Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 163 : Rumor (3)

Rumor (3)

Pitch-black darkness could be seen.

From within the darkness, a voice, whose owner was unknown, kept resounding.

'Yeon-hwa is a genius.'

'I'm sure she can become Korea's first great mage.'

'Amazing.'

She couldn't remember who it was.

But it was definitely a voice she had heard sometime before.

Back when she was still called a genius, anyone who saw her would say those words.

A genius. The talent destined to become Korea's first great mage.

For Ji Yeon-hwa, who had been an orphan, those were words of pride.

Though she was alone, she never felt lacking, for she possessed that shining talent.

There was always countless support following her, and everyone who met her praised her as a genius.

But at some point, she stopped hearing those words.

'Now that's a real genius.'

'To become S-rank before even turning twenty.'

Yes, it must have been after the appearance of that young great mage, who seemed to have descended from the heavens.

A great mage ten years younger than her, newly an adult at twenty.

Shin Ah-yeon.

The Great Mage of Stars.

Korea's first great mage, the youngest S-rank, the youngest great mage.

She had everything, from beautiful looks to a flawless personality.

At first, she admired her, and at some point, she began to envy and begrudge her.

'You can't catch up to a genius.'

'Because I'm not a genius.'

'So, if I want to chase a genius, I have to do whatever it takes.'

'Because I don't want to lose.'

It wasn't that she missed everyone praising her.

It was just her pride.

Magic was everything to her.

She didn't want to lose at that, at least—not to anyone.

Even if she admitted that she was inferior to her, she wanted, no matter what it took, to catch up.

She wanted to win.

Even if, in the end, the outcome would be tragic.

Though knew it was the wrong path, she reached for it anyway.

So, in the end, the person named Ji Yeon-hwa only amounted to that much.

"......"

When she opened her eyes, she saw a dark ceiling.

She could feel cold sweat trickling down her forehead.

"...... I hate this, seriously."

Yeon-ji let out a deep sigh, exhausted by a nightmare she hadn't had in a long time.

A nightmare that hadn't come to press her down in ages had returned at last.

Why did I suddenly dream such a thing?

'It's because of that guy.'

Sol Mayer.

For reasons unknown, whenever she saw him, Ji Yeon-hwa came to mind.

'This has nothing to do with me anymore.'

Curling herself up on the bed, she pulled the blanket over her body.

Even though the blanket was damp and clammy with sweat, she couldn't bring herself to cast it aside.

Her body felt strangely cold.

***

"Didn't sleep well?"

"...... I don't know."

For some reason, Yeon-ji's face looked extremely tired.

There were even rare dark circles visible under her eyes.

"If you're tired, why not just rest today?"

"How could I, when the great mage of UK himself has asked for a meeting?"

She still sounded oddly sarcastic, and her tone betrayed that she was clearly in a foul mood.

"Don't worry about it too much."

"Oh my, about what?"

"Isn't it because seeing Sol Mayer reminded you of Ji Yeon-hwa?"

At my suggestion, Yeon-ji's body jolted.

I didn't know the reason why.

He was an S-rank awakener, and Ji Yeon-hwa, for all her talent, was ultimately only an A-rank.

In terms of position, there wasn't even a comparison.

A-rank and S-rank were truly as different as earth and sky.

And yet, for some reason, Sol Mayer inevitably reminded one of Ji Yeon-hwa.

"...... You're not reading my mind now, are you?"

"As if I could."

From the very start, the fact that Yeon-ji had herself expressed a desire to meet Sol Mayer made it obvious.

"You're not really the type to care so much about other people. Unless it's about Ah-yeon."

"If someone heard that, they'd think I was an awfully cold person."

Yeon-ji averted her gaze awkwardly and continued speaking.

"In fact, Sol Mayer's attitude has been strange, don't you think?"

"True. He was almost obsessed with meeting Ah-yeon."

"And after that, he suddenly wanted to have a proper conversation with me."

As Yeon-ji said this, she looked over at Sol Mayer standing on the stage, currently giving a lecture to a hall full of hunters.

"But now, it feels different again."

Narrowing her eyes, Yeon-ji gazed at Sol Mayer on the podium.

At present, Jung-woo and Yeon-ji were attending Sol Mayer's magic lecture being held in Korea.

"Currently, magic is limited to elemental magic, but now it's time to break free from that mold."

The content of Sol Mayer's lecture wasn't on elemental magic, but rather a completely new method of magic.

For example, magic such as the "Blink" used in circle magic, a form of teleportation, or the unique techniques of illusion magic—a completely different usage method.

"It may be only a clue so far... but that alone is impressive."

Right now, Sol Mayer was demonstrating magic that would make his voice audible from afar.

It was something that could easily be replaced with a phone call, but making it possible with magic was impressive.

"Certainly, that's something I couldn't do."

With a huff, Yeon-ji folded her arms, but her words weren't tinged with jealousy.

It was just a matter-of-fact tone, so I simply looked at Yeon-ji quietly.

"I don't think you'd have said that in the past."

"Oh my, since when were you so interested in me?"

"Was there ever a time I wasn't?"

At my words, Yeon-ji shot me a cold, sharp look.

"If only you could keep your mouth shut."

"I think you could do it if you tried."

"Whatever you say."

After saying that, Yeon-ji closed her mouth, and I took out my phone to check the time.

The lecture was about to end soon.

***

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Sol Mayer said as he entered the reception room arranged by the university where he had just finished his lecture.

Aside from Sol Mayer, a few association employees and some reporters were waiting inside.

After glancing at them, I spoke to Sol Mayer.

"I thought you wished to meet privately."

"At my level, wherever I go, I'm always the center of attention. If I tried to keep it hidden, it'd only attract even bigger rumors."

With a smiling face, he glanced at the reporters.

It wasn't wrong, but it was certainly a different attitude from yesterday.

After exchanging a few brief words, I brought up the reason for today's meeting.

"May I ask why you suddenly became interested in Yeon-ji?"

"Oh—you didn't find it rude, did you?"

"Not at all. It's just that you had only shown interest in Hunter Shin Ah-yeon up until now."

At my answer, Sol Mayer smiled and took a sip of the warm tea that had been prepared.

"I happened to see a video of Miss Hwang Yeon-ji using magic. It was a recording of a fight with someone in Sillim."

He must be referring to the video of her fight with Shim Chun-hoo.

"The magic Miss Yeon-ji used was different from ordinary magic."

It appeared that after seeing the black chains and various methods she used in dark magic, he'd become interested in Yeon-ji.

"It was a completely different approach to magic than anything I'd seen before. Was that the circle magic created by Hunter Shin Ah-yeon by any chance?"

"It's similar."

In truth, it was completely different, but there was no need to explain that in detail.

At my reply, Sol Mayer nodded.

"As expected, it's something that would interest Odin's Eye."

"You've heard about Odin's Eye as well?"

"Yes, I'm a full member myself, so naturally, I know. But since Odyssey will be held then, it'll be difficult to see Hunter Shin Ah-yeon at the Magic Tower."

The home base of the Odin's Eye.

The place commonly known as the Magic Tower.

Sol Mayer said that on that day, as the representative of UK, he would participate in the Odyssey, and so could not meet Ah-yeon.

He added that, regretting this, he had come to Korea before the Odyssey to meet first.

"But I didn't expect her to be so busy. So I hoped to meet with Miss Yeon-ji instead, though it's not exactly a substitute."

"Oh my, so I'm just here as a substitute for Hunter Shin Ah-yeon?"

"That's not what I meant."

Even in the face of Yeon-ji's sharp words, Sol Mayer answered with a gentle smile.

'He's so different from the man who was easily rattled just yesterday.'

The face, the magic power I felt—both were the same.

He was definitely the same person, but he seemed entirely different.

Yeon-ji must have felt it as well, for her face was tightly furrowed.

"For you too, miss Yeon-ji, this is not a bad opportunity. After all, I am an S-rank great mage."

"Not a bad opportunity?"

"Yes—didn't I mention? This Friday, let's have a light magic duel if you're available."

"If you just want to see magic, we can do it here now."

"But that wouldn't be much of a spectacle, would it?"

It was a strangely reasonable, yet odd, argument.

Since when did Sol Mayer care about putting on a "spectacle" for others?

'Does he want to crush Yeon-ji in front of everyone?'

But he was an S-rank awakener, and though Yeon-ji had talent, she was undeniably an A-rank.

At best, it would be a close call, but if she performed even a little poorly, she would be humiliated.

"Fine."

When I glanced at Yeon-ji, asking what she wanted to do, she gave a slight nod.

"This Friday, right?"

Facing Sol Mayer, whose demeanor was puzzling, Yeon-ji flashed a provocative smile.

It was not a smile any ordinary young girl would give.

***

A match between the newly rising teen genius, Hwang Yeon-ji, and UK's genius great mage, Sol Mayer.

Naturally, it drew everyone's attention, and countless sensational articles were published.

"But isn't the winner obvious?"

"It's not even a fight—just a spar, a spar."

"Sol Mayer must just want to teach Yeon-ji something."

Of course, most people didn't care much about the win or loss.

After all, it was basically a foregone conclusion.

The gap between S-rank and A-rank was that huge.

Even if ten A-ranks attacked together, they couldn't even lay a finger on an S-rank.

It wasn't just about unique techniques like Conceptualization Technique.

Physical ability, magic power manipulation—

In every respect, A-rank simply couldn't beat S-rank.

Not to mention, the opponent was a "great mage" renowned even among S-ranks.

UK's greatest prodigy, Sol Mayer.

No matter how much talent Yeon-ji possessed, it was meaningless.

That's what everyone thought.

"Hunter Sol Mayer, are you ready?"

At the association staff's cautious question, Sol Mayer slowly nodded.

The dueling arena arranged by the Seoul Hunter Association was wide and equipped with the latest facilities, strong enough to withstand any sort of magical battle.

No surprise, given that the match was to be broadcast by numerous TV stations and attended by journalists.

It was also an opportunity to show off the advances of Korean magic engineering, so the association had put a lot of effort into it.

"The audience barrier is perfectly secure, and the arena floor won't so much as scratch, no matter the magic used."

At the facility manager's words, Association President Gong Do-yung nodded.

'With the Odyssey just ahead, the timing couldn't be better.'

Especially as Yeon-ji was a member Jung-woo had pushed hard to include.

They'd even announced they'd remove her from the team if any A-rank could defeat her.

As far as he knew, there were no challengers yet, but this duel with Sol Mayer would be a turning point.

If she performed poorly here, there would be no shortage of A-rank hunters rushing in to challenge her.

No matter what, Hwang Yeon-ji stood out as the most promising figure among Korea's current rising stars.

There'd be plenty trying to make a name for themselves by targeting her.

'There must be some plan, so I believe she accepted the fight with Sol Mayer.'

It was also a test for Park Jung-woo, the supervisor and main manager for this Odyssey.

If he accepted this matchup with Sol Mayer without thinking it through, he might end up seriously disappointed.

He might even have to reconsider Jung-woo's position as Odyssey supervisor.

This match would not simply end as a duel between Sol Mayer and Hwang Yeon-ji.

"Now then, if you're both ready, please face each other."

The referee for this duel was also experienced, having served as a judge for previous Odyssey matches.

Because it was a contest between hunters, the referee had to be an awakener as well.

There were many things in a fight between awakeners that ordinary eyes simply couldn't see.

"Then..."

The referee slowly raised a pistol to signal the start of the match.

Yeon-ji and Sol Mayer faced each other about ten meters apart.

A duel between mages started with that distance, each one unleashing their best firepower.

Whoever endured would win; those who could not—lost.

In modern times, mages were essentially firepower specialists using elemental magic.

"Begin!!"

Bang!!

At the sound of the gunshot, all eyes focused on the arena.

That was when something entirely unexpected happened.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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