Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: 76. Change of Seasons (2)
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As far as he could remember, four times.
While rewinding time hundreds of times to let it pass.
The regressor had never personally killed a baby dragon.
Yoo Ji-tae submitted an application under Yoo Gaeul's name for "Ha Seok-mu's Top 5 Transcendent Cadet Selection Exam." He drew an early preliminary number, so she could take the exam the very next day.
Gaeul's tense condition was poor. She'd started trembling around lunchtime the day before, fidgeted all night, and even on the day of the exam, she'd holed up in her room for hours without so much as poking her head out.
It was a good thing they were jumping straight into the exam. Dragging out preparations over several days wouldn't have made her any better anyway.
Yoo Ji-tae knocked on Gaeul's door.
"Gaeul, you in there?"
— Yes.
"Get ready. We'll eat breakfast and head out right away."
— Yes.
"Gaeul."
— Yes.
Her voice lacked energy.
It wasn't nerves, but being pushed into such an unfamiliar situation.
Like the on-campus ranking tournaments. Events comparing cadets' standings always drew crowds. And Lair, which knew how to package superhuman cadets as "heroes," was adept at capitalizing on that attention.
So this event would be lively in its own right, just like the tournaments. Plenty of eyes watching, and designated cheering areas, naturally.
He called for Bom.
"You get ready too. Go wake Yeoreum. We're heading straight to the exam hall, so let's cheer her on together."
"Should I wake Winter too?"
"Yeah. I'll make breakfast."
Today's breakfast was bread.
He pulled loaves out one by one from the paper bag.
Ham-packed sandwiches loaded with veggies and cheese—not too stimulating, but well-balanced.
Glazed donuts thinly coated in sugar syrup, the kind Gaeul went crazy for.
And colorful chilled macarons.
At times like these, Gaeul would always sparkle her yellow eyes and ask this.
— Where's the milk?
So the last item from the bag was milk.
It was the kind of breakfast that could knock Gaeul out from sheer delight.
"Argh, whatever. I'm not interested in all this transcendent cadet nonsense."
Grumbling all the while, Yeoreum still emerged, nudged along by Bom.
"Come on. Let's go cheer for Gaeul."
"No, but seriously—even if it's an artificial dungeon and just an exam, sending Yoo Gaeul in there is kinda harsh, don't you think?"
"Huh? Why?"
"You know she's a total scaredy-cat, right? She'll be shaking like a leaf. Lucky if she doesn't pee herself. I can't watch that."
Bom gave Yeoreum a sly look.
"You just don't get it."
"What."
"You haven't seen the new Gaeul yet, that's why you're saying that. She does great now. Right, Ajusshi?"
At Bom's words, Yoo Ji-tae turned to Yeoreum.
Yeoreum was looking right at him. Unlike her recent scowls at eye contact, her expression held a hint of tension.
His follow-up words cracked the calm on Yeoreum's face.
"Of course. She does great."
Gaeul stayed quiet throughout breakfast.
She munched on her sandwich, sipped her milk, and crunched her macaron. She ate so well it made her trembling from yesterday seem unreal.
"Not shaking anymore? You okay, Gaeul?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Yeoreum glanced at her, then spoke up.
"You don't look okay, girl. Want me to grab some calming pills or something? Like a relaxant?"
"No, no. I'm fine......"
Yeoreum furrowed her brow again at Gaeul's response.
Something felt off.
'......?'
Was she always this composed?
Bom had mentioned a "changed self," which she'd brushed off at the time, but Gaeul's reactions were starting to raise doubts in Yeoreum too.
After the meal, the Yoo family headed to "Colosseo Lair," the start and end point for all Lair's competitive events. The area around the massive cylindrical building buzzed with cadets in summer uniforms, guardians, and officials.
Though paths diverged, some cadets boarded elevators for the underground. The Yoo family joined them.
Basement Level 4. "Virtual Dungeon Training Ground."
What set this virtual dungeon apart from others was its exposure to the influence of the Level 4 artifact statue, Goddess of Competition Statue.
It unfolded a more raw, unfiltered dungeon.
And allowed for more raw, unfiltered training.
That's why the "Virtual Dungeon Training Ground" was perpetually booked for 4th- and 5th-year cadets.
Today, it hosted "Ha Seok-mu's Top 5 Transcendent Cadet Selection Exam."
"W-well, I'll be going then."
The kids waved or muttered "...Fighting." Gaeul nodded stiffly and followed the official's guidance, vanishing somewhere.
The Yoo family headed to the guardian waiting room.
The massive space, like a movie theater, was already packed with some three hundred people—friends and guardians of cadets.
"I'll sit up front."
Yeoreum, who always kept her distance from Yoo Ji-tae, took a seat far away. He left her to it.
Once seated, he ran into a familiar face.
Tall stature. Burly build. Short hair bordering on bald, framing a scowling scar.
"Long time no see. Mikhailov."
"Huh? Oh, if it isn't Mr. Yoo Ji-tae."
Sitting in a row beside him were cadets from Russia's airborne special forces unit, RIL. Spotting Yoo Ji-tae, they shot up abruptly, flustered and unsure what to do. Envious stares were par for the course, without even daring a greeting.
"What the hell are you lot doing? Sit down already."
Even Mikhailov's command only made the cadets hesitate. Half their gazes fixed on Yoo Ji-tae, the other half sneaking peeks at the dragons.
It was a familiar scene.
Even now, dozens of eyes from across the waiting room locked onto the dragons. As always.
"Look at these brats. Gotta pluck out their wandering eyeballs and shove 'em in their mouths before they'll sit?"
"Ah, sorry......"
Mikhailov's bark sent the RIL cadets scrambling to their seats. That was the typical guardian-ward dynamic in the military.
"Ah. My apologies. The kids were rude."
"It's fine."
"So, Ji-tae. What brings you here?"
"Would I come for no reason? One of ours is taking the exam. You here for Sophia?"
"Nah. Sophia's on the last day. Today it's another kid. Whew. With Yoo Yeoreum cadet in the mix, looks like we're fighting for the top four spots from the get-go."
"Ah, Yeoreum's over there."
At Bom's words, Mikhailov glanced at the redhead seated far up front.
He rubbed his forehead near the scar with a blunt finger.
"Huh? What the— Why's Yeoreum cadet all the way up there?"
"Yeoreum's not taking the exam."
"What? Then who the hell..."
Green, red, blue...... As Mikhailov muttered, his eyes widened further.
"No yellow...! Gaeul, right? The kid who recited that declaration—she's the one taking the exam?"
"That's how it turned out."
'Huh...?' An incredulous murmur escaped him.
By then, their conversation had been just between the two guardians, but the waiting room had plenty of listening ears.
The story spread.
Right behind them, the topic bubbled up among a cluster of guardians.
"Huh? Yoo Gaeul cadet's taking the exam?"
"That yellow-haired one?"
"Oho, intriguing. Fresh news. And Yoo Yeoreum cadet's really here."
Back in Dorm 301, Yeoreum was just one of the dime-a-dozen hatchlings.
In Lair, everywhere she went, envy and awe poured toward her. Like spotting a celebrity.
And tales of the "Yoo family"—backed by BM and Myeong Yong-ha—were an even bigger deal.
Their third daughter had suddenly become a combat superhuman.
After all, "who's the strongest?" was one of the juiciest topics around.
"Fascinating. Never seen Gaeul cadet fight."
"Nope? She always seemed kinda fragile and weak...... Nothing like Yeoreum cadet."
"True. Heard Yoo Bom cadet's pretty deep into magic too."
"But magic talent isn't hereditary, right? Think she's really that strong?"
"I doubt it...... Sisters or not, both being geniuses? Come on."
"Eh, still. Must be some family curriculum. It's the Yoo family."
"Right. The Yoo family......"
The guardians' gazes snapped uniformly to Yeoreum, like they'd measured it with a ruler.
One representative approached cautiously and called out to her.
"Excuse me. Yeoreum cadet."
A subtle tone. Yeoreum, arms crossed, turned her head.
"What."
"I'm Nguyen, guardian from Blue Tail Guild."
"And?"
"Uh? Oh. Just—our kids are big fans of you, Yeoreum cadet."
"What're you on about? So you whisper behind my back and come ask what?"
Yeoreum's bluntness left the guardian sheepish, scratching his head.
"Oops. Thought I was being discreet, but you heard. Sorry if I offended."
"Whatever. I yap like that sometimes too."
"Thanks for understanding."
The mood softened a touch.
"So, spit it out."
"Ah, if I may—how strong is Yoo Gaeul cadet, exactly?"
The guardian was one man, but curious stares converged on Yeoreum. "Don't know. Me neither," she grumbled curtly, and the next questions poured in. "Magic user? Or sniper?" "Ever sparred with her?" Yeoreum finally snapped.
"I said I don't know."
"But you're sisters?"
"So? Does that mean I know everything about her? Hell, I don't even know her exact height. I'm curious too!"
"Aah......"
"Figure it out somewhere else and clue me in too. Got it?"
"Ah, yeah. Got it......"
Yeoreum's fiery temper was already infamous, so the guardian slunk back awkwardly, scratching his head.
On the way, he stole a glance at Yoo Ji-tae. But approaching him felt too daunting, and Bom was even farther off.
Then his eyes met a blue-haired girl's. Too young to know anything.
But man, that blue hair's adorable......
Do they pick kids for this family based on looks or what......
"...What're you staring at?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing......"
The kid's frown gave him an awkward chill, so he turned away wordlessly.
Yoo Ji-tae had just been listening up to then. Beside him, Bom chuckled softly, legs crossed.
"What's so funny."
He murmured.
"Just... it's fun."
"What is."
"Thinking about those folks' faces later."
He gave it some thought.
A bit of normalcy was seeping in. He wasn't as expectant as Bom, but he got what she was looking forward to.
"...Yeah."
It was probably going to be chaos.
"Gaeul cadet isn't strong."
Then, a firm voice rang out from behind.
"Huh? Come on, she's Yoo family."
"Pfft. They raised Yeoreum cadet—must be some curriculum. Don't jump the gun. We haven't even seen the hands yet."
As objective comparisons kicked off, the man pushed back.
"If you'd sat in on Gaeul cadet's magic class back then, you wouldn't say that."
"My kid took the same class—her magic was average at best."
"Hmm, she looked super shaky last month."
"No, what're you even saying? That was last year, man."
"This guy's spouting nonsense again...... Shoo, go away."
He seemed like the type to babble nonsense regularly; discomfort rippled through the group.
But the firm voice doubled down.
"Anyway, she's weak. Unstable mana control? That's a dealbreaker for strength."
Indignation, maybe. His assertions grew bolder.
Yoo Ji-tae stayed silent. Truth be told, it barely registered.
He didn't value mere living and breathing. Only personal ability mattered to him. To him, strangers were little different from bugs.
If a bug tried to bite, he'd squash it. If a swarm charged, he'd fumigate and carve out their nest.
But bugs squabbling over his daughter's grades? No reason to care.
"You son of a bitch, that leaky hole of yours spits nothing but crap."
Maybe that's why. As he sat quiet, the curse flew from right beside him.
The startled RIL cadets turned, and even Bom glanced that way.
"Rip that trap shut or something."
With that, Mikhailov rose to his feet.