Chapter 94: Effort, Effort, Effoooooort (2)
Chapter 94: Effort, Effort, Effoooooort (2)
The sky was clear, and the breeze was refreshing.
The sunlight was bright and undistorted, proof that Otherworldly Power had not reached here. The wind, carrying the scent of damp grass, drifted past and settled around my nose. Everything felt peaceful.
It was as if the collapse of the Great Barrier in Hokkaido had nothing to do with this place.
I suppose that’s only natural. It’s been fifteen years since the people here last experienced war.
It’s dangerous. Even if someone says something is happening, it’s hard for them to truly feel it.
The sound of children laughing reached my ears.
In any medium, that sound is a symbol of peace. It wasn’t a bad sound.
There was just one problem.
The fact that I could hear it while sitting on a mat on the green grass, building a metallic rampart out of beer cans.
Why was I even in a place like this?
Most likely, it was because I ran my mouth.
* * *
“Master! Let’s go play in the water!”
“What the hell are you doing this early in the morning...?”
It had been a peaceful morning. For exactly ten seconds after I woke up.
Somehow sensing I was awake, Baek Si-hyun burst into my room the moment I opened my eyes, creating a localized pocket of noise pollution.
“What do you mean, the park?! Explain yourself! Give me an explanation first!”
Perhaps my shouting actually worked, because Baek Si-hyun suddenly shut her mouth as if a switch had been flipped and knelt down.
“It’s a day off, and when I searched online, the Han River Park came up, Master.”
‘Would you care to explain in more detail the connection between that information and me going to the park?’ Those words swirled in my head, but I wasn't awake enough to string together such a long sentence.
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
A very short response popped out instead.
If misheard, it could have sounded indifferent.
Fortunately, Baek Si-hyun didn't seem to take issue with it and continued energetically.
“As our Master, I want you to see if your disciples are resting well!”
What kind of nonsense was this now?
I have to supervise them resting? And grown adults at that?
“You can rest on your own.”
Do I really have to do everything for them?
“Yesterday, you said that resting is also important, Master! Therefore, I believe it is only right for you to guide us on the proper way to rest!”
It sounded like she was taking a massive detour just to say she wanted me to come along. Since it was a request from Baek Si-hyun, who rarely asked for anything, I might have considered it, but...
“No.”
With that flat refusal, I threw myself back into bed. Not because I was sleepy, but as a simple expression of rejection.
“I worked so hard in Hokkaido! I wish you’d grant me just this one thing! Master! Your disciple is begging you, just this once...”
However, it seemed Baek Si-hyun had a lot bottled up, as she began to pour out a stream of noisy complaints. It was a disorganized jumble of words, her voice barely intelligible.
Unable to bear the noise, I buried my head in my pillow, but while the sound was muffled, the slight vibrations continued to tickle my ears.
“The heart of a disciple who just wants to spend time with her Master...”
It seemed Baek Si-hyun’s trademark focus had caught fire in a strange direction. If I left her like this, she’d likely keep it up all day.
Fine, I give up. Let’s call it a service.
“Fine, I’ll go! I’ll go!”
* * *
Lately, it felt like my disciples were treating me a bit too casually. Do I look like someone who gives in if they just cling to me? Maybe I should yell at them once to re-establish my dignity as a Master...
I considered it, but then decided the current situation wasn't so bad.
There was no need to cause a scene and make my disciples dislike me, and it was true that I had time to spare.
As I settled my mind and went back to enjoying the breeze and my drink...
“Senior, stop drinking so much and come splash around with us.”
Han A-bin suddenly spoke to me.
Splash around? What is she, five?
I didn't even have the energy to argue in this peaceful atmosphere, so I slowly turned my head as Han A-bin guided me. I saw people splashing in the water. There was just one slight problem.
“Do you really think it’s appropriate for me to be splashing around in the middle of those kids?”
The problem was that the people splashing around were middle schoolers or elementary kids.
“You look about the same age, don't you?”
“Are you even hearing yourself...?”
Forget it. Arguing would only be a loss for me.
“Don’t mind me. Why don’t you guys go play? I’ll be perfectly content enjoying Mother Nature here.”
Using alcohol as a companion while enjoying the breeze blowing across the vast Han River banks was enough of a rest for me.
“Then that’s no different from just resting at home, is it? Since you’re out, you should walk along the riverbank and dip your hands in the water.”
I was perfectly satisfied with this natural breeze, but my disciple seemed determined to drag me around.
“Go with Si-hyun. Go play with her.”
Why was she doing this to me? I just wanted to become one with the mat and roll around.
“If it’s Si-hyun, she’s busy causing trouble over there, so it’s a bit awkward to call her.”
Startled by that, I sat bolt upright.
“Where?”
What kind of trouble did Si-hyun cause now?
I was already worried sick that blowing up that transmission tower would fall under my responsibility as her supervisor.
“Over there.”
Han A-bin pointed to the same spot as before. The place where the kids were splashing.
And there, one idiot was running around enthusiastically among the children.
She was laughing, running, splashing water on the kids, and picking up the ones she could catch to toss them into the—no, she wasn't tossing them. I guess she had a shred of common sense left.
Still, seeing a grown woman bonding so intensely with children didn't exactly look normal.
“...”
“Should I go get her?”
“Leave her be. She looks... pure, I guess.”
Her head is probably pure white inside, too.
“I wonder how a kid like that can even be born in this day and age. Both her personality and her abilities.”
“Aren't you the same, Senior?”
“What did I do?”
How could I have anything in common with someone whose brain has been bleached like that?
“In this era, you focus on Hero work without any proper hobbies, and it doesn't even seem like you get properly rewarded for it.”
“I don't focus on it that much.”
“Hehe. You know nobody believes that, right?”
Finding my words funny, Han A-bin giggled and wrapped her arms around my shoulders from behind.
Perhaps because she used a bow, her hands—which had calluses despite their appearance—slid down from my shoulders and met my hands.
“See, you were hiding it.”
Her hand passed mine and slipped into my pocket, pulling out my phone.
“...It’s only natural for a Hero to always be prepared for an emergency.”
As I said that, I glanced at the phone screen she’d pulled out. I could see a massive amount of information scrolling past rapidly.
Free subjugations, emergency requests, progress on other Heroes' Stories, announcements by branch. None of it was information I could afford to ignore.
“Can you even read all this?”
“It’s just a matter of being used to it. I’m actually on the slower side. High-ranking individuals in the Command branch do this as if it’s second nature.”
I can't receive data directly into my brain, nor can I compress it with magic.
Come to think of it, isn't this something A-bin needs to learn too?
“If you’re aiming for a Command Position, you’ll have to get used to it. It might be good to learn Information Compression Magic in advance.”
“I don't think they’d accept a Hero without talent, though...”
“Talent is something you build. I’ve told you many times, even I was like that at first.”
Back in my day, things were worse than they are for you, but I made it work somehow. Just as I was about to repeat those words for the umpteenth time...
“The conversation is drifting, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
She held the phone up next to my face and pointed at it with her finger.
“You don't need to keep looking at this on your day off, do you? For someone who told us to rest, you’re working way too hard.”
“...”
Resting. Right.
Come to think of it, I didn't know how long it had been since I’d truly rested. Even during the times I wasn't interested in the world’s affairs, I was always rushing out to do Free Subjugations, even if it wasn't my job.
“Anyway, back to the point. I think it’s fine that you work hard as a Hero. I only found out recently, but most of the monsters around our house that aren't part of a Story were defeated by you, weren't they? Every time the alarm went off, you’d disappear and the threat would be neutralized immediately.”
“It’s only what must be done.”
We have power, so we have a duty to shoulder that much.
“Well, let’s leave it at that. You’re incredibly stubborn about that sort of thing, Senior. But there’s one thing that’s strange.”
I wondered what it was, so I leaned back on the mat and listened, but it took a moment for her next words to come. It was as if she was choosing them carefully.
“Why... why is there no data on you, even though you do all that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why don't you do anything to reveal yourself? I didn't know at first, but if you look up Senior Oxymoron, at least her name comes up. And the Librarian or the Heavenly Sword you introduced as friends—they all have names for themselves. Titles in the Bureau or organizations, or academic papers.”
I see what she means.
“Why is there nothing for you, Senior? Based on your achievements alone, you should have plenty of fame...”
“That’s enough of that.”
“No, let’s keep going. I’m serious. Even when they were discussing merits after your last Public Enemy subjugation, your name wasn't even mentioned on the list...”
Even this one is starting.
Is she going to try to push me forward like Hyun-seok?
“Perhaps you think a Hero shouldn't seek a reward? On the contrary, Senior, you’re the one who needs to relax your shoulders more than us...”
‘Look! I am the water-manipulating Hero, Waterman!’
‘That’s so tacky!’
‘Who are you calling tacky?!’
‘Help... glub...’
Amidst the noisy nagging and the joyful laughter.
I heard a voice.
A sound seeking help.
“Move.”
“Senior, I’m not finished talking...”
I pushed my disciple aside and sprinted toward the direction of the sound.
Boom.
The moment my foot hit the ground, the well-manicured grass that had been fluttering in the breeze was pulverized along with the soil, scattering into the air like filthy debris. The mat I had been sitting on just a moment ago was shredded into pieces, scattering silver cloth into the sky.
In a single step, I had turned a place of public rest into a pile of trash. But I didn't care; I ran toward the source of the sound.
I manipulated the range so as not to harm the citizens, moving as fast as possible.
The ground was gouged here and there by the impact, but I didn't have time to worry about that now.
I approached the riverbank, a place even those playing in the water avoided.
There were warning signs and barriers telling people not to enter because the water was deep.
But there are always those who ignore warnings. Especially children who don't know the fear of death.
Boom.
I kicked off from the last bit of solid ground. My body soared high, aiming for the middle of the river.
The spot where a child, acting on a whim, had jumped into the water and submerged.
The paving blocks were ruined, and the barriers meant to keep people out were swept away, but that didn't matter either. What mattered now was the life of The Child submerged there.
Splash.
With the final sound of water splashing, my body dove diagonally into the river, cutting deep.
The water was slightly polluted, with debris floating in it, and bubbles rose from my dive, obscuring my vision.
Ignoring the filth, I reached out toward the place where I felt life.
A young boy, his face turned pale blue as water filled his lungs.
How foolish—it looked like he’d tried to swim with his clothes on.
My hand touched his body. A human body, dying without any reaction.
‘Tsk.’
He must have swallowed a massive amount of water while screaming for help.
...Nothing for it, then.
Pop.
I wrapped my entire body around The Child to protect him from the impact and kicked off the water to break the surface.
As I emerged, I saw a crowd of onlookers and my two disciples.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Running across the surface of the water back to the shore, I handed The Child to the first person I saw, Han A-bin.
“Water in the lungs. Keep him alive and call an ambulance.”
“What about you, Senior?”
Recognizing the emergency, Han A-bin immediately began performing CPR and healing magic simultaneously, while throwing a question my way.
Toward me, as I prepared to leave again.
“...”
Thump.
I kicked off again, leaping over the circle of people surrounding me. This time, I made sure nothing broke.