Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Vacation (1)
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Early morning.
The auditorium, where the entrance ceremony had been held, was once again filled with all the cadets.
Black octagonal hats and black trench coats.
And cadets in uniform with dress shoes stood in perfect formation, waiting.
As the time arrived, the Student Council President stepped onto the stage.
"We will now begin the vacation ceremony. All rise."
At the Student Council President's command, everyone stood from their seats.
A hymn blessing world peace echoed through the auditorium.
Followed by a song honoring all hunters, knights, adventurers, and priests who contributed to world peace.
Then came a moment of silence for the fallen senior comrades.
This ceremony also paid respects to the fallen S-Rank Hunter Gary Oldman.
After the moment of silence, they raised their heads.
One woman in particular caught my eye.
Hong Ga-yeon.
She stared straight ahead, her face devoid of any expression.
She looked noticeably thinner in just a few days.
'…'
She was a mysterious existence.
Famous for never showing her emotions.
But her expressionless face right now was revealing her feelings more than anything.
Utter emptiness.
Vacant thoughts were consuming her.
Even Smith beside her had a dark expression.
The events during CDT must have hit him hard.
…It made me uncomfortable.
The vacation ceremony proceeded smoothly according to the prepared procedures.
It didn't take long.
"This concludes the first semester vacation ceremony. Salute to the commander."
"Platoon—attention."
Crack, crack.
The cadets snapped to attention at the Student Council President's command.
These were hunters trained in military discipline from childhood.
Every movement was precise.
"Salute the Commander."
"Annihilate!"
"Annihilate!"
With the resounding salute from the cadets, the entire vacation ceremony came to an end.
The Hunter Academy 2-star Commander stepped down from the stage, signaling the event's conclusion.
"Udaaaah…!"
Irina stretched and took off her octagonal hat.
Her golden hair, reaching down to her waist, cascaded down smoothly.
Ah-young approached Irina and patted her shoulders.
"You worked hard."
"You too, Ah-young~ Good work."
"Ugh—finally over."
As the ceremony ended, cadets began chatting in place or filing out of the auditorium.
Mitsuda approached me.
His bulging muscles couldn't be hidden even under the uniform.
"Bro, vacation starts today—where are you headed?"
"Hm… Probably staying at the academy for now. You?"
To my question, Mitsuda clenched his fist and replied.
"Planning to head back to Mount Fuji. Hell training scheduled. I'll return even stronger—don't be too shocked by the new me."
I smiled at Mitsuda showing off his biceps.
I patted his back.
"Sounds good. Have a great vacation."
"Yes, bro. See you in a month."
Mitsuda grinned cheekily.
Cadets trickled out of the auditorium one by one.
Everyone's steps looked light.
To catch a warp zone home, they'd have to wait hours.
Many seemed to be planning to leave tomorrow.
For regular cadets, vacation held special meaning.
A time purely for rest.
The excitement was on another level from ordinary high schoolers.
But if you just played around like everyone else, there'd be no growth.
Vacation was time purely for self-improvement.
As I headed to the dorms to regroup, someone was waiting for me.
"…Um, excuse me."
"…?"
It was Yoon Seo-hyun.
She approached me with her octagonal hat tucked under her arm.
Her short stature made the uniform drag almost to the ground.
Yoon Seo-hyun grabbed my wrist and led me to a secluded spot.
"Wh-what."
"…You know, right?"
"Know what?"
As I looked puzzled, Seo-hyun furrowed her brows in frustration.
"Argh, seriously. You're coming to the Yoon Family, aren't you?"
"Uh, yeah. Word already reached you?"
"Ugh… seriously. So when are you leaving?"
"Well…"
I needed to finish the Mid-Grade Mana Manual.
And wrap up activities as the White Mask.
Vacation was only a month—time was tight.
Seo-hyun tugged at my clothes in frustration, like a sulking child.
"Just go today. Yeah? Today."
I frowned and replied.
"Why? You can go ahead first."
"…"
Seo-hyun pondered for a moment before speaking.
"The family head said… to come together. There's no one to guide you at the Yoon Family…"
"It's fine. I'm going with Ah-young."
Yoon Seo-hyun looked up at me in surprise.
It seemed she was hearing for the first time that Yoon Ah-young was coming too.
Her eyes widened noticeably in shock.
"So go on ahead."
"…Okay…"
In that moment, a faint, awkward smile crept onto Yoon Seo-hyun's face.
The moment I arrived at the dorm, I unfurled the Mana Manual.
Since I'd decided to head to the Yoon Family, I couldn't afford any more delays.
The training began without fail.
It was practice for simultaneous casting, which I'd been slacking on.
"Groooar…!"
"Grooo!!"
Five attribute golems.
Yoon Ji-yeon's assignment: use simultaneous casting to take them down with different skills each.
Whoosh—.
A massive fist grazed over my head.
By a hair's breadth.
"Grooo…! Grooo!"
With five house-sized golems, the pressure was straight out of a horror flick.
Even trying to slip between their legs, they gave no openings.
Level 5 monsters, as expected.
On a whole different level from what I'd faced before.
"How much longer~? Sun's about to set."
Yoon Ji-yeon yawned from atop a rock.
Her taunts fell on deaf ears.
My eyes were locked solely on the golems' fists.
Boom! Boom!
The ground shook with each impact.
One hit and I'd be pancakes.
"Fireball!"
Boom—!
The ice golem melted under the fireball and froze momentarily.
Five simultaneous casts.
A skill possible only with Transcendent Awakening's power.
Against five golems now, it was tough.
"Grooo—! Grooo—!!"
"Grooo!"
The golem hit by fire respawned quickly and charged at me murderously again.
The first time I tried this training, I just got hit nonstop—but now I could dodge while casting skills.
"Ngh…!"
Fire, water, lightning, wind.
And finally… earth.
Maintaining them was possible.
But the problem was the casting time.
"Groar, groar."
Monsters don't wait for you to cast.
That's real combat.
"Groar, groooar!"
A shadow loomed over my body, barely holding the spells.
I tried to dodge, but too late.
Five fists came flying at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ow… that’s gonna hurt… damn."
Yoon Ji-yeon winced.
…Amid the thick dust, the golems halted their attack.
The golems raised their fists.
"Groar…?"
But what lay there was green liquid.
A doppelganger they'd struck.
My real body was already casting.
"Simultaneous cast…!"
Five attribute spells tore through the sky and engulfed the golems.
Rumble rumble boom!
A massive explosion as the magics intertwined.
My body was flung back amid the dust and shockwave.
"Did it… I did it. Finally!"
The wind blew, clearing the dust bit by bit.
The five golems had vanished without a trace.
Finally, I'd pulled off five simultaneous casts without borrowing Transcendent Awakening's power.
"Aaaah!!!! I did it!!!"
I shouted with arms spread wide.
My voice echoed across the barren rocky mountain.
"Ah, so noisy~! Getting all excited over just five."
Yoon Ji-yeon approached, forming shapes with all ten fingers.
"You need at least this much."
"Ugh… you’re so annoying."
If there’s a woman who embodies all the annoyance in the world, it has to be Yoon Ji-yeon.
I flipped over and lay on my back.
As my breathing steadied, my mind calmed.
The blue sky filled my view.
I’d finally succeeded.
With simultaneous casting achieved, the Mid-Grade Mana Manual was nearly complete.
Next up: the Advanced Mana Manual, prize from the magic tournament win.
I had to go to the Yoon Family for that.
I wanted it bad.
Advanced Mana Manual.
"What’re you thinking about?"
I turned to Yoon Ji-yeon’s sudden face.
"S-signal… give a signal…"
"Ooh? What, what? Blushing? Heh, you’re a guy after all?"
"N-no, it’s not that."
I sat up.
Yoon Ji-yeon gave me a weird look.
She flicked her hair.
"Well, I am pretty stunning. Super popular at school too. Ha~ Miss it. So nostalgic."
"…"
Objectively, Yoon Ji-yeon’s face and figure could rival any model.
The problem was her personality…
"…What kind of training is the Advanced Mana Manual?"
I asked without meeting her eyes.
She looked unusually cheerful, smiling brightly as she answered.
"Who knows? Advanced comes after mid-grade, after all."
"Hmm…"
"Don’t know exactly, but… if it’s for the future me…"
She pondered briefly before continuing.
"It’ll be hell compared to anything so far. Heh. You know my style?"
"…Haha."
She said it with full confidence.
I chuckled awkwardly.
"That sounds perfect."
I was really looking forward to it.
A tougher, crueler training would be daunting for most, but Yoon Ji-yeon’s Mana Manuals were that efficient.
I’d mastered simultaneous casting in just two months—what takes others years.
"…You."
Yoon Ji-yeon crossed her arms, staring at me.
"Maybe you could even clear Advanced?"
"Obviously. Who do you think I am?"
"Oho, confidence. Hate that."
I stood and stretched.
The Mid-Grade Mana Manual’s final stage was simultaneous casting.
Time to part ways with this Yoon Ji-yeon.
Yoon Ji-yeon smiled brightly.
"Don’t worry. Memories of you carry over to Advanced."
"Haha… not sure if that’s good or bad…"
"Only if you get the Advanced Mana Manual, though. Heard you’re getting it from the tournament? From Sua~"
Only Yoon Ji-yeon could call an S-Rank Hunter by name so casually.
Smack!
"Ah…!"
She slapped my butt and laughed heartily.
"Waiting in Advanced. Sis is bored. Hurry up."
"Y-yeah…"
I just couldn’t win against Yoon Ji-yeon.
I rubbed my sore butt.
"See you soon. Wait up."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Scram already."
She waved me off.
The return portal opened.
Before stepping in, I turned back to Yoon Ji-yeon once more.
The Twenty Heroes.
The reason humanity survived.
That hero was waving at me with a smile.
'…Seriously. Can’t read her at all.'
Next time, I’d shock her with seven simultaneous casts.
I stepped into the portal.
And so, the Mid-Grade Mana Manual ended.
The Mana Manual after Kang Tae-hyun left.
The Mana Manual was a clone of Yoon Ji-yeon from her lifetime.
Thus, this clone would live eternally within this Mana Manual.
In other words, a fragment of memory without a future, living forever.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two of Yoon Ji-yeon’s clones sparred vigorously.
She stared at her palm.
Whoosh…
Her hand was rotting black.
The hand she’d used to spank Tae-hyun earlier.
'…The curse hasn’t lifted yet…'
Yoon Ji-yeon clenched her fist.
An unrelenting curse.
From sexual contact with the opposite sex.
A curse borne by all women under the Yoon Family’s blessing.
'…'
Even in Yoon Ji-yeon’s optimistic memories, the gloom was unbearable.
An endless chain of suffering.
Yoon Ji-yeon buried her face in her knees.
"Haa… so tiring…"
No one to comfort her when she was weary.
Sadly, it was a space where nothing could be heard.
(To be continued next time)