The Pride of the Arrogant
Despite the brief commotion, we returned to school after finishing our tteokbokki.
A teenager's stomach is a terrifying thing.
The moment you turn around, you're hungry again. Turn around once more, and the hunger returns.
Moreover, as time went on, I felt like my cravings for sweets were spinning out of control.
Even now, I was tightly pursing my lips around a straw, sipping on a chocolate drink.
I'm craving sweets unusually much today.
Why is that?
Ah, it's getting close.
Realizing that "that time of the month" was approaching, my mood dipped slightly into gloom.
But what could I do?
Since I had become a girl, it was something I just had to endure.
"That was so much fun!"
Chaerin stretched her arms wide, a refreshed expression on her face.
She must have accumulated a lot of stress lately, too.
Perhaps because it had been a while since we just hung out, she looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Indeed, kids need to play like this.
As I nodded in agreement, I felt a slight tug on my sleeve.
"Ha Yuna."
It was Yeonhwa.
She spoke with her head lowered slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Thank you for hanging out with me today. I had a really good time."
Yeonhwa had never experienced just hanging out with peers without a care in the world.
It seemed she had genuinely enjoyed spending the day with us.
"It's not just for today, you know."
I gently took Yeonhwa's hand, which was still holding my sleeve, and offered her a warm smile.
"Let's hang out again next time."
One's teenage years are among the most memorable times in a person's life.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
We would each have memories to build together.
I wanted Yeonhwa to be a part of that, too.
Even if, as time passed, we eventually drifted apart.
I wanted us to have the kind of relationship where we could look back at the past and smile.
"...Next time."
Yeonhwa's eyes widened slightly, and then she mirrored my smile.
"Yeah. Let's play again next time."
That was a promise.
"I must say, I'm rather envious of you two sharing such an intimate moment."
Suddenly, Seo Harin poked her head between us.
She had been acting rather eccentric throughout our outing today.
Now, she was staring at me with sparkling eyes.
"Therefore, I, Seo Harin, would like to have a private chat with Lady Ha Yuna. Would that be acceptable?"
I had a good idea of what she wanted to talk about.
It was undoubtedly about the Tower.
I figured it was something I needed to discuss as well.
"What is there to talk about?"
Chaerin interjected, making her discomfort glaringly obvious.
But this time, I had no choice.
"It's about the Tower. Chaerin, could you head back to the dormitory first? I'll be right there after a quick chat."
Both Chaerin and Yeonhwa were naturally awakened Hunters.
No matter how close we were, there were many things about the Tower they simply didn't know.
Chaerin glared at Seo Harin with displeased eyes before finally turning around.
"If you try anything funny with Yuna, you're dead."
Chaerin, watch your language.
Leaving only that warning, Chaerin walked away.
It was a sign of how much she trusted me.
"See you tomorrow at school."
Yeonhwa followed after her.
Left alone with Seo Harin, she quietly pointed toward the park inside the school grounds.
"Shall we sit down and talk, Lady Ha Yuna?"
"Sure."
Being alone with Seo Harin made me feel instinctively guarded.
I didn't know about Chaerin or Yeonhwa, but in Harin's case, I couldn't fathom why she would awaken as the 'Pride' of Axion.
It felt as though she could join their ranks at any given moment.
It was a bit mean to think, but the girl was fundamentally twisted.
As we arrived at the park, looking at the flowers that had yet to bloom, Seo Harin spoke.
I immediately sensed a shift in her demeanor.
"First, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Seo Harin, a Special Administrator of the Hunter Management Association."
...Excuse me?
As I stared at her blankly, Seo Harin raised her head from her polite bow.
The moment our eyes met, she offered a cold, emotionless smile.
"My family has managed the Hunter Management Association for generations. Consequently, as a Special Administrator tasked with monitoring Hunter trends, I am currently on an undercover mission inside Hunter Middle School."
My mouth hung open.
This was completely new information.
In the original novel, the protagonist only met Seo Harin after she had already joined Axion.
She had been a step ahead of the other kids in becoming a member of the villain group.
To think that such a person was actually a Special Administrator of the Hunter Management Association...
Wait.
Does that mean she was originally undercover to investigate Axion back then too?
I couldn't make a definitive judgment.
I hadn't finished reading the novel, and by now, many of my memories of it were hazy.
"...Is it really okay for you to just reveal that to me?"
"Yes. Because the Hunter Management Association is currently desperate to find you, Lady Ha Yuna."
Huh?
What was she talking about now?
"As expected, you seem entirely unaware of the ripple effect you are currently causing."
"...Well, I only found out today."
"You are aware that the Hunter community is currently divided into two factions, yes?"
Naturally awakened Hunters.
Tower-awakened Hunters.
It was common knowledge that these two groups were constantly at each other's throats.
"With the awakening of the S-rank Hunter Yoo Chaerin, the balance has currently tipped in favor of the naturally awakened faction. And in the midst of this, you appeared."
"Are the Tower-awakened Hunters looking for me?"
"Yes. And conversely, the naturally awakened Hunters are searching for you as well."
My eyes wavered at her words.
I finally realized the sheer danger of the situation.
"The Tower-awakened Hunters intend to confine you, forcing you to do nothing but climb the Tower for their benefit. Before you grow any stronger, A-rank or higher mental-type Hunters will pool their strength to brainwash you, turning you into a puppet. Mental abilities become more absolute the more time is invested, so if you are caught early on, it will leave irreversible damage. On the other hand, the naturally awakened Hunters..."
She trailed off, leaving the warning hanging in the air.
The answer was obvious.
The naturally awakened Hunters wanted to kill me.
Now that an existence capable of disrupting their dominance had appeared, they had every reason to use any means necessary to eliminate the threat.
Before being a modern society, this was a world deeply entangled with Hunters.
Human life was far cheaper than one would think.
"So, in reality, both the naturally awakened and the Tower-awakened factions are targeting me."
Though the Tower-awakened faction was slightly better, they still intended to lock me up, meaning they were by no means safe.
"Yes. And it won't just be those two factions. Given your immense value, other massive organizations are also hunting for you."
Axion was the main villain group.
But where there is a main villain, there are always sub-villains.
This world was teeming with various underworld organizations.
Simply capturing me would allow them to sell me off for an astronomical sum. It was only natural that they would be desperate to find me.
"In the case of Yoo Chaerin, she was already globally recognized the moment she awakened, and above all, she is powerful."
A naturally awakened S-rank Hunter possessed a fundamentally different level of power.
Unless one was a fellow S-rank, they were an untouchable existence. That was what it meant to be S-rank.
Furthermore, Chaerin's output was exceptionally high even among S-ranks. As a space-type Hunter—a rarity in itself—no one dared to touch her lightly.
On the other hand, absolutely no information about me had been made public yet.
Moreover, Tower-awakened Hunters were weaker the fewer floors they had climbed.
I was a risky but potentially life-changing jackpot. If they could just capture me, they could make a fortune, which was why they were so desperate.
This meant I absolutely could not let my identity be discovered.
Today's test had made me realize just how naive I had been.
The problem was...
One person already knows.
As I slowly turned my head, I found Seo Harin's face right in front of mine.
"Hic!"
I let out an involuntary gasp, and Harin naturally caught me so I wouldn't fall backward.
"Were you worried that I, Seo Harin, would report your information to the Hunter Management Association?"
Is she a mind reader?!
As I shook my head vigorously, Harin let out a sly chuckle.
"Do not worry. I have no intention of sharing your information with anyone."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. At this point, no one other than myself would ever suspect that you are the Transcendental. How could anyone possibly think an F-rank Hunter is the Transcendental?"
It turned out that being registered as an F-rank was actually a blessing in disguise.
"B-But you figured it out, Harin."
"Because I am a fellow summoner."
Before I knew it, the ice knight materialized beside her once again.
"Furthermore, though I am currently A-rank, I am a Hunter with the potential to awaken to S-rank in the future. My eyes see things differently."
I couldn't deny that.
In reality, Seo Harin would indeed reach S-rank.
"But is that really okay?"
Regardless, I still had a question.
Seo Harin belonged to the Hunter Management Association. Was it really okay for her to keep this a secret from them?
Harin smiled faintly at my question.
"I introduced myself as being with the Hunter Management Association, but fundamentally, I care very little for them. It was more of a family obligation than anything else."
Harin ran her fingers through her pure white hair.
Behind her eyes, a faint trace of madness began to seep in.
A deep hatred and disgust for the world.
Whatever had made her this way, she harbored a clear loathing for the Association itself.
"Humanity is utterly exhausting. This world is filled with too many inferior beings, overflowing with stupidity. No matter how correct a statement is, if the foolish outnumber the wise, no truth can ever prevail."
Her words gradually grew more intense.
"To begin with, the Association is far too small a vessel to contain my potential. In the end, they are merely a cleanup crew for Hunters. I have zero interest in such a group."
A dark smile played on Harin's lips.
I realized it then.
"Therefore, my goal is but one."
Seo Harin's infiltration of Axion was by no means a mere undercover mission.
"To silence those who spout foolishness, and to create a world where only the truth is spoken."
It was entirely of her own volition.
A bleak wind whipped up around her.
A profound hatred and contempt for modern society. Even at the age of fourteen, having glimpsed the adult world through the Association, she had grown utterly repulsed by it.
What was this?
Actually, it was a fairly common affliction.
A hormone-induced malady that almost everyone goes through at least once during puberty.
Chuunibyou.
Seo Harin was a severe case.
However, there was one problem.
In her case, it wasn't just a harmless phase.
"I have no intention of letting any means or methods stand in my way to achieve that goal. Therefore, I would like to make a proposal to you, Lady Ha Yuna."
This girl would actually go on to join Axion and shake the world.
As the 'Pride' of the main villain group, she would rule over the world, her chuunibyou remaining uncured even into adulthood.
"Won't you join me in taking hold of the world? If it is you, Lady Ha Yuna, you are fully qualified to stand by my side."
Seo Harin was Pride.
She put me on a pedestal, calling me the Transcendental, but in the end, she was entirely self-centered. Her eyes clearly betrayed her intention to use me.
The Transcendental, the most sought-after figure in the Hunter world.
She clearly intended to use that reputation to shake the world.
Since she held all the cards right now, she probably viewed me as her pawn.
Normally, I would have to play along with her, but...
"...Harin, what do you mean, stand by your side?"
I let out a soft chuckle.
"You lost to me in points."
It was double or nothing.
I was going to poke at her pride.