Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars
"Father... no..."
It was horrific. I resented my own weakness for failing to stop this terrible tragedy.
"I... I can't..."
Father's counting on me. He's prepared this for me, hoping I'd enjoy it...
'What I wanted to eat wasn't mint chocolate chicken...!'
Even I couldn't handle mint chocolate chicken. This abomination that never should have existed in this world was hideous from its looks to its smell. The moment I ate it, I'd die. I could see the future: Han Yuyeon's death (2/2) realized.
But I couldn't straight-up tell Father, who'd brought chicken just for me, "I hate this." While I agonized, the mint chocolate chicken whispered to me.
"Eat me... Eat me and... avenge me..."
"Y-yes...?"
"I never wanted to become... something as horrific as mint chocolate chicken..."
"...Oh..."
"My... my dream was..."
The seductively perched mint chocolate chicken leg declared,
"To become fried chicken..."
"......!"
The moment I heard that wistful voice, I felt a new mission stir within me. I gripped the seductive chicken leg and made a vow.
"Got it... I'll avenge you. So please... rest in peace..."
"Thank you... Now... eat me."
With tears in my eyes, I tore off a bite of the chicken leg—and felt yet another mission.
What was this? It was delicious.
Maybe my true mission was to spread the greatness of mint chocolate chicken across the world?
No. Snap out of it. You made a promise. Avenge it.
"Nom nom..."
But I, Han Yuyeon, authority on flexible adaptation. Avenging the genius who invented mint chocolate chicken would be a loss for humanity. Please die for humanity's sake, you commoner who couldn't become fried chicken.
"......?"
It was a dream. I'd been voraciously chomping on the massive hunk of meat I'd buried under my blanket as a pillow.
What was this? Delicious.
If I slathered it in mint chocolate, it'd be even better, right? It was too heavy, so I stored it in my subspace.
◈ Stored in Maid's Subspace Pocket (EX)
To think someone would sponsor something this delicious out of the blue. Just how amazing is the Heavenly Power Star?
I had no idea how long I'd slept, but I got up and greeted the sky.
"Hello. I'm Han Yuyeon."
Guardian of the Sword Realm greets you.
Sage of the Star Library greets you.
Heavenly Power Star greets you.
Hand that Bestows Form greets you.
What the...? The stars above twinkled furiously, messages pouring in nonstop.
Why? I pondered, and the answer came quickly.
It was the power of Maid's Grace Double Peace.
"VV."
A multitude of Constellations gaze upon you fondly.
Spot on. There were too many eyes on me to feel comfortable, but I had work to do.
Goal: Become a master maid.
With Guardian and Sage here too, I showed them the wooden sword and staff I'd prepared.
"Father. Grandfather. Can I learn sword and magic at the same time?"
Guardian of the Sword Realm bestows a blessing upon you.
Sage of the Star Library bestows a blessing upon you.
Thud, rustle. A fish and a leaf fluttered down simultaneously.
— You don't have to call me Father.
— My child. I've been too oblivious to your situation. I won't force any titles—call me whatever feels right.
"Huh?"
Why the sudden change? Constellations' thoughts were truly inscrutable.
I was happy to have a father and grandfather...
"If the Constellations dislike it, I won't..."
Guardian of the Sword Realm flinches in surprise.
Sage of the Star Library denies it vehemently.
"??"
More fish and leaves rained down. The fish said,
Hello, I'm Fish.
The leaf said,
Hello, I'm the Strongest in the Universe.
I bowed my head in reply.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Yuyeon."
— It's not that I dislike it. I think of you as my daughter.
— Don't misunderstand. Why in the world would I ever dislike you?
"Hmm."
My mouth felt idle, so I munched on the leaf while thinking. The Strongest in the Universe wasn't all that. Now the maid would claim that spot.
"Father. Grandfather."
Guardian of the Sword Realm cheers.
Sage of the Star Library cheers.
The universe's strongest maid, gripping wooden sword and staff in both hands, declared,
"I'm going to become a magic swordsman master."
Guardian of the Sword Realm despairs.
Sage of the Star Library despairs.
As expected of family—their reactions matched perfectly.
"So, what should I start with?"
Thud—a fish and the Strongest's successor dropped.
Revenge, huh. Impressed by the resolve, I popped the leaf in my mouth and crunched.
Sage of the Star Library expresses doubt.
Next, I checked the writing on the fish.
— If you seek the path of the magic swordsman, wait a moment.
"Okay."
Waiting faithfully is a maid's duty. I sat still, gazing at the sky. The twinkling stars were truly beautiful.
Constellation Gallery.
This place, where the Han Yuyeon Fan Club had exploded in numbers, had transformed into what could now be called the Han Yuyeon Gallery.
All because Yuyeon's sleep-talking was too powerful.
「Father... no... I... I can't...」
At first, Constellations wondered if she'd been abused by her father. Why else would she whimper in terror like that?
But after shedding tears for a while, Yuyeon murmured with resolve,
「Got it... I'll avenge you. So please... rest in peace...」
Only then did the Constellations realize. Ah, Yuyeon hadn't been abused... She'd lost her father to something, and promised revenge at his deathbed. She couldn't refuse his dying wish...
The Constellations fell silent, grasping the situation. At the same time, they found Yuyeon incredibly admirable. How hard must it have been for a mere 10-year-old to hold back her grief and pretend to be composed?
For Han Yuyeon, who was even shifting the gallery's tendencies, two Constellations debated seriously.
My daughter seems to hate even your letters so much she's chomping them up, but she wants to become a magic swordsman anyway. So, how should we combine my sword and your magic to make a great one? For Yuyeon's sake, she must become the strongest.
Even you sword-obsessed brute must know Yuyeon chose me. You know Aura Core and Mana Circle can't coexist, right? So why mention magic swordsman when she can only pick one? It means engraving Mana Circle in her heart and using sword as a sidearm. So teach her self-defense swordplay. I'm teaching her the path of the archmage, so don't waste her precious golden time.
Geombeoji couldn't retort. As Halakaib said, Aura Core and Mana Circle couldn't coexist. Mana Circle could reinforce the body too, but far less efficiently than Aura Core. And Aura Core couldn't handle magic, so becoming a magic swordsman meant prioritizing Mana Circle and magic growth.
The moment Geombeoji tried to unleash a vengeful glare, a new post appeared.
In my opinion, Yuyeon can engrave both Aura Core and Mana Circle. No one's tried as Maid yet so it's iffy, but I'd say 99%+ chance it works (Maid class description screenshot)
「Maid: Versatile. Truly exists for the maid herself. Whether that's advantage or disadvantage depends on the maid's capability.
— Can learn all skills without restriction.
— Max grade of all non-exclusive skills reduced by 1 step.」
See? It says can learn all skills without restriction. But Aura Core and Mana Circle count as skills. So Maid class has high chance of true magic swordsman. Stand straight, Geombeoji. If you care for Han Yuyeon, teach her more instead of bowing.
Maid. The infinite possibilities within drove the Constellations mad.
High chance it's a total cheat class that can learn Mana Circle + Aura Core at once, plus Stigma Engraving + Spell Contracts + Dragon Words, and alchemy crafting etc. all together? How did no one notice till now?
Han Yuyeon was the anomaly from the start. Unlike other classes, Maid had abysmal early combat power—clearing Hell Floor 1 casually made no sense. Her talent was top-tier among humans seen so far. The moment assurance emerged that she might learn everything without limits, Constellations united in cheering Geombeoji and Halakaib.
If Explainer's logic held and Mana Circle + Aura Core coexisted, watching Yuyeon would be pure joy.
Hello. I'm Fish.
Hello. I'm the commoner of an era defeated by the Maid.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Yuyeon."
I checked the scattered fish and leaf.
— First, form an Aura Circle in your heart.
— Let's make a Mana Circle in your heart first.
"Huh. Engrave Aura Circle first? Or Mana Circle first?"
Nom nom, crunching the leaf, I asked. The stars twinkled briefly before replying.
— Engrave Mana Circle first, then form Aura Core.
"But what's Mana Circle and what's Aura Core?"
My question brought a massive letter. I read diligently and flexibly summarized: Mana Circle = power to wield mana with will. Aura Core = will's power to reinforce body and gear.
Whew. Why send a novel for something so simple? Next time, request a 3-line summary.
"Then I'll make Mana Circle first."
Sage of the Star Library gazes fondly.
I closed my eyes, focusing inward. I, Han Yuyeon, flexible maid. Flexible thinking made sensing mana easy.
Mana flowed from fallen trees. Scattered mana inside me too. Mana existing without firm will.
First, I greeted the scattered mana.
'Nice to meet you. Let's communicate.'
With intent to connect, I gathered mana, spun it, drew a circle in my heart. Lose focus, it wavers. Add will, it firms up. Just like chicken.
'I want chicken...'
Gasp. Mana turned chicken-shaped. Rotation would imbalance. I willed conviction into the mana.
'No matter your chicken form... you can't become chicken...'
Droop. At the cold fact, mana reformed the circle. Then another thought struck.
Mana Circle: wield mana with will. Aura Core: reinforce body/gear with will. Aren't they similar?
Wielding mana, empowering body/weapon—distant view, they're the same. Unshakable will and goal. Both powers share the origin.
'Whether fried or seasoned is up to the person... but the origin is chicken all the same.'
Steadying direction, I regulated breath. Spinning mana circulated through body. Fully observing inward, I unified will.
Will to wield mana, will to wield aura—descended heavy into heart. Touch it, it'd explode.
Pop. It burst.
Han Yuyeon died like that. End. Curtain.
At that moment, something asserted presence in her body: Universe's Strongest Leaf.
A multitude of Constellations gasp in shock.
Paths to organize emerged. Opened more channels in body, closed unnecessary ones. For will to flow flexibly in any situation.
When spinning mana stabilized into a circle and breath fully settled, an otherworldly omnipotence surged—leagues beyond before.
Mana Circle (E) acquired.
💨 Mana stat unlocked.
Aura Core (E) acquired.
💨 Aura stat unlocked.
"Oing?"
Does it usually end this fast? As I moved to ask the Constellations, the sky twinkled furiously.