Ch.109Episode 22. Comfort (End)

I contacted the association branch in Jeju to request protection for Jeong I-yeon’s family. It was an unavoidable measure since I had to return to the operation site.

After confirming their safety, I rushed to the address Yang Myung-ho had given me.

The standoff had been quite lengthy, but the heroes were pushing back against the villains in the hideout, and with my joining, the situation dramatically turned in our favor.

In the end, the situation was resolved only after I knocked out the remaining villains one by one by twisting their jaws.

However, since there were several casualties on the heroes’ side, it couldn’t be called a complete victory.

“So this is the skill of an S-class.”

“To handle what was a stalemate until just now in one go.”

“Wouldn’t this put him in the top 5 hero rankings?”

“What has this person been doing until now?”

“I heard his name is Yujin. There’s also talk that his hero name is Brain God.”

…I’m not Brain God. Don’t give me random names?

While looking around to check if there were any villains left, the heroes’ idle chatter behind me kept pricking my ears.

If you’re going to praise me, do it somewhere I can’t hear. It’s burdensome.

“Mr. Yujin.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll handle the area cleanup and search. We’ll report any information we discover to the Association President.”

He seemed to have noticed there was a connection between the Association President and me. I nodded.

From now on, any information would be handled by the association and would eventually reach my ears.

For now, I should be satisfied with having crushed one of Starlight’s factions.

“Ah, please tell the Association President something.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“If they find the Anrak that was the traded item this time, there’s someone suitable to research it.”

It was just in case. If the discovery of the laboratory was delayed and the development of Anrak was completed successfully, we needed to prepare countermeasures.

“Someone suitable? Who?”

“If you say Bin Yoon, the Association President will understand.”

Bin Yoon’s position building was not yet complete.

* * *

About two weeks after returning from the Jeju trip, August arrived.

In the meantime, an article came out about my significant contribution to the operation to eradicate the Akcheon gang in Jeju, drawing attention from many people.

By the way, my hero ranking rose to 47th.

Additionally, the special class students were gradually working through the menus I had given them, accelerating their skill development.

Some students had actually completed their development.

Kang! Kang!

The sound of fists and sword energy colliding echoes continuously. Even though I’m moving at a decent speed, she’s responding to my punches.

“You’re keeping up pretty well now, aren’t you?”

“Huff! D-don’t talk to me, Yujin!”

Yeon Mu-hee shouts as she charges at me. Her sword energy doesn’t waver even with the impact from the electric shock. Rather, it emits power roughly as if getting angry every time my strength reaches it.

She’s doing quite well despite having performed the menu for only a short time. But why are you still speaking informally to me?

“Hnngh!”

As she puts strength into the sword she’s holding, the sword energy bursts out more intensely.

She was clearly trying to use that skill.

“Yeonhwa Style – Chamseum.”

She swings her sword with all her might, imbued with expanding sword energy.

It was sword energy flying in a similar way to Yeonhwa Dragon’s “Geomhwa Style – Ilseum,” but much fiercer and more intense. When the sword energy approached close range, I even felt the hairs all over my body standing on end.

But that was all.

“Destruction.”

The sword energy dissipates feebly.

After her full-power strike ended so futilely, she gritted her teeth and sat down. She breathed heavily like someone who had been holding her breath.

“Huff! Huff! I can’t… take this anymore…”

Having dropped her sword, she barely managed to support herself with her palms on the ground before finally collapsing.

Seeing her usually cool and blunt self completely humbled and collapsed made me laugh. Though I’d seen it a few times already while training her ability-based stamina.

“The quality of your sword energy has improved a lot.”

I approached Mu-hee and gave her an honest compliment. However, she didn’t even have the energy to respond to my praise and just kept breathing heavily.

“How is it? Pretty useful, right?”

While performing the menu, Mu-hee must have thought it was similar to Yeonhwa Dragon’s technique, as she asked me what the menu was for.

The word I answered with was “Yeonhwa Style.”

Hearing this, she questioned if it was just a derivative copy of Yeonhwa Dragon’s Geomhwa Style, and I confirmed it was.

Upon hearing my answer, she screamed that she wouldn’t learn it, but I threw just one line at her.

“If a derivative surpasses the original, it’s no longer a derivative,” I said.

It might sound like sophistry, but in the novel, after joining Akcheon, Mu-hee acknowledges Yeonhwa Dragon’s swordsmanship and analyzes the Geomhwa Style.

That’s how she independently modified the Geomhwa Style to create the Yeonhwa Style.

Honghwayeonmu and Hongyuhwaseum were also related to the Yeonhwa Style.

And with those techniques, she decisively defeats Yeonhwa Dragon.

…No, she annihilates them.

I watched that through the novel.

Therefore, I don’t know any other way for Mu-hee to defeat Yeonhwa Dragon. Not unless it’s with skills that modify the Yeon family’s swordsmanship.

That’s why I told her to only build the basics of swordsmanship and discard everything else. It wouldn’t be of any help anyway.

In any case, starting from this vacation, I planned to help her master all the Yeonhwa Style skills over the next year and a half. So that by the time she graduates from the academy, she can defeat Yeonhwa Dragon.

That’s how Mu-hee’s story will conclude.

“E-even if you s-say that… I still c-can’t beat you, Y-Yujin…”

“What can I do if I’m strong?”

“Y-you’re really a-annoying…”

“By the way, do you contact your mother often?”

I asked while taking out a potion and putting it to her lips. After drinking with difficulty, she rolled her eyes in thought before nodding.

“…Yeah.”

“You don’t, do you?”

“…I do. Sometimes.”

“More than five sentences a day?”

“…Three sentences.”

“Talk more.”

“H-how can I when I have nothing to say?”

She whined as she pulled her lips away from the potion.

“There’s plenty to talk about every day. Just telling her what you did today would be at least five sentences.”

It’s not like you’re writing five lines in an elementary school vacation journal.

“She won’t be interested. She only responds.”

“At least she responds. To your boring stories.”

“…You’re mean. Really.”

“I’m kidding.”

I laughed carelessly as I watched Mu-hee frown.

She used to only show an expressionless face at the academy and rarely talked, but now she’s expressing her emotions quite well.

That’s a very good sign.

“I’m sweaty. Don’t touch me.”

She spoke curtly as I was patting her head to show my appreciation. I ignored her words and continued patting.

The fact that she didn’t pull away suggested she only pretended to dislike it. Such a tsundere.

“By the way, Mu-hee.”

“What.”

“I’ve been thinking, your ponytail really suits you.”

“…”

“It’s pretty.”

Although I couldn’t see her face because her head was bowed, I could see the back of her exposed neck gradually turning red. She’s getting embarrassed.

After patting her head three more times, I got up to check on the others.

Just as I was about to look at the other kids’ progress, I felt a vibration in my thigh. It was from Bin Yoon.

“Yu A-ri, Gu Yeon-hwa, I’ll check on you after I take this call, so warm up.”

Jeong I-yeon had already been beaten by me and was collapsed. It must have been an ordeal just to withstand the blows that shattered her shield.

“So the Dark Wizard Magician is running away out of fear.”

It’s been a while since I heard that title.

Does she still not know that wizard and magician mean the same thing?

“…We’ll see when I get back.”

“Ehhh…”

When I spoke with a serious face, Gu Yeon-hwa’s face turned pale rapidly. I gave a slight smile to indicate I was joking and then went out to the corridor outside the training arena.

“Hello.”

[Hello, Instructor Yujin! Are you working the kids hard today too?]

As soon as I answered the call, a cheerful voice came through. While the other kids are dying from training, this one seems to be doing fine.

Well, she’s doing what she wants to do. She’s probably smiling and enjoying it without even realizing how hard it is.

That’s the kind of person Bin Yoon is.

“Yeah.”

[Go easy on them. They might die at this rate.]

“They won’t die. If you called just to say nonsense, I’m hanging up.”

[You’re so cold. That way, with women, you’ll be… hmm. Actually, you probably won’t lack popularity.]

What did she call for anyway?

Feeling like this would turn into unnecessary small talk, I brought up a topic first.

“…How’s the Anrak matter going?”

About a week ago, the Association President contacted me.

As expected, there were Anrak samples in Jeju, and they also found some documents related to the Black Formula.

Unfortunately, many pieces of information were not left behind because the villains in the hideout had attempted to destroy evidence, but they did get hints about Anrak and eX potion.

Specifically, Anrak’s development wasn’t advanced enough for Akcheon to distribute it to the public.

After experimenting on mice, they found that individuals with strong immune systems could withstand Anrak.

Although its potency was weaker than expected, the fact that most subjects died showed that Anrak’s poison was indeed threatening.

Anyway, as expected, I could tell that development was progressing slowly. That means the eX potion development would be even more delayed.

As a result, there was enough time to find the laboratory, so their plans had been significantly disrupted.

[I’m still looking for ways to neutralize it. But its reaction principle is similar to potions, so it seems like it might be treatable with status ailment recovery potions if done right.]

“Really? That’s good news. The Association President’s support is paying off.”

[I know. I didn’t expect the Association President to designate me as the lead researcher. There are so many capable researchers here.]

The Association President followed my suggestion and handed over the responsibility to Bin Yoon, designating her as the lead researcher.

The researchers were puzzled by the Association President’s decision to support a mere academy student, but they reluctantly accepted it due to her title as the developer of the status ailment recovery potion.

I’m glad to see Bin Yoon’s position becoming more secure.

“I see.”

[Did you perhaps put in a good word for me?]

“…No? Why would you think that?”

Unnecessarily perceptive. I specifically asked the Association President not to mention that I recommended her, worried she might feel burdened.

[Just… because you’re the only one who believes in me like this.]

“I do have a good eye for people.”

[Then… did you talk to the Association President about me?]

While I was hesitating whether to lie or not, she continued speaking.

[If so… why are you supporting me so much?]

“…I told you before. It’s an investment.”

[Even for an investment, it seems too generous…]

“Does it burden you?”

[A little.]

“No need to feel burdened. It doesn’t matter if you fail. Though, I don’t think you will.”

[Why?]

“I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for why. Just… I believe in you as much as you believe in me.”

That’s all I could say.

It was always awkward when someone questioned me as if I knew everything.

[…I see. I guess I’m really blessed.]

“That’s right. You’re truly blessed to have met me.”

[Hehe. Right. Oh, that reminds me!]

Her voice suddenly rose. It seemed almost as high-pitched as Gu Yeon-hwa’s usual tone.

[The clinical trials for the status ailment recovery potion ended in great success, so we’re planning to commission a potion production factory around November. The copyright is mine, of course. So… so… I-I can buy you lots of delicious food now.]

“Really? Congratulations. I’ll have to mooch off you a lot from now on.”

I can hear the sound of Bin Yoon’s value increasing from here.

[Yes. Let’s definitely… definitely eat together. I’ll treat you dozens… no, hundreds of times.]

To eat together hundreds of times, wouldn’t we practically have to live together? Still, her sincerity came through well.

“Alright. Got it. Is that all you wanted to say? I should head back soon.”

[Ah, yes.]

“Good. Keep working hard today. I’ll come pick you up tonight.”

[Yes! Thank you!]

Thank you? I should be the one thanking you for not losing hope and hanging in there.

“…Sure.”

I should give her a high five when I pick her up at the lab.