-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Second L-Class
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Damn it! Who cares! The way she's charging, she's definitely here to kill us! This is exactly the 'special situation' Siljangnim Do was talking about! Attack now! A preemptive strike is the best defense!”
Yoo Su-eun grabbed the arm of the party's ranged dealer, Han Su-eon, and screamed. As if that were the signal, the enemy stomped a foot down and leaped high into the air.
Pulling the terrified Yoo Su-eun behind him, Han Su-eon immediately chanted an incantation and waved his hand.
“Attribute Conversion, Activate Lightning.”
A deep blue light condensed beneath his palm, and with a crackle, electricity sparked. As the skill activated, Han Su-eon's blue eyes shone brilliantly.
【Activating 'Title—The One Who Lost Their Eyes'. Your field of vision is expanded. You can hit anything you see.】
His special eyes secured his view. In his now distinctly wider field of vision, the enemy came into sharp focus. The spear of lightning in his hand flew toward the target its master had designated.
A spear under the effect of his title would never miss its target.
However, the woman swatted the lightning away with a terrifyingly large blade she held. The scattered currents surged around, constricting her body, but even so, she was smiling.
Ah, in that moment, the four of them met the woman's eyes. Everyone's body froze stiff.
Pure golden eyes that didn't dim in the slightest, even amidst the fiercely crackling electricity.
Dwelling within them was a power so immense it could make even an S-Class feel fear for a moment.
They all realized. That was a monster.
【Awakened 'Yoo Su-eun's' fear has exceeded the limit! Forcibly activating 'Title—Grant Us Salvation'!】
The moment Yoo Su-eun felt the fear of death, a massive golden shield slammed down between the party and the enemy. It was her unique skill, 'Final Bastion,' which automatically activated whenever Yoo Su-eun, who valued her own safety above all else, felt an overwhelming sense of fear.
The immense protective power radiating from the shield instantly extinguished the lightning, and the enemy was thrown back.
“She's stopped.”
Once the woman's gaze was broken, the first to regain their senses were Do Junyeong and Jeong Hoyoung.
This was their only chance.
The two drew their swords and rushed forward. And just as Jeong Hoyoung was about to activate her stealth skill…
“Wait! Calm down! Ca-calm down!”
Everyone flinched at the rough voice that echoed loudly around them. At any other time, they would never have let their guard down during a battle, but…
*Korean?*
Their feet stopped instinctively at the all-too-familiar language. Even the English that followed was pure Konglish.
“Huh? You understood what I just said, right?! Are you guys Korean, by any chance?!”
The four of them stared strangely at the woman beyond the shield. Just moments ago, she had been charging at them with a terrifying, threatening aura, but now, the enemy was bouncing around excitedly like a puppy out for a walk.
“I knew it! Wow! So the Gate connected to Korea! What a relief! Man, my luck is great right from the start, huh?”
They even saw the illusion of a puppy's tail wagging like a propeller behind her, making the four wonder if they'd been hit by some kind of skill.
“It's been so long since I've heard Korean! Nothing beats your mother tongue! Right, can I come over there? Here, I won't do anything!”
The woman tossed aside the weapon she was holding. The fearsome blade that had met Han Su-eon's lightning head-on clattered to the ground.
“Damn, what the hell is that?”
Yoo Su-eun, having regained her composure, muttered a curse. It was laced with anger at herself for feeling fear toward something like that.
“If you're still not comfortable, you can tie me up. It's fine, it's fine. It's only natural you'd be scared after meeting someone as strong as me. I get it!”
“Fuck! I'm not scared! Who said I was scared! You crazy mutt!”
Yoo Su-eun, feeling called out, yelled back. But that only seemed to delight the strange woman even more.
“You really can understand me? Oh my god, I think I'm gonna cry! To meet people from my homeland like this!”
The woman covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes welling with tears. Growing more and more confused, Do Junyeong pressed a hand to his forehead.
“People from your homeland, you say. Are you really Korean? Why on earth are you here?”
“Got swept into a Gate, you know. It's been a while. Man, I thought I'd be living here for the rest of my life.”
“Does that mean you've been here for a long time?”
“Of course. I was here even before the Gate you came through appeared.”
Do Junyeong's expression hardened at her words.
“Since when, exactly...?”
“Curious? If you're curious, it'll cost you 500 won!”
A chilly silence fell once more. Yoo Su-eun spat another curse.
“Judging by that dated joke, I think she's really Korean.”
The suspicion faded, leaving only bewilderment.
“It seems she's one of the Awakened who went missing after being swept into a dungeon.”
Jeong Hoyoung, who had often assisted with Association work through Song Hanna, quickly came to a conclusion.
The immense power that had frightened even Yoo Su-eun must have been the result of her struggle to survive in this dungeon. A look of pity crossed Jeong Hoyoung and Han Su-eon's faces.
“I am Do Junyeong, the head of the Korean Awakened Management Association's Management Office. The Association will take you into custody until the situation is assessed. We will guarantee your safety until you are deemed not to be a threat.”
This was the first time they had encountered a missing person. There was much they needed to hear.
“As long as you take me with you, I don't care about anything else! I'm so excited! Thank you so much!”
At Do Junyeong's words, the woman's face lit up, and she beamed. It was clearly a happy smile, yet it looked so sorrowful it could bring one to tears, and Do Junyeong couldn't look away.
She looked like someone whose lifelong wish had finally been granted.
The woman, who introduced herself as Jarim, obediently handed over her weapon and crossed through the Gate in restraints. The moment she, with an overwhelmed expression, fully emerged on the other side…
【Congratulations! Korea's second L-Class Awakened has been born!】
The astonishing message, seen for the second time, shook the vision of every Awakened in Korea.
And Yoon Seora was no exception.
The birth of an L-Class Awakened. Wasn't everything unfolding exactly as it had when she first met Kang Sejun?
Seora nervously bit her nails and stared into the air.
*Elizabeth. Don't tell me this time, it's the same... that, re...*
She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
*Please, no. Let it not be true.*
Perhaps it heard her desperate wish.
【Administrator: X(´ω`)X】
She felt a genuine sense of relief at the Administrator's message. Right, having one was already cheating the system; two would just mean the end of the world.
*If it's not a re...gressor, then what in the world is it this time?*
【Administrator: ₍₍ ◝(•ω•)◟ ⁾⁾】
Ugh. Of course, you never say anything important.
The one silver lining was that there was someone else she could squeeze information out of. Seora immediately pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts.
The name she was looking for was 'Absolute Damage.'
Mr. Regressor, who surely had a lot of information after regressing five times. She'd planned to take his money and block him immediately, but somehow, she ended up having to contact him first.
Seora frantically typed out a text and sent it. The reply that arrived shortly after read…
[I don't know anything about this. A new L-Class has never appeared at this time.]
—it said.
The phone slipped from her weakened grasp.
An L-Class that even the regressor doesn't know about?
[Be careful not to stand out. An L-Class might notice that something's off about you.]
*Oh, shit.*
Seora's face turned pale. If this person was an L-Class, the Association would definitely try to make contact, which naturally increased the chances of her meeting them!
*It's just one damn thing after another.*
Just when she thought she'd barely crossed a mountain swept by icy winds, a blazing volcano had appeared right before her eyes.
The beautiful sea of resignation was right over there, so why did she have to keep climbing fiery mountains?
Overcome with frustration, Seora slammed her head on the desk and sniffled repeatedly.
Even then, she had no idea. That the L-Class Awakened in question was already on their way here, to the Association.
Unfortunately, the flames had already spread to her feet.
* * *
Seora thought.
*I should really start telling fortunes.*
This wasn't just breaking through an unlucky route. She had clearly been thrown onto the autobahn heading straight for the pinnacle of misfortune.
Otherwise, how could she possibly run into another L-Class Awakened at the Association!
*Or is this Association the epicenter of bad luck?*
Seora made herself as small as possible. If even a single strand of her hair was spotted, she would surely catch the eye of the L-Class Awakened who was exuding a terrifying aura.
*She's as strong as Mr. Regressor.*
Two powerhouses suddenly popping up in Korea? Isn't that breaking the game balance? The US, which has held the undisputed number one spot since the dawn of the Hunter era, is going to have a fit.
“Wow. This is my first time at the Association since I first Awakened! It feels weird coming here with an S-Class escort.”
Unlike Kang Sejun, this L-Class was busy nosing around everywhere like a puppy.
Thanks to that, Seora had to hide in an even greater panic.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Gong Haeyeon gave her a baffled look from the side, but Seora ignored her.
“It's not an escort, it's surveillance. Ah, you mutt! Just stay still!”
“Ouch! Ah! Hey, why are you so mean to me? Huh? It's only natural for you to be sca-aaaaaaargh!”
“This mouth of yours! I'm going to rip it right off!”
Yoo Su-eun shrieked as she pulled at Jarim's mouth with both hands. Han Su-eon snorted as if it were pathetic and turned his head away, while Do Junyeong covered his forehead.
Even Jeong Hoyoung was just staring blankly, making one wonder how those four ever managed to work together.
“My, my, our little Su-eun. Were you that scared of her? Well, I guess it makes sense.”
Just then, Song Hanna, who had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly reached out, grabbed Yoo Su-eun by the scruff of her neck, and lifted her up to dangle.
After patting the chihuahua's rear, Song Hanna scanned the new L-Class Awakened from head to toe with an amused expression.
