Stirring Seeds (2)
Yu Cheong. The person I met during Choi Ahyeon’s artifact enhancement project. She once tried to screw me over and ended up getting reverse-fucked instead. And right beside her was ‘Yu Chel.’ The mother of Yu Cheong, the hatchling. She had the same golden long hair as her daughter, paired with a body so violently curvaceous it was almost unfair—especially her chest. It was bigger than any woman I’d ever seen. Yet her soft, gentle eye corners gave her an unexpectedly mild impression.
Fuck. I’m screwed.
Did she come all this way because of the attitude I gave her back then? No. If that was the case she would’ve shown up immediately. What kind of situation called for showing up after so much time had passed?
All sorts of thoughts raced through my head as Yu Cheong walked right up to me and bowed.
“Oppa! Hello!”
“Uh… yeah…”
“Hyun-ah. Who’s this?”
“That…”
“She’s a close younger sister of mine. Her name is Yu Cheong. She’s twelve!”
“Is that so? Don’t just stand there—sit down.”
“Thank you!”
Yu Cheong and Yu Chel took the seats Lee Seol had been using.
“Hyun-ah, talk with them for a bit. I’ll go get us some food.”
“Sure…”
Yu Cheong beamed at me with a bright smile while Yu Chel quietly tracked Lee Seol with her eyes. It felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.
“Oppa, you switched women again? Is she the second one?”
“This kid really has no filter.”
“Ah!”
Yu Chel gave Yu Cheong a light flick on the forehead.
“I’m sorry. She has a terrible habit of speaking without thinking…”
“It’s fine.”
“Um… I’m sorry for asking this when we’ve only just met, but are you quite close with that person over there?”
Lee Seol. Yu Chel kept watching her with unreadable eyes. I gave an answer that was neither confirmation nor denial.
“We just get along normally.”
“I see…”
She must have caught onto my true feelings. Yu Chel’s target switched to me. She bowed politely.
“Sorry for the late greeting. I’m Yu Chel, Cheong’s mother.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Lee Seonghyun, first-year Class A. What brings you here, by the way…”
“I heard you visited our shop last time?”
Fuck. So that really was the reason.
“Yes. I stopped by once.”
“After that day my daughter wouldn’t stop talking about Seonghyun-ssi. It’s the first time she’s ever been like this, so we came to see the festival.”
“Ah… I see…”
Damn it. What the hell did she say that made this leisure-loving adult dragon come all the way here?
While I was busy rolling my eyes around, Yu Cheong spoke in a disappointed tone.
“Oppa, why haven’t you come back to the shop? I’ve been waiting so long my neck almost fell off.”
Anyone listening would think we were actually close. It had only been once, and not exactly under pleasant circumstances. Since I still couldn’t figure out Yu Cheong’s intentions, I answered carefully.
“I’ve been busy with all sorts of things lately. It’s not easy to make time.”
“Hmm. Right, I heard you reached D-rank, oppa?”
“That’s… correct.”
“Then isn’t it time to change your weapon?”
A weapon, huh… It really was about time. I was a tank—specifically an evade-tank—so weapons didn’t restrict me much. As long as I could hold aggro, anything worked. But now that I was moving up to C-rank, I needed something proper.
Yes, that was definitely the case, but…
My standards have gotten too high.
EVE. A sword forged by melting down the soul of a vampire queen. Its appearance was that of an utterly ordinary blade, but the real thing only began after it awakened.
Bloodsucking. It raised the sword’s cutting power by consuming the user’s blood. To others it was a cursed blade, but for me it was a perfect match.
Equivalent Exchange
The synergy between the two was absolutely perfect. The only problem was—
I have no idea where it is.
It would definitely appear at the auction house in two months, but until then there was no way to know where it might be rolling around.
“Come by the shop once and look for whatever oppa wants. I’ll give it to you cheap.”
“Alright. I’ll stop by when I have time.”
My answer must not have satisfied her. Yu Cheong pressed further.
“Oppa, do you not like our weapons?”
“No… they’re fine, but I need to find one that really fits my hand.”
“Really?”
Her pride seemed slightly wounded; the corner of her mouth twitched. Then she suddenly grabbed my hand and began kneading it with her tiny palms. From my hand to my arm and shoulder—she stood up, stroking every part while nodding with her small face.
“Oppa, do you have money?”
“Why?”
“Since we met, it’s fate. I’ll specially ask Mom to make you a custom piece.”
A custom order from the divine blacksmith. It was a mouth-watering offer. But…
It’s unlikely she could produce anything better than EVE.
Including its special abilities, EVE was the sword in this world that matched Equivalent Exchange the best.
“Sorry, I’m not in a position to afford something like that…”
“I see…”
She must have expected me to jump at the offer; my refusal made her disappointment blatantly obvious. Still, what could I do? My true partner sword had already been decided.
When I looked troubled, Yu Chel stepped in.
“Cheong-ah. Pressuring him like that will only make Seonghyun-ssi uncomfortable. That’s enough now.”
“Yes…”
She returned to her seat with a visibly deflated expression.
“Then, do you already have a weapon in mind, Seonghyun-ssi?”
“Yes. There’s a long sword called EVE…”
“Ah… Could that be the sword made by grinding up vampires?”
“It is.”
After that we ate and exchanged trivial conversation. Lee Seol occasionally chimed in or simply stayed quiet, keeping a step back from the discussion.
“Uncle! Thank you for the meal!”
“Sure! Come again anytime!”
After finishing the meal we headed to the vending machine for drinks.
“Oh! Oppa, look at this!”
“Fortunes?”
“Looks fun! Can I try one?”
“Go ahead.”
The droopy lizard from earlier had vanished; now there was only a bouncing baby chick. Smiling bitterly at her Hollywood-level acting, I walked up to the counter.
“Four, please.”
“Thank you!”
After paying the clerk, we stood in front of the large board covered with dozens of post-its. It seemed you picked whichever one you wanted.
“Hmm…”
Might as well grab any. I didn’t believe in that stuff anyway. I reached out and plucked one.
Don't Turn Your Back on Reality
……
A rather meaningful phrase. It stung more than I cared to admit. I quietly slipped it into my pocket.
“Mom, is this a good one?”
“Hmm… I’d say it’s on the better side?”
The dragon mother and daughter showed each other their papers and began debating. What about Lee Seol?
“……”
She was crumpling hers with a smile on her face.
“Seol-ah. What did you get?”
“It says, ‘Laugh long, loud, and often.’ What about you, Hyun?”
A phrase perfectly suited for Lee Seol. I smiled bitterly and answered.
“Mine says ‘It’s Darkest Under the Lamp.’”
“Hmm. That’s ambiguous.”
“Right?”
We continued chatting about this and that until the atmosphere naturally shifted toward breaking up the gathering.
“Oppa! Let’s meet up and play again next time!”
“Sure.”
“Seonghyun-ssi, thank you for today. Thanks to you I got to look around the academy. It was wonderful.”
“I had fun too. See you next time.”
“Yes. If fate allows, let’s meet again. Ah!”
She leaned slightly toward me and whispered softly.
“Huh?”
Yu Chel gave a meaningful smile and stepped back again.
“Oppa, bye-bye!”
“Goodbye.”
“Get home safely!”
Watching Lee Seol smile and wave at Yu Cheong and Yu Chel, I thought to myself.
Self stained with lies, huh…
After parting with the three of them, I returned to the dormitory. The moment I opened the door, I heard loud thumping footsteps.
“Lee! Seong! Hyun!”
Choi Ahyeon came charging toward the entrance with terrifying momentum. I immediately slammed the door shut.
Bang!
The sound of her colliding with the door echoed from the other side. When I carefully opened it again, I saw her clutching her forehead with tears in her eyes.
“What now?”
“You met Yu Cheong behind my back!”
“Yeah.”
“Then you should’ve called me too! Hey! Are we strangers or something?!”
“We are strangers.”
I chuckled and walked straight past Choi Ahyeon into the living room. Han Yuri was reading a booklet there. I was about to head to my room when she looked up at me.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you eat?”
“I ate before coming.”
“Really? Hey. Here.”
She tossed the booklet she’d been reading at me.
What the hell is this now?
It was an artifact catalog—from the weapon shop that only sold limited pieces made by master artisans. The prices started in the hundreds of millions.
“Pick one. I’ll buy it for you.”
“…Did you drink? Or are you sick?”
“Stop talking and just pick one. You’re doing the C-rank assignment, right? You won’t be able to tank properly with those basic supply models. I want to live a long life, you know.”
The same prickly tone as always. But the thorns had noticeably dulled compared to before.
This isn’t good.
I handed the booklet back to her.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle the weapon myself, so don’t worry about it.”
“……”
Han Yuri bit her lip and glared at me. Then she slammed her room door shut and disappeared inside.
Whew.
This was bad. Really bad. I sighed and went into my own room.
After the chaotic festival finally ended, classes returned to normal. But what about the most important place—the Hall of Challenge?
ENTRY PROHIBITED
It was still under maintenance.
Tsk. That stupid bitch really.
If you’re going to disappear, at least do it cleanly. She was useless right until the end.
“It’s been so long since we had class. Feels like the semester just started after vacation.”
“Tell me about it…”
Class… fucking sucked. When I answered in a half-dead voice, Choi Ahyeon snorted and rummaged through her eco-bag.
“Ta-da! A present for you suffering from post-vacation blues!”
“What is this? Sol’s Eye? How did you know this is my favorite?”
“Hehe. There’s a way to find out everything!”
She must have heard it from Jihun. It was the drink I liked second only to Zico. After drinking it, my mood improved a little.
When I entered the private lecture room, the atmosphere inside was chaotic. Most of the students were clustered around the back desks, whispering.
“What the hell is this? Looks insanely expensive…”
“Hey, don’t touch it. Unless you want people talking behind your back later.”
“I’m not touching it, relax. But damn, it looks cool as hell.”
My usual seat. As I walked over, Kim Jihun waved at me.
“Yo! Lee Seonghyun! Get over here quick!”
“What now?”
“Ah shit! Just shut up and come here!”
At his urging I approached the desk. A case sat there all by itself.
“This is…”
EVE.
◈ Bloodsucking
◈ Perfect synergy with Equivalent Exchange
The beloved sword from my first regression had appeared.