122. The Hunt (2)
122. The Hunt (2)
'Ugh... How do I refuse...! How the hell am I supposed to refuse...!'
Looking down from the high ground, Sofia's eyes were pitch black, lifeless.
She couldn't help but go along with whatever Jin Yu-ha demanded.
This time around, having been pestered by Jin Yu-ha, Sofia had already experienced countless torments and failures to the point of nausea.
How many times had she repeated it to herself?
The moment he requested training that seemed utterly impossible, or an unreasonable favor, she would flat-out refuse.
She would become a woman who could say no firmly, who could state that it wasn't right and she didn't want it, a woman who could give a cold, hard "NO!"
But the results were, conspicuously, all failures.
Unlike the past, when the solid wall called the Academy had stood between them,
she was now the ultimate successful fan, blessed with the grace of living right beside Jin Yu-ha.
Before meeting him in person,
she had thought, "Wow—a man with that kind of appearance really exists," and since he wasn't someone she'd ever be involved with, she had been able to maintain a certain distance.
But now that she'd actually seen him in person...
His looks were truly unfair.
Always fresh and electrifying.
Spending twenty-four hours a day together on an Uninhabited Island without the comforts of civilization should have made his face familiar, should have let unpleasant sides catch her eye and shatter the illusion.
As time passed, only she got shabbier.
Jin Yu-ha's appearance didn't fade even in the harsh island life,
and every moment of it ruthlessly pounded on her heart.
His just-woken look was adorable, like a fluffy baby cat.
His focused face while training exuded a noble, wolf-like gravity.
And when he cracked some trivial, unfunny joke, she found herself smiling weakly not because of the joke, but because of his face.
And.
When he was unreasonable and asked for something ridiculous, like just a moment ago—
a fatal charm, cuteness, and a bad-boy decadent aura all mixed together, grabbing Sofia's heart by the collar and pummeling it.
Haaaah...
Sofia, who drooled and swooned over his looks every time.
Truly, the absence of a camera was a regret to last a thousand autumns.
'My heart seriously can't take this. He's like an incubus—what else could he be...?'
Once again, pushed by that face, Sofia had taken on the grave responsibility of "Midterm Evaluation 3rd place."
'...Me, third place? Can I do it?'
Of course, our insanely capable Yu-ha would do almost everything, but the fact that he was asking her separately like this must mean he truly needed her strength.
'Alright, I'll just give it a try.'
Click.
Sofia captured the image of Jin Yu-ha's pleading face from moments ago deep in her heart, then nodded firmly.
She took one step forward, raised her bow, and drew back the string.
There was no arrow nocked on the bow.
But as her eyes calmed,
Hummm—
radiant golden Mana, resembling her blonde hair, swirled at her fingertips.
The Mana coalesced and transformed into the shape of an arrow.
Twang—
she released the bowstring.
Whoooooosh—!
The golden arrow shot forward in a straight trajectory.
* * *
"Hmm, she's doing a good job."
I watched Sofia, who had started firing arrows from up on that hill, and smirked.
'Well, now that Sofia's started... should I start moving too?'
Waaaaaaaaaahhh—!!
Deafening war cries and a sweltering heat that made my blood boil filled the scene.
This situation was perfect for me.
Because I could slip into the chaos and run wild without distinguishing between enemies and allies.
'Covert Step.'
I killed my presence and slipped in among the battling cadets.
"Die!!! You lackeys of civilization!!!"
"Ghk, you damned beasts...!!"
"Raaaaah—!!!!"
They fought on desperately, as if waging a real tribal war.
While those guys were focused on their own fight,
I kicked off the ground silently.
Swish—
Slice.
Slice.
"Ghk!?"
"Urk!?"
My sword easily cleaved the throats of two cadets.
One cadet dressed as a primitive and one dressed as a modern collapsed on the spot.
Sssss—
Their bodies blurred as they were summoned to the airship.
They belatedly turned their heads toward me with confused expressions, but...
Well.
'This is all for your own good, so just understand, okay?'
And since I'm taking your Coins as service fees, it shouldn't feel unfair, right?
Then, regardless of whether they were Lee Yu-ri's team or Shin Se-hee's team, I began swinging my sword.
Every time a flash of steel glinted, one primitive and one modern were cut down.
That's how I stepped into the chaos.
*
Meanwhile,
"...Kill them! Yes, kill them completely!"
The freckle-faced Healer, Go Eun-jeong, shouted fiercely from the back, dressed in primitive attire.
"Is that bitch on her period? What's gotten into her?"
The Damage Dealer who had just finished off a cadet in a group attack frowned.
"I heard she set Jin Yu-ha straight. That's why she's been lording it over everyone."
The Tank beside her whispered to her.
"...What? Her, Jin Yu-ha?"
When the incredulous Damage Dealer asked again, the Tank nodded.
"She ran into him at the shop. When she asked if he wasn't getting a Healer, he said he didn't need one, that Healers were just a drain on resources."
"What...!? Jin Yu-ha said that?"
"Yeah, so later she threatened him, said they'd settle it if cadet-on-cadet combat was allowed."
"Oh..."
"Her 'see you later' talk was probably bullshit, but you've gotta admit, for a bitch, she's got guts."
The Damage Dealer erased her previous displeased look and regarded Go Eun-jeong with fresh eyes.
And inwardly, Go Eun-jeong was cheering.
'Heh heh heh, it was good I stepped up then. As expected, dealing with a famous person brings fame!'
Of course, back then, Go Eun-jeong had only taken a jab at him because she knew cadet-on-cadet combat wasn't allowed and other cadets were watching.
Those present were all Supports and Healers.
His words—that he'd found a Healer far better than the likes of them—were enough to wound their pride.
Thus, public opinion had somehow twisted into: Go Eun-jeong spoke up against the arrogant Jin Yu-ha, and he tucked tail and ran.
It was far from the truth. Did it matter?
'Anyway, in all this chaos, there's no way he'll come find me.'
At first, she'd resisted the idea of wearing such a shabby outfit, but not anymore.
The shame was only temporary.
Fame would last.
After this Midterm Evaluation, her standing would definitely rise significantly.
'If he comes looking for me later, well, I'll just say it was a misunderstanding, that other people spread that story.'
After the exam, a Damage Dealer like him wouldn't be able to come threaten a Healer like her separately.
Just then.
Boom!
A pillar of fire erupted a short distance away.
Then, a ferocious rain of fire fell from the sky.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!!!!
'Eek, that's Shin Se-hee!? F-first, let's dodge to the side.'
If you got caught by a monster like that, there'd be nothing left of you.
"Everyone, next is over there! Aim for that side!!!"
As Go Eun-jeong shouted,
the primitive group centered around her turned to the right.
However, she didn't know.
That the place she'd entered to avoid the monster named Shin Se-hee was where an even worse monster waited with its jaws wide open.
Drip.
Drip.
A sword dripping with blood.
He had felled so many that bloodstains surrounded him, and everyone cut by his sword had been summoned away, leaving no one near him.
'...J-Jin Yu-ha!? W-Why is he here!?'
Before she could even pull back, he slowly raised his head.
And his indifferent gaze bored into her.
"You're my next targets... Huh? Wait... You, I've seen you somewhere."
Jin Yu-ha said, frowning.
At that, those who had been startled by his appearance immediately turned their heads to look at Go Eun-jeong.
Go Eun-jeong's face instantly drained of color.
"Uh, umm..."
As she stammered, unable to find words, Jin Yu-ha snapped his fingers as if remembering.
"Ah, right! You! You're the bitch who dissed our Sofia!"
"...W-Who did I!? I-I never dissed anyone!"
Who was Sofia, and when had she ever dissed her!?
She honestly didn't understand what he was talking about, but she knew damn well the situation was completely fucked.
Gulp.
Go Eun-jeong swallowed dryly.
'Should I just bow my head here?'
As a Healer, she was highly unlikely to even properly block a single strike from him. No, it was a certainty.
'No! I'm dead either way. And it's not like I'll really die.'
If that's the case, it would be better to stand up to him firmly and leave a deep impression on the other cadets.
Making the snap judgment, she bit her lip hard and raised her voice.
"Y-You're the one who looked down on Healers!!!"
"...What? I looked down on Healers?"
"Y-Yeah! You said you didn't need the likes of us! That you could do just fine on your own!"
She felt the gazes around them subtly shifting.
'Right, I'll do this and later I can just say it was a misunderstanding! I just have to endure a moment of pain and it's over!'
"No, what bullshit is that? I never looked down on Healers. I only said I'd already found my Healer. Weren't you the one who was being unreasonable?"
The people around began to murmur.
Feeling the situation turning against her, Go Eun-jeong bit her lip tightly.
She needed a clever move.
A clever move to turn the tide.
As she looked around him, Go Eun-jeong's eyes sparkled.
"...Ha! S-So where is this Healer!? There's only you here right now! You talked big, but in the end it's the same as saying you don't need a Healer at all!"
That was it.
Honestly, it would have been awkward if the Healer Jin Yu-ha had mentioned was by his side, but right now there was no one around him.
"If you really have that Healer, why don't you show us, huh?"
Regaining her composure, Go Eun-jeong smiled smugly at him.
At that.
Hah—
Jin Yu-ha's eyes darkened, and he kicked off the ground.
"Crazy! Jin Yu-ha is attacking!!! B-Block him! Attack!!!!!"
Go Eun-jeong squeezed her eyes shut and screamed convulsively.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
At the terrible sound of flesh being pierced, she opened her eyes just a slit.
And she gaped, unable to believe what was happening before her.
"Huh...?"
Because Jin Yu-ha—
the cadets had instinctively thrust their swords and spears, and they were lodged all over his body.
"......."
Jin Yu-ha, weapons embedded all over his body, was motionless as a corpse.
"Wha-What is this! Did I really take down Jin Yu-ha...!? For real!?"
"All that talk about Jin Yu-ha, he's n-nothing special!"
"W-We really took down Jin Yu-ha!!!"
The people around made a fuss,
"Ah, ha... Ahahah!!! Jin Yu-ha was n-nothing special!? As expected, one against many—!"
Go Eun-jeong, too, cheered with a face full of ecstasy.
To think she'd take down that Jin Yu-ha right here!
It must have been because he fell for her provocation and let his guard down, but still—it was an achievement that was more than a miracle!
However.
"...Ha. Damn, it's really a pain in the ass to let myself get hit on purpose."
Jin Yu-ha slowly lifted his head and said in a low voice.
"Sofia. Heal."
Whooooosh—!
A golden arrow flew from somewhere and embedded itself in him.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Then his muscles pushed out the spear lodged in his abdomen.
The wounds from the weapons healed in an instant.
"Now then, any of you who can heal like this?"
At his bright smile and words, all of them could only stare at him blankly, lost for words.