Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: It's Freaking Honey
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Weekends came around pretty fast. Actually, no—days were flying by way too quickly. To the point where I couldn't even tell if time was going in through my nose or my mouth.
What I mean is, I'm regretting opening my eyes right now.
"Lachesis."
[Nyang.]
"Don't tell me today is that day?"
No way, right? Tell me no. Tell me it's not what I'm thinking.
[Get up and get ready already, nyang. If you plan on rolling around all day—]
"I'm getting sick starting now. Gonna stay sick till a week from now. Don't come looking. Got it?"
[Sigh.]
She knew words wouldn't get through, so she just flopped back down and went right back to sleep. I was about to do the same—
"Early bird!! Rise and shine!!"
[Rise!!]
Couldn't sleep. The blonde who kicked the door open looked absolutely thrilled. She was lugging around a ton of bags, eyes sparkling—it was obvious she was hyped, no need to even look.
"You think we're heading out for a picnic today?"
"Nope?"
No. We're going to hell, I tell you.
"Hell is a picnic. Beating demons to death was the joy of my life."
"Don't you know what a metaphor is?"
[What's a metaphor?]
You don't need to know.
Raphael shrugged like she had no clue. But if she's this pumped, I have to go too. Not like I had a choice anyway.
Skipping out would've just meant she'd come drag me—way more dangerous. I dragged myself out of bed and got ready to head out.
"Hurry up and come on out, then. I don't wanna get chewed out for being late!"
"You know that line doesn't suit you at all, right?"
Don't know~ She flashed that cheeky grin, scooped up Levatein in her arms, and bounced out. She could've used that time to make breakfast or something.
Eating before we go would fill us up nice and good. Grumbling under my breath, I changed clothes.
Lately, things have been brutal. Training's been nonstop intense. Morning sessions with Shin Ga-yeon, forenoon with Shin Hak-cheol, afternoons pure hell—barely hanging in there.
Thanks to it, my mana control's gotten pretty solid, and my body's feeling lighter, but when I check my status...
No changes at all.
Training's supposed to build you up gradually bit by bit, sure, but with zero noticeable progress, it's hard to stay motivated.
Ah, there is a change. One.
Absorption rate's gone up nicely. Feels like the system's rubbing in just how much I've been grinding. Still, fully absorbing this stuff shouldn't cause any issues, right? I'm the lucky guy, after all.
I threw on some clothes haphazardly and headed to the living room. Raphael was setting cereal on the table.
There was bread in the kitchen too—probably a hint for me to handle it.
"This thing's just pop it in and hit start. What're you waiting for?"
"Dunno how, young."
Yeah, figured. What can you expect from someone who can't even text properly? Says she can't press a single button, so I guess I have to do it myself.
Ding—!!
Munching on the freshly popped bread with its cheerful chime, a thought crossed my mind.
This might be my last supper.
"First time on a boat! Sea air! It's been years!!"
"Hundreds? Thousands?"
"Don't add units. Plenty of demons died that way."
Me, getting demon treatment? I studiously avoided Raphael's glare. We were on a boat right now. One reason only. Duh.
Heading to the 11th Island. Really don't wanna go. Who came up with the brilliant idea of a weekend training camp on some island?
Wasn't me. This is unfair. We even finished midterms properly, leading into the next arc or whatever?
But damn vampire and half-demon screwed it all up.
Give me back my weekend. My precious weekend. Nah, I need a mindset shift here.
Might be surprisingly chill. Could feel like a retreat or something? A voice rang out, mocking my little escape from reality.
"Brace yourself. Sis packed this elixir for you—might as well drink up."
I took the offered bottle without thinking. The usual elixir. The one that wipes out next-day soreness. A bit flustered, I glanced sideways. There was a blue-haired girl with a headband. Reading a book?
Not seasick? More importantly, sisters after all—hits hard. Not surprised anymore. I casually cracked open the elixir and chugged it.
Tastes awful. Bitter as hell.
I grimaced but downed it all. Only then did Shin Chae-yeon close her book and look over.
"You picked up a bit of our family's taijutsu, right? Should make it easier."
"A bit. Like, really just a bit."
True story. I really only learned a tiny bit. No matter how you slice it, I've got zero talent for this stuff. And even with that tiny bit, how's it supposed to help on the 11th Island?
Can't use mana there. It's like Goku training with 10kg sandbags on.
"I'll be fine."
"Not you—me?"
"You? Why even ask?"
Obviously fine. She's saying the same thing, but lately it's scaring me. This endless trust from everyone around me is getting heavy.
I'm just a regular joe. Take away one of my items, skills, or Raphael, and I'm useless.
Ignoring the emotionless blue-hair droning on from the side about mana adaptation being key, that even you might struggle at first, focus on breathing...
Ignoring the blonde hollering too.
"Whoaaaa!! Seagulls!! Seagulls aren't affected by the barrier?! Wait, I think it said only intelligent beings can't enter?!"
Surveying the surroundings while tuning her out. Supposed to listen with one ear and let it flow out the other, but with both ears getting hammered, nowhere left to vent it.
Grinding my teeth and ignoring them, I scanned around. Off in the distance: a black-haired guy striking a pose against the railing, with a chatty brown-haired girl beside him.
Just standing there, and he's annoyingly handsome. I glared at him as hard as I could.
This might be a golden opportunity. A chance to gauge just how much weaker Kim Tae-hyun has gotten.
I've thrown a wrench in his plans plenty. Stole his weapons, his skills, his events. Gotta be way behind the original storyline by now.
Time to verify all my hard work. I wanna see it with my own eyes.
"Fighting him directly, though... nah."
The fight itself wouldn't be hard to start. Beg an instructor for a spar, drop the mask shop guy's name from the other day—he'd charge right in.
But I don't wanna. Don't think I'd win. No way I wanna get my ass handed to me just for mouthing off.
Anyone around? Someone on Kim Tae-hyun's level who'd fight in my place—
Lost in that thought, I glanced sideways and locked eyes with blue ones. She tilted her head, a big question mark practically floating over it.
"Found you."
"Found what."
Someone to fight in my place. Sure, she's no maid, but if I can sweet-talk her into it—
"Seong-hoon saw it too?! Look, I see it!! There!! That's the island, right? It's huge! Uninhabited too?!"
Right at the crucial moment, Raphael grabbed my shoulder and shook. She wouldn't stop till I looked, so I reluctantly turned to the sea.
Beyond the deep blue waters, it was gradually coming into view. Way too massive to call uninhabited.
Big enough to build a whole village on.
"You're thrilled to see that thing? I'm not."
"Why not? Feels like a vacation."
"It's not a vacation, I said. It's hell."
"Sounds great! Hell!"
No reasoning with her. Ignoring the hyper blonde bouncing around, I sat back down. Now, how to get those two to throw down...
With that on my mind, we arrived in no time. Island in sight, docking soon enough.
In the end, no answers, just forcibly shoved off the boat. Tried resisting a bit since I really didn't wanna go, but fat chance.
"Starts the second you step off. Work on adapting to the mana."
I already knew all that, but nodded vaguely at the chattering blue-hair beside me. She's just worried about me—what could I say?
Gulped hard and set foot on the island. Bring it, mana. Bring it, hell.
Thud.
Landed with a crisp sound, but...
"Huh?"
"Seong-hoon. All that hype, and it's nothing."
Tell me about it. No sensations at all. Feels totally normal? Wondering what was up, I turned around—Shin Chae-yeon looked like she was on death's door.
"What?"
Like, seriously, what.
Shin Chae-yeon was in full-blown panic mode right now.
Nausea she'd suppressed even while reading on the boat came surging up. She was experiencing breathing difficulties for the first time in her life.
Like someone was choking her—air just wouldn't come.
Stay calm.
Can't panic. Dad had drilled every coping method before she came.
Panic just makes it worse. Breathe slow, adapt to the mana.
Humans adapt. Mana refinement aside, breathing shouldn't take long.
Calm, slow. Regulating her breath with her trademark composure, she heard it.
Even Justitia's instructors were struggling to adapt, wearing gas masks. Students all doubled over.
And yet, voices chatting casually like it was nothing.
"These guys are such drama queens."
"Yeah. Weird."
What? What the hell? Her brain couldn't process it. This was the 11th Island.
Nickname: Hell Island. Aka Dragonless Dragon Nest.
That dense. Mana here rivaled a dragon's lair.
Not quite as potent, but thick concentration of high-purity mana made standing a chore. It rejected intruders outright.
So what were those two?
Standing there. Everyone else couldn't even stand, but those two acted like it was nothing.
Looking around innocently. Her eyes screamed, Why are they like that?
"Y-you two okay?!"
"Yup."
The instructor stammered in shock, but the breezy reply deflated him. Visible panic. While everyone struggled to adjust, those two were cracking jokes.
Their antics continued all the way to the central building.
Shin Chae-yeon barely adapted, gasping ragged breaths. Clinging to family taijutsu to stagger up, while they jogged up easy as pie.
Didn't even shut up.
—Air's great. Water's great. Everything's great. Why's this hell? Hell ain't this nice!!
—Tell me about it. I'm disappointed. Got all tensed up for nothing. Gimme back my tension. Compensate my resolve.
—Told you it was a picnic.
—Retreat. Retreat vibes. Depending on what you all do from here, I could turn demon or angel. Something like that?
Shut up already. Wanted to tell them to zip it, but no time.
What kind of monsters were they? Couldn't comprehend. Even the instructor in the gas mask leading the way stared in disbelief.
Dad was right.
Doubts vanished. He really took down the family swordsman. Nothing else explained it.
Monsters.
That's how Shin Chae-yeon summed them up. Same humans skipping around in this mana soup? No way. Absolutely not.
As delusions about Lee Seong-hoon amplified in her head—linking the family swordsman takedown with the current scene...
The man himself?
No clue why, but it's freaking honey.
Not a thought in his head.
```