Chapter 33: Midterm Exam (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Midterm Exam (3)
She was insane.
As expected, Yu Hana was a genius.
Before I knew it, it was 11 PM.
“Like this?”
Fwish-fwish-fwish!
The slashes she swung drew sharp arcs, striking the training ground wall.
Her power, speed, and flow were all perfect.
In just a few hours, Yu Hana had completely mastered the fundamentals of the Butterfly Sword Dance I'd taught her.
I was a little taken aback when she burst into tears upon receiving the sword, but thankfully, after a few stimulating clashes of our blades, she quickly regained her spirit.
“Hoo…”
Yu Hana sheathed her sword and caught her breath.
The melody of mana, which had scattered like dancing flowers and butterflies, also seeped calmly back into the sheath.
But then.
Suddenly, she approached me and bowed low.
Thud.
It wasn't just a simple greeting.
She knelt, placed her hands neatly together, and bowed so low her forehead touched the floor.
A perfect dogeza.
I was momentarily stunned.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing?”
Without raising her head, she continued in a low voice.
"I am deeply moved by the teachings you have bestowed upon me. Master, I will be in your care from now on."
The politeness and gravity in her voice felt strangely unfamiliar.
The formal speech was one thing, but her tone and posture were overly submissive.
Yu Hana is the scion of a martial family.
Therefore, it's natural for her to show respect to someone who taught her swordsmanship.
But even in the original story, she only used formal speech for a short while before quickly dropping it.
‘This is a bit much.’
It was a good thing we were in a private room.
If anyone saw this, strange rumors would start to spread.
“Get up, uh…”
Come to think of it, she wouldn't get up even if I told her to. She's incredibly stubborn.
So, the way to get her up at once was simple.
“Get up. That's an order from your master.”
Flinch.
Then I added.
“And just treat me like you usually do.”
Her shoulders trembled slightly, her head still pressed to the floor.
Eventually, Yu Hana slowly raised herself.
Even as she reluctantly got up, she wore an expression as if swallowing her disappointment.
'What's with her?'
It wasn't my business, though.
It was about time to wrap up training anyway.
“Here.”
She offered me the Dongbaek Sword.
An act of returning it.
I thought for a moment before speaking.
"You carry it for the time being."
Truth is, I couldn't carry it even if I wanted to.
I pointedly took a light grip on the Dongbaek Sword she was handing me.
Vrrrrrrm!
The moment I gripped it, it began to vibrate like crazy, reacting violently as if to say, I hate you.
Little bastard.
“See?”
I said with a shrug.
“It's a pain if I take it.”
She chuckled at the sight.
Then she sheathed the sword at her waist again.
“Alright, thanks. I'll be sure to repay this favor.”
“Sure.”
At my indifferent reply, she gave a small smile and walked behind me.
We tidied up the room and went out to the main hall.
It was late in the evening, but there were still many people around. Probably because exams were just around the corner.
The students were engrossed in their training.
I did some light stretching and looked around.
The midterms were right around the corner.
It would be best to train every day if possible, but I felt a bit awkward saying that directly.
So I asked cautiously.
“Can you let me know what days you're free this week? I think it'd be good to get one or two more sessions in.”
“…”
Yu Hana didn't answer.
I turned my head to look at her.
But she was just looking up at me, her expression blank.
Her gaze seemed to say I was asking the most obvious question.
“Every day.”
Then she took another step closer and added carefully.
“…Weren't we going to do this every day?”
Nice.
I cheered inwardly.
Her desire for achievement was much stronger than I'd expected.
I nodded without another word.
And then, we naturally headed toward our respective dorms.
In the night sky, stars were beginning to appear, one by one.
*
Ding.
A message arrived.
[Luke]: Mr. Jung Hae-in, the payment proposal for Iano's Cross is ready. We would appreciate it if you could visit the Arcadia Cult at your convenience.
Good news.
It seemed the price appraisal for the cross I'd entrusted to them was complete.
I could probably go tomorrow, since I only have morning classes.
But that wasn't what was important to me right now.
Scroll, scroll.
“Ah, fuck.”
Late at night, in a corner of my dorm room.
I was sleeplessly scrolling through the Hero Auction website.
Scroll, scroll.
“Where the hell is it?”
I had to prepare for the Mine attack that would happen during next week's midterms.
I was searching for the necessary items, but the one I wanted was nowhere to be found.
After about two hours of repeated searching, I finally found it.
It was buried way down at the bottom, as if the page hadn't even been refreshed.
[Stone Sickle]
“Pfft.”
The name alone was enough to make me laugh.
The photo on the page was out of focus, and the lighting was terrible.
The post was so sloppy it made me wonder if they even intended to sell it.
I checked the description.
[Acquired: Central Africa]
[Seller's Description: It's a sickle made of stone. I got it from a dungeon when I was dispatched to Africa. I don't know what it's used for either. No refunds.]
[Price: 1,000,000 KRW]
Even at a glance, its form was old and crude.
The blade was chipped all over like the teeth of an old wolf, and it looked quite heavy.
His lack of will to sell was evident in both the price and the description.
For reference, one million won is the minimum price on the auction.
But I had to buy this sickle.
This wasn't a simple lump of rock.
It was the Harpe.
Yes, the one from mythology, wielded by Perseus.
However, it wasn't an outstanding artifact as a weapon; it had a different, specific purpose.
It was practically a one-time-use item.
But that one-time use was a huge deal.
Click.
Without a second thought, I hit the purchase button.
['Stone Sickle' is scheduled for delivery.]
The seller probably shot up from their sleep, overjoyed.
Wondering what kind of sucker bought something like this.
But they were probably wrong about that.
*
A massive, medieval-style building soaring in the middle of the city.
This was my second visit.
I rushed over as soon as my classes ended. I happened to need some money.
I quietly opened the door and stepped into the Arcadia Cult's building.
The moment I did, I made eye contact with the priestess at the counter.
She shot to her feet and quickly approached me.
“This way, please!”
It seemed word had already been passed down. She led me with a brisk pace to the same reception room as last time.
And there, the middle-aged priest from before, Luke, was waiting for me.
“Brother Hae-in!”
The middle-aged man stood up and warmly extended his hand.
I shook it lightly.
“Haha, a bit late, aren't we? There was some friction during the price negotiation process.”
“Yes, well… it's fine.”
He seemed to be in a very good mood.
What with the cross and all, it looked like Cheon Yeo-wool's faction was rapidly expanding within the sect.
Luke took a document with gold embossing from his leather bag and held it out.
“I do hope you'll be satisfied. If you have any issues with the amount, please don't hesitate to let me know.”
I met his eyes for a moment before lowering my gaze to the contract.
And the moment I saw the amount written there.
‘Oh, holy shit.’
How many zeroes is that?
I hadn't intended to get a huge sum, but I wasn't going to just give it away for free either, so I was planning to negotiate if they tried to lowball me.
But this… this was far more than I'd expected.
I blinked and scanned the contract one more time.
Luke was watching my expression with a subtle smile.
“…Looks like you went to a lot of trouble.”
His smile deepened at my words.
It seemed he was pleased that I'd noticed.
“Thanks to you, Brother, our situation has improved in many ways.”
Sometime during all this, his way of addressing me had changed to 'Brother'.
I closed my eyes and tapped my fingers on the table, thinking for a moment.
I could just take it all.
However…
I slowly folded the contract and said.
“This… can I donate it to the Arcadia Foundation?”
Luke's eyes widened, and he leaned forward slightly.
“Ah, yes… of course, that's possible, but…”
“Then, I'll just take this much.”
I wrote an amount on the empty space on the back of the folded contract and showed it to him.
1 billion won.
It was only a portion of the payment, but as a donation, it was by no means a small sum.
As he took the paper, I could see his fingertips trembling slightly.
“…Are you really going to donate it? And, if I may ask, the recipient of the donation would be…”
His voice wavered subtly.
“Make it Cheon Yeo-wool.”
At those words, Luke's expression changed in an instant.
His eyes seemed to be a mixture of surprise and profound emotion.
He rose from his seat and bowed deeply from the waist.
“Thank you. Truly.”
His voice was filled with sincerity.
A donation of this size would undoubtedly be a great help in solidifying Cheon Yeo-wool's position, and Luke was well aware of its value.
Besides, there were various benefits that came with donating to the sect.
That's why I'd been considering it for a while.
I watched him quietly for a moment, then slowly got to my feet.
Since he was being so formal, I figured I should respond in kind.
I casually extended my hand.
In response, Luke once again grasped my hand firmly with both of his.
“May the Goddess's blessing be with you, Brother.”
He offered a heartfelt blessing.
I let out a small laugh.
"If you've confirmed everything, I'll be on my way."
I gave a slight nod and left the reception room.
