Chapter 97: Fame |
Hong Yu-hwa was a being brimming with self-confidence.
Objectively speaking, she always considered herself beautiful, cool, and pretty.
Her strong competitive spirit was both a flaw and a strength.
When Hong Yu-hwa displayed her competitive spirit, she always defeated her opponents fairly and squarely. Defeating them through underhanded means was beneath her dignity.
Thus, those who followed her naturally came to respect her.
That was until she came to this school.
“It’s ridiculous.”
Hong Yu-hwa suppressed her anger and looked ahead.
A moment ago, the blow she delivered had been quite difficult for Hong Yu-hwa herself. By stealing the talents of her subordinates through Usurper, she unleashed the power to kill dozens of mermaids in an instant.
Instead of praising Hong Yu-hwa, they ran towards the student council president.
“To manage Hong Yu-hwa, one must be at that level.”
‘…How many lives does that man have?’
Hong Yu-hwa calmed her anger.
Really. She had lost to Lee Seo-ha several times (not really), but she considered herself his rival. She didn’t think this was right. Shouldn’t there be at least some expression of gratitude?
‘…Could it be that he’s keeping his distance because I’m a rival?’
That seemed a bit plausible.
She had been blinded by her own competitive spirit in the past.
“But this isn’t right.”
She only had eyes for him.
So he should look at her too.
It was a terribly selfish thought. It was hard to impose such a thought on others. But that’s what Hong Yu-hwa thought.
Because he and her were rivals (not really). Others didn’t matter. That’s why he should…
When Hong Yu-hwa quietly looked at Lee Seo-ha with burning eyes,
Kim Seo-hyun, who had been quietly watching the scene, smiled coldly and looked towards the student council president and Lee Seo-ha.
To her, Lee Seo-ha was an object of admiration. She had been around him for quite a while, acting alongside him. However, this was the first time she saw Lee Seo-ha looking so brightly and lovingly at something.
‘…So he can make that kind of expression.’
Wasn’t it said that admiration was the farthest emotion from understanding?
Suddenly, that thought crossed her mind. She realized she might not truly know anything about Lee Seo-ha. Perhaps she only knew the surface aspects of him.
‘I want to know.’
Kim Seo-hyun was startled by her own thoughts. Her emotions felt unfamiliar. She quickly turned her head and looked at Lee Seo-ha, just as he took out a vial of what seemed like medicine from his storage space and fed it to Sung Han-byul.
A sticky, more white than transparent liquid.
“…Huh?”
Kim Seo-hyun was taken aback without realizing it.
As soon as I killed the mermaid, I looked for Sung Han-byul. Sung Han-byul lay under the protection of the student council members.
Initially, the mermaids used their racial ability, Extinction, to kill the students.
I broke through the barrier, and Sung Han-byul stopped it.
Even though I broke through, I couldn’t scatter the structure entirely, but I must have played a role.
So, I somewhat reassured myself and stopped the mermaid spearman.
I approached Sung Han-byul with a sense of urgency.
“Is she exhausted?”
If so, that was fortunate. It was a consequence of overusing her abilities.
It was proof that Extinction was more dangerous than I thought.
I took out an elixir from my storage space.
[Recovery Elixir (A)]
A potion created by an alchemist who marked a turning point in human history in the study of alchemy.
: Upon consumption, physical recovery enhancement.
: Upon consumption, wound recovery enhancement.
“…What is that?”
“It’s a potion. It’s good for recovering stamina… yes.”
I hastily remembered to use honorifics, realizing the person was a second-year. I usually didn’t use formal speech, but it’s different when it’s someone close to Sung Han-byul.
A bottle filled with a liquid that was more white than transparent. It reminded me of some other white liquid, but its effects were the best.
‘I made it myself.’
I had put a lot of effort into making it.
Even using up most of the school’s materials, I could only make three of these elixirs.
They were very difficult to make. One was given to the school as payment for the materials, and I kept the other two.
Gently, I poured the liquid into Sung Han-byul’s mouth. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief internally.
‘This should prevent any problems for a while.’
But the problem lay with the Infinite Chalice and the Mystery of Talent Creation that Sung Han-byul possessed.
They granted immense power, but at the cost of consuming Sung Han-byul’s physical body.
That’s why Sung Han-byul died in every route, sacrificing everything.
I looked at Sung Han-byul for a moment and then stood up. There was no issue with the elixir. I was still very worried, though.
‘Sung Han-byul wouldn’t want to show weakness, given her personality.’
For now, that was the case. She acted strong for the sake of her position as a second-year student council president.
“If you think you’re sick, take this, and if you feel dizzy or anything, take this elixir. And this is a stamina supplement, so make sure to drink it when you regain consciousness. This is…”
I left a few more elixirs on the ground, just in case, and moved to clean up the remnants.
[What’s up with this guy?]
He looked young, wearing a Korea Hero Academy uniform, but how was he fighting a Supreme as an equal?
ㄴA current supreme?
ㄴYou think a supreme looks like —*? There are less than 2,000 Mines and villains combined in the world.
ㄴRight, right. With so few, many here could start identifying them by appearance and family relationships in less than 10 minutes.
ㄴThat’s kinda scary;;
ㄴThat’s Lee Seo-ha. He’s really hot right now at the Korea Hero Academy.
ㄴOh, that’s him? I heard he’s the reason guilds and associations are in chaos.“
ㄴYeah. There’s fierce competition because the guild he joins is predicted to dominate for at least the next 30 years.
The community post quickly became a real-time top post.
[Wow, do you guys know who this is?]
Picked this up from the community, but the picture turned out great.
ㄴCrazy, crazy. What’s with his appearance? Is he really glowing?
ㄴWow, humanity is blessed…
[There’s a monster on the peninsula.]
A boy in a Korea Hero Academy uniform was fighting a Supreme.
Seeing this made it clear. Japan is definitely several steps behind Korea.
ㄴNo way… The emblem looks like he’s a freshman.
ㄴLOL Korea won’t lose to Japan for at least the next 30 years.
ㄴThe great and grand hero was also from Korea… It’s great he risked his life to save the world, but sometimes it’s complicated seeing things like this.
ㄴLies. Who is this boy? I think I’m falling for him. Why are all Korean heroes so handsome?
[Check out this video, followers. Isn’t he a hero that our Sky God would love?]
ㄴWhat’s with Korea? Why do they keep producing such outstanding heroes?
ㄴTheir country is smaller than our smallest province, but we can’t ignore them. Remember the great and grand hero who solved what even the gods of the Hundred Temple couldn’t?
ㄴThat’s right. Judging by the emblem, he’s a first-year at the Korean Hero Academy. Wasn’t Saint there too?
ㄴThen he must be a prospective follower of the God of Light. Seeing how he wields his sword, maybe he should ask to forge his sword with light.
ㄴStop talking nonsense. Doesn’t he look more like a prospective follower dedicated to the God of Struggle? Just look at that damn fine swordplay!
…What’s this?
The Electronic Witch was staring blankly at the online world.
She had been busy setting traps and intertwining information to thwart the Nazis causing trouble, and amidst this, her patron’s personal information got leaked.
‘…What should I do?’
With her power, she could erase everything immediately. But if she did, she might have to lay low for a while.
Despite her near-omnipotence in the electronic world, others weren’t fools. The electronic world is full of safety measures because if it falls into the hands of the Electronic Witch, it would be too dangerous.
The Electronic Witch first stopped the spread to prevent further leaks. Then, she asked her patron.
[…It’s real. When was it leaked?]
There was a sense of absurdity in her tone, a sign she was struggling to regulate her emotions.
[Just block it as much as you can… Hiding the Energy of Defying Heaven is the problem. Can you pretend it’s something like Anti-Evil Talent?]
[Anti-Evil? Got it.]
The Electronic Witch moved swiftly. She wouldn’t go this far for someone else’s request, but this was a plea from the only being that allowed her to maintain a physical body in reality.
She hurriedly removed her patron’s photos and managed to quickly resolve the situation. Fortunately, the watchful eyes and hands that usually monitored the Electronic Witch had disappeared.
‘Did the Hundred Temple get involved?’
The Electronic Witch smirked internally.
Formerly the USA.
Now called Heaven, the home of a hundred gods showing interest in her patron was evidence of this.
She wondered if she should be thankful.
‘No, maybe not.’
The gods’ attention could sometimes be a poison. They bestowed their faith upon their followers and created their own champions, subjecting them to trials.
Considering the hundreds to thousands of deaths in Heaven each year due to these trials, such attention might not be welcome.
‘Maybe they’ll appreciate his efforts in wiping out villains and Mines.’
She left a message for her patron regarding this matter, and the Electronic Witch busied herself, aiming to eliminate forces that desired harm upon him from the shadows.