episode_0087

087.

The swordsmanship dojo under the Baek clan.

“….”

On the vast training ground.

A young girl stood silently.

She resembled a girl who evoked the image of a sword.

Her slender eyes extended beyond her eyelashes, sharp like a blade, and her expression was as cold as ice.

With her crimson hair flowing freely, the girl held the sword tightly in her dry face, staring blankly into the air.

“Uh, ugh.”

“Ah, ugh.”

“Ha, ah, ugh.”

Near the girl’s feet.

Six adult men lay defeated.

Gasping for breath intermittently, they struggled to breathe.

Although all of them held positions as instructors or assistant instructors and boasted considerable skills, they could not match up to the young girl.

They couldn’t even touch her with a finger, and the girl didn’t even wear proper protective gear.

Was there such a difference in skill?

The girl, clad in a white uniform, effortlessly defeated the instructors without breaking a sweat.

Truly a natural talent.

She could be called the granddaughter of the best swordsman in the peninsula, Baek Yeonghyun.

It felt as if she was seeing a young Baek Yeonghyun, as she seemed to inherit the strongest bloodline in the Baek clan.

“….Excuse me for a moment.”

Suddenly.

One of the assistant instructors came to the training ground.

He glanced at the fallen men cautiously, unable to discern what the girl was thinking due to her usual expressionless face.

“Your friend has come to see you.”

“….”

“Is it really a friend?”

Baek Yurin raised an eyebrow with a nonchalant look.

A friend?

It seemed a bit strange.

In her opinion, there was no one she could call a friend. So who could have come to see her?

“Who is it?”

“It’s a woman named Seo Yeyun.”

“….”

“What should I do?”

The name Seo Yeyun sounded familiar.

She must be someone of high status.

Why did she come here out of the blue?

“Where should I go?”

“Well, I told her to wait in the reception room.”

“Okay, got it.”

Baek Yurin nodded slowly and headed towards the reception room.

Passing through the elegant wooden corridor, she arrived at a room that resembled a traditional Korean house.

As she carefully opened the door, she saw a black-haired woman enjoying some tea and snacks.

…It was Yoo Dahee disguised as a civilian.

“Nom nom, oh, Baek Yurin, long time no see.”

Yoo Dahee wiped her hands after finishing the snacks with a shameless expression.

“….Phew. It’s delicious.”

“….”

“Hey, don’t be so cold just because I ate some snacks.”

“Why are you here?”

It was quite puzzling why Yoo Dahee, who currently had a bounty on her head, confidently came to the Baek clan.

Of course, she was in disguise, so unless something extraordinary happened, she wouldn’t be exposed.

“Just.”

Yoo Dahee flicked the remaining tea in her cup with her finger, casually scanning Baek Yurin’s face.

“I just wanted to see your face after a long time.”

“….”

“You never contact me, you know. I need to know if someone is dead or alive.”

“….”

Chuckling lightly, Yoo Dahee suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands.

“Oh, right. By the way, did we recruit new members?”

“……”

“We recruited a woman who is into necrophilia and a man who is obsessed with animals. They seemed to have potential in their own ways.”

“……”

“During the Union incident, it was easier to recruit them because I was exposed in the media. I guess I became a bit famous. Huh.”

“……”

“…Something feels off. It seems like I’m the only one talking. Is it just my imagination?”

“……”

Bae Yurin just stared expressionlessly.

She maintained a silent composure without saying a word.

It was impossible to tell whether she was listening or not.

Well, Bae Yurin was usually indifferent and uninterested in anything other than her sword, so this kind of conversation probably didn’t interest her.

Should I start telling an interesting story?

“Oh, well, forget it. I’m just talking to myself. I was going to tell you about Vizillante, but never mind.”

“….What?”

Suddenly.

“…What did you just say?”

For the first time, Bae Yurin’s expression changed.

It was like dropping a drop of water into a calm lake, causing a subtle ripple. It was a small change, but for Bae Yurin, it was a significant one.

Yoo Dahee inwardly smirked.

As expected, she reacted to that.

“Huh? Weren’t you not interested in my story?”

“….Yoo Dahee.”

“Oh, come on. What if someone overhears you calling me by my real name?”

“….The soundproofing here is good.”

“You never know, you never know.”

“….”

“Alright, I get it. I’ll tell you, so stop glaring at me like that.”

Bae Yurin’s face was almost expressionless, but Yoo Dahee decided to tell the story, sensing a slightly offended mood.

“At first, I hesitated whether to tell you this… But I’ll just say it.”

“….So, who is Vizillante?”

Unexpectedly, Bae Yurin was pressing for an answer.

Although she usually acted indifferent and uninterested in everything, the name Vizillante couldn’t be ignored.

After all, he was the one who first made her taste the bitterness of defeat two years ago.

“Well, who could it be?”

“……”

Bae Yurin’s gaze was getting colder.

Even a hint of anger seemed to surface in her eyes.

She seemed ready to draw her sword if Yoo Dahee kept playing around.

Yoo Dahee nodded as if she understood.

“Probably someone named Lee Jinhyuk, right?”

“….Lee Jinhyuk is Vizillante?”

As the words ended, a faint anger appeared in Bae Yurin’s ashen eyes. The name Lee Jinhyuk kept swirling in her mind.

“…Lee Jinhyuk, Lee Jinhyuk.”

But it was only for a moment.

Bae Yurin repeated the name Lee Jinhyuk several times before suddenly looking at Yoo Dahee.

“Who is Lee Jinhyuk?”

“Huh.”

Who is he?

A vein popped on Yoo Dahee’s forehead.

“I told you on the phone last time. I was surprised to have a trainee who injured my hand.”

“….?”

Bae Yurin blinked her eyes as if hearing the story for the first time, then tilted her head abruptly.

It could have seemed cute, but it only irritated Yoo Dahee.

Because it was a clear sign that she had only heard Yoo Dahee’s words with one ear.

“No, I sent you the video of the Union attack.”

“….”

Bae Yurin avoided Yoo Dahee’s gaze with a dry look.

She remained silent, twirling the ends of her messy hair.

“You didn’t watch it?”

“….”

“It was all over the news, but you seem so uninterested?”

Baek Yurin wondered if this woman, Gyejeobae, truly had no interest other than swordsmanship.

“…Is it really true that Lee Jinhyuk is Vitzilante?”

“Probably?”

Was it not certain and just a guess?

“Well, I investigated separately why Sung Yura was arrested. I found out in the process.”

“How?”

“There were quite a few men among Sung Yura’s subordinates who were laying traps and waiting near the abandoned building, and I was able to get the information about Lee Jinhyuk being Vitzilante from them.”

Not only that, Lee Jinhyuk might not have known that he was the reason for Sung Yura’s downfall.

“Lee Jinhyuk left the academy when Sung Yura was arrested.”

Of course, not only Lee Jinhyuk but also Yuseolhyun, Ishiwoon, and Loksanne had left the academy, but they all seemed to have played a part in attacking Sung Yura.

It was because Sung Yura had used considerable power from Gaon Nuri and the SL Group during the process of her arrest.

It seemed like they were trying to bury Sung Yura.

From the beginning, when Gaon Nuri attacked Sung Yura’s mansion, they had cooperated with the investigative agencies.

“But on that day, Vitzilante came to Sung Yura’s mansion and immediately ordered the personnel near the abandoned building to return to the mansion. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“Why did Lee Jinhyuk do that to Sung Yura?”

“He kidnapped a childhood friend.”

“A childhood friend…?”

“Yeah. There’s a pretty girl named Jinsuyeon, and it seems like Sung Yura kidnapped her and threatened her.”

It seemed like Sung Yura had a strong interest in Jinsuyeon.

Ironically, it was Sung Yura who had fallen, not Jinsuyeon.

“Thinking about it, it was quite strange. It was to the extent that he read my movements in the trainee topic and slapped my hand. Even if he was hiding his skills, it seemed like it was partly a coincidence, but if it was Vitzilante, it could be fully understood.”

Yudahee smiled and marveled, not in admiration.

“Vitzilante… He’s quite famous among villains, right? I heard that he has top-tier skills at a very young age.”

A top-tier skilled individual.

It could be said that he was a monster at the top of South Korea.

Regardless of being a hero, a villain, a trainee, or an aspiring individual, it meant that he was among the top 200 out of tens of thousands of superhumans.

“I wanted to fight him once.”

Yudahee kicked and laughed.

If the rumors were true, she could be a monster on par with Yudahee.

Of course, Yudahee was growing day by day, so in a few months, she might be able to cross the threshold of a high ranker.

“Oh, right.”

Suddenly, Yudahee grinned.

“You said you were defeated by Vitzilante before, right?”

Baek Yurin’s body flinched and trembled.

She slightly bit her lower lip.

It was because the memory of that day resurfaced.

That memory was an unforgettable humiliation.

It was enough to have a slight trauma.

…Unfortunately, Lee Jinhyuk did not know that Baek Yurin held such a grudge against Vitzilante.

He only knew that she had some resentment for losing to Vitzilante.

Originally, Lee Jinhyuk had only known about her as someone who had some resentment for losing to Vitzilante.

Baek Yurin’s information was not widely known.

She was not a playable character, and her emotional expressions were almost non-existent, making it difficult to obtain accurate information, and she only appeared as an experience point for Jinsuyeon.

Also, since Vitzilante did not appear in the game in the first place, their relationship could not be accurately understood.

“Well, it’s possible. Even if I have the potential of someone like me, it’s hard to be the best Baek Yurin in the world.”

“Self-praise?”

“Well, it’s just a saying, that’s all.”

Certainly, no matter how strong Baek Yurin may be, she couldn’t defeat the monster-like Yoo Dahee.

This was because she had been defeated by Yoo Dahee several times before.

But losing to Villerant was a different story.

After all, she was defeated by a sword.

With a sword.

“Really… Jinhyuk is Villerant, right?”

“In my opinion, that seems to be the case. If you’re doubtful, you can check it yourself.”

“…I should rewatch the video you gave me.”

“Yeah, do that. And also take an interest in organizational activities.”

“But are you sure it’s okay?”

“What?”

Baek Yurin tilted her head and looked into his eyes.

“…You know what I want and how I will act. Why did you have to tell me that Jinhyuk is Villerant?”

“Huh?”

“…From your perspective, isn’t it advantageous to keep it hidden? That way, you can use me more.”

“Tsk, what are you talking about, really.”

Yoo Dahee laughed as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Ah~ I told you from the beginning. I’ll do as I please, so you do as you please. As long as it doesn’t harm each other. After all, our organization motto is freedom, right?”

“…”

“Well, it’s more like a gathering than an organization, but anyway, don’t worry too much. My goal is to be quite helpful as long as you guys are active.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Yoo Dahee swallowed the remaining juice.

“So, you do as you please.”

As a result, you will not be a hero, but you will be with us.

Because Baek Yurin, you don’t hesitate to use any means to achieve what you want.

You are truly like a sword, indifferent to heroes or villains.

Whether it’s a good meaning or a bad meaning.

***

“…Are you Jinhyuk?”

Whoosh.

A gentle voice cut through the wind and tapped Jinhyuk’s ear.

For some reason, as soon as he heard the voice, goosebumps rose, and his hair stood on end. His spine even felt a chill. Huh? Why is this happening?

“Ugh?!”

“Ah, uh, what, what is it.”

“Uh, uh, my, my body…”

The hero trainees around suddenly began to tremble and groan.

Some of them struggled to breathe, gasping for air and sweating profusely.

There were even some who collapsed halfway to the ground with pale faces.

‘Wait, could this reaction be…?’

It reminded him of the aura that Hong Daye and Yoo Dahee exuded.

“…Interesting. Seems like this level of aura doesn’t elicit a reaction.”

“…?”

Jinhyuk quickly turned his head.

There, he could see a sharp, beautiful girl with crimson hair fluttering in the wind.

“…Hello?”

It was Baek Yurin.