Chapter 39

EP.39 Proposal (1)

To Kim Chae-eun, Jo Jae-hyun is a special person.

The first time she saw him was after he moved into the house next door.

The house that had always been empty suddenly had a new resident, and the cold-looking man never greeted her even when they happened to meet.

A quiet and uncommunicative neighbor next door.

Even to the outgoing Kim Chae-eun.

At first, he was someone hard to approach.

‘He was also too handsome…’

Though embarrassing,

Kim Chae-eun had never seen such a handsome person in her life.

Even though she was someone whose appearance was in no way inferior to his, the combination of his cold demeanor and good looks made it hard for her to start a conversation.

So when she saw him again at the academy application center,

The sense of familiarity as a fellow rune holder,

And the feeling of closeness from being the same age and living next door.

She managed to strike up a conversation, using those as excuses.

‘Heh, I was so silly back then.’

That day, Jo Jae-hyun is still vivid in her memory.

He stood at the entrance with a dazed look on his face.

After she spoke to him, he followed her as if in a trance.

For some reason, after they reached their respective homes,

He kept thanking her.

Though he seemed silly, he was kind of cute.

The first impression of being cold and hard to approach…

That perception was shattered in an instant.

‘He’s also a good cook.’

Do Jae-hyun was full of surprises despite his appearance.

After awakening as a holder, he went to the training ground every day without fail, and each time he handled a different weapon, suggesting he had the characteristics of a multi-holder.

Whenever she visited his house after training, he would show off surprisingly good cooking skills.

Do Jae-hyun's cooking skills improved over time, becoming more sophisticated, and now they have become an essential part of Kim Chae-eun's daily meals.

The first friend she made after becoming a holder.

A friend who seems lazy but is passionate about everything.

A friend who, despite his cold appearance, is more affectionate than anyone else.

To Kim Chae-eun,

That friend has become a special and precious presence.

-Stop thinking weird thoughts. Hold my hand.

And that feeling.

It became more intense after this incident.

At his light suggestion to hold hands,

Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Jo Jae-hyun, who saved her from the brink of death.

And.

Jo Jae-hyun, who was put in mortal danger because of her.

This incident made Kim Chae-eun think a lot.

It wasn't just that she was scared because she almost died…

‘If I had been a little stronger…’

Regret over her insufficient abilities.

And the desire to become stronger.

To become strong enough to protect Do Jae-hyun.

These emotions kept knocking on the door of her heart.

As if…

Like Kang Juyeon, who destroyed the berserk Ando Kwon with a single skill.

“Are you awake? I brought some peaches, let's eat.”

At that moment, her father, Kim Myung-hyun, entered the room with fruit.

A day after the incident,

His unique way of nursing her back to mental and physical stability.

Kim Chae-eun, looking as if she had made a decision,

Clamped her lips and said to him,

“Dad, teach me swordsmanship.”

“…What?”

“Teach me how to use a sword.”

“…Chae-eun, you don’t have any sword-related runes, and your class is on the mage side, so learning swordsmanship won’t have much meaning…”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s just a foundation for self-improvement. I need to improve my physical abilities. I’m too weak.”

“……”

Seeing his daughter's resolute expression,

Kim Myung-hyun sighed deeply.

Why is she like this again?

What wind blew her to say such things…?

Kim Chae-eun is a mage-class holder.

Her class has almost no physical abilities, so training without runes won’t be very effective.

The request she made was almost unreasonable.

“……”

But he would eventually accept this unreasonable request.

No one could persuade her when she had this look on her face.

Once she made up her mind, she would see it through.

This stubbornness was inherited from her mother.

Kim Myung-hyun put a piece of peach in his mouth with a resigned look.

And sighed again.

…The peach was sweet, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

* * *

The academy was in an uproar over the attempted murder of Ando Kwon.

In the original story, he drew a lot of attention by killing his classmate, but the focus was solely on the incident and the villain behind Ando Kwon.

In contrast, this time the attempted murder failed, and Ando Kwon suddenly drank a dangerous 'Berserk Potion' and caused chaos, changing the direction of public interest.

I was the one who initially stopped Ando Kwon's murder attempt.

Kang Juyeon, who used her ultimate skill to knock him out.

And during that time,

The professors, who didn’t show any special response even when weapons were drawn.

The accumulated dissatisfaction and distrust of the holders towards the low-level academy professors erupted like a volcano, pouring out criticism.

“Where are the heroes of the Golden Age? The academy's education level is plummeting… Wow, the headline is so strong? Is it really that bad?”

I read the article on my phone in an awkward voice.

I tried to lighten the mood, but all the articles were negative given the situation.

The silence in the room felt even more awkward.

“……”

Inside the academy cafe where students often come,

I was sitting across from Kang Juyeon.

Kang Juyeon, who saved me during the Ando Kwon incident at the end-of-term evaluation.

I was so grateful for her actions.

I had promised to treat her to a meal sometime…

-…Sure. Tomorrow.

Kang Juyeon readily accepted the offer.

While she had been a constant source of surprise since we started tackling dungeons together, having a meal with her was a new and fresh experience.

Kang Juyeon's public image, fitting for a 1% elite, was cold and hard to approach.

She rarely had meals or conversations with anyone other than Moon Ga-eun, so it felt strange to be included in that circle.

Anyway, I wanted to properly express my gratitude…

So I took her to a proper restaurant and treated her.

‘My cooking is better, though…’

Honestly, compared to casual dining out,

My [Cooking] rune is at a higher level.

My cooking skills, which have reached level 5, rival those of a professional chef.

But I had to settle for the restaurant meal, as I couldn’t bring her to my house.

Now, we were in the cafe after the meal.

“…The academy has many enemies. There are many forces trying to attack the foundation that monopolizes education.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a boring topic.

Kang Juyeon also responded to the topic in a small voice.

And her analysis was quite sharp.

The monopoly of the academy by the Tack family has been a long-standing issue.

Many clans and holders are dissatisfied with the fact that an academy meant for the public good of educating early holders is run by one family and foundation.

Of course, this is a result of the Tack family's ability to absorb and integrate numerous academies throughout the history of the holder world, but such background is not important to holders chasing immediate benefits.

Kang Juyeon was connecting these circumstances to the current incident and analyzing it quite sharply.

Indeed, the successor of the <Judgment of Fire>, one of the three major clans in Korea.

“Still, it’s a fair criticism. The professors’ response was indeed disappointing. Ando Kwon, almost entirely subdued by you, Kang Juyeon.”

Thinking back, her [Inferno] was magnificent.

The highest-level fire magic that [Eternal Flame] can produce.

An eternal flame that doesn’t disappear with mere fire resistance.

A fire that burns endlessly until the target is incinerated.

Although it was probably at a basic level of proficiency after just acquiring it, it was amazing to see such a grand ultimate skill with my own eyes.

But Kang Juyeon shook her head slightly.

“Not entirely by myself.”

“Huh?”

“What? You were there. Jo Jae-hyun, because of you, I was able to subdue him.”

What kind of new information is this?

Kang Juyeon took a sip of coffee, turning her eyes away.

“The ultimate skill I used… Inferno has a condition. The fire of Inferno must follow a specific point where mana is concentrated to ignite.”

“Eh, eh? No, no, you don’t have to tell me that.”

I know that [Inferno] has conditions.

The fire follows a specific mana point on the target, and that point must be slightly worn out compared to other body parts.

It’s a fairly strict condition for an ultimate skill, but considering that [Inferno] is mainly used as a finishing move in hunts and its powerful effect, it’s not that difficult.

But telling me this is a different matter.

Even though we are comrades who tackle dungeons together, there’s no need to tell me about the conditions of her skills.

Kang Juyeon shook her head as if it was no big deal.

“I want to correct a misunderstanding. Jo Jae-hyun, if you hadn’t cut that man’s wrist at that time… I probably wouldn’t have found the starting point for Inferno.”

“Ah….”

Only then did I realize why she was telling me this.

When I used [Declaration of War] and leaped at Ando Kwon,

I had clearly knocked the axe out of his hand with my sword and continued with [Chain Strike], leaving a wound on his wrist.

Although the power wasn’t enough to completely sever it, it was a valid hit that created the conditions for Kang Juyeon’s [Inferno].

“So… it wasn’t entirely by yourself.”

“Yeah, let’s put it that way.”

Honestly, from my perspective, it looked like Kang Juyeon, who used [Inferno], did all the work… but I can’t deny her claim that my help was significant.

Kang Juyeon is a fascinating woman.

Despite growing up as the successor of an elite family, she doesn’t have a sense of privilege, and when it comes to tackling dungeons or fighting together, she is a reliable comrade.

Even more surprisingly, as time passed,

I learned that she can be quite talkative.

Opening her heart a little to people other than Moon Ga-eun.

Completely different from the character in the original story, where she was just Park Jin-woo’s comrade.

New aspects I’m getting to know.

Kang Juyeon, sipping her coffee, spoke up.

“Um… Jo Jae-hyun.”

“Yeah.”

It seemed like she was about to say something important.

Her mouth moved slightly.

She took another sip of coffee and…

Carefully spoke.

“Do you… have any plans for the summer break?”

“…What?”

What is this?

Is it a date invitation?

Seeing my confused face,

Kang Juyeon waved her hands and said,

“No, no. I… I was wondering if you have any clans in mind. If you’re okay with it… I want to offer you an internship in our clan.”

“Internship?”

“…Yeah. We’re planning to hire a few this summer.”

Clan internship.

Similar to how regular companies hire contract employees as apprentices, holder clans often hire intern clan members who are not official clan members.

Mainly, academy students nearing graduation take on these internships to gain experience or build their resumes, and sometimes regular holders who can’t find a clan take intern positions to find employment.

However, it’s rare for a first-year student, especially one from a giant clan like <Judgment of Fire>, to be offered an internship.

The proposal from Kang Juyeon, the official successor of the clan,

Was quite a bold offer to me.