Ch.3232. Seol Yuhwa’s Determination

Serin Eun’s house was in disarray. Dokgo Jun emerged from there with a smile.

“I apologize for the intrusion. Thank you for cooperating with our investigation.”

“Yes. The culprit seemed to know the Academy well.”

Serin Eun sent him off with an awkward expression.

‘This is bad. I need to confirm it.’

This married woman wanted to check on Do Jonghyun.

That’s why she sent Seong Minwoo, a skilled hunter, and planned to follow him herself.

But Dokgo Jun, Korea’s strongest and one of the world’s top fighters, wanted to meet her.

His purpose was that she might have been a witness to the incident that occurred on the mountain previously. Serin quickly returned and answered that she knew nothing.

‘If this man came to me, he must suspect me. It’s obvious. Dokgo Jun.’

Serin Eun is no ordinary person.

She’s perceptive and every action of hers has meaning. Though Dokgo Jun claimed to be gathering information, she clearly noticed that he came to learn about the Monster Corps and monsters, as well as to assess her.

‘Who do they think they’re fooling? At this point, what… You people take sacrifice for granted. That mindset is what caused this situation.’

Sending a murderous glare at his retreating figure, she was left alone by evening. Watching the news, she was shocked.

[Genius Girl! Defeats Murderer Seong Minwoo.]

[Ariel, an Irish girl in Korea, proves her strength by capturing Seong Minwoo!]

[Decision made to scout her unconditionally after White Dragon Guild graduation!]

“Ariel? Why is she appearing here?”

Seong Minwoo, who had gone after Do Jonghyun, was now reported to have been killed by Ariel. Faced with this incomprehensible reality, Serin felt a headache coming on.

‘This is ridiculous. I need to know if that mysterious monster is Do Jonghyun or what!’

Though frustrated, she could only suppress her anger since Dokgo Jun’s visit meant she couldn’t move freely.

*

[Applause for Ariel who bravely fought against Seong Minwoo and emerged victorious.]

I can hear the joyful voices of the instructor and principal.

Four days have passed since the incident. After sleeping like a dead mouse in the hospital, I woke up to be told I could be discharged.

Apparently, Ariel was credited with taking down Seong Minwoo, and somehow she had rescued me.

I was afraid my identity might have been exposed, but Ariel flicked my forehead in the hospital room and said:

[Are you stupid? Why did you follow me with your level of skill? I heard you got attacked on the way. It’s better this way. You would’ve just been a burden.]

Though her words were still harsh, I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Ariel must have seen the dinosaur, right? Twice, in fact.

Yet she didn’t mention anything about it. And if she had figured out my identity, she wasn’t reporting me to anyone or doing anything about it.

Instead, she seemed even more disinterested and unconcerned.

Why?

But I couldn’t ask her about it. She might genuinely have misremembered, or maybe she just wanted to take the credit.

That would actually be better for me. I could avoid the whole human-monster issue.

“Well, there’s no use worrying about it alone. Time to get discharged!”

Fortunately, my recovery was quick, and I could return to the Academy.

“Now, before you go anywhere, you need to verify with your ID card.”

After the attack, security procedures had become more stringent. Better than being treated as a human monster and killed, right?

Plus, I now have a new card. I can finally use the black card that I hadn’t been able to use until now.

But the conditions were quite ominous.

-Awakening grants dinosaur specimens the ‘power of evolution without evolving’

-However, control becomes incomparably more difficult than before

-One must feel and know how to use the heart to handle it

Shit, I was barely managing to control simple traits, and now this?

“This is an extremely tricky mission. I can’t use it carelessly. Especially not in urban areas or places like that.”

The only place I could use it with some peace of mind would be the vast and uncertain Gates. Even those Gates could be dangerous if other people got caught up in it.

But if I don’t take risks, I won’t gain anything.

I’ll test it in the Gate.

Returning to the classroom for lessons, I felt strange gazes on me.

Everyone was looking at me.

Well, I did go out alone following Ariel despite having no real skills… I expected to be treated like an idiot.

But the reason they were staring was different from what I anticipated.

“Do Jonghyun.”

Yoo Deokmin, who ranked second in theory classes, called out to me.

“What?”

“Is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“That you’re dating Ariel?”

For a moment, it felt like my head was being hammered dozens of times.

“With Ariel? What are you talking about?”

“Do Jonghyun! Be quiet! Seriously, if you weren’t a patient, you’d have gotten penalty points right away.”

At Oh Juhwan’s voice, we shrank back.

Later, during break time, students crowded around me and showed me the school newspaper.

[What’s the relationship between Do Jonghyun and Ariel?]

-The suspicious relationship between the two, a romance between upper and lower classes?

-Our paper barely heard from a source that she said, ‘I’ll keep an eye on him.’ It’s speculated to be a cute commitment to her boyfriend.

“What is this…”

There was an absurd story in the newspaper, but the photo was strange.

At the time, Ariel and I were in the same hospital room, and the photo showed me sleeping with Ariel sitting in a chair, intently watching me.

This is the first time I’m seeing this. Was it taken while I was asleep?

“Who took this?”

“So, is it true?”

Someone had spread the news throughout the entire school.

Min Gangsu grabbed my collar.

“Is it true, you bastard?”

“How could I be dating her?”

“Right? I thought it couldn’t be true. You and Ariel…”

Well, from a general perspective, that’s normal, but it still feels offensive.

Anyway, Ariel will continue to be in the spotlight in the upper class with all sorts of officials, so it shouldn’t progress too deeply.

But after class ended and I was heading home, Ariel herself stormed in.

“Do Jonghyun! What’s with this newspaper? What the hell is this? Anyone who sees this would think I’m a pitiful girlfriend looking at her collapsed boyfriend!”

A collar grab on a whole different level from Min Gangsu’s appeared.

Under the pressure that made it hard to breathe, I showed my refusal with my entire body.

“I don’t know either! Ask the newspaper club. Besides, I was asleep at this time. I didn’t know you were looking at me so tenderly. I’m touched.”

“What did you say? You’ve got some nerve.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but we still have a lot to learn about each other before getting close.”

“Why would I…! Ah…!”

Ariel threw me with a face that looked like she was dying of injustice.

“I’m going to confront the newspaper club! How dare they do this?”

Ariel disappeared quickly. I wonder if this cleared up the misunderstanding?

“Hey, it looks like Do Jonghyun is the dominant one.”

“It seems like Ariel is clinging to Do Jonghyun.”

“So Ariel likes Do Jonghyun?”

Somehow, the rumor was spreading in a strange direction. To avoid Ariel’s wrath, I hurriedly ran to the dormitory.

Though I had a chaotic day of classes, my task for today was clear.

Currently, my M points were about to explode.

After catching that creature, I was given a whopping 3,000 M points.

“Should I go straight to the gacha?”

I have a total of 9,600 M points. That’s incredible. It’s enough to exchange for DNA points and still have some left over.

Like the field card from before, I hope a good card comes out.

Just as I was about to use my M points with anticipation, another option appeared.

[When drawing 10 cards at once, the probability of getting a good card increases.]

“What?”

My finger, which was about to summon recklessly, stopped.

If I draw 10 cards, the probability increases?

[Would you like to summon one by one?]

“No.”

I change my plan. I’ll go for a 10-draw. First, I’ll invest 2,000 M points.

“Come on, come on…”

As if responding to my heartfelt cry, the cards began to open one by one.

-Smoke Screen

-Smoke Screen

“Stop it! Do you want to die? Seriously!”

I cursed in frustration for a moment, then took a deep breath. It’s only the second draw. What’s wrong with getting a lot of Smoke Screens?

Like the terrain card, a good card might come out.

-Smoke Screen

-Smoke Screen

“Damn it.”

My expression twisted at the barrage of Smoke Screens, and the result of my first 10-draw came out.

-Smoke Screen x6

-Body Enhancement x2

-Bite x2

“Garbage.”

My first 10-draw was a failure, but I still have more 10-draws left.

-Smoke Screen

“Hey! Enough already!”

In the midst of unbearable anger, suddenly one card stopped in front of me.

“Could it be?”

Like a Pokémon evolving, the ordinary white card was changing.

From a blank white, it was turning green as if being painted.

“Nice!”

Yes, like the terrain card, a good card was appearing now.

What is it this time?

I received the green card and checked its contents.

[Card Synthesis]

-For every 10 sub-cards, you can create one new card.

-The more cards you put in, the higher the probability of getting a good card.

“Perfect for disposing of useless cards.”

I kept 3 Smoke Screens and pushed in 30 useless cards I had drawn all at once.

Actually, I don’t have high expectations. I just feel better disposing of useless cards. I’m the type of person who hates having residue when organizing. If I won’t use it, I discard it boldly.

[Starting synthesis.]

After pushing in all 30 cards, I touched the status window.

The green synthesis card shakes in a performance. Another card began to appear inside the card.

One card obtained from investing 30 cards. The card stopped in front of me, who wasn’t expecting much, and turned blue.

“Blue! Nice!”

This is a high-grade card. As someone who has played games, I couldn’t help but cheer when a card that I could definitely predict appeared.

[Attribute Conversion]

-When the monster attacks, you can freely change its attribute.

-Depending on the attribute, you deal more damage to enemies and take less damage.

“Attribute?”

In gaming terms, is it like attacking with water against a fire-type enemy?

I examined the blue card from various angles, but in any case, exchanging 30 trash cards for a blue card is a profitable deal.

“I want to test this right away…”

But it’s dangerous to go outside now. The alert level has been heightened.

“Just one more time, and I can practice in the Gate.”

It’s fortunate that only one practice session remains.

In the Gate, there’s essentially no need to worry, and no risk of being filmed.

However, I need to choose a place where there are no people to avoid the eyes of numerous guilds, but it’s much better than the outside where I could be chased and where CCTVs are installed everywhere.

Having drawn a good card, I was checking my phone when a news article popped up.

[New Species of Monster Appears!]

-Suspected to be a beast-type monster surrounded by lightning

-Temporary name: Raiki

“The lightning monster Raiki?”

It was a famous creature I had seen before my regression. Above all, it was known for its cool appearance with lightning surrounding it.

That hide was also famous for selling at an extremely high price.

However, it also caused many casualties.

Initially a B-rank, it was later raised to A-rank, making it a tricky monster.

Wait? It controls lightning?

I fingered the attribute conversion card. If it’s strong against the lightning attribute, couldn’t I catch it?

This card should be used to catch such creatures. Since it’s a new species, there’s probably no information yet, so if I catch it, I could earn quite a bit of money.

“Plus, I know all the monsters that will appear for the next 8 years.”

A heaven-sent advantage. I know the attack patterns and appearances of new species monsters that will appear in the future.

It’s too much for me to catch now. Moreover, that monster appeared from a Gate through a monster break.

In that state, if it’s not suppressed early, it will rampage around and attract attention.

If I went, it’s obvious I’d be hunted along with Raiki.

“It’ll be caught eventually even if I don’t catch it, so what’s the point.”

It’s a creature that will be caught anyway, so I don’t need to worry about it or pay attention to it… but the Monster Daily is different.

[Monster Daily]

-Hunting Mission: Hunt Raiki.

-Monster Points, Reduce Extinction Risk by 1%

As expected, dangerous monsters were being targeted for hunting.

“As expected. I need to catch it in a place with as few people as possible.”

If a mission has come, I need to go hunt. Just as I was checking the monster’s traces through the Monster Daily, a KakaoTalk message arrived on my smartwatch.

[Seol Yuhwa]

-Do Jonghyun. Do you know any weaknesses of Raiki?

An unexpected message from Seol Yuhwa.

-That? I don’t know much about it yet. Why?

-I’m going to catch it.

I was shocked by Seol Yuhwa’s declaration. You can’t catch it with your current level!

-Then I can enter the White Dragon Guild. I need to prove my abilities.

To my bewilderment, Seol Yuhwa made her final declaration. Raiki is actually an A-grade and even stronger than the Minotaurus, a top-tier species. Seol Yuhwa wants to catch it now?

-Won’t the White Dragon Guild help you? Did they tell you to catch it?

-Not exactly, but if it’s a new species, the evaluation will be high. Besides, if someone helps me, it’s not a test.

She will absolutely not be able to catch it and will likely die. Then there would be no point in separating Seol Yuhwa from Geum Dohyun.

“This… I need to step in.”

The time has come to move differently than planned.