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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟖
“What’s wrong?”
The door opened, revealing Han Kang-yoon dressed in a change of clothes.
Han Kang-yoon briefly scanned the room before finding a chair and handing it to Yoo Ha-on, then sitting on the edge of the bed to await an answer.
Yoo Ha-on, her face slightly pale, showed her gratitude first.
“T-Thank you.”
“For what?”
“That high-grade elixir you gave me last time was a huge help. I haven’t had a chance to thank you properly until now. . .”
It had been on her mind.
The high-grade elixir Cloud Engraved Water that she had received from Han Kang-yoon right before the start of the vacation had been incredibly effective.
Thanks to it, she had been able to endure Baek Seo-ha’s harsh training on Dongaksan Mountain and make great progress during the vacation.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“And it came in handy again today. Things changed so suddenly, we would have been thrown into a panic if it had just been us.”
In fact, Yoo Ha-on hadn’t noticed the old man’s trick of mixing poison with the medicinal herbs, or the fact that all the villagers were fakes.
If it hadn’t been for Han Kang-yoon, she might have found herself in a dangerous situation.
“I didn’t do much. You’ve just gotten stronger.”
He was being self-deprecating again. Yoo Ha-on gave him a slightly disgruntled look.
“There you go again. I’m the one who hasn’t done much.”
He seemed slightly taken aback. Seeing that, she felt a strange sense of humanity in him.
To be honest, from Yoo Ha-on’s perspective, Han Kang-yoon had always seemed like someone who was far ahead of her.
“I’m being half-serious.”
“That’s more like it.”
Yoo Ha-on, her lingering tension easing, relaxed her posture and smiled faintly.
There were many talented seniors at Cheonghwa Academy, but the one she was most curious about was Han Kang-yoon.
Not only did he seem to know something about her past, but he also felt different from the other students.
Was he an anomaly? Yoo Ha-on had felt this instinctive intuition ever since she first met Han Kang-yoon.
“Are you hitting any snags in your training?”
“No, thankfully not yet.”
“You sound so unsure, yet you’re improving so quickly.”
“. . .I-Is that so?”
As they talked, she remembered the complaints she had made to Han Kang-yoon before, and she felt ashamed.
Han Kang-yoon, noticing her fluster, spoke up.
“The fact t hat the Cloud Engraved Water worked on you in the first place means you have the talent for this. There’s no need to doubt yourself now.”
“. . .Thank you.”
Yoo Ha-on had heard that before Han Kang-yoon entered the academy, he had been labeled talentless and discriminated against.
However, the Han Kang-yoon that Yoo Ha-on knew didn’t seem like that at all.
He had sharp judgment and a maturity that belied his age. And his combat skills were already at the level of a seasoned veteran.
To put it simply, Han Kang-yoon was a master who made full use of his abilities.
He must have worked incredibly hard.
And now, as a second-year, his talent had finally blossomed, and his efforts were bearing fruit.
If the top students of the second year, Sophia and Hwang Ji-hak, were objects of admiration, Han Kang-yoon was someone she genuinely wanted to emulate.
“How did you get so strong, senior?”
“. . .”
Han Kang-yoon hesitated for a moment before giving Yoo Ha-on an unexpected answer.
“Hard work and resourcefulness?”
“. . .I guess that’s true.”
After all, the effort of so many years couldn’t be summed up in a single sentence.
Yoo Ha-on glanced out the window at the sky, then finally revealed the real reason she had come to see Han Kang-yoon.
“I’ve felt like you’ve been troubled about something.”
“. . .”
“I know it might be presumptuous of me, but is there anything I can do to help?”
Just as Han Kang-yoon had deduced the true nature of the villagers based on his own constitution, Yoo Ha-on also had a unique constitution.
There were times when she felt an overwhelming urge to do something, regardless of the time or place.
She had never suffered any consequences for acting on these impulses.
And today, after returning to the mansion, she had felt a strong intuition that she needed to see Han Kang-yoon. That’s why she had come here.
“. . .”
Han Kang-yoon’s eyes widened slightly at her words, and then he spoke in a serious tone.
“It might be dangerous.”
“That’s fine. I’ll face countless obstacles in the future anyway.”
As soon as she answered, Han Kang-yoon’s shadow stirred.
And from its depths, something sharp and menacing emerged.
Swish!
Screech!
It was a hideous creature that looked like an old turtle transformed into a yokai.
Han Kang-yoon waved his hand to send it back, then spoke with a meaningful look on his face.
“Do you think you can break through its defenses?”
Yoo Ha-on’s eyes flashed as she took out a talisman.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
𝔞𝙬ė̇𝚋ṡ̇ṫ̇ᴏ𝕣𝘪𝙚𝔰.𝙘𝕠𝕞