The Hwanryeong Tournament (1)
Recently, after Hwanryeong and Jeokwol cleared two consecutively occurring gates in what felt like a blatant show of rivalry, the eyes of the public swung back toward the two guilds. The Awakened community, which never lacked fuel for heated discussion, was once again flooded with talk of Hwanryeong and Jeokwol.
—But why didn’t anything happen? I really wanted to see Han Chaeyeon and Yusoha throw down lol. Last time Han Chaeyeon acted all cocky without even summoning her Guardian Star and got her ass beat.
—They say Yusoha backed off this time? No clue why though.
—Yusoha bagged a B-rank three days ago, so maybe she figured it was fine to hand over a C-rank.
—But does that greedy Yusoha actually doing that make any sense?
—How the hell would we know, dumbass? She might’ve just been tired and given it up.
The biggest topic of conversation was, of course, why Yusoha had yielded the gate to Jeokwol. As anyone familiar with her knew, Yusoha possessed an enormous appetite for gates. The reason she had reached A-rank even without a Guardian Star wasn’t simply because she was strong. The greatest factor was that she had cleared countless gates across the nation that lay outside any guild’s influence.
An overwhelming track record. She had moved so relentlessly that no one could have kept up with her even if ordered to, and the government ultimately had no choice but to issue her an A-rank Awakened license. She, who loved showing off, had gone around publicly boasting about exactly how many gates she had cleared.
—What thing?
—The fuck is “that thing,” you noob?
—The Hwanryeong Tournament, obviously? They hold it around this time every year.
—How many people do you think would understand if you just call it “that thing,” you idiot?
—Separate from that, I’m fucking hyped lol. If the sister fight happens again this time, it’ll be gold.
—Last year when Yusoha got wrecked by Yu Danha, her expression was fucking hilarious.
Words like these began circulating across every community. The Hwanryeong Tournament. It was certainly something worthy of everyone’s attention. Hwanryeong was one of the world’s leading guilds, competing for the top spot. When such a guild showcased its Awakened every single year, the public had no choice but to cheer.
Who would show an outstanding performance this time? Carrying that anticipation, people hammered away at their keyboards. Among the trending names were members of the Yu family, the Awakened belonging to Teams 1 and 2, and even Shin Seongmin—the S-rank Awakened currently regarded as the strongest active member of Hwanryeong.
—I wanna see him swat those small fries like flies.
—Shin Seongmin’s already busy as hell. Why would he bother with the Hwanryeong Tournament lol? It’s just kids playing around.
—My heart’s pounding at the thought of seeing Lady Rumeorn’s eyes again after so long, fuck.
—She’ll appear in human form, right? Please tell me she will!!!
—No chance, you gay lolololol
—No matter what!!
—Absolutely!!!
—Lady Rumeorn always comes out in tiger form, you gay lolololololol
—Ah, you crazy bestiality freaks.
Recently, Eclipse had been focusing on browsing various internet communities. It wasn’t a particularly enriching hobby, but after training Yusoha he had nothing better to do. He would read the stories he found there and ask Yusoha about anything that piqued his curiosity. The reason he asked her specifically was simple: Yusoha usually finished training late at night, by which time her tutor Jeong Seyeon had already left for the day. In the end, the only person available to satisfy his questions was Yusoha.
“Soha.”
“Sigh… What now? What did you see today?”
Yusoha looked at Eclipse with a weary expression, as if she already knew what was coming.
“It’s about the Hwanryeong Tournament… There’s talk about someone named Rumeorn.”
“Yeah. My grandfather’s Guardian Star. And you should call her Lady Rumeorn.”
Rumeorn was the Guardian Star Yusoha respected most. In battle she took the form of a massive iron tiger, but normally she appeared in a form resembling a tiger demi-human. Pure white hair and the sharp eyes of a feline. Her beauty was merely secondary.
“Anyway… today the talk was about an Awakened named Shin Seongmin and Lady Rumeorn.”
“Ah. Come to think of it, it is about that time again.”
Yusoha frowned. She knew the internet communities well, which meant she also knew exactly how filthy the language there could get. No doubt there had been crude evaluations of her and the other Awakened. After thinking for a moment, she spoke to Eclipse.
“Shin Seongmin is exactly what the title says—an S-rank Awakened. One of the few truly powerful people in Korea.”
“I see. How strong is he?”
“Strong enough to destroy an A-rank gate single-handedly… that should give you an idea.”
“Is the difference between A-rank and S-rank that big?”
“Insanely big. They’re not even comparable. My grandfather is an S-rank Awakened, after all.”
The hero who had saved Korea from crisis—that was Yu Hyeok. Eclipse recalled what the tutor Jeong Seyeon had said. After watching her speak of his achievements with deep respect, Eclipse understood that the man was an irreplaceable figure in this country. If Shin Seongmin was said to stand on equal footing with him, he must be a true powerhouse. Especially if Yusoha, who never bowed her head to anyone, acknowledged him so readily.
“Then how do I compare to him?”
The question suddenly occurred to him. Having lost most of the power he once possessed upon being summoned to this world, Eclipse had no clear sense of his current strength.
“Hmm… I’m not sure either. We’d probably have to see you fight to know.”
“I see. Understood.”
Yusoha had witnessed Shin Seongmin’s strength before. The scene of him appearing alone to stop a gate from eroding and assimilating the surrounding land still sent shivers down her spine whenever she recalled it. Yet for some reason she couldn’t imagine Eclipse losing to him.
Why is that?
While Yusoha was lost in thought, Eclipse asked her another question.
“Then will this Shin Seongmin participate in the upcoming Hwanryeong Tournament?”
“I heard he’s coming this time.”
“…I see. Understood.”
“Why? Do you want to fight him?”
“Facing a strong opponent makes the heart race on its own. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hehe. I see. Still… I think you’ll win.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I feel like you’ll win. Let’s just call it a gut feeling.”
“That’s quite the generous trust. I seem to remember you calling me insignificant the first time we met.”
At the faintly proud tone in her voice, Eclipse spoke with a hint of teasing.
“I already apologized for that.”
“Even I have my pride. Being called incompetent stings no matter who says it. I’d appreciate it if you were more careful from now on, Soha.”
“Ah, fine. I got it. And right now I fully acknowledge your ability.”
“For now, I understand.”
After exchanging light conversation with Eclipse, Yusoha realized she was smiling without meaning to. She began thinking about the Hwanryeong Tournament that was now only days away. Just how far could she go this time?
As a side note, the winner of the previous Hwanryeong Tournament—when Shin Seongmin had not participated—had been Yu Danha.
Things will probably be very different this time. Sister, it’s going to be quite different from last time.
Murmuring to herself, Yusoha rose from where she had been resting.
“Are you going to train more?”
“Yes. The Hwanryeong Tournament is broadcast nationwide. I can’t afford to show poor skills on a stage like that.”
“Very well. Then I’ll watch over you a little longer.”
“Good.”
“The Hwanryeong Tournament, huh. It’s been a while. Don’t you think, Adein?”
Hwanryeong’s S-rank Awakened, Shin Seongmin, spoke while glancing at the woman sprawled across the sofa, her red hair fanned out dramatically. The spirit of flame, Adein, stroked her pointed ears and answered in a sulky voice.
“It’s such a hassle… Why do I have to fight those rookies?”
“The former chairman, Yu Hyeok, personally asked me this time.”
“Ugh. Then I’ll have to see that crazy bitch Rumeorn again.”
“Calling Lady Rumeorn a crazy bitch is a bit much…”
“Are you going to keep siding with her?”
“It’s not siding with her. It’s respect.”
“Then you won’t respect me? I’m your Guardian Star!”
“What are you talking about? How many times do I have to tell you that you’re the only one precious to me?”
Shin Seongmin stroked the hair of the woman lying on the sofa as he spoke.
“Ah, seriously! Stop saying such embarrassing things! And quit petting my head! It’s annoying to fix my hair afterward!”
Adein, who was extremely human-like for a spirit, flushed bright red and shot up from the sofa.
“You’re happy about it on the inside, though.”
“I am not!”
“For someone saying that, your tail is wagging like crazy. Maybe you should fix your tail first, Adein?”
“Y-you—!”
Flames began roaring to life around Adein.
“Whoops.”
Yet not a single piece of furniture received so much as a scorch mark. Adein had a long history of burning Shin Seongmin’s furniture. When she had first been summoned, she couldn’t control her power properly, but as he grew stronger she had regained some of her original ability. As a result, she could now legally hurl her flames at him without turning his belongings to ash.
“Ack! Adein! This feels a little excessive…!”
“Shut up!”
Adein flailing about in embarrassment, and Shin Seongmin happily teasing her even while being pelted by flames. Who would have guessed? The S-rank Awakened who always appeared stoic and taciturn in public was actually this much of a fool when it came to his Guardian Star.