Erosion Zone Training (1)
Beatrice flashed a seductive smile as she filled Han Yeoreum’s empty glass. “Junior, your glass is empty. Want another round?”
“Yeah.”
Maybe it was the mood of the gathering, but the strong liquor went down like water for Han Yeoreum today. She knocked back every drink Beatrice poured without hesitation.
“So what exactly is your relationship with Kim Mugong?”
“Why do you care?”
“You two are practically glued at the hip. Even if nobody says it out loud, everyone’s dying to know.”
“Beats me.”
“Aren’t you lovers? I just assumed you were.”
Even though she already knew the answer, Beatrice acted shocked, pretending to be surprised.
“That damn bastard.”
With a faintly flushed face, Han Yeoreum shot her a sulky glare.
“You really like Mugong, don’t you?”
“No idea.”
She gulped the strong liquor down in one go.
“Huu—” A heavy sigh slipped between Han Yeoreum’s lips.
“How far have you two gone?”
“What? H-how far…?”
“They say if it feels awkward these days, you should just pin him down. Saw it on the internet.”
“You really can’t trust what you read online.”
Han Yeoreum let out a long sigh and shook her head.
“True enough.”
Beatrice nodded in agreement on that point.
“Want to know what makes him such a bastard?”
Han Yeoreum’s face reddened as she glanced toward me.
“Tell me, tell me.”
Beatrice’s eyes sparkled as she rested her chin in both hands.
“He’s stupidly kind. No matter what kind of shit I pull, he just takes it.”
“Ah, so that’s it.”
“It keeps getting my hopes up. That rotten bastard. Idiot. Moron.”
“Still, it doesn’t seem like Mugong is completely uninterested.”
“You think? That son of a bitch. He could at least say something clear. He still looks at me like I’m his little sister.”
Han Yeoreum tilted her head and pushed her lips out in a pout.
“Even after seeing a mature junior like you?”
“Pfft… Same thing this time. He just tells me to keep waiting. I could help him too, you know.”
“He must treasure you, Han Yeoreum. He probably doesn’t want you killing anyone.”
The words “this time” referred to the Blood Sect incident. Despite the smile playing on her lips, Beatrice’s golden eyes glinted coldly.
“Hehe… You think so?”
Apparently pleased by that, Han Yeoreum broke into a silly grin.
That’s a weakness.
I’d already guessed as much, but the more I listened, the more certain I became that I’d found Mugong’s clear weak point. Their relationship went far beyond simple Yin-Yang Harmony partners. The bond between them ran deeper—stronger, even, than most ordinary lovers. At least that was how it looked to Beatrice.
She stole a glance at me while thinking. Even as he made the rounds greeting everyone, his gaze always lingered on Han Yeoreum in some corner of his attention.
This won’t be easy.
Still, that weakness only applied if we were talking about Mugong as the Blood Sect’s enemy. For Beatrice, who wanted to make him hers, Han Yeoreum was nothing short of an impenetrable steel wall.
“Come on, drink up and shake it off.”
Beatrice refilled the empty glass as she spoke.
“That damn Kim Mugong…!”
Bang. Han Yeoreum slammed the glass down and shouted. For a moment the whole room fell silent, every eye turning our way.
“Junior, calm down.”
“Worthless bastard…!”
This time it came out quieter. Han Yeoreum’s words were starting to slur.
Of course, none of the student council officers present were low enough in realm to miss it.
“Hey, how much did you even drink?”
I walked over immediately and let out a deep sigh.
“It’s your fault.”
Han Yeoreum pouted and turned her head away with a huff.
“Sorry, Vice President. I’ll take her out of here.”
“She was drinking nonstop before anyone could stop her,” Beatrice said with a gentle smile.
“She barely drinks normally… Hey, get up already.”
I hooked my arm through Han Yeoreum’s and headed outside.
“Hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her drink so much,” Moyong Seong said as he approached Beatrice, his tone reproachful.
“But her reactions are just too cute.”
“…Next time I’ll have to force the alcohol out with inner energy before she gets drunk. I shouldn’t have banned it.”
“Aww, why waste the money? President, care for a drink?”
“No. The person running the gathering shouldn’t be the one getting intoxicated.”
Moyong Seong refused with perfect, unyielding posture.
“Tsk. You really are no fun, President.”
“What use would fun be? As vice president, you should focus on doing your job properly.”
“Yes, your orders will be carried out.”
Beatrice wrinkled her nose and answered half-heartedly.
I brought the staggering Han Yeoreum up to the rooftop of the building. I sat her down in the rest area and gently rubbed her back. Under the soft moonlight, a glow softer than the streetlights filled the entire space.
Now I understood why the staff member had specifically suggested we come up here. I’d wondered why he’d send a dangerously drunk girl to a rooftop, but the place had been set up like a rooftop café.
Han Yeoreum looked up at me, narrowing her eyes, then moved her lips.
“Got something to say?”
“Worthless bastard…!”
“What the hell has been up with you since earlier?”
“You go all stupid the second you see a pretty girl.”
“I do not.”
“You took my first time.”
Reeking of alcohol, she kept bumping her head against my chest.
“Hey, what if someone hears you?”
“Don’t care. Let them hear.”
“You’re going to regret this a hundred percent once you sober up.”
“…I’m not sobering up.”
“Circulate your energy and purge it already. This is a group event—you’re causing a nuisance.”
“Don’t want to. This way we get to be alone together.”
Those blue eyes looking up at me so innocently left me momentarily speechless. Whether it was the lighting or the flush from the alcohol, she looked strangely beautiful tonight.
Worried I might actually be drunk, I examined my own condition, but the Sun Physique and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art refused to let mere alcohol invade my body. It broke down and burned away the moment it entered.
“Let’s go over there.”
Han Yeoreum grabbed my hand and moved us to a long bench. Then she used my lap as a pillow and lay down.
After lying there comfortably for a while, she spoke.
“You know, right?”
“Know what?”
Her long hair covered her face, so I couldn’t read her expression.
“That I like you.”
“…You’re really drunk.”
“Stop dodging the question…”
Instead of answering, I simply stroked her hair slowly. I wasn’t an idiot. Her every action made it obvious. There was no way I wouldn’t know.
But it still wasn’t the right time.
Once I was certain I could survive in this shitty world, I’d give her an answer then.
“Later.”
“You really… are the worst…”
Her voice gradually lost strength, as if sleep was overtaking her while she lay there completely drunk.
“Sorry.”
“Always saying sorry… you… rotten…”
Her mumbling cut off abruptly, and soon the only sound coming from my lap was the soft sound of her breathing.
The next day.
“What the hell did I do yesterday? Did I mess up?”
Han Yeoreum clutched her head, eyes wide.
She had ended up sleeping on my lap until the gathering ended last night. Naturally she’d skipped morning training today as well. We met up before class, but it looked like every memory from yesterday had completely vanished.
In a way, that was probably a relief for me.
“No. You just drank a lot with the vice president and then passed out.”
“Really?”
Han Yeoreum narrowed her eyes, giving me a suspicious look.
“Seriously, who told you to drink that much? What were you going to do if you blacked out completely?”
“No, why did I even do that? I really wasn’t planning to drink.”
“Next time, the moment something feels off, just circulate your energy.”
“I should. Ugh, my head is killing me…”
“Class hasn’t started yet, so do some energy circulation at least. I’ll stand guard.”
“Mmm.”
We sat together in a nearby pavilion. After a short session of energy circulation to purge the alcohol, Han Yeoreum sprang up looking completely refreshed.
“You good now?”
“Yessir. The energy-circulation brunch effect is no joke.”
“Then let’s head to class. Drink this.”
“Kim Mugong, you’ve got good sense as always.”
I handed her the hydration drink I’d prepared in advance as we walked toward the classroom.
Today’s class was a preliminary explanation for the Erosion Zone Practical Training. Before the uninhabited island evaluation, the cadets had one more stage of training to complete.
Erosion Zone training. It wasn’t the actual front-line erosion zone but an artificially sealed training area. Still, an erosion zone was an erosion zone. It definitely wasn’t completely safe.
The two instructors in charge were Professor Cheongha and Professor Anonymous. As usual, Professor Anonymous silently observed us from the back. The explanation naturally fell to Professor Cheongha.
“The location for this training is the blockade zone near Gaeseong. Originally it should have been fully restored, but we’ve left part of it sealed off for cadet training purposes.”
Professor Cheongha displayed the Gaeseong Blockade Zone on the screen and explained step by step.
With even the Chinese rear that had been supporting them collapsed, there was no way North Korea in this world would have remained intact. The region had collapsed far earlier than China and turned into a demonic den. It was currently being restored little by little with support from martial artists. Thanks to that, the front line had successfully been pushed all the way to the outskirts of Pyongyang.
Gaeseong was still quite far from the actual front lines.
“This area is periodically swept clean by the military. You will be participating in regional sweep operations together with the troops.”
Just as martial artists had their role, the military had theirs. The number of martial artists with outstanding talent was always limited. There were simply too many low-grade monsters for martial artists to handle one by one.
I was listening to the class with mild interest when a familiar notification sound rang out.
Again?
At this point it was almost welcome. When I opened the status window, sure enough, a new file had appeared.
Reporter: ■■■■
Received report that the soldier responsible for Sector R in the Gaeseong Blockade Zone sewer system had gone missing. Conducted internal search of the sewers. Found nothing. No rescue request received.
Special Note — Informant discovered after committing suicide.
…As usual, things just refused to go smoothly.