Ten Years as a Mad Dog
Ten Years as a Mad Dog
As the sun began to set.
The party had acquired the reward known as the Origin Egg, combed through the surrounding structures, and, concluding there was nothing more to be gained, left the area.
"Let's just have a bite. It's this huge, so what's the problem? Huh? How about it?"
- shakes head
"Right? Honestly, Ha-yul, aren't you curious too? It'd be a waste if we cook it and it turns out weird. I knocked on it and it sounds like there's something inside. Let's cook it and eat it."
- shakes head!
Most of the schedule was finished. They would be automatically ejected from the Tower around tomorrow evening.
But it was too soon to let down their guard. There were always cadets who would hunt right up until the end of the schedule.
If she let herself get complacent thinking it was almost over, another cadet would eliminate her.
Even on the final day, Baek A-rin was scouting for a place to settle down. She turned her head at the commotion behind her.
She saw Lee Ha-yul, a rare sight, looking miserable and shaking his head over and over.
The cause was Hong Yeon-hwa and Ellia flanking him with unmistakably mischievous expressions.
The two tapped the Origin Egg, teasing him by saying, 'Let's fry it,' or 'It'd be good as a rolled omelet,' and each time, Lee Ha-yul whined and twisted his body away.
He was hugging the Origin Egg tightly to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Knowing it wasn't a malicious prank, he didn't look truly disgusted, but he was just as flustered, desperately protecting the Origin Egg.
Watching that scene, she remembered what Ellia had said before.
Lee Ha-yul's reactions were so lively when teased that it was fun.
Baek A-rin could see it that way too.
If he just brushed it off, it would end, but because he provided such high-value reactions, it made them want to keep teasing him.
At first, it only seemed like Ellia did it, but because of Lee Ha-yul's unique reactions, Hong Yeon-hwa subtly joined in and was teasing him too.
'They're playing around happily.'
Seeing how joyful they looked, Baek A-rin sighed internally. If only she weren't the party leader, she would have joined in the teasing too...
Even though they appeared completely relaxed and playful, Baek A-rin didn't say anything. While they looked like that, all three were vigilantly monitoring their surroundings.
They were in a state where they could respond to a surprise attack at any moment.
Hong Yeon-hwa, educated as the heir of the Calamity Flame Family, and Ellia, who had attended professional academies since childhood, were both trained that way.
And between them, Lee Ha-yul—who had only been a superhuman for two months and a Siyoram cadet for just over a month—had also assumed that same posture.
Even though his eyes were submerged in darkness, and his detection ability that substituted for sight was temporarily nullified, he would still respond appropriately if a surprise attack came.
'......'
Baek A-rin recalled the recent past.
On the day of the Freshman Welcome Party, when she first saw his face, even Baek A-rin's discerning eye couldn't gauge Lee Ha-yul's potential.
She simply thought the Headmaster must have had his reasons.
After the proper academic schedule started and they were assigned to the same class.
With each passing day, Lee Ha-yul had grown unrecognizably.
It was understandable.
A newly awakened superhuman originally has a steep growth curve. With the Blessing of Growth added on top, his growth naturally had to be fast.
That thought of Baek A-rin's changed over time.
The first day, the second day... it was comprehensible growth.
The third day... the fourth day... the following week.
As time passed, the growth curve steepened. It wasn't even a simple diagonal graph; his growth soared into the sky as if constructing a building.
His body grew, and his internal mana accumulated greatly. Even his awkward basic stances were corrected as each day went by.
Even considering the Blessing of Growth, it was an extraordinary growth rate.
What confirmed this for her was the recent sparring match.
Aiden Reynolds. From Baek A-rin's perspective, he was an easy opponent, but still, he was a cadet of Siyoram.
Moreover, he was a superhuman who had awakened mana and a Unique Ability in early childhood and had been educated in a specialized superhuman training facility.
Merely by enrolling in Siyoram, he was recognized for his world-class potential.
Lee Ha-yul had secured a victory against such an opponent.
It was preposterous. Lee Ha-yul himself might not know because he doesn't seem to browse the community, but the result of that sparring match drew massive attention.
There was a stroke of luck in the process. It was a victory established because his gamble paid off.
But the one who met the minimum qualifications for that gamble to succeed was Lee Ha-yul.
In the short span of a month, he raised his physical abilities to the level of a cadet, built up the skill to cross swords, and showed proficiency in using Aura and Body Reinforcement at a respectable level.
At that point, the questions about the Special Admission had largely been cleared away. The lottery ticket was gradually being scratched off.
Dungeon Practice. She had also heard about his performance there.
His physical abilities and skill, which had risen even further than before, and the special detection ability displayed during exploration.
And he had even started learning magic in the meantime. Magic, which takes years of dedication to barely get started in if one lacks talent.
It was endlessly surprising. It drew admiration. If this growth rate continued, he would become an absurd hero in the future.
And then, even that expectation was shattered.
'......'
The schedule that had progressed over the past few days.
The results from the Tower of Growth were hard to accept. She had always maintained a friendly face, but internally, she was full of questions about his growth rate.
Baek A-rin had planned to find Lee Ha-yul in the Tower of Growth and help him.
To find and assist him, leaving him indebted to her. Even if small, to accumulate such debts one by one. To build a relationship that wasn't too burdensome.
But she hadn't thought much of her chances of succeeding. Honestly, she thought it was more likely he'd be eliminated before she could find him.
The result was different.
He had defeated the cadets who underestimated and rushed at him in reverse. It wasn't a one-on-one situation like the previous sparring match.
He won through combat in the surrounding forest, one against many, in consecutive battles.
She'd heard the number of cadets he eliminated exceeded ten. If counting those he injured rather than just eliminated, it would be double that number.
The results of this Tower Entry won't end as just a commotion. It's kindling that can't be compared to the sparring match.
Furthermore, even at this very moment, he was growing at an incredible pace. Was it because of the overlapping Blessing of Growth? Even taking that into account, it was a completely incomprehensible phenomenon.
Baek A-rin hadn't grasped it at first.
Afterwards, it was unusual, absurd, and amazing.
Now...
- It was dangerous.
Thump! Her heart beat roughly. That vibration spread to the ends of her limbs. For an instant, her body stiffened.
The beating of the heart, called the source of life. Most living things have hearts and pulse every moment.
Baek A-rin was the same. The difference was that very occasionally, her frozen heart would stop.
After one beat, a chill filled her heart. Blood containing that chill spread throughout her body. The cold energy cycled through her blood vessels and circuits.
Her body embraced cold energy instead of warmth.
Baek A-rin had always been well-liked for her ever-present smile and gentle demeanor.
Now.
'......'
That appearance couldn't be found.
A face frozen hard like ice. The expressionless face, where not a single speck of emotion could be found, made her look unrecognizable as the usual Baek A-rin.
Her coldly sunken eyes captured Lee Ha-yul. If before they were a blue compared to the sea, now they were a dark shade compared to the deep sea.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Hong Yeon-hwa turned her gaze.
Their eyes met.
Baek A-rin's icy face entered Hong Yeon-hwa's scarlet eyes.
Staring at Baek A-rin, Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head.
"What are you looking at?"
Her usual attitude. Hong Yeon-hwa hadn't noticed Baek A-rin's change.
The 'Mask' served that purpose. If it couldn't hide her face, it wouldn't be called a Mask.
- Thump!
Her frozen heart beat weakly. Though only for a brief moment, the hardened heart began to pulse once more.
Her expression relaxed. The frozen face melted, and the usual smile instantly filled its place.
With her usual attitude, Baek A-rin spoke as if dumbfounded.
"Why are you picking a fight again? Your true nature is coming out."
"True nature my ass. You weirdly... no, you were staring at me."
"At this point, Ha-yul knows all about your feigned innocence too... so just speak comfortably. More importantly, stop teasing him. He's troubled."
Having said that, Baek A-rin turned away. She ignored Hong Yeon-hwa, who was fussing behind her.
This was a common occurrence between the two since childhood.
The displeased Hong Yeon-hwa picking a fight and being swayed by Baek A-rin's counterattacks.
It was familiar even to the servants of each family.
The difference this time was that Baek A-rin didn't respond much to the teasing.
- Thump!
Her cold heart beat. As if conveying intent, Baek A-rin placed a hand over her chest.
The beat conveyed a fragment of intent.
- Kill her
Baek A-rin's eyes widened. It was the first time it had expressed its intent this clearly.
Unlike the previous ambiguity, it was an explicit and intuitive intent that even a three-year-old could understand.
Did it judge her to be that dangerous?
Pondering for a moment while blinking, Baek A-rin smiled brightly and muttered.
'Fuck off, you bitch.'
They say even a dog in a school learns to recite poetry after three years.
She'd been dealing with that mad dog Hong Yeon-hwa for over ten years.
Her internal profanity was second to none, no matter where she went.