Chapter 36
After using myself as bait for about ten minutes, they finally showed up.
Their hairstyles look like eagles from afar. All 5 of them look the same, which is seriously disgusting.
"Walking around alone so fearlessly."
"Just because she's Divine Sword Yoo Jinseok's sister, does she think she's a Divine Sword too?"
The boys in white student uniforms crawl out from the forest, snickering and mocking me.
They're not even gossiping girls. Goryeo Academy's standards are way too low.
At least Hanseong Academy students don't act like that. If they're gonna talk shit, they do it to your face.
I put a cigarette in my mouth.
Taking a deep drag, I exhale with a "hoo."
As always, the taste of lung-destroying nicotine is thrilling and fresh.
"You talk too much. If you're here, come at me."
"How arrogant!"
Clank clank clank!
The Eagle Five Brothers' specialty chain binding wraps tightly around my body.
The torture technique is somewhat interesting. An evil dragon being bound and toyed with by worthless humans, huh.
Ah, just interesting. I'm not an M.
"Eagle Five Brothers. A gang known for good teamwork - always moving in a group of 5, binding targets with chains, then killing them through pressure or beating them up."
"Oh? So you've heard of our reputation."
Reputation my ass, you're famous among readers too.
They came with this ridiculous excuse of being the Eagle Five Brothers, but got instantly wrecked by Siwoo and that was it.
"Which means you're idiots who can't even handle one person alone."
"What did you say?"
"Just so you know, I'm a bit less merciful than my Oppa."
"What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?"
"Let me show you the difference in our levels."
Snap!
With a light flick of my right hand that I freed, white flames engulfed everything from the chains binding me to the Eagle Five Brothers themselves.
Whoosh!
"Arghhhhhh!"
Of course, since this is a battle between students, I don't intend to kill them.
I just lightly burned away all their magic power with white flame.
The Eagle Five Brothers burned white like roasted chickens, looking quite well-done. They're foaming at the mouth, stripped naked with their sticks exposed.
...Are they actually real brothers? How are they all the same size?
[Goryeo Academy 1-C Team 2 All Incapacitated. Hanseong Academy 1-A Team 1 Victory]
How anticlimactic.
* * *
One hour earlier
The school directors of Hanseong Academy, Goryeo Academy, and Seoul Academy gathered in one place.
However, the atmosphere was like walking on thin ice. Seoul Academy's director, counted among the top 3 academies, was trembling in a corner while Hanseong Academy's director Kim Young-hee and Goryeo Academy's director Viola glared at each other murderously.
"Young-hee, it's been a while? How's Chul-soo doing?"
"Hohoho. Do you still like Chul-soo? But what can you do? He's taken now."
"I'm not interested in married men, you know? Just wondering why there's no kids after being married for years~"
"Are you saying Chul-soo is impotent?"
"I'm saying maybe you are."
Even Yoo Jinseok knew about their rivalry from before, and since they each became directors of Goryeo and Hanseong academies, that competitive relationship has continued.
"You! Hah, fine. I'll let it go. This isn't about us two anyway, but a battle for the pride of our academies."
"At most you've got Jinseok's sister and a Divine Sword, right? Even if she's the disciple of Mutant Kim Jae-soo, it won't help."
"We'll see who's better when we match up."
"Hey you two, enough already. We need to start."
At the Seoul Academy director's persuasion, the two reluctantly announced the start of the group battle.
And right from the first match, Hanseong and Goryeo Academy's game began.
"Oh my, is that Jinseok's little sister? Will she be okay?"
Viola had secretly investigated Hanseong Academy's anonymous bulletin board.
But seeing Yoo Eunha's unreasonably rising stock, she thought it was just riding on Yoo Jinseok's coattails.
"You still think it's just rumors?"
Seriously, so slow. Young-hee sighed.
"Of course. Even if that Light Speed alias is true, she can't handle the Eagle Five Brothers alone?"
"Light Speed? Her alias changed though?"
"What?"
Just like a Yankee, so slow getting news.
Viola turned her eyes to the Magic Gear screen showing the test site, feeling needlessly anxious.
On screen, a white-haired girl was caught in the Eagle Five Brothers' binding but was tossing away a cigarette with a sinister smile.
"Let me show you the difference in our levels."
Whoosh!
Flames erupted around the girl, consuming not just the Eagle Five Brothers but the forest in the test site.
"White Flame Sword Dancer Yoo Eunha."
* * *
After the battle ended, cheers erupted from all around.
"Kyaa! Kyaaaa! Unnie is so cool!"
"Now that's girl crush!"
"Marry me, unnie!"
My recognition is definitely rising after dealing with the Eagle Five Brothers.
Until now it was "Could those rumors be true?", but now it's probably changed to "They seem to be true?"
"How did you get so strong? When did this happen?"
"Han Soo-ji. Are you stupid? Have you forgotten who Yoo Eunha is? Drag- oop. Right. She's Yonggari!"
"Yonggari? What are you talking about?"
I haven't told Siwoo about me being Azhi Dahaka yet.
Rather than not having time to talk because of the Songdo incident, I just couldn't think of how to explain it.
"Um, Siwoo, I'll tell you the details later."
"Ah, okay. No worries."
There's no reason to complicate Siwoo's feelings by telling him now.
But Siwoo's expression is completely unbothered.
Could he be thinking Reina's words were just a joke?
"Actually, Divine Sword told me. That you inherited Azhi Dahaka's power."
"Oh really?"
"She said it was to protect me, to protect us. That's what Divine Sword said. So I don't think it's strange."
Is that how it works now?
It's not even wrong. Even if I directly said I was Azhi Dahaka, I don't know if Siwoo would believe it.
No, this is better. Since it's not wrong.
Azhi Dahaka has nothing to do with Choi Siwoo anyway. Unlike Kim Jae-soo's parents, Siwoo's parents weren't eaten by me but died in the Great Cataclysm.
"But I didn't expect the students' level to be this low."
"We're just too strong on this side."
"Isn't our balance way off?"
We're practically the first year representatives at this point, no exaggeration.
"Who cares. Even Firebat didn't complain. Recruiting good people is a skill too, right?"
Firebat said that once. Having skilled friends is also a talent. Meaning this time it's not just about capturing flags, there must be points for connections too.
The difference between those who built networks with elites since the start of the semester and those who didn't.
Every single thing is a survival of the fittest system.
But there's no penalty for not participating in group battles. Even if you lose, you get some bonus points just for participating.
"Well, that's true."
"Looks like other academies are gathering too."
Seoul and Goryeo both have teams of just elites.
The other teams from Seoul, Goryeo, and Hanseong are all similar.
Being one of the top 3 doesn't automatically mean a strong academy.
These 3 are all the Hunter academies in South Korea. Japan is similar. China, self-proclaimed Zhonghua and great nation, probably wanting to brag about their population, has 3 times as many Hunter academies as Korea and Japan.
"They're not going to finish the finals in one day, right?"
"Even if it takes a while, seems they want to finish it. No choice with the schedule changes."
The schedule got quite delayed due to the Hanseong Academy raid incident. Having to do it all in one day can't be helped.
At least they're providing meals.
I have a feeling something will happen again due to causality. Should be fine though?
* * *
During lunch break, I went outside and put a cigarette in my mouth. But Rosaria, who followed me out seemingly bored, frowned.
"Why do you even smoke that stuff?"
Good question. Why am I smoking? I don't see hallucinations anymore, and the sky doesn't darken at death's edge like before.
Is it habit or nicotine addiction?
Well, it's not like I smoke that often. Come to think of it, back in my office worker days, I asked the high school girl next door why she smoked so openly. She said she started because her boyfriend smoked.
This is why you need to date good people.
I'm not some kid who needs lame excuses.
"Just because. Sucking in nicotine makes my head feel clearer."
"Still, a woman smoking is bad for-"
The nagging is annoying.
What era do you think this is? It's the great Hunter era where even limb regeneration is possible.
"Even boomers don't say that anymore. Come here."
"Why?"
"We've already done everything fun, why act like this?"
When I lightly pulled Rosaria's arm, she reluctantly came closer.
If I listed everything that happened at the church that day, she'd be so embarrassed she'd want to hide in a hole.
In nun's clothing, that sticky snail-like act...
Suddenly feeling horny, I took a deep drag of nicotine.
Then I kissed Rosaria and launched a nicotine bomb into her mouth.
"Mmph?"
Though Rosaria resisted quite a bit, this is a kind of revenge.
That's what you get for making me remember that day.
"*cough* *cough*! You're so mean!"
The future saint Rosaria, now with lungs full of nicotine, glares at me resentfully. But her body betrays her words, already hot and bothered.
No need to touch down there to know.
We have some time, should I take her to a nearby motel?
"Oh? Doing this got you wet down there?"
"!!"
"Want me to help?"
"W-who needs that!? I'm fine!"
Rosaria forcefully rejected my advances.
Tch. Too bad. After moaning so much that day. Just then, a book fell from her chest with a thud.
The title was "Diary of a Maid Training Her Lady"
It's exactly what it sounds like - a maid training her usually arrogant lady and even stealing her husband.
Right. It's a yuri novel.
Why did her taste change from BL to yuri?
* * *