Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Outing (1)
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V Platoon Residential Complex.
Among the many single-family homes, the largest and most luxurious one.
Unlike its exterior, the inside was filled with cute little dolls.
She took a sip of her tea.
It was a rich black tea with a deep aroma.
"Aaah!!! What the hell! What is it? So you're saying he's just an orphan? And then what, ...no family?"
Yoon Seo-hyun clutched a doll to her chest and yelled into the receiver.
-Yes... Miss. Kang Tae-hyun, nationality Republic of Korea. Age 18. He had a younger sister who was killed by monsters when he was young. After that, he lived in an orphanage until he entered a hunter elite education institution at age 10. That's all.
"Damn it! How does a kid like that get so strong? Does that make any sense?"
-...If there's anything notable, he was a failing student at the hunter basic education institution. The reason... low mana growth rate.
"Mana?"
Seo-hyun switched the receiver to her other ear, suddenly intrigued.
"Keep talking."
-Yes... His mana growth rate was 0% at the basic education institution. But due to his excellent scores in other areas and his strong desire, he was admitted to the same hunter officer academy as you, Miss. This kid... magic is a total bust, right?
"..."
The massive fireball he'd shown Seol-in.
That was magic power refined to the level of mana super-condensation.
No failing student could achieve that overnight.
"...Got it. Back to work."
-Yes, Miss. If you need anything else...
Click.
Seo-hyun hung up abruptly.
Then she crossed her legs and sank into thought.
'...A failing student achieving mana super-condensation in just one year... Interesting.'
"...Find out anything?"
Nero set down her teacup and asked.
Seo-hyun grinned brightly and approached her.
"Yeah. I'm intrigued now."
Seo-hyun sat beside Nero and leaned against her arm.
Nero stroked her hair familiarly.
The bustling commercial district within the school grounds.
Finding something that isn't here would be harder.
There were movie theaters, PC bangs, billiard halls, cafes, and even a maid cafe.
Of course, the main customers were instructors and school staff.
Cadets were rare, and even when they showed up, just a few here and there.
Yet the district was always crowded.
500 students.
About 1,000 professors, even more than that.
And 10,000 soldiers from the 25th Hunter Division stationed here.
The 1st Hunter Officer Academy wasn't just a school—it was a strategic fortress.
A massive 30-meter wall surrounded the school, backed by a giant barrier extending to the skies, more than enough to hold off monsters.
'Whoa... lots of people.'
Even elementary kids on field trips were everywhere.
This commercial district was one of the few places open to civilians, a popular tourist spot.
Every time kids passed by, they saluted me with mischievous grins.
I smiled and saluted back.
...Anyway.
I wasn't here to party.
I came for paper and supplies.
First, the stationery store.
Ding-a-ling-.
"Oh, the vice class president himself. What brings you here?"
He spotted the golden eagle insignia on my name tag.
Class presidents, vice presidents, and elites with command authority wore insignia denoting their squad.
Lee Jae-yeol and I had the 'golden eagle' for commanders.
Mitsuda's tank and melee elites had the 'golden bear'.
Yoon Ah-young's mage, archer, and sniper elites had the 'golden lion'.
Lucy's support and reserve elites had the 'golden tiger'.
The elderly shopkeeper came out personally to greet me.
"Need some paper. Big sheets. Just one."
"Paper, huh? Anything else?"
"Just paper."
The owner fetched the largest paper from the store and handed it over.
I asked for one sheet, but he brought two.
"Want me to put it in your inventory?"
"Nah, I can manage..."
"No, no. Let me."
This excessive kindness... felt a bit awkward.
"How much?"
"Money? For paper? Come on."
"Still..."
"Enough. Vice president, buy some ginseng with that. Gotta keep defending Earth strong."
"Ah... yes... Thank you..."
Ginseng? That's over 1,000P per root, pricey stuff.
Not something even I could eat daily.
"Thanks, boss. Sell lots!"
"You bet~ Come again! Always grateful!"
I left the friendly owner behind and headed back into the district.
Passing a clothing store, I grabbed a mask.
A plain white one.
The simple opposite of my 'black mask'.
As I wove through the crowd, people whispered.
All positive, of course.
In the whole world, 18-year-old hunter vice class presidents were rare.
Tourist high schoolers sometimes begged for photos.
I grinned awkwardly, made a V-sign for the camera.
"Kyaa! Thanks!"
"So cool. Killed any monsters? Like, slashing with a sword...!"
"Haha... Still a first-year..."
"Oh no. First-year."
"Younger than us? SNS? Follow back?"
"Ah... Cadets can't do SNS..."
"Show mana! Mana!!"
"...Mana's banned in the district..."
I endured it for a while before escaping.
Now I got why cadets wore sunglasses and hats here.
Felt like a celebrity.
In my past life, no reason to come here...
'Ugh... Buy what I need and bail...'
More tiring than skipping a 3-hour training.
What I needed: Skunky's Scent.
Re-yeol tipped me about a monster trophy shop in a discreet alley.
I reached the district's edge past the clothing stores.
As I headed into the alley, a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey, over there..."
"Irina Delebayne, right? The only daughter of the Sonic Group!"
"Ah... uh... that's..."
"Whoa, your looks are real? Total celeb, heiress and hunter?"
"Can we take pics? Hey, snap 'em."
Irina was surrounded by guys.
Way more clingy than with me.
Overwhelming beauty and chaebol status made a difference.
I tried ignoring, but her pitiful voice tugged at me.
'Ugh... hassle.'
I strode over and snatched the guy's phone.
Deleted every photo of Irina.
"What the?!"
"What else? Apostle of justice."
His gallery was full of female cadets.
Wiped 'em all.
Who knows what creeps like this do.
"Hah... fuck. Picking a fight? Cadets think civilians are pushovers."
"You started it."
"What? Fuckin' unbelievable. Cadets can't touch civilians anyway. Bite your tongue."
The guy whose phone I took clenched his fist threateningly.
Too pathetic to bother.
Planned to take a few hits and send him off.
But his friends held him back.
"Dude... he's a command cadet..."
"Shit... for real."
They knew what the insignia meant.
"Damn... watch your back in society."
The guy and his crew vanished into the crowd.
Getting hassle was routine now; didn't faze me.
I turned to leave flustered Irina and head to the alley.
She bolted after me.
"...Hey. Wouldn't a normal person ask if I'm okay?"
"Not normal."
"True, not normal personality. Rude. All show. Arrogant."
"Self-intro?"
Irina stopped, exasperated, then followed silently.
We reached the trophy shop.
Wanted to shop alone quietly.
I turned sharply; she flinched, trembling.
"Why follow?"
"...My business."
"My business is solo?"
"Denied."
"Says who?"
"Me."
Ah, man.
Impossible woman.
Are all rich girls like this?
I ignored her like air and hurried inside.
Ding-a-ling-.
"..."
A white-haired grandma manned the counter.
She didn't react, just read her paper as we entered.
Love places like this.
I scanned the shelves.
Shabby exterior, but trophies were top-tier.
All rare items.
Word-of-mouth spot among second-years.
Quality guaranteed.
"Eek! What's this."
Irina poked at a goblin box, darting around like a kid in a museum.
I ignored her, hunting 'Skunky's Scent'.
'Where... Skunky... Skunky... here.'
Purple liquid in a glass vial.
Shook it lightly.
Mana-sealed, no smell leaked.
'Skunky's Scent' reeked enough to make humans puke instantly.
"...What're you doing?"
"Whoa! Don't sneak up."
Irina leaned in suddenly; nearly dropped the vial.
If it broke, the shop—no, the alley—would be hell.
"Hah. Hilarious. Whatever else, my looks are killer. Easterners blind to my beauty?"
"Prefer ignorance. Do your thing."
"...Me? ...No thing."
"What? Friday, no study with classmates?"
She wilted at "study," eyes shifting.
...Come to think, never seen her with friends.
Always alone.
No way...
"No friends?"
"What? I do!"
"Who? Names."
"...Uh... um..."
Obvious: friendless, wandering solo.
Pitiful.
"F-Fine. No friends... Noble me wouldn't befriend commoners anyway??"
"Sure."
Pitiful, but not my problem.
Checked out five 'Skunky's Scent' vials.
1,000P total.
Knew it'd be pricey, but ouch.
Stowed in inventory, left the shop.
Prep complete.
Just handle tomorrow's 'Pigman Assault Incident' perfectly.
With my skills and items, doable.
Not excited, but anticipating.
'Good. Home, craft, plan, sleep.'
Big paper for the plan.
Map the incident site's terrain, strategize.
Jae-yeol would be perfect, but explaining means revealing foreknowledge.
'Can't do that.'
Want out of the crowds ASAP.
Hate noisy chaos.
Heading out, Irina grabbed my collar again.
"Ugh... why."
"...Wait. What's the rush??... One favor."
"One? One? Has it ever been one?"
"Really. Really. Last one."
Her pleading softened me again.
Fine.
I had her card anyway.
This evens it.
"What."
"...Need to buy something... Scared of crowds like before..."
"...Sigh. Fine."
Curious what.
Led to a mana stone shop.
She bought low-grade mana stones and a few grams of magic powder.
Nothing big, yet she roamed hours.
Guys probably swarmed every step.
"Haa... finally."
"All that for this."
"...Precious. Kids asked for dungeon training."
"..."
Irina Delebayne running errands.
Desperate for friends.
Didn't pry, walked silently.
Her place: V Platoon housing.
We split at the fork.
I bid farewell, headed home.
"Hey."
She called from her house steps.
I half-turned.
Her cheeks flushed.
Fidgeting, something to say.
Finally:
"We... friends... right?"
"Nope."
Blunt.
Her face changed instantly.
"...Fine? Then scram."
She stomped inside.
Emotional rollercoaster.
I smirked, went home.
Line 1 Subway.
The incident starts at Anyang Station.
A portal opens; panic, people flee.
Pigmen left at the station cleared easily by other hunters.
Problem: inside the subway.
A few snuck in amid chaos, massacred passengers.
They hit the engine room first, couldn't stop the train.
My role: stop the train safely, exterminate Pigmen.
I sketched the subway layout on paper.
Detailed for perfect planning.
Night deepened.
Academy Warp Zone.
Here, civilian money flows, so I pulled Irina's card boldly.
'Honestly, this much is fine.'
Sonic Corp exclusive warp. Premium tier.
10-minute warp: about 20 million won.
Normally impossible, but when else?
"Customer, installments?"
The attendant asked kindly; I answered without hesitation.
"Full pay. Oh, add mana massage service."
"Premium mana massage: 5 million won. Full pay too?"
"Yes."
Thanks, Irina Delebayne.
Incident at 10:13 AM.
Plenty of time.
(To be continued...)