The Beginning of Assistant Choi Minseo

"Lee Rua... is it." Choi Minseo chewed on the name. Jung Uiseok placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Then let's begin the training, Minseo. Since you have the best fundamentals in the Dragon Lord Squad, you'll be a huge help to our junior here."

Hearing those words, Choi Minseo forgot the sense of unease she’d felt just moments ago and broke into a smile. "I, I have good fundamentals?"

"Of course. The others are so unreliable. I can't trust Ji Sehwa or Shin Kyung either. Naturally, you're the best."

"Ehehe. Ehehe." Choi Minseo squirmed, her body twisting with delight.

Choi Minseo and Lee Rua entered the training grounds.

"Then, I'll transform!"

Choi Minseo slotted the green dragon switch into her transformation device. She transformed into Green Nature. Lee Rua, on the other hand, simply took a light stance.

'Since she's my junior, I'll start with basic martial arts!'

Choi Minseo stepped forward lightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and closed the distance with a punch. It was a technique she had learned from Jung Uiseok. Even though she was relegated to rear support, she was still a member of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the S-Squad. Her martial arts, swordsmanship, and marksmanship were all top-tier among heroes worldwide.

However.

Whoosh—

Snap, thud!

Lee Rua’s knife-hand strike was faster. In an instant, she swatted away Choi Minseo’s arm and followed up with a series of palm strikes to her chin.

'W-what?'

Her helmet shattered in one go. Her lips burned. It was only after Choi Minseo traced her chin with her finger that she realized she was bleeding. Startled, she turned to look at Jung ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Uiseok, but he was wearing a strange smile. Choi Minseo decided to pull herself together. This hero was incredibly strong.

The training continued. Choi Minseo slowly began to get serious, but she couldn't land a single scratch on Lee Rua. In fact, it felt as if the other girl was simply humoring her training. Choi Minseo’s breathing grew ragged. Just as the wounds on her body began to multiply—

Boom—!

Lee Rua’s spinning kick, packed with a power incomparable to anything before, slammed into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Choi Minseo’s abdomen. Choi Minseo spat out blood-tinged saliva and rolled across the floor in a pathetic display.

"Okay, that’s enough. Let’s both take a break."

Upon hearing Jung Uiseok’s voice, Choi Minseo stood up, pretending nothing was wrong, and brushed off her thighs. The expression on Jung Uiseok’s face as he approached her held a benevolent smile. Choi Minseo thought it was a smile that somehow made her feel uneasy.

"As expected of Minseo! To think you wouldn't spare your body like that for your junior. You didn't use your abilities at all because you were afraid of hurting Rua, right?"

"Yes? Ah... y-yes, that's right."

"You girl. You remember what I taught you well. You're so smart."

Jung Uiseok praised her and patted her back. Hearing the praise made the pain of the beating feel worth it.

"Ehehe. I-I suppose so, but... what kind of person is our junior? Her skills are better than I thought..."

"Hmm. She’s a hero I might scout. I was thinking of taking her in as a new member of the Dragon Lord Squad."

"A new member? There are already six of us, isn't that too many?"

Jung Uiseok’s face twitched slightly at that, but it was only for a moment. "Haha. It’s just hard to manage, but there have been S-Squads in the past that started with nine members."

"Is that so... Then, did Uiseok-oppa teach her personally?"

"Yes. She’s a talented girl."

Talented. At those words, anxiety began to rise in Choi Minseo’s chest.

"H-how much?"

"Quite a lot, isn't it? Her future is very promising. Her growth potential hasn't even hit a ceiling yet."

"M-more than... me?"

The anxiety that Jung Uiseok might abandon her began to bubble up, and without realizing it, she grabbed his lapel. "Haha, of course not. Out of all the heroes I’ve seen, you’re the best, Minseo."

"He, hehe."

"Well, the others are a mess. Ji Sehwa, Shin Kyung, Kang Yerin... none of them are of any help to me at all."

"R-right? Help..."

"I only want to keep people by my side who help me well. Maybe I should use this opportunity to trim down the Dragon Lord Squad. There are a bit too many, aren't there?"

Choi Minseo gulped. She clung to Jung Uiseok’s chest, looking up at his face from below, and shouted, "I, I will help you, Oppa!"

"Is that so?"

"Of course!"

"Hmm. As it happens, I’ve been in a bit of a bind lately."

"Really? What is it?"

"It’s nothing major, but a thief broke into my house. I lost something I was using, and I’ve been troubled by it."

"Something you were using...?" Choi Minseo tilted her head.

"But no matter how I think about it, it seems that Association President stole it. The evidence isn't certain, but..."

Hearing that, Choi Minseo had an inkling. No, she knew exactly. Currently, her memories were in a state of confusion. To be precise, she remembered everything up until now. The Association President, the mission involving Pestam, the Galactic Empire. But on top of that, noise had been overlaid—memories of the "Cherry Blossom Clouds," the drug made from Pestam, as if they were reality. The current timeline had become ambiguous. The biggest difference in information between those timelines was her relationship with Jung Uiseok. She perceived her relationship with Jung Uiseok as the positive mentor-student bond from two years ago, during the early days of the Dragon Lord Squad. The rest of her knowledge was aligned with the present, and she was forcibly warping the facts about her relationship with Jung Uiseok to resolve the contradictions.

'A while ago, the Association President told me to hide Oppa's things. He must be talking about that.'

Choi Minseo judged it so. She forcibly rationalized that she hadn't returned it to Jung Uiseok immediately because of the time he had been on a business trip to the United States in her two-year-old memory. She dismissed the argument with the Dragon Lord Squad during the Pegasus battle as a minor trouble. In her memories, Jung Uiseok had never died.

'So that was stolen. Then, of course, I have to give it back to Oppa, right?'

Choi Minseo thought that, but...

"Minseo, how about it? Do you know anything? I need it right away, so I have to get it all back."

She didn't answer immediately that she would return it. There was an inexplicable anxiety in her heart. An unfounded distrust that she wasn't being trusted by Jung Uiseok. A compulsion to constantly create links between him and herself kept rising.

'Still, if I pretend I don't know anything at all, he might think I'm a useless girl.'

Having judged so, Choi Minseo came up with a shrewd method.

"Oppa, I know where that is."

"Oh, really? It would be a huge help if you could bring it all back, Minseo."

"I can bring it to you. But..." Choi Minseo trailed off.

"It’s in a dangerous place, so it’s hard to bring a lot at once. I think I could do it if I bring a little bit at a time. How about I bring it in... twenty trips?"

For a moment, Jung Uiseok’s expression stiffened. Choi Minseo felt a dangerous intuition, but she soon realized it was a mistake. Jung Uiseok was beaming with joy.

"Really?! I knew it, there's no one like Minseo! I’m counting on you. Now, let’s continue with the training!"

"Ah. Right now...?"

Jung Uiseok looked down at Choi Minseo, his lips curling upward. It was a smile that somehow felt unfamiliar to her.

"You can do it, right? I’m looking forward to it. You won't disappoint me, will you?"

Looking forward to it. Jung Uiseok, to me. I mustn't disappoint him. I’ll be praised. Only me, only me, only me.

Choi Minseo stood up on her trembling legs.

In the end, the training only finished after Lee Rua had beaten Choi Minseo to a pulp. Of course, the training efficiency against monsters was also good. The Galactic Empire’s combatants even came with scenario bonuses. But the villain’s main enemy was the hero. Moreover, it was Choi Minseo of the Dragon Lord Squad, who held the S-Squad title and was S-Rank. In this abandoned factory set up as an arena, Lee Rua was acquiring experience points with impeccable efficiency.

"Haa, haa, hngh."

Choi Minseo, having sustained quite a few injuries, was sprawled on the floor.

"Is this okay? You said you had something to get back."

Lee Rua, having finished the hunt, came over to me and asked.

"I do. If that stupid girl hadn't tried any funny business, I would have intended to treat her kindly today."

"Funny business?"

"Saying she'd bring the Pestam in twenty trips... it’s too slow. I thought she’d just bring it up, but I underestimated her too much."

"Can't you just force her? I can manipulate her emotions, you know."

"Your emotion manipulation touches on real emotions, so there’s a chance she might break out of her subconscious. If she properly perceives the current situation, she might turn us into enemies. Then it becomes even harder. As of now, we don't even know the location of the Pestam."

"Can't we just buy new ones through El-Lena?"

"I’ve already swept up all the high-purity Pestam in the world. There’s not enough time to make more. What’s in the Association is all there is."

"She’s being a nuisance, Green Nature."

Lee Rua looked down at Choi Minseo coldly.

"Rua, are you annoyed?"

"A little."

"Why?"

"...Zeo, you don't use that tone with me."

"Actually, this tone feels awkward for me too."

"I know. Still."

Lee Rua pouted her lips. I nodded.

"Well, I’ll use it occasionally."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You promised."

Lee Rua grinned.

"What are you going to do with Green Nature?"

I approached Choi Minseo, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up.

"Minseo, shall we sleep together with Oppa tonight?"

"Eh. O, Oppa...? Together...?"

Choi Minseo looked up at me, her cheeks flushing red.

"Yeah. You worked hard, and I have a gift that Minseo will like."

"Waaah. A gift?"

"Yeah."

I put a collar around Choi Minseo’s neck and handcuffs on both her hands.

"Oppa, this is...?"

"Our Minseo is a good girl. I think you're prettiest when you listen well, Minseo. Good girl, so good."

As I stroked Choi Minseo’s hair, her suspicious eyes began to lose focus.

"Now, shall we do what our Minseo likes?"

Saying that, I thrust a small bag filled with pink powder in front of her. Like Pavlov’s dog, Choi Minseo began to wiggle her hips and sniff the air.