Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Unreasonable
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“Haha. Was my greeting a bit too much??”
The blue-haired man, Shin Hak-cheol, said with a cheerful laugh. It was meant to thaw the frozen air, but nothing changed.
If anything, the two of them stared at him even more rigidly. Their faces had turned pale blue, like they might hiccup at any moment─
“Hic.”
They actually did it. What had he done so wrong? Shin Hak-cheol wondered. He had no intention of fighting.
He already liked this guy named Lee Seong-hoon. Shin Hak-cheol was endlessly generous to strong people and those who caught his fancy.
Since Lee Seong-hoon was strong enough to win his approval, he had no desire to harm him.
He had just swung lightly, out of curiosity—wondering if the man could dodge his attack—without any real killing intent.
Of course, he had dodged, which only made Shin Hak-cheol like him more.
‘No idea!’
So Shin Hak-cheol had no clue what he had done wrong. He had just come to extend an invitation and greeted him, that was all.
Unsure how to break the ice, he awkwardly scratched his cheek. Then the pair spoke up first.
“L-Let’s!! Talk this out!!”
“Right! The greatest weapon of the 21st century!! Talking!! Seong-hoon, say something quick!! I don’t wanna die!!”
“You think I wanna die? Hold on. I’ll show you my slick tongue work.”
“Whoa. Are you a wizard, Seong-hoon? How do you sound so lame in one sentence?”
“Wanna die?! No, wait, I’ll die first.”
Watching them suddenly launch into a comedy routine, Shin Hak-cheol waited. Well, the mood had lightened, so all was good, right?
Arms crossed, he waited a good while until the two, who had been pinching each other’s cheeks and bickering, finally turned to him.
Seeing their faces drain of color again, Shin Hak-cheol let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! I’m not here to fight. Definitely not to kill. I came to recruit you.”
“R-Re-cru...?”
“Recruitment, Seohu.”
“You’re mangling it too. Let go.”
“You first.”
“Hm. Fine! I like how bold you are even in front of me!!”
Were his eyes clouded by affection? Though in a different sense, Shin Hak-cheol—now even more lenient toward Lee Seong-hoon—laughed heartily and continued.
Of course, Lee Seong-hoon, who had no idea what was going on, listened while still pinching Raphael’s cheek. He wouldn’t let go first if the other side didn’t.
...Raphael was the same way.
“I heard from my daughter. You turned down the invite to our main house!!”
“Why would I go the─ Mmph!! Why are you doing this?”
“Shut up!! We’re gonna die!!”
“He said he won’t kill us!!”
“You can’t trust people!!”
Perfectly reasonable. Shin Hak-cheol nodded and waited for their banter to end again. They kept fighting among themselves at every chance, so the conversation couldn’t progress.
“Can I talk now?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Lee Seong-hoon beaten to a pulp by the blonde woman, Shin Hak-cheol grinned. He even had the manners to lose to a lady.
He liked him more and more. So he had to say this.
“Come to my place over summer break. I’ll treat you right. Lavishly.”
“No option to say no?”
He grinned at the response. Just smiled. No killing intent, just a slight upturn of the lips.
But with the scars crisscrossing his face, his fierce look, and that mismatched blue hair─
“I’ll go!! I’ll come!! No, let me come─!!”
That was the result.
Shin Hak-cheol smiled in satisfaction.
“That’s more like it!!”
“Seong-hoon. What about the Maldives?”
“We’ll go after─!!!”
Lee Seong-hoon felt like he was dying, though.
＊＊＊
“Unreasonable. This is totally unreasonable.”
The next day. With finals over, students got four straight days off—including the weekend—to rest.
Thanks to that, I could sprawl on the sofa and whine to my heart’s content.
Raphael plugged her ears with both hands and read her comic like it was tedious, but my mouth wouldn’t stop.
Listen. Hear me out.
“He forced it with brute strength. Total coercion. But I can’t really say no. Gotta go. Yeah, gotta go. Just think of it as visiting a friend’s place?”
“Her family’s place, you mean.”
Good point. Corrected: the maid’s family home.
“Isn’t life full of ups and downs? Good should follow bad. Why does bad just lead to more bad? Stacking bad on bad is just super bad.”
“Karma. Be nicer to me usually. Play games with me too.”
“We played till bedtime when we got back yesterday?”
“Means you need to level up your skills. You’re so bad at PvP games, we can’t even touch them.”
Fine. I’ll make you regret that. I wanted to say, but I couldn’t.
I was busy. The sports festival—er, athletic meet—was right around the corner.
Unlike ranking matches or festivals, the one-day athletic meet was hectic. Super hectic.
To snag MVP on either the Blue or White team, I had to start prepping now.
“It’s frustrating.”
“What is?”
I ignored Raphael’s half-hearted question and petted the purring cat rubbing against me instead.
Justitia’s sports festival was nothing like a normal one. Thanks to mana.
Unlike regular school events, you could interfere with others—aka use abilities.
Skills, magic, divine powers—whatever. Falling behind in a race? Fly. Freeze the ground. Attack the guy ahead. That’s the sports festival at a hero academy.
In that brutal arena, my secret weapon—the trap—was gone, thanks to damn Rosaline.
They said it’d be bigger than before, probably meaning this. Something extra added, unlike the original.
No. Definitely added.
So how to win MVP there? Simple.
“I’ll enter every event.”
“You’ve finally lost it. Seong-hoon. I just saw the future. Around the third one, you’ll whine and blame me.”
“Nah. Dead serious this time. For the Maldives.”
Two-leg race, relay, ball roll—whatever’s there, I’ll do it all.
I’m not thrilled about combat ones like popping sacks, tug-of-war flags, or cavalry battles.
But what can I do? No room to be picky. Actually, entering everything’s impossible anyway.
Everyone has a minimum number of events required, so full entry’s out.
But every event I can? All in. Effort. Hustle. Maldives awaits.
That simple.
“Raphael.”
“Hm?”
“You know the three-legged race?”
“What’s that?”
She knows all the weird stuff but not this? I explained it to her.
She furrowed her brow and slammed her book shut.
“No way. I wanna do easy stuff. Tug-of-war, where I just pretend to pull from the back.”
“Nope. Don’t really pull and we’re screwed.”
“Sack popping. I can sneak that.”
“You don’t know jack. Sack popping’s a warzone.”
Raphael shut her mouth. Then she eyed me slyly.
“I’m sitting it out. Too annoying.”
“You have to. You’re a student. God’s will made you one.”
“Dunno~ Dunno~”
Is she a little kid? Give up at the first hurdle? I bonked her head.
“We need first place everywhere to boost Maldives chances!!”
“But Seong-hoon.”
Raphael clutched her sore head and looked at me, puzzled. She tilted her head.
“We’re on the same team, right? What if we get split?”
“Oh.”
Didn’t think of that. Always teamed up before, so I assumed.
Raphael on the enemy team. Opponents. Foes...
I smacked my palm as it hit me.
Jackpot. Having Raphael is a handicap. Living Midas’s hand?
Touch-based events? Walking time bombs.
I grabbed Raphael’s shoulder with one hand and thumbs-upped with the other.
“Raphael. Next time we meet... you’re the enemy!!”
“Cool line, but you just thought it’d be good if I’m on the enemy team.”
I grinned without answering. She grinned back. We laughed for a while until she moved first.
“You’re dead!!”
[Mom and Dad fighting again?!]
No time to respond to the distant cry.
＊＊＊
Dark alley. Green hair gleamed under the moonlight. Red eyes sparkled brilliantly, refusing to yield to the moon, illuminating the shadows.
“Justitia.”
She muttered crawling out of the sewer. Finally made it here. Thought she’d die with just her head left.
Luckily, her body was in the sewer. She’d scoured the whole thing, reassembling her shattered form.
Worth consuming the blood and flesh of wild animals roaming this big island.
Body restored, she crawled out to the street. First thing she did?
Enthrall a person and prop him up. Not Justitia staff—just a downtown merchant she charmed.
Normally, she’d jam a finger in and turn him to rags on sight. But no.
No killing either. Didn’t want a fuss.
‘Wait.’
For a surprise gift. She wanted to see his face when she popped up alive behind him.
And the look as her finger turned him to wretched rags.
“Not falling for it easy this time.”
He had the power to slay a true ancestor. No wonder he hung with Sophia.
But now? She knew he could kill her. Knew he commanded demons as minions.
One way forward.
Come prepared. No chance for death. Method to subdue the demon.
Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth.
Snatched his phone—standard 21st-century gear—and dialed.
One number.
“Hey. Sylvia?”
Red eyes curved like a bow.
“Found something fun. Wanna hear? And introduce me to a mine you know. Yeah. No. Got a guy to kill─”
And soon.
A red glow melted into the darkness.