Chapter 105
Chapter 105
The Grim Reaper Returns from Death (1)
“Choi Yeon-hwa. Please, I’m begging you… Help us out.”
“Choi Yeon-hwa. Is this all our relationship amounts to? You don’t really believe that video, do you?”
“That’s right! It’s all fabricated by that bastard Kang Hyeon. Why would we do such a thing?!”
Jeong Dae-han and the others were talking non-stop.
“Alright, I get it… Stop it…”
“Choi Yeon-hwa. So you’ll grant our request, right?”
“That’s right. Please put in a good word with your father. We should help each other in times like these.”
Choi Yeon-hwa looked utterly exhausted, but the delinquent youths showed no signs of stopping.
It was also evidence of how unstable their mental state was.
“I said stop it…”
“So if you just make one phone call to your father, everything will be resolved…”
“Stop it!”
Finally, Choi Yeon-hwa, unable to bear it anymore, shouted angrily.
Jeong Dae-han’s group was taken aback, as they had never seen Choi Yeon-hwa genuinely angry before.
“Why are you yelling…”
“That’s right, Choi Yeon-hwa. Don’t get angry.”
“I said stop it, you bastards.”
“What…?”
“How can you call yourselves human? Were all the words and actions towards me until now just an act?”
“Wh-what are you saying, Choi Yeon-hwa. It’s not like that…”
“Shut up!”
The extremely agitated Choi Yeon-hwa stood up abruptly.
“Yeon-hwa. Where are you going?!”
“Don’t follow me. I might kill you.”
“Hey! Choi Yeon-hwa. Aren’t your words too harsh?”
Choi Yeon-hwa didn’t answer and stormed out of the dormitory.
“Haa… That bitch…”
As soon as Choi Yeon-hwa left, Jeong Dae-han took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“Choi Dae-han, what should we do?”
“What do you mean what should we do? We have to keep persuading her till the end.”
“Right. If Choi Yeon-hwa’s father steps in, things will work out somehow.”
“Haa… This is really bad… How did we end up like this?”
“How did we end up like this?! It’s because of that son of a bitch Kang Hyeon. Fuck! Aaaaargh!”
Jeong Dae-han screamed like a madman, shaking his head.
“Phew, tomorrow’s the last day of training, right?”
“Yeah. After the hunting practice, the training ends.”
“We absolutely must change Choi Yeon-hwa’s mind by then. If you guys want to live, throw away your pride or whatever and cling to her. Got it?”
The others nodded with gloomy expressions at Jeong Dae-han’s words.
“Kang Hyeon. Choi Yeon-hwa. Just you wait…”
***
Ippotranslation
***
Choi Yeon-hwa, who had rushed out of the dormitory, ran aimlessly.
A suffocating pressure on her chest.
She felt like she might go crazy at any moment from the overwhelming frustration.
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
In fact, Choi Yeon-hwa knew.
Jeong Dae-han and the other friends treated her insincerely.
But she didn’t particularly take issue with that.
After all, everyone else was the same.
From kindergarten until high school graduation.
She spent all her educational years in South Korea’s best private educational facilities.
And all the people she met there were kind to her.
‘Because I’m the daughter of the Sam-Oh Group chairman.’
Sam-Oh, the second-largest conglomerate in the domestic business world.
The title of being the only daughter of that place was not something that could be dismissed simply as being happy because of having a lot of money.
An education that was ruthlessly thorough.
In it, the human ‘Choi Yeon-hwa’ didn’t exist anywhere.
She was the only daughter of the Sam-Oh Group chairman.
Jeong Dae-han and the others were relatively decent friends to such a Choi Yeon-hwa.
People she could exchange appropriate jokes with and eat together at good restaurants.
Although Jeong Dae-han and the others were insincere, Choi Yeon-hwa believed that a kind of friendship had sprouted within that.
‘Stupid… Talking about friendship.’
As she was running with her head down like that, Choi Yeon-hwa suddenly collided with something solid.
“What are you doing?”
A man looking at her indifferently.
It was Kang Hyeon.
“What’s this? Your face is a mess. Why are you sobbing?”
In fact, Kang Hyeon had already anticipated this situation.
And he intentionally waited in a place where Choi Yeon-hwa was likely to pass by.
Yet, the reason he asked nonchalantly, pretending not to know, was because such artificiality wasn’t important to Choi Yeon-hwa right now.
“Brother Kang Hyeon… Sob…”
But when the situation actually arrived, he couldn’t figure out what to do.
‘Damn it. I’d rather stick my head in a monster’s mouth. What am I doing? Phew…’
In the end, Kang Hyeon decided to act as usual.
“Want to have a beer?”
“Pardon?”
“Follow me.”
The bewildered Choi Yeon-hwa ended up following Kang Hyeon out of the Ability User Cultivation School.
The destination was a nearby convenience store.
“Do you have a favorite beer?”
“I like soju mixed with beer…”
“What are you, barely a month into being 20, looking for soju mixed with beer at a convenience store?”
“Then any beer here…”
“Forget it. I’ll make you soju mixed with beer.”
Kang Hyeon picked up beer and soju to give to Choi Yeon-hwa, and for himself, he chose the 355ml can beer he always drinks.
The reason he insists on the small can is that it’s easy to drink in one shot.
“Keuuu! It’s refreshing, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
January, when cold winds blow.
It was weather that couldn’t affect Kang Hyeon at all, but Choi Yeon-hwa shivered slightly every time the wind brushed against her.
“At least wear this.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t people usually refuse once?”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Wear it. Heh.”
Kang Hyeon’s coat was so big that it was difficult for Choi Yeon-hwa to even drape it over herself.
“Are you frustrated?”
“Yes…”
“Actually, I received a request from your father. He asked me to scare you a bit so you wouldn’t say you want to become an ability user.”
“Ah…”
Though taken aback by the sudden statement, Choi Yeon-hwa soon understood.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be strange for her father to make such a request.
“I thought about it, and you know what? Just do what you want to do. You seem to have talent.”
“But wouldn’t that cause big trouble for you, brother Kang Hyeon?”
“Do I look like someone who cares about such things?”
“Haha. I guess not.”
That’s right.
Kang Hyeon was always confident and did whatever he wanted.
Choi Yeon-hwa became his fan, captivated by that freedom.
“You’re 20 now too. It’s only natural to do what you want and take responsibility for it yourself.”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do about those hangers-on?”
“…”
Hangers-on. It referred to Jeong Dae-han and his group.
“I don’t know. I don’t know who to believe anymore, or how to live. I can’t think of anything. Maybe I’m destined to never get along with others.”
“Such a small thing, already talking about destiny.”
Kang Hyeon raised his hand and lightly flicked her forehead.
“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived. But if I had to guess, you’ve probably been pushed around, burdened by something like responsibility.”
“Yes…”
“I may never know the weight of being the only heir to a prestigious family, but one thing is certain.”
Kang Hyeon, who had emptied his beer can in one gulp, continued.
“You can do it.”
“Pardon…?”
“Whatever is weighing you down, just get rid of it. A situation where you can’t do as you please? That might exist. But nothing is eternal. Do you know what I mean?”
“Honestly, I don’t really understand…”
“I’m telling you not to be a slave to the situation. Otherwise, even when an opportunity to break free from constraints comes, you won’t be able to escape and will walk back into the pit on your own.”
“…”
“And from what I see, that opportunity has come to you right now.”
Choi Yeon-hwa, who had been quietly mulling over Kang Hyeon’s words, seemed to have made some decision and smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
“But if possible, just go home and inherit the family business.”
“What?”
“That would be easier for me. And don’t you think the life of a conglomerate chairman is worth experiencing at least once?”
“I don’t want to.”
“I see.”
Kang Hyeon tried to smooth things over belatedly, but it seemed too late to gloss over it now.
***
Ippotranslation
***
The curriculum of the Ability User Cultivation School.
Unlike when Kang Hyeon was trained, there had been many changes, but the end was the same.
Field practice.
To graduate from the Ability User Cultivation School, one had to enter a dungeon and hunt monsters directly.
“Ugh… I’m so nervous.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because I’ve seen B-rank, but honestly, F-rank dungeon seems like it’ll be easy.”
The trainees, who had become quite close over the past two weeks, chatted as they moved.
“Choi Yeon-hwa, where are you going? Let’s go together.”
“All of us hunting monsters together! It’s so thrilling, isn’t it?”
And the thugs clinging to Choi Yeon-hwa were still the same.
“Yeah.”
Choi Yeon-hwa replied indifferently.
For a moment, Jeong Dae-han’s eyes turned sharp.
“Hey, hey. If we coordinate well this time, it’ll be easier when we tackle dungeons on our own next time.”
But soon, as if nothing had happened, he smiled with his eyes and clung to Choi Yeon-hwa.
“Right. That’s true.”
Choi Yeon-hwa walked heavily, looking only straight ahead.
It was a completely different appearance from her usual self, who always smiled and cared for those around her.
Jeong Dae-han and his friends quickly exchanged glances.
‘Is it already over?’
‘No. If not today, we won’t have a chance to change her mind. Hang on till the end.’
Today was the last day of training.
Once they leave this place, they might never see Choi Yeon-hwa again.
As Jeong Dae-han and the others were busy exchanging glances, it was then.
“We’re here.”
Kang Hyeon, who had arrived at the destination, stopped everyone.
“We’ll start the hunt now. You should all know the procedure, but I’ll explain once more.”
Kang Hyeon spoke in a light tone, and all the trainees looked at his lips like baby birds looking at their mother bird.
“The opponent is baby Taranque. About ten of them will be faced by five trainees. Most baby Taranques can’t spit acid, but occasionally there are some that can, so be careful.”
“Instructor.”
One trainee raised their hand.
“What happens if we get hit by the acid?”
“What do you mean what happens? It’ll hurt a lot. Your skin might peel off and look hideous.”
At Kang Hyeon’s words, the trainees’ faces turned pale.
“Tsk. The healing specialists standing by will take care of it without leaving scars, so don’t worry about it.”
“Yes…”
“First, the assistant instructors will demonstrate, so watch carefully.”
At Kang Hyeon’s words, the assistant instructors moved to herd the Taranques.
“Here they come.”
A moment later.
Eleven Taranque herded by the assistant instructors gathered in one place.
And five assistant instructors stepped forward to engage in combat.
“As you can see, the combat ability of baby Taranque is very, very, very low. If you get hurt trying to catch just this, don’t even think about becoming an ability user and go out to study diligently instead.”
As Kang Hyeon said, baby Taranques are weak.
Although they were giant spiders the size of large dogs with threatening sharp legs, that was by normal human standards.
For ability users equipped with armor, it was at a level where it would be difficult to get hurt even if they tried.
“Oh, oh, that one there. It’s spitting poison. Watch carefully.”
Suddenly, Kang Hyeon pointed at one Taranque.
It made a gurgling sound, shivered its mouth, and soon spat out acid.
The assistant instructors watched that scene carefully and then leisurely avoided the acid.
“As you can see, even when baby Taranques spit poison, they have a long preparation time and short range, so it’s easy to avoid. If you’re going to get hit by that, forget about becoming an ability user. It means you have below-average talent.”
“…”
“Who knows. If you have about a hundred lives, you might try.”
Throughout the battle, Kang Hyeon did his best to lower the morale of the trainees.
While doing so, he carefully observed Choi Yeon-hwa’s face.
‘Haa, that won’t do.’
A completely determined expression.
An expression so resolute that no persuasion would work.
Her two eyes held a firm will that was hard to see in a mere twenty-year-old.
“Tsk. Assistant instructors. If you’re done, herd the monsters.”
“Yes.”
The battle had ended before they knew it, and the assistant instructors moved to herd the Taranque that would fight with the trainees.
“Oh no, stop!”
“Yes…? Ack!”
It was then. Suddenly, Kang Hyeon shouted urgently at one assistant instructor, but it was already too late.
A man who appeared from somewhere had grabbed the back of the assistant instructor.
“And who are you?”
The man was Caucasian.
Judging by the fact that he didn’t kill the assistant instructor and only held a knife to their neck, Kang Hyeon, thinking there was room for negotiation, spoke.
“Are you Kang Hyeon?”
“Speak Korean, you bastard.”
Kang Hyeon’s brow furrowed at the man’s English.
“Ignorant fool. I asked if you’re Kang Hyeon.”
“Ignorant fool? Are you crazy? And I understood what you said, you know? I’m from a big company! An intern, but still.”
That’s right.
No matter how ignorant Kang Hyeon was, he knew basic English like someone asking his name.
He just didn’t like English, that’s all.
“Anyway, I am Kang Hyeon. What are you going to do about it?”
“Good. That’s all I needed.”
The man who grinned at Kang Hyeon’s words threw something on the ground.
At the same time, an enormous amount of magical power began to be sucked in.
“Ugh… What the?!”
And a blue portal appeared.
A portal that usually only appears when a dungeon is cleared formed next to the man.
“What scheme…”
Kang Hyeon’s expression, as he was speaking, turned to shock.
Because an enormous number of foreigners poured out like a flood from the completed portal.
“Haa…”
Kang Hyeon, who sighed at the sight, roughly ran his hand through his hair.
“We’re screwed.”