Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: ...Me Too... Maybe
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Haran suddenly thought that the current scene resembled a formal meeting between families.
Daughter and her girlfriend.
And herself.
Seeing the three of them gathered in a luxurious private room at a high-end restaurant, it was impossible not to feel that way.
Especially since Sia's parents had abandoned her back in middle school, and her husband had died in a Gate incident just a few years after Jiyu was born.
...She's still too young for that.
Twenty was far too early to be talking about marriage.
But maybe because she'd gotten pregnant with Jiyu around this age herself, she couldn't shake the thought.
There was little conversation while they waited for their food.
Throats parched, they kept downing water.
The silence grated on her nerves, but starting a conversation wasn't easy.
Every time their eyes met Sia's, the sounds from the lounge earlier replayed in her mind.
She hadn't even had time to indulge alone lately, thanks to her busy schedule.
Already pent-up with frustration, the stimulation hit her hard.
It was the worst kind of parental failure, but after years of only masturbating to comfort herself, she was just as broken as Sia in that regard.
Ignoring the tightening in her lower belly and the squirming deep inside, Haran forced her mouth open.
"...So, have you gotten used to life as an Awakener?"
"Yes. The Gates I can enter aren't that tough yet, so it's a bit boring. But... is what you mentioned before for real?"
This wasn't just about seeing her face after so long by dragging her to the Guild.
With sudden Gates becoming a worsening problem, various Guilds and corporations were teaming up with the Awakener Management Bureau. Sia would temporarily join Cheongrin Guild to participate.
"Hehe... if you pass today's test, that is."
Other Guilds had plenty of their own teams, so they didn't need this hassle. But Cheongrin had too few members relative to its power, so they needed to fill the numbers.
"Well, honestly, I'm not sure if there's much point in accepting people."
"Well... I was skeptical based on just what Jiyu told me, but now I can see it might be true."
She eyed the power Sia kept so neatly contained.
Just looking at that massive flow of mana writhing within marked Sia as already beyond superhuman territory.
"......"
She'd been eyeing Sia with a somewhat lewd gaze moments ago, but now, unknown to the two, a competitive fire ignited in her heart.
Having lived half her life as an Awakener and earned the title of Korea's strongest, she was the type whose gentle appearance belied a love for battle.
Most of her Awakener career had been spent fighting monsters and criminals.
Catching Haran's gaze, Sia quietly met her eyes.
Sia burned with competitive spirit too.
She'd been looking forward to reuniting after so long, and maybe even a chance at sex, but above all, it was the prospect of fighting her.
Temporary affiliation with Cheongrin Guild was a huge perk for Freelancers.
But not just anyone could pass the test.
Documents reported to the Bureau served as the first filter, then applicants had to face Guild Master Haran herself.
Some grumbled about why the Guild Master had to handle temporary recruits personally, but Haran was stubborn on matters like this.
It was the same reason she kept the Guild small and only recruited young Awakeners over veterans.
Someone of Sia's caliber wouldn't need a test, but they required data to convince the others.
Parachuting her in would breed resentment.
"Looking forward to working with you."
"...Me too."
Once business broke the ice, the awkwardness faded a bit.
They still skirted certain topics intentionally, but they could talk comfortably like old times.
"Wow! This is so good!"
Haran smiled warmly at Sia, who cheered like a child.
Her appearance had changed a lot, but she was no different from the person Haran knew.
Yet she couldn't view her with the exact same eyes as before.
"Give me some."
"Here."
Jiyu opened her mouth like a baby bird begging for food, and Sia twirled pasta onto her fork to feed her.
It was a scene she'd seen since Sia's male days, but back then it just seemed like close friends.
Why did it look so romantic now that she was a woman?
...Well, they are dating, after all.
As the meal ended and coffee with cake arrived for dessert, Haran spoke up.
"...So. When did you two start going out?"
The sudden question made the pair look at each other.
Jiyu nodded, so Sia spoke first.
"There's something I need to tell you about that..."
"Yeah?"
It was easy telling other women.
The situation helped.
Most... no, all of them, she'd just pushed through with her dick while talking.
Once they experienced it, they realized they couldn't handle her alone.
Even that brazen Sia was tense now.
Even if Sia perfectly matched her tastes and might get fucked again soon.
Because they were her parents.
Because this wasn't a sex scenario.
Sia continued in a trembling voice.
The explanation wasn't long.
She skipped mentioning the dick.
Just knowing Sia had tons of women and more to come would complicate things enough; no need to drop another bomb.
For now... I roughly explained it as a curse...
Not sure how much they'd believe.
Sia gave an awkward smile and sipped her coffee.
Haran stared blankly at the table, jaw slack.
Her eyes grew dull, and her hand holding the coffee cup trembled faintly.
"...Should we have told her later?"
The two leaned in and whispered.
Loud enough for Haran to hear, but she seemed half out of it, not registering.
"Later or now, doesn't matter. Better to get it out early."
If the kiss hadn't been discovered, maybe. But delaying now would just be deceiving her.
...I thought she'd get mad.
But contrary to expectations, Haran just stared vacantly downward, occasionally glancing between Jiyu and Sia.
The unexpected reaction left even Jiyu flustered.
It would have been easier if she'd thrown a fit.
Guilt crept in, wondering if the shock had rendered her speechless.
Silence hung in the room for a long while.
As Sia and Jiyu exchanged uneasy glances, a single thought filled Haran's mind.
Was it Sia's curse, or was her true nature—a pervert addicted to depravity, far from the heroic image known to the media?
Resistance to Sia being a woman... felt faint.
Her heart pounded so loudly it rang in her ears.
During the not-short drive back to the Guild, Haran quietly repeated to herself, over and over.
...Me too.
...Maybe.
Freelancers who weren't rookies usually had other jobs as Awakeners.
They preferred safer hunts within clearable limits, earning occasional cash without risking their lives.
Thus, being a long-time Freelancer as a full-time gig usually just signaled a lack of skill or talent, unless there were special circumstances.
"Seriously, why does the Guild Master insist on doing this herself? Such a hassle..."
The man entering the underground Gate muttered in annoyance.
His companions entering with him didn't say it outright but seemed to agree.
Even temporarily, they hated attaching Cheongrin's name to mediocre talents.
From the moment they joined Cheongrin, they were elites recognized for both talent and skill.
"How many we got?"
"Around a dozen showed up."
"That's low. Back when something similar happened, it was packed."
"The job's tough. Bureau can't handle it, so they're reaching out to private Guilds like us."
"It's getting serious lately."
"Tch..."
"What? Looking for someone?"
"Jiyu. Oh, there she is, by the Guild Master."
The man waved when he spotted Jiyu, who bowed slightly from afar.
"You try hard."
"Don't get jealous later."
"It's the Guild Master over Jiyu."
"Crazy bastard."
"Shh. Looks like it's starting."
Haran had called in Guild members loitering around, saying to watch and learn, but they were half-hearted.
They chattered more than observed seriously.
"Ugh. How'd that one even pass the paperwork?"
"Looks like some weird skills got her through. Nothing else special."
As the Guild member said, the spar ended quickly.
"Kuh...!"
"Good work."
"...Thank you."
The man retreated in a daze, and a waiting Guild member healed him.
"......"
Tests continued.
The line dwindled fast.
Even with Haran going easy, few lasted.
They couldn't pace themselves and collapsed from exhaustion quickly.
Facing Haran was an honor, but since most couldn't even touch her and got one-sidedly beaten, fewer volunteered.
They just eyed each other.
After a brief silence, a girl with a white longsword stepped forward.
"Looking forward to working with you."
After a polite bow, she drew her sword and charged Haran.
"Oh."
"This one's got moves."
She couldn't easily close in against Haran's chill, but her footwork was far better than the others.
She looked about the same age as today's applicants.
"She'd pass instantly. Why bother with temp test?"
"Yeah..."
The grumbling Guild members quieted down one by one.
They watched the duel between Haran and the girl intently.
The girl had talent but lacked basics.
Her movements lagged at times.
Unlike the others—who'd forced pace too high for points—she seemed purely inexperienced, unaware how to control it.
"...!"
Eventually, she burned out early like the rest.
Haran smiled in satisfaction.
Until now using only frost, she now wrapped lightning around her skills out of respect and attacked.
The girl flew back as if hit head-on by a car.
"Oof... gonna break her."
"If she cracks from that, she shouldn't be an Awakener."
After rolling on the ground a few times, the girl used her sword as a cane to stand, then bowed deeply.
Bruised everywhere, she just panted—no grimacing.
"Tough one?"
"She's in for sure."
"Think she'd join full-time instead?"
"No one's better. Just pass and go home?"
"Hmm... yeah. Docs say they're all meh... Wait, one awakened just two months ago?"
"Two months? Bribed HR?"
"Oh, a Returnee."
"Ah, here she comes."
"Damn... the last one was cute, this one's gorgeous too. Huh? Did she just look at me?"
"Pervert."
"No, seriously, our eyes met... Tch. But kinda pity her."
"Yeah. Returnees get leeway, but she got thrown right in..."
She'd succeeded in imprinting her outstanding talent, despite lacking polish.
Haran using not just safe frost but lightning proved it.
Frost, lightning, and finally the fully revealed dragon power as the last skill.
Haran's three benchmarks for gauging opponents' talent.
Known to Guild members and even casual fans.
In these tests, she rarely went beyond frost.
The most recent before this girl? Her own daughter, Jiyu.
Skill was there, but she couldn't avoid comparison to this talented girl.
"That one's a sword user too."
"...Look closer, she's young. Why come here instead of regular recruitment?"
"Huh?"
"Whoa, wait. Guild Master..."
Guild members who'd pitied Sia went wide-eyed.
Two coral-like beautiful horns sprouted from Haran's forehead.
Haran and Sia—who hadn't even greeted—clashed in an instant.