Bound For Seoul

Inside the D-train bound for Seoul.

In the special-class seats, said to be more expensive than the regular ones, four very different beings sat facing one another.

“Hahahahahaha. I heard a new chairman had come, but since there was no separate inauguration ceremony, this is my first time seeing you in person. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am second-year Cheon Su-ho.”
“My, isn’t this our academy’s rising prospect, Cheon Su-ho. I’m the one who’s pleased to meet you, student Cheon Su-ho.”

The two beings, both big enough to fill the wide seats, clasped hands and laughed like brothers.
The way they were acting was enough that anyone would believe they were brothers by blood.

Tremble tremble tremble tremble.

At the vibration coming from beside him, Ro-un frowned and turned his head.

“The chairman. Why? No. Before that. He’s not even human…!”

Ro-un agreed.
Right now, Baek Ho-yeon was making it obvious to anyone that he was not human.
Sharp claws and teeth, an unhidden presence, and gleaming pupils.

That was right.
Baek Ho-yeon was openly revealing what he was.

‘What got into this tiger all of a sudden? Wasn’t it their etiquette to pretend to be human in front of other humans?’

Thinking of the Baekdu chairman, who still pretended to be human even after everyone had already figured him out, Ro-un looked at the tiger in front of him with a strange expression.

“Is it okay for an academy chairman not to be human?”
“There’s no reason it wouldn’t be. Baekdu Academy is in a similar situation too.”
“Ah.”

At Ro-un’s words, Joo Hee-jun recovered his senses.
He seemed to have realized that it was far from unusual for other species to be involved in running academies.
After all, even the chairman of the nearby Baekdu Academy was a dragon.

“Right. My mom said that even among companies, there are some quietly run by other species.”
“There are probably plenty of them debuting as celebrities too.”
“‘Droptears’ is a group made up entirely of sirens or siren half-breeds, isn’t it?”
“Right. I listened to their songs a lot while doing assignments. Though other species are still banned from competing in sports.”
“That can’t really be helped. The differences between the species are too big.”

As he talked with Ro-un and became aware that species other than humans were active all throughout society, Joo Hee-jun calmed down.
In the barely hundred years since <Otherworld Invasion>, humanity had tried to adapt to the changed world, but there were still many areas where the work of living in harmony with other species remained unfinished.
Korea was, at least, one of the more friendly places toward other species.

‘The fact that the Dangun myth had a bear and a tiger in it must have helped a lot.’

Early education really did seem important.
In some far-off lands, other species were worshiped as gods, while in others they were enslaved for not being human.
In fact, even now, illegal trafficking of other species as slaves still happened.

‘No need to look far. If you just searched the villas of a few important people, you’d probably catch several.’

Thinking of the signs of illegal trafficking he had happened to see while going for a ‘health checkup,’ Ro-un frowned.
The moment the Association and the enforcement agencies were cleaned out, he would have to make his move.
Only once the backing behind them was gone could they be rescued safely.
Ro-un’s gaze landed on Baek Ho-yeon, then fell away.

‘The Tiger Clan has no footing in human society. I can’t ask the White Tiger for help right away. Maybe I really should hit them at the same time as the Association President.’

In any case, this matter had to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
If the other species ever found out about this, they would immediately try to bring the Association down.
It was full of problems, but considering the incidents that would erupt in the future, the Association’s existence was indispensable.
There was no time, so the only choice was to fix it and keep using it.

“A cat? No, how is that a cat? At that size, it’s a tiger.”

Pulled out of his thoughts by Joo Hee-jun’s muttering, Ro-un came back to himself.
Oh? This brat. Had he vaguely seen through the White Tiger’s identity?

‘His mana control is a mess, but his affinity has always been excellent. That’s what happens when he tries to control mana that cannot be controlled by ordinary methods in the first place. In any case, it seems it wasn’t by accident that he ended up with the trait Lord of Mana.’

In Ro-un’s mind, Joo Hee-jun’s evaluation rose by one level.
Baek Ho-yeon seemed to think the same.
Just moments ago Baek Ho-yeon had been chatting warmly with Cheon Su-ho, but now he was suddenly leaning toward Joo Hee-jun.

“Hik!”
“Hahahaha. Don’t be afraid. The chairman isn’t the sort who’d casually eat people.”
“Just as student Cheon Su-ho says. Surely you don’t think I’d eat one of our academy students?”

Why not just openly say you’re another species at this point.
Ro-un protested with his eyes at Baek Ho-yeon, who no longer showed any sign of trying to hide that he was another species.
Joo Hee-jun noticed that and shrank even more.

‘A Divine Beast White Tiger wouldn’t eat a human for no reason, at least.’

Though who knew if there was a reason.
Surely he wouldn’t gulp Joo Hee-jun down in one bite just because he disliked something he said?
Shaking off Joo Hee-jun’s trembling grip on his sleeve, Ro-un asked Baek Ho-yeon,

“So why did you suddenly decide to take the train, Chairman?”
“Hm?”
“If you had business, you could have just gone by car. Wouldn’t that have been more comfortable for you?”

At Ro-un’s words, the corners of Baek Ho-yeon’s mouth lifted.
How did he know I disliked humans?
Faced with Ro-un’s question, which seemed to see right through him, Baek Ho-yeon wanted to pry open what was inside Ro-un himself.

‘What exactly is packed into that little head of his?’

Would I be able to find out if I split it open?
If it was the Saint, maybe he would survive it.
Savoring his curiosity while imagining tearing into Ro-un’s head, Baek Ho-yeon stopped when he felt the stares fixed on him.

‘For now… I should endure it.’

Slowly lifting the upper body he had unconsciously leaned forward, Baek Ho-yeon settled back into place.
The moment he sat back properly, Joo Hee-jun rubbed his chest and let out a deep breath.

“Huaaah.”

What kind of pressure was that?

‘He has to be Tiger Clan, right? They didn’t get called the strongest species for nothing. At that level, even among the Tiger Clan, he’d have to be pretty strong, wouldn’t he?’

Joo Hee-jun rubbed his chest as he side-eyed Baek Ho-yeon, whose white hair had been dyed black.
Though he had figured out that he was Tiger Clan, Joo Hee-jun still did not realize that the being in front of him was the White Tiger himself, and pressed close to Ro-un.
Meanwhile, having skillfully suppressed his urge to pry Ro-un apart, Baek Ho-yeon smiled brightly and said,

“Who knows? Maybe I just wanted to see off the students representing the academy?”

Yeah, right.
Ro-un’s eyes turned insolent.
It was not at all an appropriate look to give a mythic being, but Baek Ho-yeon didn’t mind.

‘So he definitely does have some scheme in mind.’

Wariness rose in Ro-un’s eyes.
But that did not mean Ro-un could possibly stop Baek Ho-yeon from coming.

‘Honestly, I did expect from the moment I agreed to go see Princess In-woo that this tiger wouldn’t just sit still.’

That was right.
Ro-un had received a message from In-woo telling him to come to Seoul and visit.
Since he was going to have to stay with that tiger even after getting to Seoul, Ro-un chose to change the subject rather than try to dig into the White Tiger’s black-hearted intentions.

“Cheon Su-ho. Are you well prepared for the exam?”
“Hahahahahaha! No problem!”
“I heard the practical test for combat-types is difficult.”
“Right. Combat-types get evaluated by a higher-ranked Awakener from a related line, and there’s a separate skills test too, right? I heard it’s tricky because there are so many branches and everyone’s abilities are different. It’s probably harder than the support-type exam you took, right, Ro-un? What was the support-type A-rank exam like?”
“Ours is similar enough too. I took my A-rank exam at the World Awakener Association. The Saintess personally evaluated me.”

I became acquainted with the Saintess because of my promotion.
Because she said she was looking forward to the day I might become the Saint, the support I received from the World Awakener Association increased drastically.

“Seriously!? You took your promotion exam at the World Awakener Association?”
“Hahahaha! I know there are A-rank healers in Korea too! So why did you go all the way to the World Awakener Association?”
“Because the World Awakener Association is sponsoring me. I go there every time I’m promoted.”
“…Lee Ro-un. Why did you really come to our academy?”

Joo Hee-jun’s eyes widened at the way Ro-un was treated, which was clearly on a completely different level from his own.
No matter how he looked at it, those were not the qualifications of someone who should be attending an outdated academy stuck at the bottom of the rankings.
Joo Hee-jun looked at Ro-un like he could not make sense of it.

“Who knows.”

Even as he said that, Ro-un did have a guess.

‘There’s no way the country would so easily give up a top-grade healer produced in Korea.’

It was obvious to anyone.
This was an era where high-ranked Awakeners were national power.
In an age like this, there was no way the state would casually let go of a healer with an SSS-rank trait.

‘At least because this is Korea, I have some say in my own treatment. If I had been in a weaker Awakener nation somewhere in Africa or South America, the World Awakener Association would have taken me away in an instant.’

If Korea had not been a major Awakener power, and if it had not been surrounded by China and Japan, each constantly eyeing the other, then by now Lee Ro-un would either have become the spark of a three-way war among Korea, China, and Japan, or have been forcibly taken into the protection of the World Awakener Association.
If it were not for the Calamity, being forcibly protected by the World Awakener Association would not have been such a bad position.
In fact, Ro-un had at one point even considered relying on the World Awakener Association after dropping out.

‘Though that’s ruined now because of that tiger.’

Even if he dropped out, that tiger didn’t seem like the type who would quietly let him go.
Sensing Ro-un’s gaze, Baek Ho-yeon spoke with shameless boldness.

“Haha! To think such an excellent student belongs to my academy. Student Lee Ro-un, I look forward to working with you from now on as well.”
“Yeees. Sure.”

Ro-un answered a beat late as Baek Ho-yeon grabbed his hand and spoke.
Ro-un wanted to pull his hand free from Baek Ho-yeon’s grip, but whether he was pretending not to notice or not, Baek Ho-yeon didn’t let go.

‘You tiger who’s nothing but brute strength!’

Left with no choice, Ro-un spoke to Cheon Su-ho while still being held.

“Cheon Su-ho. Even among combat-types, you’re the enhancement-type, so your evaluator will probably be an S-rank enhancement-type. The outside examiner the Association brings in this time will be from the ‘Ironhawk’ Guild. If it’s an Awakener from there, there shouldn’t be any issue with you passing. The problem is what comes after that….”
“You mean the sparring match with the final examiner? I know that too, Lee Ro-un.”

Right. If it was you, who had been waiting for this promotion exam more than anyone, there was no need for me to explain the procedure any further.
Joo Hee-jun, who had been listening beside them, cut in.

“Isn’t there nothing to worry about? He’s still good at fighting, after all.”

This idiot is talking nonsense too.
Depending on who the sparring opponent was, even a good result in the earlier stages could still lead to reevaluation or outright failure.

‘For example, if someone from Awakener Response Team D ended up in charge, they might toy with anyone they disliked and then sneer that promotion was still too early.’

Team D had always been famous for having rotten personalities.
He had heard that big guilds even deliberately delayed exam schedules to keep their own promising members from being assigned to Team D.

‘Then again, you could also slip Team D money under the table and ask them to score someone favorably.’

It was unpleasant in every possible way.
As Ro-un clicked his tongue and shook his head, Cheon Su-ho beat his chest and declared loudly,

“Don’t worry, Lee Ro-un! I’ll do well enough not to disappoint your expectations!”
“What expectations of mine?”
“Hahahaha! Then let’s call it a vow I make to myself.”

What a carefree idiot.
He really did see the world far too optimistically.
Seeing the shadow of a familiar past in Cheon Su-ho, Ro-un sharply turned his head toward the window.

“Bomb freak. You should hurry up and get promoted to B-rank too.”
“You think that’ll happen just because I want it to…?!”
“Hm? Why wouldn’t it? Even I did it when I had no mana.”
“That’s because you’re just absurdly strong.”
“Hahahaha. I’m not only strong. Want to see?”
“Ack! Aaack! Save the mage!”
“Our academy students are so close. Young people should get along with each other.”

What a mess.
Resting his chin on his hand, Ro-un looked only out the window.
There were not even thirty minutes left until they arrived in Seoul, but even that felt rather long.

“Chairman. We’ll go in first.”
“Goodbye.”

The two of them, having gotten off at the station, saw off Baek Ho-yeon and Lee Ro-un.
That brat Joo Hee-jun still stiffened up every time he looked at Baek Ho-yeon, but why was Cheon Su-ho so absurdly friendly?

‘He really is like a dog.’

The way he ran over to greet anyone at all made him think of an injeolmi¹ colored dog.
The fact that he could guess Baek Ho-yeon was not an ordinary person and still treat him no differently had to be because Cheon Su-ho was simply good by nature.
Joo Hee-jun, on the other hand, didn’t even look back as he left.
That brat really was hard to like.
After idly judging the two as they grew distant, Ro-un came back to himself and spoke to Baek Ho-yeon.

“I should be going too,”

Grab!

Baek Ho-yeon’s forearm clamped around Ro-un’s shoulder as though it were a pair of handcuffs.
Ro-un’s body lurched hard for a moment.

‘Hea-vy!’

What was he, made of stone or something?
It only felt like he had casually rested it there, yet Ro-un could not free himself from Baek Ho-yeon’s forearm.

“What are you doing?”
“You don’t have anywhere to stay, right? Come with me.”
“Me? Where to?”
“Yes. You. To my house.”

What kind of nonsense was that?
At the sight of Baek Ho-yeon being stubborn like a child, Ro-un’s brow twitched.

“Sorry, but I already booked a place to stay.”
“Yes. That place. Sorry, but it’s been changed.”
“To where?”
“To my territory, obviously.”

Since when had the Tiger Clan gotten into the hotel business?
Checking just in case, he saw that a cancellation message had actually arrived.
Suppressing the complaint that was about to burst out, Ro-un answered,

“Why are you going this far?”
“What else. I want to make sure I’m remembered early by the pride and rising prospect of our academy, the future of Korea. As the chairman of the academy, isn’t it only natural for me to take an interest in a student golden from the seedling stage?”

That was a long excuse.

“I’ll escort you.”

As if all this had been prepared in advance, the familiar-faced secretary was already waiting in front of the car.

“Sorry. Our appointment is tomorrow, but our princess wanted to see you right away. And since the Saint likes our princess too, that’s fine, right?”

It’s not fine, you tiger who’s only white on the outside!
Ro-un glared sharply at Baek Ho-yeon, who was shamelessly rationalizing kidnapping.
Baek Ho-yeon accepted that look as though it were nothing.
And just like that, Ro-un was kidnapped into Tiger Clan territory.

Inwangsan was really close to the train station.
As soon as the car came to a full stop and the secretary opened the door, Ro-un jumped out quickly.
But before both of his feet were even fully on the ground, he heard a familiar voice.

“Saaaint!”

Seeing In-woo fly down the stairs with a trail of shrine maidens behind her, Ro-un dropped to his knees and spread his arms without even realizing it.
As though she had been waiting for exactly that, In-woo came running straight at him.

Puh-eok!

Unable to withstand the force of her charge, Ro-un was knocked backward.
Princess. You’ve become quite healthy.
Feeling the weight crash into him, a smile he had not even realized surfaced on Ro-un’s lips.

“Saint! Why did you only come now!”