Heroes Are Made. (1)
There had definitely been a time when I told Lee Jihye to do things properly if she was going to do them at all.
“It’d be better if it really felt like a crisis… If it’s awkward, it’d be better not to do it.”
“So you mean it’s enough if I can neutralize your party, right? That means some ordinary guild members won’t cut it.”
“Does it?”
“Ugh… The executives are busy right now… Even if I bring one of them in, it probably won’t make much of a difference… I’ll handle this one myself. Well, what can you do? I don’t know whether it’ll work out, but if the deal goes well, I’m sure I can get results you’ll be satisfied with.”
“Do you have something up your sleeve?”
“For now, it’s a secret. Open the present box when you get there.”
I’d really thought nothing of it at the time.
I had never once doubted Lee Jihye’s ability to get things done. I’d expected her to prepare some impressive event, sure, but I never imagined she’d move the master of the guild I belonged to.
I could roughly guess what kind of terms she must have used.
She must have decided to take part in this event in exchange for a meeting with Kim Hyunsung.
Of course, there was no denying that Lee Jihye’s work had been flawless.
Still…
She’d done too good a job.
“Run!!!!”
Park Deokgu’s frantic reaction said it all.
He’d taken the full force of the mana and killing intent pouring down on us and instantly decided there was no way we could win.
Of course, everyone here could be counted as a strong individual. Jung Hayan was no exception, and neither was Kim Yeri.
Even Park Deokgu, who ranked lowest in raw specs, had grown tremendously compared to the first-year recruits who’d entered with him.
But none of that meant they could beat someone at that level.
The level’s different.
That had to be what he was thinking.
“W-what the hell is this all of a sudden…?”
“Hyungnim! Run! Run for it!”
The way he kept shouting, as if he were the only one who’d sensed the danger, was almost comical.
Still, it meant he was worrying about our safety, and if this wasn’t an act, then there was a reason he was making such a scene.
This was different from when he’d gone up against Cha Heera.
Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin had been there to maintain the balance, and Cha Heera had also been taking our circumstances into account.
No matter how many times I thought about it, Park Deokgu alone couldn’t guarantee the safety of our rear line.
He was probably acting like this because he realized that too, but we’d grown since then.
The proper response was to show resistance.
Jung Hayan reflexively started chanting as well, and Kim Yeri tightened her grip on her dagger, beginning to watch the woman approaching us with renewed caution.
Shit… is she really a brigade member?
That was how much killing intent she had.
I felt a little relieved when I used the Mind’s Eye and confirmed that she was indeed Park Yeonju, but still…
She’s scary.
Disappearing from sight in an instant was bad enough, but the fact that she was now charging straight at us like a madwoman was terrifying.
“Ah…!!”
Since the distance was still relatively wide, Jung Hayan’s spell went off first.
With a thunderous crash, dozens of streams of mana surged toward Park Yeonju.
Maybe it was some kind of guided spell, because the trajectories bent in places as they pursued her, but she deflected every single attack with the dagger in her hand and kept charging toward us.
Since it was a spell I’d cast only as a test, it didn’t seem to affect her at all.
Obviously, I had no choice but to pour mana into the Dragon’s Breath Potion I was holding.
It was less that I was thinking I had to resist with everything I had and more that I was trying to shake off the killing intent she was flinging at us.
Wiiiiiiing!!!
After batting away Jung Hayan’s stream of magic, what waited was a massive explosion.
I didn’t think we’d get hurt. Even if we were going all out, the other side still had room to spare.
Park Deokgu, who looked startled at the sheer firepower of the Dragon’s Breath Potion for what was probably his first time seeing it, glanced back at me, but I didn’t have time to answer.
“Focus! You dumb pig!”
“R-right, yes! Hyungnim!”
There was nothing Park Deokgu could do right now.
She was trying to close the distance, and we were trying to widen it.
Jung Hayan was chanting spells to shake her off, and I was ready to respond to any variables that might crop up.
It bruises my pride.
It was also a trial to see exactly how strong Jung Hayan and I were.
“Wind Step!”
With Jung Hayan’s spell, my body started to feel lighter.
That still meant little compared to that woman’s agility, but it helped on the stamina front.
Once the explosion cleared, her face came into view again, still looking as if nothing had happened at all as she pushed through the smoke.
Her expression was thick with irritation.
Did I piss her off? Shit…
I had thrown a legendary-grade potion at her, so I could understand why she’d look like that.
She was a little faster than before.
I poured in mana again.
Two seconds until detonation. But Park Yeonju would probably reach us in less than that.
Wiiiiiiing!
Still, I’d already loaded the mana, so I had to throw it.
The blast radius still included our side, but I didn’t bother worrying about that.
The moment I tossed it at her feet, I dropped a hand to the ground, and with a crackling sound, a giant dragon’s tail coiled around the party.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Park Yeonju was the only one exposed to the full force of the explosion.
Again, Park Deokgu stared at me, shocked out of his mind.
“Th-this is….”
“I’ve made a little progress lately.”
“I see….”
The moment the dragon’s tail vanished, Jung Hayan’s magic erupted.
Wait… are we actually going to win?
I let myself have that dreamy little fantasy for a second, but the way she was still pushing through Jung Hayan’s area spells was absurd.
This time, I could see a distinctly more annoyed expression on her face as she glared at Jung Hayan and me.
Ugh….
That was when I thought we’d put a little more distance between us.
Huh?
The woman I’d thought was still off in the distance was suddenly mixed into our group, staring directly at me.
A trait?
The Mind’s Eye had only confirmed her name.
Park Yeonju had a trait or ability that let her close the gap in an instant.
I hastily fumbled with the catalyst, and once again, sparks crackled from my hand, but there was no way I could do anything else.
Her dagger was already swinging toward me.
Before Park Deokgu could even react, Kim Yeri burst forward with a dagger in hand.
BOOM!
“So Blue really does have some talented people… Guess the rumors were true.”
Her small voice slipped out.
It was only right to praise Kim Yeri for managing to intercept that attack at all.
She was the only one who’d reacted in time to the woman who’d appeared in the middle of us in an instant.
But that didn’t mean she could hold her.
She blocked the first attack, but of course she couldn’t stop what came after.
Park Yeonju withdrew her dagger and immediately kicked out. Kim Yeri vomited blood, flew to the other side, and slammed into a large tree.
Retired.
“Yeri!”
“You should worry about yourself first, Lee Kiyoung.”
“Aaaaaaaaaah!”
After Kim Yeri crashed into the tree, a shocked Park Deokgu charged at Park Yeonju with his shield raised.
“Mr. An Gimo, Yeri!”
“Y-yes!”
As An Gimo rushed toward Kim Yeri, dozens of daggers and swords were already stabbing into his back.
Is that a trait too?
“Urk!”
The wounds looked like they should have been instantly fatal, but since An Gimo was still shouting, it didn’t seem to be direct damage.
It was probably some kind of specially handled blade.
“Khhhhh….”
Even so, An Gimo was still dragging himself forward with all his might, putting on one hell of a performance.
Seeing him act like that even without an audience made me realize the man really was made of something else.
He doesn’t have to go that far….
His screams of agony and the way he crawled over to treat Kim Yeri made him look exactly like someone who’d lost a comrade in battle.
I found myself drawn in by the sheer force of his acting, but An Gimo wasn’t the star of this stage.
Park Deokgu was.
This entire spectacle had indeed been built for him.
I could see him clenching his teeth and standing against Park Yeonju.
Obviously, there was no way he could be a match for her.
It was more like he was being dragged around by her pace.
The difference in agility was too great to help it.
There was no way Park Deokgu could stop Park Yeonju from ignoring him entirely and charging Jung Hayan.
In the end, Jung Hayan, too, was retired for the moment, with a black blade buried in her chest.
I rushed to her side, shocked, and splashed potion all over her chest.
She didn’t really get stabbed, did she?
She cracked one eye open and looked at me, which meant she was clearly fine. I was a little curious what the swords were made of, but that wasn’t important right now.
“Oppa… I… love….”
“You can survive, Hayan.”
“I love you….”
“Hayan!!”
With the tragic heroine performance nobody had ordered, Jung Hayan’s breathing gradually quieted.
Seeing that, Park Deokgu swung his shield and screamed.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
I’d expected this, but it was still a pretty tragic sight.
His face was full of resentment toward his own helplessness.
Everything had happened too fast.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but the tears in his eyes made me feel a little guilty.
It’s all for you, Deokgu.
Definitely…
I can do this.
After planting the black sword in Jung Hayan, Park Yeonju stopped targeting me.
For the time being, I was still the one clutching Jung Hayan and howling in grief.
She must have decided it was best to deal with me after first reducing Park Deokgu to helplessness.
She’d probably figured that would be more dramatic too.
He kept swinging his shield and hacking at her with his sword, but naturally, Park Deokgu’s blade never came close to touching her.
“Damn it!! Damn it!!!”
The sword that hadn’t touched Kim Yeri had no chance of reaching Park Yeonju.
It was more like he was being toyed with.
It looked like he was being tortured, thoroughly and methodically.
As his body became more and more soaked in blood, I could hardly bear to watch. And yet he still refused to let go of his sword.
The reason was obvious.
Anyone could tell he was trying to protect me right now.
“Run! Hyungnim! Get farther away!”
He kept shouting the same thing over and over.
“Hyungnim!”
I feel really bad, but….
If it ever came out that all of this was an act, Park Deokgu would have every right to beat me to death. That’s how brutally I’d gone at him.
I’d known from the start that I was going to do something a little cruel, but seeing him crying snot and tears while begging me to run made my chest ache for no good reason.
It was because I was reminded all over again how much he valued me.
We knew it was all fake, so we weren’t thinking much of it, but to him, this was reality.
Telling me to run because he’d hold this woman back was the same as saying he valued my life more than his own.
He wasn’t just saying it. He was showing it with his body.
Of course, passion and fighting spirit don’t solve everything.
Time passed, and Park Deokgu was left panting, his body covered in blood as he glared at Park Yeonju.
He was already in no condition to move.
Then Park Yeonju casually raised a hand, and the black sword floated up into the air.
It looked almost like an execution.
“Run… Hyungnim…. With noona… hurry….”
The instant the black blade dropped above him as he kept muttering the same words, I moved my body and threw myself in front of Park Deokgu.
I was only moving in response to Park Yeonju’s signal, but it was still dramatic as hell.
Black blades stabbed into my body, but there was no pain.
Moving was awkward, sure, but the absence of pain was strangely amazing.
And of course, behind me, I could hear a tiny voice.
To Park Deokgu, it probably looked like I’d spread my arms wide to shield him.
It was a perfect, picture-book heroic scene.
“Hyungnim?”
“Ah….”
“Hyungnim?”
“You stupid pig… run….”
I spat out the red potion I’d been holding in my mouth and looked at Park Deokgu, and his face twisted horribly.
“Hyu… hyungniim… hyungniim….”
The way he called for me like a child and wailed was so heart-wrenching it was almost moving.
I hadn’t imagined he thought this much of me.
“Hyungniim… keuugh… Hyungnim!!”
“Ah….”
“Hyungnim! Hyungnim!!”
“Always remember this, Deokgu….”
“Don’t go… don’t go… I’ll remember it… just hold on a little longer… just a little longer….”
His face, smeared with tears and snot, became even more ferocious.
Park Deokgu probably understood at least vaguely by now.
He can still be saved.
Jung Hayan was breathing shakily in the smallest way, and Kim Yeri was the same.
Of course, I was still breathing too.
Good.
The pig who supposedly couldn’t do anything slowly began to rise.
His body was already barely able to move.
Yet with that body, he chose to stand and fight and protect rather than die on the ground, crying.
Good! That’s it, damn it! That’s the one!
The way he grabbed his sword and shield again with a body that didn’t want to move, blocking the front line once more, somehow made him look dependable.
Even his muttering reached my ears and sank in deep.
“I… can do better.”
It was the line that had been holding him together all this time.
All the necessary pieces were in place, and the situation had become dramatic enough.
Heroes were, by nature, the sort of people who broke through one limit or another in situations like this.
Obviously, I believed in him.
Just raising his sword and shield again was enough to prove he had what it took.
“I… can do better.”
The moment Park Yeonju, who had kept her expression cold until now, swept her hand once more, dozens of swords fell again onto my body.
Park Deokgu lifted his shield, and with a shout I couldn’t make sense of, his body began to turn gold.
├─ Tier 1:[Base ability] ✓
├─ Tier 2:[Enhanced ability] ✓
└─ Tier 3:[New ability — UNLOCKED] ★
[Player Park Deokgu’s Hidden Quirk has been identified.]
[The Hero Who Does Not Fall]
That’s right!!!!!
It could only be the result I’d expected.
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