Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Episode 50. Eyes Looking Down from the Dark (1)
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Campus social service time had arrived.
It was just a two-hour shift today.
"It's the fifth-year cadets' tournament finals today, you see. Like last year, the kids are full of youthful vigor. It'd be great if they just fought on stage, but they never listen..."
In short, they wanted him to act as a security officer.
The guidance office staffer whispered quietly as he spoke.
"Still, we'll assign you to the outer perimeter. Just hang out there comfortably for two hours."
So, he spent about two hours standing in the Colosseum's fifth-floor tournament room, dressed in the security uniform.
The staffer's words turned out to be spot on.
The tournament had a lot riding on it.
Points, money, honor, specs, pride, and more.
To gain recognition from their families. To become superhumans acknowledged by the world. To surpass their peers.
The kids approached the tournament with far more sensitivity and seriousness than usual.
"What?"
"That loser who got crushed talks a big game with his tongue."
"You better shut up before I gouge your eyes out."
"Try it, you bastard."
When they had bad blood, they insulted and trash-talked each other from outside.
Even after matches ended, they often couldn't accept win or loss and started fights.
That was the world of the campus ranking battles.
"Come here, you son of a bitch!"
Yoo Ji-tae, who had been watching with arms crossed, grabbed one guy by the scruff as he lunged for a fight and slammed him to the ground.
"Gah!"
Then the other guidance office superhumans escorted the troublemakers away.
Surprisingly busy, the two hours in the tournament flew by.
Still, five hours remained.
Typically, superhuman parties consisted of three or more members, with most sticking to 3-4 as the standard.
That was why Yeoreum had teamed up with So Ji-ro, Kim Ji-in, and Sophia for the fieldwork assignment.
"Do I have to team up with these idiots?"
"You should be grateful. Who else would team up with a bitch like you if not me?"
"What did you just say, you crazy bitch?"
Though Noblesse School and the Yong family had occasionally suggested forming teams, Yeoreum had refused. Despite her sharp tongue, it seemed she had grown fond of them.
For external activities, the team name 'Yeoreum and the Idiots' wouldn't do. Mikhailov had even requested a name change.
"Then just go with 'Idiots' or whatever."
But 'Idiots' wasn't suitable for official activities either, so after much deliberation, they went with So Ji-ro's suggestion: 'Mochi'.
A word usually meaning chewy rice cakes or something soft and squishy. Yeoreum approved it because 'Ki-mochi Team' sounded cute.
"I'm heading out."
"Going alone again today?"
"Yeah. Don't follow me. I can handle it myself."
In the third quarter, Yoo Ji-tae had started accompanying Yeoreum less frequently.
No particular reason. She had refused his company.
She handled things fine on her own, so he let it be. Unlike before, Yeoreum was starting to fend for herself, and Team Mochi was running smoothly.
Not every day was joyful. Sometimes, after sparring or classes, Yeoreum would slam the door shut upon returning.
When asked what happened, she'd just say, "Nothing, just pissed off." Her getting annoyed was commonplace.
"Unni must be on her period..."
Gaeul got smacked for chirping unnecessarily.
So usually, Yoo Ji-tae accompanied Bom. On other days, he played with Winter.
That day was one such day.
He was holding Winter's hand, strolling down a residential street. With the weather warming, the central plaza's fountain had started running. Winter had been begging to go for days, so it seemed perfect for today.
Until the sudden call came.
— Are you Yoo Ji-tae, the guardian?
"Yes."
A call from the guidance committee.
What could they want with him?
An extremely polite voice asked cautiously.
— Could you come over urgently, by any chance?
"What's going on?"
— Cadet Yoo Yeoreum is involved in an assault incident.
Yoo Ji-tae's steps halted.
The fountain would have to wait.
"...Why'd you stop?"
"Gotta go somewhere."
Winter, who had waited days, looked disappointed but nodded obediently.
"Sorry."
"...Okay."
He took the child home first, then headed to the scene.
Colosseo Lair. Underground private duel room. One room in the middle was trashed. Crowds were milling about, peering in, while Yeoreum sat huddled, surrounded by guidance office superhumans.
What the hell happened this time? As Yoo Ji-tae approached, someone greeted him. At the sound, Yeoreum lifted her head slightly. Sulky expression. Their eyes met. She looked down again.
He pushed through the crowd to the center.
"I'm Yoo Ji-tae, the guardian."
"Ah, you've arrived. Sorry to disturb your rest. I'm Ho Se, head of Guidance Office Investigation Team 3."
Despite no need for apologies, the guidance superhumans apologized first. That was the weight of the Yoo family name.
"It's not a big deal. After the duel ended, Cadet Yeoreum went outside and hit her opponent."
"Who was the victim?"
"Zhou Lurushin."
Zhou Lurushin from the Erpan Guild, one of the top three guilds in the Chinese region—the standout cadet. Affiliated with Professor Ha Yun's Moonlight House and vice president of the Level 5 club.
At the same time, he had extremely bad relations with Yeoreum.
"Is the kid badly hurt?"
"No. Not seriously injured. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment. But as you can see, some equipment was... damaged."
Yoo Ji-tae nodded and approached Yeoreum.
She was squatting, staring at the floor. Red eyes peeked through her cascading red hair.
He didn't speak to her right then. She probably wouldn't respond anyway.
"For now, we'd appreciate your cooperation with the investigation."
"Sure."
The incident wrapped up roughly like that, and Yoo Ji-tae brought Yeoreum back to the dorm.
She remained silent the whole way. Once in her room, she didn't come out.
That evening.
A guidance office staffer visited Yoo Ji-tae. He rambled about Yeoreum's punishment.
Fights between cadets were common, but there were many witnesses, and the property damage was significant.
"We can't completely let her off without backlash from the Chinese side..."
Amusingly, the guidance office was protecting the Yoo family. They were actually wary of him.
But he shook his head.
"It's fine. Punish her at your discretion."
Even dragons deserved punishment for wrongdoing.
Not because he was righteous. Just that life couldn't always be fun and perfect.
If the kids did something bad, they needed to know it was bad.
That didn't mean they'd change. She might hit someone again later, and he wouldn't care. But knowing hitting was wrong was key to life going on.
So, as long as it didn't affect their lives or play...
Yeoreum was wrong, so she should be punished.
"Pardon? Ah, understood..."
The staffer looked puzzled but relieved.
The next day, Yoo Ji-tae was summoned to the academic affairs office. In the meeting room, they discussed the punishment.
Erpan Guild guardian 'Ryun' scowled imposingly but said little.
Ryun was short, about 170 cm, but had a fiercely rugged face. Like assault team military veterans.
There had been a similar setup before. When Yeoreum had beaten Erpan's Jang Su-young and kissed her mockingly. Back then, he'd raged wildly.
"The kid's a bit rough."
That was all of Ryun's complaint. Unhappy, but glancing at Yoo Ji-tae inwardly.
So the meeting was quiet. Swift.
Yeoreum received the guidance office's punishment: "3-day ban on personal duels for misconduct. 20 duel points deducted."
Back at the dorm, Yoo Ji-tae opened the ranking battle app to check Yeoreum's rank.
The numbers around 2500 were accumulated points from quarters 1 through 3. The parentheses showed point changes over the last three days. With a major assignment recently, changes were big.
From 2nd to 10th, differences were usually 5-10 points. Yet Yeoreum trailed 1st-place Yong Tae-ha by a whopping 70 points? No— she had been overwhelmingly first.
2. Yoo Yeoreum: 2512 (-28)
Now her score had plummeted. While others rose, she fell—the gap widened. Enough to cede 1st to Yong Tae-ha.
And that was it? A 3-day personal duel ban meant missing 10p daily—about 30p loss.
Top-rank cadets were desperate and talented. With slim margins, 30p was huge. Without major upsets, Yeoreum would drop outside 4th in three days.
Yesterday's gains were low. Checking personal duel records showed a draw with Zhou Lurushin.
Well, his blessing was for time-wasting defense, and Yeoreum didn't always win. So he shrugged it off.
Two consecutive matches against the same opponent, both draws? Something smelled off.
Draws deducted points due to the ranking battle's 'underdog system'. Lower-score cadets steal more from higher ones on wins.
Before duels, Yeoreum outscored Zhou Lurushin, so draws cost her points.
He needed to talk to Yeoreum.
But even a day later, she stayed holed up.
Knocking yielded silence. She was inside—watch sounds confirmed she saw the punishment notice.
Instead, Team Mochi came to the dorm.
Knock knock—
Opening the door, Sophia, So Ji-ro, and Kim Ji-in wore worried faces.
"Is Yeoreum here?"
"Yeah. Come in."
"Is she... okay?"
Yoo Ji-tae shook his head.
Kim Ji-in and So Ji-ro asked about Yeoreum's state. As he answered, Sophia sighed.
"Jeez. That hothead needs to cool it..."
"Thanks for worrying. I'll pass it on."
"Okay..."
The kids offered a paper bag as a gift.
"Sandwiches and coffee. She skips meals when mad..."
"Thanks."
As they turned to leave after goodbyes, Sophia—who hadn't fully turned—spoke in an irritated tone.
"...But honestly, I'd be pissed too."
"What?"
"That bastard Zhou Lurushin... He targeted Yeoreum."
"Right. Heard sniping's rampant since the battle system update."
Sniping. A term he'd heard in passing from Mikhailov.
He planned to ask Mikhailov and professors later anyway. Might as well start now.
"Tell me more details?"
"Huh?"
"What's sniping?"
Seeing his interest, Kim Ji-in met his eyes and flinched involuntarily.
Sophia answered instead.
"Duel rooms match similar score brackets now. 2500-pointers won't face 1000-pointers."
"Got it."
"So, if I'm 2500 and bad matchup for Yeoreum, I queue when she does."
"Forcing a match."
"Exactly. Few top cadets, long queues anyway—sniping guarantees it."
Exploiting the 'personal duel' system.
"100% sure. Never matched till third quarter, then twice in a row? No way."
"True. Doesn't add up."
Always focused on Yeoreum's combat, emotions— he ignored minor mechanics like matching.
Thinking, Yoo Ji-tae considered the reverse.
Both top rank—how no matches till third quarter?
"...Conversely, top ranks could collude to avoid overlapping duel times."
Sophia's eyes widened. Kim Ji-in and So Ji-ro blinked cluelessly—Sophia knew something.
"I'm right, huh?"
The white girl nodded cautiously.
"Yeah. Actually... there's a group chat..."
At that, Kim Ji-in and So Ji-ro's eyes went wide too.