."
"Of course."
Bloodshot veins stood out in Woo Kyohwan's gleaming eyes.
"Of course I want that. To be honest, I'd like to postpone my departure and witness the sword formations right now."
However, the Fortress Tactics Conference was held only once a year.
Woo Kyohwan had been waiting months solely for the conference.
"But House Kang's sword formations are even more anticipated now."
Should he just skip the conference?
Jae-hyeok calmed him as he seriously contemplated it.
"I'll be waiting at school, so don't worry. Thanks to you, Professor, the chance of unexpected accidents has decreased, so I'll take good care of myself."
"...I'm grateful you say that."
Having regained his composure, Woo Kyohwan handed Jae-hyeok a business card.
A black business card.
One from a Lion's Castle professor that money couldn't buy.
"See you in a week. If you need my advice before then, contact me anytime."
"Thank you. Ah, but when learning the sword formations, bring all your disciples. Since it's based on the standard forms, the more people learning together, the quicker we can raise the proficiency."
"Hm... That makes sense. Understood. I'll bring all the department students."
"Yes."
Jae-hyeok's expression brightened even more.
Spreading House Kang's standard forms widely would provide great help in clearing the quest later.
"Economic growth, Archery Club, team members, and now the tactics department students..."
If things went well, he could even mobilize Noble club members.
Jae-hyeok's chest swelled hotly as he envisioned the blueprint.
Just until he received the quest from the Lion Statue, he had been alone.
He could only imagine a future of lonely solitary practice of the forms.
Yet in merely a few months, many people were gathering around him.
"Father. Am I doing well?"
As he inwardly asked the question, feeling a deep resonance, a tsk-tsk tongue-clicking noise reached Jae-hyeok's ears.
It was the pharmacist old man.
The tactless man, who had ruined the mood, glared disapprovingly at Woo Kyohwan's receding back.
"A professor, of all people, turns out to be a vicious merchant. To suffer that degree of internal injury and not buy even one elixir. Tsk-tsk, the kind of guy who contributes nothing to the Korean economy."
"...You're not thinking of charging me for the burn salve and potions you gave me, are you?"
"Haha, as if."
The old man, who had instructed the middle-aged woman to clean up the surroundings, smiled gently at Jae-hyeok.
"I have to give that much as service to a distinguished guest with whom I'll be doing big business in the future. You said you wanted to purchase potions? Come, let's go to the reception room and discuss the details."
Purchase potions with community points?
From the pharmacist old man's perspective, it was a burdensome deal.
Points were limited currency that individual players could only obtain by leveling up or accumulating achievements.
No matter how much money one had, it was hard to acquire as many as needed when needed.
There was no reason to buy cash items with points.
But the old man was prepared to take the loss.
He too had recognized Jae-hyeok's potential to become a National Treasure.
"I'll consider it an investment."
This child might even lift the vampire's curse...
The pharmacist old man, harboring expectations so great they made his heart race, personally escorted the two students to the reception room.
It was a grand place.
Even Hae-rin, raised in the Guardian Guild filled with luxury goods, let out a small sigh.
"Now, sit comfortably."
"For starters, I'd like to buy some snake liquor..."
"You rascal, I told you that's illegal? And it's not particularly good for your health! The idea that snake liquor is good for the body is pure superstition!"
"Really?"
Jae-hyeok was taken aback.
"I was going to recommend it as a birthday gift for my father..."
"Huh?"
The pharmacist old man looked at Jae-hyeok and Hae-rin in bewilderment.
He paid a bit more attention to Hae-rin than Jae-hyeok.
The female student who had been recommended snake liquor as a father's birthday gift and showed no agitation at all was no ordinary sight.
"Could it be you're not an ordinary child either? What is your father's honorable name?"
"It's Park Hae-su, please."
"Guardian's Park Hae-su...? Well, I'll be. What an astonishing coincidence."
The old man shook his head and put a pipe in his mouth.
"I've been hearing lately that your father's health is deteriorating. I think I know the illness, but for the owner of a mere health center to examine the Guardian Guild Master, there needs to be an opportunity. That sub-master fellow was utterly lacking in manners..."
The old man trailed off and smacked his lips.
"Wait here. To commemorate the connection between us three, I'll select a gift for your father myself."