Chapter 80: Reward (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Reward (6)
A pleasant victory.
Team Yu Hana, all eight of them, held a dinner to celebrate.
“Spears this big were just raining down like this~”
As Yoon Sang-hyeok spoke, waving his hands around with exaggerated gestures, the students burst out laughing.
Of course, this was the campus cafeteria—a fitting place for students.
Nom, nom.
Yoon Chae-ha, who was diligently eating right next to me, caught my eye.
“Eat a little slower.”
I grumbled, reaching my chopsticks toward Yoon Chae-ha's plate.
After carefully deboning a piece of the soft, white fish fillet and placing it gently on her plate, Yoon Chae-ha froze mid-motion and stared up at me blankly.
Her cheeks, which she slowly wiped to clean a bit of sauce from the corner of her lips, quickly flushed red.
She looked pleased, for some reason.
“…Thank you.”
Yoon Chae-ha said, almost in a whisper.
Her tone was softer than usual. She quickly averted her gaze, as if embarrassed.
“All of a sudden?”
When I asked with a small laugh, Yoon Chae-ha bit her lip slightly before answering, trying her best to sound indifferent.
“It’s just… for a lot of things…”
Leaving her sentence hanging, she hurriedly poked at the fish with her chopsticks before slowly putting it in her mouth.
‘Interesting.’
This reaction was a complete departure from Yoon Chae-ha's usual image.
I figured it was her way of thanking me for showing her Catenaccio the other day.
It had been a decisive help in her learning a new ultimate technique, and most Heroes hide their secret skills jealously.
The internet was already buzzing with talk about the mock exchange battle held at Gaon today.
“Hey, look at this. ‘The Birth of a Divine Power.’ ‘That Blonde Mage is Insane.’ They're going wild.”
Comments like these were endlessly praising her on the forums.
As Yoon Sang-hyeok read the forum reactions from his smartwatch, laughter trickled out from around the table.
Perhaps used to being praised, Yoon Chae-ha paid it no mind and kept eating.
Without a word, I deboned another piece of fish and placed it on her plate.
“…?”
But suddenly, the once-boisterous table fell silent.
When I looked up, all our teammates were staring at the two of us with strange expressions.
After a moment's hesitation, Go Minjun spoke up cautiously.
“Um… I've been a little curious about something for a while now.”
He glanced back and forth between me and Yoon Chae-ha with an awkward smile.
“Are you two… by any chance, dating?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, you keep deboning her fish… To be honest, that's not something people in a normal friendship do, right?”
Come to think of it, I guess it could look that way.
It was something I hadn't considered at all.
Besides, I'm not the type to care much about what others think.
“They’re not dating.”
Before I could even open my mouth, Yu Hana, who was beside me, cut Go Minjun off.
“Right?”
Then, as if to confirm, she tilted her head slightly and asked me with a bright smile.
“Yeah, we're not dating.”
Even if Yoon Chae-ha was interested in me, it would be purely in the realm of my skills.
Seemingly pleased with my answer, Yu Hana smiled and nodded.
It was then.
“Huh…? What's that?”
Kim Dae-hyun let out a baffled sound, looking at the TV mounted on the cafeteria wall.
Students at the surrounding tables quickly began to murmur among themselves.
We naturally turned our gazes to the screen as well.
[Korean Hero Organization Defeats Apostle]
The news ticker was displayed in a bold font.
A somewhat excited anchor was reporting on the situation live.
-Is that for real?
-An Apostle? What's this all of a sudden?
The cafeteria was instantly in an uproar.
‘It’s about time.’
I muttered to myself.
Now that the compensation plans were all sorted out, the Hero Association had lifted the embargo.
The timing was a bit earlier than I'd expected, but it wasn't a problem.
The newscaster on the screen continued, her face flushed with excitement.
“The four organizations that made the greatest contributions in this Apostle subjugation mission are…”
As she spoke, the file footage changed, and captions appeared one by one.
[Vanquisher]
[Arcadia]
[Cheongpung Sect]
[Maengju]
“Wow… As expected.”
Just looking at the list was enough to draw gasps of admiration.
Each one a famous organization responsible for South Korea's front line.
It was no wonder the students were letting out cries of awe.
And then, the next caption.
[List of Individual Heroes with Meritorious Service]
The tone of the footage became more emphatic, and an even bolder caption appeared.
And at the very top of the list that followed.
[Mukgui]
There I was.
‘Shit.’
It seemed the Hero Association had already started the build-up to make me a star.
-Muk…gui? Who's Mukgui?
-Oh, oh! You know, from the monster wave last year!!
A small commotion spread among the students.
Among such renowned Heroes, the fact that this name was at the very top was bound to attract attention.
“Muk… gui…?”
Yoon Sang-hyeok and Kim Dae-hyun muttered in low voices at the same time.
Slowly, as if possessed, their heads turned toward me.
The few people at this school who knew my identity.
Yu Hana stopped cutting her steak and quietly set down her knife.
Then, she brought a finger to her lips…
Zip.
…and made a zipping motion.
Then, as if nothing had happened, her expression changed back, and she popped a piece of the steak she'd cut into my mouth.
“Are you going to the Association this week?”
Yu Hana whispered quietly.
“Yeah, Sa-ur-ay orn-ing.”
I answered in a mumble, my mouth full of steak.
Yu Hana watched me for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand and let out a small laugh.
-The subjugation took place three weeks ago…
The anchor's calm voice flowed from the screen.
But at that moment, Yoon Chae-ha, sitting across from me, quietly muttered something.
“Three weeks… Arcadia… Glory Hospital… Mukgui…?”
Her eyes deepened.
As if fitting together a puzzle, something was rapidly assembling in her mind.
The moment conviction settled in Yoon Chae-ha's eyes.
Her head snapped toward me.
A sharp, piercing gaze. I paused my chewing for a moment.
She had visited my hospital room before, when I was unconscious.
She had also run into the Saintess and had come all the way up to the top floor of the hospital run by Glory.
Her deductive skills had put all the pieces together.
All that was left was to confirm the answer.
“…Is it you?”
Yoon Chae-ha asked me point-blank.
We were both thinking the same thing.
I roughly swallowed the meat I was chewing and gave her a grin.
“Yeah.”
A short, certain answer.
Her eyes trembled.
*
Time passed, and Saturday morning arrived.
The area in front of the Association was packed with a sea of people.
The reason was simple.
‘So, who the hell is Mukgui?’
It was all well and good that his contribution was great and that he was incredibly promising.
But just who was he? That was the question.
The Association hadn't released any information other than the Hero name 'Mukgui'.
But since it was clear he would have to show up at the Association eventually, people were camped out here, waiting.
“But, do we really have to go this far?”
I was currently sitting in the passenger seat of the Old Man's car, which was disguised as a food supply truck.
“Wasn't it your wish not to be discovered?”
He had a point. There was a big difference between a few people knowing and my identity being revealed to the world.
Once again, we were heading to the parking lot behind the building.
The Old Man and I weren't the only ones.
I glanced at Yoon Chae-ha sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
She looked slightly excited, as if this was her first time visiting the Association.
“Wait in the cafe. I'll be back soon.”
She knew my identity now.
It didn't really matter.
After all, I had to reveal my identity to her to show her the Jewel of the Evil God anyway.
“Okay.”
Yoon Chae-ha replied curtly and nodded.
The Old Man parked the car, dropped us off, and headed toward the main entrance.
For appearances' sake, he needed to go through the official entrance procedure.
As I got out of the car, an Association employee came rushing out.
“Hae-in, you're here!”
He greeted us warmly upon seeing us.
It was Mr. Kim Gil-gyu again.
It felt like he'd practically become my designated staff member.
“But, if I may ask, who is this…?”
But he soon tilted his head, looking at Yoon Chae-ha next to me.
“Ah, she's a friend. She'll be waiting on the first floor.”
“I see, understood. Then your friend can use that elevator over there.”
“Go on ahead. I'll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
Yoon Chae-ha gave a light nod and walked toward the elevator.
I said cafe, but she'll probably be running all over the place.
I quietly headed for the private elevator once more.
The Association's reception room.
A place a Hero might enter only once or twice in their entire career.
And once again, I stepped inside.
Park Seo-hee was sitting at the desk before me.
However, she wasn't what truly surprised me.
Behind her. A row of glass display cases stood in a line.
The insides of the perfectly aligned cases were obscured by a magical device, but the aura emanating from within could not be hidden.
‘They really prepared for this, huh?’
It seemed the Association had no intention of holding back this time.
“Hello, Hero Jung Hae-in. Or should I call you Mukgui?”
Park Seo-hee nodded with a smile.
It was a smile brimming with confidence, as if she had prepared thoroughly.
“Yes, hello.”
I returned the greeting lightly.
“First, the official record of meritorious service was released a few days ago. Of course, per your request, all personal information about Mukgui has been kept confidential. It's truly unparalleled. You'll probably take up an entire page of the news.”
“…”
As she spoke, Park Seo-hee placed a neat manila envelope on the table.
“And this is the additional compensation, the main point of today's negotiation.”
I quietly reached out and picked up the envelope. The Association's logo was elegantly embossed on it.
Opening the envelope, I found a single, neatly folded document inside.
“You may choose one of the five treasures.”
I glanced down at the document, then naturally turned my head to look behind her again.
There stood the row of glass display cases, obscured by the device.
Park Seo-hee smiled and gestured.
“First, the first one.”
At her words, an Association employee operated the device on the first display case.
With a click, a gap in the glass opened, revealing the inside.
In that moment.
I almost spat out the water I was drinking.
Lying inside the glass was none other than a brilliantly shining, platinum-colored tiara.
I knew it instantly.
The Tiara of Ariel (Erieltium).
‘What the actual fuck.’
A divine relic left behind by Ariel herself, the god worshipped by Arcadia.
This was the very tiara that the Arcadia Cult had requested be returned numerous times, only to never even receive a reply.
‘Why are they showing this to me?’
I tried my best to act nonchalant as I set down my water glass.
Outwardly, I probably didn't show a thing.
“The second.”
Park Seo-hee continued as if it were nothing.
I tore my eyes away from the tiara and turned my head to look at the second display case.
Honestly, the second one, or any of the others, didn't matter.
It had to be the tiara. The intended user, of course, was Cheon Yeo-wool.
When the device on the second case was released, an elegant and magnificent suit of armor was revealed.
‘Ah, I give up.’
In the end, I couldn't hold it in and let out a small laugh.
Park Seo-hee must have taken my laugh as a positive sign, because she proceeded to unlock the third, fourth, and fifth display cases in succession with a confident expression.
One was a sharp spear.
Another, an ancient warrior's helmet.
The last, an ancient grimoire.
They were all magnificent treasures.
‘Interesting.’
The Association had judged that I wouldn't choose the tiara.
This relic's very existence was unknown to anyone outside of the Association and the Arcadia Cult.
As such, its value lay more in its symbolism than in its market price or practical use in combat.
Even the Association hadn't grasped the relic's actual functions or performance.
They probably just considered it 'gaudy but not very useful.' Something they could sell off to the temple later for a decent price.
That's why they placed it first.
They'd show it first to disappoint me, then immediately present the practical treasures from two to five to guide my choice in that direction.
However.
‘But what if I do choose it?’
Their judgment was that since it had no value beyond its symbolism, it was fine to give it away.
They obviously had no intention of selling it, but if you only considered the market value assessed by the Association, it was probably worth less than the other items.
Of course, the other treasures also had incredible abilities. Things money couldn't buy.
But by my standards, that wasn't important.
Park Seo-hee continued with a gentle smile.
“Which one will it be? We can give you plenty of time to choo—”
“That one.”
I cut her off, pointing my finger straight at the first display case.
There was no need to hesitate.
“I'll take that one.”
For a moment, Park Seo-hee's eyes wavered slightly.
“I can take it to go, right?”
There was no time to waste.
*
I left the reception room with the tiara in a high-quality glass case that was transparent but prevented outsiders from seeing in.
Park Seo-hee looked bewildered, as if she hadn't expected me to choose the tiara.
Good deal. A very good deal.
I cheered inwardly.
I'd had several candidates in mind, but I never imagined the Association would offer something like this.
‘No practical use?’
That's what you think.
“Huh?”
As I left the reception room, I felt a familiar aura from the end of the hallway.
It was the members of Arcadia. But strangely, it wasn't just the Paladin who had played a key role; the Crusaders were with them too.
Yohan.
And next to him, even the Bishop.
It seemed they had also come to the Association to negotiate.
Cheon Yeo-wool, who had been frowning slightly, brightened up the moment she saw me and ran over.
“Did the negotiation go well? What did you get? What did they give you?”
Yeo-wool asked innocently.
Behind her, Yohan and the Bishop were exchanging glances and glaring at me.
“Perfect timing.”
The timing was perfect.
Without a word, I quietly opened the lid of the glass case.
Hiss…
As the case opened, a soft light spread out.
The eyes of the Bishop, who was watching from a distance, shook violently.
“What…!”
A short cry escaped his lips.
Having realized what it was, he hurried toward us.
Before he could reach us, I calmly reached out and took the tiara from the glass box.
And then, I gently placed it on the head of Cheon Yeo-wool, who was still looking up at me with a bewildered expression.
In that moment.
Whooosh…
Light shimmered as the tiara unleashed a sacred aura.
Cheon Yeo-wool's hair was enveloped in a brilliant aura, and the surrounding air instantly cleared as if purified.
“Haa… What in the…”
“……”
The clerics nearby held their breath without realizing it.
The Saintess's faction couldn't look away, their faces a mixture of joy and awe, while the Hero's faction bit their lips, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
The Bishop stood frozen, biting his lip hard, unable to take another step forward.
Before their very eyes, I let out a quiet smirk.
“It looks good on you.”
A blush crept onto Cheon Yeo-wool's cheeks, and she carefully closed her eyes.
The tiara seemed to absorb the light, then slowly began to lose its form.
The pure white aura slowly dispersed like vapor, seeping into her body like a breath.
