Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Rio de Janeiro (6)
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I stared at Road 31.
And soon enough, their figures began to come into view bit by bit.
It was flames.
“...”
Flame Soldiers.
And the members of Yoon Seo-hyun's advance team.
The path she had subjugated on her way back was engulfed in fire.
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
'Damn... so it ended up like this after all.'
Yoon Seo-hyun's advance team arrived first.
The mobility gap between a small elite advance unit and the main force was stark.
On top of that, with most of the fighting handled by Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldiers, they hadn't burned through much stamina.
“Hey? Oppa~!!”
Yoon Seo-hyun spotted me and waved enthusiastically, looking delighted.
Yoon Seo-hyun came running over to me.
“Wow. As expected of the scouts. You got here already?”
She grinned from ear to ear as she spoke.
After I'd chewed her out last time about using formal speech, she'd been sticking to it religiously with me ever since.
“...Yeah. We took the underground roadway.”
“Wow. The underground roadway? I heard that place is insanely dangerous.”
“Wasn't that bad. We cleared it all out.”
“As expected of oppa. You're incredible.”
Yoon Seo-hyun was buzzing with excitement as she struck up a conversation with me.
If this could buy even a little time, it'd be great, but someone as sharp as her wasn't going to fall for it.
But my prediction missed the mark spectacularly.
She tossed aside her combat vest and settled in for a full-on chat session.
“Wow-. So cute. Why are there so many girls around the captain? Hi! I'm Sergeant Hammered.”
“So adorable. How old are you~?”
The chubby uncles swarmed around Yoon Seo-hyun.
She put on a straight face and declared,
“Uncles, beat it.”
“...Uh, huh? Uh... okay...”
To a 16-year-old Yoon Seo-hyun, even spry 27-year-olds counted as uncles.
If I told her I was actually 40, she'd probably pass out.
“Ah, so anyway. That Great Fireball from last time? It was insane. Like, really, really cool. Even the unnies couldn't pull off something that big. How'd you do it?”
“Uh... just kinda winged it.”
I'm exhausted.
I sat down on a severed log and caught my breath.
My body wasn't worn out—my mind was.
Even as I sat there sipping water, Seo-hyun kept yammering away.
I didn't bother responding.
“Hey. After training's over, wanna study together? Or join a club. Or grab a meal—my treat, specially. I don't usually buy guys food...”
“Ah. But oppa, how do you even train your body? Magic on point too. Built solid. Tall. Face... face... pass.”
“Oppa, you're totally hiding your power, right? Like those manhwa protagonists who play weak. That'd be daebak.”
“Ah... seriously. Such a waste in Class C... Can't you really just come to our class?”
“Hey.”
“Eek...! Ahaha...!! Just kidding. Kidding.”
I shot her a sharp glare, and Yoon Seo-hyun tucked tail in an instant.
“Captain. We should get moving soon.”
One of the V Class cadets approached and addressed Yoon Seo-hyun.
She turned serious again.
“Wait a sec? Can't you see I'm in the middle of talking?”
“...Still. Don't we need to head out early to beat Class C?”
“Sigh. You guys. If you've made it this far nice and easy thanks to me, can't you listen for once?”
“...Got it. Let us know when you're done.”
Yoon Seo-hyun shooed him off, then turned back to me with a beaming smile.
Even after taking that kind of lip, the V Class cadet headed back to his spot without a hint of resentment.
Leaders—or anyone in command—guide their groups in their own way.
As long as the members buy into it, that's all that matters.
Yoon Seo-hyun ruled through fear and overwhelming strength.
Ultimately, it was submission born from their own low self-esteem—the belief that they were worthless without her.
'...Doesn't sit right with me.'
One-man dictatorships always crumble eventually.
That's what I believe, at least.
Yoon Seo-hyun's one-sided chatter dragged on for a bit longer.
Then, another group appeared in the distance.
“They're finally here.”
“Huh?”
It was Mitsuda's Eastern Army.
They'd already linked up with Hong Ga-yeon, so Western and Eastern were advancing together.
“...Hmm.”
Yoon Seo-hyun shot me a meaningful look before finally peeling away.
Nine hours into the training.
Attack teams from each class were arriving one after another.
At this point, the training was as good as over.
[Testing, testing. HQ, this is Mitsuda Yoshiro. Do you read?]
[HQ here.]
[Testing. Eastern and Western merged—linked up with scouts now. Position: 4-35-483.]
[Roger. Stand by.]
Mitsuda set down the radio and let out a sigh of relief.
He yawned, looking sleepy.
“Ah, damn it. No more being captain next time. I'm a 'charge in and bulldoze' kinda guy.”
“You said you wanted to try it after watching Jae-yeol.”
“Didn't know it'd be this rough. Whew. Put Yoon Ah-young on it next time. I can't hack it.”
The training was wrapping up.
Every force had reached their objective points.
Thanks to higher-than-expected casualties, the instructors were moving to end it ahead of schedule.
Earlier than planned, sure—but we hadn't gotten a single break from 4 a.m. until now.
Most of the cadets were panting, dead on their feet.
...But one unresolved issue lingered.
“Ahaha. Unnie. You're a little late, huh?”
“...”
Seo-hyun approached Ah-young.
Ah-young said nothing.
Mitsuda's Eastern Army hadn't emerged unscathed.
Eastern casualties totaled twelve.
Four cadets, eight NCO cadets, plus a bunch of injured.
Lucy was patching them up, but most had lost all combat capability.
By contrast, since Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldiers had handled nearly all the fighting, V Class's advance team had zero casualties.
Seo-hyun stepped forward, arms crossed.
“What now? The outcome to the Jesus statue is obvious. No point wasting more stamina, right?”
“...”
Yoon Ah-young couldn't sacrifice her squad just to honor the bet.
Admit defeat?
Accept the results?
Of course Ah-young had no choice but to concede.
'...I'm tired.'
Ah-young clutched the necklace symbolizing the Yoon Family.
What was the honor of the prestigious house she'd sworn to uphold?
She didn't want to disappoint her eldest sister.
But if staying in the family tarnished that honor, she couldn't accept it—not even to herself.
It was the outcome she'd steeled herself for.
No regrets.
Maybe it was what she'd wanted all along.
Pak!
Ah-young yanked the necklace from her neck.
The Yoon Family insignia.
She held it out to Seo-hyun.
“I'll keep my promise. And from here on, let's stay out of each other's paths.”
“...Huh? No, like I said before, you don't have to—”
“No. I'm tired.”
Seo-hyun didn't take the necklace. She stayed silent for a long moment.
Ah-young smiled.
It felt like shedding a massive weight.
“...You were the only little sister who never listened to me, but I think I made it this far thanks to you... Thanks, Seo-hyun.”
“...”
Because Seo-hyun existed, Ah-young had pushed herself not to fall behind—never giving up.
And it was true: she'd grown stronger because of it.
Seo-hyun extended her hand.
Her face was expressionless.
Then suddenly, she bypassed the hand and grabbed Ah-young by the collar.
“Urk...!”
Ah-young's eyes went wide.
Yoon Seo-hyun screamed in a voice thick with agitation.
“Cut the bullshit!!! You think I went that far because I wanted this?!?! ...The Yoon Ah-young I knew... wasn't some coward like this... The sister I knew... wasn't some psycho bitch like this!!!”
Seo-hyun was streaming thick tears.
“You... fuck...!!!”
She whipped around and bellowed at her advance team.
“Hey!!! Advance team!! You've got 10 seconds. Full gear—stand ready. We're climbing to the summit.”
“...Pardon...? Captain, the vibe is training's about to wrap—”
“Anyone lagging gets booted from V Class. 10... 9...!”
Under Yoon Seo-hyun's iron command, the V Class advance team scrambled into motion.
Seo-hyun shot Ah-young a final glare.
“Fucking psycho. Worst person I've ever met.”
She shrugged back into her combat vest.
[Hey. Mitsuda, you there?]
[Yeah... barely hanging on...]
[Roger. Training terminated as of now. Repeat: Training terminated. All personnel to portal standby. Over.]
[...Woohoo!!!!!!! It's over. Phew... my feet.]
[...Please don't say shit like that over open comms...]
Once training officially ended, the cadets gathered back in the auditorium.
Strangely, the exhaustion that had plagued everyone's bodies melted away completely.
The cadets clustered in little groups here and there, buzzing about the training.
“Hey!! You fucking asshole!! How dare you kill me!!! It's all your fault, you prick!!”
...One of the scouts I'd gotten early-eliminated came charging at me.
Hammered and his crew yanked him back.
“Hey! Hey!...!! You nuts? Cool it.”
“Sorry... Captain. He's got a temper like this normally.”
The bewildered scout, nabbed by his teammate out of nowhere, stammered,
“Wha...? Vice Captain Hammered—what's going on?”
The sight cracked me up.
I approached Hammered and bowed deeply.
“You did great work, Sergeant Hammered. Your combat prowess far exceeded my expectations. You're going to make one hell of a hunter.”
Training was over.
I was no longer his superior.
This was senior facing junior.
Hammered responded in a daze.
“Uh... uh... thank you, sir. You too.”
“If there's a chance, I'd love to train together again. Thanks for sticking with me so well. And thanks to every member of the squad.”
I bowed to them once more.
Emotion welled up in them—some had red-rimmed eyes.
Hammered bellowed in a quavering voice,
“Unit...! Salute Cadet Kang Tae-hyun!”
“Present!”
“Present!”
I returned the salute.
“Present! Good work.”
And with that, our farewell was done.
“Good job, Vice President.”
“You too.”
On the way back to C Class, Yoon Ah-young sat slumped atop her gear.
She looked utterly drained.
There were no words I could offer.
This was family business.
Not something for an outsider to butt into.
Still, I could lend a hand.
I said offhandedly,
“Yoon Seo-hyun. She waited on purpose.”
“...”
“Could've pushed ahead easy, but she hung back. Looked like she was talking to me, but she kept eyeing the road...”
“I know... I know... It was the result I braced for... Leaving the family... It was inevitable... I'm the failure, after all.”
Her hands trembled.
“A-anyway... I was supposed to leave the family during break anyway... Lived so long as the Yoon Family reject... The bet didn't even matter... It was decided from the start...”
I didn't wipe her tears. Didn't comfort her.
She had to get through this on her own.
No leaning on others.
And above all, I wasn't Yoon Family.
I had no desire to meddle in their affairs.
“If you need anything, just say the word. Anytime.”
“...Yeah...”
I walked past her.
Honestly, I don't think of myself as a particularly kind person.
I regressed to get stronger.
To grow even stronger and live for the world's peace and stability.
Frankly, I have zero intention of wasting time meddling in everyone else's feelings at every turn.
Yoon Ah-young—for the mid-grade Mana Manual.
Mitsuda—to have a sturdy tank in his class.
Lee Jae-yeol—to lead his class more wisely.
And Irina—seemed useful, so I'm keeping ties.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
That's why I can be your comrade, but never your 'friend'.
“Ah. Everyone—can you hear me?”
The overall commander took the podium.
A smile spread across his face.
He must've been thrilled with the training outcomes.
“You all did outstanding. Our expedition accomplished its mission, and the results were excellent. It was an honor to command you.”
“...”
“Training ends here. Tomorrow, the academy's granting a special holiday. Good work, everyone. You're dismissed.”
The commander's closing remarks marked the end of training.
Next up: 'CDT' next week.
A holiday tomorrow? Music to my ears.
Planning to hole up in the Mana Manual all day.
And I've got a dungeon experience booked for the weekend.
Best to hit the dungeons regularly before the body stiffens up.
As the dismissal announcement hit, the crowd poured out of the auditorium.
In the midst of it, Irina hovered awkwardly amid the V Class crowd, at a loss.
'What the hell's she doing...'
I strode over and grabbed her wrist.
“...Y-you... what're you doing?!”
Irina Delebayne startled and stared at me.
“Hey! Yoon Seo-hyun!”
I called out to Yoon Seo-hyun at the heart of the V Class group.
She looked at me blankly, face impassive.
“I'm taking Irina to C Class. No complaints, right?”
Yoon Seo-hyun dipped her head slightly.
“...Do whatever.”
“Was gonna anyway.”
I dragged her along to Lee Jae-yeol.
“H-hey... let go. I'll walk... I'll walk myself, you commoner!!!”
Slap!
Irina shook off my hand and stalked after me, fuming.
The transfer request was already in anyway.
Bet aside, on paper Irina Delebayne was already C Class.
And so, the not-quite-transfer student joined our class.
Caw-. Caw-.
Hunter Officer Academy auditorium rooftop.
Cadets streamed out below.
Up on the rooftop, a flock of crows watched one man.
The man was Kang Tae-hyun.
Hands jammed in his pockets, he left the auditorium alone.
The red-eyed crows cried out as they observed.
Caw-. Caw-.
Then they took flight somewhere.
The crows soared past the academy's barrier, landing in a forest.
Flutter, flap.
“Good bird. Good bird. Well done.”
The crow alighted on the man's finger.
A man in a black mask.
Kirius bared his pearly whites in a grin.
“Yes... ...This time it's certain. Certain, I say... kekeke...”
“...Then, Sir Kirius. He is...”
“That's right... Joker. The 'key' we've been hunting. At last. At last!! Kekeke... A day this joyous calls for booze, no?”
“...I'll pass, thanks.”
And so Kirius cackled on for a while.
(To be continued)