Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Episode 76. Seasonal Transition (3)
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Mikhailov quietly slipped into the group mid-conversation.
He had no interest in the chatter of worthless nobodies, but he was intrigued by the movements of Mikhailov, with whom he'd formed a faint bond.
To put it in perspective, it was like a neighborhood dog approaching a swarm of insects.
Yoo Ji-tae turned his head to look at them.
"Mind if I make a prediction?"
"Go ahead. Another one."
"Cadet Gaeul won't make the top five transcendents."
A nameless guardian from some obscure family. An unremarkable male protector.
Yet the regressor could see the 'woman's' face hidden beneath the facade.
A familiar face. He'd seen her somewhere before. It would come to him if he thought about it.
She was Kitty Brzenk from the Brzenk family—guardian to Tyr Brzenk, son of Oscar Brzenk, the world-ranked number one.
And Oscar Brzenk's younger sister.
Her moniker: "Brzenk's Sorceress."
A powerhouse at 129th on the global superhuman rankings.
From what he could tell, she was wandering Lair under a false identity with permission from the Education Bureau, chatting up people here and there.
The Brzenk family was the only one with more prestige than the Yoo family. Unlike the suddenly risen Yoo clan, they boasted deep history and tradition within the Federation. To maintain their mystique, public contact was heavily restricted.
That was why even their cadet, Tyr Brzenk, had rarely appeared in public up to now.
But some among them had an itch they couldn't scratch.
"I know the Yoo family is impressive, but Cadet Gaeul can't possibly be strong. That's why everyone's overlooking it."
Just like that woman pretending to be a man.
"Good grief. What a lunatic..."
"Just get lost already, will you?"
The guardians recoiled, waving them off in disgust, but the attention-seeker in male guise just chuckled menacingly, provoking them further.
"I'm telling you, it's not just talk. I've never seen mana flare up like that in a cadet before. If she tried to make a 'Fireball,' it'd explode in her hand before it even formed."
"What do you know? She might not even be a mage."
"No way. Cadet Gaeul's mana control is so unnatural, it's beyond that. At that level of incompetence, what position could she even fill? Front guard? Sharpshooter? Healer? She couldn't handle any of them properly."
He had a point.
Gaeul's mana control was unnatural.
It went beyond unnatural— like a bomb scattering water in all directions.
But they could say that because they didn't know the reason.
Power has an inherent nature that can't be fully grasped until it manifests. Even Yoo Ji-tae hadn't realized it until now—how could a rank 129 human see through it?
The water splashed because the dam had burst.
The mood soured. The guardians, already turning away, decided to starve the madman of attention.
"Can't refute it, so you're all clamming up?"
Yet he kept yapping.
"Am I wrong?"
"Enough already."
"Why?"
"There's a Yoo family guardian over there."
"Did I say anything bad? Criticize her? What's wrong with a healthy debate about strength?"
His psychology seemed something like this:
As a Brzenk, he harbored subtle rivalry toward the Yoo family.
Tyr Brzenk couldn't even participate in the event. Meanwhile, Yoo Yeoreum's reputation skyrocketed. It must irk him.
In that context, he alone knew a secret that these inferior, low-level guardians missed—a truth only true powerhouses could discern: Gaeul was weak. When challenged, he stirred conflict. And he'd savor the reveal later.
Starving him worked. Just as Kitty Brzenk lost interest and turned to leave...
"Hey there, young pup."
All eyes turned to one spot.
The unusually burly man—Mikhailov—spoke up.
Finally, a fish bit. Interest flickered across Kitty Brzenk's fake face.
"What?"
"Got quite the loose tongue on you, eh?"
"It's my mouth. What's it to you?"
"Problem is, my ears don't like what they're hearing."
"Heh, and?"
"What?"
"You think you're someone special? That I gotta humor you?"
"Listen up. Don't, and you'll regret it."
Thud—
The air rippled and vibrated. Killing intent flashed in Mikhailov's eyes.
But the next instant, Mikhailov realized something was off.
His killing intent should have dominated the space, crushing everything. Yet the young man before him brushed it off with absurd ease.
"What the hell are you doing?"
The twisted smirk, as if it were nothing, further grated on Mikhailov's nerves.
"You. Step aside with me."
As Mikhailov closed in abruptly, the guardians stood to block his chest and back.
"Hey, easy now!"
"Calm down, Mikhailov."
"This ain't your business."
Suppressing his rage, Mikhailov growled.
"Fists have always been the best teacher. My business or not, cocky punks need a beating to learn."
Kitty Brzenk laughed.
"How about a wager, then?"
"Wager?"
"Nothing fancy. Just a flick to the forehead. On whether Cadet Gaeul passes the test."
Absurd. Mikhailov scratched his temple.
"Not even about top five transcendent status? Getting cold feet?"
He flicked his middle finger from his thumb.
"Seen plenty of supers in my time, but none with a mouth as light as yours lived long."
"Perfect, then. A senile retired bear whose yap's still heavy like a Soviet active duty."
"You little pest..."
Kitty Brzenk had insulted Russians as Soviets.
And pricked a retired soldier's pride.
Mikhailov barely restrained the urge to lunge and snap his neck.
"What? Wanna hit me? Then bet a slap."
Anger past the threshold cools to ice. Mikhailov replied lowly.
"I'll take a finger at least."
"How about a wrist, then."
"Wrist for wrist. Loser quits as guardian. Deal?"
Mikhailov was emotional then.
Quitting as guardian meant leaving Lair.
The moment this guy stepped out, Mikhailov planned to follow and kill him.
"Talk about a mad grizzly..."
"What? Can't handle it? Swear it in front of everyone."
"Fine. Let's do it. No regrets."
The watching guardians blinked in shock.
The commotion ended there.
In the past, the Soviet hound would have charged anywhere, at anyone. Age had bred patience.
But taming his fury still took five years? After a quick smoke outside, Mikhailov realized as emotions settled that he'd let sentiment drag him into needless anger.
"Hey."
"What."
As he smoked to steady himself, Yoo Yeoreum approached.
"Mister, that guy's a total psycho."
"Cadet, beat it."
"Why the fuck."
Yeoreum lit her own cigarette.
"You did good. Felt damn satisfying."
"......"
"Nothing'll happen. Our guardian's got it covered."
"......"
After agonizing, Mikhailov spoke.
"Cadet Gaeul. Strong?"
The question was curt. Didn't she know? Yeoreum was baffled. The retired soldier's sigh was visible, and long.
"Dunno."
"What? I'm not joking, Cadet Yeoreum."
"For real. I'm serious. She learned magic without me. Never saw it. Curious as hell."
Mikhailov blinked.
"F-For real?"
"Yeah. But she's definitely strong."
"On what basis?"
"She's..."
A dragon. She couldn't say it outright, so Yeoreum searched for words.
"...my little sister? Haha."
Now that's credible.
He could trust her endorsement.
A bit more than when his uncle asked to borrow business funds forty years ago.
"......"
Smoke billowed from their nostrils like factory stacks.
"Here she comes."
Yoo Gaeul appeared on the display.
Guardians' eyes locked onto the holographic screen.
Boom mics and cameras whirred to life.
"Guardian?"
Sophia wouldn't be this nervous standing there. With the anxiety of someone holding it for seven hours, Mikhailov glared at the display before shooting to his feet.
"Yoo Gaeul, fighting—!"
His bellow prompted RIL cadets to join in. "Wooo—!" "Fighting!" The clueless jumped. Of course, Gaeul on the other side couldn't hear.
Yoo Ji-tae stayed silent. He watched Yeoreum return to his side.
What happened? She looked cheerful.
"Hey, she's gotten way stronger, right?"
"Told you."
"Hope she does well."
The faint wariness had eased. Yeoreum grinned at the display excitedly.
Light emanated from the necklace around Gaeul's neck on the display.
The dungeon: "Valley-type Dungeon."
A simple artificial straight-line course along a narrow, treacherous ridgeline.
Backstory roughly as follows:
A village at the dungeon's end was attacked by monsters.
A rescue party formed but failed against the boss due to low skill, losing members.
One survivor left. Fail to rescue in 10 minutes, and they die. An electronic timer appeared above Gaeul's head.
Gaeul's watch buzzed.
—Response requested. This is HQ ATT. Is the superhuman rescuer on standby?
"Response. On standby."
Gaeul replied calmly.
'Huh? She's calm?' Someone who knew usual Gaeul might say. But to Yoo Ji-tae, display-Gaeul looked half-dazed.
—Initiate rescue operation.
"Message received."
The numbers began ticking down.
Gaeul started running.
First section: 50m to the ridgeline start. Just an uphill rocky path.
'Run!' 'Go go go!' Cheers erupted. But when Gaeul tripped on a root, 'Ah!' 'Oh no...' silenced them. Mood plummeted.
Yeoreum snickered; Mikhailov's face darkened to charcoal.
"Oof. Rough start~."
Kitty Brzenk said pityingly, but no one responded.
Gaeul stood, took a deep breath, and ran again. Stable this time. Steps along the rising stone path.
Light steps. Wide strides.
At 50m, a massive wall blocked the ridgeline. About 10m high artificial structure. A stone barrier against monster counterattacks.
Gaeul leaped over in one bound.
"Ooh!"
"Light on her feet?!"
Any trained super could jump 10m. But not from a walking stance. Requires precise mana in muscle flex/release.
A move demanding physical technique mastery. Front guard or fighter? Someone thought.
"She can do it..."
As Mikhailov clenched his fist.
Next: Empty lot with swords and broken spears stabbed in. Weapons of the fallen. Memorial to raid sacrifices.
Just pass with a glance of respect.
But Gaeul paid respects to each one.
"Ah..."
"What the hell..."
"No, what is she—?!"
Sighs escaped. Mikhailov's was loudest.
It was basic superhuman etiquette. But this was a test? Time attack? Why?
"Ah."
Bom sighed softly.
"What."
"My mistake, I think."
"How."
"Told her to follow what she learned exactly..."
Bom brushed back her hair. In short: Gaeul was doing textbook FM from class.
"Tell her now? To be more efficient?"
"No. Let her be."
"Why."
Yoo Ji-tae watched display-Gaeul.
Disconnected from her, but he could speak if he wanted.
He didn't.
Since learning combat magic, Gaeul had never acted independently once.
She's no fool. Knows what makes a test pass.
Yet she did this because she wanted to.
This might be her first spark of agency.
So he let her oddities continue.
After respects via silent prayer, Gaeul yanked out the weapons and strapped them to her left waist.
Others would've bolted ahead. But busy as could be, she ran loaded. More sighs.
"Agh."
"Why the hell..."
"Can't comprehend. Hard to watch..."
Weapons rattled, her body swayed slightly.
Next: 60m gap between two cliffs.
Strong winds howled across.
Support items included artifacts for 'floating bridges.' Five total—one every 12m. Toss carefully, cross without wind sweeping you off.
"......"
Then Mikhailov checked his phone's 'RIL' group.
Who for successor?
"Mikhailov."
An unwelcome voice cut his thoughts. The man-masked Kitty Brzenk.
He turned without reply; she smirked viciously.
"Kneel and apologize now. I'll spare your wrist."
She snickered. Seeing that face, Mikhailov couldn't hold back—not the bet, but killing intent.
As his hand went to his waist dagger...
"Huh?"
A voice sounded.
Naturally, Kitty Brzenk and Mikhailov's gazes snapped to the main holo-display.
Gaeul had crossed the 60m shaky bridge somehow.
And kept running.
Mana afterimages trailed her steps.
Impeccably clean. Razor-sharp. Absurd long-range spatial warp.
Cadet-common sense capped 'it' at 15m max, no matter how skilled. So onlookers realized 'it' a beat late.
"Huh? What was that? Blink...?"
"Blink? You calling that a blink? She crossed 60m!"
The mood flipped.