Chapter 352

〈Chapter 352〉 Part 1, Chapter 15, 10

The true identity of Kim Nori was quickly uncovered by the internet detective squad.

A runaway maiden had made her way down to Busan and met Seok Harang while he was on patrol. Hoping to reunite Kim Nori with her parents, Seok Harang decided to bring her from Busan all the way back to New Seoul.

Why?

It’s only natural for a hero to return a runaway to their guardians—but did Seok Harang really need to personally escort her all the way to New Seoul?

People were confused, and naturally, Kim Nori’s parents were the most curious.

But here’s the kicker—they didn’t care how or why Nori ended up in Busan. They weren’t interested in why she ran away or how she met Seok Harang. All they feared was being reprimanded by the hero Seok Harang himself. Trembling with anxiety, they sat across from him.

And then Seok Harang said this as soon as he saw them:

“Would you entrust your daughter to me?”

This sentence sparked all kinds of misunderstandings.

* * *

<August 14th, 1:30 PM. Yeouido Blue Wind Sect Headquarters Meeting Room>

“I’m in chaos! A runaway girl like me is an A-Rank special ability user?! The network is going crazy right now.”

“Originally, she was C-Rank though.”

Seok Harang exaggerated it too much. As a result, people cheered at the emergence of a new wave sorceress who awakened at age 15 to A-Rank powers.

“She went down to Busan because she was dragged there by Snow Spirit.”

“Of course, the reason Seok Harang took her in was because he recognized her talent.”

“Both are completely wrong, but it’s not bad framing anyway. So what’s public opinion like?”

“It’s pandemonium. People are buzzing about how Seok Harang managed to get his hands on such a child, why she ran away—it’s pure chaos.”

Jealousy and conspiracy theories spread wildly. Some of these even held a grain of truth. The overwhelming attention and spiteful malice directed toward a mere second-year middle school student worried even the adult officers of the Blue Wind Sect.

‘Kim Nori, 20 years old, has endured worse than this.’

But what about Kim Nori before adulthood? She boasted that her mentality was strong enough to handle anything, past or present—but we’ll have to see how she truly holds up.

‘The situation is better than the future.’

At least, that’s what I think.

Will Kim Nori walk the path of a hero under Seok Harang’s tutelage?

Or will she be forced by her parents to become a hunter instead?

Either way, it’s up to Kim Nori to decide.

“It feels exactly like choosing between liberal arts and sciences.”

“…Doesn’t comparing it that way make it seem less serious?”

No one asked Gaeul which side represented liberal arts or sciences.

“I’m leaving first.”

“Where to?”

“The Association. I feel like I should go check it out myself. I’ll let you know when I come back.”

While the Blue Wind Sect officers prepared for other matters, I flew off to New Seoul.

* * *

“So… our daughter is now an A-Rank special ability user?”

“Good grief. How could something like this happen…?”

Kim Nori’s parents were dumbfounded after Seok Harang explained everything. Not only had their daughter awakened as a special ability user—a feat rarer than winning the lottery jackpot—but her power was A-Rank, a level attained by fewer than 300 people in Korea alone. It was hard to believe.

But the association’s certified magic pattern test clearly indicated that Kim Nori had awakened her abilities, and Seok Harang presented video evidence of her using her magic during the examination.

“Kim Nori is indeed A-Rank. I vouch for her.”

“No, it’s not that we don’t believe…”

“We just can’t wrap our heads around it…”

The parents were overjoyed as if they’d hit the jackpot. Seok Harang felt his heart soften slightly at the sight of the couple shedding tears, but he hardened his resolve.

“So, let me get straight to the point—I would like to take your daughter as my disciple and register her as a hero with the association.”

Seok Harang preemptively struck.

“If you both agree, I will do my utmost to help Kim Nori grow, both materially and emotionally.”

Since Seok Harang lacked guardianship, Light Blade served as his legal guardian when registering him as a hero with the association. For Kim Nori, who was still a minor, parental consent was required to become a registered hero.

“I understand this might be sudden and confusing, but I couldn’t bear to let Kim Nori’s talents go to waste, so I humbly ask for your cooperation.”

“How great must her talent be…?”

“She might even awaken to S-Rank. Like how I spent nine years at S-Rank before achieving SS-Rank this year, Kim Nori might also reach my level if she does well.”

“Nori…SS…”

The couple gulped audibly. In an era where everyone dreams of becoming a special ability user, the idea that their daughter could become one of the top five in the world made their mouths dry with excitement. That such an impossible dream was proposed by none other than the legendary “Snow Spirit” Seok Harang made their hearts race.

However, they hesitated to accept his proposal.

“Isn’t it true that special ability users who become heroes these days just end up wasting away?”

“It’s awkward to say this in front of Snow Spirit, but isn’t the current trend leaning more towards hunters?”

Their attitude flipped faster than turning over a palm once they realized their daughter’s potential. The couple exchanged subtle glances, and Seok Harang clenched his fists tightly beneath the table.

“So, you two plan to raise Nori as a hunter, do you?”

“Hmm, well, I suppose I should discuss this with my wife, but doesn’t it seem better to go that route? You can earn far more money as a hunter than as a hero.”

“Yeah. Even at A-Rank, or supposedly SS-Rank, wouldn’t it be better to choose the path that leads to greater wealth? Being a hero only brings personal satisfaction and honor.”

The couple slowly began rejecting Seok Harang’s offer. But Seok Harang didn’t back down.

“Don’t worry about money. Currently, the Korean association is discussing ways to ensure personal freedom for heroes’ activities.”

“But aren’t hunters more free?”

“And with tax exemptions and reductions if you register as a hunter—heck, even as a minor, you can become a hunter just like you can become a hero, right? The Blue Wind Sect might even welcome an A-Rank special ability user.”

Crack.

Seok Harang gritted his teeth, and the temperature in the room dropped slightly. This was a subtle demonstration of his lost composure, but the couple only became emboldened despite briefly fearing him.

“Are you, a hero, intimidating civilians now?”

“Even if Nori has talent, shouldn’t we carefully deliberate about her future step-by-step?”

“You’re missing the most important question.”

Seok Harang sighed deeply at the fact that the parents weren’t concerned about what Phoenix herself considered most crucial. He gave up trying to persuade them.

“Shouldn’t you first ask what Nori herself wants?”

“…A fifteen-year-old kid knows nothing.”

“She hasn’t even graduated high school yet. She’s still too young to make decisions on her own—”

“Did you leave her alone for two weeks without caring whether she returned home?”

Seok Harang’s voice carried a hint of anger. The couple turned red when he pointed out something they’d been deliberately ignoring.

“When she wasn’t a special ability user, you threatened to erase her from the family registry unless she came home, and you didn’t even bother looking for her. Now, you’re suddenly talking about Nori’s future—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

“That’s… Hmm, cough, bringing that up here…”

“We didn’t know Nori was so stubborn. Still, we tried our best to find her…”

Sssshhh, sssshhh.

Frost began forming on the walls. Seok Harang’s silver hair fluttered dramatically, making him look like a temperamental white-haired witch.

“Do you even know what your daughter has been doing?”

“Daughter?”

“She was posting daily pleas at City Hall asking for help finding her younger sister. Her older sister was doing everything she could to find her sibling, while her so-called parents used her crying picture to apply to Eunha University?”

“…”

The couple remained silent. Despite being only six years older than Nori, their social status left them speechless in the face of such harsh truths.

“What do you think Nori desires the most right now?”

Seok Harang stood up, exasperated. He believed in people until the very last moment, but as Phoenix had already prophesied, they were neglectful parents who treated their child like an object—monsters, in every sense of the word.

“For now, she needs to leave home. She wishes it, and I’ve offered to take her in as my disciple to respect her wishes.”

“…Let us talk to Nori first—”

“Make your choice.”

Seok Harang stared sternly at the couple, issuing an ultimatum.

“Do you want the whole world to know how you’ve acted, or would you rather remain respected parents who respect Nori’s choices?”

The consultation was over.

* * *

A short while later, at the New Seoul Hero Association Branch.

“Are you sure this is okay? Didn’t I come off as too evil?”

“Not at all.”

Seok Harang fidgeted nervously with his fingers, worrying unnecessarily about what he’d said to Nori’s parents. Though he’d willingly taken on the role of the villain for Nori’s sake, he couldn’t sit still afterward, feeling uneasy.

“What if Nori’s parents think I’m some terrible hag? Seriously, I’m only twenty-one, and it’s ridiculous to talk down to elders like that.”

“People with such mindsets shouldn’t be taken seriously, so don’t worry too much.”

“But still, even if they’re potential criminals, they’re still human beings, aren’t they? Ah, crap. Did I talk too much?”

Seok Harang pulled at his hair and crouched on the floor. I reviewed the footage of his conversation with the couple and nodded.

‘Compared to the future, this was surprisingly mild.’

In the future, Seok Harang practically attacked Kim Nori’s parents with murderous intent.

It got so bad that when Kim Nori, who had awakened to S-Rank, confronted Seok Harang, saying, “If anyone deserves to throw shade, it’s me, not you, sis!” they nearly came to blows. Compared to those words, what Seok Harang said today was extremely polite and gentlemanly.

“Anyway, take good care of Nori for now. Since it’s you, I trust her safety.”

“…Let me ask you something. Seeing how well you treat Nori, does that mean you’re right about her too?”

“Yes.”

There was no need to hide anything. Seok Harang scratched his head and tilted it thoughtfully.

“It’s not just me; it’s Nori too… Everyone connected to you ends up like this, huh? Nowadays, it’s rare to find someone normal, but everyone involved seems to have issues.”

“Exactly.”

Everyone has some sort of deficiency. And through their love for the protagonist, those deficiencies are filled.

“…I owe you a lot. Emotionally, I want to tear them apart, but if everyone around me is like this, I can’t really complain either. Tch. You, keep talking. How many more are left? Are they suffering like Nori? Tell me frankly. I’ll go save them.”

“There might be, but there’s no immediate way to rescue them. One may not even be in Korea right now, another probably isn’t even in Korea, and the last one…”

Should I tell her this? But since Seok Harang is a spirit, he deserves to know. Other spirits deserve to know too.

“…She’s technically in Korea, but it’s complicated.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, how should I put this… Um…”

It was genuinely difficult to explain. With a major battle like the Nuclearian Raid looming tomorrow, revealing this information now might not be wise. But if I don’t, Seok Harang will expose everything and drag Nori back to Busan.

“She’s currently in a state of ‘unawakened.’ She grew up believing she was human. Unlike Nori’s parents, she was adopted and raised with love.”

“…What kind of nonsense is that? Can you explain this more clearly?”

“It’s hard to explain all at once! Geez, it’s super complicated…”

“Hey. Stop dragging this out and summarize it in one line. I’m already stressed dealing with Nori’s issues. If I add another problem, I might snap.”

Seok Harang scrunched his nose and issued a warning. One line. Just one.

“Alright. Here goes. Huff.”

I decided to give him the summary he wanted. Any confusion from here on out would be entirely Seok Harang’s responsibility.

“The last one is a goddess. …An interdimensional goddess.”

Short version: An interdimensional deity.

…

Though technically not her true self.