Regurgitating Hatred (7)

On August 17th, at 11 PM, the fourth countercurrent in South Korea started in Seoul. Given the increased occurrences of irregular gates in recent years, there had been enough signs for them to prepare some contingencies. The Superhuman Association assumed that an outbreak might occur, and thus, made sure that at least three members from No. 1 to No. 10 took turns protecting the association HQ. In addition to that, all members of the task force groups 1 through 10 resided in the HQ. Thanks to this, it was possible for them to promptly dispatch to the field immediately upon the incidence’s occurrence. Group 1, led by Shin Eunah, was currently in a transport helicopter with Group 10.

“Are we worried about it being a countercurrent?” On the way, an impatient-looking man spoke up to Shin Eunah. He was Kim Ik-hyun, a man in his mid-30s who had recently joined as the chief of the 10th group. He had only been in the task force for three years, but he was a confident man who quickly rose to the position of leader given his remarkable abilities. He was a highly versatile combatant who possessed a strong S-class telekinetic trait, with slow but continuous status growth, so it was predicted he would become a high-ranker before he turned forty. However, he was used to talking about himself like he already possessed those high-ranking skills.

“I don’t remember allowing the tenth group.” Shin Eunah responded coldly without looking back at him. The 1st group members aboard the helicopter couldn’t help but laugh at the familiar sight.

“Are you usually so hard toward people? The heads of the task force should stick together at times like this…” A short spark sprang out from Shin Eunah as Kim Ik-hyun tried to continue talking.

“Group Ten, I will not tolerate any more rudeness.”

“Ah…yes. I’m trying to…oops!”

“Do I need to fix your rudeness?” Shin Eunah looked at Kim Ik-hyun. He backed away, seeing the thin film of lightning forming around her. Because he was close to being a high-ranker, he could see how great her ability truly was. It would’ve been better if he sensed it before she revealed it, but he wasn’t quite that capable.

“I apologize, Group One.”

“…” Shin Eunah was tired of even responding, deciding to ignore him instead. This was how things had been since she joined the association, no, since she joined Shinyoung. Her appearance was much more fragile and delicate than her powerful ability actually was, in addition to the fact that she was peerlessly beautiful. There were many who considered her reputation to be blown out of proportion, and thus countless people looked down on her. However, if they had the skills to match her, they would be able to recognize the power she held from the start.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Ice Princess mode… you’ve been in a good mood lately.”

“Are you nervous about the countercurrent?” The members of the 1st group, used to Shin Eunah, began to shudder as she turned her gaze towards them.

“No way, she was already fighting on the frontlines during the third one.”

“What, seriously? You must’ve been, what, fifteen?”

“Even before entering Shinyoung, she was making waves.” The 1st group was shouting about her achievements as if they were their own. Another group member picked up his phone to search for those articles with a look of admiration. As they talked about it, Kim Ik-hyun realized how ridiculous he had been and quietly shrunk.

“Then why are you feeling bad?”

“Fortunately, Vanguard is already on the scene. If we show up and do our job, there will be no problems.”

“Hey, you think she’s worried about that? Just look, it’s a man, a man.”

“Ah, come to think of it!” The team was throwing around silly jokes to relax. They wouldn’t have dared say Shin Eunah was interested in a man if it were the usual case.

“Yes!”

“Uh…”

“Really…?” However, Shin Eunah made the mistake of flinching at their casual conversation. At that moment, a strange tension ran through the helicopter. Soon people’s attention was directed at Kim Ik-hyun, who had been trying to talk to her.

“…Group ten, you worked in vain.”

“Who the hell is this man?”

“Hey, wasn’t it the one that the captain took on secretly last time? They had a similar name to the captain…”

“Ah, that rookie.”

“You fool, shut up!” The helicopter fell into complete silence as lightning began to form around Shin Eunah. They were now right above the fierce battle going on, and a lump of rock the size of a house flew towards them but was struck down by a beam of lightning from Shin Eunah.

“Watch out for that giant monster’s projectiles. The helicopter should return right away. Begin operations.”

“The battle begins!” Her quiet voice echoed in everyone’s ears as she left the helicopter. The other members jumped out one after another, thinking it fortunate they had avoided being hit by her lightning. She ran interference against the giant as they descended to the ground.

‘Claire was meeting with grandpa without telling me…!’ Yes, Claire and Kang Shin-hyuk’s shallow attempts to hide had already been discovered. It was a ridiculous idea that she would happen to meet Kang Shin-hyuk at a sports facility, as Shin Eunah already knew Claire’s hobbies.

‘Didn’t they just meet at the bar and then…did they…? Claire said that grandpa was too young for her, though.’ Lightning blasted through the monster’s body as it was about to destroy a government office building. It burnt through the body of the giant monster, leaving no trace of it.

‘But grandpa is nice, and tolerant, and kind, and smart…is there a possibility Claire has a black heart?’ Lightning sparked out in dozens of strands that swept through the city. There was no difference between A-class and S-class when it came to the monsters hit by her attacks.

‘If Claire says she likes grandpa, will grandpa refuse her? For grandpa, she must seem so young…but he didn’t seem interested. No, it’s only natural with his young body and mind, right? Oh, my heart beats strangely when I think about it…’ In less than five minutes, she had already cleared out one of the gates and instructed the team to begin carrying out rescue work as she led the others to the more dangerous areas.

‘If Claire said she wanted to become a couple with grandpa, would they get married? Would Claire be grandma?’ The team members dared not talk to Shin Eunah, given her icy expression, instead opting to follow behind her. None of them had a clue what sort of ridiculous thoughts were going through her head.

‘There’s nothing bad about that. Claire is a good friend who cares a lot about me, so it would be easier…she knows about the relationship between grandpa and me as well. Yes, if it was on the condition she married grandpa, it’s possible to live together with three people.’ Shin Eunah’s lack of maturity was revealed in her childish line of thinking.

‘But why do I feel so upset when I think they are dating… it’s hard to find anyone as good as Claire. She’s attractive, talented, and her personality is good…’

“Captain, let’s move on to the next point!”

“No wait, S+ grade?!”

“I’ll go alone. The rest of you should move under the vice-captain.”

“Captain?!” Shin Eunah imbued herself with lightning and ran. She was able to arrive before the gate opened, given her breakneck speed.

‘Yes. If he dates Claire, grandpa will have less time for me. But is that a good enough reason to stop him from dating? Even if he isn’t my grandpa, he has the memories of his previous life…but why am I interested in him dating…?’ Thus, her idle thoughts continued, reflecting her heart as lighting containing terrible destructive power split through the gate. The boss of the S+ gate, who had just appeared, was an SS-rank named boss called the Devil Ogre Anox.

[Ahhhhh! Power, all my power…!]

‘…Yes, he’s not my proper grandpa.’ It was ridiculous to say, but she had forgotten that fact because she had always called him grandpa, but it was true. The two weren’t actually related. Why would her heart be thrilled by that fact? She tilted her head, unsure of the reason.

[Like this, I can’t die…no…!]

The devil ogre pressed on to attack her, irritating her as she was roused from her thoughts. Instantly, a thunderbolt full of her power penetrated its heart and head simultaneously.

‘It feels stuffy. I want to know what grandpa thinks of Claire. No, I’m afraid to ask…why is it scary? I don’t know, but I want to see grandpa.’ While thinking that, she received the HP reward for defeating the devil ogre. Looking at the message, she realized the enemy she had just slain was a bigger one than she thought.

“Oh my god…” In deep thought, she had forgotten to hide her skills and had made full use of her abilities. It should’ve taken at least ten minutes to slay an SS-rank named boss! But it was weird. Even acting alone, an S+ class gate had appeared, yet no one witnessed her performance.

-Captain, you’ve already finished with the S+ gate?!

However, the HQ was able to grasp the situation as it scanned the situation in real-time. Shin Eunah wondered how to respond to the telepathy as she recalled that she was about to update the rankings anyway.

“An SS-rank boss monster appeared…I believe my abilities have improved a little. Can you update the international rankings?”

-You cleaned up an S+ class gate in less than three minutes; of course, it will be updated! You’ll easily enter the top 100!

“I’m glad, but why aren’t there any people around? Did another gate appear?

-Ah, yes! An S-class gate appeared, and most went to deal with it.

Only

The words poured out with excitement about a high-ranker within the top 100 would soon be born in Korea. However, after absorbing the Swallowing Fungus and awakening, Shin Eunah easily had the strength to reach the ranks from number 1 through 7.

“Which way? I’ll head there.”

-Oh, I’ll provide directions! Thanks to the secret crew you sent in advance, however, it is being blocked!

“…?! Secret crew?”

-Yeah! Shin Eun-hyuk! Is he really your brother?

A huge vortex erupted out from in the distance as Shin Eunah looked blankly. It was a huge whirlpool dyed with brilliant gold.

Shin Eunah immediately began to sprint towards it.