Chapter 609

〈 Chapter 609 〉 Part 2, Chapter 2, Section 4

March 1st.

The day of the Seoul Recovery Operation in 2025, and also the day that would change the history of Korea.

The minimum squad size required for this Seoul Recovery Operation is seven members, and I originally intended to form the entire seven-member squad entirely out of heroines.

The starting three: Yuinah, Park Ra-on, and Kim Nori.

Fourth, Yuna’s friend and another heroine, Su Ri.

Fifth, Yun Yuhwa’s Xroid.

And sixth is Seok Harang, who would be a powerful trump card if recruited before the big battle on March 1st.

“If I recruit her before February, Light Blade won’t come after me.”

It’s still too early to reveal my presence. The forces of the Dark Legion that seek my head are still lurking everywhere, and Light Blade is no exception.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t recruit Seok Harang either.”

Didn’t someone say that it’s not a crime unless you get caught?

“Tempering only counts as tempering if you’re caught. If you don’t get caught, it’s just a normal recruitment attempt.”

Harang glared at me, trying to read my intentions. With her S Rank abilities—now grown to SS Rank—she attempted to use magic power to discern my true motives.

But it’s useless. That method doesn’t work on me, the protagonist.

“I’m merely listing your name. If it doesn’t suit you, feel free to leave anytime. If our side engages in any noise marketing regarding Ms. Seok Harang, you have my permission to file an official complaint.”

“Do you even know what filing a lawsuit means in Korea…?”

The chill emanating from Harang felt like a blade against my throat.

“Especially when it’s an S Rank hero filing the lawsuit. You won’t survive in Korea. And it’s not just you who’ll suffer; those around you, including your background connections, will also face consequences.”

“That won’t happen, so please rest assured.”

“…What makes you so confident?”

“Are you going to continue this conversation, Ms. Seok Harang?”

Her eyebrows twitched slightly, struck at the heart of the matter. I pulled another candy from my coat pocket and placed it on the table—a blueberry-coated one this time.

“If you didn’t like me, wouldn’t you have stormed out by now?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I like you—it’s because I’m curious about the item you possess.”

With a soft flutter, an icy butterfly landed beside me, its wings folding like a flower settling on a petal. Though it was a threat using magical power, I remained silent.

“In Korea, even the S Rank Ice Princess buys things like Windyuhan or similar items. For men, it’d be like buying hair loss treatments or erectile dysfunction meds, right? Isn’t that correct?”

“Though I don’t need them yet since I’m still vibrant and full of energy…heh, understood. Yes, that’s right.”

More butterflies appeared.

“As a seller, how could I exploit the weaknesses of someone who has purchased from me three times? But I sincerely apologize for not being able to sell this time. There’s such a thing as ‘too much of a good thing,’ isn’t there?”

“What do you mean?”

“A balloon bursts if filled with too much air. No matter how beneficial a medicine may seem, continuous usage eventually builds resistance. This applies here as well.”

“…”

Harang quickly understood my veiled words. Not understanding would’ve been strange.

“My apologies for failing to meet expectations. However, forcing adverse effects after experiencing positive ones wouldn’t be fair.”

“…Alright. If that’s the case, I understand. Whether it’s true or not, though…”

Swoosh. Harang’s ice butterflies dissipated into snowflakes.

“Still, it seems a bit off. I’ve only eaten three so far. Are you saying it explodes after four?”

“Nope. It starts at five.”

“……? Then why not sell me one more?”

“Ho ho.”

I pointed to the blueberry cream cheese cake she had devoured.

“You’ve already paid the price equivalent to half your life as Snow Princess. Already.”

“…”

“Oh.”

“I won’t charge you 50 billion. Considering we’ve already received 150 billion and you’ve been a loyal customer thrice, consider this a complimentary service.”

“You…you tricked me!”

She fell for it beautifully.

“Check later if you want. Beyond this point, it simply won’t work.”

“Then what were those candies earlier?”

“Just candies.”

“…”

[Recruitment Successful] [Snow Princess] Seok Harang recruited!

# Temporary Recruitment

# Full Squad Recruitment upon Condition Fulfillment

* * *

“The boss seems a bit cold around him.”

“It’s from messing around. Don’t worry. Once we leave the Hero Association, it’ll be resolved quickly.”

I prepared to exit the association with my team. As Seok Harang drew attention by walking through the main gate, we slipped out the back door under the guidance of Seol Ji-young.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

We turned our heads at the deep voice of a man.

“New faces, huh?”

“Ah, hello.”

Association President Seol Ji-young bowed deeply while the other four were startled by the man’s appearance.

“Light Blade…!”

A middle-aged man dressed in hiking gear with black hair. Resembling but not quite like Seok Harang, he scanned Nuri and Gaon with his eyes despite wearing a neck warmer indoors.

“So, are you the new S Rank?”

“Wow, big surprise! How did you know?”

“After spending long enough at S Rank, you can gauge someone’s level just by looking.”

“Light Blade-sama, who is this…?”

Seol Ji-young hurriedly explained the situation to Light Blade, who nodded after staring at Nuri for a while.

“True. Since the Seoul Recovery Operation begins, it’d only make things inconvenient for me. Sorry to inconvenience the student, but participating in the Seoul Recovery Operation might not be wise. Even if we reclaim it, it won’t hold much meaning.”

Light Blade scoffed mockingly.

“It’s all utterly pointless.”

“Even so…!”

“Haha, if Lord Light Blade says so, then it must be true.”

I calmed my teammates who were about to argue. Light Blade’s gaze finally turned toward me.

“Hmm? You…?”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Xian, the Korean branch manager of Oracle Studio.”

No business card was exchanged. My full name wasn’t revealed. Given the unpleasant memories associated with Light Blade, I didn’t feel the need to take action against him.

‘Already too late, it seems.’

Someone who detests aging intensely wraps themselves tightly in hiking gear. There’s a high likelihood that his chest area is already heavily polluted with dark marks.

“An honor to meet the renowned Light Blade. We shall take our leave now.”

“Wait a moment. Have we met before?”

Indeed, the senses of an S Rank, no, an SS Rank, cannot be ignored.

“No, this is our first meeting.”

“Hmm… Is that so…”

Light Blade continued to eye me suspiciously, but the ‘flower boy’ he remembered looks vastly different from my current appearance.

“Well then, farewell.”

I quickly led my group away from the association.

* * *

“Senior Light Blade, do you really know that person?”

“No. But his face seems familiar… Yet I can’t recall who he is.”

Light Blade suppressed the surging magic power in his heart and steadied his breathing. Every time he saw the golden-haired youth, a burning sensation welled up inside, as if pulling him towards a wrong path.

– Hey, kill that guy. He’s the one who stole our daughter’s virginity someday.

“Rubbish.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I meant that guy.”

Light Blade pointed to the bespectacled man giving a speech on the hallway screen. The man passionately addressed the public, emphasizing the importance of Seoul.

“All part of the public opinion building for the Seoul Recovery Operation.”

“Does Senior Light Blade not agree with the recovery of Seoul?”

“I do agree. But…no, never mind.”

Even as the president of the association, he couldn’t mention ‘that thing.’ Light Blade swallowed his words and approached the president cautiously.

“By the way, Miss Ji-young, didn’t I hear that the fellow earlier had a private one-on-one conversation with Snow Princess?”

“Eh? Did I say that?”

“Since you said it, I’m asking, aren’t I?”

– Lies. Seok Harang put up a barrier, so he couldn’t overhear anything. Stop making nonsense.

As Seol Ji-young’s face showed confusion, Light Blade cleared his throat and shot her a glare.

“Could it be…that fellow was hitting on Snow Princess or something?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you ask him directly? Oh, look…”

“…”

Just then, Seok Harang caught Light Blade’s eye as she passed through the corridor. Light Blade’s hand slightly rose, but upon seeing her, Seok Harang immediately turned away.

“…Are you two really not going to reconcile?”

“Reconcile? We’ve never fought.”

“Then why does Snow Princess keep avoiding Senior Light Blade?”

“…There’s a reason for that.”

A secret no one could tell.

– Hurry up and go chop off that blonde brat’s head. Kill him, and you’ll find eternal peace.

Light Blade returned to his room, suppressing the demonic whispers within.

* * *

<Later, at the office.>

“Boss, why were you uncomfortable around Light Blade?”

“I thought I’d try flirting with Seok Harang, but then I met her dad.”

“……Huh?”

“Light Blade is Seok Harang’s father.”

All four froze mid-action. I took a bite of mixed yogurt with blueberries and strawberries to quench my thirst.

“Uh, excuse me? What exactly do you mean?”

“It’s some convoluted family drama straight out of a soap opera. I’ll explain once Seok Harang joins our squad and gives permission.”

“Light Blade-sama was never married, right?!”

“He wasn’t. He just had a kid.”

“Hold on, let me check Wikipedia… Brother, Light Blade and Snow Princess have almost exactly a twenty-year age gap? So you’re saying Light Blade had Seok Harang at twenty?”

“Correct. Nuri is smart.”

“B-but didn’t Seok Harang grow up in an orphanage until she was twelve?”

“Light Blade abandoned baby Seok Harang at the orphanage.”

“Her last name is different too, right? Even if he didn’t marry, wouldn’t he at least give her his surname before putting her into foster care?”

“She took her mother’s name. Though, it wasn’t properly carried over.”

Seoyea’s Rusalka.

From her features, they named her Seol Harang (雪河浪), but due to a stroke erasing part of the character, it became Seok Harang.

“I’ll tell you more once she gives permission.”

“Is there even more to this story?”

“I feel really disappointed in Light Blade.”

“Leaving his child behind… That’s a bit… Poor Seok Harang too.”

“…”

Everyone carried their own pains, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Anyway, Nuri, Gaon, what are your hero names? The temporary ones, I mean.”

“Mine’s <Mermaid>.”

“Mine’s <Siren>, just as it is.”

Nuri has a real alias, but it’s not something suitable to bring up now. Both aliases are fitting for C Rank heroes working temporarily.

“C Rank water attribute users combined, huh? Nuri, hasn’t your dual attribute been exposed yet?”

“Of course not. That sister, the president, surprisingly cared a lot about us. But she warned me to be careful. What does that mean?”

“Eh, um…”

Gaon stayed silent.

“Boss, could the president be targeting you or something?”

“Um?”

“With her beauty, it’s definitely possible.”

“Whoa, suddenly this conversation is heading towards me seducing Nightmares.”

All four nodded simultaneously. I drew an X with my hands to clearly state my preferences.

“Grandmas are a bit…”

“……?”

“My type is rejuvenation. That lady. She’s 65 years old, but she’s undergone identity laundering to live young. Never treat her like an elder in front of her, got it?”

“……”

They all turned into dumbfounded bears again. After finishing my yogurt, I stood up.

“Alright, let’s start the studio work in earnest?”

Ding dong.

The bell rang outside. Wondering who could be visiting at this hour, I opened the door.

“Who’s there?”

There—