Chapter 133: Growing More Mature
Chapter 133: Growing More Mature
The moment Lee Yoojung revealed her face, she burst into sorrowful tears. Her feelings must have been incredibly complicated. She had been holding on out of childish stubbornness, even though she knew she was in the wrong, but as time went on, she must have been unable to shake the feeling of being an outsider among the group. And when even I, her last resort, left her alone instead of seeking her out, her resentment must have only grown.
I reached out, helped Yoojung to her feet, and pulled her into an embrace. She cried even more pitifully, and I gently patted her back again and again.
“Waaah… Oppa… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Sob…”
“There, there. You’re a good girl, Yoojung. Stop crying now. That’s right…”
“Oppa, I’m sorry… sob… It was my fault…”
Yoojung repeated “I’m sorry” over and over. That apology likely held many meanings. To be honest, on my way here, I was prepared to scold her a little harshly if she had stubbornly insisted she’d done nothing wrong. But the moment I saw her reaction, that intention melted away like snow.
Yoojung was usually feisty and hot-tempered, but she had an equally innocent side to her. I whispered that it was okay, gently comforting her.
I’m not sure how much time passed. I don’t think I’d ever seen Lee Yoojung cry for so long. Gently wiping away the tear tracks from her red, swollen eyes and face, I spoke in a warm voice.
“Have you cried your heart out now?”
“……”
Yoojung didn’t answer, but I could feel her head nod a few times against my chest.
“Haha. Where did the woman who was cursing up a storm go? All I see is a crybaby.”
“…That… It wasn’t at you, Oppa… I thought it was that guy…”
That guy? Did she mean Ahn Hyun? I was curious about what on earth he had said, so I decided to gently probe for information.
“Still, scratching and hitting him like that was a bit much.”
“Nooo… hic, it’s because that guy kept… hic, spouting nonsense…”
“I see. What did Ahn Hyun say?”
She still hadn’t quite stopped crying, as she kept swallowing back hiccups.
At my question, Yoojung lifted her face from my chest and, with an expression full of frustration, began to speak.
“He just barged in and… asked if I wasn’t ashamed to be seen by everyone… He said things like, ‘You’re just doing this because you’re jealous I got a Rare Class,’ and…”
“And?”
“And… that Oppa was looking down on me because of the Ko Yeonju incident a while back… He told me to hurry up and go to Oppa… hic. Then he suddenly kicked off the blanket and started dragging me out by force… I was already a mess, and… I got so furious that I just…”
“I see. I just told him to bring you here. I didn't know all that happened.”
“Wuu…”
As I responded with a kind tone, Yoojung seemed to relax a little and buried her face in my chest again. I let out a faint smile as I looked at her silky hair.
Strictly speaking, Ahn Hyun wasn’t wrong. But he was just so, so clueless when it came to women. In a situation where even speaking indirectly might not have been enough, he had thrown one blunt fastball after another, and at Yoojung of all people. Moreover, Ahn Hyun had been subtly bragging ever since he got his Rare Class, so she must have felt slighted.
Stroking Lee Yoojung’s fine hair, I began to speak in a calm voice.
“He might have been harsh, but what he said wasn’t complete nonsense… You know that, right?”
“Yeah… Honestly… the moment I heard him, I couldn’t argue back. I wanted to say something, but no words would come out. But I just kept getting angrier… so I ended up cursing and using my hands…”
Yoojung answered my words in a dry tone. Then, she continued in a pitiful voice.
“Even I think I’m ridiculous and pathetic… Acting all high and mighty to everyone’s faces, but then behaving like this. Just like Ahn Hyun said, everyone must think I’m a joke. My comrade did well, but instead of congratulating them, I just showed my ugly jealousy…”
“It’s okay. The fact that you realize that is enough. If you truly think that way, you’ve already taken the first small step toward improving yourself. Facing and admitting your own flaws is the first step to moving up.”
“Really? But Oppa, you always say nice things.”
Hearing Yoojung’s dejected voice, I felt the time was right. I had her lift her head to meet my gaze, then spoke with a serious expression.
“I’m not lying. Yoojung. Do you truly want to become stronger?”
Perhaps sensing the sincerity in my voice, Yoojung nodded at once.
“Yes. I don’t know what you think, Oppa, but I want to get a Rare or Secret Class, too. I haven’t been much help in battle… At this rate, I feel like I’m going to be left behind for good.”
“It’s undeniable that Rare and Secret Classes are better than Normal Classes. Secret Classes in particular each have their own unique Authority, so there’s a definite difference. But that doesn’t mean Normal Classes are completely outclassed. Depending on the user’s abilities, stats, and class—depending on how you harmonize the various ‘Settings’ of the Hall Plain—a Normal Class can wield great power, too.”
“Still… Is that really true…?”
“They say that out of the ten people currently called ‘The Ten Strong,’ two have Normal Classes. To put it another way, that means eight of them have Rare or Secret Classes, but if I were you, Yoojung, I’d take those two as my role models and try to force my way through that narrow door. And your class, Mercenary, is one with a lot of potential.”
The roster of the Ten Strong would change greatly after the failed Steel Mountains expedition, the battle against the Vagabonds, and the First Civil War. For the present, however, what I said was true. There were certainly Users who had earned great renown with Normal Classes; I remembered more than a few from my first run.
Of course, users with Rare and Secret Classes were far more numerous, but in any case, it wasn’t impossible for Yoojung. And I wasn’t expecting her to reach the level of The Ten Strong. I would be satisfied if she grew into a top-tier or high-tier user who could back me up in the future. To reiterate, considering she was a Year 0 User, Yoojung’s stats were by no means low.
I reached into my coat and pulled out the demonic sword, Skurepf. Curiosity flickered across Yoojung’s face as she saw the red, rusted blade. On the surface, it had the form of a short, curved blade that could be wielded lightly with one hand, but it was a fearsome weapon, classified as a demonic sword.
The demonic sword of the high-ranking Demonkin Belphegor. It appeared rusted, but possessed extraordinary hardness and a razor-sharp edge. Any wound it inflicted continued bleeding under the sword’s curse; the more blood it consumed, the redder its blade became and the keener the edge it emitted.
I had agonized over whether to give this to her now. No matter how good its performance, it was still a demonic sword; the more one used Skurepf, the more their mind would be worn down. Eventually, they could become a madman who craved only slaughter and blood.
Nevertheless, I had two reasons for giving it to her now.
The first was that I could control Skurepf. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my Sword Specialist class or the influence of my True Name, Master of the Sword, but Skurepf had submitted to me from the moment we first met. Considering that demonic swords were typically desperate to devour their users, the vibration from Skurepf in the room earlier was practically a cute little tantrum. The moment Yoojung showed the slightest sign of going astray, I would immediately dispose of the sword.
The second reason lay in the synergy between Yoojung and the demonic sword. Yoojung was endlessly soft toward people she liked, but she had a tendency to despise those she disliked with a passion. That personality had revealed itself once or twice in the battles we’d fought so far. That was precisely what I was aiming for. If Skurepf could draw out that side of her personality to just the right degree, I could expect a much higher level of efficiency from her than before.
“Oppa. What is this ugly dagger…?”
Before Yoojung could finish her sentence, Skurepf let out a humming vibration. “Vwmmm!” Seeing her flinch back in surprise, I gave a faint smile.
“It’s an item I obtained from the Ruined Laboratory—the demonic sword Skurepf, once wielded by the Demonkin Belphegor.”
“A demonic sword? Skurepf?”
As Yoojung tilted her head and reached for it, I casually pulled the sword back. Seeing her stare at me with a blank expression, I immediately began my explanation.
“Listen carefully. Skurepf is a type of demonic sword. Demonic swords are often imbued with wicked magic—powers that spread sorrow, desire, curses, and disaster. And while those powers are incredibly strong, they also affect the minds of their users. This Skurepf right here, for instance, is a blade that isn’t satisfied until it has tasted blood when facing an enemy.”
“……”
“That doesn’t mean demonic swords are unconditionally evil, though. It’s a similar case for holy swords. They also demand a price from the user each time their power is used. In the end, the difference between a holy sword and a demonic sword is paper-thin. If you can master this demonic sword, you’ll undoubtedly be able to take a huge step forward. However… if you’re dragged around by it instead of mastering it, this power will ultimately bring you to ruin.”
Of course, I was there as a fail-safe for such matters. But Yoojung, unaware of that fact, pressed her lips together, her expression hardening. Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air. I watched her reaction and continued in a dry voice.
“That’s why I thought about it a lot. I’m not sure if giving you Skurepf right now is the right decision. But seeing you struggling lately, I finally decided to bring it up. So, you decide. Will you take this demonic sword and make a gamble, or will you stay as you are and try to gain more experience?”
“A… gamble?”
“Yes. The moment you take Skurepf, whether you like it or not, you’ll inevitably lose a part of your old self. If you’re okay with that. If you want to find a breakthrough no matter what. Then go ahead and do as you please.”
“Oppa…”
I smiled brightly at Yoojung, who called my name with an anxious face. I placed Skurepf on the table. Then, I slowly turned around and continued.
“This is not a problem I can decide for you. I’m not telling you to choose right now. We still have time for maintenance, so think it over slowly until then.”
I felt her gaze on my back, wanting to hold me back, but I walked straight toward the door. Just before I stepped out, I glanced back.
“I want to see the vibrant Yoojung from before. So I hope I can see you smiling again tomorrow morning.”
“Okay…”
Lee Yoojung’s eyes darted between Skurepf on the table and my face. Her first real choice since entering the Hall Plain. She was probably very anxious. I decided to give the restless Yoojung a little more help and spoke one last time.
“Whatever you choose, Yoojung, I will respect your decision. I promise.”
With those words, I walked out the door.
*
Deep darkness had settled over the second-floor corridor of The Demure Lady. As I headed toward the stairs, I reflected on what had just happened.
I had achieved my initial objective: to get Yoojung back to her old self. As for Skurepf, I thought it best to leave it entirely up to her.
It was fine if she took it, and it was fine if she didn’t. I was looking forward to seeing what choice she would make in the time she had left. I was just about to climb the stairs.
But just as I was about to take the first step, I froze and stared intently at a corner. There was no one there, but they couldn’t escape my keen sensory perception.
Even as I stared, the area remained dead silent. After waiting for a while with no response, I finally spoke in a quiet voice.
“Come out.”
Silence. Despite my words, a quiet stillness hung coldly between the stairs and the hallway. They seemed to be hidden quite well, but they couldn’t avoid my Third Eye. I sighed, took a cigarette from my coat, and walked back down the stairs. Then, I held the cigarette out to where her mouth would be.
“……”
She probably never imagined I could pinpoint the exact location of her face. As if my guess was correct, something invisible to the naked eye twitched slightly, and then I felt the tip of the cigarette I offered being gently taken between lips.