Chapter 97
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The First Branch Point of Fate (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For some reason, the morning air felt calmer than usual.
Seolga's dining table was already filled with warm steam and the faint aroma of broth, while beyond the large windows stretched a perfectly manicured garden in elegant array.
I entered the dining room with Sophia—and the gazes of the three people already seated turned toward us simultaneously.
The first to rise from his seat was a man impeccably dressed in a navy suit.
Yoon Seo-jun. President of the Korean Hunter Association.
"I never imagined I'd see you here, Kang Hyun-sol."
His distinctive low voice, commanding respect, made me straighten my back involuntarily.
"Ah, hello, sir. Mr. President."
"I'm glad to see you too. But could you explain why you're here? Seeing you in such an unexpected place has me quite flustered."
As Yoon Seo-jun questioned me, Seol Yu-bin smirked with a strip of bacon in her mouth from the side.
"Our Hyun-sol has been like family to the Seol household for a very long time."
"Our... Hyun-sol? And family to the Seol household? That's news to me."
"Well, there are all sorts of circumstances, right? Don't pry too much~"
Watching the scene from the center, Seol Ye-eun calmly set down her cup and spoke.
"Yu-bin, this is the Association President. That's enough joking around. Allow me to explain. After the recent incident, Hyun-sol needed mana recovery and training, so he's been staying here learning magic. Our connection with him goes back about ten years."
Yoon Seo-jun nodded with a hum.
"I see. That explains it."
I bowed my head in mild embarrassment.
At that moment, Sophia, who had been sitting quietly, pulled her chair forward slightly.
Her eyes sparkled with their usual mischief, but her tone was more polite than ever.
"It's been a while, President Yoon Seo-jun."
"Indeed it has, heir to the Litwell family and Britain's once-in-a-generation genius mage, Sophia Litwell. I didn't expect to see you here either. Surely you too?"
"Yes. I came here to learn magic from Seol Yu-bin, and thanks to Hyun-sol, I got this wonderful opportunity."
Listening to their exchange, Seol Ye-eun smiled softly and continued.
"President, Sophia has tremendous potential and excellent mana stability. And Yu-bin happens to have top-tier talent in ice-element magic, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for both while she's in Korea."
As Yoon Seo-jun nodded, Sophia bowed her head once or twice and said quietly.
"If I can learn, I'd like to learn as much as possible. Korea has more to teach me than I expected."
Her tone was as serene as ever, but I didn't miss the faint blush at the tips of her ears right beside me.
Then Seol Ye-eun looked at Sophia calmly and said.
"A genius mage from the Litwell family... I've heard your name several times myself."
"Th-that's too much praise. I'm still..."
"No."
Seol Ye-eun gently cut her off.
"It's best not to hide true talent. To be honest—it's not just Yu-bin; I'd like to teach you myself."
At her shocking statement, Seol Yu-bin grinned with an expression like, 'Hehe... Mom rarely praises anyone that much,' while Sophia nodded shyly, too embarrassed to speak.
Yoon Seo-jun, listening from the side, smiled with evident interest.
"Haha, the Seol household's atmosphere is as welcoming as ever. The more I see, the more it puts people at ease."
In that warm atmosphere, I ate a bit more comfortably.
Conversation flowed naturally amid the steaming porridge and side dishes, as Seol Ye-eun and Yoon Seo-jun exchanged light talk about Association matters and the situations in various countries.
Sophia nodded along as she listened, Seol Yu-bin playfully picked up shrimp for me now and then, and I accepted them with a small smile.
It was truly... a peaceful time.
Truly— at least until that moment.
But that peace didn't last a single second longer.
Kuung— thung....
"...Huh?"
A faint tremor brushed my ears.
For a brief instant, the vase on the table rattled ever so slightly.
"......"
"......"
Yoon Seo-jun stopped his hand.
Seol Ye-eun's eyes turned icy in an instant.
"...Did you feel that just now?"
Yoon Seo-jun's voice lowered.
"Yes."
Seol Ye-eun, grasping the situation fastest, rose slowly from her seat.
"This is no natural mana wave."
Meanwhile—the garden outside the window began to red.
Not the morning sunlight, but a color that shouldn't exist in this world, no, in reality.
Blood-like crimson light was descending from the sky.
And following Seol Ye-eun's lead, I, Sophia, Yoon Seo-jun, and Seol Yu-bin all shot to our feet, shouting.
"This is... a descent...!?"
That was when it happened.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!
A deafening roar shook the entire dining table.
Light pierced through the windows, blinding red brilliance engulfing my entire field of vision.
I reflexively raised my hand to shield my eyes—but it was too late.
"Kwaaaak!!"
My entire body's mana twisted violently, my heart screaming in agony.
The Cold Core Circulation shook as if going berserk.
My body crumbled.
Someone shouted.
"Hyun-sol!!"
But I couldn't hear it.
My consciousness faded, sucked into the light.
The last thing I saw was the red curtain descending outside the window.
And within it, two enormous shadows taking form as they fell.
I collapsed to the floor and lost consciousness.
[Main Story Chapter 6: The End of the Snowflower and the Beginning of the Red Dawn, and the First Branch Point of Fate...]
Thud—!
The instant Kang Hyun-sol collapsed into the red light—the dining room shifted to emergency status in a heartbeat.
"Hyun-sol!!"
Sophia, half-falling from her chair, was the first to grab his body.
The moment her hands touched his shoulders, blue mana spread slowly.
To minimize the internal shock from the berserk Cold Core Circulation, she instinctively channeled purification and calming stabilization magic.
"It can't rampage inside him... His heart could burst."
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead almost immediately.
Her mana control, unshakable under normal circumstances, was now fluctuating wildly.
Sophia could tell at a glance from Hyun-sol's condition.
This went far beyond a simple faint.
A wave forcibly shaking his entire mana circuits from the outside.
A phenomenon caused by the descent of demons—top-tier ones at that.
"Wait! Let me help too—!"
Seol Yu-bin rushed to Sophia's side and activated mid-tier healing magic, but it had almost no effect.
"...Cracks in the mana circuit structure. Why only Hyun-sol's mana field... For now, with it shaken this badly, simple recovery won't cut it—we need to protect him with our mana fields first!"
They reached the same conclusion simultaneously.
Their mana fields overlapped, forming a protective barrier around Hyun-sol's body.
"Stronger! This wave... isn't a normal descent-type gate...! At least Lord-grade or higher...!!"
"Got it!"
Blue and white lights flickered from their fingertips, and Hyun-sol's breathing finally stabilized somewhat.
But the bigger problem raged outside the dining room.
Seol Ye-eun watched their emergency treatment briefly before heading to the window first.
"......"
Her pupils contracted slightly under the red light.
Beyond Seolga's garden.
Farther still, between the mountain ridge and the city skyline.
The red curtain split into two prongs.
And beneath them—massive iron chains descending toward all of Seolga,
descent-type gates manifesting as the chains snapped one by one.
Two of them.
"Unbelievable... two?"
Seol Ye-eun's stoic expression twisted for the first time.
Each chain's rupture warped the surrounding air with red waves.
Even bizarre phenomena where light and shadow inverted occurred.
But more shocking still—a figure standing silently with a greatsword plunged into the ground before the two gates.
Too far to make out the face or detailed silhouette.
Yet—Lord-grade.
Its presence alone was unmistakable, even just from breathing.
Though it fell slightly short of the Lords encountered so far,
even so, immense mana pressure continued pressing against Seolga's borders.
And in another direction.
From the northern mountains above, the presence of another Lord-grade demon.
Unlike the greatsword wielder, this one exuded top-tier combat power among the Lords met thus far.
"...Two gates total, two Lords. Even the angles encircling Seolga are perfect."
Seol Ye-eun's voice sank low.
Not coincidence.
Not a raid.
A meticulously planned invasion aimed solely at crumbling Seolga.
Then Yoon Seo-jun quickly approached behind her.
"Did you see?"
"Yes."
Their exchange was short and concise.
"Two Lord-grade demons. And two descent-type gates simultaneously... This is already a national crisis. Perhaps even Apostle-descent level...."
"Meaning Seolga itself is the target."
The prior calm had vanished from Yoon Seo-jun's eyes.
He was already in Hunter Association combat mode.
"Can you move out immediately?"
"Of course."
Neither waited for the other to finish speaking; they were already preparing their next actions.
Seol Ye-eun took a deep breath before addressing Seol Yu-bin and Sophia, who continued the emergency treatment.
"Yu-bin."
"Yes, Mom."
"Evacuate everyone inside Seolga first. Civilians, support staff, non-combatants—all to the underground barrier chamber. No time."
"Understood!"
Seol Yu-bin glanced back at Hyun-sol worriedly once more—but Seol Ye-eun shook her head.
"Hyun-sol will be in Sophia's hands, so don't worry. That child is... the most likely target in this danger right now."
Yu-bin's expression hardened briefly, then shifted to one of resolve.
"...Yes."
Seol Ye-eun turned to Sophia next.
"Sophia."
"...Yes."
"Take care of Hyun-sol. You're the only one right now."
Sophia clenched her faintly trembling hands tightly.
"I'll do my utmost."
"...Utmost might not be enough."
Seol Ye-eun placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder briefly.
"But I believe—you can pull it off."
Only then did Sophia's eyes widen as she nodded.
"I will... protect him, no matter what."
Yoon Seo-jun watched Sophia's response briefly, nodded, and retrieved his weapon.
"Then let's head out."
"You're long retired... Can you fight a Lord-grade?"
"The same goes for former matriarch Seol Ye-eun, doesn't it? If we want to live, we fight."
"Well said."
Seol Ye-eun turned her back to the table in the same stance.
As another powerful red wave shook the entire house, frost bloomed at her feet.
"...Let's go."
Those were her last words.
The two moved simultaneously.
Under the sky shrouded in red curtains—two S-Rank Hunters set forth toward the battlefield.