Shinohara Main House
After finishing her day at the academy, Shinohara Yuzuki returned to the Shinohara main house via portal. Soaking in the bath to relieve her fatigue, she carefully asked Mariko, who appeared behind her like a ninja.
"Have you found out anything about the Sins?"
"No, nothing at all."
"What about the Korean Hunter Association?"
"They also seem completely in the dark about it."
So, there’s no information.
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"Hmm, could they really know nothing?"
"President Ha Jung-seok aside, the Korean Hunter Association is known for being clean."
I’m aware of that. But there’s no such thing as a spotless organization. At the very least, Japan should be informed about this issue with the Sins. It’s not just about not trusting Korea. After all, during the Chaos Oni incident, things escalated because of the imperialist revivalists who dreamed of bringing back the empire, delaying the initial response.
As a result, East Japan was utterly devastated. The only area that remained untouched in eastern Japan was Tokyo, where Japan’s elite hunters were stationed.
"We must never forget the Chaos Oni incident. Father always said to stay vigilant against threats. To protect Japan. There’s no guarantee that the Sins emerging in Korea won’t cross over to Japan."
Therefore, any information on the Sins, however small, is essential. According to the Korean Hunter Association’s announcement, information about the Sins is severely limited.
"It’s unlikely that Chairman Choi Cheol-sik would hide anything. But getting close to Yoo Jin-seok is... complicated. So, that leaves Yoo Eun-ha."
Yoo Jin-seok probably knows nothing about this Sin incident. But Yoo Eun-ha’s reaction was oddly lukewarm. She might actually know more about the Sins than she lets on. It seemed the Korean Hunter Association, possibly out of respect for Yoo Jin-seok, hadn’t interrogated Yoo Eun-ha on this matter. But if things go well, we might uncover information even the Korean Association isn’t aware of.
"Have you learned anything about Yoo Eun-ha?"
"Yes, but there’s a bit of an issue."
"An issue?"
Could it be that Yoo Eun-ha’s a villain? What could be the problem?
"Well, it turns out that Yoo Eun-ha... she’s into women."
Mariko had once gone through a dungeon with Yoo Eun-ha. She had no idea at the time, so it was quite a shock to discover that Yoo Eun-ha was a lesbian. Mariko had hesitated on whether to report this to the family head, but after checking the academy’s anonymous board, she felt compelled to.
After all, the head of the family is also a woman, known as Japan’s most beautiful. Getting entangled with Yoo Eun-ha could be risky.
"Into women? Like, part of Korea’s Lily Guild?"
I’ve heard of the Lily Guild—a guild in Korea made up entirely of beautiful female hunters. Rumor has it that the guild master, Noah of Flowers, recruits any pretty woman, even non-hunters, practically forcing them into the guild.
And Yoo Eun-ha is part of a guild like that?
"No, no. I mean, she’s into women in a romantic way. In other words, she’s a lesbian."
"Oh... really?"
A lesbian. So, Shin Sword’s younger sister, one of Korea’s most promising cadets, is a lesbian? The world sure has changed a lot since the Great Cataclysm. Even Shinohara Yuzuki, who isn’t exactly narrow-minded, believes love between the same gender is fine, as long as love is there.
Still, to find out that someone she was hoping to befriend is a lesbian...
"Yes. If you want to get close to Yoo Eun-ha, you’ll have to seduce her as a woman. Rumor has it that even Principal Lee Young-hee felt violated by her stares."
"That’s insane."
The presence that even made someone as dignified as the head of the Shinohara family say “insane”—that was Yoo Eun-ha. Thinking back, Yoo Eun-ha did alternate her gaze between my face and chest, and even glanced at my legs.
Wait, could this be dangerous?
"On top of that, Yoo Eun-ha is reportedly already in a relationship with Han Suji, the Spear of Flame, and Reina, the Spirit Arrow. And then there’s the claim she turned Choi Si-woo, the second Shin Sword, into a woman."
"Why?"
"Apparently, the rumor on the anonymous board is that she did it to make Choi Si-woo her lesbian lover. Of course, it’s just speculation, but even the academy newspaper reported it."
"Let me see."
Shinohara Yuzuki stepped out of the bath and took the Hanseong Newspaper that Mariko handed her. She spotted a headline on the front page.
"The gender change of Choi Si-woo has nothing to do with me... Irresponsible words. Is this a bad woman?"
"...No matter how you look at it, this is strange."
"Right? It’s probably meant to be ‘Y’ instead of ‘U’. Maybe they just used the initials."
"Not the name."
No, this sounds like a politician’s excuse.
At a young age, Shinohara Yuzuki became the head of the Shinohara family, a family often referred to as the “Shinohara Shogunate” in Japan. She had undergone elite education in both royal studies and hunter training for the sake of Japan and her family.
Even for her, this was shocking.
"Turning the Shin Sword user into a woman to pursue a relationship? Not just any relationship, but a romantic one?"
Shinohara Yuzuki, essentially Japan’s actual ruler, faced an unprecedented dilemma. She pondered carefully, weighing the potential benefits.
Regardless, Yoo Eun-ha defeated the Sins. In the future, Yoo Eun-ha might be responsible for Korea, so building a friendship could be beneficial.
For Japan’s national interest. All for Japan. And with her looks, it’s understandable why women would fall for her. Just look at the anonymous board.
Shinohara Yuzuki opened her phone and checked posts about Yoo Eun-ha on the Hanseong Academy anonymous board.
Title: "I really want to bed Yoo Eun-ha."
I’m dying to get her in bed! Damn it! I’m straight, but she’s turning me into a lesbian!
Of course, nothing beats seeing her abilities in person, so observing her for a while might be wise. Preparation is key.
"So, you’re saying I need to learn about lesbian relationships to get close to Yoo Eun-ha?"
"Uh, excuse me?"
"Mariko. Go find me some novels or manga on... lesbian themes."
"Understood."
Alright. Let’s learn more about Yoo Eun-ha. Will she be a friend, a foe, or something else entirely? While investigating the Sins, getting to know her better couldn’t hurt.
***
Hanseong Dormitory
In the girls’ dormitory of Hanseong Academy, a bob-haired woman dressed in a cheongsam was conversing in Chinese with someone over her magical communicator. She was none other than Ping Tao. Unlike Japan’s Shinohara Kotone or America’s Rosemary, she was an international cadet who didn’t blend in with her class at all. Raised to believe only in China’s greatness, she felt no need to get close to Koreans or other foreigners.
“Are you investigating the Sins?”
“Yes, but it appears that Korea knows nothing either.”
“Unlike those sneaky Little Japan spies, we don’t specialize in intelligence gathering, so we only asked about the Sins as a formality. You know why I’m really calling.”
The Sins were a mere formality. There was no reason to dig into something even the World Hunter Union wasn’t informed about. What truly mattered to China lay elsewhere.
“It’s about Yoo Eun-ha, isn’t it?”
“Because of the appearance of Yoo Jin-seok, the Sword of the Divine, in that tiny peninsula nation, our nation’s prestige has been overshadowed by Korea. If his sibling is even greater than him, it would be a severe blow to our honor. Can you beat her?”
“I don’t know Yoo Eun-ha well yet, but she has plenty of openings. She’s a naive girl, so careless you could ambush her at any time.”
To Ping Tao, Yoo Eun-ha seemed like someone who would go down easily if caught off guard. She felt that Korean media and the academy were just hyping Yoo Eun-ha up. She had no idea that Yoo Eun-ha’s confidence was due to her ability to handle an ambush and still come out on top.
“And Choi Si-woo, the Divine Sword user?”
“Choi Si-woo has no openings if he senses hostility, but whenever he sees Yoo Eun-ha, he’s like a love-struck girl. Hardly a warrior.”
The Divine Sword user—a being granted martial prowess and immense holy techniques by the Divine Sword constellation. Someone acknowledged as a true martial artist. Yet, whenever Choi Si-woo saw Yoo Eun-ha, he became so entranced he wouldn’t notice if someone cut his neck. Other hunters understood this about the pair, who were easily Korea’s top rookies. The Korea of Yoo Jin-seok’s generation was no more.
“So, there are circumstances where you can win.”
“Yes.”
“In a sparring match or whatever, don’t lose to Choi Si-woo or Yoo Eun-ha. Shinohara is already irritating enough; we can’t let China lose to the barbarians again.”
“Yes, General!”
Ping Tao ended the call, bowed toward the west, and vowed to herself. As a hunter allied with Beijing’s military forces, her goal was to defeat Choi Si-woo and Yoo Eun-ha, proving China’s superiority in this new age of hunters.
After a few days back at the academy, Class A of Hanseong Academy mostly focused on practical training or guild-related studies. All the remaining students had considerable knowledge, so it seemed fitting. But really, if this was all there was to academy life, why even attend?
Should I just ditch and start my villain career right away? No, I need to balance being both a hunter and a villain. That way, I can use the guilds from Yoo Jin-seok’s generation to stand against the Sins. Now that I’ve either taken down or recruited all the villains in Incheon with Choi Si-a and the villain organization Baekhwa, it’s time to move to other areas.
“Today, we’ll be heading out for some dungeon practice.”
For once, the trainer actually announced a decent training program. It was probably something the association assigned, anyway.
“A dungeon?”
“This time, it’s a bit different. Since this class is at such a high level, we’ll be going to a guild-owned dungeon.”
A guild-owned dungeon? At this time, that could only mean the Lily Guild.
“A guild-owned dungeon, you say.”
“Yes, it’s the Glass Dungeon owned by the Lily Guild.”
The Lily Guild. While Chunsan sponsors Hanseong, the Lily Guild has had ties with the academy since its founding. The school’s emblem is even inspired by the lily flower. And the Glass Dungeon is one of the dungeons owned by the Lily Guild. It’s inhabited by monsters made of glass. Nothing special, really—apart from the boss, it’s just a lot of monsters. The dungeon’s layout isn’t even a maze, unlike a mecha-dungeon.
In the original story, the Glass Dungeon was the first guild dungeon Choi Si-woo entered. However, this dungeon relies heavily on sheer numbers, with monsters swarming in overwhelming waves.
“The Glass Dungeon... that’s the one with the crazy numbers?”
“Right. Seems like you’re already familiar with it?”
I know it well enough. I even remember the scene where Choi Si-woo and his heroines were disappointed because the treasure chests were also made of glass.
“Ah, yes.”
“Then there’s no need for me to explain, since Eun-ha’s here.”
What the heck?
“Hey, Instructor.”
Who does she think she’s pushing this onto? Is she really that much of a paycheck thief? Lately, it seems like she’s been offloading everything onto me. Even talented students are being siphoned off elsewhere. Come on, she should at least fulfill her duties as an instructor.
“Once today’s session ends, head outside. A vehicle from the Lily Guild will be arriving to take you to the Glass Dungeon.”
“And what about you, Instructor?”
“Me? I’ve got other things to do.”
Is she even a real person? She’s just looking for a way to slack off.
“Hey, you’re an instructor.”
“Oh, sorry, but I have business with the association regarding the Sins.”
With that abrupt statement, the instructor opened the window and jumped outside. Yes, she ran away.
One of these days, I’ll make her pay. Mark my words.