Chapter 412: Peaceful Daily Life at Leilan Academy (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 412: Peaceful Daily Life at Leilan Academy (3)
After Woo Jae-hee, who had been putting up quite a fight, was finally retired, I realized something.
To be honest, I had been watching without much thought at first, but the more I observed the matches, the more I realized that there were surprisingly many skilled individuals hidden within Leilan Academy that I didn’t know about yet.
Of course, they weren’t at the level of our main party, but if I gave them proper care and attention starting now, they showed the potential to grow to A-rank or even S-rank in the future.
Aside from that crazy head of the Cooking Club who beat Woo Jae-hee, other decent prospects caught my eye here and there.
Whether it was those who hadn’t fully tapped into their potential yet, or those who lacked even a shred of what one might call talent but had begun to break through walls purely through effort—my eyes didn’t miss a single one of them.
If I had the chance, I felt like I’d want to support them through the Yuseong Group…
“Huh? This actually isn’t a bad idea.”
I had eyes that could perceive not just talent but a person’s disposition as well, so why hadn’t I thought of this until now?
If I decided to do it through the Yuseong Group, there would be no obstacles, and I could cultivate excellent heroes through a scholarship sponsorship system.
Moreover, the ones I discovered this time were cadets, meaning most of them were already somewhat polished gemstones.
What if I could support them from an even younger age, before they were carved in the wrong direction…?
“Cadet Kang So-hyun.”
“Ah, yes?”
While I was busy running the numbers in my head, a sudden voice made me turn to my side. The Chairperson, who had been watching the match with me, was looking at me with a very uneasy expression.
“Your expression right now is quite unsettling. What are you plotting this time?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just developed an interest in the scholarship system.”
“…Scholarships? Are you planning to add full-tuition scholarships to the Student Council’s new privileges?”
“No, not that. I’ve become interested in being the one giving the scholarships. To be honest, I didn’t know many cadets other than my own group, but they’re not as bad as I thought.”
After all, some of them were likely destined to die in the original story, and they must have grown in their own ways.
“…Is that really all?”
“Pardon?”
“No, never mind. What was I thinking? I suppose I’ve been too on edge lately because of fatigue.”
I wasn’t sure, but judging by the suspicious glint in her eyes, she seemed to be misunderstanding something again. Unfortunately, perhaps because I had adapted a bit to the power of the World Tree, I couldn’t see into the Chairperson’s mind very well anymore.
I could only feel a vague sense of anxiety coming from her…
“…Right. Cadet Kang So-hyun is Cadet Kang So-hyun. The Mask is the Mask.”
…But she was probably imagining me corrupting perfectly fine cadets to build a Masked Legion or something.
Anyway, the preliminaries proceeded smoothly, and by the time they concluded, eight cadets had been selected for the right to challenge us.
Even though I said ‘us,’ no one would be crazy enough to challenge me or Lilac. Cheon Yu-hak had also recently crushed anyone who dared to challenge him. So, the clueless ones would likely challenge Ha-ni or Ga-eul and get their world rocked.
Honestly, it was a bit of a problem that Ha-ni hadn’t fully tamed her weapon yet, but from what I’d seen so far, there weren’t any challengers who posed a real threat to her.
Ga-eul should be fine as long as she doesn’t get careless.
Well, just in case, I should probably go check on their condition, right?
They might be nervous.
* * *
After watching the preliminaries to the end, Kang Ha-ni didn’t return to the dormitory immediately but instead devoted herself to training.
“Whew…!”
The process involved injecting mana into her sword, controlling the biting cold, and reproducing the ideal movements she had pre-visualized in her mind.
The first swing was perfect.
However, a swordsman must never try to end a fight with just a single strike.
One must maintain distance, maintain footwork, and ensure that the swung sword naturally transitions into a consecutive strike or a follow-up to block the opponent’s attack; otherwise, one can never move beyond being third-rate.
Thus, the second swing that followed wasn’t bad either.
She controlled the violent frost, and the moment the sword swung at maximum speed cut through the target point, she pivoted, turning it into a second slash that rent the air.
But the problem started from there.
The more she tried to draw out ideal movements, the more violently the sword spewed frost.
Because of the frost erupting so fiercely that it made her hands sting with cold, the sword’s edge wavered. She failed to maintain the ideal movement, leaving an opening in her stance.
Of course, it was a microscopic gap that a beginner wouldn’t even perceive, but considering the level of enemies she had fought recently, this tiny opening would lead to an enemy’s counterattack and, furthermore, could become a fatal weakness.
“…Ugh, damn it. Stuck here again.”
The sword, which refused to listen as if it were dissatisfied with something, felt a bit resentful.
“…If I knew it would be like this, I shouldn’t have tried to act cool and just asked So-hyun for help.”
That was right. She had rejected his initial offer to suppress the sword’s energy because it was too violent.
Part of it was the desire to control it herself since it was to be her own weapon, and part of it was feeling like she had been relying on him too much lately.
But now that she realized how difficult it was to handle, her heart was honestly wavering.
“No, still, that’s not right.”
Well, it was just a momentary weakness.
Her broken sword, Seol-ah, was certainly a famous blade, but at best, it was a weapon on par with a Hero-grade artifact.
It was a sword that wouldn’t lose to any other in terms of sharpness, but that was where it ended.
Even if she had reinforced it with various materials, it likely wouldn’t have surpassed the Legendary grade.
While it wasn’t a lacking weapon, it was true that it fell slightly short in battles that went beyond fighting ordinary superhumans.
But this wild horse of a sword was different.
If she could completely subjugate this blade, she would definitely be of more help.
She believed this would help bridge the remaining gap in their strength, even if only a little.
Just as she gripped the sword tighter with that thought—
“Want to have a snack first?”
Suddenly, a pretty face and red eyes appeared before her.
“You nearly scared the life out of me! How can you just pop up like that when someone’s concentrating?”
“You didn’t look that surprised, though. I brought something to eat, so take a break.”
At the mention of snacks, she turned her head, and indeed, a white paper bag was in his hand.
“Is it Bungeo-ppang?”
“Yeah. I bought a mix of red bean and custard.”
“Red bean is the only true Bungeo-ppang, you know.”
Chuckling, she picked a Bungeo-ppang from the bag, but unfortunately, she grabbed one filled with custard.
Well, it wasn’t like she disliked it, and it felt awkward to swap it, so just as she was about to eat it, he suddenly snatched the pastry from her hand with his mouth.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“It’s good. I think it tastes even better because I stole it.”
He said that, but he was already holding out a Bungeo-ppang that clearly had red bean in it. It was very typical of So-hyun.
“Since I feel bad for stealing yours, I’ll give you this one.”
“You really need to get checked out. I’m telling you, you might not be human; you might be a fox.”
“What are you even talking about~?”
She had been feeling frustrated because her training was stalled, but after a few words and some snacks, her heart felt like it was melting away like a lie.
She really had to suspect him.
Was he using some kind of hypnosis?
“It’s good, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe it tastes better because someone fed it to me?”
Just as they were sinking into that soft atmosphere, he handed her the bag of Bungeo-ppang and began to pull something else out of his gourd.
“…Huh?”
It was a pure white sword with a very familiar design.
“…Seol-ah? How?”
“Well, I can’t exactly call it Seol-ah. No matter how many fragments I collected, there were missing pieces, and even though I melted it down and restored it, it won’t feel exactly the same.”
Indeed, the Seol-ah she was seeing again didn’t feel the same as before.
However, that didn’t mean it had become weaker. Previously, it was a sword focused solely on sharpness, but now, though she couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, while the raw sharpness had decreased, it gave off a different sensation entirely.
“I was originally going to give it to you after this tournament, but you looked so anxious that I brought it early.”
“Um, was it that obvious?”
“Yeah, incredibly obvious.”
“I’m happy to see Seol-ah again, and honestly, I’m grateful that you care about me… but I still want to try a bit harder. I feel like I’ll become much stronger if I get used to this new sword.”
Actually, as she said that, she secretly expected him to praise her, but for some reason, he had a rather grumpy look on his face.
Tink.
And with that grumpy face, he flicked her forehead.
“…Why’d you hit me?”
It didn’t actually hurt and was closer to a joke, but she still couldn’t understand why he was acting like that.
“I came here thinking you might say that, but seeing it in person is a bit depressing.”
…What did he mean?
“Ha-ni. You’re strong enough even without relying on a powerful sword. I didn’t give you that because I wanted you to get stronger; I just wanted to provide you with the best sword possible.”
“…Strong? I haven’t been helpful in any decisive moments lately.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Why? Because…”
Because, though it was the same for everyone else in our group, I couldn’t be right by your side.
The one who held onto you at the decisive moment in Hell.
The one who brought you back when you turned into a child in the Fairy Forest.
None of them were me.
I feel frustrated because I feel like I’m not being much help to you lately.
Well, that’s what she thought, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. It felt like she was just whining, and saying it wouldn’t change anything anyway.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
I haven’t even said anything yet, so what is he talking about? Is he reading my mind?
“I would have crumbled if you weren’t there, Ha-ni.”
“…Oh, I almost got flustered for a second, but don’t you say the exact same thing to everyone else anyway?”
“That’s right. I would have crumbled without Cathy Noona, and wouldn’t I have crumbled without Ga-eul too?”
…He’s admitting it? Shouldn’t he at least pretend it’s only her when he’s in front of her?
Wait, on second thought, that kind of lie would be a bit off-putting.
“I’m a greedy guy who doesn’t want to let go of anyone, a weak coward who can’t even stand upright if you guys aren’t by my side, and a pathetic fool who trembles at the thought of being abandoned by you.”
“Wait, why are you suddenly self-deprecating to this extent?”
“I’m saying that just by being by my side, you’re more than just a help—you’re like oxygen or water to me.”
“You really say the most embarrassing things without blinking.”
“And because you’re so precious, I’ve watched you every single day, so I know how hard you work. I can guarantee that the direction of your effort isn’t wrong and that there’s no need to be impatient.”
“It’s nice that you’re so confident, but what if I don’t think so?”
“I only accept rebuttals from people stronger than me.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I do not accept rebuttals from those weaker than me. If you’re unhappy about it, rebut me after you become stronger than me.”
Pfft.
“Ah, seriously, looking at this… you really are the biggest nutcase among us~”
Ah, she had finished the Bungeo-ppang while they were joking around.
“I’ll try my best, so will you wait for me until I become as strong as you?”
“No.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll wait even if you take your time. You’re coming anyway, so what’s the rush?”
“…Geez, you scared me.”
“I thought you’d be used to it by now.”
“Ugh, whatever. When I first met you, you were so hesitant and shy. Why did you become so sly?”
He used to be so incredibly cute back then—not that he wasn’t cute now—but back then, he had an image that made her want to protect him. Now, he was becoming so bewitching that…
“So.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you hate it now?”
…Look at that. Look at that eye smile.
I’m telling you, look at him! He’s a Gumiho. I saw it. I’m certain.
Was it because of the unexpected strike while she was off-guard in a friendly atmosphere? Her heart rate seemed to have quickened.
…And the problem that had developed after the Fairy Forest reacted as well.
To put it bluntly, her bandages were wet.
…He said that to fix this, she had to squeeze it out until no more came out.
“Ah, I can’t practice because of you~ How are you going to take responsibility for this?”
“Hmm, how would you like me to take responsibility?”
When she sent the signal, fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any intention of avoiding it.
“I wonder. How can you take responsibility?”
When she tossed the question back with a smirk, he looked at her for a moment with an incredulous expression before closing the distance.
“Don’t you ever call anyone else a fox. Look who’s calling who a fox.”
“Ah~ what are you talking about?”
As they kissed with a laugh, she felt a warmth spread through her, despite it being winter.