Chapter 79: 79

An imaginary space covered by darkness.

 

Here, the flames of a skeleton flickered.

 

“This…What the hell is going on…?”

 

The other strange monsters around him also had perplexed looks on their faces.

 

“It’s really hard to believe…”

 

One of the eight relics connecting their souls was suddenly severed.

 

And the culprit behind the missing relic was none other than Noah who they had been discussing at their last meetings not too long ago.

 

“Impossible…I didn’t expect him to be defeated.”

 

A goat-head woman muttered in bewilderment.

 

Who was Old Drakedog? Although he was useless in just about everything, when it comes to fighting power, wasn’t he one of the strongest among the eight?

 

On top of that, with the power of the relic needed for their grand plan, he was a monster strong enough to be called a living disaster.

 

Even if an S-Rank hero, a nation’s strategic weapon, was dispatched, it would be hard to say who would win.

 

She knew his strength better than anyone else, so it was hard for her to believe he was defeated.

 

And…More shocking than that, the person who had killed him was Noah, the one they had been discussing for a long time on how to find.

 

[Yes! At this moment, our hero, Choi Noah, is cutting the stomach of the evil dragon! It’s a historical moment that makes you feel so touched even when you watch it again!]

 

Reflected on a screen in the imaginary space was a giant red dragon’s stomach being split open.

 

It was unbelievable no matter how many times they rewatched it.

 

Noah was just a trainee, so how was he showing the power of an S-Rank?

 

They didn’t know how it was possible for the scales of Old Drakedog that were harder than steel to be cut off so easily by the sword he wielded.

 

The monsters in the imaginary space watched the scene again and again with stricken expressions.

 

After a long silence, the flaming skeleton opened his mouth.

 

“Don’t tell me…has he been hiding his strength all this time?”

 

“…Did he need to do that? I don’t think there’s any particular benefit to gain from doing that.”

 

“That’s true under normal circumstances…But don’t you think it would explain this whole situation if he knew our existence from the beginning and was waiting for the right moment?”

 

“?!”

 

As he said, the current situation could be understood to some extent if they thought that Noah had intentionally hid his power so far.

 

“N-no way…So you’re saying everything was planned by him?”

 

“I guess…It makes sense to think so given the situation.”

 

Luring Eighth Layer Hell members and slaughtering them so their attention would be drawn to it while he directly attacked the place where the relic was.

 

Now that they thought about it again, indeed, his actions could only be explained as a well-thought-out plan.

 

“Damn it!”

 

The goat-head woman bit her lips with indignation.

 

After finding out that Noah was the vessel, it was none other than herself who had insisted on sending the low-rank members of the organization.

 

As someone who prided herself on being a schemer and plotter, she couldn’t believe she had played into the hands of a child.

 

There was no worse humiliation than this.

 

As she trembled in anger, the insect-winged man next to her spoke.

 

“Heuuung~ Then, what about the plan we had made this time?”

 

The plan to take Noah’s precious people hostage and make him reveal himself.

 

However, now that Noah had already revealed himself, it could be said that the plan was no longer useful.

 

The eyes of the monsters turned to the skeleton who had organized the meeting. He shook his head slowly.

 

“We will go ahead with the plan.”

 

“No, why? Besides that, isn’t it more important to take back the relic he had stolen?”

 

“Of course, the relic must be recovered. But…it’s hard to figure out what he’s capable of right now. We don’t know if he’s still hiding his strength.”

 

“Hooo~ since when did you become such a coward?”

 

“…It can’t be helped. To achieve the grand plan, this is more important than anything else. Moreso, it’s natural to proceed with the matter carefully until we know his true strength or purpose. Instead…”

 

“Instead?”

 

“…Given the current situation, we may need to revise our existing plan a bit. Members of the organizations will not be enough.”

 

“Y-you mean…”

 

“Yes. I think we should carry out this plan ourselves. So let’s just keep the minimum number of people here to maintain the altar and the rest will participate.”

 

“Ooooh!! Finally! Are we leaving this stuffy place?”

 

The insect-winged monster looked at the skeleton excitedly.

 

As the emerald flames in the skeleton’s eye sockets swayed, he coldly spoke.

 

“Yes. The world…Taking this opportunity, everyone will know of our existence.”

 

Because of a single person’s influence, the great evil that had been hiding in the darkness for a long time was finally preparing to appear before the world.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

I arrived at the portal gate in a limousine.

 

In front of me, Gyeon Sohui, the vice president of Hong Kong’s Hero Association, and several high-ranking nobles stood.

 

“Be sure to visit Hong Kong again. Your visit will always be welcomed.”

 

And behind her, countless Hong Kong citizens were gathered waving placards.

 

“Hmm…I don’t know if there will be another chance, but in any case I’ll see.”

 

“We would have been able to properly repay you if you had stayed a little longer…I can’t believe you’re leaving like this without giving us a chance to repay you…All I can give you now is our sincere gratitude. Once again…Thank you.”

 

She lowered her head deeply with misty eyes. And following her, everyone gathered here lowered their heads.

 

As if a wave was spreading, everyone in the sight bowed one after another.

 

At the same time, new notifications appeared.

 

[ Favorability has increased. ] 

[ Favorability has increased. ] 

[ Favorability has increased. ] 

.

.

.

 

[ You’ve met the requirement to recruit ‘Gyeon Sohui’ and 31,402 other people as companions. ]

 

The companion recruitment event was all too familiar now. Not only that, the number this time was enormous.

 

It seemed the heroes who had participated in the battle and those who had gathered here had reached the maximum favorability.

 

However, there was a limit to the number of party members, so it would be a waste to spare a slot for these dregs.

 

The woman standing in front of me seemed a little useful, but seeing as I didn’t remember her name from the first round, she seemed to be an ordinary person who I had killed at some point.

 

[ Recruitment rejected. ]

[ ‘Gyeon Sohui’ and 31,402 other people will be registered as the warrior’s followers. ] 

[ Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time. ]

 

With more intimate eyes, she smiled.

 

“If there’s ever anything you need…Please call me. I’ll run to your place anytime.”

 

Soon, amidst the loud cheers, I went through the portal with Elizabeth.

 

The surrounding landscape changed in an instant, revealing the landscape of Korea’s portal gate.

 

A smell I was used to.

 

It was hard to describe in words, but as I smelled the familiar smell that permeated my nose, I realized that I had finally returned to Korea.

 

Although I was only there for about a month, it felt a lot longer because of the many incidents that happened there.

 

Maybe that was why?

 

Elizabeth next to me looked particularly tired.

 

She didn’t talk much compared to her usual self, and when asked something, the answer was one beat slower.

 

Not only that, we were almost late to the portal because she didn’t wake up on time this morning.

 

She was going to be a hindrance if we act together in the future if she was tired despite such a short schedule.

 

When I use elixirs later, I’ll have to feed her some of the leftovers to raise her.

 

And I should ask Choi Bokhui to add some physical training.

 

As I thought as such, I spoke to her.

 

“It’ll be filled with reporters once we leave here. If you’re tired, go home first.”

 

“B-but…”

 

“It’s troublesome to go around with noona anyway, and it’s comfortable for me to move alone.”

 

“Hmm…S-sorry…Then, I’ll go home first…”

 

Elizabeth said as she trudged out of the terminal by herself with shoulders drooped.

 

Through the automatic door that had opened for a moment, the crowd of reporters caught my eyes.

 

An event that knocked down a monster as high as S-Rank.

 

In addition, since it was only a child trainee who had solved the disaster, interest in the case was bound to be high worldwide.

 

And from now on, I was destined to answer every reporter’s questions.

 

Just imagining it gave me a headache already.

 

I originally thought I would just ignore it and go home since I didn’t like trouble, but I had decided not to pass up the opportunity since it was a chance to make a name for myself.

 

Huu…let’s put in some effort.

 

***

Reaper Scans

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

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***

 

Just as I was about to walk out thinking so, I saw a woman from afar through the automatic door where Elizabeth had left.

 

“There you are!”

 

A woman in a clergy uniform with her thighs showing a little. It was Samaria, my professor.

 

She operated mana and came running straight to me at a frightening speed.

 

“Hello. Professor.”

 

“To hell with the hello! Do you know how much I suffered because of Mr. Noah?”

 

I had greeted her after a long time, but apparently she didn’t reciprocate.

 

Meanwhile, she poured out all the suffering she had gone through without breathing properly.

 

“You can’t just run away from the law suddenly like that! Do you know how many times I was called to the Hero Association? And the reason…”

 

The ear-piercing nagging continued.

 

After nearly half an hour of talking to herself, she finally stared at me while panting.

 

It seemed there were many things that had troubled her.

 

I spoke quickly before she had another seizure.

 

“If you’re done talking, can I go now? I want to rest at home for a while.”

 

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“Where are you going?! I’m not finished! And home? How long did you think I waited?! In the meantime go to the institute and be my assistant…No, you have to take my class!”

 

“Hmm? Do I still have to attend classes?”

 

My class with her was a special course on hunting villains.

 

But wasn’t her class meaningless now with this kind of performance?

 

Before I went to Hong Kong, I had hunted villains from the red grade wanted group, Eighth Layer Hell, and this time, I had defeated an S-Rank monster.

 

Maybe even if I fought her 1:1 now, it would be hard to tell who would win.

 

“I went to Hong Kong to hunt an S-Rank villain. Isn’t that enough for the class? Professor, have you ever caught an S-Rank villain?”

 

“Th-that’s…!”

 

Samaria was suddenly at a loss for words. She flustered and frowned.

 

The only reason to go to the institute now was for the few small Challenges left.

 

And in fact, I wasn’t going to waste my time since there was nothing worth learning.

 

“So, I’m going to rest at home for a while. Oh, and this temporary license guaranteed by professor can be used for a year, right? I’ll use it well. Thank you.”

 

There were no urgent Challenges at the institute anyway, so I’ll catch up on my overdue games for now.

 

I said my goodbye and turned around. Then, she shouted urgently.

 

“H-hold on! Th-there’s something else you must do!”

 

“What?”

 

“Th-that…”

 

When I saw her looking like she was thinking, I felt as if she was desperately looking for an excuse to hold me.

 

And then she exclaimed in a low voice when something came to mind.

 

“S-school festival! Yeah, shouldn’t you attend the school festival?”

 

“Hmm…I don’t think I have to participate in that?”

 

“Th-that’s true, but…I’m sure Mr. Noah understands that this event is important, so if possible, you should participate…”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“N-no! Then I’ll have to clean up the mess by myself again…”

 

I didn’t know what had happened since the last time we met, but she was racking her hair with a look of genuine reluctance.

 

Well, as far as I was concerned, it didn’t matter to me if it bothered her.

 

I didn’t have any Challenges related to the school festival anyway, so it was enough to go to school when I had time to do the small Challenges and the end of term exam.

 

There was no need to waste time when there was no reward.

 

“Professor, please call me when exam time comes.”

 

“A-ah…how did this…”

 

Leaving her sitting on the floor, just as I was heading to the terminal.

 

Ding–!

 

Along with the familiar notification, a new challenge appeared.

 

[Challenge – Eighth Layer Hell (2)]

Condition: Participate in the school festival.

Time: 3 months.

Reward: 1x Random Box (High).

 

I immediately turned around and spoke.

 

“Professor. I’ve always wanted to participate in a school festival. Let’s return to the institute.”

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

At the Hero Training Institute, an event called school festival was held twice a year.

 

Although the name meant a festival, in fact, it was more important than any other test at the institute and could be said to be another venue for evaluation.

 

A demonstration event where outsiders were invited so the trainees could show what they had learned so far.

 

As such, among those who came to see the event, though there were family members and friends of the trainees, most were middlemen such as scouts and matchmakers who had come with the purpose to recruit new heroes.

 

For that reason, unless a trainee wanted to become a civil servant working for the Hero Association, this event was in fact an important place to determine their career path.

 

And because these school festivals were usually done on a team basis, it could be said that building a good team was just as important as honing their individual skills.

 

…This much should be good.

 

Shirahui thought while looking at the team members she had gathered.

 

“Hahaha! Rahui, I’ve thought of our team name. What about Flame of Passion?”

 

First, there was Yeom Gangjun. The only person here who could be said to be close to her.

 

Although he had a carefree personality, his ability was beyond the standard of an ordinary trainee.

 

Also, his background was that of the prestigious Daegu family, so he was bound to draw attention at the school festival.

 

“Oh, it’s annoying deciding a team name. Let’s just do it roughly. I’m going to be working for my family after the training anyway.”

 

A man in his mid-30s said grumpingly.

 

Mousin.

 

A rather blunt man with a useless ability and was in the faction collectively called the Choi Noah Army.

 

He wasn’t very talented in terms of capability, but he had a big background, so it was good to have him on the team for the attention.

 

“Then~ how about Team Strongest Noah?”

 

“Oh! That’s good! That’s good! Let’s go with that!”

 

Next to Mousin, a woman with colorful hair blurted out a ridiculous team name.

 

Saki.

 

The third team member she had recruited with Mousin. With her explosive power, they would be able to produce a more spectacular performance than any other team at the event.

 

However, that was that and this was this…

 

“That, why should our team name be Strongest Noah? Choi Noah isn’t even on the team! Do you think that makes sense?”

 

Shirahui said with a grimace. In response, Saki tilted her head.

 

“Hmm…That’s because Noah is the strongest?”

 

“Hmhm. Noah is the strongest.”

 

“You people, really…”

 

Shirahui massaged her temple and sighed.

 

In terms of individual abilities alone, it was a very incredible team, but with their unique characters, she felt like her head was already hurting when she thought she had to lead them.

 

This is also a quality needed to be a hero.

 

Similar to how her father was not only a hero but also was someone who showed leadership to all heroes in Korea.

 

He said he would be attending this school festival, so…I have to give a good performance too.

 

She firmly asked the last remaining member of the team.

 

“Then, Fernando. Do you have anything you want to say about the team name?”

 

“N…o.”

 

The boy who was as pale as a corpse gave a short answer.

 

And like always, he became silent and remained unmotivated.

 

Huu…There’s not a decent character here.

 

Fernando’s ability was just about average in every class.

 

And his presence was obscured, so at external events such as the school festival, it wasn’t a very good choice to have him as a team member.

 

But she didn’t have any other choice…

 

This is all because of Choi Noah!

 

She was involved in an ill-relationship with him from the day she first entered the institute, so her image had become a total mess.

 

Originally, everyone should have praised me by now…

 

She had been trying hard in her own way ever since Noah left for the special course, but it wasn’t easy to restore a broken image.

 

Among those who had already gathered here, her image was just that of a trainee with good grades.

 

It wasn’t the target of admiration like Noah.

 

And for her who had always had followers and had things go her way, it only felt too difficult to make friends the normal way.

 

And before she knew it, she had found herself living the life of what people would normally call an outsider.

 

She still felt awkward with her roommates, so she would spend time outside before bedtime every day.

 

But recently, she didn’t know if it was because people hadn’t seen Noah, but more and more people were starting to look at her with admiration.

 

At this rate, if I show a good performance at the school festival like this…I’ll be able to restore my old image again.

 

But in order to do that, there was still one more mountain to climb.

 

We need one more person…

 

She was able to form a team of five, but at least six people were required to participate in the school festival.

 

They were exactly one person short.

 

I don’t care who it is, it would be good if anyone could join…

 

Just when she thought as such, someone approached her.

 

“Who’s the team leader?”

 

A woman in a clergy uniform who looked a bit obscene. It was Samaria, their homeroom professor who manages their daily affairs.

 

I haven’t seen her at the institute for a while. Is she back at work now?

 

Leaving her question behind, Shirahui answered.

 

“I’m the team leader.”

 

“Really? Hmm…when I looked through the list, it seemed this team wasn’t complete yet.”

 

Was she going to break up the team and incorporate them into other teams? That would reduce the attention she receives.

 

“Th-that’s…I’ll be able to find another person soon! If you give me a little more time…”

 

She flustered and said desperately. Samaria smiled and tapped her on the shoulder.

 

“That’s great. Actually, there was a person who couldn’t find a team. Since there’s a spot, can he join you?”

 

“Oh! That would be great for us! Thank you very much. Professor!”

 

She smiled brightly.

 

There was nothing more to worry about if the team could be filled.

 

Whoever the new member was, she was confident it would be the best team at the school festival.

 

As she thought as such, Samaria in front of her looked out the door and spoke.

 

“I found you a team. The rest is up to you, so please come in and introduce yourself to everyone.”

 

When she finished speaking, the one who was standing outside came in and greeted everyone.

 

“Hello.”

 

With black hair and purple eyes shining like jewels.

 

There…

 

“My name is Choi Noah. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

 

The one she didn’t want to run into the most was standing there.

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