ushernet Chapter 174
Chapter 174
A sudden, thunderous explosion echoed across the academy.
All the cadets rushed out in confusion, wondering what on earth had happened. Some even feared that a war might have broken out.@@@@
"What in the world... h-hold on!"
"Is that... a mana reaction?"
"I think I just saw something explode! That was definitely a mana blast."
"Oh, crap."
Realizing what had happened, they clamped their mouths shut in shock.
The awakeners among them recognized it instantly. The explosion on the distant mountain was no ordinary blast. It was a mana-induced explosion—terrorism.
In that instant, a thought crossed everyone’s mind.
*‘Could it be Winterler... again?!’*
After all, Winterler had already caused two terror incidents since the start of the semester. Was she wreaking havoc as a villain again?
The color drained from their faces as they started dialing for emergency help...
---
"What’s going on? Did a Claymore go off or something... huh? What’s everyone staring at?"
*yawn* "Hey sis, you’ve got some eye gunk."
"Ugh, seriously? How embarrassing."
As the cadets were about to report the incident, the two sisters showed up.
Their appearance eased the cadets’ suspicions a bit. Winterler’s ankle was still bound with her sealing cuff, and it didn’t seem likely that someone who rushed out with her sister on her back after hearing the explosion would be behind it.
The awakeners sighed in relief...
---
"It’s an attack!"
"That explosion was powerful enough to be seen from here—it’s practically a strategic weapon!"
"Alert the Association immediately!"
It was too soon for relief. A mana explosion in the middle of Seoul, and at night, was not normal by any means.
Calls flooded the Awakener Association. Those who had personal connections tried to contact Chairwoman Seol Hayeon directly.
---
"Why isn’t the Chairwoman answering her phone?!"
"Weren’t you on duty tonight? Where did she go?"
"Uh, well... she said she was going to the back mountain to pick some herbs...."
"...WHAT?!"
The situation was worse than anyone could imagine.
Seol Hayeon, Korea’s pride and a strategic asset, had just happened to go for a stroll in the mountains on the very night of the explosion.
No one needed to say what this meant: it was terrorism. Just like the attacks targeting Winterler, someone was now after Seol Hayeon’s life.
At this moment, Korea was on the brink of losing the pillar of its Awakener society.
---
"What... what do we do?"
"Contact Chunhwa and get Ryu Suyeon here, now!"
"Call the police and set up a perimeter! We can’t let the perpetrator escape!"
While the cadets stood in a daze, the professors sprang into action.
First, they called upon the Chunhwa Clan. With Seol Hayeon unavailable, the Association would be in chaos, so they enlisted Korea’s strongest clan to help, setting up a blockade to prevent the villain’s escape.
In response to the emergency call, Chunhwa promptly mobilized.
---
"Prepare for immediate deployment!"
"Hello? Miss Shia, we have a search mission—oh, you’re already geared up! We’ll pick you up shortly!"
Under Yoo Jung-chul’s command, elite awakeners sprang into action. Shia, whose mobility was top-tier at night, was also summoned.
---
"Yujin! This is urgent, so... ugh, where did he disappear to at a time like this?!"
Unfortunately, Yujin—their strongest asset available—was missing. But still, the improvised search team, organized in record time, arrived at the mountain within five minutes of the explosion. Their swift response underscored the severity of the situation.
---
They quickly reached the summit, but the elite awakeners’ expressions contorted the moment they saw the scene.
The impact of the explosion had stripped leaves from the branches, leaving bare twigs behind. Some trees had been entirely uprooted, and the ground was scarred with craters...
And scattered all around were blood-stained shreds of cloth.
The pieces, unmistakably belonging to Seol Hayeon, had been torn apart by the blast, now lying in tatters.
No one needed an explanation for what this implied.
---
"This can’t be... No way, Senior...."
"Find her! Whether it’s her corpse or whatever’s left, bring it to Ryu Suyeon!"
Faced with the worst possible outcome, the search team dispersed frantically. They had to find Seol Hayeon, whether injured or worse, as well as any traces of the perpetrator. Driven by a sense of urgency, they scattered to comb the area.
Meanwhile, perched in a tree, two figures watched the scene unfold, entirely unnoticed.
---
*A faint rustle.*
*“They’re completely fooled. Well, the explosion itself was real, so it makes sense.”*
First was Aika. She, cloaked in an almost spectral silence, watched the scene below and let out a relieved sigh. The “terrorist” site Yujin had meticulously staged—torn clothes, scattered blood from pre-drawn samples—had succeeded in deceiving everyone.
---
"Auntie, what are those people doing?"
"...Nothing important. And I’m not ‘auntie’—I’m your ‘sister.’"
"Auntie, auntie. Auntie, do you know Hatchuppy?"
"......."
Though the girl in Aika’s arms had been freed from brainwashing, her small rebellion was less than welcome.
Aika couldn’t help but think, *I should’ve told my disciple to keep her quiet, not just cooperative.* She regretted her decision too late.
---
"Not ‘auntie’—‘sister.’"
"Auntie."
"*Sis. Ter.*"
"Auntie."
"*Hmph! Hmph, hmph!*"
*‘Mock me all you want, kid. My disciple calls me princess. You’ll never meet a man like him in your life.’*
In the midst of all the seriousness, a trivial power struggle was unfolding between them.
---
Meanwhile, as the search team combed the mountain, Yujin was frantically helping Seol Hayeon escape from the scene, trying to get away before they were discovered.
*[What’s wrong? We need to keep moving...]*
*[Well, I just... restroom...]*
*[A restroom? This isn’t an eldercare situation, you know?]*
*[....*]
She couldn’t bring herself to say it outright.
In this life-or-death moment, admitting she needed a bathroom break felt both mortifying and ruinous. All her carefully maintained dignity was at stake.
Especially in front of Yujin. Telling him would be even more humiliating.
---
*[I’ll go leave some false traces. It’ll distract the search party.]*
*[Huh? But we need to keep running...]*
*[My intuition’s telling me—if we keep going, things will get ugly!!]*
So, she offered an excuse. It was to mislead the search, definitely not because she was a desperate adult who couldn’t hold it anymore.
*He seems really convinced they’re about to catch her.*
*[I’ll help too.]*
*[WHAT!? This insolent brat—do you not know boundaries?!]*
*[Huh?]*
*[I’ll go alone! Wait right here! I’ll only take 30 seconds!!]*
Without another word, Seol Hayeon dashed toward the bushes.
“What's that old lady up to?” he wondered, utterly oblivious as she dashed off in sheer desperation.
She couldn’t even go very far. At this point, she was practically at her limit, only going just far enough to be out of sight.
*If I even make a sound, it’ll be beyond embarrassing....*
Yujin, having misinterpreted the situation entirely, assumed she was setting up decoys.
*No way she’d stop right behind some leaves to use the bathroom, even if she were that desperate.*
---
As Seol Hayeon finally made it into the bushes, she prepared to relieve herself.
But then, *thud.*
"...!!!!?"
Her aging body betrayed her once more.
Her muscles finally relaxed at the thought of safety, and the terror she had felt earlier—the fear of losing control—had completely vanished the moment she lowered her pants.
The relief caused her knees to give way, and she unceremoniously fell backward.
---
*That sound... she fell!*
Yujin immediately set out to check on her.
It was a choice he would regret for the rest of his life.
---
*[Chairwoman?! Did you faint...]*
*Rustle.*
"Uh, er..."
"......."
A painfully awkward silence filled the air as they made eye contact again.
Seol Hayeon was too flustered to speak. After all the grand words she’d uttered, she’d been caught in a deeply embarrassing moment.
---
*Rustle.*
*“I managed to cover myself just in time... He... he didn’t see, right?”*
If only she hadn’t just presented herself in such a thoroughly undignified way. Even someone as self-assured as Seol Hayeon couldn’t recover her composure.
As for Yujin...
---
"Aaaagh! My eyes!!!"
He reeled in horror, mentally scarred.
---
"Did you hear something over there?"
"Miss Shia, please check!"
"Don’t worry! The night is my domain!"
---
His cry of dismay attracted the other awakeners toward them.
---
*[Aaagh!!! You insolent brat!!!]*
---
And thus began a desperate chase, where both their reputations were on the line.
—
Quickly, he rushed forward and clamped his hand over her mouth.
"...Mmmph!!?"
He hastily covered Seol Hayeon's mouth, even though she was in a rather, well, compromised state.
[Quiet, you old lady!!! Do you want to get us killed?]
"Was it around here...?"
—
Just then, Shia appeared directly in front of them.
"...Huh!?"
"Mmmph!!!!?"
They froze, caught completely off guard, staring right into Shia’s bewildered eyes.