Episode 86: Exchange Battle (9)
Yu Hana is kind by nature.
Her relationships with others are smooth, her temperament is excellent, and she rarely has any rough edges.
Except—
When it comes to Jung Haein.
[The final wave is starting.]
[Phantom Beast. Hornless Unicorn.]
The scoreboard rang out, cutting through the silence, and a white beast revealed itself on the battlefield.
Snow-white fur. Gleaming golden eyes.
And where its horn should’ve been, jet-black fur swirled ominously in stark contrast to the rest of its body.
“Prepare for battle.”
All the team members’ eyes locked onto the beast.
But Yu Hana’s gaze wasn’t on it.
It was fixed on a single man.
She quietly took a step toward him so no one would notice.
And silently, she drew in a breath.
But the scent that filled her lungs to the brim—wasn’t what she wanted.
Lavender.
Not his scent, but the lingering fragrance of hers.
Yoon Chae-ha’s scent still faintly lingered around him.
It wasn’t refreshing.
It was suffocating. It felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Endure it.
She quietly calmed herself, clinging to reason to hold herself together.
Originally, there were four of them.
Despite not particularly liking one another, the ones who cherished him had long ago made a pact.
“No matter what happens, don’t cross the line.”
“That’s too vague…”
“Just make sure you’re careful.”
The reason was simple.
So as not to burden him.
Because they were beings that defied the natural order, excessive emotional exchange always came with consequences.
Therefore, until Jung Haein grew—until he became capable of handling such things—they would not cross that line.
Perhaps some had already crossed it in their thoughts, or in their imaginations—maybe even to the very end.
But at the very least, until he was ready, they had agreed to hold back.
And so now, they simply waited—counting the days until he grew.
But then—
Right before her eyes, Yoon Chae-ha had her gaze fixed on Jung Haein’s back.
Her cheeks quickly flushed red, and she lowered her head, clasping her hands behind her.
With the tips of her toes, she tapped the ground softly, drawing tiny circles.
The shy behavior of a girl just starting to fall in love.
—One month. I give it one month.
Someone among them had predicted this would happen eventually…
But now that it was actually happening, it was hard to breathe.
Yu Hana could never cross the line.
Even if she wanted to, she simply couldn’t. All she could do was wait.
But that girl was different.
Like a player using cheats in a game.
Ignoring the rules, disregarding the boundaries.
The pact they had made—meant nothing to Yoon Chae-ha.
A naturally attractive girl approaching a charming guy—Yu Hana couldn’t stop such a normal, inevitable process.
And that drove Yu Hana mad.
—Snort!
The beast before them snorted loudly, steam bursting from its nostrils.
It stomped the ground hard, and pale ghostly figures burst forth from the earth.
“Chae-ha, barrier field. As wide as possible. Doesn’t matter if it’s thin—just make it wide.”
“Got it.”
When Jung Haein gave instructions to Yoon Chae-ha, she smiled like she’d been waiting for it and followed without hesitation.
That sight made Yu Hana’s blood boil for no reason.
—Snort!
The moment the beast shook its head, dozens—hundreds—of white ghosts erupted from the ground and charged straight ahead.
“Now!”
“—!”
Whoosh!
Instead of answering, Yoon Chae-ha stretched out her hand and unleashed her mana.
Hundreds of incoming ghosts began to collide with the barrier field she had deployed.
Their vision was soon swallowed by flames and smoke.
Yoon Chae-ha’s deployed force field was astonishingly solid—
A mesh of mana woven with not a single flaw.
Pop! Crackle!
Each time a ghost touched it, it ignited instantly.
The ghostly forms dissipated the moment they made contact with her barrier.
Smoke began to rise, and the view became hazy within the flames.
The mesh, though thin, was tightly woven with no gaps, preventing any ghost from advancing.
Yoon Chae-ha took a shallow breath, a faint smile forming on her lips.
‘I did good, right?’
Excited and eager for Jung Haein’s praise, she looked beyond the smoke.
The smoke began to slowly clear.
But then—
Thud.
A dull sound rang out—
The silhouette of someone standing with their back turned appeared through the haze.
A breeze swept through, making a short skirt flutter gently.
Her hair drifted along with the wind.
At her feet lay a massive severed head.
The hornless unicorn had perished, its golden eyes still open, unable to shut in death.
“…What?”
It was Yu Hana.
She casually shook her bloodless sword and slowly raised her head, as if it were nothing.
Her gaze met Yoon Chae-ha’s.
And in her eyes—
An overwhelming confidence gleamed.
Others might not have noticed,
But Yoon Chae-ha could feel it unmistakably.
Smirk.
Yu Hana slowly curled up the corners of her lips.
Then, a deep, subtle floral scent began to spread from somewhere.
Yoon Chae-ha turned her head, feeling as if her own scent had been washed away.
And there—
Jung Haein was staring at Yu Hana.
His lips were slightly parted, and his gaze was entirely captivated by her.
“…Wow.”
A short word of admiration slipped from him, unintentionally.
Yoon Chae-ha silently clenched her fingertips.
She bit her lip and lowered her head.
The reaction she had wanted to hear—
That look, that voice—
Right now, they belonged to Yu Hana.
***
“So you’re telling me she didn’t want to be the leader at first?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk chuckled as he spoke.
Go Minjun nodded beside him.
“Don’t tease me too much.”
Yu Hana laughed sheepishly and waved her hand.
Usually, after a project, people are quick to point fingers at each other—
But our team’s atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant.
Of course—
[Team Yu Hana – 1st Place]
The final results for the team match.
Our team’s name lit up at the very top of the scoreboard.
“Nice!!”
“Whew…”
Cheers and sighs of relief followed.
The first-place team received a prize.
While it was slightly smaller than what’s awarded in individual matches, it was still plenty.
After all, in team matches, experience mattered more than results.
Learning how we synced together, identifying gaps, and responding during crises—
That was the purpose of the team match.
As I sipped water, I glanced at Yu Hana.
‘Her growth… is incredible.’
The key threat in this wave was the ghosts—each of them faint and incorporeal.
The summoned beast created endless ghosts to obscure sight and sow chaos.
Most would’ve focused entirely on defense or holding out with barriers.
But Yu Hana—
She went in personally during the gap between the clearing smoke and the ghosts reforming—
And decapitated the beast herself.
At first, I had intended to go.
I was watching the situation and was ready to step in the moment things seemed to get tiring.
But before I could, it was Yu Hana who moved first.
It wasn’t reckless—it was perfect timing, backed by certainty.
I had always been debating who I should give the second fragment to first.
I believed it was right to hand it over to the one showing the fastest growth among the three.
And judging from the current situation, unless something major changed, Yu Hana would likely be the first.
Giving them time to think and act without interference had clearly been the right call.
I regained confidence in my approach.
Just as I was thinking that—
“Hey… is that who I think it is?”
“…No way.”
A sudden commotion broke out behind me.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward one direction all at once.
I instinctively turned my head as well.
And when I saw the person standing there, my posture straightened on its own.
Yu Mujin, head of the Yu family.
The master of Cheongpungdae, and Yu Hana’s father.
He had come all the way to Gaon’s lounge in person.
At that moment, Yu Hana quietly trotted over in front of me.
She stood between me and Yu Mujin, as if to block him, and spoke softly.
“Dad. This is school.”
Yu Mujin gave a wry smile and nodded.
“You’ve grown strong, daughter. I was honestly surprised.”
“You could’ve said that at home… stuff like that.”
“Alright, alright. I get it.”
To think the great Blue Cloud (Cheongun) Swordmaster would be flustered in front of his daughter.
The students around us, even some professors, looked on with amazed expressions.
But I could feel it.
For some reason, Yu Mujin’s gaze had turned toward me.
He quietly placed a hand on Yu Hana’s shoulder and gently moved her aside.
Yu Hana looked up, slightly startled.
But soon, as if understanding, she gave a small nod.
I stepped past her and stood before Yu Mujin.
“Jung Haein,” I said.
The surroundings fell silent.
“If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”
Yu Mujin’s eyes closed slightly.
He took one step forward.
“Very well.”
His low and deep voice echoed.
“How about a handshake?”
His hand was large and solid.
Not just the palm, but even the back of his hand was covered in thick calluses.
It was a hand that bore the years of a hard life.
I quietly grasped his hand.
Squeeze.
A brief surge of strength. He was testing me.
The pressure was intense.
A normal person might have flinched.
Their fingertips might tremble, or a subtle grimace might flash across their face.
But I didn’t move an inch and accepted the handshake head-on.
It was a bit of a brute-force method, but it was how Yu Mujin evaluated people.
He preferred to confirm things physically rather than through words.
But the reason I could handle it so naturally—
It reminded me of the torture I regularly endured at the hands of my master whenever he got bored.
After the brief silence, Yu Mujin let out a faint laugh.
“Jung Haein.”
Thud, thud.
He tapped my shoulder twice with a heavy hand.
Then, without a word, he turned around.
He gently placed his hand on Yu Hana’s head.
Yu Hana blushed and lowered her head deeply.
Yu Mujin looked at his daughter with a tender expression for a moment, then turned his gaze away.
And then, in a quiet yet firm voice, he said:
“I’ll remember that name.”
I took a deep breath and slightly bowed my head.
“It’s an honor.”
This was his recognition.