Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Vacation (3)
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The tense atmosphere, thin as a sheet of ice, melted away the moment Yoon Jeong-yeon appeared.
Even the prickly Yoon Seo-hyun turned meek in front of her.
Seo-hyun pouted her lips and said,
"...Unnie. I told you to rest in your room."
"I can't just stay in my room when we have a guest."
Yoon Jeong-yeon wheeled her chair forward, right up to me.
I shot up from my seat and stood at attention.
A-Rank Hunter Yoon Jeong-yeon.
She'd lost that rank now, but in the past, she'd even been called a 'prospective S-Rank'—a true powerhouse.
"...Oh? Golden Eagle, huh. Class president? No, vice president?"
"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Kang Tae-hyun, vice president of Class C in the 32nd cohort. Thank you for inviting me to your family home."
I bowed my head politely.
Yoon Jeong-yeon covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
"Of course. Welcome. It's been quite a while since a guy's come over as a guest."
"...Thank you again for the invitation. If there's ever anything you need help with, just call for me anytime."
"Hohoho. Help? You don't mean that as a joke, do you~?"
Even without her legs, she brimmed with confidence.
Jeong-yeon turned to Ah-young.
"Ah-young looks healthy too. I heard you made it into the top 50 rankings this time?"
"...U-uh, yeah. Barely."
Ah-young blushed and scratched her cheek.
Seo-hyun flinched at the words.
'Top 50...? Yoon Ah-young?'
Yoon Jeong-yeon clapped her hands together.
"We should throw you a celebration party!"
"No, Unnie. You don't have to go that far... Seo-hyun made Top Ten. I'm nothing special."
"Who asked you? Mind your own business."
Seo-hyun shot Ah-young a sharp glare.
Jeong-yeon stepped in to mediate once more.
"Come on, come on. Seo-hyun's amazing, and Ah-young's amazing too. I'm just so happy to see my little sisters after so long."
"Me too, Unnie. Have you been well?"
Seo-hyun didn't like the sight of them.
"...Tch!"
Bam!
Seo-hyun stormed out of the reception room.
Jeong-yeon smiled at me.
"...Seo-hyun's just embarrassed. She's actually got a lot of aegyo usually."
"Haha... No, it's fine. I'm used to it."
Yoon Seo-hyun with aegyo?
Without that personality, her cute features might fit, but imagining it now was still a stretch.
"Um... Shall I show Tae-hyun to the guest room?"
"Yes. Yoon Jeong-yeon-nim."
A man in hanbok approached me.
Someone who served the Yoon Family.
"This way, please. I'll guide you."
"Ah, yes. Thank you. Then, if you'll excuse me."
I bowed to Yoon Jeong-yeon and followed him out.
"That guy..."
Yoon Jeong-yeon watched with a meaningful look as Tae-hyun disappeared through the door.
"Ah, uh... yeah, he's a bit unique, right?"
Yoon Jeong-yeon laughed as she replied.
"Yeah, he's something else."
The room was adorned with antique hanok decorations everywhere.
The bed was modern, but everything else screamed traditional Korean charm.
"The shower is this way, and the dressing room is over here. If there's anything else you need, just let us know anytime."
"Yes, thank you."
He bowed slightly and left the room politely.
As soon as he was gone, I unpacked my bag.
Paper and tape I'd bought before coming here.
I unrolled the paper and taped it to one wall.
A huge sheet of white paper now covered the wall.
'Good... now then.'
Time to think.
The White Mask's operations had to continue.
The fact that they were starting to move spurred me on.
I had to move too.
Only I could handle the White Mask activities.
I was a regressor who knew the future.
I jotted down every incident and accident I could recall from memory.
-Gwanghwamun Square.
-Great Wall of China.
-New York.
Those three came to mind first.
Gwanghwamun had to be dealt with first.
From what I remembered, all three were within my power to resolve.
Gates opening in cities weren't common to begin with, and Level 5 or higher ones were rare even then.
All cities inside the 'New Age' defense lines had top-tier barriers from the world's best.
But nothing's perfect.
Even the tightest net lets a few eels slip through.
All I had to do was catch those eels and toss them back in.
Scribble, scribble.
There weren't many ways to pinpoint exact times.
I analyzed surrounding events to narrow down the most likely windows.
-Yoon Family Magic Tournament.
-Gwanghwamun Square (afternoon, before sunset).
-Tournament Round 2.
The timeframe for Gwanghwamun Square was roughly set.
Between August 1st, when the Magic Tournament started, and August 7th for Round 2.
I'd have to patrol Gwanghwamun Square without fail every day during those six days.
'Good thing I was a newspaper junkie in my past life.'
Reading papers had been my hobby back then.
And the top-of-class notes from Hunter Academy graduation.
My past life's efforts were paying off.
"...Alright. That should do it."
I'd organized all the incidents I could handle.
Before I knew it, the wall was crammed with analysis.
All that was left was combat.
"I'm coming in."
Creeeak.
Right then, Yoon Seo-hyun suddenly opened my door and barged in.
I hurriedly threw myself in front of the wall to block it.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop! Don't you knock??!! Get out!"
"...? Got some naughty pics up or what?"
"Y-yeah. So get out."
"Ugh, gross."
Creeeak...
Yoon Seo-hyun gave me a look like I'd crawled out of the trash and slowly backed out.
I wiped off my cold sweat.
'Damn... what kind of girl just—'
I yanked the bed cover off and threw it over the paper for now.
No blinker on that one at all.
"Haa... so why'd you come?"
Tae-hyun pressed his temples and said.
Seo-hyun sat on the bed, grinning ear to ear.
"Kekeke. Hilarious. Why cover it with the bedspread? Just take it down."
"...Why are you here? Spit it out."
"...Kekeke..."
Seo-hyun kept snickering at the bedspread.
Then she got up and headed for the door.
"Follow me. Let's see that 'Top Ten' skill."
"...What?"
Tae-hyun furrowed his brows, not getting it.
The Yoon Family training grounds.
The family grounds were as vast as a soccer field.
'...Training here would be legit.'
Tae-hyun looked around enviously.
"Hah, hah. Hucha. Hucha. Udada...!"
Seo-hyun was stretching with exaggerated noises.
She wore sparring gear, no other equipment.
Tae-hyun asked,
"So, this is what you meant by checking skills?"
"...The rematch we couldn't have back then. Time to settle it now."
Seo-hyun's eyes sharpened.
She assumed a basic Taekwondo stance.
It was pretty solid.
"Ho... No magic?"
Tae-hyun asked mockingly, and Seo-hyun smirked.
"Might use it, might not."
"Got it?"
Tae-hyun crossed his arms.
He said arrogantly,
"Fine. Show me what you've got."
"...Tch. Underestimating me."
Seo-hyun closed in on Tae-hyun.
He didn't budge until she was right there.
"Hup!"
Seo-hyun tested with a hand blade strike.
It grazed his nose tip by a hair.
Fast.
'Not just talk.'
Seo-hyun pressed without giving him room to breathe.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Taekwondo straight punches targeting torso, head, neck, legs.
But none landed.
Seo-hyun switched tactics.
'...Then how about this.'
Taekwondo's specialty: kicks.
Her foot flew toward his head.
Whoosh.
It only brushed his hair.
"...Ooh, nice kick."
Then a second kick.
She twisted her waist mid-air, aiming for the head again.
"Second one's solid too."
Whoosh.
Missed again.
"...Then third?!"
Third kick incoming.
This time, he moved.
As she wound up for the third, Tae-hyun stepped right up to her.
The sudden close range ruined her kick's arc.
"Can't show openings."
Thud!
Tae-hyun body-checked her torso.
She tumbled backward.
"Kyat!!"
Hard as hitting a rock.
Seo-hyun clutched her sore arms and barely stood.
That three-kick combo was her ace.
It hadn't worked at all.
"Aaaah! Ughaaaah!! Not even this?!"
Seo-hyun ruffled her hair in frustration, kicking the ground.
Tae-hyun grinned at her.
"Still impressive. Almost had to do something there."
"...Tch."
Seo-hyun eyed Tae-hyun.
Solid build.
He'd never uncrossed his arms.
Dominated without using his hands.
She hadn't expected to win anyway, but figured it'd go a few exchanges.
Tae-hyun thought, watching her fume.
'At 16, already this good...'
She was undeniably a brilliant genius.
Tae-hyun's body was honed over 22 years as a veteran.
Of course a few years of training couldn't beat that.
But her magic was obvious, and her martial understanding was high too.
If Yoon Seo-hyun kept training, she'd be a monster.
"Okay, okay. You're qualified."
Seo-hyun dusted off her dirt-caked sparring clothes and said.
"Qualified for what? By you?"
"You're entering the Magic Tournament, right? Basic requirement: check. Martial arts only, of course."
"Oh, really?"
Tae-hyun asked, intrigued.
"What's the other one?"
"The other is simultaneous casting. You know what that is... right?"
"Pfft, don't underestimate me. I topped written exams this semester."
"Whatever. Can't do simultaneous casting? Total fail. Might as well enter a martial arts tourney??"
"Got it?"
Tae-hyun was glad he'd trained simultaneous casting.
Made sense for Yoon Ji-yeon's advanced Mana Manual.
To earn it, basics like that were required.
Yoon Ji-yeon's personality meant twisted trials galore.
Tae-hyun already felt excited.
"...A-hem!"
Seo-hyun cleared her throat pointedly to grab his attention.
Tae-hyun looked at her.
"So. You can do simultaneous casting?"
Just probing.
"...Y-yeah. Of course."
"Whaaat??!!!"
Seo-hyun yelled in genuine shock.
She rushed right up to him.
"How...?"
"Huh? Just did."
"Not 'just did.' How'd you master it so fast?"
From her intel,
Kang Tae-hyun had been bottom of his apprenticeship due to no mana.
Even Top Ten after one semester was hard to buy.
'Hunter Academy's different from apprenticeship... fine. But simultaneous casting? No way.'
It took Yoon Seo-hyun two years for three casts.
Difficulty ramps up per additional one.
A no-mana guy his whole life masters it in three months?
"...Liar."
Had to be a lie.
Even Yoon Family genius Yoon Seo-hyun took ages.
She graduated intermediate Mana Manual at 15.
"Don't lie!"
"N-not lying. What's your deal...?"
"Then prove it."
"Prove what?"
"Clone."
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Five clones appeared instantly.
Yoon Seo-hyun's clones.
All looked like Kang Tae-hyun.
"Why me... of all looks?"
"Prove it. If it's not a lie."
"Haa... such a pain."
Tae-hyun held out his hand.
Seo-hyun swallowed hard, watching.
Honestly, she hoped it was a lie.
This growth was insane.
"Simultaneous cast."
But her wish didn't come true.
Fire, ice, water, lightning, earth—five different skills shot out.
Boom boom boom!
The five clones vanished under the five simultaneous skills.
Dust billowed.
Pat, pat!
Tae-hyun dusted his hands.
"Satisfied? Quit bugging me."
He looked at her casually.
But he was startled by her face.
"Hey... you okay?"
Yoon Seo-hyun was flushed, sweating bullets.
Incredulous expression.
"Wh-why, why..."
Her voice shook.
"Why, why... why... why..."
Seo-hyun couldn't continue.
She gulped and said,
"...Why... why didn't you say you could do FIVE?! I was totally shocked!!! Thought maybe two at most."
"What...? Random nonsense."
"F-five... five... in three months..."
Her one thought now:
This guy.
No, not human.
Demon or god.
(To be continued next time)