“Seeing as he hasn’t contacted me today either, he must still be inside the Gate. I wonder what he’s doing in there. I miss Gyeonu….”
When they were at the Academy, no matter how busy they were, they had seen each other almost every day. Strangely, though, ever since summer vacation had begun, it felt as if she had barely seen him at all.
She hadn’t even hoped to hold his hand… No, if she were being honest, she wanted to hold it so badly she could hardly stand it.
In any case, it had even become difficult just to hear his voice.
That was because Do Gyeonu had entered a Gate to take part in his family’s evaluation.
“Is today the fourth day…? There are still three days left.”
Yeon Haneul, who had secretly been excited at the thought of spending vacation with Do Gyeonu, couldn’t help but feel gloomy.
But that didn’t mean she could sit around doing nothing and shrink into herself.
An attitude of blindly relying on him would only make her passive, and more than anything, it would make her lose her charm as a woman.
If she wasn’t careful, she might even lose his favor.
“…I’ll just do what I need to do until Gyeonu comes out of the Gate.”
So she couldn’t unproductively wait for Do Gyeonu forever.
While he was undergoing his evaluation, Yeon Haneul spent her time training in magic, following the orphanage teachers around to help look after the children, and taking care of other personal errands.
In between, she also made plans for places the two of them could go after he finished the evaluation.
At the same time, she made a habit of taking a selfie every day and sending him a Talk message.
[Me]: Hi. Are you still in the Gate?
[Me]: (Photo)
[Me]: Ta-da, today’s picture
[Me]: I thought you might be wondering how I’m doing, haha...
By one-sidedly updating Do Gyeonu on how she was doing, as if she were talking to him, Yeon Haneul was able to find at least a little comfort.
She also soothed her loneliness through the friends she had made at the Academy, such as Go Eunbi, Lisa, and Cha Eunsol.
The group chat they were in was lively at all hours.
[Go Eunbi]: (A photo of movie tickets and a poster)
[Go Eunbi]: Summer means Conan, after all!!!
[Go Eunbi]: I’m on my way to see it with my middle school friends! I’ll tell you what I think later!!!
[Park Sagun]: They’re still making that...
[Park Sagun]: How’s the story going these days?
[Park Sagun]: I heard a while back that they finally revealed who the boss of the Black Organization was
[Cha Eunsol]: (A photo of hamburgers piled up like a mountain)
[Cha Eunsol]: This is the new menu item they just released
[Cha Eunsol]: It’s good
[Min Arin]: @Cha Eunsol That’s... all going to fit in your stomach? Seriously, stop eating so much
[Cha Eunsol]: What did you eat today?
[Min Arin]: Why? Are you curious? If you’re curious...
[Cha Eunsol]: No
[Cha Eunsol]: The hamburger is good
[Nam Yuri]: Eunbi-kkabi! Enjoy the movie!!!
[Yong Haerang]: (A photo of an arm bitten by mosquitoes)
[Yong Haerang]: Make sure to wear long sleeves when you go into the mountains
[Yong Haerang]: I feel this every year around this time, but mosquitoes really are strong
[Nam Yuri]: Haerang-haerang! You went to the mountain and donated blood to mosquitoes, huh? Did you help them because mosquitoes are living things too? You’re so kind!
[Kang Hanbyeol]: (A photo taken with Sin Seora at Heartland)
[Kang Hanbyeol]: My sister and I came to Heartland to have fun! We’re going to follow the route Eunbi made last time
[Lisa]: I hope you have a good time too, Hanbyeol
[Lisa]: I’m walking around the capital’s downtown area
[Lisa]: (A photo of the Grace Empire’s capital)
[Lisa]: A lot of interesting things have opened up. There’s even a Sulbing here now! ^^
[Lisa]: It would be nice to look around together with all of you next time
Just when one topic was about to die down, someone else would quickly appear and throw out a new one.
As a result, the group chat was never quiet for even a single day.
Yeon Haneul also went with the flow and shared her daily life with her friends.
A smile naturally spread across her face as she tapped on the keyboard.
“Come to think of it, this must be the childhood friend’s older sister Hanbyeol mentioned before. The one who’s four years older than us….”
Yeon Haneul studied the photo Kang Hanbyeol had sent.
The long-haired woman smiling in the photo looked lively at a glance.
And she was quite beautiful.
“No wonder Hanbyeol isn’t interested even when other girls approach him.”
Though he could not compare to Do Gyeonu, Kang Hanbyeol was, in Yeon Haneul’s opinion, fairly handsome in his own right.
He was popular enough with the female students that he received confessions from time to time.
If not for his personality of plundering other people’s weapons, he probably would have enjoyed even greater popularity.
That was the assessment she, Go Eunbi, Lisa, Min Arin, and the other girls had made when they once held a pajama party.
As an aside, Do Gyeonu had not received a single confession since entering the Academy.
Because of that, he often reproached himself, saying he wasn’t popular.
—Haerang got one, Sagun got one, even the underlings got some… So why don’t I?
—…Do you want to get confessed to that badly? Why? Are you going to date them if they confess?
—No, I just want to receive one. When did I say I’d date them? Is it because I’m not manly enough…? Maybe I really should change my appearance somehow… Like dyeing my hair or getting a tan.
—There you go again. No, don’t. I told you not to say things like that, didn’t I?
At the time, Yeon Haneul’s feelings had been complicated.
On one hand, she felt relieved inside that Do Gyeonu was not receiving attention from the opposite sex. On the other, she wasn’t without complaints.
“Gyeonu is way more manly, cool, and charming than Hanbyeol… Why doesn’t anyone recognize Gyeonu?”
Yeon Haneul could not understand it.
In the end, after much thought, she came to only one conclusion.
—Everyone must have terrible taste.
—….
Go Eunbi and Lisa, who heard Yeon Haneul’s thoughts at the time, had been utterly dumbfounded.
The two of them had many things they wanted to say, but deciding that no words could remove the rose-colored glasses from Yeon Haneul’s eyes, they chose to hold their tongues.
For some reason, they also felt that if they stated the truth for no reason, it would feel like they had lost.
Though they themselves could not clearly define what, exactly, they would be losing to.
“Hm?”
It was then.
While chatting idly with her friends in the group chat, Yeon Haneul checked a new Talk message and tilted her head.
[Do Yeeun]: Unni! What are you doing?
It was a Talk message from Do Gyeonu’s younger sister, Do Yeeun.
Feeling glad to hear from her, Yeon Haneul quickly sent a reply and continued the conversation.
Then a certain topic popped up.
[Do Yeeun]: So, about that, unni, hahaha
[Do Yeeun]: Want to go to a water park with me and my boyfriend, and oppa and you?
[Do Yeeun]: Let’s go on a double date!!!
“Hm?”
Blinking her rabbit-like red eyes.
Yeon Haneul could not help but be flustered by Do Yeeun’s sudden proposal.
* * *
It was extremely embarrassing to call this the Water King Style.
Grandfather’s expectations felt burdensome.
Having ended up demonstrating the technique against my will, I let out a sigh.
“Any time is fine. When you feel you’re sufficiently prepared, show it to us.”
“…Yes, Patriarch.”
On the white sand beach stood Grandfather, the managers, Do Sieun, and my cousins in a line.
I looked back at them from atop the water, then resigned myself and decided to perform my swordsmanship.
It was around the time cracks began to form and monsters started appearing from beyond the sea.
Sure enough, before long, they revealed themselves.
Kirarak, kirarak!
[You have encountered monsters.]
[Harpoon Mullet (Rank. 01) x 16]
[Hook Mullet (Rank. 02) x 7]
[Trident Mullet (Rank. 03) x 1]
Humanoid monsters with heads reminiscent of snakeheads, large mouths, and webbed hands and feet.
Their entire bodies were covered in blue scales, and depending on their rank, they carried harpoons, hooks, or tridents.
The aura those creatures gave off as they gathered in a group was not to be underestimated.
But to me, who had fought them until I was sick of them, they were not the slightest threat.
I released the Blue Thunder stored in the Ultramarine Sword.
“If I’m going to turn it into a technique anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to make a cool activation phrase… For example… Cry, Ultramarine Sword. Shatter, Ultramarine Sword. Scatter, Ultramarine Sword. Dance, Ultramarine Sword… Not bad, right?”
I’d have to ask Yeon Haneul later.
Letting such idle thoughts drift away, I wrapped the Blue Thunder around my body.
Then I applied electrolysis to the seawater and produced a certain amount of hydrogen.
With that, the foundation was prepared.
I swung my sword down at the monsters charging toward me.
Immediately afterward, a chain of explosions erupted.
────!!
Light flashed, and the sea burst apart.
As waterspouts surged up in every direction and flames seethed, I waited for the explosions to end without taking any damage.
At last, by the time the chain explosions subsided and the flames blazing on the surface of the sea died down.
“A lot of them must have sunk underwater, right? It’s a shame I can’t collect the spoils.”
Not a single one of the monsters that had been exuding such a ferocious aura remained.
They had been annihilated.
All that remained where they had been were particles of mana that had composed their existence, scattering through the air.
“This should be enough.”
Just in case, I used my detection net to scan the surroundings.
Only after checking even the underwater area that might not have been fully affected by the explosions did I sheathe the Ultramarine Sword.
With that, the demonstration was over.
I walked toward the white sand beach.
Grandfather, who had been waiting there, had a broad smile on his face.
“I thought the power must have been exaggerated, but now I see it wasn’t. Excellent. It seemed you used Blue Thunder to apply some kind of effect to the water’s surface and caused an explosion… It’s quite a difficult sword technique. The mana consumption must be considerable as well, and in particular, your ability to handle mana would be the key.”
“….”
Grandfather clapped both hands on my shoulders and burst into hearty laughter.
I could only be astonished by Grandfather’s insight, as he had grasped the principle of the swordsmanship simply by watching from afar.
No words came to mind.
Then Grandfather asked,
“Still, there are limits to what one can understand just by watching. I would like to know the detailed principles. Would you explain them to me yourself?”
“Yes, Patriarch. So….”
There was no harm in revealing the principles of the sword technique anyway.
Without the Ultramarine Sword’s current control, it was not a sword technique anyone could easily imitate.
On top of that, the theory and imagination that went into it were difficult to understand through words alone.
To begin with, if the sword technique was to be incorporated into the Water King Style, I had to be able to reveal all of its information.
That said….
“What? Electrolysis? Hydrogen explosion? What… in the world are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can explain it any more simply than this.”
“So it requires specialized knowledge… On top of that, one must also be able to use light-element magic… It is not swordsmanship that anyone can use.”
It seemed Grandfather’s head did not work when it came to electrolysis either.
I understood.
I had been the same at first.
Meanwhile, Grandfather stroked his chin with his hand, seeming to fall into thought.
“It cannot be accepted as an orthodox form. If it is refined a little further, though, it may be worth considering as a special form.”
The Divine Sword Do Clan classified the Water King Style into four categories according to its purpose.
The orthodox form, which could be called the foundation of the Water King Style and which anyone of the clan had to learn.
The orthodox form was a term that encompassed the basic form, offensive form, and defensive form.
Then there was the common form, which could be considered a degraded version of the orthodox form and could be learned even by those who were not members of the clan.
Like the orthodox form, the common form was also divided into the basic form, offensive form, and defensive form.
Lastly, there were the unique form and the special form, which were lower in rank than the orthodox form but had been created by members of the clan.
The difference between the two forms lay in whether they could be passed down through the archive.
Because unique forms were not recorded in the clan archive, they could not be transmitted to later generations through the archive.
On the other hand, special forms were recorded in the clan archive and could be passed down through it.
“There are many rough parts in your swordsmanship. So the next time we hold an evaluation, I would like you to strip away all the excess and present a cleanly organized sword technique. We will consider incorporating it as a special form then. Until that time, regard it as a unique form.”
“Yes. Understood, Patriarch.”
Even if there were restrictions on its transmission, a unique form was still undeniably part of the Water King Style.
That alone was a great honor.
Depending on my efforts going forward, it could even be recognized as a special form.
Because of that, after receiving Grandfather’s permission to call it a unique form, I raised the corners of my mouth.
“So then, Gyeonu. Have you decided on a name?”
“A name? Hmm….”
Meanwhile, since we had decided to call it a unique form, we couldn’t very well leave it unnamed.
I fell into thought.
‘What would be good? Since it’s Beast King Style, I should put Lion at the front... Beast King Style Unique Form, First Form: Lion...’
The moment my thoughts reached that point, I opened my mouth with whatever came to mind.
“Shibam-Kwang?”
“...”
“Safe Self-Destruct?”
“...Bear in mind that when you submit it for review as a special form, the name will also be important. Hanja is preferable if possible, and native Korean is fine as well. However, you must not use words that diminish the dignity of the Divine Sword Do Family, nor foreign words such as English or Japanese. Two or three syllables are recommended.”
As Grandfather offered that advice with a solemn expression,
I desperately racked my brain.
But no suitable name came to mind.
‘...Is there anything other than Lion Shibam-Kwang? Lion Hydrogen Explosion? Lion Explosion? Ah, was Lion Explosion already an existing name for a special form? Then... Lion Water Thunder?’
Using water su (水) and thunder roe (雷), Water Thunder.
Since I absolutely had to use water to execute the sword art, it seemed like a fitting name.
The only problem was that it somehow didn’t sound good.
‘Lion Water Thunder, Lion Water Thunder, Lion Water Thunder... Is it okay? I feel like maybe it isn’t...’
I couldn’t quite make up my mind.
That was when Grandfather spoke to me.
“If you cannot decide on an appropriate name, may I name it in your stead?”
“...It would be an honor if the Family Head named it for me. I’d probably get bonus points when it’s reviewed as a special form, too.”
“You little...”
Grandfather let out a light laugh, as if dumbfounded.
Then he gave it a name.
“New shin (新), and star seong (星). Together, Sinseong—Nova. How does Lion Nova sound?”
“Lion Nova...”
“It refers to a star that remains faint, then suddenly explodes and brightly illuminates its surroundings. The sword art you performed reminded me exactly of that.”
“I think it sounds good.”
Beast King Style Unique Form, First Form: Lion Nova.
Repeating the name Grandfather had given it, I readily nodded.
* * *
After that, Do Sieun, my cousins, and I crossed swords with Grandfather on the white sand beach, proving the results of our training thus far.
Even so, just like five years ago, most of them couldn’t properly endure even a single strike and were sent flying or shoved back.
The only ones who withstood a blow and held their ground were Do Sieun and me.
“Hooh. I deliberately brought my sword down the same way I did five years ago, but this time you blocked it well. And not only that, you even counterattacked... Admirable. At this rate, I suppose there will be no need to train you separately.”
Five years ago, I hadn’t even been able to see Grandfather’s single strike.
Now, I could see it.
On top of that, my Evasion Instinct was reacting instantly.
Having become far better at applying my Gift than when I first faced Grandfather, I not only dealt with his strike, but even began to press him.
But it lasted only a moment.
“In that case, I can now use Beast King Style in earnest as well.”
“...!”
I’m still not ready for that, though.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t block Grandfather’s Attack Form, First Form: Lion Rending Slash.
In the end, I wound up lying sprawled on the sandy beach.
Do Sieun was in the same state.
Before I knew it, she was lying beside me, panting for breath.
“You still have a long way to go before you can surpass me. Devote yourselves even further.”
“Yes...”
“The banquet will begin soon. So the two of you should head out now and wash up.”
Those who had crossed swords with Grandfather had gone straight out through the Gate.
So by the time Do Sieun and I got to our feet, there were hardly any people left nearby.
After receiving a few words of encouragement from Grandfather, we, too, decided to return to the original world.
From there, I soaked myself in hot water and let my fatigue melt away...
“Just how many messages did she send?”
After spending a week without a connection, I checked the messages that had piled up in the meantime and clicked my tongue.
The group chat with Kang Hanbyeol and my friends, private messages from Kang Hanbyeol, Yong Haerang, the triplets, Min Arin, and others, the family group chat, and so on...
Even as I scrolled down the conversation list from top to bottom, there was no end to the active chats.
Among them, the one that drew my eye the most was Yeon Haneul’s private chat, which had over fifty unread messages.
‘There’s no way she didn’t know I went into the Gate... It’s kind of scary that there are this many even before that...’
Still, it felt good to receive Yeon Haneul’s attention.
The corners of my mouth rose.
As I warmed myself in the hot water, I read the messages she had sent.
‘She practically wrote me a diary...’
Usually two or three times a day.
It seemed Yeon Haneul had taken pictures of herself and sent me what had happened that day.
Thanks to that, I could tell how she had spent the past week.
Still, it felt lacking if I didn’t hear her voice.
I called her right away.
“Hello? Haneul?”
[Gyeonu! You’re out of the Gate?]
Yeon Haneul’s scream burst through the phone.
In my mind, I could naturally picture her hopping up and down while her rabbit ears flapped.
I gave a wry smile.
Then, as I soaked in the tub, I caught up with her.
“Oh, I saw your messages. But why did you send so many?”
[Ah... sorry... Did I wake you?]
“Next time, make sure to leave voice messages and videos too.”
[What? You’re ridiculous, seriously... I’ll think about it depending on how you treat me. Oh, right. Yeeun said a few days ago that she and her boyfriend wanted to go to a water park for a double da—no, to hang out together... I said yes for now. You have time too, right?]
“A water park? With Yeeun and her boyfriend? I’m fine with it. I’d been wanting to see just who Yeeun was dating anyway, so this works out. I should buy a new swimsuit once I get back from the family.”
[Yeah, me too. When would be a good date? Can you ask Yeeun?]
“Yeeun’s on break too, so any time should be fine. So let’s go when it’s convenient for you. I’ll match your schedule.”
[You don’t have to... Still, thanks.]
This wouldn’t do.
As soon as the banquet ended and I went home, I’d have to go see Yeon Haneul.
I made up my mind.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss