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Chapter 133

In most cases, a gate explosion brings unexpected disasters.

A region that wasn’t home to aggressive monsters can suddenly become the front line in a war against them, and when the environment created by a gate explosion is too harsh, the entire area can become uninhabitable.

As they say, losses and wins are part of the game, but sometimes—though rarely—the opposite happens where a formerly inhospitable land transforms into a livable one due to a gate explosion.

Cheonju City was one such case. Fortunately, there was a nearby water source, and luck was on our side. Despite the continental climate and being landlocked, the gate explosion had brought in a lush, rainy prairie.

“Our family got lucky. Since we settled right in the center, wealthy merchants want to do business here, and with the need for escorts, there’s a positive cycle where we hire martial artists from the Dang and Namgung families.”

“Considering the location, that makes sense.”

Slurp! A sweet drink flowed through the straw. It was a pity I couldn’t drink alcohol, but I was content with the beverage. Humans love alcohol, so it’s only natural they enjoy sweet drinks too!

Yeon-woo and the others were at a swimming pool— a large indoor pool managed by the Namgung family. Despite the grand facilities, the fees were low, allowing many people to enjoy swimming alongside Yeon-woo.

Shar, Tae-oh, and unfamiliar children were giggling and splashing in the water, while Yeon-woo, Namgung Seong, and Seong-ryong relaxed in the warm water pool, floating a tray filled with drinks on the surface.

If you wondered why they weren’t playing with the kids nearby, it’s because there’s no better place to practice making friends than in a public pool.

Playing with nameless kids would naturally help one learn to make friends.

After playing for a while, when boredom set in, Yeon-woo would join in. At heart, she was twenty-five, but in reality, she was fifteen, so mingling with children didn’t feel awkward at all.

“So, how have you been this past week, Choi Yeon-woo?”

“Oh, I’ve been well. I think I’ve made a tiny hole in that wall I was stuck behind.”

“Oh really, a wall? It’s rare to find a wall after becoming an Aura Expert.”

“Why are you talking like that?”

“Sometimes we try to respect each other, but it feels kind of… awkward.”

“Who are you calling awkward?”

Yeon-woo usually cut ties first, but having been cut off instead, frustration bubbled up inside her…

“Since the pool water is warm, I’ll let it slide. Just think your family saved you.”

“That’s kind of cool.”

While engaging in such trivial chats, Yeon-woo suddenly recalled something. Didn’t she say she was going to meet with the Black Society? What happened with that?

“Hey, what happened with the Black Society? Did it go well?”

“…Sigh.”

As soon as Yeon-woo finished speaking, Seong-ryong let out a sigh. He had seemed content until just a moment ago, but was something that bad had happened?

Wondering if she shouldn’t have connected them, she turned to look, but Seong-ryong waved his hand dismissively.

“No, no! It went well, but it became a hassle.”

“What in the world happened?”

“As expected, it was as expected. Isn’t this the age where everyone is full of vigor?”

“It’s all predictable, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, you kinda guessed it. They wanted to spar. But our illustrious dragon offspring always get together only when it’s not a big deal, and of course, at times like this….”

Seong-ryong’s face scrunched up as he clenched his jaw. Was he the common sense position in the Dragon’s Club here?

‘Hmm, meeting with the Dragon’s Club and the Black Society. Are they planning to do that during the Academy competition?’

I didn’t know if the members of the Black Society would attend the Academy, but the reputation of the main sect had scattered quite well.

With three members in the Dragon’s Club and adding Dang Sa-ryeon who attended Oceanic Academy, that made four. Maybe there was one in the other three academies.

“They’ll probably hold it just after the competition ends. They’ll rest for a few days after the competition, you know?”

Seong-ryong confirmed that Yeon-woo’s speculation was right. To my memory, there hadn’t been any issues during the competition, so I shouldn’t worry about that. The duel between the Dragon’s Club and the Black Society would have proceeded normally even before the regression.

“If you need help, just let me know. I’ll assist a bit.”

“Haha, thanks! You didn’t think the Jegal family would make empty promises, did you?”

“Oh dear… Please help me as much as you can.”

“Don’t worry. People management is my specialty.”

As expected. Where would the reputation of the War Dragon go? Yeon-woo scoffed at that thought, pulling the floating tray closer and sipping through the straw. Sweet drink poured into her mouth.

While enjoying the sweetness and watching the children swim, something suddenly struck her. She had assumed there was a sea near Namgung, but of course, there couldn’t be one inland.

“By the way, the kids said they want to go to the sea. Do you know a good place? We’re going with the orphanage kids.”

“Hm… How many of you are we talking about?”

At Namgung Seong’s question, Yeon-woo calculated briefly in her head. Three from the Choi family, twelve kids, five middle schoolers, and one nun.

“Twenty-one in total.”

“That’s about right. I’ll contact them before we go home, so get me the address.”

“What? Are you booking accommodation for us?”

“Of course! Did you think I wouldn’t reserve a place for twenty people? I’ll contact my business partner, so you’ll have to pay for it. Do you have the money?”

“Of course! I’m not starving, you know? I’ve got stuff to sell.”

Even without that, there were substantial payments (a lot) from research cooperation and compensations, so if she decided to spend, she’d hit the bottom eventually, but a significant amount remained in her account.

“Given that it’s under Namgung’s name, it’ll be expensive, but it’s not out of reach.”

Having rich friends is nice in moments like these. It made her realize the value of connections.

*

After leaving the pool, it should have been peaceful and idyllic days… but that wasn’t how it turned out.

Deciding not to let life unravel too easily, Yeon-woo found herself standing in the middle of a bustling city with a sword in hand.

The area was chaotic. Looking around, flames erupted in various places, and cheers could be heard. Among intact buildings, figures battling monsters caught her eye.

“Of all times, a monster wave….”

Monster wave. A term defined as the phenomenon where monsters group together for some reason and assault a city. While it wasn’t a common occurrence in a safe city like Cheonju, most cities typically face this chronic ailment about once a year.

I wasn’t sure how often Cheonju faced waves, but the timing of this one was incredibly coincidental while we were there.

‘But I don’t need to worry.’

The Jegal family’s barrier technique was holding back the land monsters, and the Namgung warriors were taking down the flying monsters.

Even so, the monsters flooding into the city were perfectly handled by the martial artists associated with other factions. The coordination was flawless, not just from one group but as a city-wide response.

In between, Yeon-woo’s role was extensive support. With an aura master like Tae-oh, who had extraordinary abilities in certain fields beyond that of other aura masters, and the ability to roam freely across the city thanks to her low overall altitude, they could manage well.

With the asymmetric power of Shar added to that, it was natural for Yeon-woo, who could handle moderately strong monsters alone, to be responsible for minimizing casualties among hunters and civilians.

Kneeling in place, Yeon-woo channeled her mana into her legs. Her will took shape, aiding her body.

“Ready, Tae-oh?”

[Tae-oh is primed and ready!]

As soon as she heard Tae-oh’s voice, Yeon-woo leaped into the air. Energized by the silver mana, she twisted her body in mid-air to look down at the ground from nearly a hundred meters up.

Having become an Aura Expert had also evolved her low altitude flying technique. Before, she could barely jump sixty meters, but now she could reach over one hundred and even hit two hundred!

Yet, sadly, there were no changes elsewhere. Honestly, it felt like half-baked growth, but when she wanted to use it, it strangely felt workable.

Cheonju City, seen from such a great height, appeared orderly even amid the chaos caused by monsters. It hinted that they had proper preparations for a wave from the get-go.

“Please scan for any issues, Tae-oh.”

[Scanning… Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be any major problems, but… Oh, over there! Based on Dad’s perspective, there’s a hunter group northwest, 552m from the outer wall, with injuries. Seems dangerous.]

“Alright, I’ll head that way.”

And then the rush of free falling began. Instead of yielding to the pull of gravity, Yeon-woo stepped onto the shredded silver mana.

[Launch angle stable! Fire permission granted!]

Every time she used the silver flight technique recently, Tae-oh would utter those lines. Of course, he was calculating launch angles, but with the flying ability of the technique, she could control whether to draw a parabola or not, so it was of little significance. It seemed that robots in animated series amused him.

Naturally, there was no reason not to indulge him with such a romantic remark.

“Choi Yeon-woo, launching!”

Ping!!

Like a tightly pulled slingshot, Yeon-woo was shot forth.

Even while hurtling forward at a speed that should have prevented her from seeing ahead, her skin didn’t ripple against the wind. The aura wrapping around her body absorbed the pressure bearing down on her.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be a pancake if she fell to the ground at this speed. With her body strengthened, she would be easier to turn into a pancake, right?

“Shar, please assist in the landing.”

[Maybe it’s time for Dad to give it a try.]

“Let’s practice from a lower altitude first.”

[Got it!]

The mana that flowed from Yeon-woo’s heart transformed into wind, gradually slowing her descending body. Ultimately, since wind is akin to air itself, if one could manipulate it, creating air resistance was no big deal.

As she ripped through cushions made of wind, Yeon-woo reached the ground.

Instantly, her legs were surrounded by the shadow mana, and the moment she touched the ground, it flowed outwards.

A flawless landing with no bounce whatsoever—a combination of techniques involving the low altitude flying, Tae-oh’s sensing abilities, Shar’s magic, and shadow elemental enhancements, totaling four techniques combined.

As dust lightly rose, Yeon-woo immediately dashed out from her landing position. Given that more monsters had slipped in than anticipated, the backlines of the hunters had been thrown into disarray, risking lives against the centaurs.

As she charged like a flash together, cutting a centaur in half, she joined the frontline. It looked like a fierce fight against a couple of giant cattle-like monsters.

“Shar, can you help that person?”

[Sure!]

Flowing out golden mana, she approached the fallen hunter from the backline and helped them up while at the same time, Yeon-woo began taking down the smaller monsters, Frenzy Bulls.

“Th-thank you…!!”

Feeling grateful words warmed her heart. When Yeon-woo smiled at them, the face of a female hunter holding a bow turned bright red.

“Frenzy Bull meat might be a bit tough, but still tasty. It’s a beef party!”

Of course, Yeon-woo had other thoughts in mind.

(Continue in the next episode)

 

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