Chapter 187: I Hate Him
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: I Hate Him
I hate this man.
I hate his frivolous behavior, that arrogant smirk as if he knows everything, his delusional self-importance, and the cunning way he deceives or deflects whenever things get disadvantageous for him.
I hate the affection in the way he looks at me, and every time he gives me that warm smile, it makes my skin crawl.
It’s like a mortal enemy I’m forced to call "Father"...
Like him? Why?
Is there really another human being I want to kill as much as that man?
Why do I loathe this man, Seo Yeon-woo, so much that the word "hate" feels insufficient to describe my contempt and hatred?
I know what Seo Yeon-woo did during the entrance ceremony.
I wasn't in the same group, so I didn't experience it firsthand, but they say he won in the Illusion Space alongside Angelica by using an unimaginable self-destruct attack.
People curse him, calling it a dirty trick that couldn't be used in reality, but wasn't the place they took the exam the Illusion Space?
The logic of those critics is flawed.
It’s not that it "can’t be used in reality"; he simply utilized the Illusion Space because that’s where they were.
If anything, it was wisdom—using the world of the Illusion Space itself beyond the simple rules provided by Yggdrasil.
He deserves praise, and one must acknowledge his brilliant mind.
And yet, the moment I heard that story, I felt the same contempt for him as everyone else.
Why?
Come to think of it, the order of events is strange.
I didn't come to despise him after being victimized or mocked by him like the others. I hated him as much as that man from the very first moment I saw him.
"Hi, Shizuka."
I still remember the first time we met.
The moment Seo Yeon-woo called my name, a chill ran down my spine, and a deep, bone-deep rage surged through me, paralyzing my mind.
At that time, I hated Seo Yeon-woo even more than I hated him.
That should be impossible.
Because I hate my father so much that I would give up everything just to kill him.
Even if the Seo Yeon-woo I faced at the entrance ceremony had raped me or taken my life, I was certain I wouldn't hate him more than that man.
That’s why my eyes were drawn to Seo Yeon-woo.
Because it was an incomprehensible, unacceptable emotion, I constantly followed him with my eyes. Whenever someone spoke of him, I would listen intently while pretending to be indifferent.
The Deserted Island Exam, the Tournament...
Every time I encountered him or worked with him, I was forced to acknowledge his brilliance and his tenacity in finding a path to victory, no matter how disadvantageous the situation.
Even if his methods were ones others couldn't accept, he possessed the ability to produce the result of "victory."
He is a constant series of surprises, always showing something new; there is never a dull moment when watching him.
But my hatred for him does not change.
I don't know why.
Was I always this emotionally volatile?
Whenever I stood before Seo Yeon-woo, my normally calm emotions would seethe like lava, and I had to struggle to suppress feelings I couldn't admit to.
Whether I hated him or not, Seo Yeon-woo steadily built his career as a mage, and now, alongside Akito, he has become a figure representing Yggdrasil.
The people who once hated him so much were now laughing and chatting by his side, acknowledging him as a close colleague or friend.
Though he appeared clumsy and frivolous on the surface, Seo Yeon-woo was always overflowing with confidence, acting as if he already knew the solution to any problem placed before him.
"Because if you kill me, you'll be looking at your mother beside you for the rest of your life."
...I didn't think he would know even that.
The moment I heard those words, I was so shocked I nearly dropped the blade I held to his throat.
I have never told anyone about the hallucinations of my mother—the mother I killed, who now resents me.
It was a secret I kept to myself, shared with no one.
I didn't even have the composure to ask how on earth he knew.
By the time I came to my senses, I had already decided on Barbat and was following after him.
His "I know everything" attitude continued in Barbat as well.
He knew the exact location of the ruin entrance that even Barbat didn't know, the way to enter, and the defense systems inside. He acted as if he had already been here before.
Just how much more do you know?
Even as I stare intensely at his back while he gets teased by Park Yu-jeong, no answer comes.
I know I have to open my mouth and ask if I want an answer, but I'm afraid he might answer with my own hideous past, so I cannot ask what I truly want to know.
If you really know everything, you must despise me as much as I hate you.
Strangely, I don't want to be hated by him.
"Prepare for battle. Is it okay if I give the orders?"
To think I don't want to be hated when I can't even stand the sound of his voice... what a selfish thought.
But now is not the time for sentimentality.
I must follow Seo Yeon-woo's orders and deal with the unidentified monster in the ruins.
I hate him, but I acknowledge his ability.
That ability to produce the result of victory in any situation.
I'll try my best not to be hated by you.
"Mmph, ah... hng...!"
At the sound of a sweet moan that didn't fit the urgent situation, I blankly turned around.
Seo Yeon-woo was holding Angelica, engaged in a foul kiss.
This crazy human being.
His mouth and tongue moved roughly as if he were going to devour her, and the hands gripping her small body kneaded her all over without a hint of tenderness.
Trapped in Seo Yeon-woo's arms, Angelica looked as if she were being forced.
Saliva dripped from their lips, hanging off her chin, and as Seo Yeon-woo grabbed her buttocks and pulled her up, her small frame was lifted off the ground.
"Hehe~ So this is that famous sexual harassment magic, Soul Chain?"
"Sexual harassment magic? This is strictly a protection spell."
At Park Yu-jeong's words, Seo Yeon-woo pulled away from Angelica and wiped the saliva from his chin.
So this is the magic I saw during the Tournament.
The magic that made Angelica the hero of that victory... A perverted spell that shocked me when I first saw it, making me wonder how such an indecent magic could exist in this world.
I know it's a measure to protect the physically weak Angelica... and while I understand it with my head, I can't help but find it repulsive.
Has he been repeating that magic every time they go on a request? No matter if it's for a job...
And Angelica doesn't even look upset.
Doesn't it make her skin crawl to be groped like that by that man?
"Angelica, fall back! Park Yu-jeong, provide a distraction! Chika, circle to the right and aim for the rear! Shizuka, you're with me—we'll draw its attention from the front!"
Contrary to his absurd harassment magic, his ability to lead the team was outstanding.
"Its physical defense is high, so focus on elemental attacks! Watch out for the back-kick!"
"When that bastard lowers its head, it's going to charge... Uh?! It's lowering its head! Scatter!"
"Shizuka! I'll handle this part, so get inside! Take it down however you see fit! Park Yu-jeong! Use any magic you have to block its vision!"
"Angelica, move further back and just keep it in check with sniping magic!"
His instructions seemed detailed yet vague at the same time, but he gave clear orders as if he knew the monster perfectly.
He didn't dictate every little move; instead, he made us aware of things to watch out for and the monster's weaknesses, reading its actions and relaying them to us.
Beyond that, he left things to our autonomy, while he himself stayed at the front, taking the monster's attacks head-on to make things easier for us.
It's not rare for a melee-focused mage to lead a team, but usually, that's only possible for mages who take an offensive role and can move freely. It's difficult to give orders while acting as a tank and openly taking a monster's hits like that.
'I can see the traces of significant effort...'
He didn't give detailed instructions because he never intended to, knowing he had to focus entirely on defense.
Rather than simply trusting his teammates, I could see the marks of someone who had practiced and gained experience by deciding from the start what to discard and what to focus on.
Seo Yeon-woo continued to give orders while parrying the monster's slamming, hook-like arms with that ridiculous bat.
Simple instructions like "dodge the attack," "go there," or "take this role," but he also constantly kept an eye on Angelica in the back, coordinating the entire battlefield.
If you're going to show that much competence, I suppose I should show mine as well.
I dodged a heavy, downward swing of a clawed arm, stepped back, and took a single breath.
Awakened mana circulated through my entire body, dividing countless times until it was etched into every single cell.
Kill the heart. The blade has no heart.
The slowly moving blade drew a half-moon, slicing through the air.
The line where the blade passed remained before my eyes; ignoring space and distance, the head of the monster—which had been far away—was severed along that line and fell from its body.
"Whew~"
"..."
As the magic of the hated Amagi family unfolded, Park Yu-jeong and Chika stared at me.
"Pfft, blegh! Hey! If you're going to cut its head off, you should've told me first!"
"Ahahaha, that's gross~"
Seo Yeon-woo, covered in the green blood spraying from the severed neck, spat and complained while Park Yu-jeong cackled.
He isn't surprised by this either?
Even though my family's magic is famous, almost no one knows its true nature.
Because most who have seen it are dead.
And yet, this man doesn't show even a hint of surprise.
Just how much do you know?
* * *
Geez, they really don't know how to treat a precious tank.
I know the Amagi family magic is amazing, okay? No need to go showing it off all of a sudden.
If you cut the head off right there, I'm the one standing in front who gets drenched in blood.
It took a bit of time to clean up the mess with Angelica's water magic.
But since we took down the final boss—which looked a lot like a Zergling—it's finally time for the exciting reward phase.
As I walked toward where the Zergling had appeared, a small old man, barely reaching my waist, greeted us.
"It has been a long time since we had guests."
The old man's appearance was not normal.
Dust had settled on his head as if he had been in one spot for a very long time, and his skin was a bluish-purple hue, looking like a mix between a human and a monster.
He greeted us politely, but because of his strange appearance, the girls grew wary and raised their weapons.
"He's not an enemy, so no need to be on guard. He's a kind soul who's going to give us our reward."
"Have you been here before?"
"No, first time."
Chika stared at me as if she had many more questions but was holding them back.
Even Angelica was glancing at me suspiciously; I must look incredibly shady.
I'll definitely have to use Frey as a scapegoat later.
"Our Palao Facility is..."
"Ah, we're good on the history. We're just here for a bath."
At the mention of a bath, Shizuka looked at me with eyes full of contempt.
Is she thinking something weird because she saw me use Soul Chain on Angelica earlier?
The baths here aren't mixed-gender. Stop with the useless suspicions.
"You are in quite a hurry. However, there is a problem. While I have maintained the facility, I have been unable to procure the necessary ingredients. If you wish to bathe, I require the Beak of Chamdola..."
Thud.
Before the old man could even finish his sentence, I pulled the ingredients out of my crossbag and set them down in front of him.
"...The Beak of Chamdola. However, besides the beak, other ingredients are also req—"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Let's skip the dialogue and just give me the reward.
I'm feeling pretty gross after getting drenched in monster blood thanks to a certain someone.
"Hoho... To think the ingredients have already been fully prepared... Were you perhaps a member of the staff?"
"I'm only twenty. There's no way I could be staff for a facility that's thousands of years old."
"Thousands of years? It is not quite that old."
Whatever, it's from the past.
It's an old facility from before the Great Cataclysm or whatever, so it's old.
In the original game, you're supposed to clear this place once, then go gather the materials and come back.
Why would I come back here? That's a pain. This is when you use game knowledge and money.
When I finished talking to the old man and turned around, everyone was staring at me.
Suspicious, right? Frey told me everything. It's all thanks to Frey. Yeah, someone like Frey would definitely know about ancient ruins.
"What are you doing? We swallowed a lot of dust getting here, so let's just hit the baths and go."
Perhaps because I had skipped over too much, the women just looked at me and laughed as if they couldn't believe it.