Chapter 47: Ugh! I Love Easy Wins! Cadet!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Ugh! I Love Easy Wins! Cadet!
“Agh! I must be a total crazy bitch!”
Arriving back at the dormitory, Kim Ga-eul took advantage of her roommate’s absence and began kicking her blankets frantically.
“‘Maybe the person I like has changed’?! You idiot! That’s basically a confession!”
After rolling around and throwing a fit for a good while, she finally sat up and began shifting the blame.
“No, wait. Why am I the crazy one? Honestly, it’s that loser’s fault. Who acts like that just because a girl they don’t even like is crying?”
He bought her tteokbokki, fried snacks, and even sundae.
…Wait. Now that she thought about it, buying someone street food wasn’t that big of a deal, was it?
“No, anyway, it’s his fault for acting all charming when I was vulnerable. I didn’t take that loser for the type, but he’s a total sly fox.”
— Is it good?
“Agh, you crazy girl! Stop thinking about it! No, but what was with that eye-smile?! Was he trying to seduce me?!”
However, there was a reason Kim Ga-eul was acting this way.
“Why did he have to act just like Yu-hak did back then?”
At a party she had attended as a child because her parents were invited, she had gotten lost and started crying. The way Kang So-hyun acted was far too similar to how Cheon Yu-hak had approached her back then, and it had shaken her heart.
— Are you sick? Why are you crying? Want some of this?
— No, go away.
— Hey, I don’t know what’s wrong, but eating something delicious always makes you feel better. After you eat this, you’ll probably want to tell me why you’re crying.
The atmosphere was somewhat different from now, but that smile behind the brilliant blonde hair remained vivid in her memory.
“…Still, I like Yu-hak.”
Then again, she wondered what she was doing, obsessing over a guy who didn’t even like her in the first place.
— Hey, want me to get revenge for you?
Suddenly, the words Kang So-hyun had said to her at the end of their meal yesterday came to mind.
— No. If it’s going to be done, I’ll do it myself.
— Yeah? Seeing as you’re thinking about revenge, it looks like you’ve got your energy back. Let’s go. We’ll be late for class.
She had turned him down out of pride, but the truth was, she felt grateful.
Friend.
Given how they had first met, it was a somewhat awkward word, but perhaps “friends” was exactly what their relationship was now.
“…Next time, I should make him something really delicious. I wonder what that loser likes?”
She began to ponder, pointedly ignoring the fact that she had been so overwhelmed by emotion that she had called him “So-hyun.”
* * *
When I returned to the dorm and told Kang Ha-ni what had happened during lunch, her reaction was quite intense.
“Wow, those guys are total pieces of trash, aren’t they? They couldn’t even touch her when I was around. So-hyun, should we go wreck them for her?”
“No, she said she wants to do it herself, so let’s leave it for now. Besides, if we get involved in a girls’ dispute, she’ll just get insulted even more.”
“Ah, I guess that’s true. Anyway, I’m worried about Ga-eul.”
“…Didn’t you dislike Kim Ga-eul until not too long ago?”
“Hey, that was before we got close! And if you’ve forgiven her, what am I supposed to do?”
“Is that so?”
Ha-ni scratched the back of her head, looking a bit embarrassed, and continued.
“…I mean, honestly, I still don’t like her that much, but she apologized and she’s trying really hard to be nice to you. That’s enough, isn’t it? Stealing her lunchbox and being all sneaky like that just because she’s trying to apologize is going too far.”
“Teabagging her by saying it tasted bad was a bit much, too.”
“Exactly! That was way over the line. Are you really not going to get revenge? I’m not satisfied with this.”
“It’s a bit rude to force it when she said she’d do it herself. I won’t be the one to directly crush them.”
In truth, I had too much on my plate right now.
I had to wake up the sealed Ruyi, and I had to prepare for the Elder Sister who would be visiting the Academy.
And if possible, I wanted to deal with the remaining traitor in the Academy within this week. I already had too much to do; my schedule was too tight to add “getting revenge for Kim Ga-eul” to the list.
“Ho.”
Hearing my words, Kang Ha-ni smirked with a mischievous look on her face.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You said you wouldn’t directly crush them. That makes it sound like you have something else planned.”
Oh, that was an unnecessarily sharp observation.
“You’re right. I can’t just let it slide.”
“That’s what I’m talking about! Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope.”
Kim Ga-eul said she’d handle it herself, but it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little scare and embarrass them a bit.
I opened my smartphone and accessed a certain website, referencing the knowledge in the Setting Book.
“All it takes is one text message.”
Nothing would happen immediately, but soon enough, those guys would be in for a world of trouble.
It felt a bit like calling down a massive calamity for a relatively small incident, but shouldn’t revenge be this thorough to be truly satisfying?
“But So-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going out today? Why did you change into your workout clothes?”
That’s right. Strike while the iron is hot—I intended to wake the sealed Ruyi today.
“Yeah, I won’t be long, just going somewhere for a bit.”
“You’re not going to crush those guys alone, are you?”
“Do I look like you or Lilac? I don’t even have the ability to beat them.”
“Right, I was just checking. Anyway, it’s dangerous when it’s dark, so don’t stay out too long and come back soon.”
“Are you my mom?”
…Huh? No answer came to my joke.
Usually, this was the timing where she’d laugh and say, “Who’s your mom, you brat!”
“Anyway, come back soon. Don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Want me to bring you a Melona on my way back today too?”
“Yeah, buy one for yourself too. I’ll give you the money.”
“Oh, thanks.”
* * *
The Ruyi Jingu Bang. Its formal name is the Ruyi Jingu Bang (如意金箍棒). Originally, it was a divine artifact used to measure the depth of the sea, but as is commonly known, it later became the weapon carried by the mischievous Sun Wukong in Journey to the West.
Now, even though this was a Ruyi Replica, why was it found in the Human-Faced Tree dungeon? What did a Human-Faced Tree have to do with Sun Wukong? It all happened because my friend confused the Human-Faced Tree fruit with the Peach of Immortality.
That’s right.
In the scenes of Sun Wukong’s rampages in Journey to the West, there is a part where she eats all the Peaches of Immortality—rare treasures that ripen only once every several thousand years—and achieves a state of eternal youth and immortality.
The problem was that my friend mistook the Peach of Immortality from that scene for the fruit borne by a Human-Faced Tree when she wrote the settings.
— Ah, if I knew it would be like this, I should have just made it a simple Flower-Fruit Mountain monkey dungeon…!
By the time I pointed it out, he had already published the chapter. So, he downgraded the Ruyi to a Ruyi Replica and insisted it was fine because they were both “tree-based.”
At the time, I thought it was ridiculous, but since a Human-Faced Tree is much weaker than a stone monkey, I’m just grateful for it now.
Anyway, there are many ways to wake this sealed Ruyi, but most of them are nearly impossible for others.
First, to wake the Ruyi by passing the trial through the standard method, one must satisfy one of the following conditions:
Prove that you can lift the Ruyi’s original weight of 13,500 geun (8,100kg), or enter the Ruyi’s inner world and defeat the residual thought of Sun Wukong.
Alternatively, you could prove you can fulfill the Ruyi’s original role by measuring the breadth of the sea, or if you don’t like that, you can get permission from the Dragon King of the East Sea.
Now, obviously, these are impossible.
If I could do even one of those things, I could have beaten the Academy’s mastermind to death without needing a weapon like this.
I never intended to use the standard method anyway.
What kind of transmigrator would be foolish enough to do that?
As always, a transmigrator has their own ways.
For the record, in the original story, the character eventually fails to break the seal and resorts to black magic, sacrificing offerings to force it open. Naturally, I have no intention of doing that.
So, what am I going to do?
I’m going to use a exploit, as usual.
In my friend’s Setting Book, there was a exploit written down to relatively easily break the Ruyi’s seal, which normally no one should be able to use.
Well, even with the exploit, it’s still difficult, but I had a secret strategy to turn that exploit into a cheat.
Adding a exploit on top of a exploit.
Without hesitation, I injected mana into the iron ball, and a voice rang out.
— Will you take the trial?
“Yes. I will.”
— Choose the trial you will challenge. First…
“A duel. Directly with you.”
— Do you intend to take the most difficult path?
The residual thought of Sun Wukong dwelling within the Ruyi wasn’t as strong as the real thing, but since it could use numerous Taoist arts and wield the Ruyi Jingu Bang, it was a formidable opponent.
It meant that if we fought head-on, even the current Lilac or Cheon Yu-hak wouldn’t stand a chance, let alone me.
“I believe the most difficult path is the most meaningful.”
My inner thoughts were nothing like that, but the Ruyi reacted to my plausible-sounding words.
— Asceticism does not always hold meaning, but even so, your intent is beautiful. I shall respect your choice.
When I came to my senses, a monkey with golden fur was standing before me.
— It has been a long time since someone challenged me. I am the master of the Ruyi Jingu Bang…
“मन्त्र Mantra: Mantra.”
— …Aaaaaaaagh?!
You know, in Journey to the West, Sun Wukong is famous for something else besides the Nimbus Cloud, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and the Gourd.
That’s right.
The means by which the human Xuanzang controlled the overpowered and reckless Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong’s weakness, the smallest prison: the Golden Hoop.
The residual thought guarding the Ruyi is like Sun Wukong’s lingering regrets, so the setting is that she hasn’t yet removed the Golden Hoop. And in this novel, the incantation to tighten the Golden Hoop is “Mantra.”
— You… you brat…! How do you know that incantation…?!
It’s a bit cowardly, but it’s because I’m friends with the Creator.
Of course, as in the original, Sun Wukong doesn’t die just because the Golden Hoop is tightened, but I didn’t do this relying solely on the Mantra.
I drew out the Innate True Qi from my body and shaped it with my talent.
That’s right.
My talent, Reinforcement, does not discriminate between targets.
I can reinforce people and tools alike.
— That… that power is…?!
Oh, as expected of Sun Wukong, even if she was just a residual thought, she seemed to have figured out roughly what my talent was.
“You made such a grand entrance, I feel truly sorry for making you exit without saying much.”
— Wa… wait a second…!
“But being sorry is one thing, and not doing it is another.”
Yeah, there are no timeouts in a real fight.
The moment the light of Reinforcement enveloped the Golden Hoop, I smiled brightly, politely folded my hands, and recited the incantation once more.
“मन्त्र Mantra!”
— Aaaaaaaagh…?!
Crack.
With the sound of something fracturing, the Sun Wukong before me began to disappear into particles of light.
It was a rather hollow exit for the residual thought of one of the world’s strongest beings.
“…I thought it might be a bit gruesome if his head split open, so I’m glad it ended like this.”
When I blinked, I was back in my original location. Before me lay the Ruyi, no longer in the form of an iron ball, but in the form of a staff.
“…Did I get too much of a free ride?”
I felt a bit sorry for Sun Wukong, who exited without even getting many lines, but if I hadn’t ended it quickly, it would have been my head split open, not hers.
Sun Wukong. You were strong.
But I was just stronger.
Now, the first command I would give to the Ruyi was already decided.
“Become light. Ruyi.”
I mean, honestly, how am I supposed to lift this?
As I gripped the Ruyi and gave the command, it naturally became the perfect weight, as if it knew exactly what was most suitable for me.
30kg.
The same weight as the dumbbells that were my arch-nemesis I barely managed to overcome not long ago.
The familiar weight made me feel good.
“You are smart. Now, change your form, Ruyi.”
I call it the Ruyi Jingu Bang for convenience, but this hunk of metal wasn’t originally just a staff, and it changes into numerous forms in the original story as well.
Carrying it as a staff is fine, but since my specialty is swordsmanship, shouldn’t it at least be a bladed weapon to look the part?
Reading the information in my head, the Ruyi changed its appearance into the form I desired.
A black knife that wasn’t very long. Seeing it even reduce its weight further to make it easier to handle, I felt a sense of pride that it was doing so well without even being told.
Thinking that this weapon would be my bread and butter for a while, it looked even more endearing.
“I’m counting on you, Ruyi.”
— Hmm, I am counting on you as well.
…Wait?
“Am I feeling faint…? I think I’m hearing strange things?”
— Oh dear, that is a problem. Would you like to eat something good for restoring your energy? How about visiting the nest of the Great Peng Golden-Winged Bird?
“No, wait. Uh.”
— It worries me that one who passed the trial after so long is so physically frail. But it is a fact that you passed, so it cannot be helped. I look forward to working with you.
No, what the hell. Why are you answering me? You were just a weapon in the original story!
The unsealed weapon was talking back. Honestly, this was an unexpected development.