Chapter 86: Exchange Match (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Exchange Match (9)
At her core, Yu Hana is a kind person.
She gets along well with others, has an excellent disposition, and rarely shows a sharp edge.
However.
Anything related to Jung Hae-in is an exception.
[The final wave will now begin.]
[Mythical Beast. Hornless Unicorn.]
The scoreboard’s announcement cut through the silence as a white beast materialized on the battlefield.
It had pure white fur and gleaming golden eyes.
Where its horn should have been was a patch of shimmering, jet-black fur that contrasted sharply with its body.
“Prepare for battle.”
Every team member’s gaze was fixed on the mythical beast.
Yu Hana’s, however, was not on the beast, but on a certain man.
She took a single, surreptitious step closer to him.
And quietly, she drew a breath.
But the scent of the cold air filling her lungs was not the one she craved.
Lavender.
Not his scent, but hers.
Yoon Chae-ha’s lingering fragrance still clung faintly to the air around him.
It wasn’t refreshing.
It was suffocating. She felt her breath catch in her throat.
Patience.
She silently soothed herself, clinging to her reason.
Originally, there were four of them.
The women who cared for him, including herself, had long ago made a pact—even if they didn’t particularly like one another.
‘No matter what, don’t cross the line.’
‘That’s a little vague…’
‘You’re the only one who needs to be careful.’
The reason was simple.
To not burden him.
Because their very existence was Defying Heaven, any more emotional involvement than necessary was bound to have side effects.
Therefore, until Jung Hae-in had grown, until he could easily handle such things, none of them would cross that line.
Though some of them might have already crossed that line—and gone far beyond it—in their minds and imaginations.
At the very least, they had all decided not to cross it until he was ready.
In the end, they were all just counting the days, waiting for him to grow stronger.
However.
Before her very eyes, Yoon Chae-ha’s gaze was fixed on Jung Hae-in’s back.
Her cheeks quickly flushed red before she ducked her head, clasping her hands behind her back.
She tapped the ground with the balls of her feet, drawing a small circle.
The shyness of a girl who had just fallen in love.
—I give it a month. One month.
One of them had predicted this would happen, but…
Now that it was a reality, she felt her breath hitch.
Yu Hana could never cross the line.
She couldn’t, even if she wanted to, so all she could do was wait.
But that woman was different.
Like a gamer using cheat codes.
Ignoring the rules, ignoring the regulations.
The boundaries they had established meant nothing to Yoon Chae-ha.
Yu Hana was powerless to stop the natural process of an attractive woman approaching an attractive man she was interested in.
And it was driving Yu Hana mad.
—Hmph!
The beast before them snorted, exhaling a powerful gust of air from its nostrils.
It stomped its hooves, and pale specters erupted from the ground.
“Chae-ha, the barrier. Make it as wide as possible. It can be thin, just focus on the width.”
“Okay.”
When Jung Hae-in gave the order, Yoon Chae-ha followed with a smile, as if she had been waiting for it.
The sight sent a needless surge of irritation through Yu Hana.
—Hmph!
The moment the mythical beast shook its head, the dozens, hundreds of pale specters that had burst from the ground began to charge.
“Now!”
“—!”
—Fwoosh!
Instead of answering, Yoon Chae-ha immediately stretched out her hand and deployed her mana.
The hundreds of specters began to pour into the barrier she had created.
The view was obscured by flames and smoke.
Yoon Chae-ha’s barrier was astonishingly sturdy.
A net of mana woven without a single flaw.
Fzzt! Crackle!
Anything that touched it was instantly incinerated.
The specters’ forms disintegrated the moment they made contact with her barrier.
Smoke billowed, and the view through the flames became hazy.
The mesh of the net, though thin, was woven so tightly that not a single gap remained, completely halting the specters’ advance.
Yoon Chae-ha took a small breath.
A smile crept onto her lips.
I did well, didn’t I?
Waiting for Jung Hae-in’s praise, she looked past the smoke with a fluttering heart.
The smoke slowly began to dissipate.
But in that instant.
—Thud.
The dull sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed.
Beyond the smoke stood the silhouette of someone with their back to her.
As the wind blew, the hem of a short skirt fluttered.
A lock of hair drifted on the breeze.
At her feet lay a massive, severed head.
The Hornless Unicorn had met its end, its golden eyes still wide open.
“…What?”
It was Yu Hana.
She casually flicked her bloodless sword clean, then slowly raised her head as if nothing had happened.
And her eyes met Yoon Chae-ha’s.
Her gaze radiated overwhelming confidence.
The others might not have noticed, but Yoon Chae-ha, at least in that moment, could feel it.
Smirk.
Yu Hana slowly raised the corners of her mouth.
Then, a faint yet rich floral scent began to spread from somewhere.
Feeling as if her own scent was being washed away, Yoon Chae-ha turned her head to look.
And there, she saw Jung Hae-in staring at Yu Hana.
His lips were slightly parted, his gaze completely stolen by her.
“…Wow.”
A short gasp of admiration escaped him.
Yoon Chae-ha silently clenched her fists.
She bit her lip slightly and lowered her head.
The reaction she had longed to hear.
That look, that voice…
Yu Hana had just taken it from her.
*
“So, you’re telling me this is the person who didn’t want to be the leader at first?” Yoon Sang-hyeok said with a laugh.
Go Minjun nodded beside him.
“Don’t be like that.”
Yu Hana gave an awkward laugh and waved her hands dismissively.
Usually, teams are busy blaming each other after a project, but the atmosphere on our team was exceptionally good.
Of course it was.
[1st Place: Team Yu Hana]
The final results of the team battle.
Our team’s name was at the very top of the scoreboard.
“Nice!”
“Hoo…”
Cheers, followed by sighs of relief.
The first-place team would be awarded a prize.
It was a bit less than the prize for the individual match, but it was still excellent.
Besides, the team battle was more about experience than results.
It was a chance to experience teamwork, cover each other’s weaknesses, and respond to crises.
That was the whole point.
I took a sip of water and glanced at Yu Hana.
Her growth… is incredible.
The key to this wave was the specters, all of which had faint corporeal forms.
The mythical beast would summon them endlessly to obscure vision and create chaos.
For most, the best strategy would have been to focus on holding out with barriers and defense.
But Yu Hana had charged in to take its head in the brief window between the smoke clearing and the specters reforming.
I had planned to go myself at first.
I was watching the situation, ready to jump in the moment it seemed to be getting tiresome.
But Yu Hana beat me to it.
It wasn’t reckless; her timing was born of conviction.
I had been constantly debating who to give the second Fragment to first.
I’d decided it was right to give it to whoever among the three showed the fastest growth.
At this rate, it seemed likely that, barring any major variables, Yu Hana would be the first.
As I thought, giving them time to think for themselves without my interference was the right call.
My confidence in my methods was reaffirmed.
Just as I was thinking that.
“Hey… is that who I think it is over there?”
“Holy shit.”
A sudden commotion erupted from behind me.
Everyone’s eyes turned in the same direction.
I instinctively turned my head as well.
And upon seeing the person standing there, I straightened my posture without thinking.
The head of the Yu Family, Yu Mujin.
The master of the Cheongpung Sect and Yu Hana’s father.
He himself had graced the Gaon lounge with his presence.
In that moment.
Yu Hana quietly scurried over to stand in front of me.
She positioned herself as if to block the way between me and Yu Mujin, and said softly, “Dad. This is a school.”
Yu Mujin gave a wry smile and nodded.
“My daughter, you’ve grown so much stronger. I was quite surprised.”
“You can say things like that at home…”
“Right, I know. I know.”
To think that the Azure Cloud Sword Emperor himself could be so flustered in front of his daughter.
The students nearby, and even the professors, watched with fascination.
But I could feel it.
For some reason, Yu Mujin’s gaze was directed at me.
I placed a hand on Yu Hana’s shoulder and gently guided her aside.
She looked up, surprised for a moment.
But then she gave a small nod, as if she understood.
I walked past Yu Hana and stood before Yu Mujin.
“I am Jung Hae-in.”
The area fell silent.
“If you have something to say, I will hear it.”
Yu Mujin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He took a step forward.
“Alright.”
His low, deep voice resonated.
“How about a handshake?”
It was a large, hard hand. Calluses covered not only his palm but the back of his hand as well. It was a hand that bore the full weight of the years he had lived.
I quietly took it.
Squeeze.
A brief test of strength. He applied pressure.
The force was considerable.
An ordinary person would have flinched.
Their fingertips might have trembled, or a slight grimace might have crossed their face.
But I didn’t move a muscle, simply accepting the handshake.
It was a somewhat crude method, but it was precisely how Yu Mujin judged a person.
He was a man who preferred to ascertain things with his body rather than with words.
But there was a reason I was so used to it.
It was similar to the torture the Old Man would put me through whenever he was bored.
At the end of the silence, Yu Mujin let out a small laugh.
“Jung Hae-in.”
Pat, pat.
He gave my shoulder two heavy pats.
Then, without another word, he turned away.
He carefully placed a hand on Yu Hana’s head.
Yu Hana blushed and ducked her head low.
Yu Mujin looked at his daughter with an affectionate expression for a moment before turning his head.
And then he spoke in a quiet, yet clear voice.
“I will remember that name.”
I took a short breath and bowed my head slightly.
“It is an honor.”
This was his acknowledgment.