Chapter 16
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Caught Red-Handed
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Sejin froze at that deep, sly smile.
'Why the hell are you here?'
This was already the second time they'd run into each other like this. It wasn't like some dedicated background music had kicked in—why did they keep bumping into each other?
Sejin clung to her fraying sanity as she stared at his smile, which crinkled all the way up to his eyes like he was genuinely delighted.
[That guy?]
Do Jaegyu had approached right up to her feet before she knew it and now stood protectively in front of her.
He straightened from his awkward half-bow and looked at her with a bewildered gaze.
Do Jaegyu winked playfully in response.
[What's with the winking bullshit since last time? Aren't you deficient in magnesium or whatever that crap is?]
Breaking Army Star spat out his complaints without restraint, clearly displeased.
He'd tried mocking him with modern medicine, but it wasn't like any of that would reach him.
[Still, it's a relief he showed up in time and you didn't get hurt.]
Sejin clutched her chest, where her heart was pounding like a drumstick against a pot. She'd nearly been gulped down whole by Tanjueo's massive maw.
She was still utterly dumbfounded.
Was it fear making her heart race, or sheer bewilderment at this absurd situation? She couldn't even tell anymore.
"Uh......"
It really was Do Jaegyu. No mistaking it, even if she rolled forward for a closer look.
Do Jaegyu had saved her? His signature weapon, the black gauntlets, gleamed on his right hand.
Steam rose from the gauntlet, radiating intense heat from the power he'd just unleashed.
"Why are you...... here."
Her voice came out dazed and disjointed, but Do Jaegyu just shrugged casually.
"Told you, came to pick up a prospective guild member."
So why you? Sejin straightened up, baffled by his inexplicable logic.
"Don't tell me...... you've been tailing me?"
"Hm...... something like that?"
'Yeah, exactly like that!'
Do Jaegyu looked utterly innocent, like he had no idea what the issue was.
'Wow...... this guy's got skin thicker than a rhino.'
"So you're admitting it now?"
"Admitting what?"
"Black Shadow."
"......"
"You gonna deny it even now?"
Sejin's jaw dropped slackly at Do Jaegyu's playful grin.
There was that old saying about not spitting in a smiling face...... but for the first time, she wondered if she could manage it.
His eyes flicked toward the bow clutched in her hands. At that oddly sharp glint, Sejin's shoulders hunched instinctively.
'Busted. Ha. Ha. Ha.'
She hadn't anticipated this at all, so she blinked in shock.
So that's why he'd been so quiet all this time—waiting for her to make a move?
She'd walked right into the trap he'd so neatly set.
'Jeez...... but what could I have done about it?'
She knew if he really wanted to tail her, he could do it effortlessly. That's why she'd spent a whole month laying low with Breaking Army Star, being extra cautious.
But she couldn't keep dodging his eyes forever, hiding away.
He was already watching her. What more precaution could she take? And she couldn't just stop entering gates either.
Her options had been nonexistent from the start. This was inevitable—it was only a matter of time.
'Sigh...... all because I'm still lacking. Should've ditched him sooner.'
Even a C-rank like Queen Hornet had given her hell because of bad matchup.
Just as Breaking Army Star said, she was still green.
As she reflected on her shortcomings, Do Jaegyu stretched out his long legs.
"Anyway, let's head out and talk the rest."
Do Jaegyu glanced at the lake, then stepped forward as if shielding her.
Whoosh—
Flames devoured his hand, unleashing a ferocious blaze. The heat scorched Sejin's face from beside him.
Even this vast lake, wide as the sea, seemed like it would dry up in an instant under that raging inferno. Sejin stumbled back a few steps.
"Now, our prospective guild member, stay back. The awesome guild leader's got this."
What the......? Calling himself awesome out loud like that couldn't have been easy. Yet Do Jaegyu pulled it off with shameless ease.
'His self-love is off the charts......'
Should she applaud or something?
Kraaaang—
Tanjueo, having failed to snag Sejin, roared in fury, poking its face above the surface.
The bellow echoed everywhere, deafening her as if her ears were submerged. Sejin grimaced, plugging her ears.
Do Jaegyu stood unfazed, lips curled in a wide grin.
'Mom...... what is he? Scary.'
[I knew he wasn't your average lunatic.]
Sejin nodded vigorously.
'I didn't know he was this crazy.'
Tanjueo leaped from the water. Its massive bulk rose effortlessly.
Its gaping maw, aimed to swallow Do Jaegyu whole, bristled with razor-sharp teeth.
Eek! Sejin clapped a hand over her mouth.
Those fangs looked like they'd been packed together from giant elephant tusks.
But Do Jaegyu showed no fear.
With a light kick off the ground, his body soared upward.
He jumped higher than Tanjueo, swinging his fist straight for its brow.
Eternal flames blazed fiercely around that fist.
Bam—
'No way...... he punched it?'
The impact rang out like metal clashing. Sejin's eyes trembled.
'Whoa, so this is SS-rank power.'
She'd been impressed watching the Seoksan Station footage, but seeing it live was another level.
[No ordinary guy. His combat prowess is insane. And he's not even at a type advantage, yet he's holding his own effortlessly.]
Sejin stared blankly at the crashing spray, like a caster narrating a match, as Breaking Army Star broke it down.
Even the droplets splattering toward her body turned to steam at Do Jaegyu's gesture.
[He's put up a wall of fire in front of you mid-fight!]
Breaking Army Star's voice brimmed with admiration now, forgetting his earlier curses as he raved excitedly.
"Didn't you just call him a lunatic?"
[Ahem. Lunatics like him fight without a care for the odds.]
"So, in your opinion, how strong is he? Compared to, uh, Cheonhui......"
Sejin asked tentatively.
[How dare he challenge Cheonhui, served by the Seven Stars Gods? But...... in a one-on-one, he wouldn't go down easy.]
'So, basically, he's a beast?'
Even Cheonhui, whom Breaking Army Star praised endlessly as the greatest sorceress, couldn't take him lightly? Sejin shook her head at the sheer might of an SS-rank.
Do Jaegyu kicked off the air, pursuing the plummeting Tanjueo.
Whoosh. He flipped effortlessly midair and dove headfirst downward.
His red hair whipped in the wind as flames danced from his fingertips.
His falling fist trailed fiery afterimages like a meteor's tail, smashing straight into Tanjueo's skull.
Boom—
Kreeeek—
The surging spray fizzled against the firewall Do Jaegyu had left behind.
Not a single drop had touched Sejin since he arrived.
'Insane......'
Sejin scanned the surface, searching for Do Jaegyu as he plunged into the lake.
"Wh-where'd he go?"
She didn't think he'd lose, but unable to see underwater, Sejin stamped her feet anxiously.
Plus, water was a huge disadvantage for him.
Water douses fire—it was basic common sense even a toddler knew. She couldn't help worrying.
"Gasp."
Suddenly, whirlpools churned across the lake.
Like a bathtub draining, the water spiraled wildly.
Shoooo—
Fierce winds buffeted her, nearly toppling Sejin. Her hat flew off into the distance.
[Tanjueo is a water-wielding demon. It traps people in whirlpools too.]
"He's not gonna lose, right?"
Sejin swept wet hair from her eyes and crouched low.
This wouldn't end badly, would it? Nah, no way.
She bit her lip nervously, eyeing her black hat fluttering in the wind.
As it drifted down like a leaf and touched the surface, a water pillar erupted.
Something red streaked through the sky-high geyser.
"That's......"
No wonder people called him the Flame Emperor.
The wielder of unquenchable fire, the Fire Sovereign—that was how the world knew him.
Even underwater, Do Jaegyu's flames roared fiercely.
As if scorning the water's domain.
The blaze intensified without end.
Roar—
Far from the lake's center, Sejin's skin stung from the heat.
"Whoa......"
Hiss—
The water was evaporating in seconds.
Even for an SS-rank, was this possible? Anyone witnessing Do Jaegyu now would be awestruck. The lake boiled furiously, like atop a high-powered restaurant burner.
Mist thickened like a high-end humidifier on blast.
Visibility gone, Sejin widened her eyes.
Kraaaaa—
A massive thud shook the air alongside Tanjueo's bellow. Sejin flinched, thinking it was an earthquake.
Tanjueo had slammed into the ground nearby, flopping like a live fish, body twisting wildly.
[Impressive.]
Sejin had to agree with Breaking Army Star.
"Yeah...... fucking badass."
Do Jaegyu hadn't been bluffing when he told her to sit back and watch.
He emerged slowly from the waves, cutting through the water, utterly dry—not a drop on him.
His prowess backed up every word.
Sejin realized she absolutely shouldn't mess with him.