Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Golden Sun of the Storm (8)
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While Yang Woo-bin was pounding away at Ryu Jia and singing her a dirge, Jin Se-jeong arrived at the private training room.
Not to train, but to meet someone she had to see.
Clank. Creeeak—
The moment she opened the door, a rush of biting cold hit her, confirming to Jin Se-jeong that she hadn't come to the wrong place.
She cleared her throat with a soft ahem and called out to the room's owner, who sat cross-legged in meditation without so much as a twitch.
"Fuyuno Tsubaki."
"......Huh?"
Only after her name was called did Fuyuno Tsubaki jolt slightly, ending her meditation. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head.
"Jin...... Se-jeong?"
To Fuyuno Tsubaki, Jin Se-jeong was someone she'd chatted with more than usual lately, but not close enough to warrant a visit to her private training room.
She might drop by if Yang Woo-bin was around, but he wasn't here now.
After all, Jin Se-jeong had been the one who dragged him off earlier, so it didn't make sense for her to come looking for him here.
That left only one option: she'd come all this way specifically to see her. No matter how much Fuyuno Tsubaki puzzled it over, she couldn't figure out why.
"What are you doing here......?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki eyed the sudden intruder warily and asked point-blank.
Jin Se-jeong let out a small sigh, as if she weren't thrilled about the situation either, then answered the question.
"I need to borrow some power."
"What do you...... Ah?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki tilted her head at the out-of-left-field request for help, then noticed something off about Jin Se-jeong's appearance.
She wore her usual Student Council President long coat, but underneath was a patient's gown. Her left arm was in a cast, and bandages were wrapped all over her body.
Anyone could see she was seriously injured. Fuyuno Tsubaki gasped in surprise.
"How the hell did you end up like that......?"
"......Hoo. I fought... and lost."
Jin Se-jeong paused awkwardly at the question before spitting out her answer with a short sigh.
"W-What? You lost? You, of all people?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki's eyes went wide, doubting her own ears at the admission of defeat.
And for good reason—Jin Se-jeong was the Student Council President of Dabcheon Academy, a symbol of raw power.
Even Fuyuno Tsubaki, who had awakened her sealed strength thanks to Yang Woo-bin and Ryu Jia, had zero desire to fight her. She was a monstrous superhuman who could effortlessly crush her even in that battered state—a total freak of nature. That was the Jin Se-jeong she knew.
So how could she have lost a fight? It was beyond comprehension.
"Yeah, I lost. Got my ass absolutely handed to me. Hoo, I never want to go another round."
Jin Se-jeong shuddered at the memory of her clash with Ryu Jia, not wanting to relive it even in her imagination.
Sensing the gravity from how even that powerhouse looked so broken down, Fuyuno Tsubaki asked,
"Who the hell...... did you lose to?"
"Ryu Jia."
"Ah, gotcha."
Once she heard the name, it all made sense.
Ryu Jia was the infamous master of the Storm Dragon, heir to the Ryu family—ranked fifth among the great houses—and widely acknowledged as Dabcheon's strongest cadet.
Fuyuno Tsubaki had crossed paths with her plenty thanks to Yang Woo-bin and even tasted her mana-infused Storm Dragon Pills firsthand.
She had a vague sense of Ryu Jia's overwhelming strength, which was why she could accept Jin Se-jeong's defeat.
"Yeah, makes sense."
As Fuyuno Tsubaki nodded to herself—If it's Senior Ryu Jia, even Jin Se-jeong could lose. Jin's a growing monster, but Senior Ryu's a fully realized one. Mm-hm—Jin Se-jeong repeated her earlier words.
"That's why I came here to ask you to lend me your power."
She was here to beg for strength.
"Uh, huh? What kind of power?"
"The power to take down Ryu Jia."
"Ah, the power to take down Ryu Jia...... Wha—?! T-Take down Senior Ryu Jia?!"
Fuyuno Tsubaki nodded along with the question at first, then her eyes bulged as the reason sank in. She stared at Jin Se-jeong.
Some ridiculous nonsense? But as she scrutinized Jin Se-jeong's face, there wasn't a hint of joking.
It was the face of someone dead serious about capturing Ryu Jia and seeking her aid for it.
"Why come to me?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki couldn't wrap her head around Jin Se-jeong's actions.
And why would she? She was still terribly weak.
Sure, after taking the elixir Yang Woo-bin made and breaking her power seal, she'd gained some decent strength.
But that was it—her power was still just "decent."
Far from stepping into the monster realm of Jin Se-jeong or Ryu Jia.
So Fuyuno Tsubaki steeled herself to refuse, no matter what answer she got.
Fighting monsters was for monsters. Someone middling like her would just end up cannon fodder.
"You're the only one who can help me."
"M-Me? Help you go after Senior Ryu Jia? What kind of nonsense is......"
Jin Se-jeong's response was even worse than Fuyuno Tsubaki had braced for.
But her follow-up made the refusal stick in her throat.
"Woo-bin...... he cried."
"What......?"
Jin Se-jeong had dropped words Fuyuno Tsubaki could never ignore.
"Woo-bin cried? Why, why?!"
Yang Woo-bin crying? To Fuyuno Tsubaki, who saw him as her invincible lifesaver hero, it was unbelievable.
But Jin Se-jeong wouldn't lie about him, so she accepted it as truth.
The moment she did, her expression turned deadly serious as she pressed for details. Jin Se-jeong began laying out her perfect hypothesis, built on her own experiences.
"So here's what happened......"
"......I'll do it. I'll help however I can. For Woo-bin's sake, I'll do anything."
After hearing Jin Se-jeong's flawless hypothesis, Fuyuno Tsubaki looked at her with resolute eyes and accepted the offer.
"But I'm only helping until we save Woo-bin. I don't like you much......"
Of course, the alliance ended the moment they rescued Yang Woo-bin from Ryu Jia's clutches.
To Fuyuno Tsubaki, Jin Se-jeong—his childhood friend—was a wall she had to overcome someday to achieve her dream.
Getting closer to Yang Woo-bin than anyone else—that was the desire and dream she'd nurtured lately, and Jin Se-jeong was the biggest obstacle.
This alliance was purely temporary and could never be permanent.
"Same here."
To Jin Se-jeong, Fuyuno Tsubaki was a rival who sparked danger every time she saw her. They were in full agreement.
Like moths to a flame, the two with mutual animosity united for one goal: rescuing Yang Woo-bin from Ryu Jia.
In the future, this temporary alliance between Jin Se-jeong and Fuyuno Tsubaki—hailed as the strongest combo in Dabcheon history—was forged.
"......Hm."
A day had passed since the kid and Ryu Jia threw down.
Of course, their brawl had little to do with me, so I was going about my usual routine. But one thing was different from normal.
"Where the hell's Tsubaki?"
Fuyuno Tsubaki was nowhere to be seen.
"And the kid's vanished from the infirmary too."
The kid, who should have been bedridden, was gone as well.
Aside from yesterday when I ditched class to prep for "sex" (or whatever) with Ryu Jia, I'd never spent the whole day alone. I hadn't expected missing just those two to hit me with this loneliness.
Especially the absence of Fuyuno Tsubaki, who always came bounding over like a puppy and glued herself to my side.
"Sigh. Solo lunch it is today."
Eating alone wasn't great for my image.
The Golden Sun I played was always supposed to have a girl on his arm—never alone.
But in all of Dabcheon, the only people I could call close were lackey Fuyuno Tsubaki, childhood friend kid, and Ada Chief Ryu Jia.
The first two had vanished, and the last was probably napping in the clubroom right now.
No choice—image be damned, I had to eat alone.
"Tch. Happens sometimes."
I headed to the cafeteria, seriously pondering expanding my social circle while munching on some student slop.
"Lemme see. Today's menu is...... Huh?"
At the entrance, checking the menu, I spotted the two who'd been MIA all day: the kid and Fuyuno Tsubaki.
They looked like they were heading in for chow too. My lips curled up involuntarily at the sight.
"Hey, you two! Where've you been all day, showing up now? Whatever, good timing—let's eat tog—"
"Eek?!"
"Ah, ahh."
Unlike me, they froze the second they saw me, then spun on their heels and bolted the other way.
"Wai—......"
I stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape, as their backs receded.
Until a voice full of righteous fury called out from behind.
"Hah?! Hey, Yang Woo-bin?! What the hell are you blocking the way for this time, you bastard?!"
Baek Woo-jin, hiding a trembling Yasuri Yaiba behind his back, spoke up first.