Chapter 92: Consultation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: Consultation (1)
Time in the Holy Land passed much faster than I expected.
It was supposed to be five hours.
But when I opened my eyes, it was all over.
“Hah…”
I slowly pushed myself up. My entire body was drenched in sweat.
Perhaps because the holy power had penetrated so deep into my body, I had used up far more stamina and mental energy than usual.
As I wiped the back of my neck with a towel, I felt a faint gaze on my back.
‘…?’
When I turned my head, I saw Cheon Yeo-wool staring right at me from across the room.
Not a single drop of sweat, her expression as composed as ever. Her breathing was even.
‘What the.’
She was the complete opposite of me.
“How are you so fresh and clean?”
“I’m always fresh and clean.”
“…You didn’t train?”
“I did.”
She nonchalantly held up her fingertips. Above her long, slender fingers, a small Holy Method formation materialized.
– Flicker, flicker.
The holy power pulsed gently as it appeared.
“…Well, not bad.”
I nodded and put my shirt back on.
Just then, the sound of the Holy Land’s doors opening echoed from the distance.
– Rumble….
“Brother Jung Hae-in. Your time in the Holy Land has ended.”
A priest, dressed in neat robes, approached quietly and bowed respectfully.
Cheon Yeo-wool, who had changed her clothes at some point, came to my side.
“A total of three sessions. It seems you will be able to enter the Holy Land two more times.”
I gave a short nod.
I couldn’t ask for more. Just opening the Holy Land must have been a huge burden on the Cult.
I was content enough as I packed away my water bottle.
Suddenly, Cheon Yeo-wool turned her head to the side and spoke bluntly.
“Is that all you’re giving him?”
The priest’s shoulders flinched. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a strange pressure that seemed to corner him.
At her sharp remark, I glanced over at her.
She was always grinning when she was with me, which made me wonder if she was doing well within the Cult. It seemed she was doing just fine.
The priest opened his mouth, unable to hide his bewilderment.
“…Yes. After coordinating within the Cult, the result was a total of three sessions…”
“Then.”
Cheon Yeo-wool fiddled with the sleeve of her robe and slowly turned her head.
“Coordinate again.”
“…But the Saintess must also use it…”
“Is using it a few more times going to make me an official Saintess?”
I didn’t show it, but I was cheering for Cheon Yeo-wool on the inside.
She was essentially giving up her own chance to grow for my sake, and I was grateful.
“Yes… I will discuss it further.”
In the end, the priest backed down.
I quietly opened my mouth and conveyed my thanks.
‘Thank you.’
Cheon Yeo-wool’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t hide her flustered expression.
For a moment, she was speechless, clutching my sleeve as a blush spread across her cheeks.
Just then.
The priest spoke up cautiously from behind us.
“This is… perhaps presumptuous of me, but the two of you seem to… suit each other very well.”
Hearing this, Cheon Yeo-wool’s eyes sparkled as she whipped her head around.
“Really? You think so?”
The solemn figure who had been negotiating with the Cult just moments ago was gone, replaced by a vibrant, energetic girl.
“I knew it, right? Right? Didn’t I say so?”
She tilted her head, looking at the priest, before her gaze shifted back to me.
“I guess so~”
I lowered my head slightly.
I didn’t say anything, but she seemed to take my silence as an affirmation.
“Heehee.”
Her grip on my sleeve tightened.
*
– Tap, tap, tap….
In a darkened office, a woman was staring at her watch.
A single pair of red eyes glinted in the unlit room.
[12:00 AM]
The hands on the watch pointed exactly to midnight.
Kang A-rin quietly closed her eyes.
She turned off the watch and placed it on her desk.
Then she let out a very short sigh.
“Hoo…”
Jung Hae-in was a considerate person.
He never sent messages after midnight.
The conclusion was simple.
Today, too, nothing came.
“…What is this?”
Kang A-rin muttered to herself.
Her heart beat faintly.
She had been feeling that something was off lately.
Cheon Yeo-wool? Done. Yu Hana? Also done.
Besides, the Exchange Match had recently ended, so it was now Yoon Chae-ha’s turn to be neglected.
Cheon Yeo-wool had taken him to the Holy Land in a last-ditch effort, but that was nothing more than a desperate struggle.
Now, it was slowly becoming her turn.
Kang A-rin’s turn, she had thought, was approaching.
She had been ready for a long time.
But then, why?
“Why isn’t he doing anything?”
Kang A-rin’s hand trembled.
She had prepared for his proposal, laying out every possible plan.
Whatever Jung Hae-in wanted.
Whatever he said.
First, Plan A. What if he suggested they go find a Fragment for her?
In preparation for that, she had booked two adjacent first-class seats on a flight to the USA to go to the Pentagon.
Taking a portal would be fine, but she wanted to enjoy the romance of a quiet conversation on a plane sometimes.
Second, Plan B. What if he suggested they go to the dungeon on Mt. Halla to get the gauntlets?
In preparation for that, she’d had the trees on Mt. Halla trimmed and flowers planted in their place. Trail maintenance.
All to make the climb easier and the scenery prettier.
Third, Plan C. What if he just wanted to train and grow stronger together?
She planned to open up the private training facility of Maengju, a subsidiary guild of Glory.
Just the two of them, in a top-class facility, all to themselves.
Scenarios A, B, and C.
All preparations were complete, every plan laid out.
Perfectly.
Whatever he chose, she could respond immediately.
But why?
“Why isn’t he contacting me…?”
Kang A-rin’s hand trembled.
She stared down at the watch on her desk.
A considerable amount of time had already passed since her last conversation with Cheon Yeo-wool.
He should have contacted her by now.
Her own pretty face was reflected on the dark screen.
Wait.
Could it be?
A single, ominous possibility popped into her head.
“Am I… Could it be?”
A quiet murmur.
“Am I being neglected…?”
Her red eyes wavered slowly in the dark room.
She pressed her lips together firmly.
Then, her cheeks puffed out as if she’d been wronged.
“No… Why…?”
With a frustrated look, she whimpered softly and turned her watch back on.
She scrolled through her message history again.
Just in case she had missed something.
But, as expected, there was nothing.
“Ah…….”
Kang A-rin.
Her head dropped.
*
The day after the long night in the Holy Land, back at Gaon.
This morning’s lecture was a self-study session.
The final exams were approaching, and I needed time to review as well.
My body remembered the practical subjects, but theory was a different story.
This damn brain of mine wouldn’t remember anything unless I kept hammering it in.
I quietly opened my textbook.
– Creeak.
Just then, the classroom’s front door opened.
A student with a gloomy expression quietly entered.
They walked slowly to an empty seat, slumped down, and buried their head in their arms on the desk without a word.
‘Oh, boy.’
I couldn’t tell if there were tears, but judging by the slight tremble in their shoulders, they must have received quite a shock.
The reason today’s lecture was replaced with self-study.
It was the day for consultations with our supervising professor.
Based on our grades up to the midterm and our admission rank, we would sit down one-on-one with our professor to be evaluated on our future career paths and growth potential.
For the students, this was the first time they would hear about any guild offers.
Whether from a bidding match or an official offer, everything.
Even how many times their name had been brought to the table.
And the professor would blatantly compare a student’s situation with that of the top-ranking students.
On top of that came the professor’s own assessment.
‘You can probably get into a guild up to ~~ level.’
Or.
‘You can’t.’
In this way, they made sure the student understood exactly where they stood.
It varied by professor, but they were generally very harsh in their evaluations, so many students ended up shedding tears.
The feedback was weighted more toward what was lacking than what was done well.
But there was a reason for this harshness.
It was still only the first semester of our first year.
It meant that this evaluation wasn’t the end, and that we should work hard during the time we had left.
“Oh my… It must not have gone well.”
Cheon Yeo-wool, sitting next to me, sighed.
I glanced at the magic book she had open.
She was on the same page she’d been on thirty minutes ago.
‘You should worry about yourself first.’
I wanted to say it out loud.
But she was, for all intents and purposes, doing exceptionally well as an official Saintess. So it was a bit awkward to say anything.
Judging by her actions alone, she was being incredibly admirable.
As if she knew it, Cheon Yeo-wool smiled sweetly at me.
That expression, with the corners of her mouth turned up, was strangely annoying.
I raised my hand slightly, about to give her a flick on the forehead, but…
“Sigh.”
I just let it go.
“…Huh?”
“What.”
“You’re not… going to hit me?”
“You’re a Saintess. What good would hitting you do?”
“……”
I turned my head to look at Yoon Chae-ha, who was sitting to my right.
I’d expected her to be dozing off, but surprisingly, she was seriously writing something in her notebook.
I leaned over slightly to get a look.
It wasn’t notes on magic.
The notebook was filled with something, but…
– Just what is their relationshi—
Relationship?
“Agh!”
The moment I tried to lean in further, Yoon Chae-ha noticed and jumped.
I smiled and asked.
“What are you writing so intently?”
“Oh, nothing. Just studying.”
“Studying?”
It didn’t look like it.
But since it was the day for career consultations, I was a little curious.
“Where are you planning to go after you graduate? Are you going to graduate early?”
Gaon had an early graduation system to quickly send talented prospective heroes out into society.
As long as you had the skill, you could do it through a contract with a guild or by being scouted by an organization, regardless of your grades.
You could shave off up to one year at most.
Of course, while it was meant for outstanding students, in reality, quite a few students with decent grades tried to get out quickly.
Conversely, some of the very top students chose not to graduate early.
They were either looking for bigger opportunities or felt they weren’t ready yet.
In Yoon Chae-ha’s case, she would most likely head to the Magic Tower.
She had the background and the skill.
They were probably already keeping an eye on her.
So, I was curious about her thoughts.
“Me…?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah.”
She seemed to think for a moment before answering in a small voice.
“…Vanquisher.”
“The Van-what?”
I asked again, dumbfounded.
Yoon Chae-ha blinked and continued.
“That time… Yukal? It was fun talking with him. And there were lots of books… the atmosphere wasn’t bad…”
“What about the Magic Tower, then?”
At my question, she paused for a moment, then scratched her cheek and muttered softly.
“Because… you’re not at the Magic Tower… so it’s no fun…”
“Ha.”
The reason was ridiculous, but it wasn’t a bad thing for me.
For someone like Yoon Chae-ha, joining Vanquisher wasn’t just a dream.
And I could take better care of her than the Magic Tower could, so it was good for me, too.
‘Sion will be happy.’
I figured he’d be thrilled to finally have a female friend his age.
Yoon Chae-ha’s personality was a bit strange, but Sion was a good kid.
They’d be able to get along.