NOVEL NEXT Chapter 193
The meeting wrapped up smoothly, except for about one person struggling to keep up. In the middle, struck by a pang of guilt, Hong Yu-ri tried to flip the table with some choice words, but the Wolf stepped in and nipped that in the bud.
And so the meeting ended in a solemn, heavy atmosphere. Everyone attending placed a hand on Hong Yu-ri’s shoulder, offering comforting words as they began to trickle out of the conference room.
“…You really did a great job.”
When Ha Yeon or Gu Jin-ha patted her shoulder, she merely frowned in response.
“Ah man… sigh. I’m sorry. You did well. Just go in and rest.”
Even Kang Tae-ho showed this kind of concern, leaving Hong Yu-ri dumbfounded. With the situation escalating, she hesitated to come clean. Despite feeling guilty, she realized there was nothing she could do and nodded in resignation.
It felt akin to having a sharp needle poking at her heart.
As she stared blankly at Kang Tae-ho leaving the meeting room, his words continued, as if the conclusion hadn’t been reached yet.
“Once again, great job. You should head in and rest first. If you want, I’ll grant you all the leave you need. No, I should. Nobody’s feeling more troubled than you right now.”
“……”
“It’s unprecedented for a race to change. To my eyes, you clearly seem to be Drako Pale.”
That was the conclusion drawn from the glasses, which allowed the use of the Emotional Skill, a masterpiece of the Square. Drako Pale—interpreted as a dragon with diluted blood, although it’s a first of its kind.
Kang Tae-jun was well aware of the fate that awaited those who excessively sought Dragon Blood. Hong Yu-ri was a special case. The only one to succeed in transforming while retaining her intellect. There would be much for her to face ahead. Some would approach out of pure curiosity, and some might harbor baseless malice. All those piled together would wear her down.
Being from a unique background or lineage… there’d certainly be challenges in acquiring such documents since it was uncharted territory. Naturally, he intended to help her as much as he could. Kang Tae-jun nodded to himself.
“Take some time to rest and collect your thoughts. If you need anything, just let me know. There’s no rush… Stay strong.”
As Kang Tae-jun finally left, Hong Yu-ri, who had been zoning out, glared at the Wolf with her eyes ablaze.
“You…! What kind of bull is this?!”
“What’s with the fuss?”
Despite the bright yellow eyes glaring at him, the Wolf tilted his head nonchalantly. His appearance, as if he had no clue, made Hong Yu-ri smirk incredulously.
“You crazy…!”
Just as she was about to yell out more, the Wolf reached out with a tentacle to block her mouth. If Kang Tae-jun had any sensitivity, he’d definitely hear that kind of yelling.
“……!”
“First, calm down.”
Hong Yu-ri, who had been on the brink of losing it, grit her teeth. She thought she should at least hear out whatever nonsense he wanted to spew, but if the target wasn’t the Wolf, her fists or magic would’ve been flying first.
“There’s nothing wrong with this, right?”
Meeting the look that seemed to say, “Really?” the Wolf met her gaze calmly.
“And it wasn’t a lie either.”
Hong Yu-ri finally peeled the tentacle off her mouth, frowning.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“You could have returned if you wanted to.”
The Wolf needlessly opened a pocket dimension to show a flask full of fake Elixir. Seeing the jingling liquid made Hong Yu-ri clamp her mouth shut.
“Not doing that was your choice.”
“That’s…”
“The situation didn’t push you. Nobody forced you to do anything. It was purely your choice.”
As their eyes locked, Hong Yu-ri unconsciously swallowed hard. The serious low tones ricocheted around her ears, holding a convincing weight.
“If you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have been able to take down the Disease.”
“……”
“At least, that’s true for me.”
There was not a shred of wavering in those red eyes. As if declaring that he spoke nothing but the truth. That left Hong Yu-ri utterly at a loss for words. At some point, the tentacle that had been silencing her was now gently stroking her head.
“Thanks.”
With those words, Hong Yu-ri couldn’t lift her head, lost for words. The tail began to sway gently, but it was something only Hong Yu-ri remained oblivious to.
***
“…Anyway, Vice Team Leader Hong has returned, and Alpha is also staying within the Clan.”
Gu Jin-ha conveyed the situation, omitting anything that his teammates wouldn’t need to know. He added a reminder not to make an enemy of Alpha, though such a prospect was nothing to worry about.
Of course, instead of being hostile… Gu Jin-ha forced a bitter smile.
Plague and Disease. There was no way to oppose Marang, who had taken down the beasts of calamity that humanity could not kill. He mustn’t oppose him, nor could he.
Not even against a boss-level threat, let alone all the members of the Dawn. He could only vaguely picture how strong Alpha had become.
Anyway, in saying this, the one who felt baffled more than anyone else was Gu Jin-ha himself. It was the first time he had faced Alpha in such a manner. Though he had heard about everything that had transpired since the Neverland, it was still surprising how things had come to this point.
The dungeon of the forest, the night of the battle. Not long ago, he had been opposing Alpha. No, that’s for later. Gu Jin-ha shook his head, clearing away his distractions.
“I’ll say it again. If by chance you encounter her, please be mindful not to be surprised by the change in Vice Team Leader Hong.”
The very notion that his long-time rival from Academy days had become a dragon… left him with a complicated mindset.
Of course, it was true that the calamity had fallen, and humanity was thriving because of it.
“It was a noble sacrifice. If you happen to spread any rumors or slander…”
“That Vice Team Leader…?”
Hearing the reaction of one team member who seemed to struggle to imagine it, Gu Jin-ha nodded, understanding. Despite having a nasty personality, he still possessed a unique sense of responsibility. This incident was undoubtedly part of that.
“And this is just a word of caution, but don’t come rushing in to offer premature comfort.”
It wasn’t something to console about, nor to mourn over. She simply needed time. He noticed someone flinch at that remark but chose to overlook it. After all, they must have understood.
“That’s all. I hope you didn’t take the warning lightly.”
And thus, the white lie of the Wolf began to spread far and wide.
***
The news of Alpha’s return caused a little stir. For a brief moment, the days spent around Marang and the Fairy Beast had quite an influence on the Clan.
Many attempted to pet the proud dragon and dog, who weren’t allowing themselves to be easily approached. It had almost become a challenge within the Dawn. Some even burned with determination, having failed last time, to succeed this time.
Regardless, the Wolf merely spent time with Fairy, showing no other reactions. Whenever someone reached out, he either dodged or swatted them away, and Fairy retaliated by wagging her tail. Of course, given she was a bit stronger than she had been, an earnest gesture could lead to severe injury, but Fairy, at least, seemed to understand and controlled her strength.
“Ah, thanks…!”
Why was he saying thanks while getting hit… the Wolf couldn’t make sense of this bizarre scene and shook his head. How many had approached him in just a few hours…?
If the others hadn’t brought coffee and cocoa as offerings, he would have taken off long ago.
Drinking what was practically bottomless vending machine coffee, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about that tasty coffee he’d had at Red Square, in Hong Yu-ri’s mansion. If only he had packed some for later.
While evading and swatting away those who approached, the Wolf finally spotted the person he’d been waiting for.
“……!”
With wide eyes, he recognized Euna, who was hurrying over, her magic significantly improved within this short time frame.
No matter having been in the Fantasy World, her magic had already reached the mid-400s.
That growth was unusual, raising questions in his mind.
‘……Why?’
Had she died in the original story? Or had she stopped being a Hunter? He had no way to know, but if she had continued living as a Hunter, she would have surely become a renowned one.
Euna quickly approached, bombarding him with bright inquiries about whether he had just arrived, if he was okay, and if the Vice Team Leader had come too. Upon noticing the stack of paper cups, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“What’s this…?”
Even as she was speaking, a coffee cup was pushed toward her, which the Wolf lightly swatted away with a tentacle. Witnessing the bizarre custom taking shape, Euna chuckled as she attempted to sit beside Alpha, but…
“Kyu~!”
Fairy, as if to declare it was her spot, got irked, leading Euna to ultimately place Alpha onto her lap. Indeed, the sensation of those rough dragon hairs lingered between her fingers with each stroke.
“How was the Fantasy World? Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“Um, yeah. I was okay.”
Still dazedly stroking him, Euna snapped back to reality and nodded.
“Well, how about the Vice Team Leader?”
“She’s just resting. If you’re really concerned…”
“No, it’s fine.”
Recalling Gu Jin-ha’s words, Euna shook her head. Initially pondering about worrying, she thought it best not to. The Wolf looked up at her as if nodding knowingly.
“Then I’ll just relay the message.”
“Thank you.”
In the brief lull, Euna noticed the envious stares from several onlookers and forced an awkward smile. She couldn’t help but wonder when this had turned into some sort of challenge.
“How was the Fantasy World?”
“Hmm~ I guess?”
At that question, Euna tapped her chin with her index finger in thought.
While he understood her growth through his keen vision, it was also true that she still had a way to go. At the very least, she had to reach the level of Hong Yu-ri before her transformation to be of help.
Even for someone as capable as her, she couldn’t fend off multiple threats with just one hand. Humanity had to minimize damage against the riffraff’s attacks.
Though it was quiet now, there was no telling when those scoundrels might make a move. While Euna pondered at the Wolf’s question, she started to cheerfully chatter about her experiences in the Fantasy World.
“So~”
How she had become quite friendly with the White Deer and fairies, learned to speak Fairy fluently, and even managed to take down monsters stronger than the ones she had faced before. Each small reaction from the Wolf only fueled her excitement.
“Ah…”
After babbling on for some time, Euna grew flustered, realizing she had only talked about herself.
“It doesn’t matter. I asked you, after all.”
“…Yeah. But So-yul…”
“Yeah. She hasn’t returned.”
If asked who had shown the most brilliant growth, it would undoubtedly be Hong Yu-ri, but that was a unique case of her transformation. Excluding her, it would be Baek So-yul for sure. Now that she had accepted the magic from the Floating Island, her power was likely on par with Anela, the daughter of the White Deer. Her understanding of magic might be low, but still, it was incredible for a mere student who hadn’t even graduated.
‘Come to think of it, was there a graduation ceremony?’
In about a month, if she happened to still be in Korea, maybe she could catch up with her then.
“……”
As Euna fixed her gaze on the Wolf, he shook his head apologetically.
“Sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment.”
“…Okay.”
“Even though the Square has fallen, rest easy. Baek So-yul is just learning magic.”
Euna nodded, her expression strange. And upon checking her phone, she said it was time to go, to which the Wolf gently flicked his tentacles.
……It seemed about time to meet the system and Song Se-hyuk.