Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Golden Sun of the Storm (6)
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"...Cough."
Amid the thick cloud of dust, Jin Se-jeong slammed into the wall once more and spat out blood-tinged phlegm.
It was internal damage from her clash with Ryu Jia.
'No strength... in my body.'
On top of her internal injuries, the accumulated physical damage was far from light.
Cracks ran through bones all over her body, her muscles torn to shreds—she couldn't even twitch a finger. Her condition was a total wreck.
Her eyelids drooped shut on their own, and she was certain she'd black out the moment she closed her eyes. She was at her absolute limit.
Even in that state, Jin Se-jeong clung to consciousness through sheer grit and willpower.
"Woo... bin."
Something more important than her failing body drove her on.
She'd ended up like this to protect Yang Woo-bin from those filthy things, from other women. Gritting her teeth, Jin Se-jeong forced her drooping eyelids open again and again.
But willpower alone couldn't overcome everything. Her body had long surpassed its limits, so even gripping onto her consciousness with all she had, she still couldn't move a single finger.
All she could do was force her eyes open.
Thud... Thud...
Footsteps approached from beyond the dust cloud, toward Jin Se-jeong, who was desperately holding her eyes open and clinging to awareness.
'Woo-bin...?'
At the sound drawing near, Jin Se-jeong instinctively pictured the face of the man most precious to her.
To her, Yang Woo-bin was still a savior like no other in the world, her first love. Hearing the footsteps triggered an almost primal wish that it was him.
But blind hope always betrays its master.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Whew, impressive. I haven't bled like this since I learned to use Red Qi."
Parting the dust to reveal herself before Jin Se-jeong wasn't Yang Woo-bin—it was Ryu Jia.
"...!"
Ryu Jia had a deep gash from her hand up to her forearm, but that was the only visible injury.
The rest of her body was just dusted with dirt, moving without the slightest strain.
Ryu Jia, standing strong with only an arm wound, versus Jin Se-jeong slumped against the wall, unable to lift a finger.
The implication was clear. Jin Se-jeong clenched her teeth and poured every ounce of strength into rising.
"Urgh...!"
But in her state, even holding onto consciousness was a struggle. All she managed was a growl; she couldn't even steady herself.
"Give it up, Student Council President. You've lost."
Watching Jin Se-jeong thrash despite being on the verge of total breakdown, Ryu Jia announced her defeat in an oddly gentle tone.
She was the first cadet since Jin Se-jeong arrived at Dabcheon who'd managed to injure her.
'This Student Council President's eyes are still burning with fight. Next time, she'll be even tastier.'
From the moment she'd enrolled and claimed the top spot among cadets, Ryu Jia had longed for someone who could stand on equal footing.
Growing up in the Ryu Clan, where strength defined human worth, that belief was etched deep into her soul.
Meeting Yang Woo-bin had changed things—his cooking and massages were so good they made her head spin, forcing her to acknowledge values beyond strength. Still, strength remained her top criterion for judging people.
In that sense, Jin Se-jeong's emergence was thrillingly fresh and precious to her.
"Still, that was incredibly well fought. You caught me off guard early on because I didn't expect that from you, but next time? You'll do way better. So just accept the loss and rest. It's easier for both of us."
She'd won the fight, yet here she was encouraging her opponent to improve next time, soothing her with kindness.
It came straight from the heart. Ryu Jia found the Student Council President before her utterly lovable—broken and ruined, yet grinding her teeth with eyes ablaze with defiance.
"Urgh... ugh..."
"Not listening, huh? You can't even stand anyway."
But lovable or not, seeing Jin Se-jeong fight to stay conscious when she should be out cold started to worry Ryu Jia.
Pushing like that could ruin her body and mana core, costing Ryu her hard-found rival.
'Sigh, this is tricky. I want to knock her out, but if I mess up... What then? Should've learned some control.'
Knocking her out was the answer, but Ryu Jia was terrible at holding back.
A flick to the head could send Jin Se-jeong into eternal sleep in her current state.
Leaving her be would just let her wreck herself in a fit of rage.
"What to do..."
An ironic mess: the fight was over, but victory brought bigger problems.
Stuck in that dilemma, salvation arrived for Ryu Jia.
"Ugh, this dust."
"...Newbie!"
The cute newbie of the Storm Dragon Club, blond-tanned thug Yang Woo-bin—her ray of light.
Ryu Jia rushed to Yang Woo-bin, who was rubbing his eyes from the dust, and pointed at Jin Se-jeong.
"Knock her out for me."
Among everyone she knew, Yang Woo-bin had the best control.
Having moaned shamelessly from his delicate touches more than once, she trusted her precious rival to him.
"Huh? Knock out a girl in that condition? Doesn't the president have a heart?"
"No, idiot!"
To Yang Woo-bin, unaware of the context, Ryu Jia's request sounded brutally cruel, making him grimace and step back.
"She's barely hanging on without moving a finger. Leave her like that, and she'll ruin her body."
"Ah, gotcha. Here I thought the president had awakened her inner merciless killer who shows no mercy to the defeated."
"What nonsense! Just hurry and knock her out. I'm scared I'll hurt her worse if I touch her."
"Fine, sure. Man, this dust sucks. Got in my eyes—tearing up."
Clearing the misunderstanding with Ryu Jia's explanation, Yang Woo-bin rubbed his watery eyes from the dust and approached Jin Se-jeong.
"Urgh... Woo... Woo-bin... ah."
As he drew near, Jin Se-jeong murmured his name through half-lidded, teary eyes.
It was a heartbreaking sight that would tug at anyone's heartstrings.
Of course, it was a fair fight by mutual agreement, the result of her own choices—so she had to bear it.
Still, seeing his childhood friend beaten to a pulp saddened Yang Woo-bin. Tears in his eyes from the dust, he gazed at her sadly and said,
"Get some sleep, kiddo. You'll be fine when you wake up."
Meaning he'd take her straight to the infirmary once she passed out—no need to worry.
"Ah... ahh... uwaaa...!"
But at those reassuring words that should have let her relax and close her eyes, Jin Se-jeong instead let out a moan like her lungs were being wrung out in agony.
Yang Woo-bin panicked for a second but figured it was just pain from her injuries. Sadder still, he reached out and gently closed her eyes.
In her state, closing her eyes meant blackout. Against her will, consciousness snapped away.
"Out?"
"Yeah. Time to get her to the infirmary."
Yang Woo-bin scooped Jin Se-jeong up in a princess carry.
"O-oh... woo..."
Ryu Jia felt a twinge of disgust at the sight of a guy carrying a girl, but Jin Se-jeong—her precious rival—was cradled in his arms for treatment.
She couldn't complain about necessary care.
"President, you too. You're hurt bad."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure."
"To think she landed a hit like that on Ryu Jia. Our kiddo's grown a ton."
Yang Woo-bin hurried toward the infirmary, smiling fondly down at Jin Se-jeong in his arms.
Curious at his pleased mutter, Ryu Jia asked,
"Our kiddo...? Hey, newbie. What's your deal with the Student Council President?"
"Childhood friends. I basically raised her on my back back in the day."
"Raised her on your back?"
"Yeah, sparred with her daily for three years to build her basics. Of course, she's this strong now because she's got the talent."
"Whoa..."
Ryu Jia was stunned again by his words.
Having fought her firsthand, she knew Jin Se-jeong's greatest strength was her rock-solid fundamentals.
Those let her match rhythms, improvise, and even counter hard enough to wound a Red Qi-clad body.
And Yang Woo-bin had helped build those fundamentals?
'Just how amazing is this newbie of ours?'
Her fondness for Yang Woo-bin—who kept surprising her—surged once more.
※
"Ugh... haa?!"
Opening her eyes revealed a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.
The smell of medicine and bandages told Jin Se-jeong exactly where she lay.
"Infirmary..."
Waking to the infirmary ceiling meant defeat.
Grinding her teeth, she recalled the last sight before blacking out.
'Get some sleep, kiddo. You'll be fine when you wake up.'
Yang Woo-bin's face, tears in his eyes, voice heavy with sorrow.
His reassurance and sad expression weighed heavily on her heart.
"What the hell... was that face?"
Yang Woo-bin had said himself he enjoyed sex with Ryu Jia and hanging out with Jin Se-jeong.
Yet after her loss sealed his night with Ryu Jia, he'd looked devastated.
His reaction made no sense, muddling her mind.
"...No way."
Then she remembered the tears rimming his eyes, and a wild assumption flashed through her head.
"He's... forced into sex with Ryu Jia...?"
The start of a ridiculous delusion.