Chapter 212: Omen of Crisis (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Omen of Crisis (1)
“Manager Seong! No, Director Seong...!”
A male Hero Association employee rushed panting into Hospital Room 313. Manager Seong—now promoted to Director Seong—was tidying up his hospital bedding. His movements were remarkably deft, thanks to the high-performance prosthetic arm and leg provided by the Association. Director Seong greeted his subordinate warmly.
“Ah, Deputy Bak. What is it?”
“Well, first of all, congratulations on your promotion and your discharge at the same time, Director!”
“What’s there to congratulate? They probably just promoted me to fill a vacant spot.”
“You sacrificed yourself during the Joaquin Disaster, and you successfully concluded the naming ceremony for the new Seven Star Hero! That’s why the Vice Association President skipped Deputy Director entirely and promoted you straight to Director—a double promotion! Reaching Director at your age is practically unprecedented.”
“What did I even do? It was all thanks to Sir Kang Geomma’s heroics. Honestly, I accomplished nothing back then. If anything, I was just in the way.”
Director Seong smiled bitterly. He mumbled to himself as he stacked the remaining blankets and pillows.
“Besides, try losing your arm, your leg, and a subordinate. Would a promotion even matter to you then? Frankly, if the Vice Association President hadn't talked me out of it, I would have taken honorable retirement. Everything felt... meaningless.”
“I am truly sorry about Supervisor Ha...”
“It’s my fault for failing to manage my subordinate. Anyway, why did you come running in like your tail was on fire? I doubt you came all this way just to congratulate me on my discharge and promotion.”
His subordinate, Deputy Bak, caught his breath before speaking.
“Well, we received a report that the gap in the Gehenna Gate is gradually widening.”
Director Seong’s face turned grim. His prosthetic limbs, moving in sync with his will, stiffened instantly. For a second, his heart sank—or rather, almost sank.
“Wasn’t it just last week that it widened by two centimeters?”
“Yes. But according to the latest report, the gap has expanded by another 0.5 centimeters.”
Director Seong raised his prosthetic hand to press against his temple. Watching him, Deputy Bak was secretly astonished. When the other employees heard this news, they had completely panicked.
Zero point five centimeters. Smaller than a fingernail, but the implications of that tiny fissure were terrifyingly immense.
A gate that had remained stable for centuries was now showing ominous signs. If this wasn't a catastrophe in the making, what was? Even an impending tsunami would induce less dread than this.
Yet how was Director Seong reacting? On the surface, he appeared calm and composed. Though worry flickered in his eyes, he wasn't trembling in fear. Was it because he had grown bolder after surviving the Joaquin Disaster? No. That didn't seem to be it.
Director Seong’s steadfast composure stemmed from faith. The unwavering reliability radiating from Kang Geomma had erased his anxiety.
“Did you report this to the Vice Association President and the Sword Emperor, of course?”
“I ran straight to your room right after reporting to them.”
Normally, Director Seong was a desk worker who had no reason to go out into the field. But he had been promoted to Director. Unlike a manager, a director was expected to step out onto the front lines when necessary.
‘If something’s going wrong with the Gehenna Gate, there’s a strong chance it’s related to the Corps Commanders.’
In the past, the mere mention of a ‘Corps Commander’ would have made his shoulders tremble in fear. But the Seong Yu-chang of today was different. And it wasn't just because of the weight of his new title as Director.
‘I need to go check it out myself.’
After all, look what happened with Supervisor Ha. There might be another internal enemy within the Association, or a hidden culprit lying in wait. He had to witness it with his own two eyes and report it to Sir Geomma.
Having organized his thoughts, Director Seong looked at Deputy Bak.
“Deputy Bak.”
“Ah, yes, sir!”
Director Seong’s gaze had settled into a cool, sharp intensity. Deputy Bak gasped under his breath. Director Seong chuckled faintly and spoke.
“Let’s head out into the field—to the Gehenna Gate.”
“Director, you were just discharged today?!”
“You know what? The Heavenly Sword never puts off the task before him.” Director Seong put on his outerwear. “Let’s follow his example.”
* * *
Suddenly, I felt a prickling sensation on the back of my head. I whipped my head around, but all I saw was the peaceful backyard of the Academy. There was no one there. If anyone was around, they’d be right in front of me.
‘Must be my imagination.’
Scratching my neck for no reason, I turned back around. The club members were staring intently at me, waiting for me to open my mouth.
“……”
An unusually tense atmosphere settled over us. Weapon’s face, in particular, was stiff. I asked myself why, and the answer came immediately. Even though we were technically fellow cadets, a clear gap had formed between them and me.
No matter how close a friend was, if they suddenly turned into a giant figure overnight, it wouldn't be easy to just laugh and hang out like old times.
‘I can understand why they look so nervous.’
They might also be anxious that I was about to suddenly declare, “The Travel Club is disbanded!”
A Seven Star Hero, academy life, and a club—I was juggling three jobs now. Out of those, the club was the easiest to cut, so it wouldn't be strange if I dropped it. But their worries were entirely unfounded. I had no intention of giving up on any of the three.
It might be tough to give my all to all three, but I was keeping my foot in every door. Being a Seven Star Hero was essentially my job, academy life was my daily routine, and lastly, the Travel Club was what kept me human.
‘If not for them, I would have turned into a madman who only knows how to swing a sword long ago.’
So even if things got a bit tight, I planned to squeeze in club activities as much as possible. But before that, I needed to ease their anxiety before starting the main conversation.
Jumping straight into, “I’m creating a Special Class, and you all have to join,” felt too heavy given how frozen the atmosphere was. On the other hand, I lacked the conversational skill to break the ice with a joke.
I made eye contact with them one by one—Weapon, Ryozo, and... skipping Chloe. No matter how strong she got, those inorganic, wax-doll-like eyes of hers were really something else.
‘Senior Hana didn’t come today, huh.’
She had mentioned in the club group chat that she might not be able to make it. Seeing as she hadn't shown up even ten minutes past the agreed time, it seemed she couldn't come today.
‘Then again, today’s topic doesn’t necessarily require her presence.’
At any rate, thanks to my eye contact, the stiff expressions on my club members' faces eased up a bit. I cleared my throat. Speaking in front of a crowd was always terribly awkward. This kind of thing was usually the smooth-talking Weapon’s job, after all.
‘Ah. Come to think of it, I’ve never actually tried to persuade anyone before.’
My blade always spoke before my mouth. This was the moment I truly understood why people called me “Sashimi Faster Than Words.”
After deliberating for a moment, I decided to just spit it out as it came. It rendered my previous worrying pointless, but whatever.
“The reason I called you all today is that the Principal and I decided to create a new class separate from the existing ones, and I want our entire Travel Club to transfer into it. That’s what I wanted to say.”
“……?”
Sorry, guys. I really am terrible at talking. Right then, Weapon slapped his knee.
“Creating a new class... Ah! President, is it because people have been hounding you non-stop ever since you became a Seven Star Hero?!”
This guy Weapon—I thought he was just good at explaining, but he’s great at catching my drift even when I talk nonsense. Relieved that I had less to explain, I spoke comfortably.
“Having crowds of people swarm around every single day gets tiring real fast. And it’s not just bothering me; it’s a nuisance to the other cadets as well. Besides, second-semester final exams are coming up soon. So we’re going to create a separate Special Class in the annex.”
Chloe chipped in.
“That’s certainly true. It could disrupt the cadets in Wolf Class who are serious about their studies.”
“Yeah, exactly. That’s the main reason for creating the class. But establishing a brand-new class just for me wouldn't look great. So the Principal gave me permission to handpick around ten people to form the class.”
“Wow... No matter the justification, that’s an insane scale. In the 700-year history of Joaquin Academy, creating a class outside the four primary classes is completely unprecedented. The current Principal already introduced that radical ‘Special Admission Student’ system, but a class created solely for you, President...?”
Tears suddenly welled up in Weapon’s eyes. He thought about how our president, who used to be looked down on as a Special Admission Student, had become one of the Seven Stars... and was now making a monumental mark on the academy's history.
Just then, Ryozo, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. She had the calmest eyes among us.
“So, besides our club members, who else are you going to fill the rest of the spots with? Geomma, you said you need to pick around ten people, right?”
“For now, I’m thinking Leon. Plus Abel and Rachel.”
As I listed the names, Ryozo’s expression soured. Her lips twitched, and her brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
‘Come to think of it, Ryozo had a huge fight with Abel before.’
Still, it couldn't be helped. The main purpose of this Special Class was to nurture the Hero and the key figures around him.
To put it bluntly, I couldn't back down just because of some petty friction between them. Who knows? Maybe spending time together would help them reconcile.
Ryozo remained silent. Her downturned eyebrows clearly showed her mood, but she merely let out a disgruntled hmph instead of complaining aloud. Even if she didn't like the situation, it meant she would respect my decision. I flashed her a gentle smile and turned to Weapon.
“So, Weapon. Could you convey the message to them for me?”
“Huh? Me? Wouldn't it be better if you did it, President?”
Normally, yes. But I lacked the confidence to persuade them myself. On the other hand, Weapon was a master of explaining and persuading. When there was someone so talented right next to me, there was no reason for me to go out of my way to do it.
I gave him a response that mixed truth with a bit of deception.
“I want to tell them directly too, but handling my Seven Star duties alongside my coursework means even ten hands wouldn't be enough. Try talking to them first, Weapon. If any of them refuse, I’ll go meet them personally.”
At my words, Weapon nodded in understanding.
“...True, you must have squeezed out every second just to make time for today’s meeting. Got it! I’ll go talk to them. I don't know about Leon and Abel, but Rachel will probably jump at the chance and say yes right away.”
The conversation was pretty much wrapped up. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, timid, hesitant footsteps approached. The club members and I reflexively glanced in that direction.
Elegantly braided hair and porcelain skin. She looked perfectly human on the outside, yet carried an unearthly, mysterious aura—it was Hon. She wore the academy uniform, which fit her impeccably well.
Weapon muttered with dazed eyes, unable to take his gaze off Hon.
“Holy crap... Looking at her name tag, she seems to be in our year. Was there ever a girl that pretty?”
Surprisingly, Weapon was the type who didn't care much for the opposite sex. For someone like him to openly marvel meant it was an ultimate compliment.
Since I already knew Hon was a dragon, I didn't feel much.
Seeing her out in public, though, made me realize all over again that she really was a beautiful woman... or rather, a beautiful dragon.
‘In any case, why is she wandering around alone without Choi Seol-ah?’
At that moment, Hon spotted me. Her face lit up with absolute delight, and she came trotting over. Clouds of dust kicked up beneath her quick steps.
“My Lord!”
Every pair of eyes in the club snapped toward me.
“...Ah.”
It seemed an explanation was desperately required.
For this current situation—where a mysterious, gorgeous girl was calling me her lord.
