Chapter 10. Hero Couple
The fateful meeting between the hero couple—husband Gunda and wife Mahushu—was well-known even in the imperial capital. It was rare enough for both spouses to be heroes, but the fact that the wife was a wolfkin mixed-blood beastkin made it quite the hot topic.
A being born between a human and a beastkin. Neither fully beastkin nor human—an awkward mongrel in between. The biggest flaw of mixed-bloods was usually their inability to reproduce. There were occasional cases where they could, but those were exceptions. Heteroracial unions were thus discouraged as much as possible. In any case, to Sur Alidan, the absolute ruler, a child incapable of bearing offspring was worthless trash. Naturally, she grew up without her father's love or attention.
That was why Mahushu had strived all her life to prove herself a desert warrior, but her inability to produce heirs remained a massive defect. Not that it applied to everyone, but it was probably a big reason she ended up as the grand prize in this tournament. Even just being Sur's daughter made her plenty noteworthy. Ji-hyuk knew that Gunda and Mahushu had first met right here at this very tournament. Crudely put, it was the winner claiming his prize.
They fell in love, got married, and later Mahushu entered the hero academy to become a hero herself—that was the gist of the scandalous rumor that had once rocked the capital.
In truth, Ji-hyuk wasn't close to the hero couple. He just knew their faces. ...But there had been one time when he and hero Gunda became mortal enemies. Back in the 11th loop, when Ji-hyuk was a gang leader. At the time, C-rank hero Mahushu had come to take him down. Ji-hyuk had been riding high on his infamy then. He captured the rare mixed-blood beastkin who wandered right into his lap and doped her up until she became his pet.
Thanks to her beastkin blood, she resisted the drugs longer than most, but with enough effort, even she broke. Naturally, her husband, hero Gunda, wasn't about to sit idly by after hearing the rumors. He brought his crew to rescue her. It was a fierce fight, but Ji-hyuk emerged victorious in the end. The traps he'd laid proved effective. He chopped off Gunda's limbs and pumped him full of a near-lethal dose of drugs. The bastard died getting his dick sucked by his wife. And behind her? Ji-hyuk, pounding away.
...Anyway, that was just a minor blip. But now it was all undone anyway. Only Ji-hyuk remembered it. The 11th loop was long past; this was the 15th. Ancient history. Decades by the calendar. Everything had been reset, so there was no reason for guilt. ...Not that Ji-hyuk was the type to feel it anyway.
Breathing in the cool night air as he gazed at the starry sky, Ji-hyuk let out a long sigh. What to do...
He weighed his options coldly. Whether Mahushu met Gunda or not was none of his business. All that mattered was whether this mixed-blood was worth raising. From his memories, in the 14th loop, she'd climbed all the way to A-rank. Her husband Gunda had been top-tier A-rank, gunning for S. Even setting aside her A-rank status, the beastkin blood in her veins left little doubt about her talent. A-rank was proof of that. Everyone knew beastkin were born fighters anyway.
If he left now, the chance would be gone forever. Now Ji-hyuk tipped the scales. Abandon the mission and leave? Or stick around for time-consuming Mahushu? ...It wasn't much of a dilemma, really. Missions didn't wrap up just by delaying them, but Mahushu was a now-or-never opportunity. The choice was already narrowing.
Guess I'll be holed up here for a while... The silver lining was the fat stack of gold he'd raked in from Palahino's blood arena last time—no money worries there. From the start of this loop's tutorial, Ji-hyuk had resolved to raise heroes. He couldn't pass up a shot like this. A-rank talent wasn't easy to find. And with the right training, she could go even higher...
He looked up at the night sky again and exhaled deeply. ...Should've asked Gunda how he tamed that half-assed wolf.
The very next day after deciding to take Mahushu under his wing, the boss told his team they'd be sticking around for a while.
Predictably, Gid was thrilled, carefree as ever. The thoughtful Kayak asked if he could know the reason.
"Heard Sur's hosting a tournament. Gotta make hay while the sun shines—no worries later. ...Even if it takes time, bear with it."
"If the boss says so."
Gorsh and Kayak had no complaints. On long expeditions, money was the biggest issue. It made no sense for team members to gripe when the boss was handling it. Especially since he footed the bill for all five of them.
"Doesn't mean slack off, though. Train on your own. ...You know that without me saying, right?"
"Don't worry 'bout it."
Gid replied with gusto. Ji-hyuk tuned out the three males. They'd manage. He decided to focus more on Yael. Plenty of time until the tournament—perfect training window. No time like the present, as the saying went. He started right away in the backyard behind the building.
"You know magic way better than me, so I'll just teach you what to know and do in combat. Making it work theoretically? That's on you. Got it?"
"Yes."
Yael listened intently, like a student before her professor. He explained scenarios one by one, telling her exactly what to do. Starting simple, of course. He'd ramp up as her skills grew. But even the basics weren't easy. The moment he finished, she looked puzzled and raised a question.
"Um... With my current mana pool, I can't handle that yet. And it assumes I'm maintaining the light orb, but casting spells while doing that isn't easy."
"That's why it's your job to figure it out. I just tell you what to do."
The junkie TA's face grew serious. Tougher than expected. Maintaining mana for the light orb while casting a fire spell wasn't impossible for her yet. But adding another? Way beyond her. Even the theory department profs would say so.
"And... chanting spells with each hand separately... Honestly, that's beyond me."
"No, you have to. Absolutely. So practice."
Easier said than done. It was like drawing with both hands at once—complex pictures, no less. She blurted something silly.
"Th-that wasn't taught at the academy..."
Long-time academy TA couldn't do what she hadn't learned. Classic good-student limit.
"Classroom and field are different. There, you can learn what you don't know. Here, you don't, you die."
Aw...
"Practice like your life depends on it. Because it does. You'll get it eventually. You have the talent. Believe in yourself."
Still, Yael was pessimistic. How could I? I'm no genius...
Ji-hyuk read her anxious eyes. She'd force it if told, but she didn't trust herself. Negative mindset was bad. He needed to flip it to ironclad determination. Humans needed rewards to stay motivated. So he whispered in her ear.
"Succeed, and I'll let you suck my dick. Or fuck you."
Her head snapped up, body freezing like a statue.
"Motivated now?"
Too embarrassed to speak, she just nodded slightly.
"If I like it, you get drugs too. ...Like before."
Yael banished all doubt. She had to do it. No matter what. Look at those eyes light up at "drugs"—Ji-hyuk smirked. Nothing motivated a junkie like more junk.
"Good. Do your best. I'll cheer you on. But training continues regardless."
"Yes."
He had no clue how long double casting would take. ...Have to believe it'll be quick.
"Just a taste today. We're done."
"Good work, sir."
The junkie TA bowed politely. Ji-hyuk patted her shoulder as he passed. Whether she practiced hard or not was on her. If no progress by expedition's end, cut her loose. Clinging to dead weight wasn't his style. Ditch the hopeless quick.
Leaving the backyard, he headed down the main street to the registration desk for the tournament. Prize drawing a crowd—over ten in line already. After a wait, his turn came. He flashed his mercenary tag for ID, got number 311. With days left, probably hit 500.
Ji-hyuk ducked into a nearby tavern. First time in Sur's tourney—time for intel. He bought drinks for a drunk and pumped him for info.
"You entered the tourney?"
"Yeah."
"Give up now, lad. No chance this time."
"Why?"
"The boss's daughter's the prize. Everyone's bloodshot-eyed for it. Desert warriors you know by name—not just a few. All angling to cozy up to him."
Ji-hyuk waved off the chatter, demanded tournament details.
"Signed up blind? You want the prize too, eh."
"She's the boss's daughter."
"Plenty of clueless fools like you. Place is chaos. Expectations sky-high."
The drunk drained his cup. Ji-hyuk bought another. He started talking as the barkeep refilled.
"Never seen the arena?"
"Nope."
"Massive. They cram all entrants in."
"...What?"
Ji-hyuk had expected a tournament bracket. Way off.
The drunk flashed yellow teeth, cackling. "Vipers, bugs, traps, monsters—everything's there. Throw in the entrants, let 'em slaughter each other. Balls-shriveling fun. Even pros die easy. For real."
He chugged the whole thing. Kahh...
"Last one standing wins. Takes all the gold and prize."
"Huh."
"Once everyone died. No winner then."
The drunk grinned wickedly. Ji-hyuk was dumbfounded. ...But kinda liked it.