Hunter Academy’s Battle God

Chapter 72

Italian International Portal Zone…

Wmmm!

A lone figure could be seen stepping out of the shining lights. Those who were waiting quickly swarmed her.

“Is it true that you’re going to participate in the International Competition as Italy’s representative?”

“Why did you leave Korea and return to your home country?”

“Is it because you were second place in Korea’s Selections?”

Questions in fluent Italian spilled out from the group. However, the bodyguards hired by the Association stopped them from advancing any further.

‘Italy…’

Even as all attention was laid on her, Adela looked slowly at her surroundings.  She hadn’t come back to her home country in a long while.

The reason she had was clear: To participate in the International Competition that YuSung was in. 

To fight him once again, she had to become a representative herself. Korea’s Selections had ended, but Italy’s hadn’t. In fact, they was about to take place soon.

Fairness, rules, or complicated procedures. All were useless to Adela. 

Her return to Italy was a welcomed hot topic for the entire country. The Association also chose to let that girl with incredible skills participate in the Selections, even if it might cause an uproar.

‘…Because the ones who asked me to return was the Association.’

Adela let out a long sigh.

“Please, we’d appreciate an answer!”

“Are you actually going to participate in the Selections?”

She closed her eyes, ignoring all of the loud questions heading her way.

‘There’s no time to waste.’

Keeping the day when she would fight against YuSung as a promise to her heart, Adela confidently strode out of the portal zone.

* * * *

Metro City Hospital. The place she had visited regularly for the past few years…

But EunAh looked different from usual. A thin t-shirt that she normally wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing outside the house… A face straining to maintain its composure… She seemed nervous.

“You must be cold… at least wear my jacket.”

EunAh shook her head at SuHyun’s worried tone.

“It’s alright. I’m fine.”

Beep.

SuHyun pressed the button for the elevator. The time it took for the elevator to come down was usually so insignificant that EunAh never thought about it. But that day, it felt like an eternity.

‘My brother. My brother is really…’

The more she thought about it, the dizzier she felt.

When was the last time she had exchanged a conversation with him? It was two years ago, on, undoubtedly, a day as peaceful as any other day.

[It’s fine. You’re busy, brother, you don’t have to come… I’m sure Dad will send in any old person.]

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Even as she said those words, EunAh had been sulking. She was her class’s representative for Sports Day for a sparring event due to her fantastic Trait and outstanding skills.

Her parents were as busy as they always were, so they were a wash. Her brother, however, had promised EunAh that he would come and watch. She had been looking forward to it.

[I’m sorry, EunAh. It’s my graduating class, so…]

But the results were always the same.

[…Don’t apologize. You make it sound like I was actually excited about you coming here. What am I, a kid?]

She had felt like an idiot back then for getting disappointed. She wouldn’t have put on those airs back then if she knew that was the last time she would talk with him, though.

She would’ve instead thrown a tantrum, demanding him to come over and watch her on Sports Day, to not take the dangerous raid job.

Of course, no matter how much she regretted her actions, the results would stay the same. Kim JunHyuk, EunAh’s brother, went berserk due to overuse of supplements, and eventually fell into a coma.

From then on, time for EunAh and JunHyuk had stood still.

‘My head hurts…’

Her skull was pounding, and her stomach was also performing somersaults, possibly due to her nervousness.

“Young Miss… are you really alright?” asked SuHyun, concerned. 

EunAh pinched her forehead with her fingers and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“…I understand.”

She fell even deeper into her thoughts.

She couldn’t recall what sort of conversations she and her brother used to have, nor what to say to him.

At first, she couldn’t believe it. 

The fact that this had happened to her brother, who she had talked to just a short while ago.

Then she felt shame.

—For the fact that he used supplements, which were dangerous to use even once, countless times.

Then she felt longing.

When she was five years old…

[EunAh, this flower is pretty, isn’t it?”

[Yeah, it is!]

[It’s called, repeat after me. Edelweiss!]

[Edelwiess!]

[Do you know what the flower language for edelweiss is?]

[Me? I dunno.]

[It means ‘precious memories’.]

[Precious memories…]

[I’m cool, right?]

[Yeah! You are!]

[Next time I have something to apologize to you about, I’ll bring you these flowers.]

[Flowers? Why?]

[Idiot. Isn’t it cooler to do that than it is to just apologize with my words?]

Six years old…

[Everyone’s so mean. Mom, dad, grandpa. Everyone. Today’s my birthday…]

[It can’t be helped. They’re busy.]

[It just means they think work is more important than me.]

[Adults are supposed to be like that.]

[How about you, brother? Will you be like that when you become an adult?]

[Me? Uh… who knows?]

[Pewish.]

Fourteen…

[Congratulations on getting into middle school, dearest EunAh.]

[Why did you come here in person? So embarrassing, I’m not a child…]

[You totally are one. If you got a problem with it, come on over to high school already. I’ll treat you like an adult then.]

[The heck? You won’t even be there by the time I get there.]

Memories passed her by. 

It was practically a given that she would feel a sense of longing. The only family member that EunAh could rely on was JunHyuk. Most of her precious memories were spent with him.

It was why she was so afraid of the kindness YuSung was showing her. As she got closer to her fellow comrades and party members, the emotion at the forefront of her mind, instead of ones like happiness or joy, was worry.

Worry that she would be betrayed again, that the people she opened up to would leave like her brother had done—she kept putting walls up around her heart for the same reasons.

Stomp stomp.

At some point, EunAh arrived at the door.

SuHyun bowed her head towards the other girl instead of following her in.

“I’ll be waiting outside, Young Miss.”

EunAh didn’t respond and just gave a single nod with her head.

* * *

* * *

Vmm.

The doors to the hospital room opened without needing to input a password.

And laying on the bed was JunHyuk, who was giving her a wane smile.

“…EunAh.”

She sat on the chair and stilled, staring at her brother.

“…Mhm.”

A conversation with a two-year-long gap…

EunAh had so much she wanted to say. It was why the words had an even harder time coming out. Should she greet him like nothing had happened or curse him, blame him for everything? She couldn’t pull an answer out of her tumultuous thoughts.

She finally spoke, making sure to choose her words carefully. “I… that is, I mean, the me from two years ago… I thought I knew you r-really well… back then.”

It felt like she was on the edge of a cliff, on the verge of falling off. EunAh herself had a hard time figuring out her own emotions about the situation.

She couldn’t forgive the fact that JunHyuk had used supplements for his hunter career all the way from back when he was a student. How dare he cling onto other people’s expectations so tightly, to the point where he threw his own self away?

It was incredibly idiotic.

It was pathetic.

Whenever she returned home and looked over her brother’s tidy, cleaned room, she felt unending resentment.

But she also felt delighted. Delighted by the fact that she could see him face-to-face again, speak to him again.

“But you, oppa…”

EunAh glared at her brother with shaking eyes.

“…Yeah, you’re right. All of this? For that?”

JunHyuk laughed self-deprecatingly.

Then he stretched out his hand, took out a glass jar with a single, fake flower in it, and handed it over to her.

EunAh wasn’t very knowledgeable about flowers, but that one she knew.

She couldn’t forget it, rather.

The name of the white flower was the ‘edelweiss’.

Its flower language meant…

“I’m sorry.”

Her bother weakly rasped out his apology. 

EunAh’s shoulders sank down, then they began to lightly shake. Her eyes were turning redder and redder. She began to mutter, furious.

“Dimwit… moron… sniff! Stupid idiot… urgh, dumbass… moron…”

EunAh began spewing a barrage of insults towards JunHyuk, breath hitching in an effort to hold her tears in. Even among her emotional turmoil, she made sure to call him a moron twice.

“And… you said that, sniff, when you give me the flower… it’s supposed to be given instead of the apology. You can’t… even remember that? I remember everything…”

She didn’t stop her speech even as tears began to fall from her eyes. 

JunHyuk, seeing that, placed his hand on her head and began to gently pet her.

“Urgh, ghk… waaah!”

EunAh’s emotions, bottled up until that point, began to overflow alongside her tears. 

JunHyuk didn’t feel too good watching her cry.

Eventually…

“Haha… it looks like you don’t remember everything, though. Didn’t I tell you that you’re only supposed to cry when…”

“When you’re dead… sniff, don’t give me that bullcrap…”

He tried to bring up the memories they had when she was nine as a way to cut the tension, but EunAh wasn’t having it.

For five minutes. For 300 continuous seconds, she continued to sob. Only after did she aim her reddened eyes towards her brother.

“…You took a break for two years and made me suffer.” Her voice was hoarse from all the crying. “So… It’s your turn to work from now on, oppa.”

JunHyuk laughed, bemused.

“Huh? What are you talking about…”

“Take all of the boring lessons you need to become the next heir. Take the position, too. And work related to the company. Take all of it… oppa.”

JunHyuk stared at his little sister in lieu of a response. 

Seeing that, EunAh glared at him even harder in a displeased manner. “I’m gonna goof off.”

“…Th-that so?” He could do nothing but laugh at the situation. 

EunAh wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yeah… I’m not gonna do any of that stuff.” Her voice was confident. “Sniff… I’m going to find a hot guy, marry him, then spend a bunch of money.”

A shocking declaration from JunHyuk’s younger sister.

The sinner, JunHyuk, had no choice but to smile at the sight of EunAh with her puffed-up eyes.