Chapter 702
Chapter 702
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 702
Chapter Title: Academy Savior
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Evening had fallen, and two uninvited guests showed up.
One was a slender beauty with short brown bobbed hair. Her face had a puppy-like charm, giving her a pleasant impression overall.
I greeted her warmly.
Han So-hee.
She was the babysitter who'd taken care of me in the past. We'd been meeting less frequently lately, but we still hooked up in secret. Our eyes met, and she flashed a bright smile, waving at me.
"Long time no see."
"So-hee noona! Long time no see!"
Han So-hee was an A-rank Hero holding a pretty high position in the Korean Hero Association. She'd gotten close to Sung Ha-ri, which sped up her promotions compared to others. One of her jobs was assisting Sung Ha-ri and me.
"So-hee. What's up with showing up unannounced? That's not like you."
Sung Ha-ri's tone was subtly different from how she spoke to me.
"Sorry, Ha-ri unnie. It was urgent, so I had no choice. I did leave a message earlier... Did you not see it?"
Sung Ha-ri checked her phone belatedly.
"...Yeah. Sorry. It came in two hours ago. But who's this with you?"
The woman next to Han So-hee was a foreigner. She had pale white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes—a classic Western beauty. She was stiff with tension, and her chest was a full F-cup. Her blonde hair was tied back into a neat ponytail.
Fluent Korean came from her mouth.
"Hello. Sung Ha-ri-nim. I'm Sarah Keiley, a special agent from the American Hunter Association."
Special agent.
They were different from Heroes. While Heroes operated out in the open as public champions, special agents worked in the shadows, supporting Heroes on covert missions.
"America? And?"
Sung Ha-ri's voice was icy. Even Han So-hee was treading carefully, and Sarah herself was breaking out in cold sweat.
"I'm here on behalf of the American Hunter Association to request your unofficial cooperation, Sung Ha-ri-nim."
"Pretty bold of you."
"......We're well aware of what happened in the past and reflect on it deeply. Allow us to apologize once more."
"Save the apology. I've already gotten something out of it. I'm not planning to be petty about that. But that doesn't mean I fully trust you guys."
"Yes. We understand. Would you at least hear us out?"
"......Come in."
They entered the living room and sat facing each other at the dining table. Sung Ha-ri brought out coffee as a formality. She told me to go play in my room, but I threw a little tantrum and ended up sitting right next to her. I was dying to know why they'd come to see her.
"I don't plan on talking long. Spit it out."
"Sung Ha-ri-nim. An S-rank Dungeon has appeared in Chicago, America."
"What does that have to do with me? Surely America has plenty of capable Heroes to raid an S-rank Dungeon."
"Our calculations show it'll break in one year. The Dungeon is called 'Earth's Thunder Veins.' To raid it smoothly, we absolutely need the help of Sung Ha-ri-nim, an S-rank Hero with lightning attributes."
Lightning attribute. More precisely, thunderbolt attributes were extremely rare. Few people had them, and even fewer had them at high ranks.
It made sense why America was asking for cooperation. They didn't have an S-rank Hero with thunderbolt attributes.
"Is that so? But I have no intention of going to America."
As soon as the firm refusal dropped, Sarah shot up from her chair. She knelt on the floor beside it, clasping her hands in plea and bowing her head.
"S-Sung Ha-ri-nim! Please! Help America! If we rush in blindly, our projections say over twenty A-rank Heroes will die! With your help, we can minimize casualties! Please, I beg you!"
Twenty A-rank Heroes.
Even for talent-rich America, that was a crisis big enough to swallow their pride.
But Sung Ha-ri's eyes remained cold. She showed no sign of wanting to help America. Han So-hee, watching her expression, just looked troubled and hesitant.
"Well, America has S-rank Heroes too, right? Doesn't seem like you need me specifically."
"There are no available S-rank Heroes in America right now. And given the Dungeon's attributes, you're the perfect fit... We'll make it worth your while. 120 billion won, plus one item from the Dungeon."
"...120 billion."
Sung Ha-ri muttered. She seemed surprised by the hefty sum. She glanced at me. The reason she kept working as a Hero was money. More precisely, for me. She was saving up so I could live without want. She already had a decent fortune, but she probably figured the more, the better. Plus, as a top Hero, Sung Ha-ri's spending habits were pretty extravagant.
"......Still no. I have no plans to go to America. I'm staying with Yu-jin. You've got your answer. We're done here, right? Go home."
"Sung Ha-ri-nim! I'll do anything! Please help us! I beg you!"
"You're being so pathetic about it. I said no."
Irritation crept into Sung Ha-ri's voice, and Han So-hee, who'd been watching, stepped in.
"Ha-ri unnie. Calm down."
"...Got a little heated there. Does the Korean Association want me to go to America too?"
"Why say it like that? It sounds like they're ordering you to go. The Korean Association respects your decision, unnie. But we'd really appreciate it if you helped the American Association."
Han So-hee glanced at Sarah before speaking.
"Ha-ri unnie. Can we talk privately for a sec?"
"Guess it's Association business... Fine. I'll hear you out. Yu-jin, wait here. If that woman tries anything, yell."
Sung Ha-ri went into the room with Han So-hee. She couldn't outright ignore the Korean Association. We were living in Korea, after all. For the future, keeping good relations was smart.
I confirmed they were inside, then approached Sarah. She was still bowing her head.
"Sarah noona."
"...Yes?"
Sarah looked up. Her expression was dark, but as such a stunning beauty, she almost looked like a tragic heroine. Her ample chest, constrained by her blouse, drew my eyes too.
"You said you'd do anything earlier, right? Is that Dungeon really that tough?"
"Well..."
Sarah eyed me cautiously. Her thoughts were obvious. She couldn't treat me like a normal kid since I was Sung Ha-ri's son, and she probably saw no need to discuss this with a child.
"...Sigh. Yes, Yu-jin-nim. It's a difficult Dungeon, just as you say. Without Sung Ha-ri-nim's cooperation, our raid success rate is under 60%. The Dungeon's unstable right now, so if we fail, it could break immediately—not even a year from now."
If a Dungeon broke, it could mean hundreds or thousands of casualties.
'60% success rate without Ha-ri... No wonder the American Association's desperate. And...'
Sarah's gloomy face suggested she felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for this.
"Sarah noona. I can help you out."
"Y-Yu-jin-nim?"
"Don't you have the info? Mom listens to me really well. Didn't you know?"
"...Ah, no. I know that much. But this issue is..."
"Mom does whatever I say. You don't need my help?"
I placed a hand on her shoulder. Her blue eyes flickered with turmoil. She seemed seriously confused by the situation.
"Y-Yes, I do."
If they'd investigated Sung Ha-ri thoroughly, they'd know how much she doted on me.
"Noona. You meant it when you said you'd do anything, right?"
"Yes. Yes."
My hand on her shoulder slowly slid downward. It landed on her blouse, over her breast. I gave a slight squeeze, feeling the firm fullness. Sarah flinched, staring at me with a frozen expression.
"If you're really willing to do anything, then I can help you too."
I undid one button and slipped my hand into the valley of her taut cleavage. Warm and soft. The way it pressed in from all sides felt great.
"What do you say?"
"Th-This is..."
She'd panicked at first but quickly regained her composure.
"If you help... and it leads to a good outcome, I'll do anything."
"Good choice, noona."
I withdrew my hand from her breast, buttoned her up, and caressed her cheek with a smile. Sarah, her face still stiff, no longer saw me as just a kid.
A moment later, Sung Ha-ri and Han So-hee returned. Sung Ha-ri was expressionless, and Han So-hee's face looked bad too. She hadn't convinced her.
"Sarah Keiley, was it? Sorry, but."
"Mom."
"Yeah?"
"Let's go to America. I wanna go to America."
"What?"
Sung Ha-ri's eyes flashed as she glared at Sarah. She thought Sarah had said something to me. The flustered Sarah stayed silent, just watching nervously.
I hugged Sung Ha-ri with both arms.
"Mom. I overheard earlier, so I know. The Americans are in danger. I want you to help them."
"......Yu-jin. America has lots of strong Heroes. They'll handle it."
"Are they as strong as you, Mom?"
"Well... not quite, but..."
"You're a Hero, Mom. Heroes help people. That's what you always tell me."
"......"
Sung Ha-ri fell silent. She had no comeback. She'd always told me Heroes had to help people.
"Plus, I wanna see America. Let's go together. America. Yeah? America!"
Sung Ha-ri pondered quietly. A trip to America with me. She wouldn't hate that. Above all, she wanted to be the Hero I admired and a good mom.
"Alright. Let's go. How can I say no when Yu-jin wants to visit America?"
Sung Ha-ri smiled and pulled me into a hug.
"Mom's the best!"
I grinned in her embrace. My dick was already twitching at the thought of fucking Sarah.
???
Lamia Crowley.
The pianist who'd been contracted to Demon Duke Harteng, the one I killed. The blonde with dead eyes was now my loyal pawn, faithfully carrying out my orders. After some training from Yuria, she proved quite capable and convenient.
I had Lamia investigate Sung Ha-ri's past.
Even as her son, I didn't know everything about Sung Ha-ri. Especially not about my father—she never talked about him.
There was that one time I pressed her on it.
"Mom. Why don't I have a dad?"
"......Later. When you're grown up, Yu-jin, I'll tell you everything."
That was all she'd say, her face stiff. No matter how many times I asked, it was always "later."
'If he's dead, just say so. Why "later"? ...Is he alive?'
If Sung Ha-ri's husband—my father—was still alive, I'd have to track him down and kill him. Sung Ha-ri was mine; I wouldn't hand her over to anyone. If I couldn't hire an assassin, I'd summon Yuria and take him out preemptively.
It'd be harder to kill him openly later if he showed up claiming to be my dad, especially with Sung Ha-ri around.
But even after over a year of investigation by Lamia, there was zero info.
I had her check any man who'd been her classmate or colleague—anyone with even a loose connection. But they were all just casual acquaintances who no longer kept in touch. They were living their own lives, and none seemed father material.
'The most likely suspect was the guy she teamed up with ten months before I was born. But he married a B-rank Hero woman five years ago and has a kid. No way Sung Ha-ri would go for him... My gut says it's not him.'
There was something else suspicious.
My birthplace. Records said it was a small rural hospital, not a city one. That hospital shut down twelve years ago, and the building was demolished five years back. In other words, my birth certificate was faked.
'I casually asked her family, but they seemed just as curious. What's the secret behind my birth?'
If Sung Ha-ri had just come clean, I'd have let it go. But since she was hiding it so hard, it only made me want to dig deeper.