Chapter 36
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: 35. Team Battle (2)
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After using myself as bait for about ten minutes, they finally showed up.
Their hairstyles visible from afar looked like eagles. All five of them had the same style, and it honestly creeped me out.
"Look at her, wandering around all alone without a care."
"Does she think she's a Divine Sword user just because she's Yoo Jin-seok's little sister?"
Boys in white cadet uniforms crawled out from the woods, smirking at me.
They weren't even girls gossiping behind backs. Goryeo Academy's standards were seriously low.
At least the kids from Hansung Academy wouldn't stoop that low. If they were going to trash-talk, they'd do it right to your face.
I lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Then I exhaled with a whoosh.
The sharp, fresh kick of nicotine ruining my lungs never got old.
"You talk too much. If you're here, come at me."
"Cocky bitch!"
Ching-ching-ching!
The Eagle Five Brothers' signature move—iron chain binding—wrapped around my body tight.
The turtle-shell bind was kinda intriguing. A mighty evil dragon bound and toyed with by pathetic humans...
Ah, just intriguing, not my thing. I'm no masochist.
"The Eagle Five Brothers. They always move as a pack of five, chaining their target down and crushing them with pressure or ganging up. Great teamwork for a bunch of thugs."
"Ho, so you've heard of us."
Who hasn't? Even the readers knew them.
They came out with that ridiculous "Eagle Five Brothers" excuse, only to get utterly demolished by Choi Si-woo in one go.
"Which means you're all worthless alone. Not even one-man armies."
"What did you say?"
"Just so you know, unlike my brother, I'm not the merciful type."
"What the hell are you babbling about?"
"I'll show you the difference in our levels."
Snap!
I flicked my fingers lightly after slipping my right hand free, and starting from the chains binding me, the Eagle Five Brothers burst into white flames.
Whoosh!
"Gaaargh!"
Of course, since this was cadet-on-cadet combat, I had no intention of killing them.
I just lightly burned away all their mana with white flame.
The Eagle Five Brothers, engulfed in white fire, roasted perfectly like rotisserie chickens. Frothing at the mouth, stripped bare, their twiggy dicks on full display.
...Were they really brothers? How were they all the same size?
[Goryeo Academy 1-C Group 2: All Combat Incapable]
[Hansung Academy 1-A Class Group 1: Victory]
What a letdown.
One hour earlier.
The heads of Hansung Academy, Goryeo Academy, and Seoul Academy had gathered together.
But the atmosphere was icy cold. The head of Seoul Academy, newly minted as one of the top three, shivered in the corner while Hansung's Kim Young-hee and Goryeo's Viola glared daggers at each other.
"Young-hee, long time no see? How's Cheol-su doing?"
"Hohoho. Still hung up on Cheol-su? Too bad—he's off the market now."
"Married men don't interest me. But it's suspicious—no kids after all these years, right~?"
"Are you saying Cheol-su's impotent?"
"I'm saying it might be you."
Their rivalry was legendary, even Yoo Jin-seok acknowledged it. It had persisted ever since they took over as heads of Goryeo and Hansung Academies.
"You! Fine, whatever. I'll hold back. This is about our academies' pride, not us."
"All you've got is Yoo Jin-seok's overhyped sister and that Divine Sword? Even if she's Kim Jae-su's disciple, she's useless."
"We'll see who's better in the end."
"Um, ladies, can we please start now?"
At Seoul Academy's head's persuasion, the two reluctantly kicked off the team battle.
And the very first match pitted Hansung against Goryeo.
"Oh my, that's Jin-seok's little sister? You sure about this?"
Viola had secretly checked Hansung Academy's anonymous board.
She dismissed the absurd hype around Yoo Eun-ha as riding Yoo Jin-seok's coattails.
"You still buying those rumors?"
So slow on the uptake. Young-hee sighed inwardly.
"Obviously. Even if that 'light-speed' moniker is real, she can't handle the Eagle Five Brothers alone."
"Light-speed? Her title changed?"
"What?"
Typical Yankee—news travels slow.
Viola glanced uneasily at the magic gear screen broadcasting the exam grounds.
On it, a white-haired girl, bound by the Eagle Five Brothers, flicked away her cigarette with a sinister smile.
—I'll show you the difference in our levels.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted around the girl, engulfing not just the brothers but the whole forest patch.
"The White Flame Sword Princess, Yoo Eun-ha."
Cheers erupted from all sides as the battle ended.
"Kyaa! So cool, unnie!"
"That's girl crush right there!"
"Marry me, sis!"
Handling the Eagle Five Brothers had definitely boosted my recognition.
Before, it was "Is the rumor true?" Now it was probably "Looks like it is."
"How'd you do that? When did you get so strong?"
"Han Su-ji, are you an idiot? Forgot who Yoo Eun-ha is? Dragon. Upt. Gra. Dragon!"
"Dragon? What are you talking about?"
I hadn't told Si-woo about Azidahaka yet.
Not that Songdo Island left no time—more like I couldn't think of how to explain it.
"Uh, Si-woo, I'll tell you the details later."
"Ah, yeah. No rush."
No need to complicate his feelings now.
Si-woo's face showed no unease anyway.
Maybe he thought Reina was joking.
"Actually, the Divine Sword told me. Said you inherited Azidahaka's power."
"Oh?"
"To protect me, us. He said it himself, so I don't think it's weird."
Does that even fly?
It wasn't wrong, technically. Even if I claimed to be Azidahaka myself, Si-woo might not buy it.
Actually, this worked better. No lies there.
Azidahaka had no real tie to Choi Si-woo. Unlike Kim Jae-su's parents, whom I devoured, Si-woo's died in the Great Cataclysm.
"Still, didn't expect the other kids to be this weak."
"We're just too strong from the start."
"Aren't we totally unbalanced?"
We were basically the freshmen reps at this point.
"So what? Blazing Bat didn't complain. Scouting good teammates is a skill too, right?"
Blazing Bat once said having skilled friends was talent. So this wasn't just flag-grabbing—networking points too.
The gap between those who'd networked with elites since day one and those who hadn't.
Pure survival of the fittest.
Skipping team battles didn't hurt; losers still got participation bonuses.
"True, but..."
"Looks like the other academies are grouping up elites too."
Seoul and Goryeo had elite squads.
The rest were middling across all three: Seoul, Goryeo, Hansung.
Top three didn't mean unbeatable.
Korea's hunter academies ended at these three. Japan too. China, flexing its population, had triple that.
"They won't wrap finals in one day, right?"
"Might take longer, but they're pushing to finish. Schedule's tight from the raid."
Hansung's attack had delayed everything. Day trip was unavoidable.
At least they provided meals.
But karma nagged—something might happen. Probably fine?
During lunch, I stepped out for a smoke. Rosaria, bored and tagging along, wrinkled her nose.
"Why do you even smoke those things?"
Good question. Why did I?
No more hallucinations, no darkening skies from death's edge.
Habit? Nicotine addiction?
I didn't smoke constantly anyway. Back in my office drone days, I asked the neighbor high school girl why she smoked openly. Boyfriend's influence, she said.
Choose your partners wisely.
I wasn't some kid making excuses.
"Dunno. Nicotine clears my head."
"Still, a girl smoking is bad for your body."
Her nagging was annoying.
This was the hunter era—limbs regrew, for god's sake.
"Even boomers don't say that anymore. C'mere."
"Why?"
"You've indulged plenty. What's with the act?"
I tugged Rosaria's arm; she relented and leaned in.
Listing church antics that day would mortify her into a hole.
Nun outfit, slimy snail play...
Sudden urge hit; I took a deep drag.
Then kissed her, shotgunning the nicotine bomb.
"Mmgh?!"
Rosaria resisted hard—payback time.
Why remind me of that day?
"Cough cough! Too much!"
Future saintess Rosaria, lungs loaded with nicotine, glared resentfully. But her body betrayed her words, heating up fast.
No need to check below.
Time left—motel nearby?
"Ho, getting wet down there from this?"
"!!"
"Want me to?"
"Wh-who needs it!? Forget it!"
Rosaria shoved my hand away.
Tch. Shame. She was all moans that day. Then a book slipped from her chest.
Title: The Maid's Diary of Training Her Lady Master
Exactly as it sounds: maid tames her haughty mistress, even steals her husband.
Yup. Yuri stuff.
Wonder why her tastes shifted from BL to yuri?