Bounty hunting? How absurd.
Finding himself suddenly the target of some band of ruffians, Kang Hanbyeol let out a hollow laugh at his situation.
He was so dumbfounded he could barely speak.
“So you’re saying you lot aren’t the end of it? These Bounty or whatever people.”
“Urgh… Yeah… Finally getting the picture? You’re as good as dead. Since you messed with us, the bounty on you will go even higher, and the others wi—urk…!”
“I’d heard Academy City was called a city of outlaws, but this is something else. So the rest of them… No, just tell me where your organization is.”
His master, Seo Jeongjin, had taught him.
If someone attacked you for no reason, never let it slide.
And if the other party belonged to an organization, destroy that organization so no future trouble remained.
After subduing Bounty’s ruffians, Kang Hanbyeol decided, in accordance with his master’s teachings, that he would not let this pass.
Having made up his mind while stripping the bastards of their weapons, he made a call on his smartphone.
[Where are you right now? I just got off at the dock. When will you be here—]
“I’m sorry, noona, but I got caught up in an incident. I think I need to resolve this first, so I don’t think I can come pick you up today.”
[What!? An incident? Are you hurt badly? Where are you right now—!]
“So don’t wait for me and go to your hotel. I’ll call you when it’s over.”
He had looked forward to this day so much.
Kang Hanbyeol, who had been eagerly awaiting his reunion with Sin Seora, could not contain the anger surging up inside him.
Right away, he began roaming the back alleys, sweeping up Bounty.
It was not hard to find them.
Because they found him first and showed up of their own accord.
“It’s the young Fighting Demon! It’s Kang Hanbyeol!”
“The bounty went up again… How much is this? If we take him down, we won’t have to worry about money for a while.”
“He rolled right into our laps. What a windfall.”
The higher Kang Hanbyeol’s bounty rose, the stronger the enemies he faced became.
Even so, he dealt with them easily, without the slightest sign of being pushed back.
By interrogating the ones he had beaten down, he was able to learn the location of Bounty’s headquarters.
It was then that Kwon Boram, an independent patrol officer of Shield, the sheriff of Academy City, joined him.
“Senior Boram!?”
“I received word from Student Do Gyeon-u and hurried over to help. As it happens, I was also pursuing Bounty myself. But your injuries… Judging by the look of you, I suppose there’s no need to worry. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Gyeon-u told you? He really is sharp…”
Had he inferred Kang Hanbyeol’s situation from a phone call that had been cut off midway and sought help from Kwon Boram?
After hearing the circumstances from her, Kang Hanbyeol once again marveled at Do Gyeon-u’s foresight.
Thanking him inwardly, he gained her cooperation and immediately stormed Bounty’s headquarters.
And so.
“To think the leader of Bounty was a student from our academy, of all things. I am ashamed beyond words. In any case, Student Kang Hanbyeol, thank you for cooperating with Shield’s investigation… Student Kang Hanbyeol?”
By the time late evening had arrived.
Kang Hanbyeol and Kwon Boram had defeated Bounty’s ringleader and destroyed the organization.
After cuffing the unconscious leader, she turned her head to express her gratitude to him.
He already had one foot on the windowsill, ready to leap out the window at any moment.
“What… exactly are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, but I have an appointment, so I’ll be going first! Thank you for your help today! Oh, and I’ll be taking the artifact the leader was using! Goodbye!”
With those words.
Kang Hanbyeol, who had somehow slung the spear the leader had possessed across his back, sprang lightly out the window.
“…What an odd person.”
Kwon Boram, staring blankly out the window, let out a faint, incredulous laugh.
She decided she would summon Kang Hanbyeol later to hear his statement, and set about wrapping up the rest of the incident first.
By then, Shield members had arrived as well, making her burden considerably lighter.
Meanwhile, Kang Hanbyeol, having left Bounty’s headquarters, went to meet Sin Seora without taking even a moment to rest.
He knew which hotel she was staying at.
“Sorry, noona! I’m way too late, right!? Did you eat dinner? If you haven’t, I know a really good place. Want to eat there? The reservation time has passed, so we might have to wait in line…”
“You barely answered my calls, then suddenly said something came up and stood me up… Hmph. I bet it was something you just couldn’t ignore. You and Master Fighting Demon have always been like that. But as for dinner, I ate ages ago! And are you seriously suggesting we go out to eat dinner when you look like that?”
“Ah… You already ate. It’s my fault, so I can’t complain. Then you must be tired, so get some rest, noona. I’ll come back tomorrow. Good night.”
“Who said you could leave?”
“…”
“Come in. There’s a bathroom inside, so wash up before you go. I’ll go out and buy you clothes to wear. And it looks like you’ve got some wounds too… I’ll treat them after you wash. Why do you show up looking like a wild monkey every time I see you? Honestly…”
“…Can I really come in?”
“Would you rather I heartlessly chase you away?”
“No. Excuse me, then.”
“You must be hungry, so I should order something. It’s too late to go out and eat. While I’m out buying your clothes, I’ll pick up some alcohol on the way back too. They say academy students are no different from adults, so you’re allowed to drink, right? Can you hold your liquor? Want to have a drinking contest with me today?”
“Noona, didn’t you say you already ate dinner?”
“I have a separate stomach for snacks with alcohol, okay? I’m only going to eat a little anyway… So are you drinking or not?”
“Of course I’m drinking!”
It was different from the schedule he had planned in advance after getting advice from Do Gyeon-u, but still.
Kang Hanbyeol nodded with a smile spread across his entire face.
That day, the two of them drank heavily in the room and caught up to their hearts’ content.
From the next day on, they explored Academy City and enjoyed their time together.
“This is strange… You weren’t this smooth before…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Did you get a girlfriend? Who is she? That’s great! No, but if you did get one, shouldn’t you have told me? I’m a little hurt. Still, well… I guess you’re at that age now.”
“…”
Unfortunately, because the two of them were four years apart, to twenty-one-year-old Sin Seora, Kang Hanbyeol, whom she had known since childhood, was still nothing more than a younger brother.
Kang Hanbyeol still had a long way to go if he wanted to win her heart.
“I don’t have a girlfriend…”
“Really? That’s pretty surprising. Are there no girls interested in that face? I thought once you entered the academy, you’d be hanging out with kids your age a lot and start dating right away… Then is there no one you like? Or anyone you’re interested in?”
“Noona, the person I like is…”
“The person you like is?”
“…No one yet.”
“If there is, tell me anytime. This noona is good at relationship advice!”
“You’ve never even dated anyone, so what are you talking about…”
“…! Do you want to die?”
In a way, he had an even longer road ahead of him than Do Gyeon-u and Yeon Haneul.
* * *
By common sense, it was by no means an amount of work that could be finished in a week.
There was no way Grandfather did not know that.
And yet the fact that he had forced this evaluation through meant there had to be some scheme behind it.
His scheme was to keep us at the main house during vacation and train us day and night.
‘He said he was going to check our character? At this rate, even the character we had is going to vanish instead. Isn’t this going too far? Should I just use this chance to turn villain outright? It would be such a disgrace to the family if a villain came out of the Divine Sword Do Clan, wouldn’t it, Patriarch?’
It was our precious summer vacation.
I did not know what purpose Grandfather had in training us, but I had not the slightest intention of going along with his intentions.
‘Is he trying to make the grandchildren build camaraderie by living together at the main house for a month? Absolutely disgusting.’
I had not seen Yeon Haneul for an entire week, and I was so restless and miserable I could hardly stand it.
Even if our individual circumstances differed, our feelings were the same.
Do Si-eun, who normally did not go against Grandfather, stood on our side this time as well.
We put our heads together and made up our minds.
—If we take turns sleeping in shifts, couldn’t we finish it within a week?
—As long as we can divide the work properly, it isn’t impossible, just as Gyeon-u says. So if you’re all fine with it, I’ll assign the roles.
Some document or another had said that to heighten solidarity, people needed a shared goal and a shared enemy.
Completing the work within the time limit was our shared goal, and therefore Grandfather was our enemy.
With our intentions aligned, we worked day and night from that day until today.
There were many twists and turns along the way.
‘Finding food and water in the forest, or being unable to sleep comfortably because we had to guard against monster raids every night, was actually on the better side… Moving the junk around was surprisingly not that hard either.’
The problem was that every time we moved the junk, we not only had to deal with monsters that kept popping out from inside it, but also had to clear the junk away in accordance with the caretakers’ aesthetic standards.
On top of that, even when we used the stones on the beach to build stone towers, we were criticized.
—The tower is ugly. Why is it ugly? In my opinion, it seems the foundation work was wrong from the start. I believe it would be best to rebuild it, Young Master Do Gyeon-u. It will not suit the Patriarch’s tastes.
—…
—Again. You must stack it a little more beautifully. When building a stone tower, you must build without thinking about anything. With no thoughts and no mind. Right now, Young Master Do Gyeon-u, your heart contains many emotions. That is why the stone tower looks like a rabbit.
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous the criticism was.
If they didn’t like it, they could build it themselves.
At the time, I wanted to throw down what I was doing and lose my temper at the caretakers.
But I could not carelessly defy those who had served Grandfather for so long.
Touching them was the same as touching Grandfather.
In the end, since Do Si-eun stopped me as well, I had no choice but to suppress my temper.
—Should I really just turn villain? Should I side with the Demon Society? Am I a villain starting today?
—You shouldn’t say things like that, even as a joke.
—I miss Haneul…
—…All right. I’ll give you a little time, so go look at pictures of Haneul. Cool your head too.
—You’re the only one for me, noona. Thanks. Noona, want to turn villain with me?
—Phew… We really need to finish this evaluation quickly. Otherwise, you, I, and the others are all going to start talking about turning villain. Anyway, five minutes. Come back after five minutes.
Throughout the entire week we spent in the Gate.
Do Si-eun became a great pillar of support for me and for everyone else.
Moreover, she had an excellent aesthetic sense, and at times she even shut the caretakers up.
Maybe what she excelled at was eloquence.
—It is good that it was stacked high, but it seems merely tall and lacking substance. The Patriarch would not approve of such…
—I intentionally made it look that way. As a warning to the family.
—A warning to the family… What exactly do you mean by that, Lady Do Si-eun?
—I made it to convey that if one thinks only of climbing too high, one can become unstable and dangerous like this. It means we should not rush, but climb slowly while building substance within.
—…
—The Patriarch is a wise man, so would he not appreciate a tower that contains such a message of warning?
—Indeed… Perhaps he would. The Patriarch has always liked structures imbued with symbolism. Lady Do Si-eun is correct. As expected of you, my lady.
In that manner.
With Do Si-eun’s aesthetic eye backing us, we were able to proceed with the work without wasting time.
Meanwhile, from time to time, monsters appeared in swarms from the sea.
While fighting them, we had no choice but to stop working, but…
—Gyeon-u, we’re counting on you.
—Got it. I’ll go. So everyone, don’t worry about the sea and keep working.
Most battles that occurred at sea were resolved by me, unless they were something truly exceptional.
It was thanks to the Ultramarine Sword’s current control skill.
—I heard pure water without impurities doesn’t conduct electricity well… Is it because this is the sea? To think this one move can end the situation. The effect is killer. Outstanding.
A self-destruct technique that was safe only for me, which I had also shown Father not long ago.
The week I spent in this Gate was also time for me to train that technique.
And so.
“You really… did it all.”
“Right? What do you think? Isn’t the scenery nice?”
“…Yes, it is nice.”
We were able to finish cleaning the beach before the appointed time passed.
Grandfather, who had come after hearing the news, could not hide his astonishment as he looked around.
‘So it really does work if you just do it. I felt this back when I was in the army in my previous life, too….’
There was nothing people couldn’t do.
It was not something one should arbitrarily deem impossible before even starting.
Doing so only limited the vessel that was me.
Feeling a sense of fulfillment, I took in the scenery together with Grandfather.
The others were the same.
‘I should show Haneul and the kids, too.’
The odds and ends that had been ruining the view of the white sand beach had been neatly organized to one side.
The assorted junk that had its own charm, like Moai statues, had been placed in suitable spots.
The stone towers we had worked so hard to build also blended well with the surroundings.
I captured the scenery on my smartphone, a smile forming on my lips.
Just then, Grandfather spoke.
“Well, I’ve been had.”
Grandfather’s quiet chuckle rode in on the sea breeze.
When I turned my head, I could see his shoulders shaking.
Then, as if to make sure it was engraved in his mind, I asked.
“Since we accomplished it within a week, just as you said, may we return home?”
“You rascal. Do you want to go home that badly?”
“Yes. Vacation is something you only get as a student, so you should enjoy it to your heart’s content while you can. You won’t be able to savor it once you become an adult.”
“Hmm… That is true as well. Very well. It is regrettable, but I made a promise, so it cannot be helped. From the looks of it, you all spent the week together without antagonizing one another, so everyone passes the evaluation. You may return home. However.”
“However?”
“I plan to hold a banquet tonight to honor your hard work. I have invited your family as well, so let us all have dinner together. Stay with the clan for one more day.”
“Yes, I will.”
I wanted to hurry back to see Yeon Haneul, but I could endure one more day.
Including me, the people around us accepted Grandfather’s proposal.
Soon, Grandfather clicked his tongue lightly.
“Still, I cannot erase my disappointment. I had been planning training that would work you all to the bone….”
“....”
“Instead, I will personally face you and look over your swordsmanship. There is time until the banquet anyway, so surely this much is fine.”
Was this how the girls felt when they received high-intensity training from me?
Looking at Grandfather laughing heartily, I could only wear a sour expression.
But Grandfather was right, too.
Crossing swords with the head of the Divine Sword Do Clan would surely be a valuable experience.
‘This brings back old memories…. Five years ago, all I could do was barely dodge the Family Head’s sword….’
Five years had passed. Now that I had grown since then, how would it go?
Suddenly, my competitive spirit flared.
Even while my body was exhausted, as a swordsman, I could not help but be tempted.
That same emotion subtly showed on Do Sieun and the others as well.
It was then that Grandfather called me.
“By the way, Gyeonu.”
“Yes?”
“I heard the story. They say that during the week you spent here, you dealt with all the monsters that appeared from the sea by yourself. Is that true?”
“…Yes, that is correct.”
“Even if only monsters of Rank 3 and below appeared, handling so many alone must have been difficult… Truly impressive. I heard that you used not the clan’s swordsmanship, but swordsmanship of your own…. Can you show it to me here and now? I would like to see it as well. This Beast King Style you created.”
“Pardon?”
“Show me the new Beast King Style you made. As the head of the Divine Sword Do Clan, I am curious. In any case, to think you have already created your own swordsmanship at the age of seventeen—this is an honor for the clan. Well done.”
“....”
“If your swordsmanship has room to contribute to the clan’s development, I will also consider formally adopting it as the Beast King Style. If that happens, your name will be left in the clan’s history.”
A safe self-destruct technique?
What I created wasn’t a technique, but swordsmanship?
And the Beast King Style, at that?
‘Well, I suppose swordsmanship that uses Byeongnoe would be the Beast King Style….’
My head was filled with question marks.
I was seriously flustered.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss