Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Episode 50. Eyes Looking Down from the Dark Place (2)
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"What? Group chat?"
A startled gasp escaped her lips. Realizing how loud she'd been, Kim Ji-in hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
"...A group chat?"
Sophia shot her a slightly annoyed glance, as if it were some shameful secret. She bit her lower lip and ruffled her hair in irritation.
"This. It's a secret, Guardian. And you two as well."
"Ah, got it."
"Y-yeah, okay...!"
Yoo Ji-tae nodded, and Sophia let out a sigh-like breath as she opened her mouth.
"Out of the top ranks in the intra-academy ranking matches, ten of them have a group chat. They share their personal duel schedules there. Just like you said, Guardian. To avoid each other's duel times."
"Who's in it."
Sophia's brow furrowed at Yoo Ji-tae's question.
"Can't tell you that much."
"Why."
"I don't actually know who's in it myself."
"You don't know."
"Someone invited me in before, so I just know it exists."
"Who was that."
Yoo Ji-tae's questions bordered on an interrogation. Feeling a bit of pressure, Sophia averted her gaze slightly before adding,
"Can't say that either. I didn't join because it felt dirty. I hate that kind of politicking."
"Hm..."
Yoo Ji-tae tilted his head back for a moment, gazing off into the distance toward the academy district. Toward the heart of Lair, where the Academic Affairs Bureau was located.
Then he fell silent for a long while, lost in thought.
"They're probably starting to realize by now. Some must already suspect. The top ranks haven't fought each other in months."
"Ha, yeah, it did feel kinda weird...!"
"Avoiding each other means it can be used for sniping too..."
"Exactly. Damn it. In that situation, they timed it perfectly to slam him with close-range suppression abilities from afar. Did you see this, Guardian?"
Breathing heavily, Sophia played the recorded video of Yeoreum's duel with Zhou Luoxin that was floating on her clip.
Of course he'd seen it. Still, he watched quietly again.
The moment the duel began, four tombstones rose into the air around Zhou Luoxin—front, back, left, and right.
The key one was the tombstone positioned behind him. Slightly larger than the others, it required nearly 30 seconds of continuous mana infusion to activate.
"Ugh. Revolver Tombstone. I hate that thing."
Once activated, the Revolver Tombstone unleashed mana bullets with a range of over a hundred meters.
The other tombstones were support types, protecting Zhou Luoxin and the Revolver Tombstone.
Yeoreum seemed poised to take him down before the Revolver could fully activate. But cold air, telekinesis, and illusions began emanating from the other three tombstones.
Zhou Luoxin moved his body while simultaneously deploying all four magics to block Yeoreum's approach.
It was like playing soccer with his lower body while ping-pong, gaming, and singing with his upper body all at once.
"...It's bullshit, but gotta admit it's impressive."
That was why he was called the top genius of the Erpan Guild in the Central Plains.
Still, Yeoreum stayed calm. She shattered the cold trying to freeze her limbs with raw power, deftly handled the telekinesis forcing her body and incoming objects, and pressed Zhou Luoxin.
But whenever she closed in, he'd already retreated a few steps. Like a mirage, his body vanished.
The illusion effect.
"Argh, so close!"
"...Hoo. Fights so dirty."
Even if she caught him, all he'd brought were two shields. Unlike his usual sword, it was efficient defense against Yeoreum, who favored strikes as her main weapon.
After several near-misses, Soji and Kim Ji-in grimaced too.
And Zhou Luoxin giggling and sticking out his tongue mid-fight made it worse.
"Psychological warfare. You gotta stay calm to catch him, but get mad and you lose your cool."
Yeoreum poured footwork and power into pressuring him, but ultimately failed to take Zhou Luoxin down.
Once the Revolver Tombstone activated, it was impossible.
That was why Zhou Luoxin was called the "Lord of the Domain" publicly.
One odd thing: Zhou Luoxin couldn't take Yeoreum down either.
"You get it? What that bastard's doing?"
Yoo Ji-tae nodded at Sophia's words.
The completed tombstones didn't fire mana bullets offensively.
Pure suppression. Zhou Luoxin kept Yeoreum at bay for the full 5 minutes.
In other words, all his gear and buffs were tailored for a draw against Yeoreum.
Hence the term "snipe."
After 5 minutes, the duel ended, points shifted.
— Hey, you fucking ■■■ ■■! You duel like such a ■!
Unable to hold back her rage at losing precious points, Yeoreum hurled her sword and stomped the ground furiously as the video ended.
That was day one.
Repeating that led to the blowup on day two.
"...Thanks for telling me."
For the next three days, Yeoreum didn't leave her room.
She skipped classes, holing up in the corner. Even when Bom or Gaeul knocked, no answer.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-tae made calls and met people, inquiring about the matching system and duel regulations.
With the Yoo family name spreading through Lair, he could reach department head level at Academic Affairs with one call.
Despite no real authority, it was thanks to Principal Ha Seok-mu's influence.
— Yes. So, as per academy rules now, we can't intervene in system usage.
That was the competition staff's stance.
"Understood."
The regressor knew nothing of rules or duel systems.
But he understood human desires universally and could analyze their consequences.
Zhou Luoxin's snipe was rational, clever. Only the victim's mood soured. No grounds to overturn it—and shouldn't.
The one who understood and used the system best was simply smart.
— Erpan, those trash bastards. Pulled off a dirty jealousy play.
Mikhailov clicked his tongue.
Yoo Ji-tae made no retort.
As he said, with quarterly results in three days, Yeoreum's 4th place was locked.
She was perfectly ensnared.
"......"
Sitting in the living room, staring at Yeoreum's door.
The regressor pondered.
Assuming this was a snipe.
One inconsistency in the chain.
Top cadets sharing duel times didn't reveal Yeoreum's schedule.
So Zhou Luoxin needed another way to pinpoint it precisely.
Heading to Colosseo Lair. To the underground arena room. Entering and hitting the button—that exact timing. How did he know?
Someone tailing Yeoreum?
Tailing, tailing...
An unwelcome word circled his mind.
If tailed, no fellow cadet could. Yeoreum was a dragon. Her mana sense far exceeded cadets.
Narrowed suspects obviously.
1. Active in Lair.
2. Capable of tailing Yeoreum.
3. With motive to share intel with Zhou Luoxin.
Decision made, Yoo Ji-tae called 'Ryeon,' Zhou Luoxin's guardian and Erpan's top guardian.
— Ring ring...
— ...Cannot connect. Please try again later.
Ryeon didn't pick up.
He asked Mikhailov to try. No dice.
Even other Erpan guardians he'd identified: same.
— Cannot connect. Please try again later.
Not answering.
Guardians must be reachable in Lair. All losing phones? As likely as Yeoreum in a wedding dress.
So.
What did Ryeon dodging calls mean?
'Well, well.'
Erpan Guild was avoiding Yoo Ji-tae.
Creeeak...
Then, a door opened. Having watched Yeoreum's room constantly, Yoo Ji-tae's eyes met red ones through the gap.
"Hi."
"......"
Yeoreum nodded slowly, her face full of dissatisfaction.
Door might not open again. As she opened it, he approached her room.
"......"
Her upturned eyes still bristled with annoyance. But she didn't reject him. She shifted aside, letting him enter.
Perched on the bed, she looked up at him.
"What've you been up to?"
"Digging around. You feeling better?"
"Would you, in my shoes?"
Her sharp retort hung curtly.
She averted her gaze slyly after.
"Dunno."
"......"
"Need more alone time?"
"......"
"Rest up then."
"Where you going?"
"Got someone to meet."
As Yoo Ji-tae rose to leave, Yeoreum's voice caught him.
"Still... I'm feeling a bit better."
He turned. She added softly, eyes on his feet, shoulders slumped.
"...Jerking off helped."
Forced half-joke. Her expression wasn't bright.
The regressor didn't grasp what her words or foot-staring meant.
But holding him back suggested she had more to say. He sat beside her again.
"No big deal. No need to mope."
"No. Who's moping."
"Then?"
"Just..."
"Spit it out."
Yeoreum sighed heavily through her nose.
"No, just... don't I seem like an idiot?"
Unexpected.
"Why."
"Look, losing to Zhou Luoxin is one thing. But the 20-point penalty and three-day ban? That's just me being stupid. Right?"
The regressor answered honestly.
"Yeah."
Yeoreum glared briefly, then sighed deeply.
"Right... Truth is, I knew it was idiotic."
"Yeah."
"After that bastard finished, shaking his ass? Rage boiled over. Tried to hold back this time. Loss is loss. Tantrums are ugly. I humiliate winners daily."
"So."
"But... couldn't hold it..."
He pondered why she said this.
"Feels idiotic. Charging in whenever anger hits."
"......"
All past regressions like that. Witnessed over decades.
Understanding her worry took time for the regressor.
"Now it'd just be punching some rando. Sometimes clashing with Bom unni, curses nearly slip."
"......"
"Dungeon raids too, ruined nearly by my temper..."
He just listened.
"Just... wanna control my anger..."
The answer came naturally.
"......"
Yeoreum hugged her knees, embarrassed as always when baring her heart.
He nodded roughly and stood.
If she couldn't control rage, he knew how to fix it.
But breaking a high spirit dragon's psyche wasn't easy or kind. Later.
"Got it. Rest for now."
"Yeah."
Leaving the dorm, Yoo Ji-tae contacted Academic Affairs for Erpan Guild's dorm. Planned to confront Ryeon directly. But they refused that info.
No choice.
He sharpened his senses, seeking familiar mana.
Met guardian 'Ryeon' at least three times; recalled his mana's nature and texture roughly.
Eyes closed, focused.
Vast academy city's buildings, walls, objects dissolved in his mind. Countless mana signatures from lifeforms emerged.
Finding one in hundreds of thousands? Absurd.
Numbers overwhelming. Iterative elimination.
Hours later, he pinpointed and opened his eyes.
Academy city's opposite. Residential District Sector 5.
Yoo Ji-tae knocked on a dorm door there.
"Who? Ah...!"
The male cadet was Zhou Luoxin.
Startled, he backed away from the door. Yoo Ji-tae pushed straight in.
Inside, Erpan cadets and guardians partied with chicken and beer.
Stunned gazes at the intruder.
As all held breath in confusion, Yoo Ji-tae silently scanned each face.
His eyes stopped on guardian Ryeon.