Second Step, Opposition Scale

It was known as the Benialis camp, but those in the know understood the real power here was Giorgio.

Although both Benialis and Giorgio vehemently denied it, the Heavenly God camp—still officially represented by Benialis—was crowded today as representatives came calling in front of the massive temple where the camp was based.

Several tents had been set up, and representatives hoping to join filed into them in a line.

Each entered intending to present themselves in the best light, but the attendant who greeted them handled applicants mechanically.

“I am——”

“Yes. Please channel your divine power into the crystal here.”

“So——”

“Hurry up, please. There are many people waiting behind you.”

Those whose divine power measured above a certain threshold were gathered in one place and then guided not to Benialis but to where Giorgio stayed.

The attendant, watching the woman hesitate with an indifferent expression, urged her once more to hurry. The woman bowed deeply and exited the tent.

A cold sneer etched the Heavenly God camp’s diplomatic officer’s face as he watched her leave.

The moment she left, Giorgio pushed open the tent flap and entered.

The attendant’s expression changed instantly, and he sprang to his feet to greet Giorgio.

“How was that woman’s divine power just now?”

“Huh? Ah! I told her to measure her divine power, but she refused and left.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. Why… is there a problem?”

“No.”

Giorgio left with a puzzled look, and as more representatives entered in succession, the attendant soon forgot the woman’s existence—until they met again sometime later.

While Giorgio gathered skilled representatives, the Rebound Legion trained harder than ever.

The frenzy began because of Kim Han’s blundered remark—I’m still weak—but even after he left the training hall, the fervor showed no sign of cooling; if anything, it intensified.

There were two reasons.

The first was that Kim Han, after coming out of the training hall, had grown even stronger.

Kim Han was already called a monster among the members. Some legion members even cautiously suggested that the winner was practically decided.

Seeing Kim Han emerge from the training hall and workshop stronger than before left everyone agape.

When Kim Han gathered everyone after training, he announced he was planning a long expedition soon.

An expedition—that word was the same as saying they were going to obtain treasures that could make them stronger: weapons, elixirs, or technique manuals.

Then Kim Han added this.

“Soon we’ll run tests and leave behind those whose skills are lacking. Even if I have to go alone. This expedition site is dangerous, and unlike in the third year we cannot bring our masters, so members who don’t meet the standards will stay at the legion house.”

These words became the second reason for the training fervor.

With leaders like Hazel and Lee Hyo-ju and others who knew Kim Han’s determined nature training even harder, the rest of the members had no choice but to take things more seriously.

Excitement and anticipation for the expedition mixed with anxiety about failing the tests.

As if trying to shake restless minds with physical pain, screams and shouts still faintly drifted from the Rebound Legion house today.

After afternoon training and before dinner, I sat in the reception room for the first time in a while, checking upcoming schedules and waiting for someone.

Knock knock—

A polite knock sounded, and when I told her to come in, a woman opened the door cautiously and entered.

A round face and smooth skin. Not a striking beauty to catch the eye at once, but a warm demeanor that put people at ease. A female representative whose smiling face calmed those around her.

“Sit there.”

“Yes…”

She answered cautiously and sat opposite. Even seated, unlike other representatives who glanced around, she waited quietly for my words.

After checking Fist Star’s group one by one, I selected and earmarked seventeen representatives.

Among them, I poured the most care into the woman before me. I even asked Lee Hyo-ju and Hazel to covertly build familiarity with her.

Rumor had it she hadn’t stood out much in Johan’s legion. Due to her nature, she didn’t step forward to take charge, and she didn’t particularly try to mingle with others.

Hazel suggested it wasn’t an abrasive personality nor cold like Lee Hyo-ju, but shyness, which made her presence in that organization somewhat surprising.

In truth, even I had not held high expectations when I began checking Fist Star’s group, given her shy demeanor.

But after seeing her status window, I was so shocked I held the hand that had shaken mine for a long moment.

She was a Mansin (Ten Thousand Gods). The name Shumix had not been known in her past life, and I almost overlooked her because of that.

Yet I could be certain she was a mansin because of her high Luck comparable to the fairy Naruan and the talents ‘Spirit Untying Ritual’ and ‘Deadly Force.’

The talent ‘Spirit Untying Ritual’—an unfamiliar word even in Korean, go-puri.

At the time, even Lee Hyo-ju didn’t know what talent I had discreetly told her about. Had we not by chance gone to the Land of Death together, neither of us might have paid attention to her.

There was a custom of binding corpses—viewed as a denial of death—so that the dead’s spirit couldn’t harm the living; the knot used to bind such a corpse was called ‘Spirit.’

‘Spirit’ signifies grudges unresolved in this life, and the act of tying the knot to a post and untying it one by one to soothe the spirit is called ‘Spirit Untying’ or a ‘Spirit Untying Ritual.’

Her uniqueness shocked me so much that I still remembered the passages I had found in the old Sio library book.

A miko who channels gods and divines fortunes is exalted with the title mansin.

But Shumix wasn’t called a mansin in that figurative sense. She was called one because she truly accepted a vast number of spirits into her body.

“Have you had any discomfort while staying here?”

“No. Everyone treats me well.”

“I see. Have you thought about what I mentioned?”

“…Can this be used in that way?”

What she held in her hand was a yellow registration card. A registration card unused despite being in her fifth year. Seeing it, a brilliant idea occurred to me.

“That’s what I’ll do.”

“Then I’ll do it. It’s a good thing for me.”

For the first time a bright light flowed into Shumix’s eyes. They were no longer dull but vivid, matching the records I had seen of her past life.

“Then I’ll prepare.”

But I stopped her from standing immediately. It was late, and leaving the legion house could be fatal at this hour; I couldn’t let her go alone.

“For now, we’ll move after tomorrow morning’s training ends. You can’t move alone anymore.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Expecting her transformation, I called Naruan and Hugo and told them to prepare for tomorrow’s outing, then headed to the training ground.

Before the Monster Wave, the number of Rebound Legion members, including Kim Han, was twenty-seven.

Then Proy joined, and twenty-nine people who had fought together in the Monster Wave joined.

Finally, seventeen people whom Kim Han had personally selected from among Fist Star Johan’s group joined.

A total of seventy-four members.

The legion that had started with Kim Han, Lee Hyo-ju, and Arun had grown this large, and the members possessed outstanding skill capable of one against a hundred.

Of course, some members still did not meet Kim Han’s standards, but there were those who, upon joining the Rebound Legion, improved as if by magic.

A representative of rapidly rising skill was Proy Rium, whom Kim Han had started calling by the extravagant title Martial Star, and now everyone called him Martial Star.

In just over two months, his stats that had surpassed 100 had risen further.

Of course, stat information doesn’t show decimal places, so it might simply be his time to grow.

Even so, his growth was bizarrely steep. His techniques using divine power and combat sense had visibly changed.

Not visible in the stats, his talent ‘Genius’ explained why he had been called Martial Star in his past life—the ‘Star of Nothingness.’

At first he lagged behind Arun, but now he fought neck-and-neck with Arun and Hazel. In just two months, Proy had gained a slight edge in sparring with them.

If Hazel exerted full effort, the result could vary depending on who attacked first, but Proy’s dominance put other members on edge.

Arun, Lee Hyo-ju, Hazel, and Naruan had not been overtaken by new members, but when Proy’s skills increased threateningly, they extended their training hours further.

Thus today, fiercely preparing for the mid-March expedition and shedding not bead-sweat but blood, the Rebound Legion’s day drew to a close.

There was a being watching the Rebound Legion members train vigorously on the rear training ground with the setting sun at its back.

“Gyaa…”

If one were to interpret it, it would mean something like, ‘Good effort.’

The yawning, half-lidded watcher was the Ja-ryong loved by all the Rebound Legion.

Lately, with everyone focused on training, the Ja-ryong had become relatively idle.

Everyone was tired and no longer rushed to hug him like before. So the Ja-ryong was… displeased.

That his popularity was only this much!

Even now he yawned in a place visible to the group, trying his best to be cute. Yet the Rebound Legion members paid him no attention.

“Gyaa…”

As time passed, the Ja-ryong grew sulky.

The Ja-ryong suddenly felt himself lifted and flailed his four legs in surprise.

“Why are you sitting there looking so pathetic like a dying old man?”

“Gyaa!”

—Master!

The flailing Ja-ryong realized the one who had lifted him was Kim Han and greeted him with a satisfied sound. The master, whose face he’d not seen for a while, had finally appeared.

The Ja-ryong purred ‘grrng’ as it felt comfort in its master’s chest, like a mother’s bosom.

“Ja-ryong, can you run an errand for me?”

“Gyaa?”

“Go with Naruan, Hugo, and one of the new recruits and go somewhere together and come back.”

“…Gya!”

“Alright, go and come back.”

The Ja-ryong sighed looking at the childlike Naruan by the water, the womanizing Hugo, and the rookie, then snuggled into Naruan’s arms.

He sent a look toward Kim Han to assure him there was nothing to worry about.