Chapter 43: Preliminary Preparations (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Preliminary Preparations (End)
“Stop that bastard…! I said stop him…!”
Cha Ho-young screamed as if his lungs might burst, but in truth, even he knew that his subordinates were no match for me.
With Woo Jae-hee joining the fray, the scales had tipped completely. He was likely just howling in a fit of terror, unable to endure the fear without making some kind of noise.
“Where are you looking?”
However, his futile struggle was short-lived.
Cheon Yu-hak’s limit for protecting us while fighting was about ten opponents at once.
But what if there was another person of similar caliber, meaning he no longer had to worry about his rear?
The Cha Ho-young gang—before they could grow stronger by raiding this place like in the original story—was no match for a Cheon Yu-hak who had already laid hands on the Thunder Dragon Spear.
“Not bad for a bunch of minnows.”
Thunder Transformation.
Responding to Cheon Yu-hak’s emotions, the Thunder Dragon Spear transformed into a bolt of lightning, shining brilliantly in his hand.
“Now, get lost. You pieces of trash.”
None of them were fast enough to escape the unleashed lightning.
And then, as if signaling the end of the battle, the sound of someone collapsing echoed through the air.
You might ask who else could be falling when all the villains were already down. Regrettably, it was me.
The rebound had hit me after pushing my reinforcement to the limit.
“Gah…!”
The eyes of every party member except Cheon Yu-hak snapped toward me.
“Cough… hack… wheeze…!”
Ah, even though I tried to hold it back, I couldn’t stop coughing up blood.
Hm? Why am I so calm, you ask?
Well, while it looked incredibly serious and bloody on the outside, I wasn’t actually in that much pain.
What I was spitting out wasn’t fresh blood; it was the dead blood and impurities that had been lingering in my body, being purged as my physical form became healthier.
I mean, of course it hurt, but the Will of the Saint was healing me instantly, and thanks to the Ent Fruit, my body had become sturdy enough that it wasn’t unbearable.
It would have been a problem if I’d kept using the power past the time limit, but I’d stopped just in time.
So, it felt more like… choking on water because I drank it too fast?
However, it seemed the sight didn’t look that way to the others. The expressions on the faces of Cheon Yu-hak’s party were grim.
“Wh-what’s wrong with him all of a sudden?! Yoon-ha, use some healing magic…!”
“O-okay! I’m on it, Mi-na! Heal!”
Oh, the warm light touching my already comfortable body made me feel even better.
“Pfft…!”
Driven by the even more active recovery, the dark, murky blood mixed with impurities was completely expelled from my mouth.
…Personally, it felt strangely refreshing, but the kids watching me were now on the verge of tears, trembling.
I suppose it would be terrifying to see someone who was just fighting like a god alongside Cheon Yu-hak suddenly collapse and vomit black blood.
Ah, damn. I need to stop, but it won’t stop coming out.
“Stop. Healing magic won’t be of much use.”
Cheon Yu-hak, the only one maintaining his composure, approached me.
“Did you foolishly use your talent again? I thought you’d changed a bit, but you’re as reckless as ever.”
“Yu-hak, what do you mean by that?”
“Healing magic won’t have much effect. He didn’t sustain an injury; he used his Innate True Qi.”
Actually, it does help. It makes the coughing hurt less, Yu-hak.
At the mention of Innate True Qi, the party members all stared at me at once.
Their faces looked like they were looking at a madman. Hey guys, I can recover from this, so please don’t look at me like that.
Ju Ri-ra, who had been about to hurriedly pull out a potion, flinched at Cheon Yu-hak’s words.
“He probably thought we couldn’t win on our own. And in truth, it might have been a bit dangerous.”
Exactly. Our Yu-hak is being objective again, isn’t he? I was worried he’d pull a ‘What a useless thing to do…!’ and turn the tables on me.
Ah, it stopped.
While I was spacing out, the coughing and blood finally ceased.
Aside from a slight ache in my throat and a nasty taste in my mouth, I was fine.
So, when I suddenly stood up, the healer—Oh Yoon-ha—rushed over and supported me with a tearful face.
“You shouldn’t get up so fast!”
“…I’m fine, really.”
I pulled out a canteen to rinse my mouth and insisted I was okay, but none of them looked like they believed me.
No, seriously, I’m telling you I’m fine. What’s with these guys?
* * *
Watching him act tough, Cheon Yu-hak was reminded of the first time he met Kang So-hyun.
Back then, he had been more immature and far more arrogant than he was now.
He was a mass of pride, fueled by the fact that he was an Awakened with a talent rare among his peers—an A-rank talent at that—and the son of the head of Korea’s top corporation.
He felt he wasn’t much different now, but there was one clear distinction: back then, he viewed everyone other than himself as mere disposables.
In those days, steeped in arrogance, he was too busy belittling others to put in any effort.
He had met his peer, So-hyun, at a party he attended with his father.
What was the first thing he’d said back then?
— You seem useful enough to be my servant.
Ah, right. At the time, he’d found it interesting that there was another Awakened his age besides himself, and he remembered saying something like that.
Looking back, it was just the outburst of a child who wanted a friend but didn’t understand his own emotions.
While his own words were a bit blurry, he still remembered exactly how the boy had responded.
— Haha, saying something like that the first time we meet… you must have lacked a proper upbringing! Well, I suppose the young master of Korea’s top corporation might be like that. I’ll be understanding.
Yes, their first impression of each other had been truly the worst.
* * *
I told them I had a way to recover and even mentioned the Will of the Saint, but most of them didn’t seem to believe me.
Sure, Innate True Qi isn’t something that can be recovered easily, but I can do it, you guys.
If only they’d trust me when I speak, like Professor Cathy does.
We couldn’t stay in the dungeon forever, so we decided to head out. If it weren’t for Cheon Yu-hak, I really might have ended up hospitalized again.
“Well, good work everyone. Since there are no materials we can use immediately, we’ll sell everything and divide the proceeds equally among the members, excluding myself and Kang So-hyun.”
“Sure.”
“Got it.”
“Also, upon verification, it seems the villains we caught were actually on the wanted list, so points will be distributed to all party members.”
Hmm, while Lilac is likely still the top dog, this should allow Cheon Yu-hak to catch up to some extent.
“Hwi, your role ends once the materials are sold, so put in a bit more effort. I’d like to say the rest of you are dismissed, but there’s something I must say.”
Cheon Yu-hak turned toward me.
“I didn’t think I’d have anything to say to you regarding today’s dungeon raid, but I have to mention this one thing.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if you can truly recover your Innate True Qi or not. But since you say you can, I’ll believe you for now.”
Cheon Yu-hak’s expression as he said that didn’t look very believing at all.
“However, if that’s the case, at least explain it beforehand. What would we have done if you’d become incapacitated before all the enemies were dealt with? It’s not just a matter of losing one combatant.”
His expression soured as if he didn’t want to say it, but the fact that he said what needed to be said proved he was definitely a cut above the rest.
“Your comrades would have panicked, and in the worst case, it leads to a collapse of the formation. Not just in large-scale battles, but even in small skirmishes, a single moment of panic can cost the entire party their lives.”
If he had just been speaking out of emotional concern, I would have ignored him, but what he was saying was undeniably logical.
“Even so.”
Having finished pointing out the flaws, Cheon Yu-hak slowly bowed his head.
In a way, the party members looked at Cheon Yu-hak with even more shock than when I had collapsed coughing up blood.
And this time, I felt the same.
For that Cheon Yu-hak to bow to someone else… it was something that rarely happened even in the original story.
“It is also true that our party might have been in danger if you hadn’t pushed yourself. As the party leader, I am truly grateful that you stepped up for the sake of the team. If not for you, I might not have been able to protect my comrades.”
It was a strange feeling.
It was true that Cheon Yu-hak was somewhat lenient toward those he considered ‘his people,’ but even so, this kind of behavior was something unseen in the original version of him.
Perhaps…
I began to think there might have been a reason why Cheon Yu-hak seemed particularly twisted in the original story.
For example, something like the death of Kang So-hyun.
“I suppose it’s definitely impossible to ask you to trust me and join my team after this. But this won’t happen again. I will move further ahead so that I can handle small fry like that on my own, even if you don’t step in.”
Yeah, that’s the Cheon Yu-hak I know.
If it’s him, he’ll definitely be worth the price of the Thunder Dragon Spear I gave him.
“Then, let’s truly disband now.”
It was the moment the short but intense first hunt of the Silver Bullet party came to a successful conclusion.
* * *
[Why aren’t you answering?]
Cheon Yu-hak, you son of a bitch. I trusted you, I even gave you the Thunder Dragon Spear, and you screw me over like this…?
[Hey, can you hear me?]
“No, Sister.”
That’s right.
While I was grinning ear to ear in the dormitory looking at the spoils from the dungeon, I received a phone call. The caller was none other than Kang So-hyun’s older sister.
[I heard everything from Yu-hak. He said you almost collapsed after using your talent again. Why didn’t you tell me? Do you have any idea how worried I was? No, I mean, I’m not saying I was worried about you, but if you go around collapsing everywhere, what will people think of our family? Huh? Do you understand me?]
“Yes, Sister. I will strive not to bring shame to the family.”
By the way, Sister, is your profession a rapper? You’re practically a speed-demon.
Cheon Yu-hak, you bastard. Are you some kind of field trip supervisor…? Why are you calling every household, you prick?
He was strangely meticulous in the original story too, but I never imagined he’d send reports of dungeon raid anomalies to everyone’s homes.
[…You don’t know anything.]
No, damn it, you just said you weren’t worried about me.
I tried to let it slide quietly to avoid making things worse, but I could hear her grumbling clearly.
Please, if you’re going to grumble, do it quietly so I actually can’t hear you! Anyone without a hearing problem can hear everything you’re saying!
[This won’t do.]
Wait. Did I say that out loud?
[I’m going to have to see you in person soon.]
“…Excuse me?”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she’d read my mind with telepathy, but her words were shocking enough.
Kang Na-hyun. A woman who was originally destined to fall into villainy and fight the protagonist, and the character who was Kang So-hyun’s older sister.
And according to the settings, she was also Cheon Yu-hak’s first love.
“May I politely decline?”
[You do everything your own way, so why should I listen to you? I’m coming soon, so be ready. If you run away, I’m cutting off your allowance.]
“Sister…?”
She had cowardly taken my bank balance hostage.
To make matters worse, I’d spent a fortune clearing the dungeon, so I barely had anything left. Running away wasn’t an option.
The sister, who had basically possessed the mind of a terrorist, heartlessly hung up the phone as if there were no room for negotiation.
“What’s wrong? Was that your sister?”
Ha-ni, who had been preparing food in the room to celebrate a job well done, asked in a worried tone.
“Han-hee.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m fucked.”
Considering the laws of academy possession stories, I had nothing but a premonition that something troublesome was about to happen.
“Ayy, you’re exaggerating. What did your sister say?”
“She said she’s going to apply for a visitation soon.”
“That’s nothing~”
Ah, right. Come to think of it, these guys don’t really know yet.
“You don’t know what my sister does for a living, do you?”
“How would I know that?”
Cheon Yu-hak walks around without any intention of hiding that he’s a rich young master, so everyone knows. But since I’ve never flaunted it, most people don’t know I’m from a wealthy family.
In the first place, ‘Kang’ isn’t a unique surname like ‘Cheon,’ so unless I explain it, they have no way of knowing.
I searched for Kang Na-hyun on my smartphone and showed it to Ha-ni.
“Isn’t this the hero Kang Na-hyun? What about her?”
“She’s my sister.”
“…What?”
She was a graduate of the academy last year, so at twenty-two, she was five years older than me.
And she was a hero with star power, having been named one of the top five rookie heroes who debuted last year.
“This person is my sister.”