Chapter 114: What Do You Know? "I didn't lose."
"Sure."
"If the old man hadn't stopped us at the last second, I would have won."
"Right, right. You would've won."
"I had a life-saving move ready to escape that cheap magic…"
"I get it! You didn't lose! Just drop it already!"
Bukgeuk-jwa kept muttering under her breath with a prickly expression, clearly bitter about her loss.
When I stood up and told her to stop, she stared at me for a moment before nodding.
"Yes. I didn't lo—"
"Ugh, stop it."
This woman is seriously petty.
She acts all noble and refined in front of others, so why does she insist on being as stubborn as the younger version of that geezer when she's with me?
It's not that I don't understand.
Bukgeuk-jwa is a mage the geezer spent a long time raising. Judging by how confident he was that I'd never beat her, he must have thought she had no equal in her age group.
No equal? Please. There are plenty of them if you just go to Yggdrasil.
She needs to get punched in the face by Chika, sliced up by Shizuka, scorched by Yukina, and fucked by Akito to finally snap out of it.
Of course, if we fought head-on, it would be a struggle for me too.
A masochistic HP-tank build is great and all, but it's useless if you can't land a hit.
Bukgeuk-jwa is closer to an evasion tank who went all-in on Agility.
To be precise, it wasn't just evasion but a technique for parrying attacks. Her speed-based thrusts and movements have a high critical hit rate, making her a tricky opponent.
The reason she never fixed her weakness—low magic resistance—was because she was so confident in her skills that she thought she could just deflect or dodge any long-range attack.
But the world isn't that easy, sweetheart.
Magic isn't just about lighting fires or dropping lightning; it's the power to cause phenomena.
If your resistance is low, you can't reject those phenomena, meaning there are countless ways to suppress you.
...Or so Frey-sensei said.
Thanks to her, I prioritize resistance training over physical defense.
"Fei!"
"Fei!"
Those idiots don't even care about me anymore.
Seeing the Comedy Duo sprinting toward her, Bukgeuk-jwa's prickly expression instantly shifts back into the face of a gentle, calm lady.
Holy crap—it's scary how fast she can change.
"Rio, Masayoshi. I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing side of myself."
Having changed back into her fluttering one-piece dress, Bukgeuk-jwa bowed politely. It was... sexy.
Why? She's acting perfectly polite, yet there's an undeniable lewdness clinging to her.
The Comedy Duo looked completely dazed by her paradoxical charm—simultaneously modest and erotic.
"No, it's Yeon-woo's fault for being a jerk."
"Exactly. He's a cheap bastard who just bullied the innocent Fei. The victim shouldn't be the one apologizing."
Should I just kill these guys?
After everything I've done for them, they're badmouthing me just because they're head over heels for a girl.
As the two of them insulted me while taking her side, Bukgeuk-jwa turned her head to look at me.
Hey, are you smirking?
She mocked me with a slight curl of her lips before returning to her elegant expression to face the duo.
"Even if you are close, you shouldn't badmouth your friend. Even if he's used to it and knows it's a joke, words can still hurt. I wouldn't want the bond between you two and Yeon-woo to fray."
"See? Fei is just too kind for her own good."
"You're allowed to get a little angry, you know. Though that's exactly why I like you, Fei."
"It's just disgusting when it's coming from you."
"What? Say that again!"
As the Comedy Duo started bickering, Bukgeuk-jwa covered her mouth with one hand and let out a soft "Hehe," as if finding their energy endearing.
Poor bastards. They'll probably live their whole lives without ever knowing her true nature.
Well, if they never find out, they'll live happily, so I guess that's fine in its own way.
Leaving the idiots and the pretender behind, I pulled out my phone and opened the app.
It's an app accessible only to licensed students, where you can check missions posted by Yggdrasil.
I don't remember every single event day-by-day, so I have to check it constantly.
Besides, with me being here, there's no telling when or how things might change.
Back when I was playing the game, it was easy because I could just filter through two or three missions, but looking at the app in reality, there are all sorts of crazy tasks.
Anyway, nothing special today...
I stopped scrolling when I saw something in the low-priority missions.
'Investigation support for the mastermind of a large-scale hacking incident.'
No way, right? I warned you to stay quiet, didn't I?
With a trembling heart, I checked the details.
Traces of a government agent's personal information being posted on a community site had been discovered.
The reason they concluded it was hacking despite no signs of a server breach was that the data was stored exclusively in digital format.
No signs of intrusion, yet data was stolen from a heavily secured government server.
There's no one else to suspect.
Trevor, you idiot, I told you to be careful...
Seeing as they're recruiting a significant number of people, it's a mission where manpower is key.
It'll likely be a large-scale operation involving not just Yggdrasil, but other magic schools and government agents as well.
...It's an Event Certainty.
A supernatural ability that ensures a designated event absolutely happens.
They'll likely force the event of Trevor appearing on the streets to occur and have a massive force of mission participants lying in wait.
Is Akito participating too?
Since it's a mission unrelated to the main story, there's no compulsion, so I'm not sure if he'll do it.
"Is something up? You look serious all of a sudden."
I looked at Masayoshi for a moment before shaking my head.
It's not a good idea to involve these guys in something like this.
"It's nothing. There are just too many stupid missions on the app."
"Ah, I heard about that from my cousin. He said he went for something called a 'reagent test,' and they suddenly made him sign a waiver saying he takes full responsibility before performing human experimentation on him."
...Is this world even okay?
The geezer tried to cling to me, and it was a pain to shake him off, but since I had no more business here, I left the dojo.
Regardless, I have to deal with Trevor.
Is there even a reason to save him?
An internet mage who strikes down internet trolls in the name of justice.
What kind of name is "Internet Mage" anyway? If you're going to pick a name, pick something cool.
His actions might be cathartic, but he's only borrowing the name of justice; it doesn't mean he's a good person.
He steals corporate secrets to extort money or blackmail people.
The fact that he thoughtlessly leaked top-secret government agent data onto the internet proves he's both low-intelligence and a menace to society.
But his ability is incredible.
To be able to take data without any interference and without leaving a trace?
He could rule the world... No, that might be a stretch, but it's an ability that makes you fantasize about it.
He'd be very useful to have around in the future.
But the bigger problem is that I got involved with him while saving Haruna.
Since I'm being monitored by Randall, he probably knows exactly how my assets are moving.
Since I've given him money before, even if I don't know exactly what Trevor is up to, there will be a record.
Should I get rid of him...?
No. If I do that, how am I any different from the villains Akito takes down?
I pushed that thought aside and headed toward Yggdrasil.
Now that I've checked the mission, I could claim I didn't know anything before this, but even meeting Trevor from this point on could be used against me later.
Come to think of it, it's a problem even if he gets caught.
Knowing Trevor's personality, it's hard to expect him to keep his mouth shut for my sake.
With just a little interrogation, he'll spill everything he knows.
He might even pin things I didn't do on me just to save his own skin.
Maybe killing him really is...
As my thoughts spiraled toward the extreme, someone approached and linked their arm with mine.
"Yeon-woo, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
The blue-haired crazy bitch, Park Yu-jeong.
Why at this timing?
I don't think it's possible, but for some reason, because it's Park Yu-jeong, it bothers me.
"Huuung—is Yeon-woo not happy to see me? Do you hate me?"
"Has there ever been a reason for me to like you?"
"Hehehe—I like how honest you are, Yeon-woo. Anyone else would have been flustered and told a lie."
Excuse me? Your grip on my arm is getting stronger, and I can't get away.
She held my arm tight as if she'd never let go, her large breasts pressing against me.
"It feels good, but why are you doing this?"
"What~? Still giving those perverted compliments, I see. Does my chest feel that good?"
"Can you stop that? You're just going to tease me later about how I said your chest felt good or whatever."
"Oh, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll have to do it later."
Park Yu-jeong laughed brightly and led me along.
While all missions provided by Yggdrasil can be checked on the app, to actually accept one, you have to come in person and speak to the instructors.
The instructors evaluate whether the student who applied is suitable for the mission, how dangerous it is, and so on, before granting permission.
And the place Park Yu-jeong was leading me to was the administrative office where mission applications are handled.
"Do you even know where I'm going that you're dragging me along?"
"Eh? Since you're here, there's only one place to go. Aren't you here to apply for a mission? Or are you going to drop out?"
Well, she's not wrong.
During the break, everyone is busy training or taking special classes, so there's no reason for a student to be in this building otherwise.
Looking up at me with a beaming smile, Park Yu-jeong continued to pull my arm as she spoke.
"What mission are you going to do?"
"I don't believe I'm obligated to tell you."
"How stingy~ I'm going to catch a hacker. Doesn't it sound fun? A hacker—it's a completely different field from magic."
You don't actually know, do you?
Park Yu-jeong, chattering away excitedly, looked a little scary.
The sensation of her chest against my arm should have felt good, but it felt more like she was tightening a noose around my neck. I wanted to get away as fast as possible.
"There, I told you, so now it's Yeon-woo's turn."
"I never said I'd tell you."
"Uuu—so mean. Taking for yourself and giving nothing back, that's so unfair."
"You decided to tell me on your own."
At my reply, Park Yu-jeong burst into a fit of giggles.
The intimate way she held my arm, the smiles we exchanged while bickering... it felt like a couple's atmosphere, but it was terrifying.
"It would be nice if we did it together."
"A mission isn't a picnic; that doesn't matter."
"Actually, it does."
Park Yu-jeong let go of my arm and skipped ahead with a lively step.
After walking a few paces, she turned back to look at me, her sky-blue hair fluttering and shining in the sunlight streaming through the hallway windows.
With the face of a cheerful, lovely girl, Park Yu-jeong looked at me brightly and opened her small lips.
"Because if you're there, we can catch him."
"..."
I couldn't say a word in response.
How much does she know? If she knows, does that mean she knows about Trevor too? Then she doesn't need me. What does she mean? Is she testing me? Testing me means she suspects something. What's her intention?
Dozens of questions hammered at my brain, but I was too flustered to answer any of them.
Those sparkling blue eyes looked like a cute girl's, but they were definitely taking in everything about me, watching my every minor reaction.
As I stared at her silently, the smile on Park Yu-jeong's face deepened.
"Yeon-woo is smart, so we'll definitely be able to catch him."
Usually, a compliment like that is followed by something about being helpful, not the word "definitely."
What exactly do you know?
Park Yu-jeong giggled at my gaze and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket.
"I've gathered the people, but I'm missing exactly one team leader. Won't you join us?"
Faced with Park Yu-jeong's words—I couldn't tell if it was a threat or an invitation—I found myself unable to refuse.
"You could just be the team leader yourself."
"Eh~? I can't handle a bothersome position like that. Now, let's go~"
Even though she hadn't heard my answer, Park Yu-jeong acted as if she already had, linking her arm with mine again and leading the way.
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