Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Han Winter's Weakness (1)
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That afternoon, after my confrontation with Min Chae-ryeong. I was assigned to guard the pathway leading to the auditorium, where a famous hunter was giving a lecture.
With my partner, Chae So-yeon.
But she had gone into the auditorium thirty minutes ago, saying she needed the bathroom, and still hadn't come out.
"......"
Thirty minutes. Way too long just to use the bathroom, but women don't always go there just for that. Fixing their clothes or touching up makeup could be reasons too.
'But Chae So-yeon wouldn't do something like that......'
So there was only one possibility left.
Slacking off.
'That damn bitch......'
She'd had that sulky pout ever since deployment started, and now she was ditching her shift. I could clearly see how much hell Lee Tae-ho must have gone through when he was partnered with her before.
'Whatever, screw it.'
I thought about calling her and telling her to get her ass over here right now, but I let it go. The mission was just guarding the path in front of the auditorium anyway. It wasn't like I needed Chae So-yeon for that.
Leaning against a streetlamp at the street corner, I stared endlessly down the straight road.
"Huh? Su-ho hyung?"
"Yeah?"
At that moment, someone called out to me from the opposite side of the path—the direction of the auditorium.
"What are you doing here, Tae-hyun?"
"I snuck out midway through the lecture. They said it was an S-rank guild's HR manager, so I thought there might be some useful advice, but forty minutes in, it's all just vague nonsense."
It was Ryu Tae-hyun. He was the only one in this world who called me "hyung" anyway.
"Oh, this is my classmate from the same section. Her name's Na Eun-sol."
"Na Eun-sol......?"
Only then did I notice the small girl hiding behind Ryu Tae-hyun.
She was around 150 cm tall. Her awkwardly grown bangs brushed her nose bridge, softly covering her eyes. Through the glossy black hair, green eyes scanned me with a gloomy glint.
"Eun-sol, this is Security Force Special Countermeasures Division member Ahn Su-ho. Remember I told you? The guy who saved Kang Haneul."
"Yeah. I remember."
Na Eun-sol peeked out from behind Ryu Tae-hyun and bowed politely to me.
"Hello, Member Ahn Su-ho. I'm Na Eun-sol, first-year Class 1, Greenhouse Academy Hunter Department."
"Yeah. Ahn Su-ho here. Nice to meet you......"
I gave a half-hearted reply to her polite yet somehow dark self-introduction.
'Never thought I'd run into Na Eun-sol here......'
Na Eun-sol. She was one of Ryu Tae-hyun's heroines from the original story. No, calling her just "one of the heroines" didn't even capture half her uniqueness.
Na Eun-sol was one of the two heroines who stayed by Ryu Tae-hyun's side until the late stages of the original, alongside Yang Areum. She was also the tragic heroine with extreme yandere tendencies and obsessive attachment that disregarded even her own and her partner's lives, ultimately forced into another man's arms by Ryu Tae-hyun himself.
'When their relationship spiraled into darkness, he sent her abroad with a side character guy for her safety, right?'
She didn't actually end up with that side character guy, but it was practically the same as giving her away. Still, public opinion on that plot point was split. Her yandere obsession was just that extreme.
For instance, in the original, Han Winter drops out shortly after second year starts, and the cause was Na Eun-sol's scheming. Of course, Na Eun-sol framed Han Winter to monopolize Ryu Tae-hyun's love.
Because of such extreme actions, Na Eun-sol's fandom was heavily shunned by other heroines' fans. She barely had a fandom to begin with. Yet she managed to stick by the protagonist almost to the end purely because of Pleasure Heavenly Demon's twisted tastes.
"......"
Anyway. Na Eun-sol was a heroine with a lot of issues. In the original, her relationship with Ryu Tae-hyun progressed after midterms, so they were probably just getting acquainted now.
'......Should I give him a heads-up?'
Na Eun-sol bore some responsibility for the story's downward spiral after the mid-game. So I needed to curb her behavior at the right time.
I considered warning Ryu Tae-hyun about her true nature, but...
'No, it's not time yet.'
It was true her feelings for Ryu Tae-hyun would be a headache, but separately, she was an essential companion for him. I should block her emotions from turning romantic but let some friendship build.
"......"
While I mulled over my approach, Na Eun-sol stared at me silently. Her green eyes, peeking through her bangs, fixed on my face without a twitch.
"Do you have something to say?"
"......No. Nothing at all."
Na Eun-sol stepped back after replying, as if she was done.
Then, like passing a baton, Ryu Tae-hyun stepped forward.
"Right, hyung. Has Winter come to see you lately?"
"Yeah, she stopped by once. Why?"
"Did Winter ask you to help with her training?"
"Uh-huh, she did. But how did you......"
How did you know Han Winter came to me asking for help with training to beat you?
Ryu Tae-hyun answered my question with his usual affable smile.
"Actually, I recommended you to her."
"What?"
"Winter's been losing to me in ranking matches nonstop, and she seemed really down about it. Like she hit a wall personally too. So I thought you might help her overcome it, and casually mentioned you. Got her to go ask you for training help."
"And she just listened to you?"
"I said casually. Just that you're a superhuman as strong as me, and I saw it fighting together last time. Stuff like that."
"Haha......"
Me, as strong as Ryu Tae-hyun? Even a passing dog would laugh.
'But what he said isn't entirely wrong.'
At least, it was true I could help Han Winter overcome the wall she was facing right now.
"You mean the wall she's hit is a superpower control issue, right?"
"Whoa, you caught on quick? I only realized it recently myself."
"Just seemed like it."
I couldn't say I knew from reading the original, so I brushed it off. But Han Winter's wall—or her weakness—was something anyone paying close attention could spot.
Han Winter's superpower was pyrokinesis. That simple ability to emit flames from her body fell under the Emission category in superpower classifications. Emission types involve releasing and manipulating specific substances or energy via superpowers.
And Han Winter was relatively weak in the manipulation aspect.
Her superpower's raw firepower was unmatched. But that immense power came at the cost of poorer control than average. Against regular foes, overwhelming firepower sufficed, hiding the flaw. But against equals like Ryu Tae-hyun, her weakness stood out.
'Yet Han Winter doesn't realize her own flaw.'
Or rather, she's deliberately ignoring it. If control is lacking, her personality would push for even more firepower to crush foes. Of course, that brute-force approach doesn't work on strong opponents like Ryu Tae-hyun. That's why she keeps getting wrecked in ranking matches.
To beat Ryu Tae-hyun, Han Winter needs to objectively face her weakness.
'That's why he thinks I can help her overcome it.'
Because I was an Emission-type user like her.
"You use close-quarters combat along with spot-on superpower usage in fights, right? Sparring with you should make Winter naturally realize her control's lacking."
"Makes sense. Fighting someone with the same type highlights strengths and weaknesses clearly."
It held under the premise my control surpassed hers, but that wasn't a worry. Her status window showed Technique D last time. Mine was C. System-proven fact.
'Her lower Technique stat than mine shows how serious her weakness is. Probably no one else in Class 1 has Technique below C.'
Ryu Tae-hyun had essentially tasked me with pointing out that uncomfortable truth.
"Yeah. Anyway, thanks in advance, hyung. I even considered telling her straight-up her control sucks, but......"
"She'd ignore it. Winter doesn't take advice from just anyone."
"You know her well."
Precisely, she only listens to those she acknowledges. She acknowledged Ryu Tae-hyun, sure, but he's her rival now. Her pride wouldn't let her take rival advice easily.
"......Tae-hyun, why do you care so much about Winter?"
Na Eun-sol, who had been quiet, asked Ryu Tae-hyun casually.
"Even if she gets stronger, it doesn't benefit you, right? She's the only one threatening your rank. Wouldn't it be better for you if she stayed weak?"
"If we're just talking rankings, sure."
Ryu Tae-hyun shook his head with a smile.
"But then it wouldn't be fun."
"Fun......?"
"Yeah, fun. Fights are more fun against strong opponents. Right?"
Na Eun-sol looked up at him with a baffled expression at his battle-maniac response. But Ryu Tae-hyun just kept grinning, excited for a rematch with a improved Han Winter.
Seeing that, Na Eun-sol asked softly.
"Fighting strong opponents is fun? Then what about me?"
"You, Eun-sol? You're strong too, of course! You're rank 6 now, right? Climb up to where I am soon. I'll be waiting."
"You'll be... waiting?"
A faint blush colored her shadowed face. She mulled over his words repeatedly, then murmured happily.
"Yeah, I'll climb up quick. Past Han Winter and everyone else, right to your side."
Right to your side. Hearing it in a different light, I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms.
'What happened? Their relationship shouldn't progress until after midterms. But she already seems head over heels for him.'
Did the plot change again without me knowing? Staring at Na Eun-sol uneasily, she turned her head toward me.
"......"
Her green eyes gleamed faintly through her bangs.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
And so time passed, to that Saturday.
One of Hansung Group's private estates near Greenhouse Academy. In a vast 150-meter square field, I faced off against Han Winter.
When I agreed to spar with her, I figured we'd use one of Hansung Group's training facilities. But she brought me to this empty plain.
Why here? I asked.
'? No training facility could withstand my firepower.'
She answered brightly. Meaning she'd unleash max power here without restraint.
'She's serious about this fight.'
Han Winter saw me as Ryu Tae-hyun's equal. Not just her—anyone knowing the full double-dungeon incident would believe it. Many probably thought I was stronger.
So naturally, she planned to clash full-force, oblivious to my side.
'Can I even match Han Winter......?'
I'd accepted the proposal, but facing her now built creeping tension. Understandably. Flames rivaling a dragon's breath. Even grazing them would be fatal with my specs.
'Accelerate with Whisper of the Morning Star to dodge most attacks, block unavoidable ones with smoke, cool any penetrating heat with Frost Spirit's Emblem... might work.'
Looking at it, all my cards fit perfectly against Han Winter. An uncanny coincidence.
"Let's check each other's skills and get started. Should I go first? Or you?"
"I'll attack first."
At that, Han Winter assumed a stance, fierce flames erupting in her hands, as if daring me to come.
Simultaneously, the talismans in my hands—Thalisma and Whisper of the Morning Star—emitted blue and red glows respectively.