The Tragic Past

Thud, thud, thud!

Ma Hana felt her heart tremble. An overwhelming emotion rose from deep inside her chest.

She placed the book into the groove on the shelf as if rehearsed. A vast, trembling surge of magic and spirit energy confirmed that it had been the right thing to do.

The being that manifested through the projection was, to Ma Hana, someone she could never forget.

“Ah, ah…”

Ma Hana began to cry. He had died about five years ago, but before that he had been young, robust, and the most reliable person in her life—her father, Ma Tae-han.

Ma Hana hesitated, then took a tentative step forward and asked in a trembling voice.

“D-Dad?”

At her call, the spirit slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, looked around, and then met the gaze of the girl standing before him. Slightly flustered, he stammered.

“…Uh, um, uh?”

Ma Hana’s tears intensified; even the voice that escaped with his appearance left no doubt—he was her father.

“D-Dad! Dad!”

Her cry of utter despair finally made Ma Tae-han recognize his daughter.

“C-Could it be—M-Meowi? Is it Meowi!? You’ve grown so pretty!”

“Yes, Dad, it’s me!”

“M-Meowi!”

The spirit shed tears too. They weren’t liquid that would fall to the ground, but they were unmistakable signs of overwhelmed emotion.

Ma Hana moved closer and reached for Ma Tae-han’s hand. Her fingers passed through like a phantom.

“Pe- ahh, ahhhh…”

Faced with something she couldn’t touch, Ma Hana sighed. At the sight, Ma Tae-han apologized.

“…I’m sorry it’s like this… I can’t hold you.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s fine!”

Ma Hana shook her head. What did it matter? Her father—who had died years ago—had come back like this; nothing else mattered.

“This isn’t fake, right? Not an illusion? It’s real, right? It’s really Dad, right?”

“Yes, it’s me, Meowi. I’m not a hundred percent original body, but I’m unquestionably your father, Ma Tae-han.”

“Ah, ah, Dad…”

Tears falling, Ma Hana poured out everything—“I missed you… It was so hard being left alone…”

Ma Tae-han listened to her, nodding with apology and pride.

It was a scene that warmed the heart, but Yu Seha, watching, blinked in surprise.

To be clear, it wasn’t a lie. His instincts told him, without question, that this was truly Senior Ma Tae-han.

That only made it more bewildering. After all, it was literally a reunion with someone who had died.

‘…That should be nearly impossible.’

The existence of the “Above”—the transcendent—was the kind of force that bent the world’s ultimate law: death. In GAL, a world full of skills, the ability [Resurrection] simply didn’t exist.

Yu Seha’s question was answered by the Tyrant, who had realized something.

‘…Soul Art?’

Yu Seha thought, ‘Huh? I’ve heard this setup somewhere before…?’

Ma Tae-han had been comforting his crying daughter for a while. His eyes naturally met Yu Seha’s.

“…Oh?”

Ma Tae-han froze, shocked. His eyes widened, and the long tail at his waist bristled. From his expression, Yu Seha instinctively knew without a doubt that he was Meowi’s father—the two of them looked exactly alike.

First impressions mattered. Yu Seha cleared his throat and bowed politely.

“Hello. Senior Ma Tae-han—I’m Yu Seha, a second-year student at <Gonis Hunter Academy>.”

It was almost the perfect line. Even so, Ma Tae-han’s panic continued. He stammered back a question.

“…Uh, yes? Huh? I’m, a man…?”

Then he looked down at his sniffling daughter.

“O-our Meowi… is still a baby…”

“Puh?”

She brought a man…?

Yu Seha felt awkward but straightened his shoulders even more confidently.

“Are you all right, senior?”

“Oh, ah, um, so, sorry. I don’t quite understand…”

“Please speak comfortably. I’m much younger than you.”

“Ah, thank you. Polite… There should have been that gimmick-type door thing, right…?”

“Ah, yes. Meowi and I passed through it. Meowi naturally met the conditions, and I have a somewhat special ability, so I transformed to meet the conditions.”

“Th-that’s… Wait, are you calling her Meowi right now?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve been calling her that from the start.”

“I-is that so…”

A subtle silence fell. Flustered, Ma Tae-han smoothed his forehead with his large hand. Although he was a spirit and nothing could come of it, if he had been in his original body sweat would have poured from him.

He clearly harbored awkwardness and fear toward the strange man his daughter had brought.

Ma Tae-han, barely regaining his composure, asked his daughter, who was blowing her nose with a Ju Na-young patterned handkerchief.

“Pe—Meowi?”

“Mpfuheeeng! Puh?”

“Um, this young man—he seems as handsome as I am and women would swarm him—who exactly is he?”

“Puh…”

Ma Hana quickly sensed her father’s thoughts. She glanced at Yu Seha and nodded. She didn’t hesitate about Se-ha; saying it out loud was just a little embarrassing. Quietly, she asked for permission.

“Seha… sorry, but could you give us a moment alone?”

“Okay, got it.”

Yu Seha moved tens of meters in a single step. Ma Tae-han flinched at the unfathomable speed, horrified that it wasn’t a skill but raw speed. Only then did he realize Yu Seha’s power was beyond measurement—roughly, he felt like an S-rank, called Cheon Woe-cheong.

Ma Hana looked at Ma Tae-han and hesitated for a breath. A shy, bud-like smile blossomed on her face.

As a father with an only daughter, Ma Tae-han felt a definite fear at that sight.

“M-Meowi, w-wait, surely?! Ah, no? She’s still just a baby! She’s only at the toddling stage!”

“Pe- puh…”

Ma Hana twirled a strand of hair and, voice soft but steady, replied.

“He’s someone I want to give my everything to.”

“Meowi!”

“I-I love him! And, and… if possible I want to marry him… further… further…”

Ma Hana fell silent, blushing so hard she pulled her bangs over her face with both hands.

“Ah, I also want to have children… lots of cute and lovely babies.”

“…Waaah!!!”

“Ah, Dad?”

“…Ku, kuh… gasp …”

Boom—there truly was no sound effect that fit better. Ma Tae-han, already a pale spirit, went paler still, his mouth gaping. Something like a soul seeped from his open mouth—a rare sight, a spirit expelling another spirit. For Ma Tae-han, there was no greater shock in life or death than this moment.

Even a third party could understand the magnitude of the shock. For him, it was a reunion with the daughter he had left behind for decades. He had been filled with remorse for leaving her alone without revealing the truth. While quietly waiting to fulfill his role in this <Trial>, there hadn’t been a day he didn’t feel sorry toward her.

It was a precious reunion. But suddenly she had brought a man along—and she boldly said she wanted to marry him.

How could a father not be unsettled? This went beyond whether Yu Seha was likable; it was a parent’s primary concern.

Ma Tae-han trembled. As a spirit, he understood his own death and the principle that the dead shouldn’t interfere in the affairs of the living.

Normally, he would tell his beloved daughter the truth and then find eternal rest. He believed that was the proper thing to do: a dead man should not hold his daughter back.

But Ma Tae-han broke that rule just this once. His spirit seeming to have been snatched away, he stared at Yu Seha and, contrary to Yu Seha’s usually obtuse nature, stepped forward kindly.

“You called?”

“Th-thank you… um… that Yu Seha?”

“Just Yu Seha is fine, senior.”

“Y-Yu Seha, then. I—I know this is not proper etiquette. But I have no time. Now that Meowi has awakened me, it probably won’t last long.”

He rambled that he knew he normally wouldn’t have the leisure for such things and then, without delay, asked the long question.

“Th-th-how many years have you known our daughter?”

“Uh… it’s been about three years now. Right, Meowi?”

“Puh~yeah.”

“Three, three years… not as long as I expected, but the relationship seems very close… So, what does our daughter mean to you?”

If Yu Seha understood such things, he would have grasped Ma Tae-han’s intent: the awkward assessment of a prospective father-in-law.

But Yu Seha didn’t know that. He answered simply and honestly.

“She is more precious to me than my own life.”

“……”

Ma Tae-han stared blankly. He prided himself on his eye for people—he’d teamed with excellent members like Cha Yeojoo and Im Hyeja—and he was good-hearted. That single sentence revealed Yu Seha’s true sincerity and core feeling: he would do anything for Ma Hana.

Ma Tae-han swallowed a groan. He didn’t need long to see it. With that one line, he knew Yu Seha was the kind of man worthy of entrusting his only daughter to.

“…Thank you. I’ll ask just one more thing.”

“Yes, ask as much as you like—”

“—progress.”

“Yes?”

With a nearly tearful expression, Ma Tae-han put his hand on Yu Seha’s shoulder. Being a spirit, he couldn’t actually touch, but he felt he had to do at least this.

“H-How far along is your relationship with my daughter…?”

“Uh, well…”

Then, finally, not only Yu Seha but even Ma Hana, listening, blurted out a bombshell that landed like a clap.

“Ah, you two haven’t slept together yet, right?”