Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Yoo Family (2)
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“What can I get for you, sir?”
A cafe somewhere in Lair.
A female cadet with green hair was ordering a drink.
“I'll have a strawberry smoothie, please. What about you, Ajusshi?”
“I'm good.”
“One green grape ade, too.”
“……”
While waiting for their two drinks, subtle gazes began to fix on them.
Bright midday. Blinding sunlight poured down. Through the window, the sunlight made the cadet's hair gleam like finely carved green jade.
Her head propped on her hand, tilted slightly and leaning against the window. Her face—her eyes, her nose—was so beautiful it made one wonder if they'd ever see its like again in their lifetime.
As always, passersby lost themselves, stealing glances at her face.
“……”
Then one cadet had his ear grabbed.
“Ah, ow. Ack…!”
By his girlfriend.
“Why, why…?!”
“What're you staring at?”
“Huh? Just, uh……”
“Forget it. Don't even talk. You were practically boring holes.”
Releasing his ear, the girlfriend turned her gaze back to her coffee.
“Babe, misunderstanding. I wasn't looking at her.”
“Sure.”
“It's really a misunderstanding?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“…Babe, are you mad?”
“N-not mad.”
She was 100% mad. Cold sweat dripped down the cadet's back.
The cadet whispered lowly.
“No, seriously, I wasn't looking at Yoo Bom? Didn't you hear?”
“……”
“That her guardian beat up the Discipline Chief.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did a faint cloud lift from the girlfriend's expression.
Lair was a military academy. The cadets here were promising superhumans from various countries, trained as future soldiers.
As such, nearly every cadet—regardless of gender or age—was hypersensitive to 'strength.'
“I heard from the Academic Affairs Office yesterday that the Discipline Chief got beaten by that guardian. See him? That scary-looking guy.”
“…Makes no sense. Leo's world ranker around 50th.”
“53rd. No cap—my friend saw it firsthand. Lots of others did too. Word's probably spreading everywhere by now?”
Cadet conflicts often escalated to guardian clashes, then family feuds.
Among guardians were active rankers or retired ones aplenty. Fisticuffs could balloon into terrorism-level battles.
The Discipline Committee always suppressed them with force. They'd snap an armed thug's arm. Slam a rampager's head into the ground. Some pointed fingers at the brutality, but none protested— it was academy policy.
“Discipline is physical force.”
A joking remark from the 'Final Barrier,' Silard Leo, in an interview.
It had become a thrilling meme among cadets.
And that giant got beaten by that guy? For real? Or just boyfriend deflection from a guy who couldn't keep his eyes in his head?
Glared at by his axe-eyed girlfriend, the cadet checked the messenger group chat on his watch.
Perfect timing—the topic was hot.
The photo showed a city street with collapsed pavement.
A massive sinkhole. Police tape around it. Civil engineering mages casting spells.
Right in the center of the crater. A massive human-shaped imprint stretched out.
A colossal figure, roughly over 3 meters.
“……”
Watching the chat, the cadet zoned out for a moment before looking up.
The famous 'Yoo Bom' was sticking a straw into a drink and handing it to her guardian.
“Why? Don't like green grape? Their green grape ade's great here.”
“I don't like sweet stuff.”
“Try it anyway. Come on.”
Come to think of it, surrounding glances were furtive too. Yoo Bom always drew eyes, but today they were on her guardian.
“How is it?”
“…Not bad.”
“Knew it.”
Blur of gazes. Leisurely movements. The man downed the drink steadily, then led Yoo Bom out of the cafe.
The cadet stared blankly after them before asking her boyfriend.
“That's the guy who beat the Discipline Chief.”
“Yeah.”
“And he's just casually walking around…?”
“That's what's got me puzzled too.”
A meeting of guardians from Level 4 club cadets.
After that day's escort duties, they finally gathered during break, tilting glasses.
Lair was rife with daily incidents, but today's gossip was bigger.
“10 hours community service on campus. Fine of 500k dollars, right?”
“Yep.”
“Service is pure show…… They give 30 hours even for cadet fights. Fine's harsh, though.”
“Nah, that's a slap on the wrist compared to property damage.”
“No fairness at all……”
“That's Lair for ya. They act like absolute top dogs.”
“Even Erpan or Dragon families couldn't pull this off……”
“Right? Unless you're Blanc family. Federation wouldn't stand for it.”
Blanc family could.
World rank 1's kin, after all.
Conversely, you needed that tier.
“So what the hell's the Yoo family? Mr. Hwangbo, know anything?”
A Hwangbo guardian downed his drink.
Yoo family. Yoo family……
Nothing came to mind. Even for a well-connected guild family, it was unfamiliar.
Too odd for a Korean government outfit. Excluding Yoo Yeoreum, the other two weren't military types.
As drinks flowed, topics shifted.
From probing the mystery family to wild speculation.
“…Maybe a Federation black ops group?”
“Pardon?”
“Y'know, before Oscar Blanc, rank 1 was Korean? Federation affiliate.”
“Nah, declared dead……”
“Nah, I think returner.”
“Returner?”
“Yeah. Like BM's bro or sis. Fits the sudden powerhouse drop and BM volunteering as lawyer.”
“Eh…… Returning ain't a convenience store run……”
In the ensuing delusions, the Yoo family became ever grander analogies.
Lair's Academic Affairs warned foreign press and media to keep the incident quiet. State and public broadcasters ignored it.
But curiosity fueled underground buzz.
“Today, we'll dig into the Yoo family you've all been wondering about.”
A broadcasting cadet stepped up to ask the Yoo family himself.
Aggro hooked hard. 30x normal viewers flooded in. Curious cadets and civilians alike. Mind-blowing.
He sought interviews in Bom and Gaeul's classes, but both shut him down flat.
Bom just shook her head. Gaeul fled: “Uh-uh…! D-don't know!”
He wanted to press more, but strangely couldn't.
Viewers bailed, leaving him hollow. Then he had a thought he shouldn't.
That night, he hit record and cautiously tailed Gaeul.
Yellow-haired girl heading home from friends.
He scaled the dorm wall. Pursued her up the stairs.
“Cadet. What're you doing?”
Then.
A Discipline squad superhuman burst in, yanking his arm. His dropped camera rolled on the ground.
“Camera?”
Startled, the cadet flailed, turning serious.
“What's this about?”
“What's with the camera? Permitted filming?”
“What? Just shooting scenery.”
“Just scenery, huh?”
“Yeah. My dorm's nearby. Just local shots—what're you doing?”
He figured aggression would fluster them. A buddy's bar tale.
No dice. The squad member smirked.
“Where d'you live?”
“Huh?”
“Where. Cadet.”
“H-here, dorms!”
“Badge. Lemme see.”
Lie unraveling. Panicking, he flipped.
“Uh…… Sir. It's nothing, just…… Think I took a wrong turn……”
“Wrong turn?”
“Y-yeah, just a slip. I'm directionally challenged……”
The squad member scoffed. Absurdity incarnate.
“Cadet. No idea how long I've been tailing you?”
His heart sank.
“Ah, th-that……”
“Wet-behind-the-ears punk messing with adults. Think Discipline's your buddy?”
“Th-that……”
“Let's go.”
Next day. His BJ account vanished.
Footless words go a thousand miles. Rumors circled the globe overnight.
This flow hit Yoo Ji-tae after just three days.
“Welcome. Ji-tae. Everywhere you go lately, it's all about you. How's it feel?”
“No big deal.”
Winter, nestled in Yoo Ji-tae's arms, tensed.
“Hm? Your family has such a young child?”
“Youngest.”
“I see. Adorable kid. Hi, little one.”
Mikhailov grinned. Scarred face twisted into a fierce smile.
“……”
Winter shook her head. No hi.
Mikhailov eyed the incidents curiously too, but this macho didn't dwell.
Today, five white cadets trailed him. They fidgeted from afar, then awkwardly nodded greetings up close.
“What're these kids?”
“RIL cadets. Heard rumors somewhere, bugged me all morning to see you. Lectured 'em, but they followed anyway.”
Russian Airborne Special Forces (RIL).
RIL saw force as all a superhuman needed. Cadets drilled as harshly as CCP's Erpan.
Mikhailov scowled.
“You brats bother the guardian, I'll bust your thighs when we get back.”
““Yes, sir!””
“Sorry. Ignore 'em.”
So Yoo Ji-tae did.
This was an Academic Affairs auditorium.
Gathered because today was the final day of the B+ underground rift raid.
More people than the briefing days ago. Guardians joined staff and cadets to cheer entrants.
Yong Cheol-joon of Dragon family. Professor Ha Yun of Moonlight House under Zhou Luxin. Et al.
Crowded house.
“Ajusshi! We're here!”
Bom and Gaeul entered post-class. “Whoa! So many people!” Gaeul's hyper dash drew guardian eyes to Yoo Ji-tae.
Yoo Ji-tae looked at Gaeul, but his gaze swept the auditorium.
Scales Eye now constantly active: good/evil, like/dislike, truth/lie popped simultaneously.
Revealing emotions and thoughts pervasive in the space.
“……”
Results differed from days ago.
Then, barring those interested in him, most were dislike (惡), truth (眞), evil (惡). Hated him. Sincerely. With ill intent.
In competition, that meant 'envy,' 'resentment,' 'jealousy.' Writhing deep in human hearts. Most annoying for a returner living normally.
Now? Different.
Like/dislike: dislike (惡).
Truth/lie: lie (僞).
Good/evil: good (善).
They disliked him. But lied to themselves, harboring kind thoughts. In rivalry, that signaled 'awe.' They began seeing him as respected yet uneasy, fearsome.
Feeling the subtle gazes, Yoo Ji-tae leaned back leisurely.
Familiar to a returner.