Chapter Index

    106.

    With three Rebellion members being attacked in quick succession, it was easy to anticipate that Yoo Dahee would gather the remaining members to discuss the situation.

    Naturally, it was also possible to guess what they would talk about when they met.

    So, I had asked Baek Yurin for a few favors.

    “As you requested, I spoke negatively about the rescue of the new recruits and the attack by Roxanne… I even mentioned the possibility of a traitor…”

    “Thank you. I know it might have been a bit uncomfortable for you.”

    I was truly relieved that the rescue of the captured Rebellion members and the assassination of Roxanne did not happen.

    No matter how many precautions were taken, if the Rebellion members were determined to attack, there would have been inevitable casualties.

    Was it because I planted seeds of doubt about the possibility of a traitor?

    Well, there was indeed a traitor.

    “I spread the suspicion that there might be a traitor within the Rebellion, gave up on rescuing the new recruits, and even prevented Roxanne’s assassination, so the outcome isn’t too bad.”

    In my heart, I wanted to ambush Yoo Dahee at the meeting place, but I decided to give up cleanly as I could have fallen into a trap.

    Yoo Dahee was not alone; almost all the Rebellion members were gathered there.

    In such a situation, attacking recklessly would only result in innocent allies dying.

    It wasn’t time for a direct confrontation yet.

    “Speaking of that, Baek Yurin.”

    “Why?”

    Baek Yurin tilted her head.

    Her crimson hair swayed gently.

    She just stared at my face.

    “How is your cultivation going? Is what I taught you helping?”

    “Yeah…”

    Baek Yurin nodded earnestly.

    “Thanks to you, I see signs of progress in my cultivation.”

    “Is that so?”

    “If I stay a little longer, I might see even better results…?”

    Wow, already?

    Baek Yurin was truly something, a real talent.

    Even though she was overshadowed by Yoo Dahee and Soyeon, she was also an incredible monster.

    Honestly, I was a bit envious.

    If I had talent like Baek Yurin, I wouldn’t be in this situation.

    “It hasn’t been that long, but you’re already showing signs of progress in your cultivation…”

    Baek Yurin’s current strength was probably at an upper-tier level.

    She had reached an absurdly high level, far beyond what could be considered just a hero trainee.

    Despite having a power stronger than most active heroes, she was still trying to take one step further.

    It seemed like she would grow much faster than the Baek Yurin in the game.

    “So, tell me about the next thing. I’ve almost mastered everything you taught me last time.”

    “Baek Yurin, don’t be too hasty. Master everything first before you speak. Got it?”

    “…Okay. I got it.”

    Baek Yurin looked a bit downcast.

    Her face was as indifferent as usual, but I could tell that her shoulders were slumped a bit.

    It seemed like Baek Yurin expressed her emotions through gestures and actions rather than facial expressions.

    “By the way, I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that Baek Yurin is growing so quickly.”

    If Baek Yurin was a trustworthy ally, it would be one thing, but she was fundamentally an antagonist.

    “Well, there are cases like Roxanne, but Baek Yurin’s personality is a bit ambiguous. You can’t really say she’s good or bad.”

    Right now, she was receiving a lot of help in breaking through the barrier of cultivation that had been blocking her for a long time, but I couldn’t predict what would happen once she no longer needed assistance.

    Of course, I knew that Baek Yurin wouldn’t easily forget any favors related to the sword.

    But you can know the depth of the river, but not the heart of a person.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “Huh?”

    Before I knew it, Baek Yurin was staring at my face right in front of my nose.

    Her emotionless, hazy eyes were quietly taking in my face.

    “Why are you staring blankly like that?”

    “Oh, no, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

    I forced a bitter smile and subtly distanced myself.

    Well, let’s think positively, positively.

    Because it seems like the urgent fire has been put out for now.

    So, before we proceed with the auction episode for the summer vacation, should we do a little leveling up?

    And some farming.

    Now, with the upcoming summer vacation.

    There was so much to do with the strengthened Soyeon during the summer vacation.

    Since I had already lied to Soyeon about having future prediction abilities, it wouldn’t matter if we found various dungeons, conquered them, and discovered hidden artifacts in plain sight.

    I had plans to do everything I couldn’t do before during this summer vacation – farming items and artifacts, dungeon conquests, punishing villains, and more.

    Of course, it might be a bit overwhelming for just Soyeon and me.

    Even if Soyeon has awakened her powers, it’s still risky for just the two of us to conquer dungeons, subdue monsters, and punish villains.

    But now, we can get some help from Yuseolhyun, Rok Sanneu, Baek Yurin, and Ishiwoon, right?

    Ah, having good connections is really great.

    At first, I tried to distance myself from Soyeon to get help from the male protagonists, but now, even if we get help, it shouldn’t be a big problem, right?

    With the help of Yuseolhyun, Rok Sanneu, and Baek Yurin, it should be enough. Well, of course, the more people who help, the better.

    “Let’s try to get as many items and artifacts as possible during this summer vacation and keep stirring up the rebellion.”

    There’s no need to struggle for a long time like in a game.

    I already knew the future, so I had already dealt with Han Jihyo, the serial killer in the second year, Ju Jeongseon, the math trip episode in the second year, David, the drug dealer in the third year, Seong Yura, the fallen saint in the third year, Rok Sanneu, and others.

    The reason I could easily deal with them was twofold.

    As I mentioned earlier, I had thoroughly penetrated the information of the original work, and the Rebellion members had not yet completed their growth.

    The current Yudahee would have skills comparable to a high ranker.

    But in other words, she would only be at the level of a high ranker at best.

    If she were a high ranker, she would be a strong person who could fit within two digits of a country, but still, she was an individual.

    Even if she were a single ranker, there were high rankers like Rok Sanneu.

    That means she’s worth a shot.

    With the backgrounds of Yuseolhyun, Rok Sanneu, Baek Yurin, and others, it was worth trying.

    Well, if Yudahee grows to the level of a single ranker, she would be truly unstoppable by most forces, but she’s not there yet, right?

    So, I plan to make a move before Yudahee grows to the level where she can’t handle it.

    Before she grows to a level that is too difficult to handle.

    ***

    “Excuse me.”

    “Yes?”

    “You have a nice impression, so I was wondering if I could have your number?”

    “Oh.”

    After a long time of going out shopping, Jin Soyeon couldn’t help but blink her eyes at the sudden request from a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties.

    It was quite unexpected for a young man to suddenly ask for her number, wasn’t it?

    It’s a bit embarrassing, to say the least.

    She may be just a student at the academy, but who would have thought that an adult man would try to get her number. Perhaps it was because Jin Soyeon was wearing casual clothes that he mistook her for an adult. …Or maybe he was a pervert targeting minors.

    “I’m sorry.”

    “Oh, I see. I apologize.”

    With Jin Soyeon’s gentle refusal, the young man gave a bitter smile and stepped back.

    Watching the young man walk away with his shoulders slumped, Jin Soyeon let out a sigh.

    “…Seems like there are a lot of people trying to get numbers these days.”

    There had been quite a few in the past, but it seemed like there were even more now.

    “Could it be because I started dressing up more lately?”

    Until now, Jin Soyeon hadn’t been very interested in dressing up, so she had just done her makeup and dressed modestly. But like a girl in love, she wanted to look good for the person she liked, so she made an effort to practice new makeup techniques, wear trendy clothes, and beautify herself even more.

    As a result, ta-da~.

    Already possessing striking beauty, Jin Soyeon’s efforts to enhance herself made her even more captivating to everyone, regardless of gender.

    Every time she walked through the mall, she felt the intense gaze of men on her. There were high school boys staring with their mouths agape, young men stealing glances secretly from their girlfriends, and middle-aged men looking at her in admiration.

    With this level of attention, she could easily capture the hearts of adolescent boys. But as for Lee Jinhyuk…

    “Why bother if other men are looking. The one who should be looking is… Ugh, seriously.”

    Jin Soyeon let out another deep sigh.

    Despite her efforts to dress up and make herself more attractive, Jinhyuk only showed subtle reactions. Was it because they had known each other for a long time?

    Had he become so accustomed to Jin Soyeon’s beauty that he no longer felt any excitement? If so, that would be a bit sad.

    “No, maybe there are just too many pretty girls around Jinhyuk. He’s probably used to it by now.”

    There are too many pretty girls around Lee Jinhyuk.

    Ugh.

    Jin Soyeon bit her nails lightly.

    Yuseolhyun, Seonari, Roksanu, Baek Yurin… Why are there so many?

    Among them, Yuseolhyun was the only one who had shown signs of liking him.

    Although she hadn’t directly approached Jinhyuk with her feelings, she clearly remembered the times when Yuseolhyun had shown interest in him.

    In fact, Yuseolhyun was one of the few girls who were close to Jinhyuk among the boys.

    It bothered Jin Soyeon that Yuseolhyun, who didn’t keep boys around her, was always by Jinhyuk’s side.

    …Ah, this is just stressing me out.

    Come to think of it, every time Jin Soyeon looked at Jinhyuk, Yuseolhyun would smile and subtly engage in skinship with him?

    Provoking, teasing, showing off.

    It was infuriating how she acted like a villainess straight out of a novel. Jin Soyeon fervently prayed that the girl Jinhyuk liked wouldn’t be like Yuseolhyun. Please, not like Yuseolhyun.

    “Excuse me?”

    “….”

    “Hey, listen.”

    “…Oh, yes?”

    A man was standing next to her.

    He was handsome, but he gave off a somewhat sleazy vibe.

    With a slightly teasing smile, the man chuckled and licked his lips.

    “Are you alone? Want to hang out together?”

    “…I’m sorry, but I’m a bit busy.”

    “Oh, don’t be like that.”

    “I said I don’t want to.”

    The man chuckled and grabbed Jin Soyeon’s wrist.

    Jin Soyeon felt a surge of annoyance.

    Without thinking, she swung her arm to push the man’s hand away.

    However, because of that, the bag she was holding fell to the ground. A few books bounced out of the bag. Ah, really!

    “Oops, sorry, I’ll pick it up for you…”

    “Don’t touch it, just go.”

    “Are you mad? It was a mistake, please understand.”

    “Just go.”

    Just then.

    “Oh, someone mentioned Soyeon, isn’t it? Seeing you here?”

    “…Yuseolhyun?”

    Yuseolhyun, dressed in a refreshing outfit, approached Jin Soyeon with a brisk stride and the sound of her heels clicking.

    Behind Yuseolhyun stood a few men.

    They seemed to be porters or bodyguards.

    Perhaps they thought she was a rich girl.

    “Hmm? Who is this person?”

    “I don’t know either.”

    “Really? Then…”

    “Oh, she’s quite pretty, isn’t she?”

    Yuseolhyun smiled brightly.

    Although her lips were upturned, her eyes remained cool and aloof.

    It seemed she didn’t appreciate receiving compliments from that man.

    “Don’t you want to be praised for being pretty?”

    Yuseolhyun emitted a subtle wave of magic towards the man.

    The man flinched, trembled, and then started sweating coldly.

    “Uh, ugh, ugh?”

    “Oh my. Look at that cold sweat. Seems like you’re not feeling well, why don’t you go inside and rest?”

    Realizing what Yuseolhyun had done, the man swallowed nervously and suddenly ran away.

    Yuseolhyun chuckled at his retreating figure.

    “No backbone. Boring.”

    “…Threatening ordinary people with magic is a bit much.”

    “Tsk tsk, as long as you don’t get caught, it’s fine, right? Oh well, even if you do get caught, it doesn’t really matter.”

    Yuseolhyun suddenly clapped her hands.

    “Oh, by the way, I don’t think I heard a thank you. Was it my mistake?”

    “It wasn’t a situation where I needed your help, but, well, thanks, Seolhyun. Do you want me to bow down and show my gratitude?”

    “Hmm~ Not a bad idea?”

    “Anyway…”

    Jin Soyeon shook her head slightly.

    “But what about these books?”

    “Oh, wait a minute!”

    Glancing at the titles of the books Jin Soyeon had dropped, Yuseolhyun smirked meaningfully.

    “…How to seduce a cold man? The art of ideal dating? 36 ways to date the man you like?”

    “Uh, um, ah, no! Stop it!”

    Blushing with embarrassment, Jin Soyeon shivered with an unknown sense of shame.

    Reading such book titles out loud in the middle of a crowded shopping mall is embarrassing!

    “Interesting. Soyeon, do you read these kinds of books?”

    Yuseolhyun teased with a slightly mischievous expression.

    “Do you have a crush on someone?”

    “Sh-shut up! Seriously.”

    Blushing with embarrassment, Jin Soyeon pouted and then put the books back into the bag.

    At that moment, Yuseolhyun spoke.

    “Oh~ Is it Lee Jinhyuk?”

    “…”

    She smiled softly and looked at Jin Soyeon.

    “You like Lee Jinhyuk, don’t you? Is there something obvious about it these days?”

    “No, you…”

    “If that’s the case, why did you break up? Oh, right.”

    She clapped her hands as if she remembered something.

    “You didn’t break up, you were dumped, right? Because of your male friends?”

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