Treasure Hunting (1)
The rumor spread in secret and swelled overnight.
"...The truth is, he's actually a secret weapon of the Demon Cult."
Choi Gangjun, who only shuttled between the dormitory and the training hall, would never have known, but word that he was a secret weapon personally cultivated by the Heavenly Demon Cult had gradually begun spreading through the class.
An elite bodyguard warrior secretly prepared by the current Heavenly Demon for his beloved daughter!
The evidence supporting this rumor was as follows:
Part of it was that he'd always had little contact with the other students, but the content of his recent duel and his intimate relationship with Cheon Yuha were playing an especially large role in feeding the conspiracy theories.
"Hmm, a secret weapon, you say."
Cheon Yuha herself had caught snippets of the story while wandering the campus, so she was roughly aware of it.
"...It could be true?"
She even thought it was a rumor that made plenty of sense.
Unlike those who speculated based solely on the duel and the occasional sightings of the two together at the student cafeteria, Cheon Yuha remembered that day vividly.
There was no way she could ever forget it.
The sight of Choi Gangjun subduing in a single strike the Guardian that had left even her, a Super-Peak Realm martial artist, floundering helplessly.
The scene of the world itself twisting in an instant.
His astonishingly delicate movements of both hands, down to the very last thread of energy he guided.
Every detail of that place, that moment, remained vividly imprinted in her mind.
"How could a mere First-rate display a realm like that?"
Cheon Yuha murmured, furrowing her brow.
Lately, every night when she lay down to sleep, she tossed and turned with that same question gnawing at her.
Days had already passed, and still the image of Choi Gangjun from that day flickered before her eyes.
She had always strived to see the world free of prejudice, without imposing limits on human potential — but Choi Gangjun had lightly leapt beyond that very framework.
This wasn't a matter of refusing to admit it out of petty pride.
This was an event that had shattered, in a single instant, the conception of martial arts she had built over a lifetime.
Granted, the opponent had been a golem — but how had a First-rate toppled something that rivaled the Super-Peak Realm?
There was no way she could accept it in a matter of days.
Given the man's seemingly taciturn yet mischievous nature, she even caught herself wondering if he might be an aged master reborn in a youthful body, toying with her all along.
Hmm, what on earth could he be?
Choi Gangjun. First-rate. Master. Geongondaenayi. Reversal of age. What, in the end, were the martial arts?
With each passing day, the thoughts piling up in Cheon Yuha's head as she lay in bed only multiplied.
She had certainly been thinking about that man a lot lately, that much was true.
"Are you two dating, by any chance?"
"...What?"
Of course, she'd never imagined she would hear even such a remark.
Cheon Yuha scrunched her face into a scowl — wondering if her newly made friend had eaten something bad.
Her classmate and elven archer, Elenor Andersen, casually waved a hand as she spoke.
"No, I heard you're going on a date tomorrow. Figured maybe there was something brewing."
"...What nonsense are you spouting, Elenor? He and I are merely friends."
"And here I thought you'd known each other for years, but you met on the exact same day I did, right? Isn't there just a bit too little distance between you two?"
"...Elenor. Think carefully about where you are right now before you speak."
At Cheon Yuha's expression — as if she were chewing on gravel — Elenor glanced around nervously.
The place where they sat was a spacious living room with wooden floors, like any old traditional house in China.
But step just past the living room, and the modern interior of a penthouse came into view.
Cheon Yuha's quarters in the Third Dormitory Building.
Cheon Yuha occupied the top floor, Elenor the one directly below, which made them easy comings and goings for each other, and today it was Cheon Yuha who had invited Elenor over for dinner.
The menu: a home-cooked meal (discarded, completely burnt), followed by franchise fried chicken ordered separately.
Having vividly recalled Cheon Yuha's disastrous cooking skills, Elenor answered with calculated evasiveness.
"It's your house. Why would I be jealous of that?"
"Elenor! There is no need to be envious of my friendships with others! You are still the only one who has ever set foot in this place — you may well take pride in that!"
"No, that's a completely different issue. We're not even the same gender, for starters."
"...What on earth does that have to do with anything?"
At the sight of Cheon Yuha frowning as she said this, Elenor sighed.
No matter how many hundreds of days you spent lecturing her about romance, a big-bodied child simply wouldn't understand it.
— so thought the elf who was seventeen in human years and had never once been on a date (170 in elf years).
"Oh, right, Elenor! How would you feel about living together? This house is so empty and lifeless, it gets dull."
"I'll pass. Dropping by like this is just right."
"...Is that so? What a shame. Thanks to you, today was delightful as well. Then I shall see you again on Monday."
"Ah — you HAVE to tell me how it goes later—!"
SLAM—!
"...Hmm."
Cheon Yuha was inwardly startled to find that she had slammed the front door shut in her irritation.
It was like listening to a mother's nagging, and in that instant — bang — the door had closed before she knew it.
By the time she felt the elf beyond the door shaking her head and boarding the elevator, a certain thought suddenly occurred to Cheon Yuha.
"Hmm, perhaps I should ask Gangjun to live together as well."
It was an idea that would have sent Elenor into a screaming frenzy had she heard it.
Possibly even Choi Gangjun too.
Oblivious to their hearts, Cheon Yuha pondered a little longer before simply giving up on the idea.
Either way, they would need to grow far closer than they were now before that could happen.
Right — it was called a treasure hunt, wasn't it? Tomorrow I'll take a walk with him, and we'll grow closer!
Full of resolve, Cheon Yuha clenched her fist.
Artistic styles had undergone countless developments and transformations by the time the twenty-first century arrived.
This applied not only to artworks like paintings, but to architecture in its entirety.
And train stations were no exception.
"...You're telling me this was built a hundred years ago?"
I rolled my eyes with my mouth hanging open.
Cheon Yuha, too, murmured as she looked around with a dazed expression.
"...It truly is magnificent."
King's Cross 1923
Built in the year of its name, and yet the platform gleamed with light.
A station whose style resembled less a Korean subway or rail terminal and more the one bound for a certain British school of magic — except that its beauty and function had been elevated to the level of art through the power of capital.
Marble flooring spread across the entire platform and chandeliers hanging from the soaring ceiling were only the basics.
Looking at the runes embedded here and there and the high-grade mana stones, I couldn't help wondering whether I'd come to catch a train or stumbled into some royal palace.
The floor, kept spotless by permanent cleaning and preservation spells, was so free of footprints and dust that it went beyond merely pleasant — it could have doubled as a mirror.
...It's certainly a different beast from the Sky Train.
We had come to the platform in search of elixirs and artifacts in the outskirts of Seondo, but since our destination differed from the overground Sky Train, the platforms were entirely separate as well.
If the Sky Train had the feel of a ride back down to earth for failed students, King's Cross looked, quite literally, like something prepared for a king.
Had I known the two would differ on such a level, I would have come much sooner — I even felt a pang of regret.
"Well, we'll be riding it plenty from now on."
Clack—eeeeeek—!
Apparently I'd been so busy gawking at everything that time had flown by.
A steam locomotive came rushing in from the distance, billowing white steam as it pulled into the station.
The entire train was sculpted in a tasteful blend of black, white, and gold.
True to the station it served, the train itself was resplendent — and the interior was no different.
Where the Sky Train offered restrained luxury, this train was thorough in its opulence, glittering at every turn.
They're not going to charge us extra for getting it dirty, right?
The space exuded the fragrance of staggering wealth, enough to summon such thoughts unbidden.
Feeling oddly tense without knowing why, we shuffled timidly toward the compartment listed on our tickets.
"Ah."
"Whoa."
But the compartment, too, turned out to be a luxurious interior that could only be called a reception room, and we had to swallow hard all over again.
Just how much money had been burned here?
Soon we sat down carefully, one on each of the facing sofas, resting our chins on our hands.
It felt as though there wasn't a single spot — backrest, armrest, or otherwise — we were permitted to touch.
Cheon Yuha glanced darkly in every direction before speaking in a low voice.
"...If you took out a loan to fund my 'fun outing,' you will tell me this instant."
"...It's free, so don't worry. Though I do feel like I'm somewhere I shouldn't be."
Any current Seondo student was entitled to two free rides a month.
In my previous life I'd never gotten to ride it because I'd been too busy training, so I'd set my sights on it this time around — and it was certainly spectacular.
...The problem was that its exterior was so lavish it was frankly intimidating.
Clack—ssssshhh—!
Still, by the time the train departed, I'd grown accustomed enough to lean my back fully against the sofa. Human beings truly were creatures of adaptation.
...Vrrrrrrrr.
It had the shape of a steam locomotive, but the vehicle actually ran on mana fuel.
Thus the train from King's Cross pressed forward smoothly and quietly.
Were it not for the faint vibration carried through the carriage body and the scenery sweeping past the windows, one might not even have known it was moving.
By the time the speeding train had cleared the platform entirely, Cheon Yuha abruptly shot up from her seat and plastered herself against the window, shouting.
"Gangjun! Look out the window! Why, that's the sea!"
"No, it's not visible because you're blocking it."
"Ooh! How does the sea appear the very moment we leave the academy!"
"......"
She didn't seem to hear a word I said.
Resigned, I rose from my seat as well and moved to stand beside Cheon Yuha.
And I marveled.
An emerald surface shimmering with light. The train was racing across it, tracks or no tracks.
A moat so vast that not a single shadow could be seen beyond the horizon.
It was a breathtaking panorama that no one would believe had been made by human hands.
Since I already knew this scenery would unfold for the entire duration of the ride, I promptly returned to my seat — but Cheon Yuha never once pulled her face from the window.
"Ooh, a desert!"
"What now! Why is snow suddenly whirling about this time!"
"That volcano's about to erupt!!"
...She's really entertaining herself just fine on her own.
Every time Cheon Yuha shouted, I worried about the soundproofing, but watching her face light up with such pure delight, bringing her along had clearly been worth it.
Without quite realizing it, I rested my chin on my hand and quietly studied Cheon Yuha's face.
She looked every bit a child in that moment, yet hers was a beauty anyone would call beautiful.
Unlike the heir of the Heavenly Demon, her excited eyes and upturned lips showed without restraint.
Likewise, her flushed eyes shimmered red, and her swaying hair traced scarlet lines through the air.
That blazing color seemed made to express the ever-cheerful Cheon Yuha.
—Will you be one of mine?
In contrast, my master Lee Chung always smiled quietly — bright yet composed.
Both her hair and the martial arts she practiced were akin to blue water.
If those polar opposites shared anything, it was perhaps a trait common to masters: skin as clear as a child's, large eyes, and beauty...
What am I even thinking.
Sick of my endless stray thoughts, I rapped myself hard on the head and closed my eyes.
In a way, this was the one time — the one legitimate opportunity — when I was excused from training.
Time to quiet the unease that had been stirring within me lately.
"Oh, a jungle this time!"
Listening to Cheon Yuha's exhilarated voice, I swiftly recovered my inner calm.
How long had we whiled away the hours so leisurely?
Clack—!
Eeeeeek—!
At last, the train had arrived at its destination.
It gradually rolled to a complete stop, and Cheon Yuha — who had been gazing out the window the entire time — kept tilting her head, as if sensing something strange.
Before she could stall any longer, I dragged the wide-eyed girl by force and hauled her off the train.
Clack—ssssshhh—!
The train then departed at once, giving us no chance to climb back aboard.
Cheon Yuha blinked her enormous eyes and stared at the train's receding rear.
She stood there in a daze, as if unable to relinquish her lingering attachment to the end, and asked me:
"...Tell me, Gangjun. What on earth is this place?"
Soon after, Cheon Yuha looked around her surroundings, her face drained of color.
No matter how she looked, a graveyard filled her field of vision from edge to edge. Furrowing her brow, she cried out:
"...You said a walk! Didn't you call this a treasure hunt?!"
It was true — the pitch-black sky overhead and the surrounding scenery alike did not exactly make for a pleasant strolling neighborhood.
It was all the less so with the sinister silhouette of the Demon King's Castle visible atop a distant cliff.
But the more remote a place like this, the more readily treasures of true value turned up.
"There are volcanoes! Snowfields! Out of all the countless places, why on earth did it have to be this dark, dreary town!"
"Because for a day trip, taking down the boss here is way faster than anywhere else!"
Whatever romance travel — or rather, expeditions — might have held had been shattered long ago by my mercenary life in my previous existence.
Rather than dying of heat, cold, or getting lost, moderately dark and gloomy was honestly the better deal, no?
I stuck out my thumb and winked. When moments like these came, the shameless approach was always the way to go.
Cheon Yuha opened her mouth and looked back and forth between the Demon King's Castle and me.
Krrrumble!
Lightning cracked without warning. Cheon Yuha's face went deathly pale.
Treasure hunting.
This was the opening move of the assault on the Demon King's Castle.