Chapter 92: Let’s All Watch Over Hansol Orphanage! (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: Let’s All Watch Over Hansol Orphanage! (3)
The reason I was trying to exclude Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak from this incident was actually simple.
It was because the energy of this Dragon Vein wouldn’t be of much help to the growth of the two protagonists.
Once Lilac undergoes his Awakening, all energies other than the power of the Holy Sword are purified and vanish. As for Cheon Yu-hak, the amount of mana he can accumulate in his vessel is already nearly at its limit.
In Cheon Yu-hak’s case, he might be able to expand the vessel itself if he utilized the Dragon Vein well, but the problem was that he is the eldest son of the Cheonhwa Group.
Even if Cheon Yu-hak himself didn’t care, his father was certainly the type of person to covet a Dragon Vein.
Of course, he wouldn’t seize it by force; he’d likely build a much nicer orphanage elsewhere and move them. However, out of respect for Professor Park A-ram, I wanted to rule out any possibility of the orphanage disappearing.
Above all, none of the organizations involved in this incident were particularly dangerous.
The Twelve Zodiacs, who would normally have turned this into a bloodbath, were currently in no position to move, and the other three groups could be handled easily enough without the protagonists’ help.
If there was anything to be wary of, it was the possibility of a setting intervention.
It was only a guess, but there was a high probability that that entity couldn’t use major setting alterations yet.
It was the same during the entrance ceremony and in other episodes. It only intervened at decisive moments, and it had never intervened in the story multiple times in a row.
This meant that even for that entity, its power in this world wasn’t absolute.
Of course, I wasn’t just basing this on a simple hunch.
Even now, this sludge-like thing squirming in my heart in real-time was giving me certainty.
“…Nothing big will happen this time, surely.”
I had prepared plenty of safety measures, after all. It would be fine.
* * *
Arcadia.
While they were nominally classified as Villains, they didn’t exactly go around committing periodic acts of terror or causing incidents.
In fact, they tended to do nothing at all if something fell outside their field of interest, so their danger level was rated on the lower side among Villains.
Of course, that didn’t mean they were good people.
Every single member was obsessed with a different field, and they had no hesitation in harming anyone who interfered with their work.
Until now, they had mostly dealt with other Villains, and there were no recorded cases of them harming civilians. However, that was only because other Villains had happened to be the ones obstructing their goals more often than not.
And without a doubt, the one among them with the most nuisance-inducing obsession was this man, currently writhing in boredom at their hideout on Sky Island.
War Demon Seo Tae-ho.
He was a combat addict who worshipped battle.
“Ah, I want to spar. I want to have a damn intense life-and-death match…”
He sealed his own Talent and tested only the physical body and traits he had earned through pure training.
A battle maniac who only felt truly alive amidst tearing flesh and splattering blood, he was in a state of extreme frustration today.
“Why are they all such spineless bastards?”
He had intentionally broken into another Villain’s hideout to pick a fight, but the so-called boss had abandoned his comrades and fled, while the subordinates were too busy groveling.
Those who surrendered before the fight even began were unqualified by his standards, so he had folded all their spines before leaving. But since he enjoyed fighting rather than simple killing, his thirst hadn’t been quenched; if anything, it had only grown.
“I can’t exactly go picking fights with high-ranked guys without the Boss’s permission, either.”
Ah, if only he had tested that brat to the end that day, he might feel a bit better. Or perhaps fighting that masked fellow to the finish would have been fun.
“Kuu… Will they not show up again?”
Just as he began to smack his lips while reminiscing about the past, a sharp girl’s voice rang out nearby.
“Hey, Seo Tae-ho. Are you insane?”
“Ahem. Can you not see that I am currently lamenting the lack of worthy adversaries in this world? I am trying to replay a duel with a strong foe in my mind, so do not disturb me.”
“You ate it, didn’t you?”
“…Ate what?”
“The rum raisin ice cream. The one I was saving. You kept saying you wanted to eat it.”
“Ahem. I was merely curious about the taste and took a single bite.”
“…Right, for a hulk like you, that whole thing would be ‘one bite.’”
“Hmm. The taste was mediocre. Vanilla is better.”
“You bratty-tasted bastard! Then why did you eat it?!”
“Because the ice cream was there.”
“You’re dead…!”
Hmm. While combat between members wasn’t exactly forbidden, the Boss wouldn’t like it.
It was also an adult’s duty to apologize to an immature child.
Thinking so, he stood up and prepared to offer an apology.
“The taste was poor, but I shall buy you another, so calm yourself.”
Of course, no one would actually take that as an apology.
“You…!”
“What’s going on?”
Oh dear. The commotion had finally brought the Boss out.
“Boss! This bastard Seo Tae-ho stole my ice cream again!”
How petty, treading on him to the Boss like that. How girlish. Well, she was a girl.
“Boss, it’s not like that…”
“…Sometimes I wonder if this place is still an orphanage. I like that no one has changed since we first met, but it’s exhausting sometimes.”
“I have no excuses.”
“If you have no excuses, then do some work.”
“Hmm? A request?”
“Yes. The pay isn’t bad, so buy some rum raisin as a gesture of reconciliation while you’re at it.”
“Hmm. Having tried it, I think vanilla or chocolate is better. Can I not buy those instead?”
“Eat something that actually matches your size!”
“Ahem. Am I not speaking with the Boss? I shall deal with you later, so wait a moment.”
“You crazy bastard…!”
“Anyway, what is the request?”
“Stop bullying Cho-hong. Anyway, it’s a request for cooperation. Apparently, they’re going to stage a grand show against the Yuseong Group.”
The moment he heard that name, the life that had been drained from his eyes returned with a vengeance.
“Yuseong!? That Yuseong, one of the 5 Great Groups in Korea!?”
“Yes. Originally, they didn’t plan on a full-scale war, but apparently, the resistance from Yuseong’s side is stronger than expected, so they need support.”
“Hah, those guys have guts. If it’s the Yuseong Group, their private security shouldn’t be half-bad. What are they fighting over?”
“They claim they found an undiscovered dungeon, and Yuseong Group cut in while they were keeping each other in check.”
“…Does that even make sense? Who would do something so insane for an undiscovered dungeon when they don’t even know what’s inside?”
“For once, you’re making sense. I thought you’d just run off immediately because it sounded fun.”
“The Boss knows me well! I must go at once!”
“…Sigh. Ah, they’ll probably hide their own main forces as much as possible and make the collaborators fight first. There will likely be internal infighting among them at the end… Are you listening?”
“Well, there’s nothing to listen to. It means I can go and blow everything away, doesn’t it?”
“…It’s technically a request, so don’t strike first.”
“Ah, who do you think I am? Don’t worry!”
“…Cho-hong, do you want to go instead?”
“How much is it?”
“200 million.”
“Just send that idiot. Who else but a battle maniac like him would make an enemy of Yuseong for 200 million?”
“…True.”
“Haha! It has been a while since I’ve had some fun!”
“Ah, if you get the chance, check out that unidentified dungeon too.”
“Understood…!”
The War Demon dashed off, invigorated by the scent of a good fight for the first time in a long while.
“…He just left without even hearing the location, didn’t he?”
“…He’s freakishly good at sniffing out a fight, so he’ll find his way. He’s like this every time, but he’s never late.”
“Is that guy actually a beast?”
“Don’t say that about your comrade, Cho-hong.”
However, even as she said that, Kalia herself couldn’t exactly deny it.
* * *
It would be nice if they did, but Villains don’t exactly wait for the weekend to pick a fight. So how did I plan to intervene?
The answer was simple.
Since our company’s guard team was providing security, I just submitted a field trip application to the Academy and said I’d join them.
As for the date of the raid, being a Transmigrator, I had a rough idea.
The Academy is very lenient about these things.
Of course, my father was ready to foam at the mouth in opposition, but once he remembered the Dragon Vein in the basement, he gave his permission—on the condition that I stay in the rear, provide support, and focus on healing.
I’m sorry to say, though, that I have no intention of doing that.
“Um, Young Master.”
“…I’m really sorry, but is there any other title besides ‘Young Master’?”
“Little Master.”
“I’m sorry. A person should be humble, but I was being arrogant. If those are the only two options, ‘Young Master’ is better.”
He must have his own difficulties. It was already awkward enough to bow to a kid much younger than himself; I couldn’t keep nitpicking over the title.
“A fight could break out here at any moment. Could you please retreat to the rear?”
“Ayy, I can’t do that. I have to submit a field trip report to the Academy.”
That was a lie, of course. The Academy’s field trip system was just a way to allow students to visit sites for experience; it wasn’t some insane system that threw kids onto a battlefield.
“Is that so…”
But how would a guard who had never been to the Academy know that?
He seemed to view us as a somewhat troublesome burden, but it would be much better with us here.
Most of the guards here were ordinary people using anti-superhuman equipment. Without me or Ha-ni, there would be plenty of casualties, even if no one died.
“Wow, so this is what the field is like. It’s just like a war zone.”
Ah, for the record, I dragged Ha-ni along under the pretext of a field trip with our company’s guard team.
“Well, it’s not always like this, but it turns into this when there’s an open, full-scale battle.”
“Hey, but why didn’t you bring the others? They’re going to be so upset.”
“They need to focus on their own training without worrying about me sometimes. Besides, you were the one who was so upset last time.”
“…When was I?”
“You were totally sulking, asking if Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak were your only friends.”
“Ah, seriously. That’s not what I meant~ Then why did you leave out Yu-na?”
“Lee Yu-na? She wouldn’t come if Lilac wasn’t here.”
“Ah, yeah. That sounds about right. And Ga-eul was left out because it’s dangerous?”
“Yeah. She doesn’t have the personality for actual combat.”
“You act like you don’t care, but you really look out for everyone.”
“Whatever. You’ll be thanking me after today.”
“Why? Is there honey hidden here or something?”
“No, but there’s something better than honey.”
“Huh?”
It was a conversation devoid of any tension, but that didn’t mean we were neglecting our surroundings.
The faint silence before a fight began, the stillness that swallowed the area, became an unpleasant weight, creating an ominous atmosphere.
I began to sense the presence of Villains in the distance.
I’d take one B-rank—the only ones who could be considered big shots—and Ha-ni would take the other. The guards would handle the rest.
“I’ll take the right.”
“Then I’ll take the left.”
Without hesitation, we both ran toward our respective targets.
The moment I reached my opponent, the guy looked at me with a smirk.
Oh, I think I know exactly what he’s going to say.
One hundred percent, it’ll be something like, ‘Haha, what’s this? A brat?’ Physiognomy is a science, I tell you.
“Haha, what’s this? Does Yuseong even deploy brats like this now?”
“Ah, damn. Almost got it exactly.”
“What?”
Glancing over, I saw that Ha-ni had already suppressed the Villain at the very front of the group with a quick-draw strike.
Good. I was worried she might get nervous since it was a real battle, but it looks like I don’t need to worry.
“What, is your friend stronger? You gonna ask for help?”
“Hey.”
“Huh? This brat keeps talking down to me…”
“I’ve heard that repertoire plenty of times already, so just get lost.”
Actually, I wanted to test myself too. Thanks to many fortuitous encounters and spirit medicines, I had finally reached a level where I could be called a Superhuman.
Shouldn’t I be able to retire these extras in one shot?
“Grow.”
“Huh…?”
“Ruyi.”
The knife I tossed lightly instantly regained its original form and grew massive.
“What the…!?”
Crushed by the immense mass, the Villains began to scream.
Ah, this is what it feels like to farm mobs.
…What? You’re saying it’s not my strength but Ruyi that’s strong? Am I the only Superhuman? They’re Superhumans too, so how else am I supposed to win?
Direct combat is still a bit early for me.
However, one of them managed to dodge at the right time and lunged at me.
“Who drops their weapon in the middle of a fight…?! Move that thing already…!”
Ah, well, that’s just what I said.
Taking a stance, I stomped hard on the foot of the approaching Villain.
“Agh…!?”
“I can at least handle you guys one-on-one now.”
And then, a punch to the jaw.
Seeing his eyes roll back, I knew it landed perfectly.
It was a moving moment—knowing that when I hit someone now, it hurt them more than it hurt my fist.