10. First Experience
10. First Experience
"Wait! Something's off!"
"What's off?"
She spat out her rant.
Her red hair whipped wildly in the scattering aftermath wind.
"Does it make any sense for a Noblesse to stick as a bodyguard and then get treated like this? They must've been hit with something shady!"
"...."
Too sensible to even argue.
"Brainwashing magic or... something like that... they could've been under it...."
A feeble look uncharacteristic of her.
The one who always bared her fangs confidently with a grin—though she'd seemed a bit gloomy lately—now bit her lip with a soft, wobbly expression.
"So just hold on a sec—"
"What the hell are you doing, Rihana!! Kill that bastard now!!!"
"Shut your trap, Tribal Chief!!"
"You insolent bitch!"
Village drama.
What else could describe this?
Sihwan offered silent condolences to the Tribal Chief who'd foolishly tangled with Bari and booked himself a bad end, but that didn't mean he planned to let her off.
"Whether that human got hit with brainwashing magic or was always like that, it's none of my business. What matters is they attacked me."
"You...! You're doing this now 'cause you think it's your chance, huh?"
She was quick on the uptake.
Beastkin gave off a somewhat dim image, but defying that stereotype, she grasped the situation fast.
Of course, she wouldn't figure out Bari was the one pulling strings.
"What're you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb. You're doing this because of me. Using my tribe as an excuse to keep me pinned down."
"Ever heard of narcissistic personality disorder?"
"You shitty bastard. Can't get your way so you exploit someone else's situation?"
Staring at Sihwan, who showed zero signs of backing down, she was convinced.
He'd use this as leverage to tie her down.
And Eleonore, slaving away under Sihwan, sensed it too.
Unlike Rihana, she even chalked up the Tribal Chief's state to Sihwan or Bari's schemes.
She knew Bari's abilities to some extent.
A ridiculous talent who mastered magic in 10 minutes—brainwashing a Tribal Chief would be child's play.
'Creepy humans.'
Sacrificing others without a second thought for their goals.
The epitome of humanity.
"Rihana, you're the one who didn't manage them properly. I told you to report daily, but you didn't. What the hell have you been doing until this mess blew up?"
"You're seriously saying that now...!"
"I asked earlier if this was because of you, right? Yeah. If it wasn't for you, why the fuck would I build a dormitory and keep those guys alive? This is all employee welfare from the chairman, and you don't appreciate it."
"Shut up!!"
"Anyway, the moment they pointed a weapon at me, it was over. No need for them, and now that it's out in the open, keeping 'em around is just a loss."
"N-No!"
Bari aimed her weapon again.
Rihana flailed her arms desperately to block it somehow, but no angle worked.
A mere human-sized Beastkin jumping around with arms spread couldn't possibly stop eight electromagnetic cannons slamming down from the sky.
Freshly reminded by the warning shot, her face drained white.
As expected, she couldn't cut ties with her tribe.
No matter how much of a burden they were to survival, she couldn't abandon them.
In the end....
"I-I! I'll do it well...."
She fully surrendered.
"Oh?"
"I'll... do it right... so... don't touch the tribe."
"Rihana! What the hell are you saying!! Forgetting the pride of the great Ho-in Tribe and falling to mere slavery!!"
"With a Tribal Chief like that raging behind you, how the fuck am I supposed to trust you now? You think you can control him?"
"...."
She pondered.
The sentence was a question, but the intent was to ditch the Tribal Chief.
His noisy voice kept pounding her ears nonstop.
He screeched near-hysterically that he'd die before living as a human's slave.
Even the sprawled Ho-in Tribe members were sick of it.
Crunch.
No matter how she sliced it, she couldn't carry the Tribal Chief.
Even if she were in Sihwan's shoes, she'd cut out the ringleader.
Plus....
'Come to think of it, there are some fishy parts....'
Her desperate self-justification circuits kicked in, tipping her further.
'No matter how many people and how few earners... we were still way too broke.'
She recalled the old days.
After slaving away all day, handing over hard-earned cash to the Tribal Chief only got you scraps so shitty you wondered if it was food.
A few days ago, he shoved brick-hard bread and flavorless soup—basically water—and slyly asked if she couldn't speed up Academy repairs.
Not just her; most of the young earners got that treatment.
The sprawled Ho-in Tribe couldn't rise despite minor injuries because of malnutrition.
Yet the senile Tribal Chief was spry as hell.
'And he never attacked directly.'
All mouth, no action, just yapping from the sidelines.
Maybe that so-called Tribal Chief had been skimming the young folks' blood-sweat money to eat well alone.
Then stirred up the whole tribe and slums when slavery loomed.
"Rihana!! Hurry—"
Puhwak!
The rampaging Tribal Chief.
But his bloodshot neck was gruesomely torn.
Thud.
His head dropped with a twisted expression.
The headless body collapsed with a flop.
"!!"
The fallen tribe members gaped in shock.
The culprit: Rihana.
She limply extended her arm, dripping bright red blood.
"...Now we're good?"
"Oh. So you're the Ho-in Tribe's Tribal Chief now?"
"That's...."
"Doesn't matter. You handle it. Or just lump 'em all together and manage 'em yourself."
"...Got it."
"And a warning: if this shit happens again, I'll really purge everyone useless. So handle it right."
As Sihwan glanced up, Bari, who'd been hovering and spectating, disengaged Type 1 Combat Readiness and descended.
And right around then,
"What's all this commotion?"
A familiar voice rang out.
+++
"The rep for this batch being human, and the deputy rep Beastkin, has the guilds seriously concerned."
When Sihwan stormed the Slums, Yeonseo was meeting guild leaders in her office.
They shelled out massive sponsorships each batch to cherry-pick top talents—usually class reps, trainee reps, deputies, etc.—and though they didn't openly grimace, their displeasure was clear.
Prime examples: Genesis Guild Leader, Highness the Vice Guild Master, Red Flame's PR Director.
Red Flame was a top guild blazing on the frontlines, while Genesis and Highness built temples (exorcising) around the 25th floor outskirts for top-tier action.
No way they'd let humans or Beastkin catch their eye.
"As I said before, it's purely based on the Academy's standards. Plus, the trainee rep beat every other A-Class in spars to claim first. Didn't I mention that?"
"Yes. We heard. And believed it. But seeing it today? Zero impact. Pure human vibes. And that cocky mouth on top? Seems the rep spot bloated his ego beyond his station. A real pro wouldn't get arrogant so easy."
"Hmm."
Yeonseo pressed her temples like her head throbbed.
Sure, Ryu Si-hwan snagged trainee rep on real skill—well, Bari's—but even she wouldn't buy it without seeing Bari's power firsthand.
She'd explained endlessly, yet they weren't convinced.
Even Ha So-young, who should back her, just sat tight-lipped and dazed. Total nightmare.
"And if that human really earned rep on merit, doesn't that mean this batch has nothing but humans they can't beat? That's the real issue."
"Sigh... I get your feelings, but how about broadening your view? With me here, no way we miss real talent."
"Of course, Chief Instructor-nim's excellence is well-known. That's why we visit every time. But...."
No need to finish; the rest was obvious.
They must be super disappointed.
"How about this? That human you mentioned married the Yu Family's granddaughter. No big ceremony, but the union's official fact. You doubting their eyes too?"
"That's exactly the point."
"?"
"The Yu Family miss married to a human is an Academy instructor. Wonder if her influence pulled strings for this."
"Ha. Doubting the Academy's fairness now? I've explained how many times?"
"That's why—"
Kwarung!!
Right then.
A sudden roar and quake that dumped books from shelves.
"What...? An Angel?"
The guild reps shot up, and Yeonseo wrapped herself in Nobling just in case.
Then peered out the window.
A massive mushroom cloud blooming far off, earth scorching.
Her high-floor office gave a glimpse: familiar silhouettes galore.
'......You again???'
Quite the distance to the city's Slums, but her sharp eyes pierced through.
Definitely Ryu Si-hwan.
Shattered walls.
Burning ground.
Earthquake-toppled buildings.
All hers or her rentals, smashed to hell without mercy.
Rage boiled inside.
But....
'Yeah. Actually perfect. Too lazy to convince those guys anyway.'
The timing was exquisitely perfect.