Chapter 80

〈Chapter 82〉 Without realizing it, my preferences are spreading among the girls around me.

Eugene’s homeroom teacher.

Lee Ji-hye smiled while boiling tea.

The unique sweet fragrance of Eastern tea filled the room.

Ji-hye, who had prepared some secret cookies, sat down with a bright smile.

“Really now. If you were coming, you should’ve told us beforehand.”

“I just came out into the world after a long time, and there’s so much to do.”

The person in hanbok who answered was Tae-jin Kim.

He was Eugene’s mentor and one of Korea’s Strong Heroes (Martial Arts Rank).

The sight of little girls chatting quietly looked like a dollhouse play at first glance.

Of course, you shouldn’t judge by appearances.

If you add up their real ages, they’re easily over eighty.

In some sense, it’s slightly horrifying.

“Hmm, this scent is really nice. Where did you get it?”

“I bought it at the nearby mart!”

“…Somehow, it lacks depth in taste.”

“Oh, then I’ll take it away.”

“But… even in its shallowness, there’s a certain charm to it, right?”

Seriously going for removal, Tae-jin Kim hurriedly picked up his cup.

Maybe because he drank it too quickly, he stuck out his tongue.

“Tch, my body has adapted, but this damn sensitive tongue still hasn’t.”

“It’s probably just that you’re not careful enough.”

“This is from living roughly in the mountains with fierce bears. The junior heroes these days can’t handle anything.”

“The bears and juniors would probably laugh their asses off if they heard that.”

Homeroom teacher Ji-hye popped an injelmi rice cake into her mouth.

She seemed quite pleased as happiness spread across her face.

It was hard to believe she was an adult, causing Tae-jin Kim to chuckle.

“So you called me here just to eat rice cakes?”

“Well, actually, I called you because I needed help—not just for rice cakes.”

“I was busy, alright?”

Tae-jin Kim sipped his tea while blowing on it.

“What’s the Association President doing calling people down like this? He talks nonstop.”

“The Association has reason to be upset. One of their top forces is supposedly hiding out in the forest.”

“I’m officially retired.”

“Yeah, sure.”

To the public, Tae-jin Kim is already known as someone who has stepped back from active duty.

Considering his age, it’s not surprising.

Of course, if the truth came out, things might flip upside down.

“The Association guys are all idiots. Look at the Hwagcheon guys. Even when we provoke them clearly, they don’t fight back.”

“That phrase went out of style years ago.”

“Eh? Already? The Association President said it was the latest trend!”

“Sigh, how old is that guy anyway?”

Tae-jin Kim clicked his tongue regretfully.

He tried learning it to get closer to his long-lost student.

Who knew he’d already fallen behind the trends?

I need to teach that Association President a lesson again.

“Anyway, I’ll be free for a while. The Association guys are annoying, and it seems like Hwagcheon is busy with internal strife.”

“Internal strife?”

“I don’t know the reason, but assassins trained by some upper-level figure in Hwagcheon are killing executives. It’s causing chaos.”

Homeroom teacher Ji-hye thought deeply.

Hwagcheon was always a rough organization.

A world where only power mattered.

Even defeating your superior in combat would earn praise—what more could you want?

But assassins…?

“Hwagcheon has been stable recently. Who could have trained an assassin of such skill?”

“I don’t know. But apparently this assassin is pretty good. They’re casually taking out executives left and right.”

“I wonder who they really are…”

“I’d like to see their face too. But hey, it’s Hwagcheon. If they grow properly, they might become a formidable enemy?”

!……

!…

..

Of course, the person they were talking about was none other than Yu-jin Kim, whom they cherished so much.

That assassin was Chul-soo, transformed into a vengeful ghost.

Neither of them could have known that.

“Well, thanks to them, I’m enjoying this freedom.”

At those words, Ji-hye’s eyes sparkled.

“Then… does that mean you can help with my request?”

“…What exactly is your request?”

“Obviously, teaching Eugene!”

At that, Tae-jin Kim smirked.

He knew Ji-hye was passionate about being a teacher.

Still, to go through so much effort just for one student was impressive.

‘Well, he is an incredibly talented kid. His character is excellent too.’

Yu-jin Kim.

The time Tae-jin Kim spent teaching him was extremely short.

But even that was enough to understand his potential.

If nurtured, he would surely grow into a remarkable martial artist.

Curiosity about his growth made him readily accept the disciple.

How much had the kid grown since they last met?

“You must have high expectations for Eugene too?”

“He knows how to cooperate with his team, even though he’s Hwagcheon’s successor. If Eugene becomes Hwagcheon’s leader, maybe things will change.”

Hmm, the leader of Hwagcheon.

Truthfully, it wasn’t a great position.

Of course, the power and wealth it brought were immense.

But it was also an extremely dangerous place.

‘Especially in Hwagcheon.’

Numerous hostile forces.

Ambitious individuals lurking within.

Even siblings from the same faction could turn against each other.

It was a position where you couldn’t let your guard down.

Honestly, as a teacher, he wished Eugene would just break away.

“It’s still far off. You need to get stronger to reach that position.”

“That’s why I called you, Mr. Kim! With your guidance, Eugene will surely grow fast!”

“There’s not much I’ve done. The brat grew on his own.”

Thinking back, it was amazing how quickly he learned.

Perhaps his cheerful nature helped?

No matter how difficult the task, he genuinely enjoyed it.

He might seem clueless sometimes,

but that too was a form of talent.

‘Well, at least teaching him is fun.’

A child who added excitement to his otherwise boring life.

That was Tae-jin Kim’s impression of Eugene.

Just how much has the kid grown? How much further can he grow?

Even someone detached from the world like her was looking forward to it.

“I guess since I’m here, I want to see him again.”

“You like Eugene too, Mr. Kim?”

“Well, for Hwagcheon, he follows me well. Like a puppy.”

At that, Ji-hye perked her head up.

Her expression turned serious, as if she remembered something.

“Why the sudden change?”

“This is just a thought… but…”

Ji-hye leaned in close, whispering as if sharing a deep secret.

“I think Eugene has a thing for young girls.”

“……”

Tae-jin Kim paused briefly.

He soon understood the implication.

And the direction of her gaze was telling.

It pointed downward.

Specifically, at himself.

Tiny hands, stubby arms and legs, almost nonexistent chest, and an adolescent face.

From any angle, “a small young girl.”

“Tell me more.”

Tae-jin Kim asked seriously.

Soon, the homeroom teacher and mentor began discussing their student’s supposed lolicon tendencies seriously, occasionally blushing.

****

“Wow, my ears suddenly itch. Is someone talking bad about me?”

“Are you kidding? There are plenty of people badmouthing you. I feel like joining them right now.”

At Rime’s comment, Eugene’s shoulders slumped.

True, there wasn’t much he could say in response to that.

“Wow, after all that effort, no results? I can’t even find the words to express how terrible I feel.”

“…”

In Eugene’s hand rested a white marble-sized orb.

“…Is this the item?”

“I guess so?”

Indeed, what Su-hyun said was true.

The item was at the end of the dungeon,

and its effects matched the description.

【Orb of Purity】

– When used, absorbs debuffs from the target. (1 use)

– Absorbed debuffs can be used later.

But if it was useful for Young-hee…

“Do you feel anything?”

“Nope. Though you said it contained some sort of hypnosis.”

【Orb of Purity (Used)】

– Currently holding the debuff ‘Hypnosis’.

According to Young-hee, the hypnosis was gone.

However, she hadn’t been affected by it for a while.

Thus, there didn’t seem to be much change.

“I don’t really feel like my memories are returning either.”

“Well, Young-hee’s memory loss was more due to PTSD from magic power overload rather than hypnosis, right?”

So removing the hypnosis doesn’t affect the memories?

Eugene sighed deeply.

“Oh well, at least the hypnosis is gone! That’s a good experience! It definitely means something!”

Young-hee waved her hands enthusiastically, laughing.

As always, she prioritized others even in this situation.

Eugene scratched his head.

“Hmm, maybe I should think positively.”

“Exactly! No one got hurt! That’s a good deed!”

True, wishing for something that wasn’t meant to happen is pointless.

Initially, it would’ve been nice if it worked, but…

This is as far as we can go this time.

“Alright, Class President, you take this.”

“Eh, wha?”

The stunned Class President absentmindedly accepted it.

Looking at the orb for a moment, she glanced up at Eugene.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

-I didn’t do anything.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

Whether she knew or not,

Eugene shrugged lightly.

“Neither me nor Rime can use it. Giving it to injured Young-hee feels wrong. And you’re the only mage.”

Mages were best suited to using magical artifacts and utilized them most effectively.

Given Class President’s knowledge and abilities, she’d surely find a way to make use of it.

It was definitely a reasonable choice.

Class President nodded with a bittersweet smile.

“…Thanks.”

Hypnosis.

The terrifying ability that reduced Young-hee to that state.

She had no desire to use it.

Staring blankly at the hypnosis-filled orb, Class President felt utterly dead inside.

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