Chapter 32
I’ll translate the chapter into natural English and format it as required HTML, keeping special in-universe text in styled blocks and preserving all names/terms.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 32
“What’re you staring at?”
The tone, with a cigarette tucked between her lips, made me flinch before I even realized it. Leather jacket, jeans, and a pair of black sunglasses on top of that.
It was an aggressively hip look. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed like someone impossible to talk to.
“Sorry for staring, but this is a no-smoking area.”
“Huh?”
I pointed at the woman and said, “Look over there.”
There was a no-smoking sign plastered right onto the streetlamp.
“The smoking area’s a little farther down. You can’t smoke here.”
“……”
The woman stared at me for a moment. What was that? Was she about to curse me out? I tensed up, but then—
“You don’t know who I am?”
“……Huh?”
“I said, you don’t know?”
“Am I supposed to know? Even if I did, you’d still have to put out the cigarette.”
“……Hmm.”
Still not getting it, I stared at her for a moment. But with a mask hanging over her chin and sunglasses on, wouldn’t it be stranger if I did recognize her?
As I narrowed my eyes, the woman put out the cigarette she’d been smoking. On her palm, of all places.
“Oh.”
“My bad. I didn’t realize this was a no-smoking zone. Where’s the smoking room?”
“If you go to the right over there.”
“Thanks.”
The woman waved lightly and headed toward the smoking room. Watching her go, I thought, …Wait a second?
She looked familiar somehow.
But I couldn’t quite place her.
＊ ＊ ＊
Click, click.
The woman in black heels walked along the road. How long had she been walking? The smoking room came into view just as she’d been told.
“Ha.”
She laughed before she even realized it. She couldn’t help herself. It had been a while since something this entertaining had happened.
-Sorry for staring, but this is a no-smoking area.
“That was funny.”
When had she last heard something like that?
-You don’t know who I am?
-Am I supposed to know? Even if I did, you’d still have to put out the cigarette.
The kid had guts. And from his eyes, he really didn’t know who she was. How refreshing. Even so, not recognizing her at all was a little much.
“Guess I haven’t caused enough trouble lately.”
She had certainly been living quietly. Hunting down that damned informer had kept her busy.
-Grrrk.
Just thinking about it made her want to grind her teeth. With a click of her tongue, she stepped into the smoking room.
Someone was already inside.
At the sight of him, the woman gave a small smirk.
“You’re still in diapers, and you’re already smoking?”
At her words, the young man smoking first turned his gaze toward her.
“What brings you here?”
“What do you mean, what brings me here? I came because I had business.”
“You?”
“What’s with that look?”
At the young man’s reply, the woman’s expression hardened.
“Want to see me ruin your manners, big boy?”
Huff.
Ignoring her, the young man took another drag. At his attitude, the woman shrugged.
“Do your fans even know you’ve got that kind of personality?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t show it just anywhere. It’s your bad luck that you found out.”
“Not ‘don’t show it just anywhere’—if people did find out, wouldn’t you have killed them all?”
“……”
The young man’s eyes sharpened on her. The chilling look made her pause a little.
“I’m kidding. That glare’s vicious.”
“Black Night Witch.”
At the use of her alias, the woman’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t say useless things. I’m not in a good mood lately. I’m almost tempted to kill everyone, just like you said.”
“……My, my.”
At the rather extreme language, the woman—Black Night Witch—looked genuinely surprised.
“If the Divine Sword Master of all people says things like that, all your female fans are going to cry.”
“……”
At the sarcasm, the young man, Yu Jin, glared at her.
“That’s also a joke. Got a cigarette? I just threw mine away.”
“……”
The young man wordlessly handed her one. She didn’t need a light.
Whoosh.
The moment she put it to her lips, the cigarette lit itself.
“Thanks.”
Yu Jin didn’t answer and walked back outside. Watching him go, Black Night Witch said indifferently, “What am I supposed to do with that mask in human form?”
Didn’t it wear him out, living like that? It would be easier to live like a thug, like she did.
“Anyway, he’s downright unlikable.”
If she’d felt like it, she would’ve killed him outright—but unfortunately, he was stronger than her.
By a lot.
Hiss.
Black Night Witch finished her cigarette, tapped ash into the tray, and stepped back outside.
“Time’s up.”
She nodded. Ten minutes from now, the test to select the people who would be assigned to the Knight Order would begin.
Thinking about that, she started walking.
＊ ＊ ＊
The test venue had been borrowed with the cooperation of the Superhuman Association. It wasn’t especially large. There was only a small platform and two desks across from it.
“……We’re taking the test here?”
As I asked, finding it odd, Irene, seated with her legs crossed, replied, “……Why?”
“It’s too small, isn’t it……?”
It didn’t seem like the kind of size where you could really show anything off. I said as much, but—
“……It’s fine.”
Irene was calm.
“It’ll be over…… soon enough anyway…….”
“Huh?”
Over soon?
Right after saying that, Irene turned to Jeon Yuseon beside her.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. Everyone has gathered.”
“……Tell them to come in.”
“Understood. Send the first candidate in.”
After speaking into the radio, someone opened the door and entered. The moment I saw him, I checked his profile.
……Thirty years old. Rank is B.
The profile listed his name, age, physical information, rank, and a brief note about his past life.
“Greetings. My name is Choi Cheon-yeong. It’s an honor to meet Lady Irene…….”
“……Get to the point.”
“Ah…… yes.”
I cut off the useless chatter. Looking at the profile, Irene said, “……S-so, what should I show you……?”
The young man asked in confusion, and Irene gave a small flick of her hand.
“Rejected.”
“Yes?”
“……Next.”
“N-no, wait just a second……!”
“……Get out.”
Woom.
Energy rippled from Irene’s body. At that ominous aura, the young man jolted.
His face turned pale with fear as he hurried outside.
“Next.”
“……”
Her blade-sharp judgment made me freeze without meaning to. She hadn’t looked at anything at all, so what exactly was she judging?
I had no idea.
And after that, the screening continued in much the same way.
-I’m B-class superhuman Kim Dae-in……
-Rejected.
-I’m A-class superhuman Choi Ye-rin.
-Rejected.
It had nothing to do with rank. At first I thought maybe she was rejecting everyone because they were B-class, but that didn’t seem to be it.
One person after another got cut down. By the time I’d lost count—when it felt like more than twenty people had already passed through the room—
Click, click.
“Oh.”
Familiar clothes stepped inside. It was the strange woman I’d met earlier.
“Huh?”
She spotted me too and widened her eyes.
“What the—why are you here……. Ah.”
An expression of realization crossed her face.
“You’re Lee Jinwoo?”
“……Yes. That’s me.”
“Figures.”
Tsk.
She clicked her tongue briefly, then asked me, “Just in case I’m curious.”
“Yes?”
“Smoking isn’t a deduction against me, right?”
“……I think so?”
“Good.”
She grinned.
Watching her, I checked her profile again.
Ah.
Now I knew who she was. I hadn’t recognized her because of the sunglasses and mask.
…So she was Black Night Witch?
She was the Black Night Witch I’d met during a Gate incident before.
Her real name was Ye Ji-ram. She was twenty-six.
She was famous as one of the stronger A-class superhumans.
And yet someone like her…….
“……You applied to the Knight Order?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to apply?”
She sounded genuinely puzzled. She’d always seemed like the type to live entirely on her own terms, so the fact that she was applying to the Knight Order was surprising.
As far as I remembered, she’d been the sort of superhuman who worked as a mercenary or freelance.
“Well, everyone’s got their own story, don’t they?”
Ye Ji-ram moved her hand.
Then she tapped her sunglasses lightly.
Whoosh—!
The sunglasses transformed into a whip. Just as she spun it once, apparently about to do something—
“Accepted.”
Irene declared her passed without even looking properly.
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You pass. Next person.”
Ye Ji-ram, who’d been about to do something, frowned.
Then what had been a scythe turned back into sunglasses.
“Hey, kid.”
“Yes? Me?”
Kid? The awkward address caught me off guard.
“See you later. You were kind of fun.”
“……Yes?”
What was with that ominous remark? Leaving those words behind, Ye Ji-ram headed outside. Watching her disappear, I muttered, “……Strange woman.”
“…….”
I agreed, but hearing it from someone just as strange made the whole thing oddly surreal.
After the first successful candidate, more time passed. A dozen more people went through.
“……Next is……. Huh?”
There were so many people rushing through that it was hard to even check the profiles properly, but this one had a special mark beside it.
And then—
“……S-rank?”
An S-rank superhuman. The moment I checked the name, a low voice filled the room.
“Hello.”
…
“I’m Jin Yeonhui.”
…….
Jin Yeonhui.
Jin Gyeongbeom’s twin sister had arrived. She came into the room and didn’t even look at me. She didn’t need to acknowledge me, but as always, her response was icy.
“Hmm.”
Irene stared at her intently.
“Accepted.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Jin Yeonhui left.
It really was like she hadn’t even looked at anything.
“……She’s S-rank. No need to look.”
“……Ah, really?”
“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything else left to see…… Maybe it’d be better to handle the remaining candidates next time.”
Just as I was thinking that, there was still one last person behind her.
“C-class?”
At the rather modest rank, Irene narrowed her eyes. Her face made it clear she didn’t even think it was worth checking.
Then—
“Ah, g-good day.”
Someone who looked painfully timid entered.
“I-I’m Park Deokin.”
The young man with the oddly rustic name was a twenty-one-year-old C-class superhuman. His past-life ability was…….
……What is this?
Spirit Doctor. It was a somewhat baffling term.
As I looked at it with curiosity—
Ping.
An alert flashed in my ear.
Eye of Enlightenment (SS) is activated.
The target’s true value is being analyzed.
Park Deokin: Spirit Doctor (C)
The hidden power of Spirit Doctor has been revealed.
Spirit Doctor (C) > Spirit Master (SS)
The moment I saw that, I shouted, “Rejec—”
“Wow, you’re accepted!”
“……What?”
At my words, Irene looked at me in disbelief.
“That person is accepted.”
Ignoring Irene’s stare, I said it anyway.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere turned icy all at once.