Chapter 87

EP.87 Request (4)

Snap—

Crack—

A massive coldness spread in all directions.

Like a beast tearing at its prey, the coldness swept the surroundings, soon focusing on its target, a boulder.

The boulder, much larger than a person, was being consumed by the cold, gradually transforming into a block of ice.

As time passed, it became impossible to tell whether it was a rock or ice...

It seemed like a kind of ice statue was being created.

Crack—

Finally, after the rock was completely engulfed by ice.

A woman who had been watching it leaped up and shouted.

"Teacher! I succeeded! Ah...!!"

She had a pretty braid on one side and a small pin.

In her hand was a staff with a large blue gem embedded in it.

Though her outfit was disheveled from long training, her beautiful appearance still shone.

Two weeks ago, she had come to Busan.

Kim Chae-eun, who had been receiving consistent special training.

And beside her.

Jeong Seon-young, who had been teaching her one-on-one, looked at the ice boulder in front of her with a disbelieving gaze.

'To actually do it in just two weeks...'

It was astonishing.

The technique Kim Chae-eun had just demonstrated was [Ultimate Frost].

It was a high-level skill, rated as one of the most outstanding single-target skills achievable with [Freezing], and it was said that at least a B-rank Holder was required to use it.

While it was less powerful than Jeong Seon-young's ultimate skill [Blizzard] from her [Frozen Battlefield] rune, comparing a Normal Lun's general skill to an Epic Lun's ultimate skill was absurd.

The skill Kim Chae-eun had just succeeded in...

Considering her current Holder rank, it was an unbelievable feat.

'She's not just a good talent...'

As a result of focusing on special training for the past two weeks.

Jeong Seon-young had reached one conclusion.

Kim Chae-eun possessed an incredible talent, not just in ice-related skills but in the entire Mage category.

Not only had her [Spell Enhancement] and [Mana Amplification] common runes for Mages reached a considerable level, but she also showed a fairly advanced mastery of the [Adrian Spell] rune, known for its difficult manifestation and application.

She even occasionally attempted [High-Speed Incantation], though she was still inexperienced.

With this level of rune setup and mastery, she had already surpassed the student level.

She was on par with a B-rank Holder from a decent clan.

"Teacher? Why are you like that?"

Kim Chae-eun, who had been jumping excitedly, asked Jeong Seon-young, who was lost in thought.

Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun with a dazed expression and said.

"Chae-eun, are you really a Normal Lun as your main rune?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Freezing is my main rune."

While a Holder's runes are an implicit secret, there was no need to hide anything between a master and apprentice who had opened up for training.

And Kim Chae-eun's clear answer.

She only possessed [Freezing] as her main mana rune.

This made it even more incomprehensible.

A Holder's talent is directly linked to their rune talent.

A talented Holder would typically awaken with a Rare or Epic rune from the start.

It was hard to believe that Kim Chae-eun, who could implement [Ultimate Frost] at the age of twenty, even if imperfectly, only had a Normal Lun.

After a moment of contemplation, Jeong Seon-young continued.

"In my opinion... you seem to have an acquired talent."

"An acquired talent?"

"Yes."

Just because a Holder only had a Normal Lun at awakening, it didn't mean they would only use Normal Luns for life.

There were cases where runes were obtained through special items or dungeon rewards, and some Holders gained new runes through enlightenment during their training or growth.

And in Jeong Seon-young's view, Kim Chae-eun was the latter case.

"To implement [Ultimate Frost], even imperfectly, is almost impossible at your age and rank. Even if you can manage the mana arrangement, most people hit a wall in application and manifestation."

Holders with acquired talents typically obtain Normal Luns at awakening.

However, their exceptional talent and deep understanding allow them to push these runes to their limits.

As a result, they often gain related derivative runes or higher-level main runes, such as Rare or above, through advanced rune usage later on.

Based on her observations.

Kim Chae-eun clearly had an acquired talent.

Otherwise, the current results wouldn't make sense.

'Maybe...'

She harbored a fleeting thought.

Maybe.

If she continued to grow steadily.

The [Frozen Battlefield] rune, which she had always kept to herself, might also be obtained by Kim Chae-eun.

Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun, imagining such a future.

"From now on, call me Master."

"Huh? Master?! Then..."

"Yes. I want you to be my exclusive apprentice."

"Wow, wow...!!"

The words "exclusive apprentice" made Kim Chae-eun jump with joy.

Though she found it hard to believe, her face was radiant with happiness.

She seemed even happier than when she succeeded in casting [Ultimate Frost].

Seeing this, Jeong Seon-young smiled warmly.

She was also receiving her first exclusive apprentice, but she was determined to teach her to the best of her ability, having chosen her carefully.

It was a disciple worth the effort, a passionate and adorable disciple.

"And now, let's go to Seoul. There's no need to stay in Busan anymore."

"Huh? Really?"

Kim Chae-eun, who had been running around with her staff, stopped.

Her face lit up at the mention of going to Seoul.

Jeong Seon-young looked at her mischievously.

She knew the reason all too well this time.

"Is it that good?"

"Heh, heh..."

"Get ready to dress up nicely when we return. There will be someone to impress, right? There won't be any classes until August, so don't worry about that."

The relationship of an exclusive master and apprentice is not just about the disciple learning.

As a master, Jeong Seon-young also had a lot to prepare.

Unlike the temporary teaching she had done so far, this would be a formal and official relationship.

A two-week break was declared for this purpose.

Kim Chae-eun looked delighted.

"Yes, I understand, Master-!!"

While she was excited about the new training, she was equally happy about returning.

Because someone was waiting for her in Seoul.

* * *

The dinner with Moon Jung-hyuk was set for the following weekend.

They say it's easier to pull a horn from a bull if you do it quickly, so we decided not to drag it out.

Fortunately, the internship at <Fire's Judgment> wasn't too busy.

The 'Forest Covered in Snakes' strategy was such a large project that after completing it, the workload within the Hunting Team 5 was quite relaxed.

Thanks to this, Moon Ga-eun and I could meet early and plan our strategy.

"Where did we decide to meet for the first time?"

On the way to the restaurant, I suddenly remembered an important fact and asked Moon Ga-eun.

Moon Ga-eun hit my back fiercely.

"Want to get a beating? How could you forget already? It's the training ground where we had the temporary class sparring."

"Oh, right, right. And that's when we started to like each other, right?"

"Yes. We started dating a month later, on March 27th."

If we started dating a month after that...

Since it's summer break now, we've been dating for four months?

How many days is that when converted to days?

I had studied this, but the forgetfulness was truly terrifying.

"112 days. We're a couple who has just passed the 100-day mark."

Sensing my situation, Moon Ga-eun answered my unspoken question.

Wow...

I was amazed.

She had calculated this in advance and memorized it?

"Moon Ga-eun, you're really thorough when it comes to relationships, aren't you?"

"Hey... You were the one who said we should do everything perfectly!"

Smack—

Another hit from Moon Ga-eun's smash landed on my back.

I deserved it.

I can remember everything else, but why can't I remember the details like dates and places?

I even mumbled the dates out loud to memorize them.

Then, a question came to mind, and I asked Moon Ga-eun.

"Right. How will I explain that I'm interning at <Fire's Judgment>?"

In the story, I'm Moon Ga-eun's boyfriend, and she had tried to recruit me to <Royal>.

Now, I'm interning at <Fire's Judgment>.

While it's right to separate work and personal life, Moon Jung-hyuk might find it suspicious.

"Don't worry about that. I'll say I tried to recruit you because you're a talented Holder, not just because you're my boyfriend. That was actually the reason."

It was a solid answer.

I might feel a bit embarrassed, but with such a reason, it would be easy to convince <Fire's Judgment> to recruit me.

We also discussed other details, like how to address each other (we decided to use our names) and why we kept our relationship a secret.

Before we knew it, we had reached the restaurant.

"Wow... It's beautifully decorated."

An Italian restaurant in Yeoksam-dong.

True to its popularity in Gangnam, the restaurant's antique design and clean exterior were the first things to catch the eye.

The building, a modern structure, blended harmoniously with the architectural style of medieval Europe.

It must have cost a lot just to design the exterior.

Moreover, the food was excellent.

I heard it was a three-star Michelin restaurant, and with my [Cooking] rune, my taste buds were highly refined, so I was quite looking forward to it.

However, before entering the restaurant.

Something unusual caught my eye.

"There's... no one?"

There was no one inside the restaurant.

Despite its popularity and likely full reservations, the restaurant looked unusually empty.

At this strange sight.

Moon Ga-eun sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Ah... Dad must have rented the place for the whole day."

Indeed.

It made sense.

For a high-ranking official of one of the three major clans in the country, renting out a restaurant like this would be a small expense.

Now, I could finally feel that I was about to meet the father of a successful friend.

And as a boyfriend.

I felt the need to steel myself.

"Shall we go in now?"

"Yes! Uh... Uh?"

Just as we were about to enter the restaurant together.

Moon Ga-eun suddenly looked startled and stared at me.

Her determined expression from a moment ago was now filled with surprise.

Her face was also flushed.

"What, what, what? Why, why are you holding my hand?"

Ah.

That's why she was surprised.

I had naturally reached for her hand...

It seemed this wasn't part of her plan, as she quickly pulled her hand away.

I chuckled and said.

"Don't be so surprised. We're a couple now. To properly deceive your father, we need to hold hands when we go in."

I've never done anything like acting as a boyfriend before...

Did she plan to lie without any physical contact?

However, Moon Ga-eun was still flustered.

She finally managed to respond with a trembling voice.

"R-Really? B-But we've only been together for 100 days. I-Is it okay to hold hands?"

"..."

My head started to ache slightly.

...This is going to be a tough journey.