Chapter 124: Verification of Life (3)

They were the reporters who had been waiting outside the Portal Bureau.

Yeorum had a lot of enemies, and many were badmouthing her regarding the underground dungeon raid already. Since she displayed a power level that was beyond that of a cadet despite the hatred, it was clear that her interview would be a hot issue no matter what her response was.

Dozens of reporters ran towards her like zombies, while the security guards of the Portal Bureau stopped them.

“Please don’t come too close to the cadets!”

“They just finished a battle. Please understand!”

“Hey, you reporter over there! Where are you from? Keep your distance please!”

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The person the reporters wanted to interview the most was naturally Yu Yeorum. She was drenched in blood and sweat and looked unhappy for some reason, but so what? Somehow, they managed to squeeze through the gap and excitedly asked her.

<Q: Was the route you took planned from the start?>

<Q: It was edited out of the video, but we heard Cadet Sophia Vorkova yell for like one second. Is it true that you arbitrarily decided on another route on the spot?>

But the reporters were stubborn.

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<Q: What do you think about people saying that you lacked etiquette?>

The moment their eyes met, fear stiffened the body of the reporter. However, he was delighted inwardly. Since Yeorum finally opened her mouth, his report will gain a lot of traffic.

Soon, the reporters began throwing more aggressive questions.

<Q: When you say you don’t know, does that mean you were blinded by the scores despite knowing that it was against manners, and tried to monopolise it?>

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“Hello. Why aren’t you pushing these guys away?”

In response to Yeorum’s irritated voice, the guards came and pushed the reporters away, but there were too many reporters in comparison to the guards. Before long, other reporters came and asked her.

<Q: Cadet Yeorum’s victory is, in essence, the victory of our proud Republic of Kore…>

<Q: Kim Ji-in and Hisaki Soujiro, these two cadets are really weak as cadets. Was there a reason you brought them togeth…>

<Q: If you failed, Sophia Vorkova would’ve suffered a big loss to her score. Cadet Yeorum, don’t you think your self-confidence is too excessive…>

Hearing the questions go on and on, she stopped her feet. Then, she turned around.

When the interview was shared after having the profanities filtered, Yeorum’s fancafe, ‘Crazy for Yeorum’ went wild.

– Looooll

– Our Boss is mad lolololol

<Q: Weren’t you holding your teammates’ scores hostage?>

– ;;;Yeah so what if our Yeorum does that!

– Take my useless brother hostage as well unni T.T

– Isn’t it fine since everything turned out well? Lol

– Well, it could’ve been bad for them, yeah…

– Ahh whateverr. It turned out fine anyway kekek.

– True lololol

<Q: What in the world was the reason you brought Kim Ji-in and Hisaki Soujiro, these two weak cadets?>

<Q:…>

– Lolololololololol

– So true kekekekek

– Ahh fk. The way she speaks lololol

<Q: The Koreans are excited for the victory of our nation! Please give them a word!>

When the angry Yeorum said whatever that came to mind in response, one of the reporters was displeased and went a level further.

<Q: Has your personality been like that from the start?>

<Q: Cadets talk about how impolite you are, Cadet Yeorum. What’s your opinion on that?>

<Q: Sorry?>

– Lololololol

– Kekekek. Our boss lololol she grabbed the reporter by his neck lololololol

– Feels so fuc*ing good lololol

– Hah I love you unni T.T But doesn’t that become a problem? Lair hates things like that Q.Q

– Don’t think so lmao. It’s the reporters that crossed the line first lolol.

This interview was more violent than any other interviews, and her words had crossed the line to the point that the PR team became conscious of the matter.

Thus, the ones that hated Yeorum were extremely angry. They would’ve stopped after swearing one or two times, but this time, they furiously hurled swear words at her.

– She’s crazy for real. She’s actually gone mad.

– Are reporters your friends? Crazy bi*ch;;

– Why is she so rude? Look at how impolite her gaze is. The ones that think she’s pretty need to get their eyes checked. She looks like a venomous snake.

– …Tbh she is pretty. But what if she’s pretty? Her personality’s gone down the drain.

– I liked her before but it’s disappointing. I think Cadet Yu Yeorum crossed the line by too much.

Yeorum herself didn’t care at all, but the ones that loved and cared for Yeorum including Soujiro and Kim Ji-in were displeased. But since the haters began grouping together, even the PR team had to consider the general opinion of the masses.

But that night, the public sentiment was flipped at once.

+++

[Official Petrovic of the Association]

Title: Thoughts and Manners

As a war correspondent and a world ranker, I’ve been living my life wandering and interviewing people around places where volcanoes erupted, and where grounds ruptured from earthquakes.

Since everyone had the right to know the correct information about what was happening inside the dungeons, we ran, and the families who were waiting for news of their sons and daughters teared up from our stories.

But what’s wrong with the reporters these days? Despite having no manners themselves, they arbitrarily call young and talented superhumans as nobles and yet continue acting without manners.

Of course, this isn’t a problem. Reporters can naturally make others feel uncomfortable. By nature, revealing the inner thoughts should be carried out under the assumption that it will make someone else feel uncomfortable.

But on the other hand, society being unable to handle a young superhuman revealing their own thoughts in a situation like that, is a problem.

Young generation of reporters, you are garbage.

You have made me displeased. But that is fine, because I too, will make you displeased.

+++

That night, each national broadcasting channel received a call from Petrovic and the Hunter Association. Due to that, the press shared a word of apology, which was rare, and the ones that hated Yeorum hid themselves.

“…”

Against her will, Yeorum had to head to the PR team and be lectured on the ways to treat the media.

She followed them without any complaints.

Time flew after that as the first quarter of the Campus Ranking Competition came to an end. The scores and the ranks of the cadets that had been hidden until now, were revealed just today.

***

The parents quietly watched on.

The selected oldest unni gazed down at her with an expression filled with arrogance. She reached out and grabbed her by the chin.

She then opened her mouth.

‘—–?’

Yeorum could never forget it. She couldn’t forget the rough hand that landed on her weak and feeble chin; the words that had been spoken by the one that hatched before others, and the dead kins that were lying behind her.

Since she couldn’t forget, the emotions from back then were vivid and she could remember it whenever she closed her eyes.

Yeorum cursed the oldest unni that killed her youngest unni. She was disgusted by the Selection Ceremony of the red race, and more than anything, she detested herself for being weak.

If she was born slightly earlier, she would’ve gone to her Amusement at around the same time as other unnis, and would have had her neck crushed by the oldest unni at the Selection Ceremony. Just like what her youngest unni went through.

Thus, the reason that Yeorum was alive and breathing right now, was because she was weak.

In other words, even her own life had been the result of her weakness, so she was distressed every living second. Sometimes, she felt a ridiculous level of self-hatred.

Weak individuals of the Red Dragons had to all die, but she was the weakest. Every second of her breath was a paradox itself.

And the reason such a paradox existed wasn’t because Yeorum tried hard, nor was it because she was born with something special.

It was because,

‘Lucky aren’t you?’

…it was because she was lucky.

If anyone that committed a sin had to die, Yeorum thought to herself that she too had to die. She was weak, and being weak was a sin.

The reason she was still alive despite that, was because there were some words she had yet to convey. As long as she could convey those words, Yeorum had no qualms with dying right now.

But holding onto this tedious life just by relying on such an idealistic thought wasn’t an easy task. There were times where her emotions suddenly crashed all the way down to oblivion. During those times, Yeorum had to console herself in order to discard the desire to die.

Since I’ve tried this hard today, since I’ve become this much stronger, I have the right to breathe and live tomorrow.

In order to live, Yeorum always needed affirmations like that. That was also why she was motivated during the competition.

Fortunately, the strongest man she had ever seen in her entire life, was there next to her.

Since the red dragons worshipped the strong, the man was a target or worship for Yeorum, and was the person she could trust the most now that he had become her teacher.

Thus, she asked Yu Jitae.

– Didn’t I… like, get a little bit stronger?

If my efforts today were in vain, I don’t have the right to live tomorrow.

– But I’m… doing a good job right?

But, I worked really hard. Isn’t it fine for me to live tomorrow?

Yeorum asked Yu Jitae over and over again.

– How much have I grown, do you think? Is it to a satisfactory level?

You can stay alive. If you’ve done this much, you have the right to breathe tomorrow. She really wanted him to say that.

It was a plea for her life.

But the man did not lie nor did he listen to her plea. He was honest and Yeorum liked his honesty, so when she wasn’t acknowledged by him, she found herself detestable.

However, one day, near the back alleyway late evening. When she was habitually smoking a cigarette, Yu Jitae told her.

– You’re doing good. A lot better than what I expected.

Yeorum was startled by the man’s words.

– What?

– It’s true. There aren’t any dragons living as earnestly as you.

Hearing Yu Jitae’s words, Yeorum was unable to hold it back and giggled after lowering her head.

– That’s good.

When she was acknowledged by him, Yeorum openly felt happy about the fact that she was alive.

But upon closer inspection, the fact that she was working earnestly wasn’t a compliment. It’s not like her unnis had been killed by the oldest unni because they weren’t working hard.

Yeorum had to do better, and she needed to hear a compliment saying she did well.

She had to do a lot better.

Better.

So even during a team assignment, Yeorum ended up impulsively making an unreasonable decision. The obsessive thought that she needed to get a better grade than others had made her anxious.

So now,

Now that the B+ Underground Fissure Raid had ended, and the first quarter of the Campus Ranking Competition came to an end, unveiling the ranks that had been hidden until now.

+++RANK+++

. Yu Yeorum: 901

. Yong Taeha: 893

. Bera Blueday: 889

. Zhou Luxun: 883

++++++++++

Yeorum took the paper in hand and went to Yu Jitae’s room. As always, the strongest man in existence looked back at her with a hazy gaze.

“What.”

After walking up to him, Yeorum hesitated on her words. She fidgeted with her toes.

“You know.”

“What is it.”

“This.”

She handed him the report paper and Yu Jitae opened it up.

“…It’s nothing much, but I just, came first.”

He said something casually in response and wore some sort of expression but Yeorum wasn’t interested in a superficial response.

Yeorum had proven with her body that Yu Jitae was her teacher and that his training method had been correct. So this time, she wanted Yu Jitae to verify the value of her life.

Thus, she forced her heavy lips open again, and asked.

“Did I, do well?”

After the question, Yeorum forced down the sense of fear that threatened to suffocate her throat, and gazed into the face of the man who knew not how to lie.

Immediately after her sentence,

Without any hestiation,

Without any contemplation,

The man replied in reflex.

“Right. You did a very good job.”

Yeorum clenched her lips.

Just now, Yu Jitae had verified her life. The moment she realised that, her body all the way from her toes to the tips of her fingers trembled with thrill as her body was shaken from its core.

Lowering her head, she breathed out a gush of warm breath, before slowly walking forward.

She then wrapped her arms around the neck of Yu Jitae, who was sitting down on the chair. He tried to stealthily pull his body away but Yeorum hung onto his body obstinately without letting go.

Soon, his large hand came and gently tapped her on the back. She felt like tearing up, and she thought her feelings might explode if she spoke out loud.

Thus, Yeorum whispered in his ear with a very soft voice.

“…Thank you.”