51 – Past (4)
Han Su-jeong was embarrassed.
Because I didn’t know you would hate being a partner with yourself like this.
Of course, she hated herself, but she tried to accept it, saying that she had no choice.
However, the other party had an extremely disliked attitude and even shouted loudly.
She lost the slightest bit of acknowledgment, and she tried to say something herself too.
But she couldn’t.
Because before she could say anything, she acted.
In the end, she had no choice but to follow Lee Seo-jin with a dissatisfied mind.
“It’s a skill test… Where are you going?”
“Is there anything other than catching villains when it comes to proving your skills?”
The two of them came out and had a conversation while walking side by side.
However, the atmosphere was not good.
Han Sujeong glared at her with a dissatisfied expression.
Anyway, Lee Seo-jin just looked ahead and ignored it, saying that it had nothing to do with it.
So the two of them were walking while maintaining a bloody atmosphere.
“It’s a villain. It’s good. But can I go out alone like this?”
“No problem. I’ve been doing this all along.”
“But now you’re coming with me!”
“What do you think would be different if you had a partner?”
“Hah… ok. But before that!”
Sujeong Han suddenly jumped ahead.
Then he turned around, blocked the way, and began to point fingers and get angry.
“Could you please stop ignoring me? I don’t know what you’re complaining about! I’m not weak! I’m not incompetent!”
“…Really?”
Lee Seo-jin snorted at Han Soo-jung’s remark.
I took out my phone and started looking for something.
After that, when I put my cell phone in, I started walking again.
“Then be gentle. I wonder how great it is.”
“Ha! Don’t be surprised to see it?”
Sujeong Han walked after him, vowing to press the bridge of the man’s nose without fail.
※
The two arrived at a nearby abandoned construction site.
Abandoned construction site with a building about 5 stories tall.
After taking a quick look around, Han Soo-jung asked Lee Seo-jin.
“Is there a villain here?”
“Yeah. More than that, aren’t you curious about who the villain you want to catch? If you’re like me, you might have asked at least once.”
Then, Sujeong Han vigorously shook her head and replied with a confident attitude.
“It doesn’t matter who you are! Anything below S rank can win.”
“I hope that confidence isn’t arrogance.”
“Huh. It’s absolutely not so, hold on to your worries!”
But in fact, Han Soo-jung was a little impatient.
She also wondered who the villain she was trying to deal with was.
It was my first villain eradication, and my first time working as a hero.
But I didn’t want to show that to the man in front of me.
He wanted to show that he did everything perfectly according to what he said without prior information and press his nose down.
Pride.
She had feelings that could be considered superficial now settled in her heart.
“First of all, let me ask you one question. Do you know why the villains settle in such a rough terrain?”
That’s because it’s a good place to avoid the eyes of the heroes. Besides, it’s easy to run away.”
“That’s a good answer. Did you learn it at the academy?”
“Because I graduated at the top of my class?”
“Ah. Was it?”
Avoiding her gaze and not thinking about it, Han Soo-jung seemed to get a little angry again.
But she calmed down by exhaling and continued the conversation.
“So why are you asking that?”
“…First of all, let me tell you about the villain you will catch.”
Entering the abandoned construction site, Lee Seo-jin gave a brief introduction to the villain.
The Villain Sandman.
A magical superhuman with the ability to manipulate sand.
It was a B-ranked villain that was one step below Han Soo-jung.
Upon hearing the explanation, Sujeong Han snorted at her.
“Rank B? Heh. It’s a pity that it’s not A rank.”
“…The more I look at it, the more conceited it is. Have you been educated that way since childhood?”
“What? Now—”
A word that crosses the line and provokes it.
This time, Han Soo-jung tried to get angry.
But Seojin Lee moved first.
He cut him off and made a gesture of raising his finger.
“One thing. I want to tell you something.”
“…What is that?”
“I’m a C rank. But so far, the villains I’ve caught have A ranks, and I’ve only experienced a lot of them alone.”
“…?”
Sujeong Han was puzzled by the sudden self-introduction.
He wondered if he was bragging about himself, so he asked with a slight frown.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know what this means?”
“…Meaning?”
Is it a riddle or a test?
Since he was asked a question, Sujeong Han thought quietly.
But as if it wasn’t a question, Lee Seo-jin gave the answer right away.
“It’s simple. A superhuman is not limited to rank. No. It’s true that a superhuman’s strength cannot be completely determined by rank.”
“…Yes?”
Han Soo-jung stared blankly at the absurd answer.
Not limited to rank.
I tried to argue with you, asking what nonsense you were saying, but this time too, Lee Seo-jin spoke up one step first.
“You don’t think so.”
“Isn’t that obvious? To say that…”
“There are unrivaled beings such as S and EX ranks. Certainly, if you are in that rank, you can say that you are limited.”
“But why…”
“What I’m talking about is below A rank. In fact, from A rank to E rank, it’s from there to there. It can be changed as much as you like with effort.”
From noble mtl dot com.
“…”
Han Soo-jung expressed it with her face instead of her words.
Did you notice this signal?
She took a quick glance at Lee Seo-jin and started walking ahead again.
“Well. You’ll figure it out for yourself soon. Let’s go back to square one. Did I ask why the villains are in such a dangerous place?”
“It was.”
“Your answer is the first. What do you think the second is?”
“The second one?”
Han Soo-jeong thought, noticing that this time it was a test.
But she couldn’t think of anything, so she just tilted her head.
Before finishing her thoughts, Seojin Lee answered in advance.
“It’s easy to set traps.”
“Trap…?”
“Yes. These places are pitted, crumbling, and strewn everywhere. It’s a good place to set traps and hide. For example—”
While Lee Seo-jin was talking, she suddenly stopped.
Sujeong Han, who was walking right next to her, suddenly stopped and was a little embarrassed.
But she didn’t stop immediately.
She took a step or two forward.
At that moment, the ground dented and Han Su-jeong lost her balance.
“Aww?!”
As part of the floor collapsed while going upstairs, Sujeong Han was unable to cope.
The moment you want to fall down.
Quickly, Seojin Lee snatched Sujeong Han by the nape of her neck and held her.
“Uh huh…?!”
“Just like now. Since he uses sand, he can set camouflage traps like this. Of course, he won’t be seriously hurt if he falls, but… Well, it depends on the superman.”
“…Okay, please upload it.”
Sujeong Han, who was dangling from the nape of Lee Seo-jin’s hand, glanced up.
She must have been through this many times.
She was looking down at her as if nothing was wrong.
Afterwards, when Seojin Lee placed her Hansujeong, she lightly brushed off her clothes and asked.
“Thanks for the good lesson. But did you know there’s a trap on this floor?”
“If you catch a villain by yourself, you will learn it naturally. Well. Besides that, I also have my own abilities.”
“…So I don’t know.”
“I know that.”
Was she laughing or laughing?
A slight smile formed on Lee Seo-jin’s lips.
Seeing that, Sujeong Han felt a little strange, but she didn’t have a negative feeling.
“Well. Just a little advice. Just watch the ground. You’ll see some subtle cracks and crevices. It’s like paper glued together.”
“Hmm… ok, but I didn’t know the villain would set a trap.”
“Why do you think so?”
“That’s right… Traps are mostly useless in superhuman society.”
“That’s a stupid answer. Traps are always useful. Didn’t you just fall for it and almost hurt yourself?”
That was not wrong.
As of now, it is about 3 stories high.
The bottom was completely open, and even if mana was wrapped around the body, there would be some damage.
Afterwards, no one knew how this wound would work when confronted with the villain.
“Hmph. Nice job.”
Sujeong Han, slightly pouting, took the lead.
I wasn’t angry.
It wasn’t even resentful.
If it was like before, I would have thought of you as a bad person and thought you were bad.
Now, she has experienced it with her own body and gave advice, so in a way, it was teaching.
That made her feel a bit uncomfortable, but since she was never the kind of person to overlook these teachings, she didn’t have any negative thoughts or feelings.
After that, the two climbed to the top.
Han Soo-jung thought that if she climbed to the top, she would confront the villain, but…
When I went up to the top, I could only see a bare landscape.
“…Isn’t it?”
“…”
After taking a quick look around her, Sujeong Han looked at Seojin Lee.
But she didn’t respond. Lee Seo-jin stepped in front of her and she stopped for a moment.
Looks like you’re concentrating.
Han Soo-jung had a hunch that it was related to the ability I mentioned earlier.
Before long, Seojin Lee spoke her words to Sujeong Han.
“Blind. Didn’t I tell you about the villain?”
What a beast.
She was making fun of herself, but Han Soo-jung, noticing that her mood had changed, replied with a nod of her head.
“Yes.”
“If I can give you one more piece of advice, magic classes are quite unique. Because they have a variety of abilities, especially those that affect the body like the martial arts class.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What? You said his ability was sand?”
“Yes. Why is that…”
Sujeong Han stopped talking for a moment.
Strangely, it was because there was a lot of sand on the roof of the building.
Sand everywhere was unusual for simply raising a building.
She tried to call Lee Seo-jin in a hurry because she had something on her mind at the moment.
“Sun-“
Lee Seo-jin was already on the move.
“Cheack!!!”
In an instant, she drew the sword from her waist and slammed it down on the ground. A man’s moaning sounded.
Soon, the sand in all directions agitated, gathered in one place, and formed a shape.
The sand soon turned into a person and appeared.
“What are you…?”
“What?”
“How the hell did you hurt me with your sword!!!”
Sandman was embarrassed.
A body made of sand never got hit by blades.
No matter how good the martial arts were, they were weak to the level of immunity.
However, the sword of the man in front of his eyes pierced himself deeply into his chest.
“Well. More than that, I find it strange that you move normally after being stabbed. Ah. Is it because you were stabbed mana rather than physically?”
“What? What is that now…”
“Noisy. Hey. Mammoth. Now it’s your turn.”
After inserting the sword, Lee Seo-jin turned around and looked at Han Soo-jung.
Then she stepped back and opened the distance, then crossed his arms and began to intuit the situation.
As soon as he became a bystander, Sujeong Han was a bit dumbfounded.
Since the villain appeared in front of her eyes, she decided to deal with it first and then question it.
“Hmph. Look at my skills and admire them!”
Scary to say, Han Soo-jung gathered sparks in both of her hands.
The flames soon coalesced into a single point and became a huge flame.
It whirled in his hand and flew straight to Sandman.
But Sandman smiled and countered.
“Fire? That’s funny!!”
Shoot!!
A huge wall of sand rose up and lightly blocked the flames of Sujeong Han.
However, the first attack was not the end.
The flames flowed along the sand wall and hit the sandman behind them, and a huge pillar of fire shot up behind the sand wall.
The pillar of fire blazed and rotated, ending in a huge explosion.
“That’s stupid. Did you think it would end with just one shot?”
A sure and powerful attack.
Han Soo-jung looked at Lee Seo-jin with a triumphant smile.
However, Lee Seo-jin was yawning and watching the situation as if he were bored.
You mean he’s so bored after seeing his attacks?
The time when you want to say something out of stupidity.
“Ugh?!”
Suddenly, a strong sandstorm blew up and hit Han Soo-jung.
“Stupid! You thought you were just going to burn the sand with flames or something?”
“What…!? The attack didn’t work?”
“Puhahahaha! Don’t you know that there is compatibility in magic? Well, heroes don’t have anything special!”
“Kuh…!”
There is no such thing as mutual compatibility.
There were many cases where the victory or defeat was entirely due to the difference in strength.
However, the magic system had compatibility, and it could not be seen that victory or defeat was determined by force.
The flames are extinguished when they are covered with sand.
Han Soo-jung hurriedly tried to counterattack, but a sandstorm raging from all sides grazed her hands and extinguished the flames.
Not only that, but the sand particles became sharp like shards of glass and rubbed around Han Soo-jung, tearing her clothes and skin.
There were wounds on the face, arms, and legs of the body, and they were suffering little by little.
“Ha! It looks like he’s just a newcomer… It’s a pity!”
Sandman turned his body into a sandstorm and prepared for a powerful attack.
But on the other hand, I was worried about Lee Seo-jin.
I’m sure they went together, but why didn’t they come out yet?
I had doubts, but decided to put it aside.
As soon as he realized that he was a skilled man due to the previous attack, he was planning to kill Han Soo-jung and leave.
But then.
Lee Seo-jin opened his mouth.
“Bastard. Didn’t I tell you earlier? A-ranks and lower there and there… You can win with enough effort.”
“Kuh… What is that?! No. More than that, why don’t you help?!”
“I’m watching until you know for sure.”
“Watch me?! No. Now that’s what you’re talking about!? What kind of partner are you playing so badly?!”
“Hmm…”
“Oh really!!! Won’t you help me?!”
Seojin Lee touched his chin and still didn’t care.
Then, the vaguely visible action through the sandstorm spurred Han Soo-jung’s anger.
Called for help.
“Help me!!!”
Would those words be a signal flare?
Sandman’s powerful attack came flying.
“I’ll finish it before then!”
But at that moment.
In an instant, Lee Seo-jin appeared near the sandstorm.
“I’ll tell you one thing. It’s easy to deal with this type of person. They look like they don’t have a body, so they don’t have any weaknesses, but in fact, the whole thing is a weakness.”
“Huh?!”
“In one word, it means that if you hit one place and tear it apart, it will become a fatal wound.”
Han Soo-jung, who focused on the flying attack with her vision obscured in the sandstorm, could not properly hear what Lee Seo-jin was saying.
But as if it didn’t matter, a line was drawn in the sand.
“Keah!!!!”
It exploded and the sand wind blew away in an instant.
Soon after, the scattered sand wind gathered in one place and formed a shape.
The appearance of the Sandman revealed was miserable.
“Wh.What… What did you… Do?!”
He suffered a major fatal wound in his chest.
Unaware of what he had done, the Sandman let out a heavy breath and clutched his chest.
It wasn’t just an attack.
Mana was leaking through his chest like a punctured balloon.
Sandman, fearful at the thought that he could die, looked at Lee Seo-jin with fearful eyes.
“No big deal. I just cut mana.”
“What. What?”
“Well. You don’t need to know. By the way, if you die, that’s a problem…”
Lee Seo-jin took out the handcuffs from the waist dance and approached Sandman and filled them up.
And after she contacted the association, she looked at Han Su-jeong, who was in a state of disrepair.
She didn’t even know what had happened and as she stared blankly at her, Lee Seo-jin smiled slightly and spoke to her.
“It’s a mess. You bastard.”
Then, Han Soo-jung, who came to her senses, shouted out loud with a broken heart.
“…Did you help me earlier!!!!”