First Meeting (2): The Pure White Witch
Germination: Not Yet
......
The seed still hadn’t germinated? That couldn’t be right. From Lee Seol’s behavior alone, her growth should have been further along than Han Yuri’s, not less.
As I sank into those thoughts, Lee Seol smiled at me like she was wondering what was wrong.
“Seonghyun. Is there something on my face?”
“No….”
“Tsk. We’re going to be late at this rate. Let’s go.”
Han Yuri looked annoyed as she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the elevator. The entire ride up, my head was a chaotic mess.
The Pantoma's Olfactory Sense I know has no way to be fooled.
It was the only skill I could rely on when dealing with Witches. There was no room for error. The only thing I could guess was—
Is the skill level still too low?
Lee Seol’s growth was so high it wasn’t registering. That was really the only possibility.
Ding.
While I was sorting through my stray thoughts, we reached the top floor. The doors opened and the waiters bowed deeply to Han Yuri.
“Welcome, miss.”
“Yeah. Where’s Dad?”
“He’s still preparing.”
“Got it. Thanks for your hard work.”
Like it was routine, she led me straight into the party hall. The moment we entered, every eye in the room locked onto us. It made sense—the guild leader’s daughter had arrived—but still.
“So that’s Professor Lee’s disciple……”
“Lee Seol’s here too. Damn, look at that connection.”
Everyone kept stealing glances in my direction. When I scanned the crowd, I realized—
They’re all mid-tier or higher.
There wasn’t a single small fry in the room. World-famous hunters, guild leaders, academy professors, and their prized disciples were all gathered here.
Professor’s here too.
Irena stood near the wall, waving at me. Looked like she planned to watch from a distance today.
“Lee Seonghyun! What are you doing? Hurry up!”
“Yeah, coming.”
I walked over to the round table where Lee Seol and Han Yuri were seated and sat down. The lights around us dimmed. A man stepped onto the stage.
Han Jaehyuk.
Those dry, emotionless eyes. Add the glasses and the image of a man who knew neither blood nor tears was complete. If Lee Jun was the likable, bulky type, Han Jaehyuk stood at the total opposite end of the spectrum.
I watched him in silence. Complete silence.
“Thank you all for attending our Portan Guild’s founding anniversary party today.”
A flat, mechanical greeting. He covered the guild’s founding purpose, this year’s performance, and future plans. Anyone listening would have thought it was a shareholder meeting.
After finishing his briefing, Han Jaehyuk gave a small bow.
“Once again, thank you for making our founding anniversary party shine. I will now take my leave.”
Thunderous applause erupted. I smiled and clapped along with everyone else.
That was when Lee Seol leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Seonghyun. Look at Yuri’s face.”
“Huh?”
When I turned to Han Yuri, I thought, Her father complex is still going strong. Her eyes were dripping with honey as she stared at her idol. If I killed the object of that admiration… it would definitely turn into eyes filled with hatred.
And that target would obviously be me.
Once Han Jaehyuk stepped down from the stage, the hall gradually grew noisy. It was a rare gathering of big names. Everyone was desperate to network. The mid-tier guild leaders in particular looked like they were dying to approach Han Jaehyuk, but his signature cold aura kept them at bay.
“Uncle’s really popular, huh?”
“Yeah. But if we’re talking pure popularity, isn’t your dad on another level?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re about the same?”
She said that, but it was obvious Lee Jun was the undisputed number one.
“Lee Seonghyun. Let’s go quick. All the good food’s going to disappear.”
“Sure.”
“Go ahead. I’ll guard our seats.”
Han Yuri kept cutting into our conversation like she couldn’t stand me talking to Lee Seol. I could practically see the Witch’s seed growing without even using my skill.
I headed toward the bartender to grab a drink first and ran into Irena. She was wearing her usual black suit with a miniskirt—pure office lady vibes. I approached her slowly.
“If you were coming to the party, you could have at least given me a heads-up. I nearly had a heart attack seeing you standing there like a statue.”
“Telling you beforehand would ruin the fun. It’s a surprise.”
“Your pranks are getting worse with age……”
At my dry laugh, Irena smiled faintly and then noticed the bracelet on my wrist.
“Is that a Solute?”
“Yeah. I was looking to buy one when Han Yuri basically forced it on me.”
“You should have told me about something like this……”
“I have to handle what I can handle myself.”
Of course, if it became impossible I would have used the professor card, but there was no need to mention that.
My answer made Irena put on a deliberately strict expression.
“You are my disciple. I have more than enough resources to buy anything you need, so speak freely.”
“......”
She looked especially reliable today. Might as well ask for something.
“Then buy me a house.”
“Pardon?”
“One at the top floor of Hannam The Hill. Can you manage that?”
“......”
While we were trading silly jokes, the entire room suddenly fell silent. When I looked up, I saw Han Jaehyuk walking straight toward us.
***
The combination of Irena and Han Jaehyuk felt eerily familiar. Irena, my sister, and Han Jaehyuk. Only now my sister’s place had been taken by me.
Irena didn’t know that Han Jaehyuk had driven my sister into a corner. Han Jaehyuk didn’t know that I was her brother. An awkward silence settled over the three of us.
After about ten seconds of staring at each other, Han Jaehyuk spoke first.
“You’re Lee Seonghyun?”
“Yes. I’m Lee Seonghyun, the one in the same group as Han Yuri.”
I offered a friendly smile, making sure not a single trace of hostility leaked through. Even so, Han Jaehyuk’s expression remained ice-cold. It wasn’t because of me. The man always looked this frigid.
“I hear you’ve been sparring with Jun lately?”
Jun—Lee Seol’s father. Han Jaehyuk and Lee Jun were close enough to be called ball-buddies.
“Yes. I’m learning what I can.”
“Yuri asked me to teach you.”
Over there, Han Yuri stood with her arms crossed, smiling like she was saying Did I do good?
Yeah, you did good. Real good.
“I’m busy. I can’t look after you every time like Jun does. Just once. I’ll give you a short session whenever you want.”
The moment he said it, the room exploded into murmurs.
“Did I hear that right?”
“Both the Association President and the Portan Guild Leader… who the hell is that guy?”
It was pure shock. No envy or jealousy—just disbelief. I bowed politely.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. Thank you for coming as well, Professor Lee.”
“Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for the invitation.”
Han Jaehyuk gave Irena a light nod and returned to the other guests.
“As expected, the guild leader who represents Korea is on another level. I can feel the charisma rolling off him.”
Watching Irena’s impressed reaction, I could only smile bitterly. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to scream that the man who drove Lee Seongyul to her death was standing right there. But I couldn’t. This frustration, this utter bullshit—
I’ll let it all out when the time comes.
For the rest of the party, I never took my eyes off Han Jaehyuk. His gait, his small habits, every little detail.
Got it.
The reason I came here. I had finally achieved it.
***
The Solute glowed with a blue light. It was the sign that Thunder God was storing properly inside. Roughly ninety percent. Since it was an S-rank skill, the capacity filled up faster than expected.
A week after the party, on my birthday today, I waited on the rooftop of a building near the Association.
All kinds of articles were flooding the networks. It meant the day the Association itself would be attacked was drawing near.
In the previous round, the assault would have come in three days. But—
The future has changed.
Relying on first-round information any longer was too dangerous. So from the moment the articles dropped, I halted every schedule and sharpened my blade.
Whoooosh.
The wind blew. A foul wind. The kind that made your skin feel like it was rotting on contact, like pollutants were eating you alive. Every time it hit, the hem of my robe swayed heavily.
It’s here.
Uwoooong!
The same black curtain that had covered the Academy during its attack spread across the area.
-Eeeeeeeng!
The siren screamed urgently as defense artifacts activated all over the building. The Association wasn’t stupid. After raiding the Demon Sect’s base, they had poured everything into defending their headquarters.
But—
They probably never expected half the entire Demon Sect to come crashing in.
Black-robed followers burst out from every corner of the building and destroyed the defense artifacts.
Boom! Boom!
“Kyaaaaah!”
“It’s the Demon Sect! Run!”
Too late. As civilians screamed and tried to flee, the cultists rained skills down on them.
“Gaaaaah!”
“My arm! My arm’s gone!”
The black curtain transformed into a massive black dome that sealed the entire area.
“Look up there!”
“Holy shit……”
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Grrrrraaawr!”
Thousands of monsters poured down like a waterfall. That wasn’t the end. Thousands of cultists fell alongside them, raining skills like they were protecting something.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
It was worse than carpet bombing. The Association hunters rushed out, but the skills had already been cast. The world burned.
A man screamed as flames consumed him. A woman died instantly, crushed by falling debris. This was no longer an incident.
It was a disaster. It was hell itself.
And in the distance, I saw a figure slipping into the Association building. The movements I had watched until I was sick of them at the party. It was Han Jaehyuk.
I clenched the Soul’s Sanctuary in my hand.
Sister.
It’s finally beginning.
Even if she didn’t want revenge. Even if she only wanted my happiness.
I will pick up the sword.
The odds were low. The chance of survival was even lower. I had worked myself to the bone these past few weeks and prepared everything perfectly. Still—
It’s going to be dangerous.
Even so, I ran. For myself. For my sister. And—
For the us that existed in the past.
Let’s go.
Straight into hell.
I leapt off the rooftop.