"Phew!" A priestess in a white robe fell to her butt as soon as she put down the last bundle she was carrying. "Finally done!"

Seo Yuhui skipped over and smiled. "Well done." That said, she opened the bundle and meticulously checked the contents before taking them out one at a time to organize on a nearby shelf.

The sweating girl took a deep breath and then sighed. "Ha... this refreshing smell..." She took another sniff and then blinked in shock as she looked around the room.

The cool smoke from Perpetual Snow, the clear scent of various medicinal herbs, flowers, and other plants.

It was just a basement room in a house, but it looked more like a secret underground warehouse for a grand auction with the various precious medicine and beasts stored all around.

"Wow!" The priestess took another look around and then turned to Seo Yuhui, "When did you gather all these, Unni?"

"Little by little." Yuhui carefully arranged the new herbs and said, "Somehow, it just ended up being like this over time."

The priestess looked around and made a few requests, but Yuhui chuckled and firmly denied them all.

"You're so mean, Unni..."

Yuhui laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry. I need them to feed my..." She trailed off, wondering how to describe him.

Man? That wasn't quite right. While they were close, they weren't that close.

Friend? That wasn't quite right either. The word was too distant.

Kid? If he was like how Seonhwa described him in the past, then she would say that. But Jihu was anything but a child...

"Your...? What, man? Lover?"

Yuhui was flustered and said, "P-Pardon!?"

The girl snickered. "I'm just kidding. An ice queen like Unni having a lover? Yeah right."

Yuhui just let out a wry smile.

"Yes. He isn't my lover, but he is indeed someone very precious."

A man who removed her greatest fear like it was nothing. One who made her dreary days brighten just by being near him. And the one who melted her ice heart in the future. The one who was responsible for the emotions she carried in the present, even if he was different than that person.

Unexpectedly, Yuhui found her eyes watering up at the thought.

"Unni?" The priestess looked up and said, "Are you okay?"

"...Yeah." Yuhui sighed and then started cleaning the room with more fervor.

A strange silence fell in the room.

Sensing that, the girl looked around and noticed a bag that had tipped over, revealing its contents. Seeing that, she pointed it out and said, "What's that, Unni?"

"Oh, that?" Yuhui glanced over and said, "Dissonant Wishes. They're from the people who died in Stage 3. It felt like a waste to just leave them there, so I picked them up." She paused and then quickly added, "You can't have them."

The girl looked sullen and said, "I didn't even ask..."

"They already have an owner."

"But didn't you just say that they belonged to dead people?"

"You can't have them. And I'll scold you if you touch them without my permission."

"Okay, fine..." In the end, the priestess gave up.

Seo Yuhui felt a bit guilty at that, but she firmed her heart.

It was necessary. While she wasn't sure if Jihu would change back to the person he was when she was partying with Seonhwa, especially since he had already changed by the first time they met by chance on Earth, she couldn't be certain.

If that bright and confident man was turned back into the gloomy and reckless gambler when he died in Paradise... She didn't know what she would do.

"Unni?"

Yuhui shook her head.

The priestess got to her feet and looked at Yuhui. "Can I at least know who the lucky person is that's receiving Unni's unprecedented support and care?"

"Mm..." Yuhui rested her chin on her thumb and looked up at the ceiling.

Who was he?

Seol Jihu. The man who made miracles, the confident and unprecedented magic swordsman so unlike that arrogant bastard who used to party with her and Baek Haeju. The one who was so similar and yet so different to that person. But most importantly...

"He's... my guiding star."

"...Star?"

"Yes." Yuhui smile and said, "A brilliant, bright star that outshines everything else and lights my path."

xxx

The morning sunlight filtered in through the window, tickling Phi Sora's nose.

Opening her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar room. While it was decently furnished, the bed and furniture worn down but in good condition, it was still far from the luxury she was just living in a few days ago.

Seeing that, she couldn't help but laugh at her current situation. Once a proud and might High Ranker with her own organization, now she was just a pitiful woman who was leeching off a man to whom she owed a great debt... and because she was too proud to ask to properly join his team.

She shook her head and then stood up.

Since she had lived like a slave in the past, she didn't mind the change in environment. If anything, it was a godsend considering that it was safe and secure as well as comfortable.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of irony.

Initially, she was the one who wanted to recruit the guy on her expedition, but now she was trying to get him to recruit her...

It was funny.

Her class, the Royal Guard, was a perfect balance of offense and defense, making it top pick among warriors. Then, with her abilities, she practically had a free pass to join any other team.

But he didn't seem to care.

Phi Sora huffed and threw on her clothes. 'Just what does he think I'm lacking?'

Even though he might be a High Ranker with a named class and his own realm, it wasn't like she wasn't a warrior without one. When taking into account the other people in Carpe Diem, one a half-baked priestess cum warrior, another a muscle head, a perverted old wizard who somehow got younger, and the last... well, considering the last was a Saintess and another named class, she couldn't complain much.

Still!

He should have at least asked... The moment he did, she would accept, and it would be settled.

But he didn't ask.

"Hmph." Phi Sora walked out of the room, sulking.

...It was just a small team anyway. It wasn't like it was an organization or something. He should have been thankful to get someone like her to join.

That was what Sora thought.

But she soon had to correct that thought as visitors started coming by.

The first visitor was Teresa Hussey. Barely a day after the kids officially joined, the Princess strolled into the building and took over the kitchen, personally cooking breakfast for Jihu.

"You've been pretty busy lately, haven't you, Darling?"

Jihu laughed. "Still calling me names, huh, Resa?"

"Mm, it's fun seeing how you react, Sweetie."

"...Right. Anyway, don't you have better things to do? Not that I don't appreciate free breakfast, but-"

"This is my second home, so why shouldn't I be here, Love?"

"...My aliases are going to be all sorts of messed up at this rate... But anyway, it's a problem, isn't it? Won't word spread that you spend all your time with some no-good guy like me?"

"Hmph. If you're a no-good guy then all the males in the world are trash, my love."

Watching the interaction, Phi Sora couldn't believe her eyes. The tomboy and harsh princess of Haramark flirting with a random warrior... Visiting was already shocking enough, but to be that involved...

But her shock didn't end there. Later that day, when Princess Teresa left, Ayase Kazuki came by.

Seeing that, Phi Sora hid behind a corner and eavesdropped.

"Kaz! How've you been? Is Yui alright?"

"She's fine... Better than before, actually. It seems like spending time on Earth is helping her distance herself from the incident. She's even thinking about returning to repay the favor to you as well."

"Tell her to not push herself, alright? I didn't save her to gain a debt, but because it was the right thing to do."

"...You are an honorable man, Jihu."

"How have you been, by the way? Anything I can help you with?"

Kazuki laughed. "Nothing in particular. Japan Business Federation is threatening me as always, but I'm under a reliable tree now."

"Oh?"

"Indeed. The Triads have been taking care of me well since our last venture and that man... Well, your sworn brother, Hao Win, is quite trustworthy."

"That's great to hear. But if you need something, let me know, alright? If it's within my capabilities, I'll be glad to lend a hand."

"I'll keep it in mind, Jihu. But a man has to solve his problems by himself at times too."

Ayase Kazuki. It was a name that Phi Sora had heard before. Haramark's rising star, one of the few lucky to be taught by the Kingmaker and raised by the Daughter of Luxuria for a short time. He was also a High Ranker on the cusp of becoming level six.

But that wasn't all. Later that evening, the black suit army- That was, the Triads, came to visit as well.

"My sworn brother! How have you been?"

"Hey, Hao Win."

"Come on, I thought we were closer than that, Bro?"

"Hey, I treat you like a brother too, Hao. An annoying older brother. But there's lines to draw when in official business, you know?"

"Oh? I didn't think you'd admit to being my brother..."

"The hell? Were you joking around the whole time? Asshole."

"Haha, I kid, I kid. So, I heard you got some new members, Bro?"

Hao Win was the Triad's upcoming leading executive, essentially the man in charge. And that guy treated Jihu as his sworn brother?

Phi Sora left when the conversation got to that point, but her mind was already beginning to spin.

But the shocks weren't over.

Late in the evening, another visitor arrived.

"Jihu."

"Hm? Oh, Claire. Man, I'm getting a lot of visitors today, huh?"

"I've come to have you take responsibility."

"P-Pardon?!"

"...I'm joking. You always seem to be in control, so I wanted to test things out."

"That's mean. You made me worry that I did something weird while I was asleep or something..."

"Hm? That's what you're concerned about?"

"Of course. If I really did something that required me to take responsibility, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew that I hurt you, Claire."

"...I see what Boss was talking about before. If he lost control of his sword..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Now, I heard that you recently recruited my two former disciples?"

"Oh yeah! Seol-Ah and Sungjin are here. Did you want to check up on them?"

It was only because Miss Agnes was focused on Jihu that Phi Sora wasn't noticed. She was sure of it.

But that in itself was incredible.

The stories about Claire Agnes were infamous. Sicilia's war hawk and one of Paradise's infamous Six Crazies. A malicious woman who invited an enemy executive during Haramark's internal conflict and personally cut apart his subordinates' body parts before serving them on a platter.

And that woman... was acting coy around Jihu and even joking around? That no nonsense, straight-faced, and terrifying woman?

Sitting back in her room that night, Phi Sora was forced to change her mind.

Carpe Diem... might be more incredible than she thought.

But she didn't realize that the biggest surprise had yet to come.

xxx

The next day around noon. After discussing with Maldong, I summoned everyone to the office.

When they arrived, I made a simple announcement. "We're going to Huge Stone Rocky Mountain."

At that, Chohong paused in the middle of lighting her cigarette. Hugo froze in place as well, his mouth open and a fruit in his hand.

Ian shook his head. "More training, I see... Mm, I suppose there is a need to get those two caught up."

I looked at him and said, "Do you want to come with?"

Ian's eyes widened, flitting towards Maldong, and he laughed. "I'm fine. This old man shouldn't strain himself, hoho..."

Maldong scoffed. "Your body is young enough, 'old friend.' Or do you not have faith in that rejuvenation potion?"

"Oh no, I have plenty of faith in that. What I don't have faith in is my body's ability to hold out under your 'ahem' rigorous training. I *am* a Magician first, you know?"

"Hmph."

"No, no." Ian shook his head and said, "I think I'll stay behind and do some research. Mr. Muto and I are in the final stages of our project anyway, so it'd be best to not get too far away."

I blinked and said, "But you can teleport now, can't you?"

Ian coughed. "Besides, I also have something to do back on Earth. There's some contract work I need to finish, you see..."

Maldong shook his head.

"Ooh!" Flone stood up and said, "Can I come, Jihu?"

I nodded. "Of course... but we're mostly going to be training. I don't think you need to?"

"I know, but I want to go look around! And I want do some training too! I have a lot of skills I haven't figured out yet!"

"Sounds good. I'll pack some stuff for you."

At that time, seeing that things were mostly wrapped up, Chohong calmly took out her cigarette and said, "When are we leaving?"

Hugo nodded. "Right. What time are we heading out, Leader?"

"Mm... I don't know." I glanced at Maldong and said, "What do you think, Master?"

Jang Maldong glanced at Hugo and Chohong. Smirking, he said, "Who knows? Probably tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow." Chohong nodded.

"I see," Hugo said. "Tomorrow..."

The two warriors nodded and exchanged glances. Then...

"Return alive, kids!" Chohong ran off.

"I'm getting outta here!" Hugo charged after her.

A breakneck sprint, not caring for their lives.

Even Sora screamed. "Mooooom!" She jumped to her feet and started running... but then she paused, as if suddenly realizing her situation and let out a sigh of relief.

Ian laughed at the situation, and even Flone giggled.

Maldong clicked his tongue and said, "Idiots."

Yi Seol-Ah watched the creaking door and frowned, confused. That expression was shared by her younger brother.

Maldong turned around and glanced at Sora. "I get those two, but why did you run away?"

The crimson-haired woman shook her head. "I... don't know. When I heard the words 'Huge Stone Rocky Mountain', my body reacted on its own..."

Maldong laughed. "I see that you still like to exaggerate."

"Exaggerate?" Sora shook her head. "Grandpa, don't you know I shat out blood every day there?"

Seol-Ah and Sungjin paled.

"Ai, stop trying to scare the kids."

"I'm not trying to scare them! I'm telling the truth!"

Ian nodded. "Thus spoke Cassandra... and yet none believed her."

Maldong frowned.

Ian whistled and quickly left the room.

I sighed, worn out by the comedy show that played out in front of me, and said, "Well it looks like we won't see those two for at least a couple of days..."

Maldong adjusted his fedora and said, "I'm sure they'll stay put in their little hideouts and then come out when they think we're gone. Those two are always too obvious..."

"Mm... Should we wait? Those two really do need some proper training..."

"True. But there's no point wasting energy on those fools."

I nodded. "Right. Then should we get-"

Light footsteps walking up the stairs to the front door. Not long after, a shadow slowly peeked through the open door. "Hello."

A soft and graceful female voice.

Glancing over, I saw a familiar face.

Yuhui stood in the doorway, her hands politely cusped at her waist. Catching my eye, she smiled and gave a low curtsy. "Pardon the intrusion." Raising her head and seeing everybody, she said, "Did I come at a bad time?"

Maldong was shocked and quickly waved her in. "No, no! Please, come in!" He even stood up and offered his seat for her.

I rolled my eyes and said, "There's no need to exaggerate so much, Coach. And here, Yuhui." I pulled out a seat beside me.

"Thanks, Jihu." She smiled and sat down at my offered chair.

Phi Sora's eyes were wide in shock, flitting from me to Yuhui.

Even Maldong's were wide. "That's... Hah. I forgot..." He shook his head and then went silent.

I turned my attention to Yuhui and said, "What brings you here? Did you finally finish moving in?"

"Mmhm." She nodded and said, "I did." She turned to Maldong and said, "Apologies for not visiting sooner. I was busy with many things..." She glanced at Flone and said, "And Miss Flone said everyone else was busy as well."

I gave Flone a blank stare.

She turned her head to the side and whistled.

I sighed.

Yuhui continued. "Even so, since I was free today I wanted to meet Master Jang Maldong."

"Hoh!" Maldong shook his head and said, "An honorable guest like the Daughter of Luxuria addressing this old man so politely... I'm embarrassed."

The two had a back and forth of saying that it was more of an honor to meet the other person.

During that, I had an interesting time watching Phi Sora's reaction.

Well, for a while. But then Flone sidled over to me and poked me in the side. She didn't speak out loud, but in my head. [I forgot again, Jihu. Sorry.]

'It's fine. We *were* all busy. Besides, Yuhui's nice. She won't get upset over something like that.'

[Hoh... Nice, you say...?]

Flone's voice sounded a bit frosty at that, but I pointedly decided to ignore that fact.

The conversation between Maldong and Yuhui finally came to a close with him saying that she was free to ask for help if she needed anything.

The moment that he did...

"In that case, might I borrow Jihu for a while?"

"Hm?" I looked over at her and said, "Did you need help moving things still?"

"Yes. I have a few things I have left to unpack and it's been difficult doing it alone..."

"Ah!" Seol-Ah stood up and said, "We can help too!"

"No." Yuhui replied with a gentle smile and said, "Just Jihu is enough."

"E-Eh?" Seol-Ah blinked.

I resisted the urge to chuckle at Yuhui's possessiveness. Instead, I smiled and said, "Well we should get going then." I stood up and walked off. "Let's go, Yuhui."

She smiled and quickly followed after me.

xxx

I took a look around as we entered Yuhui's house. While it wasn't a complete mess, there were still sacks strewn around the floor, similar to how boxes were laid out when someone just moved in.

Even so, there was a homely feeling to the place despite the newly moved attire.

"Pardon the mess." Yuhui blushed and said, "I only just finished moving everything in from storage."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, it's not like it's an uncluttered chaos. Everything clearly has a place, right?"

"That's true."

I looked over to Yuhui and said, "Is there something in particular you need help with? Or did you just want an excuse to chat with your stalking target?"

Yuhui pouted. "You aren't going to let me live that down, are you?"

"I will when you admit to stalking me for about a half year straight in public."

"Never!"

"Then you'll never live it down."

Yuhui bristled.

I smiled and then peeked in one of the bags. Cheese, dried meats, vegetable... the usual food ingredients were inside. "Hm... Didn't take you for a food hoarder, Yuhui."

"I am not! And you know just as well as I do that these were for the residents of Ramman Village settling into Haramark!"

I laughed, "True, true... but you're so easy to tease, you know?"

"...Meanie."

I shrugged and picked up the bag. "So, do you need this anywhere?"

"...Not really?"

I blinked and set it back down. "Wait. Don't tell me you really just wanted an excuse to chat with me in private?" I half-turned my body and said, "Should I be running away?"

"Hmph!" Yuhui huffed and snatched the bag away from me. As she did, she muttered, "I see what she meant about the tricks now..."

"Did you say something?"

Yuhui smiled and said, "Nothing~! But I have to say, you're an incredible person, you know? I heard about how you turned down three gold bars to use them for the residents instead."

I waved my hand. "It wasn't anything big. I didn't really have a need for the gold anyway."

"Even so, that makes you a good person. Someone who wasn't would have kept the gold regardless of whether they needed it or not."

I shook my head. "I'm not a good person. Didn't I tell you at the beginning? Nothing good will come from hanging around a guy like me."

Yuhui laughed. "You're too modest, Jihu."

I shook my head. "You'll seriously regret it at this rate, Yuhui. After all, if I take your heart, you'll be ruined forever."

Yuhui looked away and mumbled. "You already did."

I pretended to not hear and gave her a blank look.

"Anyway," Yuhui said. "I really do need your help tomorrow though to deliver these ingredients. Are you free?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'll be busy starting tomorrow. We're heading to Huge Stone Rocky Mountain with the kids to help them train. And I've got some training of my own I need to get done."

"That's wonderful!" She clasped her hands together and said, "I have an errand to tend to there as well! If you are all going, let's go together!"

"...You know, if you really want to spend time with me you could just ask?"

Yuhui blushed.

I sighed and then stretched. "Well, since you're that desperate about it... We might as well enjoy ourselves while we're here in private."

Yuhui's blush deepened and she started to stammer. "E-Enjoy ourselves?!" She fanned her face and averted her gaze. "J-Jihu... That's..."

I pointedly ignored the rapidly swirling crimson threads and materialized a cooking set along with some ingredients. "How about some food?"

"...Hah." Yuhui let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

xxx

Early the next morning, just as the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Back in the main lobby of Carpe Diem's headquarters.

Hugo and Chohong were nowhere to be seen. Ian was gone too, staying late at the palace the other night working on that project.

That left just me, Maldong, Flone, Seol-Ah, Sungjin, and Sora.

Flone was sitting at a chair, intently reading an ancient tome. Maldong was seated across from her, idly flipping through this morning's report from the information group. Seol-Ah and Sungjin were still half-awake. And as for Sora... She was leaning on the wall next to me, idly staring at her fingers.

I took a sip from my thirteenth cup of coffee and then looked at her. "Are you sure you're good coming along?"

Sora nodded. "The place will be empty anyway, won't it? Besides, I think I need to get in some more training."

I frowned and then lowered my voice. "And your friends?"

Sora paused and then gave me a faint smile. "Because of you, I managed to get to them all in time. It's... tough, but they're doing well."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Sora nodded and then frowned. "What are we waiting for anyway? I thought we were going to head out to train? Shouldn't we leave?"

I sipped my tenth cup of coffee and said, "We're not in a rush. Besides, there's another person who wanted to tag along."

"Another person?" Sora frowned. "And who-?"

"Jihu!" The front door opened and Yuhui walked inside, lugging a heavy suitcase with her. She let out a bright smile and said, "I'm sorry for being late. I had to pack a few things for my mission."

Sora froze. "S-Seo Yuhui?!" She turned her head back to me, demanding an explanation.

I ignored her and walked over to Yuhui, holding out my hand for a hi-five. "Congrats on waking up early, Yuhui."

"Yeah!" She gave me a hi-five and said, "It was hard, you know? I usually get twelve hours of beauty sleep!"

Seol-Ah suddenly perked up and said, "So is that how she's so beautiful?"

I glanced over at her and said, "You... probably shouldn't try to imitate Yuhui, Seol-Ah. She's a bit... Special, you see?"

Yuhui huffed and poked me in the side. "Meanie!"

"Hey, it's a compliment!"

"It wasn't! Don't think you can slide one past me like that! That got added to my aliases!"

I laughed.

Sora stared at me and Yuhui, her eyes blank. No, did her mind short-circuit?

...Eh, she'll get over it.

Maldong smiled and nodded his head towards Yuhui. "Good morning, Miss Yuhui."

"Morning, Master Maldong!" Yuhui bowed her head and said, "Thank you for letting me come along!"

Maldong let out a dry laugh. "I didn't have a choice in the matter... but you're welcome."

"Hm?" Yuhui blinked and then looked towards me. "What does he mean, Jihu?"

"Ah." I nodded and said, "I told him that you would track me down to the ends of the Earth and Paradise if we suddenly went missing, so we should wait for you."

Yuhui huffed and then punched me. Of course, since she was a Priestess, it didn't really hurt.

...Actually, it probably should have considering the level difference, but I was me, so it was fine.

"You really are a meanie! And why is it only me?"

"Because turnabout is fair play. Do you know how many days I had to wonder if that ominous stare was from someone trying to kill me or not?"

"It wasn't that intense!"

"Maybe to you. But I'm sensitive to these things, you know?"

Maldong coughed. "Not to be rude... But we should get going, Jihu."

"Ah, right, right." I stopped teasing Yuhui and looked around. "Hm... Ian set up some formations to protect the place, but I might as well throw up a few more... Done. And now..." I glanced at everyone and said, "Brace yourselves. The first time's a bit of a doozy."

Yuhui blinked. "What do you-"

I slammed my hand on the ground. "Let's go!"

Space warped and then we vanished. A second later, we were standing in front of the cave that Muto used to use for his hideout. The one that I cleared out last time to prove myself to Maldong.

"Mean... Blergh." Yuhui staggered, suddenly turning pale.

I rubbed her back and said, "I warned you."

"Urgh... You big... meanie..." Yuhui glared at me and then cast a quick spell on herself. Probably an anti-nausea thing.

Since she was settled, I decided to check up on the others.

Flone was fine... Though she was sending Yuhui daggers with her eyes between flipping the pages in her book.

Maldong was shaking his head, but he seemed used to it.

Sungjin was passed out cold. A bit disturbing, but useful way to get through the nausea.

Seol-Ah... was perfectly fine. Then again, she had good balance, so she probably didn't mind it.

As for the last member in our group... Sora was also fine. Though she was staring at me and muttering under her breath. Hopefully nothing dangerous like plans to murder me.

...Huh. I was pretty hyper today. Maybe I shouldn't have had so much coffee. But caramel expressos were so tasty and I didn't have any for a while. And since I managed to figure out how to make caffeine, sugar, syrup, and caramel, it was super tasty mixing it all together. Especially when you could concentrate it all and since my body could take it without dying because of my stats. Super cool.

A screech echoed from the cave. At the same time, a few double-headed figures emerged from the darkness inside of it. Cave Ettins.

Great! I needed to let off steam.

I hopped on my feet a few times and reached for my sword... And then I paused.

I had a handy new spear to use, didn't I?

Maldong looked at me and said, "Jihu, would you-"

"LET'S GO!" I ran forward, materializing the crimson spear from my left arm.

It emerged in a flash of red light. At the same time...

[Impending Demise resonates with ???????]
[Impending Demise reveals the true nature of ???????]
[Demonic Spear <Gae Bolg> has been created.]

"Oh yeah!" I spun the materialized crimson spear in my hands and split apart the first few monsters charging at me. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"J-Jihu?!" Maldong's concerned voice echoed.

I laughed and said, "It's fine, it's fine! I've just had a lot of caffeine. Caffeeen... What a funny word..." I chuckled and then stabbed a Cave Ettin.

The thrust pierced through its head. But it didn't end there. Like a blossoming flower, crimson light bloomed and shredded the air in front of the Cave Ettin, killing the ones remaining.

But I could sense more, hiding further in.

I grinned and then ran into the darkness.

xxx

Screams echoed from the cave, along with maniacal laughter.

Seol-Ah blinked and slowly turned towards Jang Maldong. "Um... Grandpa Maldong?"

The old man adjusted his fedora and then glanced over. "Hm? What is it, Seol-Ah?"

She looked into the cave and said, "Is... Oppa okay?"

He was different. The Oppa she remembered definitely didn't act like that. He was calm and collected... A bit mischievous sometimes, but always cool.

That Oppa... He was still cool, but he was a bit...

Maldong frowned. "I... think so? Maybe the stress finally got to him." Saying that, he turned to look at Sora.

She blinked. "What?! It wasn't me, Grandpa!"

"...Of course it wasn't." Maldong looked away.

At that time, the pretty Unni... Well, the pretty Unni with black hair who seemed really close with Oppa sighed. "That Jihu... He can handle it well, but he really shouldn't be using a weapon with such a strong curse."

"Eh?" Seol-Ah looked at the pretty Unni... Yuhui. That was her name. Seol-Ah looked at Yuhui and said, "Oppa's weapon is cursed?"

At that time, the other pretty Unni answered. Miss Flone, if Seol-Ah remembered right.

Anyway, Flone nodded and said, "Yep! Jihu picked that up when saving the red- I mean, Miss Sora over there. It's suuuuper cursed. More cursed than my- I mean, the resentment that had been trapped in Forest of Denial."

Yuhui blinked. "Really? Is that why Jihu's acting so strange?"

"Nope." Flone flipped a page in her book and said, "He figured out how to make a tasty coffee drink the other day with his mana. I think he called it a caramel express shot with refined sugar?" She shrugged and said, "Jihu thought it was tasty and drank a dozen of them last night since we were going to leave so early anyway."

Seol-Ah blinked. A dozen caramel express shots...?

"Ah." Yuhui nodded. "That... would do it."

Maldong let out a long sigh. "I suppose this is a form of training as well..."

Jihu's mad laughter echoed, accompanied by more screams and the sound of flesh flying everywhere.

...Maybe Oppa was right about warning them...? Still, they had come all this way, so...

xxx

I cleaned up the blood around me and dismissed Gae Bolg. After that, I walked out of the cave and cleared my throat. "Ahem. Sorry about that." I rubbed the back of my neck and said, "Too much caffeine today."

Also, bad idea to have undiluted caffeine and sugar even with my stats.

Maldong shook his head. "You cleaned up properly at least?"

I nodded. "Sparkly clean. I even spruced the place up a bit so the kids will be able to rest properly."

Mostly with some magic formations enhancing rest and relaxation, but I also tidied up to get rid of insects, bugs, etc.

"Good." Maldong gave me an approving nod and then said, "And how is that?" He glanced at my left arm and said, "You learned a new trick?"

"Mm... Something like that." I glanced at the crimson jagged scar on my left arm and said, "I'll do some more testing with it later, but I think it's a neat trump card."

"Mm." Maldong nodded. "I suppose keeping something like that in reserve isn't bad. And your growth is only aided by learning new things instead of usually being hindered by that, so-"

The sound of scribbling. Yuhui, taking notes on a scratchpad with a pen.

Maldong turned to look at her, tilting his head.

I glanced at her as well. "Yuhui?"

"Ah." She shook her head and smiled. "Don't mind me. I'm just making some notes for my mission."

Maldong gave a slow nod. "I... see." He turned back to me and said, "In any case, I don't really have any more advice for you on how to train. But if you need ideas, I'm welcome to go over them with you."

I smiled. "Thanks Coach. But I'll probably be busy a while anyway... I've got a few tests I want to try anyway."

Flone hopped up and said, "Ooh!" She waved her arm and said, "Can I train with you, Jihu?"

I blinked. "You? With me?"

She nodded. "I still need to practice my skills, remember? And it should help you learn too!"

I paused.

...That was right. Flone *did* have some skills she didn't use. Her class came along with some Saintess like abilities, but we didn't know what they did just yet.

Though...

I shifted my gaze to Yuhui and said, "Actually... Could you help her out, Yuhui?"

"P-Pardon?" Yuhui blinked and said, "Me?"

Flone frowned. "Why her, Jihu?"

"Well." I looked at Flone and said, "You're a Saintess, and Yuhui's the Daughter of Luxuria... Which is kind of like a Saintess. I'm sure that she could help you figure out those Saintess abilities more efficiently than I could. And your combat abilities... Well, we already know how those work."

Flone pouted, but then she sighed. "Fine... I guess I'd be dragging you down anyway." She looked up at Yuhui and said, "Do you mind, Miss Yuhui?"

Yuhui let out a gentle smile. "Not at all, Miss Flone. And I wanted to get to know you better anyway."

Flone smiled.

Maldong nodded. "Good. In that case..." He looked at Sora and said, "What do you plan to do?"

"Hm?" Sora blinked and then pointed to herself. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Your dear Grandpa here will be too occupied training the kids to pay attention to you."

"I-"

"Actually." I looked at Sora and said, "Do you mind sparring with me?"

"...Huh?"

Maldong blinked and then chuckled. "I suppose that would work... But don't go too hard on her, Jihu."

Sora narrowed her eyes. "What? Don't have faith in your cute granddaughter, Grandpa?"

Maldong shook his head. "I do. But Jihu is... Well, I'm sure you'll find out." He looked over at Seol-Ah and said, "Wake your brother, Seol-Ah. The time for rest is over... And remember. From this point on, there's no going back."

I noticed a bright glint in Maldong's eyes. The familiar glint of someone staring at a masterpiece in the work.

I waved at the Yi siblings and said, "Try not to die, you two. I'll see you later."

Seol-Ah smiled. "Yes. I'll see you later, Oppa- Wait. Try not to die?"

I grabbed my sword and looked at Sora. "Let's go."

Sora walked to my side and gave me a sly smile. "Ooh, inviting me out to show me your sword... A lady might misunderstand, you know?"

As we walked away to an open clearing, I glanced back at her and said, "You're the one who should be careful. If *I* misunderstand, I might just eat you up. Unlike how it seems, I'm not a very good guy, you know?"

Sora came to a stop, placing her hand on her sword. "Is that so? Are you sure you can handle me?"

I glanced around.

It wasn't too big, but we managed to find a decently open space in the mountain trail a fair bit away from the others.

Since that was the case, I held up my sword and nodded. "Of course. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have asked you to come with me."

"My, my, talking dirty already? I think you'll need to do a bit more foreplay first to get me warmed up before you can make me come with you, Dear."

I chuckled.

This was surprisingly fun. Unlike the other women I knew, Sora didn't get flustered from the insinuations and wordplay.

"Then how about you try out my sword? Seems like you're already used to holding one in your hands, so it should come natural, right?"

Sora laughed. "I knew I liked you." She grinned and said, "So how are we doing this? Raw, or with protection?"

"Mm... I wouldn't want to make you bleed on the first time, so we'll do this with protection."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Hoh... Well, well. Let's see if you can put your sword where your mouth is then."

"I can't, but you seem pretty flexible. Why don't we try out a few positions first?"

Sora laughed. "Alright. Enough playing around." She put on a serious face and then said, "Don't hate me afterwards, Dear."

I chuckled. "Same to you, Babe. Try not to get too upset when your stamina isn't as great as you think it is."

"Hmph." Sora put her sword over her shoulder and said, "Come on then. Hope that sword's not overcompensating for anything."

I smiled. And then I stepped forward.

A flowing slash, aimed at Sora's side. Not done with excessive speed or strength, but just enough.

Her crimson eyes widened, but then she grinned and parried the blow. "Not bad."

Two words. In that span of time, Sora's sword flew towards my neck.

But I saw it coming so I moved.

A subtle shift, enough to where the attack would have missed by a hair's margin even before she stopped her blade.

And in that step, my sword moved again, piercing towards her heart.

Sora's eyes narrowed and she stepped back with her left foot, clearing the thrust. At the same time, she used the motion to cut towards my side.

I brought down my elbow and left knee, catching her sword.

"What?" Sora's clear voice blurred with shock.

I used the gap to swing at her extended arm.

Sora stepped back, pulling her sword free. No, she tried to twist it free, but it wasn't budging, so she had to retreat and pull it back.

Like that, a gap opened up between us.

I lowered my sword, smiling.

Sora frowned. "...I see. No wonder Grandpa respects you."

"I can say the same back to you. I was wondering why Coach was so worried about you... You're really good. Paradise would have lost a great talent if you vanished."

Intuition and fluid movement that was like the sword was a natural extension of her body... I was envious. I could do something similar, but her movements were natural. Inborn talent.

Sora focused. "...Flattery won't make me go easy on you."

I nodded. "I know. That's why I wanted to spar with you."

"Tch." Sora clicked her tongue and then stepped forward. This time, she took the offensive.

I smiled.