Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Yu-eul's Breakthrough
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Whoosh!
Park Dae-gang heard the sound of the rushing wind.
And that was the last sound he heard before blacking out.
Thud!
Lee Yu-eul's fist slammed squarely into Park Dae-gang's face, sending his massive frame crashing to the ring.
Soon after, the protective barrier vanished, and an announcement echoed through the training hall.
"Waaah! Holy shit!"
"That's insane! What the hell was that just now?!"
The crowd let out ecstatic screams.
After an unrelenting exchange of blows, the C-rank Lee Yu-eul had unleashed an explosive burst of speed, ultimately taking down the B-rank Park Dae-gang!
It was an event for the ages!
"Great fight!"
"You're awesome, Yu-eul!"
Unlike the crowd still buzzing with excitement, Lee Yu-eul stood frozen in the ring, staring unblinkingly at the system window floating before her eyes.
"It's done."
Lee Yu-eul's status window had changed.
The restriction on her previously deactivated 'Fighting Spirit' skill had been lifted, boosting her awakener rank to B as well.
I'd thought that even just raising the activation potential like her brother Lee Yu-chan's would be a huge accomplishment.
But she exceeded my expectations, lifting the deactivation in one go.
"Yu-eul, seriously."
She's the real deal.
Even during that car accident, she'd shielded her little brother with her own body.
Her protective instincts toward her sibling ran that deep.
Twins really did share something unbreakable, something no outsider could touch.
As I shook my head in amazement, Lee Yu-eul stepped down from the ring.
"You okay now?"
"Feeling alive again."
She checked on Lee Yu-chan first, then suddenly headed my way.
What? Why's she coming to me?
I figured she'd stick to Yu-chan.
"What is it? Got something to say...?"
Whoosh!
Lee Yu-eul threw her arms around me in a tight hug.
She'd done this the first time we met too. Habit, maybe.
"Unnie."
"Yeah?"
"You were right."
I couldn't see her face, but her voice trembled with emotion.
"Of course I was."
"Yeah, you're always right, unnie."
She nuzzled my shoulder—adorable despite her size—then declared it like a vow.
"I won't hold back anymore. I'll smash everything."
The last part was a bit concerning.
But still, it was a massive step forward.
Lee Yu-chan was both the source of her strength and, in a way, her shackles.
"Good, good."
I patted her back, feeling a little awkward.
"Love you so much, unnie."
A cheerful chime rang out along with her mumble.
Ping!
...Her affection shot up by 10 all at once?
Still hugged tight, I racked my brain for any huge favor I'd done her.
"Can't think of anything."
A few words from me was all. She'd shattered her own limits.
She'd stood her ground against Park Dae-gang, who outranked, outweighed, and outaged her.
She'd endured the pain and never given up.
So why me?
"Eh, good things are good, I guess."
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"Nothing. Hey, can you let go now?"
"Fiiine."
Lee Yu-eul finally released me with reluctance.
Now it was time to settle the score.
I approached the dumbfounded Titan Guild members, still reeling from the unbelievable result.
"We won."
"You bitch! Did you use a skill? What was that at the end?! Why'd you suddenly speed up like that?!"
Park Dae-gang, who'd just come to and was icing his face, yelled furiously at Lee Yu-eul.
"Uh, that was..."
"Looks like your side had no hidden aces up your sleeve?"
I cut off Lee Yu-eul and answered for her.
Left alone, she'd spill everything honestly.
About how her agility spiked by 80 mid-fight from the system, and how she re-awakened right after.
Couldn't let that happen.
"Didn't your parents teach you not to show all your cards upfront?"
It was nothing compared to what Titan Guild had done to the twins, but I dragged their parents into it anyway, shifting focus to me.
Had to dispel any re-awakening suspicions, no matter what.
Kang Han's skill re-awakening had already been exposed, landing him a forced summons to the Association Chairman.
Couldn't let the same happen to Yu-eul.
She'll lift skill restrictions multiple times from now on, eventually fully re-awakening.
If people start digging into the cause and method, it'll be a nightmare.
Especially for me.
"Anyway, Justice Guild wins, right?"
If not, I'd flip the whole thing.
With lingering hunters' eyes drawn by Park Dae-gang's shouting, refusing to accept defeat would just drag Titan Guild's reputation through the mud too.
"Urgh... Fine, we accept."
"Alright, thanks for your hard work."
With Lee Yu-chan recovered enough to walk hooked on my left arm, and Lee Yu-eul on my right giving a 'is this okay?' look, I strode off quickly.
"Nayeo-ju-ssi."
Shit.
Kang Han stood near the exit, Jang Su-ho at his side.
He'd probably seen everything. Of course he had.
It was a mistake—I'd promised to behave, then stirred up this mess.
No excuse if he chewed me out.
But unexpectedly...
"Good work."
And that wasn't all.
Ding~
...Why's this guy doing this now?
But Yu-eul's C-rank? How'd she beat Park Dae-gang?
Admin, make a Justice board. Don't want to share space with them.
Yu-eul was an S-rank prospect back then.
It took a full four days after the Association training hall match for Lee Yu-chan and Lee Yu-eul to fully recover.
And that was only because I'd used my skills on them periodically to speed it up.
Everyone else had left the conference room, leaving just me and Kang Han.
The diligent guild master had apparently finished his morning workout early, showered, and come straight here—his damp hair was a sight to behold.
But something was bulging in the front pocket of his hoodie.
What's that? As I wondered, a small status window popped up there.
Something my skill still couldn't fully read.
Oh, so you're the one in there?
The moment I thought that, the tiny creature in Kang Han's pocket revealed itself.
Slither.
A small triangular head the size of an adult man's thumb, diamond-like shimmering white scales.
And emerald-green eyes to top it off.
"Hi there?"
I greeted the 'little white baby-snake-like being' cheerfully.
"You..."
Kang Han looked down at it in surprise.
Baek Young was notoriously shy around strangers, so it showing itself like this was shocking.
"Your familiar's adorable."
In [Sejong Wall], familiars were like pets.
Divided into combat and non-combat types like awakeners, they hatched from 'eggs' occasionally found in dungeons.
Not all eggs hatched, though, and you never knew what was inside until it did.
"Didn't expect the guild master to have an engraved familiar."
I'd seen it in [Sejong Wall] and confirmed it via status window, but I feigned ignorance.
"Her name's Baek Young."
As Kang Han introduced her, those little green eyes matching his stared right at me.
Familiars were their awakener's companions.
They lived off the energy from their engraved hunter.
So if the hunter died, the familiar did too.
No more energy source.
But sadly, the reverse wasn't true—the hunter wouldn't die if the familiar did.
Still, that didn't make familiars any less special to their bonded hunter.
"Whoa."
The white snake-like familiar fully emerged from the pocket, slithering up Kang Han's arm.
She coiled securely around his solid neck, peeking out from over his shoulder.
Wary of me, yet her big eyes sparkled with curiosity she couldn't hide.
"Aww, so cute."
Pssht.
A tiny puff of air, and the baby familiar hastily hid her face.
Super shy.
But she peeked out from the other side moments later.
It melted my heart.
Cute baby animals are dangerous, as expected.
Then Justice Guild's phone rang.
Ring ring ring—
Not a cell, but the main guild line I'd never even noticed before.
This feels ominous.
Kang Han picked up the receiver from Han Ji-seong's empty desk.
"Justice Guild... Yes... I see... Understood."
His calm demeanor suggested it wasn't a big deal.
"Who was it?"
I asked after he hung up.
"Seoul Awakener High School."
"Awakener High? Where the twins go?"
"Yes."
A call from their school.
This couldn't be good.
"W-what'd they say?"
"...The twins are perpetrators in a school violence incident. They want us there immediately."
Ha, right. He was a stickler for morals.
As he grabbed his jacket to head to the school, I followed behind.
"I'm coming too."
No way the twins were the real culprits.
Who the hell messed with my kids?