Woo-Chi stood in front of her front door, taking a deep breath and exhaling deeply as she stared at the door handle. It had been two years since she had last been outside since the incident at Grushia High School, her hands tense at her sides from the idea of stepping outside her comfort zone.
She whined softly and fussed at herself, pacing away from the door while running her hands through her hair. She looked down at her phone, checking the time to see it had already become 3:00 PM. She opened the ValkyMe App on her phone, looking down at her current attributes.
〘Woo-Chi's Attributes〙
▸ Speed: D (352)
▸ Stamina: E+ (221)
▸ Strength: E+ (278)
▸ Grit: C (577)
▸ Wit: A+ (1011)
▸ Overall: D+ (488)
〘Ai Suru's Advice: Lacking Speed/Stamina - You need more Speed and Stamina if you want to compete with the Valkyrias and Heroes within your area!〙
Suddenly, Woo-Chi's eyes lit up as she saw her personal assistant appearing upon her screen and gasped softly. "Suru? You're still activated on ValkyMe? I thought your OS was outdated!"
〘Ai Suru: Me? Outdated? Ha! I may be Ancient Technology, but nothing can beat tech from Heaven! I'm surprised you actually reactivated me! The others don't use me anymore for Go-Goken...〙
"Yeah...but how am I supposed to get more speed and stamina? Seven miles for me off the couch is a gnarly task for me..." Woo-Chi sighed softly, rubbing her arm as she looked down at Suru on her screen.
〘Ai Suru: Easy! You just do physical activity! Over time, your body will adapt and adjust to your changes. Just don't push yourself too hard. You have to run seven miles, so split your run into seven sections!〙
Woo-Chi nodded at Suru's advice then took another deep breath and exhaled, turning around to face her door and took a step forward. "Here goes nothing..."
The people of Dong-ga were all murmuring and gathering around, a few pointing and exclaiming as they noticed a figure running down the street at high speeds. Recognizing the figure as Woo-Chi, a few people began to cheer for her as she raced down the street at high speeds.
Woo-Chi dashed down the sidewalk, taking deep breaths as she ran, a small silver light glowing upon her chest. Each step was filled with a single purpose, one drive, to see me at Baekjin Sauna. Everyone cheered for Woo-Chi, the once mentally broken girl now chasing her dream, to go back to Grushia High School.
I chuckled softly as I watched Woo-Chi race down the street through the eyes of my Sovereign Butterfly that secretly rested in her hair. I leaned back in my seat, Do-hari glancing at me with a judging side-eye before smacking my shoulder.
"Hey! Did you forget you work here too, Mr. Savior? Tshhh...And my aunt wants me to marry you?" Do-hari scoffed as she folded sauna towels and clothes, feigning an annoyed expression.
"You don't think I can multitask, nae sarang?" I asked, turning over to look at Do-hari with a soft smile as I continued to fold the towels.
Do-hari blushed lightly at my nickname, rolling her eyes lightly and continued to fold her clothes while slightly shifting on her seat. "Hmph.."
Dong-hee watched my interaction with her younger sister, taking a sip of her rice smoothie and set her cup down. "I'm still kinda confused on Eomma's dream. I mean, he's here now right? How does he help us out here?"
"You're asking the wrong person. All we know is that Do-hari is getting better over time, but your brother still can't use his Psychometry and you can't fly reliably. I mean, your issue can be fixed as long as you listen to your name, Bong Don't Ea—" Gloria began, her words becoming muffled as Dong-hee stuffed a rice cake into her mouth.
"Hey. Watch your next words, Succubus. I may have kinda lost my ability to fly because of my weight, but you're still a s—" Dong-hee began, her words becoming muffled as Gloria shoved a rice cake in her mouth in retaliation.
Do-hari and I watched the two fight like sisters, Do-hari shaking her head with slight exasperation while I couldn't help but softly chuckle knowing their close relationship. I began to watch over Woo-Chi once again, making sure she got here as safely as she could.
Woo-Chi continued down the sidewalk, soon stopping at a traffic light and exhaling softly to catch her breath. After resting for a few minutes, she continued to run forward once again. As she ran, Ai Suru continued to calculate her steps, distance, and calories burned, her Speed attributes increasing slightly overtime.
"Someone help! That woman stole my purse!" One elderly woman yelled out for assistance, her call reaching the ears of Woo-Chi.
Woo-Chi stopped running and glanced around, noticing the woman pointing down the street at a woman with long blonde hair and fox ears. She looked down at her phone to check the time, closing her eyes and exhaling softly.
'God, should I help this woman?' Woo-Chi asked Yuvah mentally, keeping her eyes closed to wait for an answer.
〘Ai Suru's Advice: Lacking Strength - You need more Strength if you want to compete with the Valkyrias and Heroes at Grushia High School!〙
Woo-Chi opened her eyes, looking at her phone and noticed a notification from an unknown app called the Nexus System. "What the..."
Go help her, Woo-Chi...
Take this as part of your training...
Being Ascean, Aetherian means to help the needy, the orphaned, the widowed, the lost, the sick...
That is what it means to be Ascean...
To be like Yesha...
Woo-Chi heard my soft voice and felt a surge of courage awaken within her, the silver light upon her chest glowing brighter and igniting into a small Holy Ember. She nodded to herself, springing forward into action after the woman who stole the purse.
"Nyahaha!~ This was certainly a devious lick! Hm hm hmm!~ Let's see what I managed to snag today," The woman giggled, crouching down into an Asian squat within an alleyway and set the purse on the ground to see valuables inside. "Yes, jackpot!~"
"Hey!" Woo-Chi called out at the entrance of the alleyway, panting softly and wiped her sweat from her forehead.
The woman looked over at Woo-Chi, gasping in shock and her ears perking up in shock to see her. She stood up quickly, her nails sharpening into claws, her body bracing itself for combat. "What the hell...how did you find me, let alone catch up with me?"
"That doesn't matter! All that matters is you give back the purse you stole from the woman back there!" Woo-Chi spoke up, taking a step forward before pausing, her skin beginning to crawl uncomfortably.
Woo-Chi stared at the woman in front of her, noticing her pupils becoming sharp and feline like, her eyes tailing down to see her kitsune tail manifesting behind her. The woman grinned mischievously at Woo-Chi, licking her lips with excitement to claim her soul.
"Ahh~ You had me worried for a moment, but you're just another Believer who thinks they have what it takes to face off against a demon because she has the power of God on her side! You forget about your own human limits!" The woman laughed, watching Woo-Chi's body freeze in fear before the kitsune.
"My name is Fortune, and fortunately for me...I have another soul to play with!" Fortune laughed, lunging forward with the threat of scratching Woo-Chi's face off.
Focus and move!
Woo-Chi snapped out of her state of fear from the sound of my thunderous voice, her body reaching to Fortune's attack quickly enough to dive forward. She quickly grabbed the purse off the ground and slung it around her shoulder then got into her battle stance.
What are you doing?
Get out of there! This is not your fight!
Only defend yourself!
Do not engage first!
'You don't have to tell me twice!' Woo-Chi responded mentally, pivoting around quickly and running away quickly with sharp pants.
"Eh?! Hey! Get back here with my loot!" Fortune hissed, shifting into her Kitsune Form and chased after Woo-Chi.
Woo-Chi slid along the ground before charging down the street, nearly stumbling over her own feet. Fortune appeared in front of her from another alleyway, shifting back into her human form and giggled lightly. She charged forward with another claw strike, but Woo-Chi luckily slipped under the attack and ran off.
Fortune growled with frustration and charged toward her once again, nearly catching her with a lunge but went through Woo-Chi's light purple silhouette. She grunted as she hit the ground, sitting up quickly and glancing around in shock.
Woo-Chi reappeared behind Fortune, panting heavily and frantically patting her body to make sure she was still alive. "What the heck was that..?"
"Did she just...Warp?" Fortune asked herself in confusion, standing up off the ground and turning around to look at Woo-Chi. "How..? Master Claudio said Nox wouldn't be here in Bulan..."
Fortune quickly turned around, lunging toward Woo-Chi with another claw swipe but Woo-Chi smartly ducked under her attack and countered with a powerful swing of the elderly woman's purse against Fortune's cheek. Fortune grunted heavily as she crashed into a wall, falling onto the ground and holding her cheek.
Woo-Chi gulped lightly before backing away from Fortune and running off once again, hoping this time she could lose Fortune. However, Fortune managed to catch up to Woo-Chi once again to grab her, but Woo-Chi sensed her coming from behind then stopped to catch Fortune between the eyes with a well placed Superkick.
"Nngh!! What the heck is up with this girl?! How is she getting me this many times?!" Fortune groaned, covering her face and looking up from her hand to see Woo-Chi running off again after dropping off the woman's purse.
Fortune gave chase once more, trying her hardest to catch Woo-Chi with an attack but she avoided each strike with calculated and thought out steps. Woo-Chi decided to build up the courage to turn around and face Fortune as reached her during her halfway point of her seven mile run.
This time, Woo-Chi charged toward Fortune and caught her off guard, landing a kick upon her side then knocked her back a few steps with a palm strike. She knew she couldn't physically win, yet a demon of greed wouldn't get off her tail for one moment like a cat desperate for food.
"So, you do have some fight in you. You seem very smart, but your punches lack any depth. C'mon! Hit me again!" Fortune challenged, holding her arms out and smirked at Woo-Chi with a toothy grin.
'Is she serious? She wants me to hit her again?' Woo-Chi questioned mentally, hesitant to make any move but noticed Fortune standing still with her tail swaying from side to side.
Woo-Chi didn't get an immediate answer from any of her guides including me, so she did the first thing that came to her mind. She ran away once again, this time much faster than before and left Fortune behind in surprise.
"Huh...She was just bluffing? She's very strange, but I'm bored now! Time to go see what I can find in dumpsters now!~" Fortune giggled, fleeing the scene as well with excitement.
Woo-Chi glanced behind herself as she ran, noticing Fortune was no longer pursuing her then decided to take another break from running. She took a seat upon a bench, wiping her forehead and looking up at the sky. "Aiishh...this is your idea of training?"
You lived right?
You passed your first trial since being out of Grushia High...
You had faith...
Most wouldn't get this far honestly.
Not with me anyway...
'What do you mean? Aren't you the Messiah? People have faith in you right?' Woo-Chi asked mentally, continuing to look at the sky.
I don't want any praise or worship...
But just want faith that I was indeed sent down from Yuvah to help you all...
Faith that I can calm the storms of this world through the power of my Father.
Yet, mere children have more faith and have never truly met me or know who I am.
Woo-Chi's gaze softened as she listened to my tone, slightly hearing the words of Yesha speaking through me. She tilted her head to the side with more curiosity. 'No one here believes you are who you say you are? I find that hard to believe...'
Only few actually believe.
Those few possess Holy Fire,
some as weak as a Holy Ember like yours.
Some as powerful as a Holy Blaze.
You will know the Believers from the non believer,
Not only by the fruits...but by their fire for the Lord, their God.
Woo-Chi glanced around where she sat, watching as people walked by her. At first she didn't see any Holy Fires, but as the people continued to come and go, a few Holy Embers were found along with even fewer Holy Fires walking past her.
After a few moments of rest, Woo-Chi got up from her seat and continued on her run. As she ran, she could feel a rejuvenating aura washing over her that kept her energized for the rest of the run. She couldn't explain it the feeling of serene peace she felt, her lips becoming a warm smile as she ran.
Soon, Woo-Chi made it to Baekjin Sauna by 4:20 PM, panting heavily and leaning down to place her hands upon her knees to rest. "Finally...seven miles..."
"Rest your hands over your head, you'll get more oxygen and recover faster," A familiar voice to Woo-Chi sounded, causing her to look up.
Woo-Chi met my gaze, an annoyed expression forming on her face as she placed her hands on top of her head and caught her breath. "You couldn't literally teleported me here...and it would have made no difference..."
"Then how would you grow if I did all the work?" I chuckled softly, walking down the steps of the sauna's entrance then began to guide Woo-Chi inside. "Come on, I know you're tired and you ran a long way."
Woo-Chi followed me inside with an annoyed expression on her face, scoffing lightly yet obediently following me inside the building. I took her over to the food court of the Sauna, walking over to Dong-hee who worked the smoothie stand.
"Can I get two rice smoothies?" I asked with a smile, slipping my hands into my pockets.
"Uh, no. Not until you tell me who that high schooler is. Listen, I get you're a savior and whatnot, but you can't just bring random kids into this place!" Dong-hee fussed quietly, stomping her foot down in protest.
I pointed at Ae-Ri, Minsu, and their friends sitting at a table with Ms. Baek and her older brother playing games and coloring together. "Those two kids are random, and you didn't question them."
"You know that's different! That's my Imo and Samchon, and YOUR soon-to-be stepchildren..! Of course we're gonna approve of their friends and—" Dong-hee began then looked where else I pointed, seeing Do-hari happily guiding in a team of young Heroes and Valkyrias to the sauna area.
I noticed her dumbfounded expression and chuckled softly at her, holding up the number two. "So? How about it? Two rice smoothies please, oh and don't worry, Do-hari already knows about her as well."
Dong-hee sighed softly as she walked to the blenders to start making the smoothies for me and Woo-Chi. Once she finished making them, she set down two cups upon the counter and gave me a half effort smile.
I chuckled softly at her, placing down the money I owed her on the counter. "I can still read your mind, remember that."
Dong-hee blushed with embarrassment, quickly turning around and walking off to clean the blenders. She closed her eyes with embarrassment, cursing herself out for forgetting I had a basic ability like telepathy and mind reading. "Next time, just smile and stare...wait can he read my heart as well if he can read my mind..? Oishh..this guy.."
〘Woo-Chi Trait Gains〙
▸ Speed +62
▸ Stamina +99
▸ Grit +40
〘Updated Aspects〙
▸ Speed: D+ (414)
▸ Stamina: D (320)
▸ Grit: C+ (617)
▸ Overall Rank: C (528)
〘Ai Suru Report: Great increases to your attributes! Continue the good work!〙
Woo-Chi smiled at her screen then looked up as she heard me approaching the table, her eyes tracking me as I sat down in front of her and set down her smoothie. "Mwo..? Igeo mwoyeyo?"
"It's a rice smoothie. It's really good. It's made with rice, rice milk, and fruits like strawberries and bananas. Try it, it's delicious and healthy for you," I answered with a smile, taking a sip of my smoothie and hummed with delight.
Woo-Chi grabbed her cup and inspected it lightly, taking a quick glance at me before taking a sip of the smoothie. Immediately, her eyes lit up with awe and delight then continued to happily drink her smoothie. I smiled at her, leaning back in my seat and chuckling lightly at her childlike happiness for the smoothie.
After a few moments of resting and small talk, Woo-Chi decided to break the silence with a question that's been on her mind. "Okay, Nox...when do I start my training here? What will I be doing?"
I smirked at Woo-Chi, standing up and gesturing for her to follow me. Woo-Chi stood up and followed behind me with curiosity, Ms. Baek keeping a curious eye upon me on how I would use her facility as a training facility. Curiously, she stood up and followed us, leaving Ae-Ri and Minsu in her brother's care.
Walking down the stairs to the sauna area, I grabbed a few wet floor signs and began setting them down strategically on the floor. Do-hari looked up from her book, raising an eyebrow at me with curiosity of what I was doing. Woo-Chi stood back and watched, recognizing the positioning of the cones to where she had to run in between them.
"Floor Polishing, a Speed Training Exercise Valkyrias and Heroes partake in. To make it more challenging, I will have to running through cones. The faster you complete the exercise each lap, the better your reward will be," I said, stepping back and grabbing a towel before tossing it to Woo-Chi.
Woo-Chi gasped and exclaimed as she tumbled trying to catch the floating towel. She looked down at the towel, noticing it had a verse etched onto it from The Biblos. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint..."
"One of my favorite verses from Isaiah. Exzodia also had their own descendant of Isaiah named Isham. He not only confirmed Yesha's existence not only on Earth but here in Exzodia as Ascea. When you read The Chronicles, it should always remind you of the source of God's word, The Biblos," I said, clapping my hands together and smiled at Woo-Chi.
"Okay, sijakhaja!" I said, blowing my whistle around my neck.
"C'mon, more Speed Training? What am I? A horse?" Woo-Chi groaned, getting down on the ground and began dashing through the cones, polishing the floor back and forth.
Do-hari gasped lightly as she watched, covering her mouth slightly with her finger tips, a memory of her during her High School years flashing in her head. She began to remember doing the Floor Polishing exercise in Bulan High School, having the fastest record within her class of Bulan's Class 12-A.
Woo-Chi controlled her breathing and stamina control as best as she could, pushing herself front and back while polishing the floors at great speeds. Each lap, I pressed a button upon my stop watch, rewarding her by subtly restoring a bit of her stamina via my Sovereign Butterfly.
"How many more laps, Nox? Until I wipe the tiles back into dirt and turf?" Woo-Chi asked sarcastically, a hint of sass in her tone as she continued running back and forth.
"Three more laps for the sass," I said, smiling at her as I watched her run back and forth and listened to her groan.
Ms. Baek leaned against the doorframe with an amused smirk upon her face, raising a curious brow at my methods of rehabilitating Woo-Chi back into society. Having no issues with me using her business as a training grounds as long as work was getting done, she turned back around to tend to her niece and nephew once more.
The time was 4:35 PM once Woo-Chi finished polishing the floors to satisfactory levels, but the training wasn't over with just yet. I took her outside to the grass and dirt, drawing a starting line with a branch then tossed the stick forward, the branch sticking into the ground as the finishing point.
"Now, Strength Training! Dirt and Grass Dashes! Let's begin!" I said, getting down into a running start and pat her head before dashing forward with playful chuckles. "Tag, you're it!"
Woo-Chi watched as I ran ahead, confused beyond belief over my childlike attitude with her but grew focused and sprinted after me. As she tried to tag me, I phased and warped through her, gently pushing her forward with my foot.
Woo-Chi stumbled forward, nearly falling onto the ground then turned around to face me with an annoyed glare. She got down into a running start and dashed toward me, reaching out to grab me but I easily sidestepped her and became intangible as she lunged toward me.
"Hey! That's not fair when you keep doing that mystical magic stuff!" Woo-Chi groaned, turning around with a flushed face and pointed at me with frustration.
"It's called Walking in Truth, Spirit Warp, Rauch Step. Anyone can learn it, you just need one important thing," I said, pointing at my chest, signalling the Holy Fire. "When you walk in truth, no lies, deception, nor corruption can truly hurt you."
"Still, you're cheating!" Woo-Chi scoffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away with sass.
"Alright, alright, I won't use Spirit Warp. However, you have two options to choose from. You can either pick up that branch before me to win this training exercise, or you just have to land just one strike upon me," I challenged with a smile, crossing my arms and tilting my head slightly.
〘Ai Suru Advice: Option 1 offers an increase in Speed, Stamina, and Grit! Option 2 offers an increase in Speed, Strength, and Wits! Choose carefully as the challenge is not equal!〙
Woo-Chi looked down at her phone and nodded, slipping it back into her pocket. She stretched her arms and legs, preparing herself for the challenge and got down into a running start. Quickly, she dashed toward me, getting me to dodge her attempt to strike only to pivot around toward the branch.
I smirked at her, shifting my foot against the ground and caused the branch to slide along the dirt just as Woo-Chi reached for it. Woo-Chi grunted as she landed on the grass, looking back at me with an irritated huff and stood back up. She dashed toward me once again, going for the same method as last time.
"If it's not broken, don't fix it right?" I asked with a soft laugh, dodging each of her strike and countering her by twirling her behind me.
"I've got you this time!" Woo-Chi called out, launching a back elbow toward me then grunted as she noticed I had disappeared.
I reappeared behind her with a simple walk, chuckling lightly at her and rubbed the back of my head. "That's called Invisible Speed, different from Spirit Warp as it requires beyond S Rank Speed. I didn't even dash or run, that is how fast I am."
Woo-Chi began to sweat with hesitation for a bit, realizing how impossible the challenge seemed to her, but she also noticed I was holding back my true might by astronomical amounts to match her. 'Yet, he still has Invisible Speed, weakened or not...at the same time he's still matching me but only moves at that speed when I get very close to landing an attack...'
'What lesson is he teaching me here..?' Woo-Chi questioned mentally, getting into a running start once again.
Woo-Chi grunted as she dashed forward once again, starting with a sweep kick, but I avoided it then caught her ankle upon her leaping roundhouse kick. Pushing her back, Woo-Chi landed upon then ground and held her hand out toward me, closing her eyes and gripping her wrist.
I smirked at her, watching as a ball of energy began to form within the palm of her hand. Once she fired the ball of energy, I deflected the ball of energy, the blast flying behind me and crashing into the ground with an explosion. Woo-Chi stumbled backwards, looking at her hand in shock then looked up at me in awe.
"Heh, your suitor really knows how to bring the best out of people huh? Look at her, already spreading her wings like an eagle," Ms. Baek chuckled softly as she rubbed Do-hari's back, her tone sounding like a proud mother of her daughter.
Do-hari blushed lightly at Ms. Baek's statement of her calling me her suitor. "Yeah, he does seem to have that ability to bring people out of their shells.."
Woo-Chi dashed toward the branch once again, reach for it to grab it but the branch ended up warping behind her, leaving her confused. "Wha—"
"Your stipulation was I couldn't warp or teleport, not that I couldn't use my Sovereign Butterflies to warp things around," I chuckled softly, keeping my hands held behind my back.
Woo-Chi mumbled unruly words under her breath, scoffing at me once more before charging toward me. Each strike she launched, I dodged and evaded with ease, slipping through every hook and cross, every kick and stomp she attempted.
Woo-Chi began to noticed that I never threw any counter attacks, only moving her around for better positioning for me to avoid her. Knowing that fact, she generated a ball of energy and launched it toward me. The ball of energy curved around me, soaring through the skies and boomeranging toward my back.
She threw a second energy blast toward me as the first ball of energy approached me from behind, knowing I would dodge it but to her surprise, I stood still in place. Both orbs slammed into an invisible force of energy, causing two explosions and the smoke cloud to cover my body.
"That had to have gotten him. He didn't even move from his spot," Woo-Chi said, nodding to herself in confirmation, seeing both energy blasts hitting me in her eyes.
The smoke cloud cleared as the winds blew gently, revealing me unscathed and without a scratch. Woo-Chi's mouth dropped down in shock, her body falling down to her knees in defeat as she used her best plan to catch me off guard.
"You had solid foundation, but this challenge was meant to be impossible. Just like the laws Moses people had to follow and carry along with the commandments, it's to show you the impossible standards of God as Heaven's standards require perfection," I said, walking toward Woo-Chi and crouched down in front of her.
"However, had you trusted more in your Holy Ember than your own skills and limits, you would have actually been able to reach me," I said with a light chuckle, gently rubbing her hair and moved the messy strands out of her face.
"Yeah, yeah...walk by faith not by sight, I get it now..." Woo-Chi scoffed, staying still and not protesting against me fixing her hair.
The first training session had come to a close and I had brought Woo-Chi back inside to rest and get cleaned up. Ms. Baek took her to the resting facility of the sauna, giving her a personal spot for her to make use of. Woo-Chi, despite being inactive for two years, was surprisingly still skilled, she just needed to bring that potential back out.
〘Woo-Chi Trait Gains〙
▸ Speed +44
▸ Stamina +80
▸ Strength +37
▸ Grit +55
▸ Faith +32
〘Updated Aspects〙
▸ Speed: D+ (458)
▸ Stamina: D+ (400)
▸ Strength: D (315)
▸ Grit: C+ (672)
▸ Faith: B+ (884)
▸ Overall Rank: C (571)
〘Ai Suru Report: Amazing day of training! Rest well, Woo-Chi! We have more exciting work to do tomorrow!〙
〘Woo-Chi's Attributes〙
▸ Speed: D+ (458)
▸ Stamina: D+ (400)
▸ Strength: D (315)
▸ Grit: C+ (672)
▸ Wit: A+ (1011)
▸ Overall: C (571)
Woo-Chi sat against the wall with a towel over her head, looking down at her phone screen with a soft smile before looking up at the ceiling. "If I'm not strong enough to keep up with my friends now, I just wonder how strong they've gotten now... Hopefully, they would recognize me when I get back."
Hyeon Bae sat at the dining table at Kaguya's home with Kaguya, Luciel, and Su-Yun, each of them enjoying a nice dinner while she went through her social media then gasped in shock, dropping her silverware upon her plate. The three women looked over at Hyeon Bae, wondering what the commotion was then Kaguya got up to see what Hyeon Bae was looking at.
Taking a glance at her phone, her eyes also widened with surprise to see the picture Hyeon Bae was looking at, covering her mouth in awe. Upon her screen was a secret social media account on ValkyGram named YVH Updates with a caption saying, 'You don't have to worry, Grushia. Your favorite Valkyria is back in action'.
"Woo-Chi..! Who took this picture?" Hyeon Bae asked with tears in her eyes, swiping through each photo then stopped upon the last picture as she noticed me kneeled down in front of Woo-Chi, fixing her hair. "Mr. Nox..? He found Woo-Chi?"
"That goes to show you that no one is beyond God's reach. I know it was against the rules of looking at the records of suspended or banished students, but Woo-Chi is part of Class 12-A and I want everyone to have a fair shot of graduation," Luciel said with a soft giggle, taking another bite of her food.
"I won't hold anything against you for that, Luciel. After all, I'm just glad to see that she's alright. So, Lord Nox had already found her and begun rehabilitating and training her? What are you going to do about the remaining Battle Zones?" Kaguya asked, taking her seat once again and looked at Luciel and Su-Yun.
"Well, granted that Battle Zone 1 and 4 are unholy grounds and Nox gave us the power and authority to save this school, I'm thinking we use our influence to shift the Battle Zones to a holy purpose," Luciel suggested, looking over at Su-Yun for her opinion.
Su-Yun cleared her throat gently, noticing Luciel looking at her while she was in the middle of eating her kimchi. She sat back in her seat and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I was thinking of doing something similar with training Class 12-A up so they could be ready for future situations like this. After all, this is twice we have thrown them in the wilderness."
"True," Luciel said, setting down her utensils then crossed her arms to think of a strategy. "How about this then? They are all going to be Valkyrias and Heroes in the world right? So how about we train them using the Battle Zones?"
"I don't know...after Battle Zone 1, I don't want to have to go through that whole incident a second time," Hyeon Bae said with disapproval, shaking her head as she remembered battling against Merin.
"Don't worry, we aren't doing that to you all anymore. However, it was very unlucky that two of the 14 battle zones were inhabited by Deadly Sins and Principalities: Envy and Pride. But, until me and Su-Yun do more research on the Battle Zones, you all will have free period starting Monday," Luciel said, smiling at Hyeon Bae with a soft chuckle.
Hyeon Bae's smile grew large at the promise of free period until further notice, meaning the training days until Luciel and Su-Yun's next test was extended indefinitely. "Okay! I'll go let my friends know!~"
Luciel hummed with delight as Hyeon Bae hurried off from the table then looked over at Kaguya. "I'm curious about something. You take care of Hyeon Bae as her legal guardian right? What happened to her mother and uncle?"
Kaguya met Luciel's gaze for a moment before looking back down at her plate of food, picking at it lightly with a thoughtful expression. "You weren't here when the incident happened with Hyeon Bae and her mother, but they were both involved in a tragic accident on the highway going back home.."
"Hyeon Bae has Delirium as you know, and she is aware of that fact, but can't truly discern what's real against what's not. She still actively sees her mother and uncle because she refuses to realize they are dead, Spirits roaming in between. Or maybe she does know, but I just know she's always going out at night... looking for a Stigmata," Kaguya finished, setting down her utensils and listening closely to see what Hyeon Bae was doing.
"At Aetherpoint right?" Su-Yun asked, tilting her head with curiosity then looked out the window and watching the sun begin to set, her appearance returning back to normal.
"Correct. Woo Jinyoung is her uncle as if told you, but... he's actually dead. A Spirit. That's why you can only see his shop at night. In the day, the shop looks like any other shop as the Stigmatas inside look like normal light bulbs," Kaguya continued, looking up at Luciel and Su-Yun with a serious expression.
"Wait what? He's dead? What about Hyeon Bae's mom?" Su-Yun asked, placing her hand over her chest with a slightly stunned expression.
Kaguya sat back in her seat, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Hyeon Bae has never let go of the grief, she doesn't know her mother is dead because of her Delirum. I keep her here as her guardian, but here and there she'll sneak out to visit her mom."
"Is her mom...a bad Spirit?" Luciel asked, gently tapping her index finger upon the table with curiosity.
Kaguya shook her head, a bittersweet smile forming upon her lips. "No, she's a good Spirit...but can not communicate with Hyeon Bae. She can't speak. The accident crushed her mother's throat as they were driving back home. Hyeon Bae miraculously survived, but as you know her mother didn't."
"Her Delirium can usually be controlled via the stitches upon her head being well placed...but Woo-Chi, upon her mental breakdown, accidentally loosened them, bringing it back to its barely controllable state," Kaguya explained, taking a light sigh and looking down at the table.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang three times, catching the three women off guard. Kaguya slowly stood up with a confused expression since her house upon Dotari was hidden within cornfields. She summoned her white pistol in her hand, slowly creeping toward the doors with Luciel and Su-Yun close behind.
Kaguya pulled back the curtains slowly, seeing Jiahn waving at the window then relaxed completely. "It's Jiahn. I always forget she lives within the cornfields with me."
"Oh...aishh good thing it's just her because at night time I'm completely useless! I mean, I'm still fast and strong buuut," Su-Yun said, letting out a nervous laugh with her hand behind her head.
Luciel chuckled softly at Su-Yun, playfully nudging her with her elbow. "Don't worry, Su-Yun~ Kaguya and I would've protected you either way."
Kaguya opened the door to see it wasn't just Jiahn at the door as she was accompanied by So-Yi and Kim Eun. "Oh? You have friends with you this time?"
"Yeah, we actually wanted to see if Hyeon Bae is home or did she run off again? So-Yi, Eun, and I were planning to go into Grushia City for some training in a Battle Zone that's opening soon. Like 30 minutes soon," Jiahn said with a bright grin on her face, her hands fitted inside her jacket pockets.
Kaguya rose an eyebrow at Jiahn, crossing her arms and exhaling deeply. "You know you're just cheating right? If a Code Green is struck—"
"Aigoo! I have So-Yi and Kim Eun with me, Miss Yuta! C'mon, please? I'm turning my code off tonight so you won't get an alert if I'm in danger like you did yesterday!" Jiahn said, clapping her hands together and rubbing them together with a bow.
So-Yi watched as Jiahn fell to her knees and begged, looking away while clearing her throat. "Wow.."
Kim Eun covered her mouth with her index finger, closing her eyes to hide her silent laughter. She subtly took her phone from her pocket, secretly snapping of picture of Jiahn begging and sent it to the group chat.
Jiahn felt a buzz in her pocket, standing up and taking her phone from her pocket and saw a message in the group chat then opened it. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape as she noticed a picture of her begging on the ground. "Kim Eun...Jugeullae?"
Kim Eun stomped her foot down, trying her hardest to stop her laughter. "Mianhae, mianhae...buuut you looked so ridiculous that I had to savor the moment."
Jiahn glanced back at Kim Eun over her shoulder, Ji-MAN sitting upon her shoulder looking back at Kim Eun but secretly trying to hide her laughter as well. "I really hope we run into Ha-Rin day 1 of doing this..."
Kaguya chuckled softly at the girls before looking back to call Hyeon Bae to come downstairs then turned back to the three. "You all should be careful out there. The Bulan Valkyrias and Heroes may be in Grushia since the Battle Zones extend all over Seolhart."
"Yeah, we know and we're ready to fight our way through it. We're mainly looking for Ha-Rin to convert her, but what's the harm in getting a little extra training down? Especially after today, this showed us that we REALLY need it," Jiahn said with a light chuckle, rubbing her arm gently.
"I'm sorry about that as well, I didn't think things would get out of hand so quickly like it did," Luciel apologized with a gentle bow.
"Meh, we've dealt with a lot worse honestly and it wouldn't be the first time some tragedy struck with this class. Well, everyone except Prince isn't mad. He's pretty pissed that he got beat by Drevas and ditched by Ha-Rin and Nu So-Hee," Jiahn said, rubbing the back of her head, inhaling sharply and looking away.
"Damn, she really left them like that against Drevas? And I'm the bully here?" Kim Eun asked, raising eyebrow and scoffing lightly.
"Yeah? Like..." So-Yi and Jiahn said at the same time, looking over at Kim Eun with raised eyebrows then looked at each other before lightly laughing with one another.
Kaguya chuckled softly once more before looking back to see Hyeon Bae coming down the stairs with her backpack all prepared for the night trip in the Battle Zone. "Well, seems like you're all ready to go."
"Mhm! Also, I might visit Samchon Jinyoung tonight because there's something I want to ask him about. Today, I made a special breakthrough in my search and I think I might have found the Stigmata I need," Hyeon Bae said before hurrying out the door and turning around with a wave.
"Bye, bye!~ I'll be back!" Hyeon Bae giggled before hurrying off with her friends.
Kaguya became curious at Hyeon Bae's sudden breakthrough but let out a sigh and smile, waving back at the four before closing the door. Kaguya, Luciel, and Su-Yun decided to continue their light dinner and small talk, going over their next steps for the school and class.
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Jiahn and the others made it the entrance of Grushia City's Battle Zone, the entire city protecting the outside with large red energy walls that stretched up the skies. A blimp flew above Grushia City with a banner flowing down with a flexing symbol, signalling this was a Strength Battle Zone.
Jiahn smacked her fist against her palm with a smirk, pumping herself up for the upcoming events. "Heh! Wanbyeokhae! A Strength Battle Zone, a place where we can test our strength and grow in it as well!"
"Hmph, Ha-Rin most likely won't be at a Strength Battle Zone. She doesn't like to fight if she doesn't see the need to. We'll most likely find her at a Speed or Wits Battle Zone," Kim Eun said, looking over at Jiahn while running her fingers through her air.
"Maybe, but it still doesn't hurt to try and search! Let's head in!" Jiahn said, marching forward and entering through the threshold.
Kim Eun, So-Yi, and Hyeon Bae followed inside the Battle Zone, the sounds of battles being heard left and right. Valkyrias and Heroes rushed along the grounds and through the skies and buildings, each of them seeking a chance to win a place in the rankings of Manaport.
Sang So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh, glancing around to see if there were any Powers or Principalities in the area, but she could only see so far. "I can't tell if this area is cursed or not, so we best be on our guard."
"For sure. Alright, let's go see what we can find ourselves," Jiahn said, hurrying forward and glancing around the block to seek a challenge or find Ha-Rin by luck.
The four ran around the streets of Grushia City, each one searching for Ha-Rin even though they knew it was low chance of finding her. Upon their search, Hyeon Bae turned a corner to see three women walking down the street, their conversation catching her ear.
"Ugh, these assholes get on my nerves! The men here are so much worse than St. Meishi! Where's Nox? He's the one jerk I can handle," The black and pink haired girl groaned, kicking aside some rubble with frustration.
"Your entire plan was to just drag us to St. Goken just to find Nox, yet since we've been here we haven't caught a HINT! We know he's here, but it's like he's actively avoiding us," The girl with a white and pastel pink cat hoodie said, puffing her cheeks and crossed her arms.
The girl in the middle wearing street wear and a jacket tied around her waist chuckled at her friends, sighing softly then stopped in her tracks. "Moon-li, Mi-sung, let's be real for a moment. We transferred here to St. Goken Academy just to find Nox, but the Academy is on Grushia's side. There was zero possibility for us to see Nox."
Hyeon Bae gasped softly as they mentioned my name so casually, hiding behind a building and covered her mouth. She began to question who those three women were mentally, her body jolting and letting out a scream as she felt a hand touch her.
"Geez, girl. It's just me," Jiahn chuckled softly, looking up to see the three girls spotting them and stepped to the side with a smirk. "Annyeonghaseyo! I am Jiahn of Grushia High School, are you all also students of the school?"
Moon-li twirled the pink strands of her hair around her finger, glancing at Mi-sung and her other friend. "Grushia High School? Ahh, they must be the school that's been deemed pretty unholy right?"
"Just today they had a visit from Nox, but of course we had class during that time! That class lasted forever too!" Mi-sung groaned softly, scratching the side of her head with slight annoyance. "Oh yeah, Eun-Song, introduce them to us!"
Eun-Song smiled at Mi-sung and Moon-li then turned toward Hyeon Bae and Jiahn, giving them both a respectful bow. "Hello, my name is Myong Eun-Song, a transfer student from St. Meishi now to St. Goken Academy. These are my sisters-in-arms, Pok Moon-li and Dream Mi-sung."
Jiahn sensed their spirit energy, her body shivering as they felt strong in comparison to her. Something in her spirit was telling her to test them, to test and see if they truly knew me. She suddenly rushed forward with a surge of speed, throwing a swift strike toward Eun-Song, her eyes slightly widening as she watched her warp backwards.
Eun-Song smirked at Jiahn, placing her hand upon her shoulders and rolled them lightly. "Nice try, but Nox taught us how to Spirit Warp. You are very ambitious, but you won't be able to stand against us."
Hyeon Bae gulped lightly, their first opponents being direct students of mine, their spirit energies already reaching B+ Ranks on their own. She knew they were in way over their heads, but she got the same feeling as Jiahn to test the three girls.
"Already getting into trouble? Geez, I'll sit this one out," Kim Eun said with her arms crossed as she walked ahead, rolling her eyes lightly.
Sang So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh once again, their auras of the three girls appearing around their bodies. She grunted softly as she sensed a hint of Iridescence within their aura. "They have actually made contact with Nox. And it's strong too as if they...met, walked, talked, and touched him.."
Jiahn and Hyeon Bae glanced back at So-Yi then at the three girls, the college level girls now seeming more impressive than before. Even through they wanted to run away, Jiahn had already initiated combat and it was now time to test their skills against ex-members of the St. Meishi Council.