READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 32 - A Coincidence for the NPC
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 32: A Coincidence for the NPC (3) >
The moment Yeomyeong took a step, he drew a deep breath.
He tensed his grip on the sword, his breathing halted, and mana spread between his blood and muscles.
Crack!
The monster only moved after confirming Yeomyeong’s movement. Like a wild beast, it lowered its body and then leaped forward with a push from its hind legs.
Yeomyeong’s sword traced an arc towards the monster. The monster’s four front paws, with sixteen claws in total, simultaneously aimed at Yeomyeong’s head.
In the next moment, the wolf monster’s front paw and Yeomyeong’s sword passed by each other.
“Kyaaaak!”
However, only the wolf monster saw blood. One of its right front paws was cleanly severed, spraying blood.
The severed paw thudded to the ground, twitching, as the monster’s breathing grew ragged.
Its eyes bloodshot, the monster seemed to surrender everything to instinct, baring its teeth and charging at Yeomyeong again.
The iron chain around its neck rattled loudly, and blood spattered in the air at that moment.
Yeomyeong exhaled.
Hoo—
He didn’t bother to use the sweeping strike. The enemy wasn’t worth it.
Instead, he focused all his remaining mana on his senses, capturing the monster’s form in his mind.
The completely different movement of its muscles, the revolting twist in its mana, were profoundly alien.
There was much to learn from the monster’s movements, insights that couldn’t be gleaned from normal humans.
‘Trust in its regenerative power and forcefully push mana into the heart and blood vessels… Not bad.’
As soon as the thought finished, Yeomyeong swung his sword. The monster, having closed the distance, clashed its front paw against the sword.
This time, its left arm was severed, flying into the air. Unable to even scream, the monster wildly swung its remaining limbs.
‘Nothing more to learn here.’
The tide of the battle shifted. Yeomyeong grasped his sword with both hands and surged towards the wolf monster.
Once, he severed its remaining arm. Twice, he slashed deeply across its chest, and the third time, he sliced through its throat.
“Kyaaooo!”
Yet, the creature did not die. Ignoring its fading life, it lunged at Yeomyeong’s throat.
Its gaping mouth and grotesque teeth targeted Yeomyeong, but his sword was slightly faster.
His long sword pierced through the roof of the monster’s mouth.
There was no need for Yeomyeong to exert any strength. The law of inertia delivered the sword tip straight to the monster’s brain.
“Kya, kack, kek…”
After its brain was pierced, the monster trembled for a few seconds. When Yeomyeong pulled out his sword, the creature’s body slumped down.
Yeomyeong retrieved his sword and turned to look at Manseok Cheol, whose face was filled with scars and astonishment.
“You had good reason to be confident… Impressive.”
“Did I pass the test?”
Yeomyeong asked nonchalantly, and the corners of Manseok Cheol’s mouth rose. He looked at Yeomyeong as if wondering what kind of person he was.
“Passing with room to spare. There’s no need to even consider the remaining tests.”
The sense of dismay from the death of the test monster was long gone. After all, such monsters could simply be recaptured.
In contrast, finding useful talent was not easy unless bestowed by the heavens.
“Cheon Yeomyeong, congratulations. You are now a member of the Seonjook Mercenary Corps Team 3.”
Manseok Cheol approached Yeomyeong and patted his shoulder. It was moments like these that he found rewarding as a test supervisor.
However, the next moment was ruined by a light voice coming from the entrance.
“Seok Cheol, you’ve really lost your touch in judging people, haven’t you?”
Hearing this, Manseok Cheol’s eyebrows furrowed long and deep. He did not even turn around as he replied.
“…Vice Captain Kim Mansoo, why are you here?”
‘Vice Captain?’
Surprised by the title, Yeomyeong turned his head, and at the entrance stood a burly, muscular man with his arms crossed.
“Ah, I’m not the vice captain anymore, I’m an instructor now.”
“If you’ve come to spout nonsense, you can leave.”
“No, it’s not that. Seok Cheol, let’s talk about that new guy.”
Only then did Manseok Cheol turn his head. Across his twisted face stretched a long scar.
“What about him?”
“Let’s send him to Team 2 instead of Team 3.”
“…Cheon Yeomyeong has been assigned to Team 3.”
“Man, if it’s Team 3, it’s straight to Manchuria. Do we really need to send such a talented guy to a place swarming with monsters and refugees?”
“If the mercenary corps is to meet the government quotas, we need to send as many members to Manchuria as possible. You know that, right?”
As Manseok Cheol pressed this point, Kim Mansoo’s eyes narrowed. He looked back and forth between Cheon Yeomyeong and the dead monster, then sighed deeply.
“Then send someone else. You saw it yourself just now. The potential of this newbie. A few years in Squad 2, and he’ll be more than a superhuman.”
“…”
“You know there are only nine superhumans in our mercenary corps, including the captain and myself. But if we add one more here, we hit double digits? Then our mercenary corps can cross the Dimensional Gate on its own.”
Manseok Cheol did not respond. He had no counterargument.
Considering the potential Yeomyeong had shown and the rarity of superhumans, the Vice Captain’s words were undeniably correct…
As Manseok Cheol’s dilemma deepened, Cheon Yeomyeong timidly raised his hand.
“Um… does my opinion not matter?”
Both turned their gazes to Yeomyeong. It was a bold question, yet Kim Mansoo smiled wryly and took it in stride.
“Of course, the opinion of our new member is important. But what is there to think about?”
He strode towards them and soon placed a hand on Yeomyeong’s shoulder.
“I promise you, with the authority of the vice captain. Come to Squad 2 and I’ll support you with martial training and elixirs. I guarantee, you’ll become a superhuman within three years.”
Observing Kim Mansoo’s confident face, Yeomyeong could not help but smirk bitterly.
‘I guess he hasn’t realized that I’m a superhuman.’
It was understandable that Manseok Cheol had not noticed. After all, he did not show his mana outwardly when fighting monsters.
But this vice-captain… it was disappointing.
Unlike Manseok Cheol, wasn’t he a superhuman too? To be a superhuman, and yet, to touch someone and still not discern whether they were a superhuman.
‘To think even a vice-captain of a mid-sized mercenary corps is like this….’
Yeomyeong subtly stepped back, freeing himself from Kim Mansoo’s grasp.
“Um… Vice-captain?”
“There’s no need to call me so formally. Just Kim Mansoo, or Brother Mansoo will do.”
He was a difficult person to gauge distance with. Yet, unable to spit in a smiling face, Yeomyeong forced a look of regret.
“Vice-captain, I appreciate the offer but… I’m sorry.”
“…What? Sorry?”
Kim Mansoo’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, tilting his head as if he had misheard.
“You’re rejecting my offer?”
“Yes, I would like to go to Manchuria”
Yeomyeong bowed his head to clearly express his refusal.
It was an unavoidable situation. His plan was to gain real battle experience in the mercenary corps, not to learn from a superhuman who amounted to nothing.
“You think you know what Manchuria is…”
“Vice-captain. It seems the recruit has already made up his mind.”
As Kim Mansoo tried to say more, Manseok Cheol intervened.
“Remember, you’re just an instructor now as part of your discipline. Don’t overstep.”
“Huh? Seok Cheol, you…”
“If I report today’s incident to the captain, next time you might end up as a toilet cleaner instead of an instructor. Is that really what you want?”
“…”
“Cheon Yeomyeong, new member, you’ll be assigned to Team 3 and head to Manchuria as you wish. I’ll help you with the registration. Now, let’s go.”
Manseok Cheol briskly settled the situation and led Yeomyeong out of the underground.
Watching the two recede, Kim Mansoo only snapped out of it when they had disappeared from view.
“Wow, shit, that guy is crazy.”
The recruit didn’t look back even once. Really, not the slightest hint of regret.
Kim Mansoo chuckled in disbelief.
Back in his day, if someone offered him martial arts and a spiritual medicine, he would have done anything for it. Maybe talented people were just different?
He wondered if he should give up, then turned his gaze to the wolf monster that Yeomyeong had taken down.
A cleanly severed front paw, a blow that pierced the brain neatly.
The corpse was so cleanly dealt with that one would believe a decade-long mercenary had done it.
“Tch, it’s such a waste… Should I just follow them all the way to Manchuria?”
Muttering something the captain would clutch his neck over, Kim Mansoo casually followed the two, leaving the underground.
* * *
Seti woke up in bed, the fuzzy edges of her consciousness brushed by warm sunlight on her cheek.
She slowly sat up in bed, taking a moment to gather herself.
It felt like just yesterday she was dodging the Korean government’s gaze, bouncing from one cheap motel room to another, yet the dormitory bed felt as plush as a clump of cotton candy.
“Did I wake up too early…?”
After stretching, she checked the time. It was 7:30 AM. There was still over an hour left until the entrance ceremony.
She contemplated sleeping a bit more but shook her head.
“Cheon Yeomyeong over in Korea is still struggling, and here I am, getting greedy for more sleep.”
Seti got out of bed to prepare for the morning. She washed up, got her uniform ready for the entrance ceremony, and…
Lastly, she checked the luggage she hadn’t unpacked yet.
Her belongings were minimal: three packets of instant noodles, a burner phone for contacting Cheon Yeomyeong personally, and…
A sword wrapped in a pristine white cloth.
She carefully lifted the sword. It was not just any sword; it had been handed to her by Cheon Yeomyeong himself.
As she unwrapped the cloth slightly, the sun emblem engraved on the handle was revealed.
The emblem of a now-vanished empire beyond the Dimensional gate, proof it was not of this world.
As Seti traced her fingers over the emblem, she recalled the moment Cheon Yeomyeong had handed her the sword.
“Is this… a sword from beyond the Dimensional gate? Why give it to me?”
“Seti, when you get to the academy, see if there’s anyone else with a sword just like this.”
“May I ask why?”
“My family’s enemy might be at the academy. The only clue to track them down is… they wield a sword just like this one.”
Cheon Yeomyeong’s eyes were cold and settled as he spoke.
That look was enough for Seti. She gladly accepted the sword and promised to look for the enemy at the academy.
The problem was, finding a student at the academy wielding the same sword was no easy task.
Too many wielded swords, and more importantly, few openly displayed a signature weapon that wasn’t just standard-issue equipment.
“First, I’ll get through the entrance ceremony, then start combing through the students step by step…”
As she was planning, the door to the dorm opened, and a guest entered, a girl with hair that shone like molten gold.
Seti recognized her. Indeed, everyone at the academy would know her face.
She was none other than the student personally brought to the academy by the Holy Sword.
Dragging a large suitcase into the room, it was clear she was assigned to this dorm room.
“Of all the people to be roommates with…”
Seti sighed inwardly, her plans for a secretive school life becoming complicated from the very start.
However, in the next moment, Seti put on a businesslike smile.
After all, she might be sharing a room with this person for a year, or possibly even three. There was no need to spoil the first impression.
She tucked the sword back into her luggage and got up to approach the blonde girl.
“Hello? I’m your roommate, Hong Seti.”
“Heh, uh, I mean… hello, hello.”
Perhaps due to the weight of the luggage, the blonde girl’s pale face was flushed with redness.
“You seem to be struggling. May I help you with that?”
“Would you really help me?”
As soon as the girl consented, Seti lifted her bag. It was quite heavy, but not too much for someone with superhuman strength.
Seti easily moved the suitcase next to the bed and smiled at the girl.
“Is there anything else you need help with? I’m here to assist.”
“No, no, this is all I have. Thank you for your help.”
With that, the initial greetings were over. The girl fumbled around, setting up her space, and Seti felt no need to push the conversation further.
About ten minutes later, after settling in, the blonde girl initiated another conversation.
“You’re Ms. Hong… Are you from Korea?”
“Yes, I’m from Korea.”
“Ah, I thought so.” The girl murmured, then awkwardly continued with a half-smile, “So, a fellow countryman. I’m Korean too.”
“…You’re Korean?”
“Well, I was born in Korea, but moved to Australia as an infant, so I’m practically Australian.”
It was a lie. Seti immediately sensed that the girl was not telling the truth. It wasn’t so much her perceptiveness but the fact that the girl’s lying skills were simply abysmal.
Her eyes flickered uneasily, her voice trembled.
‘…Has she never lied in her life?’
Seti chose not to call out her lie.
Whatever the reason for pretending to be Korean, it was none of her concern as long as it caused no harm to her.
However, when the girl introduced herself, Seti couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in surprise.
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is… Miri. Miri Soe.”
“…Your last name is Soe?”
“Yes, is it… strange?”
Of course, it’s strange. It’s not Kim or Lee, and meeting two people with the last name Soe in less than a week isn’t normal, is it?
Seti managed to swallow the words that rose to her lips and shook her head.
“No, I was just curious because it’s a unique last name.”
“Right? It’s a unique last name, isn’t it? My father is quite famous for it. Ha, ha…”
As the awkward laughter continued, Miri Soe began to sweat.