Episode 56: Preparation (3)
The clubroom lay in darkness.
On the desk sat a Go board and the key that the club president had left behind before departing.
Moonlight faintly seeped through the window. In the darkness, only the desk and the Go board cast subtle silhouettes.
The wall clock quietly marked the passing time. Night had already fallen.
Yoon Chae-ha rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the Go board with half-closed eyes.
Her crimson eyes wavered ever so slightly.
She had spent hours reviewing the game.
At first, she thought she could win easily.
No—losing had never even been an option.
For a mage, concentration was essential.
She had played Go since childhood.
And with her deep knowledge of magic, it was only natural that she excelled at the game as well.
Yet, she lost.
All ten matches.
“…Hmph.”
She leaned back against her chair and took a slow, deep breath.
Where did it all go wrong?
At first, she had been furious. She was not accustomed to the feeling of defeat.
But the more they played, the clearer it became. The more she chased after his moves, the faster he grew and widened the gap.
His growth curve was as steep as that of someone learning Go for the first time.
Then, in the tenth match—
At some point, she could no longer read his moves at all.
He was no longer an opponent she could measure.
“…Is this even possible?”
The words slipped out in a whisper.
And suddenly, she realized—
Talent.
Yoon Chae-ha, who had always stood on the other side of it,
Was now, for the first time, facing overwhelming talent.
***
The weekend arrived.
I made my way to the Vanquisher headquarters.
Today, things had to be settled.
First, I needed permission from the old man to participate in the upcoming operation.
Since I had already secured the Paladin’s cooperation, it seemed wiser to officially join Vanquisher rather than sneak in.
And then, there was Catastrophe, the entity slumbering on my back.
I had to settle things with the absurdly powerful dragon dwelling within.
As I walked through the familiar halls, I pushed open the old man’s study door.
The rich aroma of coffee filled the room, spreading from the bookshelves to every corner.
By the window, the old man was brewing coffee.
Without hesitation, I crossed the threshold and spoke.
“Let me join.”
The old man paused, his hand stopping mid-pour.
Slowly, he turned his head and looked at me as if I had gone mad.
“…Join what?”
“You know—the mission in less than two weeks.”
The time left was now even shorter.
His brow furrowed.
Letting out a small sigh, he wordlessly tossed two sugar cubes into his coffee.
He stared at the melting sugar in his cup for a while before taking a sip.
As if savoring the bitter taste, he let a brief silence settle between us.
“How do you even know about that…?”
“I happened to see it.”
The mission assigned by the Association: eliminating the demon-infested zone in Hamgyeong Province.
On paper, it wasn’t supposed to be that dangerous.
The Association had simply requested a larger team as a precaution against unexpected situations.
At least, that was the official reason.
And I could only hope it was true.
The old man placed his cup down in deep silence.
He looked at me as if struggling to decide where to begin.
I watched his silence unfold. I already knew what was weighing on his mind.
His daughter, killed by Demonic Humans.
And the comrade he cherished most.
The old man absentmindedly rotated his coffee cup with his fingertips.
I took advantage of the pause in his thoughts and spoke calmly.
“I understand your concerns.”
His eyes narrowed.
“But I need real combat experience. And as a ‘prospective Vanquisher’…”
At that moment, the old man’s fingers froze. He quickly composed his expression, but I didn’t miss the momentary slip.
I Endured for This Day.
I had never once said that I wanted to join Vanquisher.
The old man let out a heavy sigh.
And finally, he spoke.
“…That’s not it, you brat.”
“Huh?”
“Sion came by earlier.”
“Who?”
Sion?
“The mission you mentioned—Sion found out about it first. And she said she wanted to join.”
I unconsciously furrowed my brows.
“You allowed that?”
The old man gave me a look as if to say, Aren’t you asking for permission too?
Then, he let out a short chuckle and spoke.
“How could I refuse? She pestered me for days—I wouldn’t have lasted.”
I could easily imagine Sion bothering the old man, and I smirked. Knowing Sion’s personality,
If she had set her mind to it, she would never have given up.
“So, I have no reason to stop you. No reason at all.”
The old man silently sipped his coffee.
After taking a slow sip, he gently set the cup down again.
A brief silence followed.
Then, he spoke in a calm tone.
“Do as you wish.”
“But only as support. Stay off the front lines.”
“Thank you!”
Permission granted.
A support role—that was more than enough.
***
Gaon’s training facility was already exceptional.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, carefully curated training programs, and top-tier instructors, it was a place perfectly suited for nurturing heroes.
But Vanquisher’s training ground was the best in the world.
Every piece of equipment, every combat simulation system—it was all meticulously refined to perfection.
Of course, there were times when I slacked off and trained at Gaon instead.
But today, I decided to make a rare visit.
—Bang!
A sharp impact echoed through the training hall.
Looked like someone was here before me.
There, I saw Sion.
She stood with her bow in hand, silently gazing at her target.
The moment she pulled back the bowstring—
Black flames erupted.
The fire blazed fiercely as if devouring the very air itself. This wasn’t ordinary magic.
Oh?
Through my heightened perception, I could see that her flame carried a faint aura of anti-magic. I hadn’t expected Sion to achieve this level of mastery.
—Wuuung.
“Huh?”
At that moment, Catastrophe, the weapon strapped to my back, began to vibrate.
As if resonating with her energy.
But then—
“Haa…”
She let out a deep breath and lowered her bow.
After carefully setting it down, she began putting away her equipment.
It seemed her training had ended.
“Since when do lazy people train?”
I watched her for a moment before speaking in a playful tone.
Sion was incredibly talented, but she never enjoyed honing her skills.
Seeing her train like this was a rare sight.
She flinched slightly and turned her head.
***
After finishing her training, Sion carried a slightly different atmosphere than usual.
Her breathing was uneven, causing her chest to rise and fall lightly.
Her sweat-drenched clothes clung to her skin, subtly shifting with her movements.
A bead of sweat trickled down her nape, tracing along her collarbone before disappearing.
Even the tips of her hair were damp, shimmering slightly whenever she lifted her arm to wipe her forehead.
“Just… felt like it.” she mumbled vaguely, setting her bow down.
Her face was visibly flushed, likely from all the exertion.
Even her neck and collarbones were tinged red with heat.
I observed her quietly before speaking.
“Perfect timing. Are you free?”
“I am. Why?”
“Can you stay by my side for a bit?”
Sion blinked with her flushed face.
I set down the spear I had been carrying on my back and slowly reached out my hand.
—Wooooong.
Catastrophe let out a faint vibration, trembling subtly.
Ever since it had reacted to Sion’s black flames earlier, it hadn’t stopped.
“This thing is a bit dangerous, so if I suddenly collapse or something….”
“Ah… Got it.”
As my words trailed off, Sion gave a small nod.
Understanding the situation, she quietly sat down next to me.
‘Phew….’
I exhaled deeply in my mind.
My heart was pounding.
I had put this off for as long as I could, but there was no more room for delay.
To fully—or even halfway, or just a fraction—draw out Catastrophe’s power, I needed Aldebaran’s cooperation.
It was time to settle things.
Slowly, I placed my hand on the spear.
—Woooooooong…!
The spear vibrated even more intensely.
A cold, rough sensation crawled up from my fingertips.
And then—
—Grrrrrrr…
A low growl reached my ears.
I felt it.
A beastly gaze staring right into me.
From within the spear, something had awakened.
***
As Jung Haein left the room, the old man, Ha Taesung, quietly set down his coffee cup.
The dark liquid inside rippled. For a brief moment, his reflection on the surface of the coffee distorted—then faded away.
He reached toward his desk. There sat an old, worn-out picture frame.
A thin layer of dust had settled on the glass.
Ha Taesung pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the frame.
Slowly. Ever so slowly.
In the photo, a woman with long hair tied in a ponytail stood, wearing a warm smile.
Beside her, a young man playfully wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
The woman bore a striking resemblance to Sion.
And the man beside her—he was a soldier with a strong, determined expression.
They were once the people he cherished most.
“….”
He said nothing.
As he gazed at the picture, memories surfaced naturally.
That day.
The day the people he had loved most were killed by demonic humans.
But in the photograph, she was still smiling warmly.
As time passed, Sion grew more and more like her.
And strangely, Jung Haein carried a presence that reminded him of that person from back then.
That realization filled him with both joy and unease.
Ha Taesung stared at the picture in silence, then let out a quiet sigh.
“You reckless brats.”
He picked up his coffee cup once more.
He took a sip of the bitter liquid.
As if swallowing down the emotions that lingered, the heavy bitterness spread across his tongue.
He thought of the people he had once failed to protect.
Back then, he hadn’t been strong enough.
There had been no choices available to him.
But—
If such an opportunity were to come to him again…
Ha Taesung closed his eyes for a moment.
And when he opened them again, his gaze had deepened—becoming firmer, heavier.
This time, he would never let them go.
Damn, we finally have Haein's illustrations!
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