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The sun sets early in the forest.
Shrouded in the shadows cast by the trees, Ruah, Juju, Hwayeon, and Emma welcomed the night without even a glimpse of the setting sun.
“Alright. This should be well-hidden from the outside.”
Their chosen shelter was a hill close to the center of the island.
The students had used their skills to dig a burrow, concealing the entrance with a makeshift door woven from branches.
“Mmm?”
Hwayeon rubbed the branches together, a puzzled expression on her face.
It seemed she couldn’t start a fire.
“I’ll do it.”
Juju took over, rubbing a wooden board against the branches.
Smoke appeared quickly. Their prior practice had paid off.
“I’ll make sure it’s well-concealed from the outside.”
Emma acted quickly and efficiently. Thanks to her, their preparations for the night were complete.
Dinner consisted of fish that Hwayeon and Emma had caught in the river earlier.
Cooked over the fire, they looked surprisingly edible.
“Thank you for sharing.” Juju said.
“It’s nothing compared to you saving me earlier. Here.”
Emma handed Ruah a fish skewer, and Juju held it to Ruah’s lips. Unable to use her arms, Ruah accepted it obediently.
“It’s nice to see you eating well.”
Juju smiled, watching Ruah chew on the fish.
“Want me to feed you more?”
“Uh, yeah.”
After dinner, it was time to sleep.
However, they agreed to take turns keeping watch in case of a surprise attack.
“Mmm.”
“S-She’s already asleep, ahaha.”
Seemingly without any suspicion towards Ruah and Juju, Hwayeon started snoring as soon as she lay down.
“Then, teacher and I will take the first watch. We’ll wake you up in two hours.” Juju said to Emma.
“Okay, got it.”
Emma entered the burrow. Ruah settled down outside, and Juju, after adding another log to the fire, joined her.
“Are you tired? It’s my fault you had to have your arm bound.”
“Ah, it’s okay. I practiced beforehand at school.”
They both looked up at the night sky in silence.
Stars were scattered across the clear sky like a spilled box of glitter.
The only sounds were the chirping of insects, the occasional crackle of the fire, and each other’s breathing.
“…Teacher, thank you.”
“Huh?”
Juju’s sudden words surprised Ruah.
She turned to look at her student.
“I know that what I did earlier wasn’t helpful for winning. But you still helped me and trusted me, even though I acted that way.”
“…….”
Abandoning the advantage of letting others fight, rushing into battle, accepting Hwayeon and Emma as allies even though it might not be beneficial – Juju wasn’t foolish. She must have known those actions were strategic blunders.
“…I couldn’t help it. You asked me to trust you, just like you trust me. I couldn’t refuse that.”
“Hehehe.”
Juju’s laughter mingled with the chirping of insects.
“And you must have had your reasons for acting that way, right?”
“That’s right.”
Juju picked up some nearby twigs, fiddling with them as she nodded.
“I think I told you once how I decided to become a Hunter. Do you remember?”
“You said a Hunter saved you. That was Hunter Kim Jiyeon, right?”
“Oh, did I tell you?”
“I’m pretty good at putting two and two together.”
Juju scratched her head sheepishly.
“Yes. Ten years ago, if Hunter Kim Jiyeon had given up on me, I wouldn’t be here today. She told me, ‘A child should rely on an adult,’ and then she defeated the boss and pulled me out of the Gate.”
“…….”
“My faith in her is like a root deep within my heart.”
Following the example of Hunter Kim Jiyeon, who saved her with pure selflessness and a sense of justice – that was Juju’s driving force.
“If I deny that, I feel like I’ll be shaken to my core… I might not know how to live anymore.”
Juju smiled sadly.
“I’m sorry, for being like this.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Ruah shook her head.
“You should only apologize for things you think you did wrong. Don’t apologize for things you believe are right. Especially not to me.”
“Especially not to you…?”
“I’m your teacher.”
Ruah’s words were also directed at herself, the part of her that had been dissatisfied with Juju’s actions earlier.
“If a teacher doesn’t believe in their student, who will?”
“…….”
Juju stared at Ruah’s face for a long moment before turning away abruptly.
She seemed to be cooling her cheeks with the back of her hand, chilled by the night air.
“…Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, th-that’s what I meant to say.”
Juju stood up with an exaggerated, “Eit!” and started stretching needlessly, rotating her waist and extending her arms. Ruah chuckled, seeing her attempts to hide her awkwardness.
“Cute.”
“Wh-What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Nothing.”
Ruah smiled and shook her head.
Ruah had no right or qualification to change Juju.
Juju’s values, instilled by Hunter Kim Jiyeon ten years ago, were already deeply rooted.
Ruah’s role was to accept Juju as she was and work together towards their goal.
—Crackle.
Suddenly, Ruah noticed the crackling of the fire had intensified. She glanced at it, but nothing seemed amiss.
“Teacher? Somehow, the sky has gotten brighter.”
As Juju said, the dark night sky was now tinged with a reddish glow.
A faint acrid smell hung in the air.
“Juju, wake the others up! Now!”
“…Yes!”
Considering all the information, there was only one possibility.
A large fire must have broken out on Inyong Island.
‘This isn’t how the scenario is supposed to go…!’ Ruah thought.
The situation in the control room was frantic.
[Hahaha! Burn it all down!]
On screen, a participant ran through the forest, brandishing a flaming sword. The fire spread to the trees, growing rapidly in size.
“Master, the fire is spreading! If it spreads any further, we won’t be able to contain it!”
“Tsk, what kind of idiot…!”
Kim Jiyeon clicked her tongue as she watched the monitor.
Because they had delayed shrinking the safe zone, more survivors than expected remained after the battles by the river.
The problem was that one of them, unable to handle the stress of the Battle Royale, had snapped.
“There’s no other choice. Subdue him.”
“Yes!”
Under Hunter Kim Jiyeon’s command, a guild helicopter was dispatched immediately.
—Thump-thump-thump….
The dispatched guild members subdued the participant, loaded him onto the helicopter along with his instructor, and took them to the designated area for eliminated participants.
The source of the fire was gone, but the flames wouldn’t die down easily. They finally managed to extinguish it by dawn, after resorting to using seawater.
However, almost a third of the western side of Inyong Island had already burned to ashes.
“What about the Inyong Weed fields?”
“They… They burned down too.”
“!”
Everyone in the control room, including Kim Jiyeon, wore grim expressions.
They were already reliant on the invigorating effects of the Inyong Weed. Without it, the phantom pains from their lost limbs would return.
“There’s no other choice. We have to contact them and get some.”
Kim Jiyeon angrily grabbed her phone and dialed a number.
<…Kim Jiyeon.>
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m sorry, but could you spare some Inyong Weed? The fields burned down this morning.”
<You have… no shame.>
Kim Jiyeon’s expression hardened at the hissing voice.
<Using this island… as you please, and even starting a fire.>
“It was a participant who went rogue. I couldn’t help it.”
<We, too… can’t be helped. We will… bring forward our ritual.>
“Bring forward the ritual?”
<If you want Inyong Weed… help us first. We will resume supply… after that.>
“W-Wait! We had a deal! We haven’t gathered enough eliminated participants yet!”
<Make up the difference… yourself. We await you at the Sanctuary.>
—Click!
The call ended abruptly. Kim Jiyeon tried calling back, but the call was repeatedly rejected.
“!”
—Smash!
Unable to contain her rage, she slammed her phone on the floor and crushed it with her prosthetic hand. Her hands and lips trembled, and her face was pale.
The withdrawal symptoms were severe.
Only after consuming the Inyong Weed collected from the control room members did she regain her composure.
“Bringing forward the ritual… Those
bastards.”
“What do you plan to do?”
This was an unexpected turn of events, and everyone looked to their leader, Kim Jiyeon, for instructions.
“There’s no other choice. We’ll meet and discuss. Prepare the helicopter.”
“M-Master, isn’t their ‘ritual’ dangerous if left unchecked?”
One guild member spoke up bravely.
“Shouldn’t we reconsider our plan, even now….”
—Clang!
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Kim Jiyeon’s blade, extending from her prosthetic arm, was pressed against his throat.
“Can you live without Inyong Weed for the rest of your life?”
“…….”
“As Nick said, we’ll help with the ritual first. No objections.”
Kim Jiyeon retracted the blade and strode out of the control room, leaving the silent guild members behind.
It was a mistake not to proceed as planned because she was concerned about Yoo Juju.
She should have been ruthless and released the gas as scheduled.
But she couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different even if she hadn’t changed her mind.
‘The moment we used the scholarship camp as an excuse to gather these kids, it was already too late to turn back….’ Kim Jiyeon thought.
You’ve got to see this next! I Became a Martial God in the Wrong Genre will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : I Became a Martial God in the Wrong Genre
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