Chapter 114: Chronicles of The Hidden World (2)
Chapter 114: Chronicles of The Hidden World (2)
With a pizza box in one hand and Un-ho perched on my head, I opened the front door.
It felt like my life’s direction had skewed a bit off-course, but surely I owed him at least this much.
Beep-beep-beep-ring.
The refreshing electronic chime echoed through the entryway, and my dear old home came into view.
Home, sweet home.
The Management Bureau branch wasn't bad, but there really was no place like home.
I walked in, expecting a joyous welcome from my disciples.
“....”
The house was silent.
The lights were on, so it wasn't like nobody was there.
“I’m back!”
Thinking they might not have heard the Auto-lock, I raised my voice.
The only response was the soft sound of Un-ho hopping down from my head and landing on the floor. Far from a welcome, I didn't even get a "You're home" in reply.
“You’ve been abandoned. Poyo.”
“Zip it.”
I kicked the chatterbox white soccer ball away.
“Poyoooong.”
Avoiding the white obstacle that was bouncing around the house like a pinball due to its unnecessary elasticity, I went looking for my disciples.
First, the Dining Hall.
It was early, but I figured they might be having dinner.
As my predictions often went, the Dining Hall was empty. Instead, the only things greeting me were a few dishes sitting in the sink.
Then again, if they were in the Dining Hall, there was no way they wouldn't have heard me come in.
Next, I checked the bathroom, but the light switch was off.
My disciples weren't weird enough to bathe in the dark, so that left...
“Are they already asleep?”
“Children grow while they sleep. Poyo.”
Un-ho, apparently finished with his game of pinball, sidled up to me and spouted that nonsense.
Why was he being so cheeky today?
I considered kicking him again, but knowing the same thing would just happen twice, I ignored him and headed toward the disciples' rooms.
A narrow hallway stretched out before me. Baek Si-hyun’s room was on the left, and Han A-bin’s was on the right.
As if symbolizing their personalities, Baek Si-hyun’s door and frame were covered in nicks and scratches of all sizes, while Han A-bin’s doorknob was polished to a shine.
Since there was no sound and no light leaking out, they were either asleep or not in their rooms.
I could have just opened the doors to check, but...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“You guys asleep?”
Instead, I knocked roughly.
Roughly enough to wake them if they were sleeping.
Even as their master, I couldn't just go barging into a disciple's room, could I? It’s not like I’m their father.
Wait, was I? I feel like the Heavenly Demon Sword God geezer used to just walk right in...
I think I even got stabbed once while sleeping... Hmm...
Regardless of how my life as a disciple had been, I knocked on both doors, but no answer came.
As a final check, I released the limiters on my senses, but I couldn't feel a single trace of anyone inside the rooms.
“Not there?”
“Yeah.”
I answered Un-ho, who had been doing nothing but circling around me, and looked down.
Then there was only one place left...
Though I found it hard to believe they’d still be training at this hour.
* * *
Ding.
The elevator bell rang to announce our arrival. The doors slid open, and a sight I hadn't expected met my eyes.
It was a two-on-one battle.
“Lin! Barrier!”
“Understood!”
Kiiiing.
With the sound of magic manifesting, a pale light-blue barrier appeared in front of Han A-bin. Baek Si-hyun, hammer in hand, charged straight for it.
I expected her to collide with the barrier head-on, as per her usual style, but...
Crackle.
With the sound of sparks, Baek Si-hyun—who had momentarily transformed into lightning—did something peculiar. It wasn't a move for travel, but for something else.
What she changed while in her lightning form wasn't her position, but her posture. From a forward-facing charge, she maintained her velocity while rotating her body 180 degrees to face away.
What followed was a rotation generated by stepping out with one leg.
Since her charging speed was maintained, there was little loss of power, and to that, she added the unique centrifugal force of The Hammer. It was a brilliant move, typical of the adaptable Baek Si-hyun.
And along with that brilliant move, something else caught my eye.
Her clothes were scorched black, and her teeth were clenched as if enduring immense pain.
It seemed she still hadn't overcome the way Lightning Magic damaged her own body. That was likely why she chose to change her posture rather than her location—to minimize the burden on herself.
She must have racked her brain to come up with this after my scolding.
Now, what about Han A-bin?
Crash!
With a sound like shattering glass, the barrier crumbled upon impact with The Hammer.
Baek Si-hyun, seemingly still full of energy despite the destruction, didn't stop her swing and lunged toward the stationary Han A-bin, but...
“It’s a trap.”
Baek Si-hyun’s hammer passed right through an illusion of Han A-bin. Her jaw dropped.
Was she flustered?
Did she fail to see this with her Precognition?
Considering how she’d swung The Hammer with such force after breaking the barrier, she had likely seen a vision of her hammer striking Han A-bin.
She was only realizing now that the Han A-bin she saw was a fake.
“A-bin won. Poyo.”
“Yeah.”
I tilted my head back and slowly looked up.
I saw her perched on a platform created by Lin, aiming a deep pink arrow down at Baek Si-hyun’s head.
In the brief moment Baek Si-hyun had changed her posture and lost sight of her, A-bin had prepared the entire plan.
The bowstring let out a clear twang, and the pink arrow streaked toward Baek Si-hyun’s head.
The size, power, speed, and stability of that arrow were on a completely different level compared to when I first saw it.
Back then, I could have flicked it away with my finger, but now? It might actually graze my skin. It wouldn't pierce me, but still.
Baek Si-hyun finally noticed the snipe and looked up, but the arrow was already right in front of her eyes.
A direct hit would surely cause a serious injury, but...
“Alright, that’s enough.”
As Lin waved a hand, a barrier appeared in front of Baek Si-hyun’s face, blocking the arrow. The duel was over.
“Aaaaaagh! I definitely saw myself hitting her there with my Precognition!”
The moment the spar ended, Baek Si-hyun threw a tantrum, screaming that she couldn't accept her defeat.
She tossed her hammer aside and rolled around on the mat, throwing a pathetic fit with her whole body.
“Si-hyun, wait, your wounds are going to open up.”
Han A-bin approached her, looking flustered by the tantrum, while emitting pink mana from her hands.
At the same time, Baek Si-hyun’s fair skin began to flush a deep red.
Internal bleeding?
As expected, she hadn't fully overcome the side effects. She had only turned into lightning for less than 0.1 seconds, yet her body was already a mess.
Though Baek Si-hyun, the one actually in pain, seemed more bothered by her loss than the agony, as she continued to flail about.
Time to step in.
“You guys were doing just fine without me.”
The moment my casual words echoed through the training hall...
The two disciples snapped their heads toward me so fast I could almost hear their necks crack.
A brief silence fell as I approached under their gaze.
“Senior! Where have you been all this time, leaving us all alone?!”
Han A-bin lunged at me.
“Master! Did you see that just now?!”
Baek Si-hyun flew toward me.
Baek Si-hyun in particular seemed to have forgotten her tantrum from a moment ago; the irritation vanished from her face, replaced by a bright expression.
“Alright, that’s enough, that’s enough.”
Han A-bin was fine since she kept a reasonable distance, but I had to use my hand to push away Baek Si-hyun, who was trying to tackle-hug me.
“We can talk about that later. First, let’s review what you just did.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Their voices were as boisterous as ever.
“First, Si-hyun. Have you decided to use Lightning Magic for posture control?”
“Yes! That was the only way I could think of to use it effectively while minimizing the side effects!”
“What about the Area Control Technique you used in Hokkaido?”
That wasn't a bad skill either.
“About that! It had a fatal flaw. I realized it while fighting Black Marauder—if I get punched in the head while setting it up, I get neutralized!”
...Isn't that obvious?
Did she seriously just stand there like a statue trying to control it in the middle of a fight?
While I was lost for words, Baek Si-hyun continued her rapid-fire explanation.
“So, I looked for a different way to use it! Honestly, firing bolts of lightning is weak and slower than I am... so I tried using it for posture control instead!”
Her bright eyes looked up at me, practically begging for a "You did great! Please praise me!"
Coming up with a new idea and executing it to cover her weaknesses was certainly commendable, but I had one more thing to ask before giving out praise.
“So you’re abandoning the Area Control Technique?”
“No! I’m gradually increasing my calculation speed! It took 80 seconds at first, but now I’ve got it down to 70!”
Seventy seconds. Even Macbeth’s grand magic would be faster than that.
Still, I could feel the effort.
“Good job, Baek Si-hyun.”
“Yes!”
There might have been other changes, but the lightning technique was the only one I’d seen. If there was more, I’d hear about it later.
“Han A-bin. Have you been coordinating with Lin while I was gone?”
“Yes. Lin suggested it first. She said the balance of power would be better this way...”
“Is that so? Lin.”
“It is. I judged it would be beneficial for Baek Si-hyun’s growth. Of course, I didn't let them neglect the tag-team practice you intended for them, so you needn't worry.”
“I see.”
I thought she was just floating around Baek Si-hyun doing nothing, but it seemed she was putting some thought into her role as a mascot.
“Then one more question. Han A-bin, did you use telepathy on Lin?”
“Yes. Lin can withstand my telepathy. So I used it to relay the plan. I also used her as a practice partner since her resistance is high.”
“It’s still noisy, but it’s much better than it was at first.”
It seemed A-bin had succeeded in controlling it, even if only slightly, and had found a trick to relay telepathy through Lin.
And thinking a bit further...
“Baek Si-hyun, did you see Han A-bin with your Precognition?”
“Yes! I saw my hammer hitting her. Lin said she’d block it if a valid hit landed, so I went all out!”
“Which means you didn't see the result?”
“No!”
Hmm. This is quite interesting.
“Baek Si-hyun, do you know exactly how many seconds into the future your Precognition sees?”
“I don't know!”
I figured as much, so I asked the one who would know.
“Han A-bin, you know, don't you?”
“You realized just from watching that one fight...? That was my trump card... Yes, it’s generally between 5 and 5.5 seconds.”
“And you calculated all that timing in reverse, expecting Baek Si-hyun to use Precognition from the start?”
“...You’re sharp. Oh, I didn't exactly calculate it. I just had a gut feeling that Si-hyun would use her foresight around then...”
Regardless, she succeeded. I might have just happened to catch a good moment.
“Baek Si-hyun, this was your defeat for over-relying on Precognition. I’ve told you so many times, yet you still haven't fixed it.”
“Black Marauder said the same thing. And now Master is saying it too...”
Baek Si-hyun looked away, seemingly embarrassed.
It was quite cute, so I gave a small chuckle and said the words they were both longing to hear.
“Regardless, you both did well.”
I’d basically dumped assignments on them and run off, but my two disciples had trusted my advice and shown me something quite impressive.
“I was worried your skills wouldn't improve at all while I was gone, but you’ve done better than I expected.”
Their faces began to brighten. Was it because of the unexpected praise? They started complimenting each other, saying it was thanks to the other.
What adorable kids.
“Hurry up and shower, then come upstairs. I bought pizza.”
“Yes!!”
The two of them let out a thunderous shout and charged toward the showers.
It seemed my disciples had figured out how to use their new powers on their own while I was away. Everything was working out.
Just as I leaned against The Wall, smiling at how well things had gone...
“I have something to tell you.”
Lin flew over and spoke to me.
“What is it?”
I replied coldly.
“It concerns something Baek Si-hyun did while you were away. After all, you are her master.”
She didn't react to my attitude at all, speaking in her usual calm tone.
It was natural. Ever since our first meeting, we had treated each other as if the other didn't exist. But that wasn't what bothered me about this conversation.
...Something Baek Si-hyun did?
“What did she do this time?”
“Regarding that Area Control Technique I mentioned earlier. It seems she lost control of it while clashing with Black Marauder, and an electromagnetic pulse spread through the surrounding area.”
I could see where this was going.
“The energy wasn't that great, but unfortunately, there was a large residential complex nearby... an 'apartment,' I believe? It seems it caused quite a bit of damage.”
“...And the liability fee?”
“The Management Bureau said it’s 1.5%.”
Hahaha. Blasting an entire apartment complex with an EMP and paying 1.5% of the cost of the electronics?
Wow, that’s nothing.
It’ll probably only be in the hundreds of millions of won.
“Baek! Si! Hyuuuuun!”
Why is it always trouble the moment I take my eyes off you?!