Chapter 4
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: 3. The Sky is Dark.
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Yoo Eun-ha. The younger sister of Yoo Jin-seok, South Korea's S-Rank hunter and wielder of the Divine Sword.
Compared to her exceptional brother, the frail Eun-ha had shut herself away at home, closing off her heart.
Thinking this couldn't go on, Jin-seok asked me to at least get her into the academy with a recommendation letter to make her a D-Rank hunter at minimum.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much.
It was a favor from a close friend, and she was his little sister, after all. I figured it was the least I could do. But who could've predicted this?
She seemed like a prickly cat on the outside. I thought she was all talk, really.
Given how she'd always charged at Jin-seok like a shut-in Yeopo from her room.
"My name is Yoo Eun-ha. My hobby is reading, and my unique ability is Acceleration. I don't have any particular likes or dislikes."
The first thing I noticed when we met again as instructor and student after so long was that something had drastically changed about her.
Her black hair had turned white, and she had multiple piercings in her ears.
The smell of cigarettes wafting from her open mouth right beside me.
She looked like nothing more than a delinquent kid, but the face that used to always whine or scowl was now a cold, expressionless mask.
Honestly, even that white hair didn't scream 'awakening.' It looked like she'd just dyed it to look cool.
She claimed her ability was Acceleration herself. Was it the same as Jin-seok's? Or maybe a lie.
We'd find out in the ability test anyway.
And when the ability test time came, I had to completely revise my assessment of this girl named Yoo Eun-ha.
In the test that mimicked the wooden dummies we'd all beaten to hell back in the day—me, Jin-seok, and our cohort at the time—that's when her true worth shone through.
Mana Manipulation beyond even mine. Up to that point, I thought, Well, she's Jin-seok's sister, fair enough. But that's when it started.
With an expressionless face, she stared straight at the wooden dummy as if it were the only thing in the world besides her, then moved.
And I couldn't see it at all.
A speed invisible even to my A-Rank hunter eyes. It was nothing but afterimages, matching the Acceleration Jin-seok wielded.
A black shadow darting before the wooden dummy. The dummy shattering and regenerating endlessly, pierced only at its weak points.
To anyone watching, it looked possessed by a ghost.
"Kim Ji-hye."
Then Im Yoo-jin, the A-Rank hunter in charge of the ability test simulation room, came over holding a chart.
"Hey, Yoo-jin. How are this batch?"
"Reina, who uses Spirit Arrows, destroyed 1,459 dummies. Choi Si-woo of the Divine Sword got 1,124. Then Park Ji-su with 1,114, and Han Su-ji with 1,057."
I'd only been watching Eun-ha, but there were quite a few promising kids.
Compared to Eun-ha, though, they were a drop in the bucket.
She was already over 7,000.
"Choi Si-woo and Reina lived up to expectations, and Park Ji-su and Han Su-ji are impressive too."
"We counted by takedowns, but if it's just DPS meter, Si-woo takes the cake."
"What about Yoo Eun-ha?"
At Yoo-jin's question, I pointed at the display board with my chin.
"Her kill count's still climbing."
Honestly, Eun-ha's DPS was probably higher too.
Of course it was. She was only hitting the cores. Against large monsters where cores are hard to target, maybe not, but still.
"What the... Is that really Yoo Eun-ha?"
85—85—86...
It hit 8,600 in an instant.
Wondering how her mana held up, I checked her mana levels with the measurement device.
"She's smashing them one-shot faster than she's burning mana?"
And that's not all. Her mana circuits were multiplying like a nuclear chain reaction.
Is that even possible by common sense?
Doesn't look like doping either. That'd be beyond doping territory. Plus, no matter how bad it gets, she wouldn't bother with academy if she was buying drugs.
"A natural genius?"
At that level, a bit of monster-hunting practice and she'd be field-ready.
No, once today's test results leak, combined with being the Divine Sword's sister, guilds will be scrambling to scout her.
"If she's that good, why not hide it? What's with the show?"
"Maybe she was going for the 'hidden power' concept? Or Jin-seok forced her in, so 'screw it' attitude?"
"This is gonna be a headache."
Before long, she'd smashed 9,999.
Excluding the kids who'd left out of boredom, only Choi Si-woo, Reina, and the other hyped rookies plus a few cadets remained, jaws dropped, staring at the test area where Eun-ha was.
Why don't these siblings know moderation?
Jin-seok never knew it either—raiding every dungeon in sight. Even soloed the Pyongyang decisive battle.
Eun-ha probably smashed more than that. It just caps at 9,999.
"But how long is she gonna keep going?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
No sense of limits. She needs to stop at some point.
Maybe she's pissed about being forced into the academy.
She'd said she hated her brother enough to want him dead.
Maybe treating those dummies as Jin-seok proxies?
"Cadet Yoo Eun-ha! Stop!"
I halted her movements for now.
"Ah, yes."
"You had this kind of talent hidden? You're surpassing your brother. Look at the scoreboard."
Eun-ha glanced at the text on the display and smirked.
Then she spun her blade and spoke.
"Just 9,999?"
Definitely out to crush Jin-seok. Gotta watch her carefully.
"That's the max, 9,999."
"Oh? What a shame."
What can I say? Seems like I need to keep a closer eye on Eun-ha than the Divine Sword wielder.
After staring holes into the display board for a while, Eun-ha rubbed her eyes a few times.
Eyes hurt? Her actions are kinda cute.
"Instructor. That's it for today, right?"
"Y-yeah. Sure."
Eun-ha fidgeted restlessly, ignored her friends calling her, and headed straight home.
"Ahh, my body's melting. Melting away."
Like an old man collapsed in agony, I groaned in pain.
Can't take it anymore. My whole body throbs like mad. Feels like bugs crawling all over.
The sky's still dim.
I fumbled on the table, stuck a cigarette in my mouth, and lit it.
Finally, my body starts to relax.
Scoring higher than the protagonist in yesterday's ability test was totally unexpected.
Acceleration and Parallel Circuits is the worst combo.
Even using it once a day feels like death.
What kind of premature ejaculation setup is this? No dick, so can't even PE properly—guess it's to let me experience it this way.
"Ugh, academy sounds such a drag."
Why do I have to go? I was taught work loses. And isn't going to academy part of working?
Don't wanna go. Absolutely hate it. Skip today?
Still dark out, but it's 7 AM. Gotta get up and prep.
Each drag on the cigarette brightened my vision a bit more.
"Should just not go at all. That's ideal."
Choi Si-woo with the Divine Sword is the protagonist. I'm no protagonist.
If I outshine him too much, I become the protagonist the moment I do.
Can't skip academy though. Bank account's running dry. Need to graduate and become a hunter ASAP.
Why is fate so cruel?
Still gotta go.
Every world values credentials.
Imagine skipping academy left and right, then graduating and job-hunting as a hunter at some guild.
—Yo, you even know how to hold a sword?
—Was just a slacker chick. If she were a guy, maybe porter duty. Sigh.
Feels like they'd despise me in true era style.
But with the man's memories, I've already slaved away to the bone.
This body's super frail too. Holding up under Acceleration and Parallel Circuits is a miracle.
"Sniff sniff."
Sniffing my own sour body odor, the stench of sweat assaulted my nose.
Some guys delude themselves.
Girls sweat and stink too.
Some call it industry reward. Not for me.
Showered roughly, then chugged sugar water for breakfast.
Not 'cause I'm poor. When I got kicked out, famous protagonist of the prequel Yoo Jin-seok gave me money.
Now it's the sequel; he's got a bright future and cash to spare.
As blood kin, don't I have a right to it? The Eun-ha without man's memories took it.
Even while fighting, she'd take the pocket money he gave. That's it.
Like, after a huge fight with parents, holed up as room Yeopo,
—Eat some chicken.
—Okay.
Don't wanna apologize first, but want the chicken, so temporary truce?
Probably keep giving allowance till I start hunter work.
Maybe hit the store for side dishes today.
Academy first, though?
Phone says it's time to head to school.
"As expected of the Divine Sword's little sister. Bloodlines don't lie, huh?"
Arrived at the academy, fiddling with my phone, and here comes our protagonist sitting next to me, snarking.
"Bloodline my ass. Pure coincidence."
A 9,999 coincidence? Just bullshit.
"Coincidence at 9,999? Even the Divine Sword didn't hit 1,500. Unbelievable. Decided. You're my rival from now on!"
Reina suddenly poked my chest with her finger and declared it.
"I can't lose either. As a fellow woman, I absolutely can't overlook this. You're my rival."
What is this, some cheap novel?
—Decided. Divine Sword? Please. I'm the supreme being none can touch! Yoo Eun-ha! You're my rival starting today!
Heroine Reina's pretty aggressive with a chosen-people vibe.
So she starts as Choi Si-woo's rival. I'm too quiet to be anyone's rival.
Explaining again 'cause the plot's veering weird now.
Why am I the rival?
I'm weak. Without Acceleration and Parallel Circuits, I'm a corpse.
Even using them leaves my body itching like crazy and the sky darkening.
And now the protagonist too? Did I steal the fated rival spot from the heroine?
"Why'd you rush off yesterday anyway?"
"'Cause the sky got dark?"
What kinda obvious question is that?
"Sky was bright yesterday?"
Liar.
"Heard gates nearby do that. Or precisely, S-Rank monsters."
"More importantly, you see the Hunter Gal post?"
"Gal?"
"Yeah. Check this. Your vid's on the featured thread."
Si-woo whipped out his phone and showed a post.
[Title: This Hansung Academy Rookie.avi]
The title was Hansung Academy Rookie. Content was a video—looks like me using Acceleration and Parallel Circuits to smash dummies. The rapidly climbing kill count up top is pretty striking.
My form was mostly afterimages.
Pure dagger strikes destroying dummy cores only. It's a NetTube video, title already embedding my name.
Who's this chick? Speed's on par with America's famous Flash Gina or better?
Yoo Jin-seok the Divine Sword's sister, Yoo Eun-ha. Check the description.
ㅜㅑ Just afterimages, but check that hip movement. I'm dying. Eye candy.
Fuck, watch the end. Hot as hell. Doll-level looks?
Lol check the ear piercings. Cute? Nah, delinquent trash. Total slut ㄷㄷ;;
Your next perennial E-Rank pig bitch.
Shut up, you incel loser~
She doesn't even know you exist. Pig bitch.
The NetTube video had blown up in just one day. Over 5 million views, tons of likes.
Even the comments showed languages from all over the world.
King Sejong's Hangul comments were rare.
View count still rising this very moment.
The uploader owes me thanks. Gained tens of thousands of subs thanks to me.
"Hmm, yeah, everyone's looking at me differently now."
Glancing around, the ones who saw me yesterday as just the Divine Sword's useless sister were now eyeing me with envy or interest.
The girl who'd trashed me yesterday just glared, fists clenched, trembling.
"With effects that insane, of course."
But...
Is that any of my business?