34. Team Battle

* * *

I lost track of time waiting in Lee Yu-jin’s mansion. When she finally arrived with her security detail, her sharp eyes immediately caught my presence on her sofa.

“I’ve survived multiple assassination attempts,” she remarked dryly. “You’ll forgive my vigilance.”

Impressive awareness for a corporate heiress. I maintained my nun-like posture as I introduced myself: “Dahaka, leader of the Black God Cult.”

Her truth-seeing eyes – capable of detecting any falsehood – scanned me thoroughly as we negotiated. The pure mana stones I produced made her business instincts override her caution. These weren’t ordinary stones; they were my personal creations, bearing the mark of the divine dragon Yongyong.

“You want to establish Songdo as a refugee zone?” she questioned skeptically. “After your cult attacked Hanseong Academy?”

“That was Kim Jae-su acting alone,” I deflected, stacking more stones between us. Her pupils dilated slightly – the telltale sign of a dealmaker recognizing an opportunity.

When I handed her our communication device, the pact was sealed. The woman who valued corporate expansion over patriotism would keep our arrangement. As I flew from her mansion, I noted with satisfaction how her thighs had subtly pressed together – even the mighty Lee Yu-jin wasn’t immune to the primal fear-excitement my presence evoked.

* * *

The tournament grounds at Goryeo Academy buzzed with tension. Whispers followed our team:

“That’s Yoo Jin-seok’s sister – the famous lesbian.”
“Wait, Choi Si-woo’s a girl now?”

I made a mental note to flay alive whoever spread that rumor. Our first match against Goryeo’s Class C-2 would be a slaughter – no need to hold back when my team already outclassed them. The “capture the flag” format was just window dressing for what would essentially be a brutal beatdown.

“Don’t lose to those Hanseong bastards!” Goryeo students shouted.
“Show those Yankees what we’re made of!” I shouted back, ignoring how most “Yankees” here were Korean.

The simulation chamber expanded around us, terrain materializing. I assigned positions:

“Si-woo and Rosaria mid, Han Suji top, Reina bottom. I’ll roam.”

This wasn’t some video game – with four defenders and one attacker, any breakthrough would collapse their formation. But I’d studied their tactics. They’d try isolating us like in the original storyline.

“Why defend when we can crush them?” Han Suji cracked her knuckles.

Principal Kim’s request for an overwhelming victory echoed in my mind. Time to give her a show worthy of Reina’s future World Tree Bow.

I stepped into the jungle alone, bait ready for the taking.