Chapter 33: Awakened Ones Association ③

Association President Kang Ma-jin made the following requests:

1. Change of residence.

This was to allow easier access for the Association while simultaneously preventing access from certain ‘factions’ who might try to exploit Sephie and me.

1. Stationing Association personnel near my residence. This was fine as long as they didn’t interfere.

2. Reporting my daily activities every other day.

Minor details could be omitted. This was meant to be a form of counseling, observing my mental state.

It made me feel strange, like they didn’t see me as human.

1. Allowing Association personnel to accompany me and Sephie whenever we went out. They would maintain a distance and avoid unnecessary interference.

This last request was about building trust.

1. Assisting the Association with villain subjugation and high-rank gate raids.

This was phrased as a request, not a demand.

He added that they would, of course, provide appropriate compensation. There was no better way to build a friendly relationship than through cooperation, Kang Ma-jin added.

Of course, I could refuse. He’d said,

“We don’t intend to put you on a leash. You can refuse if you wish. The Association wants an equal partnership. Though I’m not sure if that’s possible.”

He admitted that they were the ones at a disadvantage.

‘Lireina told me to avoid entering gates…’

Though I felt bad about disobeying the Goddess, there were things I wanted to confirm inside the gates. She hadn’t explicitly forbidden me from entering.

I agreed, partly out of curiosity, and partly because I was told that entering gates without authorization could lead to legal trouble.

Besides, I was a Hero.
A Hero took responsibility for their actions, and the gates were, in a way, my responsibility.

And villains?

They were those who ‘maliciously’ harmed others. Such beings needed to be eradicated.

There were other requests, but they were minor and not worth mentioning.

“What do you say?”

After careful consideration, I agreed to everything except the change of residence.

“I… like my current apartment.”

“…Is there a reason?”

There was.
It was a gift. Everything the Goddess had prepared for me was there, including the apartment itself.

To Kang Ma-jin, who looked as if something terrible had happened, I answered with a hint of embarrassment,

“I need it… to play games…”

It was a childish answer for a grown adult, but I stood firm, even when Kang Ma-jin offered to buy me a new capsule.

He seemed flustered but accepted my refusal. He knew how to compromise to maintain a good relationship.

This confirmed that the Association was willing to withdraw their requests based on my wishes. They would probably concede even if I demanded the withdrawal of all requests.

I wasn’t a child,
And I understood their concerns, so I didn’t push it.

But if it ended there, it would have been a one-sided demand. Kang Ma-jin followed up with an ‘offer.’

“This is in exchange for complying with our requests.”

Each offer was so generous that I wondered if it was even appropriate. It was absurd.

If I wanted to travel further afield, I could request an Association employee to drive me. I didn’t even need to go grocery shopping; they would provide anything I needed.

They would fulfill almost any reasonable request.

Especially,

“You said you’d pressure lawmakers to create legislation if I had any complaints? Is that even possible?”

“If you wish. They always clamor about controlling the Awakened, but we’ll do our best to prevent any information about you from leaking out.”

I didn’t need anything like that. I had no complaints about my life. Legislation?

Whether it was possible or not was beside the point.
Were they that wary of me to offer something so absurd?

Even if I told them about the other world, no, that would only make them more afraid.

I was a Hero, and Sephie was an angel.
It was frustrating.

I simply wanted to satisfy my curiosity, to live a quiet and peaceful life.

‘Besides…’

I was a Hero.
I had retired, and I could live comfortably, but it would be harder to abandon the beliefs I’d held for so long.

Their concerns were valid, and even the Association President, who could pressure lawmakers, was being so accommodating. Did I have any reason to complain?

‘No.’

I simply wished they could understand my sincerity.

Hiding my bewilderment, I nodded. I was about to ask about the ‘picture’ Jang Baek-do had shown me when,

“Then, may I ask for a demonstration?”

“…A demonstration?”

Kang Ma-jin stood up, smiling.
Shin Hak-cheol and Baek Ji-a also rose.

As I tilted my head in confusion, he explained,

“Show us how strong you really are. Let us see it with our own eyes.”

“Hmm.”

The brief flashback ended.
Kang Ma-jin’s following words echoed faintly,

‘If you can prove that you truly possess such extraordinary power, we’ll be more inclined to trust your words.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Yes. If you can demonstrate it, this is what I’ll think.’

Kang Ma-jin’s expression then had resembled a mischievous child’s.

—‘It’s surprising that someone with such power would listen to me.’

It was a somewhat amusing statement.
This was the place to prove it.

‘I haven’t harmed you despite possessing this power, and you still don’t trust me?’

That was my underlying message.

I agreed to Kang Ma-jin’s request
Because I sensed no malicious intent.

My Transcendent senses perceived his anxiety and concern beneath his calm facade. That’s why I had no complaints.

Our eyes met, and I saw Kang Ma-jin smile faintly. Next to him, Yoo Ha-neul was trembling. I wondered if she was alright; she’d been acting strangely since we arrived.

Sephie was watching me quietly. Her unchanging expression made her seem almost emotionless. I waved at her, and she smiled slightly and nodded.

‘Well then…’

Let’s see what you’re capable of.

I turned my gaze forward.

Baek Ji-a, Shin Hak-cheol, and a woman with purple hair I’d never seen before stood there.

She greeted me as our eyes met.

“I’m Belladonna.”

Her tone was a bit strange. Baek Ji-a answered my unspoken question,

“Belladonna is mixed-race. She’s an S-rank Awakened, just like us. Though I don’t know why she’s here.”

“There’s no reason to refuse such an interesting opportunity, is there?”

“…You wouldn’t know, since you weren’t there. And why are you so stiff!”

After finishing her conversation with the woman named Belladonna, Baek Ji-a slapped Shin Hak-cheol’s shoulder.

He groaned, glanced at me, and muttered,

“…I won’t die, will I?”

I burst out laughing.

“Ahaha… Don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry after seeing that…?”

Shin Hak-cheol scratched his head.
By that, he was probably referring to what happened earlier?

Before the spar,
I’d placed my hand on the device they used to measure mana, a familiar term, and it had immediately broken.

I’d probably released a bit of my suppressed power in anticipation. Releasing it all would be too much. I could control a portion of it subconsciously.

The employee who had been operating the device was sweating profusely, saying it might be a malfunction and that they would try again after the spar.

‘The result will be the same.’

Finishing that thought, I focused.

The three before me, sensing the shift in my aura, began to release their own powerful energy.

‘Oh?’

There was a significant difference between observing and experiencing firsthand.

They were comparable to some of the strongest individuals in the other world. Of course, most of those individuals had been killed by Demon Kings.

‘I don’t know what their abilities are, but.’

Let’s just clash and see.
I drew out a bit more of my suppressed power, and after confirming their reactions, I spoke,

“Let’s begin.”

Immediately, Shin Hak-cheol, transformed into a massive crocodile, lunged at me, swinging his fist.

Chuckling at the raw, simple attack, I threw a punch of my own.

And then…

‘…What…is this?’

Belladonna stared
At the scene unfolding before her.

She’d been wondering,

‘Against something like this…Father…’

Just how strong was the boss of the S-rank gate?

‘This strong…?’

This had been her constant question ever since her father, an S-rank Awakened, was defeated by an S-rank boss and left in a vegetative state.

She pressed Shin Hak-cheol and Baek Ji-a for details and agreed to cooperate with Association President Kang Ma-jin after speaking with him. She wasn’t foolish enough to provoke a being who could easily defeat two S-ranks.

At first, she just wanted to see for herself. The power that had put that proud and strong man in a coma, unable to ever stand again.

Even if it wasn’t the same being,
Belladonna had been confident until the spar began. She was curious to see just how strong So Yu-jin was.

‘This is…unbelievable.’

Her question was answered.
Not with words, but with a visceral experience. Her eyes darted around.

She was staring at
A massive crocodile, its head buried in the floor of the Association training ground, its body limp. A training ground designed to withstand the full force of an S-rank Awakened.

On the crocodile’s back lay Baek Ji-a, unconscious.

Barely ten seconds had passed since the spar began, since Shin Hak-cheol, transformed, had lunged forward.

Yu-jin met his fist with her own. Belladonna lost her fighting spirit in that instant. Shin Hak-cheol and Baek Ji-a probably felt the same.

The sheer force, the explosive power,
Like facing a tsunami, had been so overwhelming that Belladonna was surprised she was still conscious and standing.

After slamming Shin Hak-cheol into the ground,
And effortlessly breaking through the invisible shockwave, Yu-jin approached Baek Ji-a, who lost consciousness without putting up any resistance.

Kang Ma-jin, watching from afar, wore the same stunned expression as Belladonna. His wide-eyed stare at Yu-jin was almost comical.

That’s what Belladonna thought. And Kang Ma-jin, observing them, felt the same.

Seeing two S-rank Awakened defeated in under ten seconds made him realize what kind of being he’d been dealing with.

‘…It’s a good thing I swallowed my pride.’

He breathed a sigh of relief,
Imagining what might have happened if he’d been arrogant from the start.

If Yu-jin hadn’t been so composed, he shuddered at the thought and closed his eyes tightly.

“Hmm.”

Yu-jin, oblivious to their inner turmoil, rolled her head from side to side,

Stretching.
Belladonna couldn’t take it as an insult. It was a natural, unassuming action.

It didn’t seem like she’d just effortlessly defeated two people. Yu-jin’s casual demeanor made Belladonna instinctively step back.

Her confidence had vanished. Just as she considered running and hiding,

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Y-yes…?”

Even she found her own response ridiculous. But Belladonna had no time to feel embarrassed.

Yu-jin, slightly amused by the hesitant reply, chuckled, and then,

“Then I’ll come to you.”

With a light thud, she appeared right in front of Belladonna. They stood inches apart, their gazes locked.

Jet-black eyes.
A deep, bottomless darkness that seemed to draw her in. Belladonna felt a hallucination, as if she was already trapped within those eyes.

‘Ugh…!’

But the feeling was fleeting.
An S-rank was an S-rank. Her instincts screamed, and she reacted swiftly.

Kicking off the ground, she leaped backward, extending both hands forward. A purple flame ignited in her left eye.

“Oh?”

Yu-jin, about to follow, paused, looking at the purple haze approaching like mist, and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

That, too, was brief.
She raised her right foot and stomped it down. A thud echoed, a tremor rippling outwards, scattering her aura.

Like a gust of wind, it extinguished Belladonna’s aura. Yu-jin scoffed, her hands now clasped behind her back.

“Is that all?”

“…”

Belladonna’s expression was beyond bewildered; it was one of pure disbelief. Yu-jin, watching her, smiled faintly and took a step forward.

“Where did all that confidence go?”

At the casually delivered question, Belladonna couldn’t answer. Just watching Yu-jin approach made her break out in a cold sweat.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t make me feel like I’m wasting my time.”

At those words, Belladonna felt a surge of anger, barely suppressing a scream as she took a deep breath, her eyes squeezed shut.

‘Can I do this?’

Counting moves in a fight was a tug-of-war between conscious and unconscious, reason and instinct. Belladonna’s answer leaned more towards instinct.

‘Let’s use that.’

What she truly desired.

Belladonna
Wanted to witness the power that had broken her father, the wall that had seemed insurmountable.

Even if the being before her wasn’t the one who had defeated him, she wanted to experience what he had felt.

So, she opened her eyes.
She formed a circle with her thumb and index finger, pulled her elbow inwards, and brought the circle to her left eye.

The circle formed by her fingers overlapped the circle of her iris. Purple flames engulfed her fingers, and a dark, intense fire ignited within her eye.

Her left eye
Clearly captured the image of Yu-jin walking towards her, hands clasped behind her back.

That’s when,

“…Th-this is?”

Yu-jin’s brow furrowed.

Seeing the clearly bewildered expression, unable to control her twitching lips,

“Heh… Hahaha…!”

Belladonna burst into laughter, a pure, unrestrained sound. She believed her power would work against the one who had broken her father.

But then,

“…Like wearing wet clothes. In that case,”

Yu-jin frowned in displeasure, and as blue flames suddenly erupted around her, she declared,

“I’ll just dry them off.”

“Ah… Ahaha…?”

Belladonna’s laughter slowly died.