Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: 6. First Love Like a Flame
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The girl with hair as red as a blazing flame had made a vow when she first entered the academy.
She would never lose to Choi Si-woo, chosen by the constellation as a Divine Sword user and practically called the second-generation Divine Sword, or to Yoo Eun-ha, the younger sister of the current Divine Sword user Yoo Jin-seok.
There was only one reason.
Her master, Kim Jae-su. The renowned S-rank spear-wielding hunter in Korea. The man who had taken her in after she lost her parents to a monster near a gate.
And the one who had raised her as the successor to the Flame Spear, a true benefactor.
There was one thing he was obsessed with above all else.
He desperately wanted to defeat Yoo Jin-seok, who had boldly ascended to the ranks of heroes simply because he was a Divine Sword user, despite starting later than him. But due to the absolute gap in their skills, he could never win.
So the girl swore an oath.
To surpass Choi Si-woo, called the second-generation Divine Sword, and Yoo Eun-ha, the Divine Sword's little sister who carried all the expectations.
And ultimately, to defeat the original Divine Sword user, Yoo Jin-seok.
But on the very first day, she lost to both in the ability test.
1. Yoo Eun-ha—9999
2. Reina—1459
3. Choi Si-woo—1124
4. Park Ji-su—1114
5. Han Su-ji—1057
I couldn't believe the results of the initial ability test.
This can't be right. How could she score a 9999?
Ah, Yoo Eun-ha must have cheated, riding on her brother's fame. There's no other way my fifth place makes sense as a disciple of the "Flame" Kim Jae-su.
No, even then, losing to Choi Si-woo was unacceptable.
This was humiliating.
And the time for revenge had come.
The very next day, there was practice sparring using abilities.
Those without abilities sparred among themselves. Only those with abilities dueled to gauge each other's strength and determine superiority.
Choi Si-woo, true to his Divine Sword user status, pushed through the ability users and advanced. Yoo Eun-ha provoked her opponents and won without even using her ability.
Choi Si-woo was one thing, but Yoo Eun-ha was all bluff in the end.
Revising my assessment of Yoo Eun-ha entirely, I faced off against Choi Si-woo in the finals.
"Choi Si-woo. I've wanted to clash with you once!"
"Ahaha. Did I do something to make you hate me?"
He looked like some pretty boy parasite. Just a guy deluded into thinking he was righteous and great.
And that guy drew his Divine Sword.
I too raised the Flame Spear passed down from my master, Hunter Kim Jae-su, facing off against Choi Si-woo.
"Don't get cocky just because it's a Divine Sword! I'll definitely take you and Yoo Eun-ha down!"
I would win, no matter what. Absolutely.
"Damn. I could handle it if it was just me, but Yoo Eun-ha too? That's not fair, is it?"
Choi Si-woo must have fallen for that bluffing Yoo Eun-ha.
A would-be hunter who falls into romance like this is bound to grow weak.
I had no intention of losing to scum like them.
"Hmph! You're both just obstacles to me! I'll crush you quick and make that white-haired bitch over there kneel!"
"Don't call my friend a white-haired bitch!"
"Hmph. Come at me, then."
The battle that ensued was fierce.
If it weren't a practice match with restrictions, we would've staked our lives.
Clang! Kang! King!
But things were going strangely.
Han Su-ji was evaluated as having greater prowess than her master Kim Jae-su.
Yet she was being pushed back by Choi Si-woo. Pushed back by someone with no notable master, relying solely on being chosen by the constellation.
"Kuh!"
Han Su-ji resisted to the end, but it was her limit.
No matter how many times spear and sword clashed, she was losing ground.
Someone once said that if skills were equal, the spear would win. But she was being overwhelmed by the sword.
She had to admit it. This was a definite loss.
The moment she did, the Flame Spear slipped from Han Su-ji's hand.
Choi Si-woo, wearing a triumphant smile, had his sword at her throat.
No matter how much she hated it, the fact of defeat remained. As Han Su-ji was about to declare surrender, Choi Si-woo sheathed his sword first and raised both hands.
"That's enough. I surrender."
"What?"
I couldn't comprehend it. Surrender?
Was he some pathetic virgin who couldn't finish the job?
"Taking you down isn't just my duty. It's also Yoo Eun-ha's, since you insulted her. I'm a ladies-first kind of guy."
But it wasn't even pity. He was handing her off to Yoo Eun-ha.
This was humiliating in its own way.
Fine, then. I'd do it. Han Su-ji steeled her resolve and gripped her spear again.
With the instructor's permission, she faced Yoo Eun-ha.
"Choi Si-woo got the better of me, but I won't lose to you!"
This time, I'd win. Absolutely. I couldn't lose to a cheating little girl.
But Yoo Eun-ha met my taunt with her usual blank expression.
As if I wasn't worth her interest.
She stared at me indifferently for a while, then looked up at the sky.
"The sky's so clear today."
"What?"
"On a day like this, I can't just stand by and watch a rabid bitch like you bounce around out of your league."
Was she talking about me? This mere cheater.
"Watch that foul mouth of yours. Think getting stabbed by my spear will hurt less?"
She rolled her eyes toward me while still gazing at the sky.
"Beating a mad dog takes a firm hand."
Yoo Eun-ha ignored me completely, didn't even respond properly, straightened her stance, and drew a knife from her pocket.
"Acting all high and mighty! You think you can beat me with just a knife?"
"Should I darken the sky I'm looking at with you? Or make it shine brighter?"
What the hell did that mean?
As I tried to retort to her cryptic words, the instructor slammed his baton on the ground.
"Enough talk from both of you. Begin!"
Beep!
Right. I couldn't lose to a girl like her. With nothing but the will to win burning inside, I ignited flames around the Flame Spear and charged forward.
Yoo Eun-ha didn't move an inch. I could win. That's what I thought, until—
Thud!
Suddenly, pain exploded in my lower abdomen.
The fist of Yoo Eun-ha, who had been waving that knife around, had slammed into my gut.
"Guh?"
"Right now, I'm really glad that I'm Yoo Eun-ha."
Thud!
"Because a man hitting a woman is one thing."
Thud!
Her speed was insane. No chance to resist. Wasn't she faster than her brother Yoo Jin-seok, the one called Lightning Flash?
"But a woman hitting another woman is easier on the eyes, don't you think?"
"Eek!"
"Too slow."
She effortlessly dodged my final strike and whispered in my ear.
[I've been waiting for this.]
Without a moment to counter, she slipped through my guard, kneed my stomach, and then bent me over in the position a parent uses to spank a naughty child, humiliating me.
"Wh-what are you gonna do now? St-stop. I'll be good."
No way, right? But Yoo Eun-ha shattered my hopes and smacked my ass with her hand.
Smack!
Her hand stung fiercely. My mouth wouldn't work right; I just mumbled incoherently.
How could a hand hurt this much? And why was she humiliating me like this?
"Mommy told you not to bully your friends at school!"
"Agh! Why are you my mom?"
"Talking back? Take this!"
Smack smack!
"Admit you were wrong. You won't do it again?"
"I was wrong! I won't bully friends anymore! Waaah! Stop hitting me!"
Smack smack!
"Think of this as loving discipline and take it!"
"Hic!"
She spanked me over and over, even after I begged her to stop.
But it should have hurt—yet suddenly, the pain felt strangely... different.
"Hng. Hng. Hnngh."
Moans slipped from my lips without me realizing.
Han Su-ji tried desperately to hold back, but it was no use. What was this? Why was I making these sounds without knowing?
After a long spanking session, Han Su-ji apologized frantically to Yoo Eun-ha, sobbing as she fled the training ground.
Later, when she came to her senses, she apologized to Choi Si-woo too.
Now that she thought about it, he was handsome and had good manners. He was a Divine Sword, sure, but not Yoo Jin-seok, so it was okay to like him, she rationalized.
So she apologized to Choi Si-woo.
"Don't just apologize to me—say sorry to Yoo Eun-ha too."
"Yeah."
Choi Si-woo told her to apologize to Yoo Eun-ha as well, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Suddenly feeling like he protected Yoo Eun-ha more than necessary, she went to meet her much later than promised.
And that day, she regretted not just apologizing and leaving.
Mmwah.
She was a lesbian. A woman who liked women.
At first, seeing her smoke openly, I thought she didn't deserve Choi Si-woo and planned to chew her out. The apology was separate, of course.
But Yoo Eun-ha had no interest in Choi Si-woo.
She liked women instead—and I had fallen right into her web.
Caught off guard by an adult kiss, Han Su-ji could only take it passively. Yoo Eun-ha, clearly experienced, went beyond kissing, naturally fondling her breasts and under her skirt.
Han Su-ji. In the original story, one of Choi Si-woo's heroines—her first kiss tasted like cigarettes.
And with that, she awoke to the world of lilies.