Why Is He Standing There?
Elysia, did you do it on purpose?
What do you mean by that? I was simply conveying my position to everyone efficiently.
Elysia let out a subtle snort as if shrugging it off, her tone carrying a hint of mischief.
The way she spoke made it clear she had been teasing me.
But there was no pretense in her words at all.
After all, Elysia had always spoken her mind without reservation.
Thanks to her, I completely forgot to ask about guild formation.
I got so distracted pulling her out of that crowd that the very idea slipped my mind.
It wasn’t urgent anyway, so no big deal.
Anyway, it’s time I headed back to that other world and explained the situation to Irene.
She might have some idea of what’s going on.
Yes, Master.
She answered readily, but her eyes flickered with something like regret.
Her lips puckered as if she had something else to say.
I know.
I’ll summon you again tomorrow right away.
Do a good job with what I asked of you.
Yes!
Her expression finally softened the moment I promised we’d meet again soon.
With the summoning released, the same glowing light that had brought her here appeared, and Elysia vanished.
Then I guess I’ll take a look at the Awakened-exclusive community.
Only registered Awakened could enter, and the security badge issued by the Awakened Management Bureau was mandatory for access.
There, you could find information not easily available on regular internet sites.
Just that alone would make putting up with the registration hassle worthwhile.
The main screen displayed neatly organized boards.
[Current Gate Information in South Korea]__[Awakened Bureau Artifact Information]__[Monster Hunting Methods by Rank]__[Guild Recruitment Notices]__[Latest Hot News]
All of them looked like they could be put to good use.
As I browsed through the various boards to pass the time, one title in the hot news section caught my eye.
[Urgent Alert] New S-class Awakened Single-Handedly Takes Down 30 A-class Monsters!
Oh, it’s already out.
Clicking the video, I watched the night’s events unfold in full.
From Elysia taking down the A-class monsters, to me gently stroking her hair.
When I opened the comment section, hundreds of replies had already flooded in.
Awakened Association Verified Comment: Is this real? One person took out thirty A-class monsters?
The video proves it. It was a one-sided slaughter.
If she’s S-class, I guess that’s possible, but why does she make it look so easy?
That guy, isn’t he the one who used to beat up goblins before he awakened?
Yeah, sounds right.
But why is that woman so uptight?
Check 2:34. Her face is pure bliss when he strokes her hair lol lol lol
What lol lol lol She’s not a puppy.
What’s this chemistry… Master and disciple?
I saw them at the bureau today. She was literally kneeling in front of him and calling him Master.
But the guy was said to be F-class… Is it real?
Yeah, yeah, I was going to the bureau today anyway so I went and saw it.
An F-class summoning an S-class disciple?
Hahaha What is this, is the guy’s ability a hypnosis app?
How would an S-class get hooked by an F-class skill?
I tried to recruit him for my guild but he rejected me flat. T_T Because of that guy
We tried too. No matter how good the conditions, he said no.
I guess they’re just going to make their own guild and call it a day.
Reading through the comments, the reactions really stood out.
Lots of speculation about me, curiosity about my relationship with Elysia, and outright interest in the two of us.
’She’s attracted quite a bit of attention.’
Nothing to worry about there.
After all, fame was the whole point.
I brushed it off as just gossip.
’Anything else?’
I scrolled my thumb to check the next post, and another hot news caught my eye.
[Alert] Cha Seo-rin Fails S-class Promotion Exam “I’ll Try Again Next Time”
’Cha Seo-rin?’
I clicked on the familiar name.
The article was surprisingly interesting.
After awakening to C-class through nothing but hard work, she had climbed all the way to A-class.
A legend among Awakened, an inspiration to everyone else.
She had applied for the S-class promotion but unfortunately failed.
’Is it really that Cha Seo-rin?’
I studied the face in the photo closely.
The image of her from my childhood memories overlapped strangely.
The comment section was just as lively.
Seo-rin unnie, you worked so hard T_T You’re definitely going to succeed next time!
Yes! Even reaching A-class from C-class is amazing!
True effort icon… We admire you
She’s really amazing. Even I’m A-class but I don’t think I could even try.
Me too, I’m C-class. I’ll get to A someday too, right?
Our guild leader always tells us to follow her example because of this girl lol lol lol
It was impossible from the start. B to A happens sometimes, but A to S? It never happened in the US.
Just never happened in the world?
Seo-rin will do it then.
’Ah, right. It’s definitely her.’
It was confirmed.
It was the same Cha Seo-rin I knew back then.
Even when we were kids, she was known as a hard worker with a beautiful face.
After ten years, she still hadn’t changed.
Her posts always got the most views and comments, so her popularity was still going strong.
***
A-class Awakened No.1, Cha Seo-rin.
She had spent the last ten years.
After awakening to C-class, she was the only one who rose to A-class through sheer effort alone.
She was like a beacon of hope for lower-rank Awakened.
An example no one could fault.
Plus, her idol-like looks and sharp personality.
The public loved those traits in her.
Kyaa! Seo-rin! Can you sign this for me?
Me too! Here’s the paper…
Neep. I’ll sign for each of you one by one. Line up slowly~
Her fame wasn’t limited to Awakened; it reached regular people too.
But she didn’t seem to value the fame.
It just felt like an inconvenience.
Still, the reason Seo-rin kept building her public image.
Because she had a reason to search for him.
Today’s signing event was tiring, Seo-rin.
Yeah~ Manager worked hard too.
The man called Manager handed her a bottle of water and sat beside her.
Seo-rin. Still looking for that guy? Any progress?
No. Well, it’s always the same, right?
The older brother I grew up with in the orphanage.
The person I trusted and followed since childhood.
After the Gates and monsters appeared ten years ago, he disappeared without a trace.
That was why Seo-rin didn’t hesitate to ride the wave of fame.
By becoming famous herself, she could spread the word nationwide that she was searching for him.
Then, wouldn’t there come a day when he found her again?
That was her hope.
Even ten years later, she was still holding signing events.
But she was growing tired.
’If there’s no news at this point, could it be that he was killed by a monster attack?’
This thought had been nagging at her lately.
Even when she lost her precious necklace,
I found it. Don’t lose it. Take good care of it, kiddo.
When the local delinquents harassed her for being an orphan,
Make sure you become an orphan first before you leave.
No matter where she saw that person, he always helped her.
Now he might be dead, and she couldn’t sleep at night.
’…I’m strong enough to protect him now.’
Was it too late?
If I had become A-class sooner, or if I had awakened as A-class from the start,
Maybe things would have been different.
While she was lost in thought,
Seo-rin’s gaze fixed on her phone screen.
[Urgent Alert] New S-class Awakened Single-Handedly Takes Down 30 A-class Monsters!
A new S-class.
It wasn’t particularly welcome news.
She had barely reached A-class after years of struggle.
Thinking of those lucky people who got S-class in one shot, she felt envious.
Especially since she had just failed the S-class exam herself.
The blonde woman in the photo looked annoying.
If I had awakened as S-class from the beginning, or even A-class,
Then maybe I could have found him.
Every time Seo-rin saw an S-class Awakened, this thought crossed her mind.
As if his disappearance was somehow her fault.
She knew that wasn’t true, but she couldn’t stop the bitter feeling from rising in her heart.
Because of that, she clung even harder to the S-class promotion.
’Hmph, just watch. I’ll definitely become S-class soon.’
Something no one had ever done.
But Seo-rin was determined to make it happen someday.
Let’s wrap up the meeting and start getting up.
Yes, ma’am.
Manager had told her to put her phone away and stand up, but Seo-rin froze.
A silhouette of a man standing quietly behind a blonde woman named Elysia.
The same person she had been searching for.
Kang Si-ho.