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Chapter 81

“…Is that so?”

The man sat at his desk, reading a letter. Not long ago, he had thought of his daughter as just a child, but here was a letter saying she was doing well far away.

Usually, the man’s facial muscles might have been as stiff as a board, but at this moment, he was different. His eyebrows were gently arching in a circle. If the general had seen this, he would have dropped the papers he was holding and bolted out, trembling like a leaf at such a shocking sight.

However, the man’s expression began to harden. A name started emerging from the third page, increasing its importance rapidly.

“…Choi Yeon-woo.”

Did he inadvertently grip the letter too tightly? With a crumple sound, he carefully unfolded the wrinkled paper and called for the general.

“…I suppose I should pay back for saving my daughter.”

Of course, Yeon-woo had no way of knowing, but it was a moment where a rather generous reward, laced with a hint of hostility, was on the verge of being given.

*

“Eh-choo.”

“Dad, do you have a cold? That’s odd; they say fools don’t catch colds!”

“Hearing my daughter call me foolish hurts me, you know…”

“U, um, Dad, don’t fight…!”

Yeon-woo pretended to faint while clutching at his chest, and Shar was a bit farther away, giggling. Tae-oh, flustered, stood between the two.

“Wow, it’s lively in here.”

“It’s so chaotic. How is a student allowed to have two kids…?”

Meanwhile, Namgung Seong and Jung Yu-jin were tossing in their comments as they watched the scene unfold in the Body Training Room of the Namgung family.

No matter what, it had been Namgung Seong who had invited Yeon-woo, who had been trying to rest after overdoing it on Saturday.

‘If you’re going to rest, why not do it in our Body Training Room? Well, there are limits to offers you can’t refuse.’

Well, let’s call it a good thing—though the room was spacious for a dorm, it was still cramped for two kids to play, so Yeon-woo didn’t bother declining.

“So, are you all okay? We’re somewhat used to people getting beaten up in our family… But Yeon-woo aside, how are you, Jung Yu-jin?”

“Me? Oh, was I shocked the first time I saw someone die? I’m fine, honestly. To be honest, the shock was more from Samiryun-ju.”

“That’s true. Was that martial arts? Was it magic?”

Yeon-woo chimed in about Samiryun-ju. The stillness he showed at that moment was, frankly, akin to magic.

“Haha, sufficiently developed martial arts cannot be distinguished from magic.”

What a pain. Expressing this with his eyes, Jung Yu-jin nodded in agreement, as if he understood.

Still, it’s nice that he’s worried about whether it was his first time seeing someone die.

Most noble families have some experience on either side. Those from martial arts families are immersed in fights against dark sects. Those from Alkeon have witnessed fierce power struggles and underground conspiracies.

Thinking about it this way, it might be natural for Kim Yoo-min to feel resistance to merely ‘trying to kill someone.’

The existence of the Demon King Church was a well-known secret, and while it’s not hard to uncover, if one never encounters it, they could live their entire life without knowing.

Well, who cares about such dark stories right now? I just wanted to see the two kids having fun.

“Tae-oh, swing your fist like this…!!”

“I, is it done like this…!?”

Shar, with her tiny hands all balled up cutely, was teaching him how to throw a punch.

“One!” shouted Shar, and as she extended her fist, a gust of wind whooshed out. Tae-oh clumsily tried to mimic her.

Whether this was a fortunate thing or not, the spirits were a race that didn’t judge by physical abilities, so Tae-oh’s childish punching was being swung around.

“I’ll let my sister know I think I’m talentless…!!”

Seeing Tae-oh tear up as he spoke, Shar patted his back, causing a laugh to burst out from Yeon-woo and the others, who were watching from afar.

Lunch—that was the only drug allowed for Academy students.

When the food from the student cafeteria was served, Yeon-woo watched as Shar and Tae-oh dashed out, yelling, “I’ll get it!!”, wearing warm smiles on their faces, all while various reactions buzzed in their ears.

“So cute…”

From the response bubbling up within the 15-year-old, representing their inner maternal or paternal instincts, to…

“Wait, has the number of kids increased? I guess there are many girls…!!”

Even such comments reached him.

‘This life seems devoid of romance.’

Not that he even planned on it.

Thinking that way made him feel a little heartbroken. No romance until he saves Nea.

But it was okay. Such restrictions and vows would surely accelerate his growth as a hunter.

Isn’t this basically like a Nen ability or something?

As he mused about it, he realized that he had three plates to bring back but had only sent the two kids.

He hurried to get up, but there they were—two kids wobbly carrying food trays higher than their heads.

One was Shar, and one was Tae-oh.

And one tray was being held by a glossy arm sprouting from Tae-oh’s shoulder.

That arm matched perfectly with the one Yeon-woo had enhanced with darkness, causing everyone to experience temporary brain freeze at the sight.

“?”

A giant question mark floated above Yeon-woo’s head.

Wait, if he thought about it, there was nothing strange. Tae-oh was practically the embodiment of Yeon-woo’s dark elemental mana. It was natural for him to use elemental enhancement…

‘So that’s what it was.’

Yeon-woo broke into a sweat. He had merely been using his powers to reinforce himself… No, his application of them might not have succeeded at all, yet seeing it clearly showed him what ‘proper usage’ looked like.

Was it like a realization in a different direction from what martial artists often talked about?

“I brought it, Dad! Why are you looking so surprised…?”

As she placed her tray on the table and turned back, Shar gasped! A surprise that she hadn’t realized it.

“I was wondering what to do with three trays, but then I thought, ‘Oh well, they got it all!’…!!”

“Did Tae-oh do something wrong…?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Give it here. Let’s eat quickly.”

Taking the tray from the fidgeting Tae-oh, today’s menu appeared: Yeon-woo had pork stir-fry, Shar had chicken katsu, and Tae-oh had spaghetti.

While Tae-oh still had too few data points to reveal his preferences, Yeon-woo’s love for gukbap and Shar’s firm taste for chicken were quite clear.

This was also a process of understanding Tae-oh’s personality and preferences. As he mentally noted liking cake and cream spaghetti, a familiar silvery-haired figure appeared at the entrance of the student cafeteria.

“Hey, Baek In-hwa. Are you feeling okay?”

“…Ah, Choi Yeon-woo. How are you?”

“I feel like dying.”

Snickering, Baek In-hwa took out her meal coupon and grabbed her plate. Sitting across from the lively two kids on either side of Yeon-woo, she looked at them as they ate heartily.

Wow, looks like she even knows how to smile now.

“…Who’s that child?”

“That’s Tae-oh.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Tae-oh quickly raised his head, his face smeared with cream.

Thanks to his dark complexion, the cream stood out even more. When Yeon-woo handed him a tissue to wipe his mouth, Tae-oh blushed in embarrassment.

“I, I’m Tae-oh… Can I call you In-hwa-nee…?!”

“Uh, sure…?”

“Thank you…!!”

Tae-oh almost buried his face in the tray, bowing his head deeply.

He exaggerated every expression, but his sincerity was precisely what made him adorable. There was something oddly addictive about that way of speaking.

“The dark spirit, Tae-oh. We just became family yesterday.”

“Oh, I see.”

“And I see? What does that mean, what do you think of me, kid?”

“Hehe. I don’t think much of you at all.”

When Baek In-hwa covered her mouth and giggled, Yeon-woo couldn’t hide his confusion.

“Seeing you smile is quite bewildering…”

Where on earth had that icy golem gone? This was a sight so unbelievable for someone said to have frozen muscles in the cold waters of the North Sea, known as ‘Ice Flower’.

Baek In-hwa found such reactions amusing, smiling gently. Watching this, Yeon-woo popped a bite of his pork stir-fry into his mouth.

Well, what’s wrong with a little laughter?

“Yeah, you smiling makes it much better. Finally starting to act a bit like a martial artist.”

“What, what do you mean…?”

“Why are you feeling embarrassed? I had no idea until now. It seems you’re a funny guy after all.”

Baek In-hwa narrowed her eyes and smirked at his words.

“…After what happened last time, I said I’d forgive you once for anything you do, but this is your last warning.”

“Eh? Just this? Isn’t that a bit too harsh for just a joke!?”

Neither of them realized, but Shar was shooting them a skeptical look, while Tae-oh was slurping down spaghetti ever so delightfully.

Who could tell he was a dark spirit? He sure was eating well.

“Then starting today, let’s double our training efforts. You understand that the Three-Flavor Sword Technique and the Flowing Cloud Sword Techniques are just the basics, right?”

“…That’s news to me?”

“Your attacking stance was so poor I had to teach you the Three-Flavor Sword Technique, and your defense was so lacking I instructed you in the Flowing Cloud Sword. As for evasion, it doesn’t matter if you have a sword or not, so we can skip that.”

After nearly all classes concluded, it was time for his training session with Yuri.

Despite Na Yang-ho’s warning not to overdo it, he couldn’t skip the training with Yuri; it wasn’t because of her immense power that had silenced her opinions.

Physical exertion was only a matter of morning personal training and evening sessions. The class time spent face to face with Yuri taught skills, so it was more mentally taxing than physical.

“But it’s sudden. You haven’t really paid much attention until now.”

“What do you mean, I haven’t paid attention? I’ve given you everything you need and given you what I could. And saying it’s sudden? That honestly makes me a bit uneasy. Do you not know what’s looming ahead?”

“What’s looming….”

“To think of such a foolish one as my disciple…”

Yuri clapped her forehead, stating the upcoming mixer affair was imminent. It suddenly clicked for Yeon-woo.

Had he been too absorbed in the Baek In-hwa Gate? The mixer, meaning the Academy Tournament that only opened once every three years would happen two months after the gate incident.

“…Err, thinking about it, I don’t really need to go overboard, do I?”

No one dies in a mixer, and while there are things to gain, honestly, it won’t be easy to aim for it within just two months…

“There’s nothing to gain in not participating! I can’t bear to see my disciple unable to even make it to the finals of the Academy Tournament—I won’t let that happen!”

Whoops!! Right, I am Yuri’s disciple…!!

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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