Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Baek Seo-yeon no longer harbored the same level of hostility toward Seo Hyun-woo as she once had.

He was calm and level-headed, yet possessed a reasonable degree of warmth.

Above all, aside from the Rank Battle that would decide the Student Council President's seat, wasn't it only right to help him as much as she could as a fellow colleague?

"If you're going to put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. I think I'll need to ask my uncle first."

"That's the surest way. If your uncle doesn't give his permission, even the chairman would have no choice but to back down."

"No matter how much of a Black Hunter my uncle is, there's nothing he could do against a Setinos Hunter."

"......Ah, is that so? But a Black Hunter should have a considerable degree of influence. Besides, isn't he famous as the pinnacle of the enhancement type?"

Seo Hyun-woo feigned ignorance as he poured boiled water into a teacup.

In truth, Baek Seo-yeon's uncle and Miterich's chairman were well acquainted with each other.

Above all, wasn't her uncle known as the pinnacle of the enhancement type, a figure revered by enhancement-type Hunters?

"You're not wrong, but he's no match for a Setinos Hunter. He's not the type to intervene over every trivial matter, either."

"If it were me, I'd step in. If he holds you dear, he'd have no choice but to intervene."

Seo Hyun-woo couldn't help but be certain of that.

After all, Baek Seo-yeon's uncle had gone so far as to give up his promotion to Setinos Hunter for her sake.

He probably carried on normally most of the time, but whenever something involving Baek Seo-yeon came up, he would move quickly to address it.

"You speak as though you know my uncle well."

"It's easy enough to guess if you think from your uncle's perspective. Aren't you his only family?"

"......"

Baek Seo-yeon swallowed her silence and stared blankly at Seo Hyun-woo.

She found herself thinking that she hadn't known he was capable of saying such things.

Could it be that she still held prejudice against Seo Hyun-woo even now?

"When you put it that way, I can't help but feel sorry."

"There's nothing to feel sorry about. I was just speaking my mind."

"You're right. It's only natural for family to look after family."

"Hmm......... Now that I think about it, my words might sound like nonsense to you. I don't have any family, after all."

"That's......... Well......."

This time, even Baek Seo-yeon looked flustered, unable to find the words to continue.

Seo Hyun-woo surely didn't view the fact that he had no family in a positive light.

Yet by bringing it up himself, he had only made things more awkward for her as the listener.

"How amusing. You're showing that kind of reaction over a few words?"

"I simply don't want to be a thoughtless person."

"And that's exactly why I'm grateful. No matter what it is, I can trust you with it."

"......There's no need to go out of your way to compliment me."

"I was merely stating the truth. Would you rather I lie?"

"Hah......."

Baek Seo-yeon shook her head and accepted the teacup from Seo Hyun-woo.

She couldn't help but think that ever since his personality changed, he had become quite the smooth talker.

But at the same time, there was a warmth to him, so it didn't come across as entirely bad.

'I used to want that President's seat so badly, but now I'm not so sure. Do I really need to become President?'

***

A vivid yellow moon hung faintly visible behind dark clouds.

Han Yu-jeong gazed at that moon for a long while before taking a sip of wine.

She had already reached the summit as a Hunter, yet she had not achieved what she truly wanted.

'Yoo Jin-seob......... Where are you? There's no way someone who could succeed you exists.'

Han Yu-jeong's face twisted as she recalled the words Yoo Jin-seob had left behind.

Yoo Jin-seob was once her comrade and a Hunter who bore the title of strongest in history.

He could use abilities of every type, and there was not a single Hunter or magical beast anywhere that could stand in his way.

'Damn it......... How long do I have to keep cleaning up after that man? It's been five years since I founded Miterich. That bastard's hidden himself somewhere I can't find, and an Awakened who can use abilities of every type still hasn't appeared.'

Han Yu-jeong had founded Miterich for exactly two reasons.

First, to leave behind a legacy and achievements that would endure through history before she died.

Second, to secure in advance the successor that Yoo Jin-seob so desperately sought.

Now that it had been five years since Miterich was founded, had she accomplished even one of those two things?

'Since the first Awakening phenomenon occurred, Yoo Jin-seob has been the one and only Awakened to unlock abilities of every type. That's why he became the strongest in history. And now someone's supposed to succeed him? Give me something that actually makes sense.'

Han Yu-jeong felt her thoughts growing tangled and downed another gulp of wine.

Shortly after earning the title of strongest in history, Yoo Jin-seob had left behind the message that he would wait for his successor to come.

After that, he vanished completely, cutting off contact with every colleague he had known.

'That worthless piece of trash! He could've just asked for help, but no, he had to disappear on his own......... He does that knowing full well what I'm thinking?'

WHOOOM—! POP—!

A jet-black current burst from Han Yu-jeong's hand, shattering the wine glass in an instant.

However, the glass shards did not scatter, nor did the wine spill.

Her attribute-type ability had completely locked the glass shards and wine in place.

'Just let me catch sight of you. I'll smash you to pieces. You think I've just been sitting around all this time? Strongest in history, my ass.......'

Han Yu-jeong slowly calmed her anger and began manipulating the jet-black current.

The glass shards and wine floated in the air, carried by the jet-black current, before being dumped into the trash can.

'I can't be getting angry over something like this. It's not over yet. Miterich is growing more famous by the day. There are even people overseas who've learned about Miterich's caliber and are looking to send their children as exchange students. And there are already foreign students studying here.......'

Ring, ring.

A ringtone blared from the smartphone resting on the table.

When she checked the screen, the name "Baek Jeong-woon" appeared at the center of a white background.

A white background meant the call had come through his personal number, and Baek Jeong-woon was an active-duty Black Hunter and someone she had known for a long time.

Han Yu-jeong quickly tapped the answer icon and brought the smartphone to her ear.

- What's the occasion? You're actually calling me.

- ......You should know the reason better than I do.

A deep, cold voice came through the other end of the smartphone.

It wasn't that he bore any ill will toward her.

It was simply an old habit, and a sign that his instincts as an active-duty Hunter were still very much alive.

- I was wondering when you'd call. Are you that unhappy about your niece becoming a promotional model?

- Shouldn't you have asked me first?

- Would you have agreed willingly if I'd asked?

- My niece's wishes matter more than mine. Just because you're the chairman doesn't mean you should abuse your authority.

Baek Jeong-woon answered firmly but did not go so far as to scold her harshly.

He knew well enough that she had not acted with bad intentions.

He was simply pointing out that the order of things had been wrong, and was calling to take her to task for it.

- Honestly, I agonized over it quite a bit. If it weren't for you, I would've made the decision much more easily.

- Han Yu-jeong. What were you going to do if my niece had refused to be a promotional model?

- Then there'd be nothing I could do. I'd just have to use someone else, wouldn't I?

- ......My niece hasn't expressed any refusal yet. Now you need to answer my question. Why did you choose my niece as Miterich's promotional model?

Baek Jeong-woon knew Han Yu-jeong's character well enough.

She acted as though nothing mattered on the surface, but in reality, she was an ambitious woman who hid her emotions and always achieved what she set out to do.

On top of that, her talent and abilities were outstanding, which was why she had been promoted to Setinos Hunter the moment she turned thirty.

She was probably chasing Yoo Jin-seob's trail right now, collecting every scrap of information she could find.

- You know me well enough. I'm not someone who cares about personal connections.

- I suppose not. It's not as if I'd be happy about something like this, either.

- I selected your niece, the Vice Student Council President, as the promotional model through a perfectly fair and legitimate process. I'll send you a photo, so see for yourself and judge.

Han Yu-jeong operated her smartphone and sent a photo to Baek Jeong-woon's number.

It was a photo capturing the two of them while maintaining Archangel Descent.

The other end of the smartphone fell quiet for a moment before Baek Jeong-woon spoke first.

- I'll admit it's hard to say the selection process was flawed. But the background doesn't look great.

- You'd have to take that up with the students who took the photo. And the Vice Student Council President wasn't injured in the slightest. Surely you're not planning to make an issue of that incident?

- We settled that matter last time. Then this person beside her must be that Student Council President.

- That's right. No one's managed to beat this student yet. That's why he's still serving as Student Council President.

Han Yu-jeong answered leisurely as she examined the photo she had sent to Baek Jeong-woon.

Among all the Student Council Presidents she had seen, she thought this one ranked among the strongest.

On top of that, his administrative capabilities were exceptional, and he had never committed budget embezzlement, so wouldn't it be fair to call him the most flawless Student Council President?

- Judging by appearance alone, it looks like he's perfectly replicated my niece's ability. And the color is different, too. Are you sure it's really an Ability Copy?

- I don't know the details. He might be hiding information about his abilities. You'd know better than I would, wouldn't you?

- Jin-seob also kept his abilities hidden while he was active. Then that means the Student Council President could be even stronger than expected.

- Don't bring up Yoo Jin-seob. I'm dying to beat the hell out of him right now.

- If you hate him that much, why have you been searching for Jin-seob all this time?

- So I can beat the hell out of him sooner.

- Hahaha!

Baek Jeong-woon burst into loud laughter before quickly returning to his usual voice.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand Han Yu-jeong's feelings.

More than anyone, she had wanted to defeat Yoo Jin-seob, and because she had received so much help from him, she was determined to settle things once and for all.

- Ahem......... Are there any other distinguishing traits to the Student Council President's Ability Copy?

- Traits? It's exactly as I said. He copies any ability and replicates it perfectly. He doesn't discriminate between types, and even compared to the original ability, there's no significant difference. On top of that, he can even copy the techniques associated with the ability.

- ......Han Yu-jeong, are you willing to hear me out seriously?

When Baek Jeong-woon shifted the tone, Han Yu-jeong's expression turned serious as well.

Baek Jeong-woon was not a man who said or did anything without purpose.

If he had said something like that, he was surely about to offer her advice.

- What is it? Is it something that'll help me?

- I'll give you my opinion under the assumption that what you've said is true. You clearly stated that the Student Council President can copy and replicate any ability regardless of type. Am I correct?

- Yes. That's already confirmed. What about it?

- If that's truly the case, then couldn't the Student Council President be considered an Awakened who can use abilities of every type? In other words, I'm asking if he isn't the successor to Yoo Jin-seob that you've been searching so desperately for.