Chapter 152
Chapter 152
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Part 2 Episode 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seol Doyun stared at the mirror across from her.
The flower buds on the flowering tree that had grown up to her neck had bloomed just a tiny bit from Yi Saebyeok's wild antics the other dawn.
After going to stop Yi Saebyeok's nonsense and stumbling upon an utterly pointless scene, the pattern had dug into her skin like it was stabbing her, and then the pattern had shifted ever so slightly.
She had no idea what the connection was, but every time something Yi Saebyeok-related blew up, the flower buds cracked open just a little.
She still hadn't gotten any intel on what happened when the flower fully bloomed, so caution was the smart play.
That was the only reason she was helping Yi Saebyeok.
‘…….’
Justifying it to herself suddenly felt ridiculous.
How long did she have to keep this up?
She wanted to think freely, comfortably, however she damn well pleased.
Seol Doyun tapped the flowering tree with her fingertips.
Just thoughts of Yi Saebyeok made the flowers on her neck twitch, so maybe she needed to watch even the ideas that popped up naturally.
Until the root problem was fixed, she couldn't shake this anxiety and obsession.
If she wanted any mental slack, she had to solve Yi Saebyeok's issue.
Yi Saebyeok's problem boiled down to one thing right now.
Her environment.
Yi Saebyeok was numb to stimuli, so she could thrive pretty much anywhere she got tossed.
She forgot the bad shit fast but dragged the good memories out over and over, which meant her mental fortitude was inevitably tougher than most.
But her luck with surroundings was pure garbage.
Constant exposure to extreme, hellish environments was rotting her away inside, even with that blasé personality.
And she was affectionate to boot, plus smart enough to notice every little thing, which doubled the agony.
Most people just bailed on that kind of setup, but Yi Saebyeok picked the moronic route of trying to overhaul the whole place she was stuck in.
Stupid. Stubborn as hell.
What was so damn hard about running away that she glued her ass to the spot and refused to budge?
‘Killed the Association President and pulled off Abyss's rescue without a hitch, so why's it still shit? Why, Saebyeok-ah.’
That was why her current plan went like this.
Short-term: tweak Yi Saebyeok's school environment for some breathing room. Long-term: wipe out the gates and monsters for good.
She'd originally planned to hit the gates first—attending college to scan the latest papers and gather intel—but the self-destructive little punk couldn't hold out and blew everything up.
Should've caught on when she was scarfing spicy food to practice fake tears and yawning drills.
Figured her pride would've stopped her.
But her self-preservation had worn down to nothing; now she acted like she didn't give a damn anymore.
Part of her even wished the idiot would just drop dead if she was gonna be that reckless.
Honestly, she'd take everyone else dying over Yi Saebyeok—but fat chance of that happening.
The first was mercy killing; the second was straight-up butchering Yi Saebyeok herself.
Thanks to Yi Saebyeok's nonstop dramatic explosions, she'd picked up a new priority before gates: fix school and Abyss environments.
Seol Doyun rifled through the Abyss kids' trait profiles and pulled out the sheet with 'Lee Kyungseop' on it.
She steeped some tea leaves in hot water and neatly arranged the documents beside her teacup.
Protecting Yi Saebyeok's school days meant resetting the power structure.
Yi Saebyeok had to know it too, but pride kept her from saying shit and just tanking it.
The unawakened Yi Saebyeok—who ditched her pride everywhere else—puffing up and snapping at her alone had been kinda cute back then.
Not anymore. Now it just pissed her off.
The girl was a walking contradiction, one massive asshole.
If not for that dumbass greed to stick with Abyss, they'd be chilling in some scenic spot right now, raising cats or dogs together.
Seol Doyun flipped open her notebook—packed tight with old plans—next to Lee Kyungseop's trait profile.
Her original scheme: build an Abyss cartel off the hunter orgs she'd spun up while grooming Lee Yoohyun.
Hand Yi Saebyeok the reins at the same time, let her customize her own setup. Shelved it first for Lee Yoohyun, scrapped it entirely thanks to Yeo Woohee.
Even without Yi Saebyeok, the structure left too much room for her crew to abuse.
Pondering her approach, Dun popped into her head.
The powered-up Yi Saebyeok (Dun) had doled out abilities to folks unlikely to misuse them.
Which was why Korea's hunter scene was famed for its pristine, top-tier purity.
Even with Abyss dragging the average down, folks had no choice but to view them favorably—we'd sacrificed to crank out those potions, after all.
Best to take notes: shake up the rankings, pump the influence of the more balanced kids.
Lately, types like Yeo Woohee or Moon Serim—who couldn't rein in their hang-ups and kept kicking off—had picked up a trauma from Yi Saebyeok's bullshit and dialed back the extreme violence.
Weaponize those rowdy but proactive kids against Nagil High's hardcore unyieldings, train 'em toward harmony, and that hellhole school might actually turn livable.
She'd need to chat with Yeo Woohee later.
‘Never figured I'd be walking the exact steps Dun took raising Lee Yoohyun.’
Seol Doyun sipped her warm tea while scanning Lee Kyungseop's trait profile.
Mimicking Dun's playbook seemed solid. Proven winner.
Seol Doyun clicked the folder on her computer compiling Dun's track record.
* * *
Some uncleared C-Rank Gate.
“Uwaaak! D-Do-yun-ah! W-Wait!!! G-Give me a sec to grab my weapon. Just wait, Do-yun-ah!”
Seol Doyun beamed as she twirled an axe twice her size in flashy loops, chasing Lee Kyungseop.
“Why're you moving like that? It's breaking my heart.”
Veins popped on Seol Doyun's arm gripping the axe. She licked her lips and slammed it down hard toward Lee Kyungseop's head.
Her expression looked downright terrifying at first glance.
Eyes slightly unfocused, lost in thought maybe, but her mouth grinned wider than anyone's.
Lee Kyungseop made a miserable face and ducked, barely dodging.
Swoosh.
A chunk of his hair sheared off.
“W-What'd I do? D-Do I rub you the wrong way?”
“Haha.”
Desperate to live, Lee Kyungseop whipped out his sword and triggered a skill. His eyes flashed green as green sword aura cloaked the blade.
“Blade of Lush!!!”
The green sword aura whipped into a frenzy around the sword, spinning fast enough to slice Seol Doyun any second.
Nearby rocks got swept up, hurtling toward the smirking Seol Doyun.
Yap, yap. Hup.
Seol Doyun dodged the sword aura and stray shots effortlessly, leaped to the wall, toed a jutting stone, and anchored with mana.
“Kyungseop-ah, over here!”
She let out a short scoff at Lee Kyungseop whipping his head around in panic, hunting for her vanished form, then called out.
He spun toward the voice, and Seol Doyun pressed a hand to her flowering tree pattern.
An intricate black wooden bow materialized in her grip.
She snapped her fingers lightly, and five arrows pulsing dark blue aura appeared in her hand.
Seol Doyun nocked the five arrows at precise angles and drew the string taut on Lee Kyungseop.
Kiiiiing.
The bowstring wailed.
Piiiiing!
Air screamed as they launched.
Pew-pew-pew!
Lee Kyungseop swatted two aside but ate the other three dead on.
No time to flee or block—pure speed.
The arrows pierced him, then fizzled out after slurping up heaps of his mana, buffing Seol Doyun further.
“So, how's the body feel?”
“G-Gonna... die......”
Lately, Seol Doyun handled her gate assignments.攻略 team: just her and Seol Doyun.
No clue why Seol Doyun latched onto her, but it turned recent runs into a death march.
Earlier, clearing trash mobs, she'd nearly eaten a pattern that almost killed her—then Seol Doyun replicated it obsessively.
Right before the boss room, no less.
Mental drain maxed out already, and now she'd nerfed her power hard with a skill.
Couldn't even twitch.
“Aw, gotta buck up if you wanna live.”
Seol Doyun hunkered down beside the shuddering, collapsed Lee Kyungseop and cooed softly.
“Boss monster's about due.”
She nocked and loosed another arrow into the distant gloom.
Piiiiing!
It streaked away, carving dark blue trails through the air.
[Grroooowl......]
Plenty to rouse the boss snoozing back there.
Hic.
Lee Kyungseop hiccuped at the shadow engulfing him.
Seol Doyun clapped a hand on his shoulder, patted it twice, gave a light rub.
“Kyungseop-ah, you've got my cheers.”
“Uwaaak! S-S-Save me!”
Seol Doyun smiled tenderly at his scream.
§ § §
“Isn't Lee Kyungseop looking kinda peaked lately? Traded his ranking for his health or what?”
Woo Jiyoon eyed Lee Kyungseop's under-eye bags, then nudged me.
“Lee Kyungseop ranked up?”
“Yeah. Gunning for my spot any second.”
Sudden mood swing much?
I'd been mulling rank-ups myself, and here he goes climbing on his own.
There used to be that 'Seop4mot' thing—'Lee Kyungseop can't crack top four'—and he'd just busted through it.
Still rocking B-Rank mana.
The board had been static forever, so a little shuffle got everyone murmuring.
Attack-type #2 Woo Jiyoon tensed, shooting Lee Kyungseop a glare.
“Ah, fuck. Shaking me up. Saebyeok-ah, back me up here.”
“Too much hassle.”
Woo Jiyoon draped herself on my arm, pleading. I shoved her off and pulled up the rankings on my phone.
‘For real.’
Attack-Type Overall [Detailed Categories]
[1st] Moon Serim -A1
[2nd] Woo Jiyoon -A1
[3rd] Lee Kyungseop -B1
[4th] Yoo Heeah -A3
[5th] Joo Ho -A5
Top spots were locked in, but Lee Kyungseop had climbed a rung.
Dunno what got into him lately—the gate-grinding loner was suddenly chasing merits.
I'd figured his rank was due for a dip, so the climb was wild.
I sized up Lee Kyungseop. His vibe felt punchier overall.
Maybe nudge him down a hair so Woo Jiyoon could flip him? Widen the gap, lock her spot.
“Woo Jiyoon.”
“Yeah?”
“Let's vibe and heal for a bit. Before school starts.”
Last school gig, burn scars got her Frankenstein'd—shrank into herself, hid behind her hair.
Watching her crumple up close was suffocating. Time to drag her out, get her bold again.
‘Wait, hold up.’
Something felt off, so I checked Woo Jiyoon's face.
Sometime back, she wasn't hiding the burns anymore.
Eyes and lips all prettied up with makeup—I'd mistaken it for cover.
“You don't gotta hide this?”
“Why bother? Looks like floral tattoos bloomed on my face. Hit me: it's got character.”
“Oh......”
Flashback city: all those times she'd ranted in her room about how grotesque the scars were.
Finally free of that daily mindfuck. Listening drained me dry.
Pain aside, my nose itched.
“No, fuck. Like I said from jump, you dumb bitch! Fuck, only now! Shit, warms my heart, you ditz.”
“W-Why're you so hyped...... Huh?”
“Dunno, damn it. Tteokbokki run for some clean team-up vibes. Called the old school crew.”
I slung an arm over Woo Jiyoon's shoulders and pinged the kids I'd swapped numbers with last time.
The ones who'd thrown shields during the Abyss rep storm. Quick replies—solid.
Glanced over: Woo Jiyoon in selfie mode, peeking at her face with a shy grin. Absurd. Kinda hilarious. Still, she pulled it off.
“Fuck, pissing me off outta nowhere. C'mere. Time for a scolding.”
“U-Uwaak. Hold on! Saebyeok-ah, wh-what, what're you—!!”
I planted a barrage of cheek pecks; Woo Jiyoon went beet red, flailing in panic.