STC chapter 26

Why is Ye Ilhu being so unusually kind? I tilted my head in confusion at the odd situation.

I soon realized why he was showing this strange kindness.

The holographic training room had a large automatic door in the center of a glass wall, with disinfection cabinets on either side.

I always used the protective gear from the right cabinet, while Ye Ilhu used the left.

So, the protective gear Chae Goya was about to use was what Ye Ilhu had been using all along.

‘He’s probably worried about someone scratching his gear. Jeez, how fussy.’

Even my usually indifferent sister was very sensitive about other people borrowing her stuff.

Of course, that protective gear wasn’t exactly Ye Ilhu’s, but it was clear he’d use it tomorrow and the day after.

That’s probably why he was acting that way.

I lowered my awkwardly outstretched hand and told them both.

“Alright, Goya. Since Ye Ilhu offered to help, learn from him, got it?”

“…Okay.”

“And you, teach well.”

“Why don’t you ever call me by my name?”

At his sudden complaint, I just shrugged and returned to my spot. Why was he picking a fight today?

We never called each other by our names like, “Ye Ilhu,” “Baram,” or anything friendly.

Even though I ignored him, Ye Ilhu didn’t pick a fight like he used to.

The two of them slowly put on their protective gear, not really talking, as if they were in some kind of silent battle.

‘Well, we’ve got a 10-minute break anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’

When Chae Goya finally finished putting on his gear, he looked at me and smiled. I mouthed, “Are you done?” and waved. Ye Ilhu immediately approached me.

“Hey, Kang Balbal.”

“Here we go again with the weird names.”

“This time, let’s keep it transparent.”

Whenever I sparred with Ye Ilhu, curious eyes always watched from beyond the room.

It was uncomfortable, so I always made the front glass opaque.

So, did he mean he wanted it to be visible?

“To watch?”

Ye Ilhu nodded instead of answering.

“Why?”

“I want to see.”

An SS-rank wanting to watch?

Still, it was a commendable attitude.

True masters always humbly find and learn something from those younger or weaker than themselves.

Ye Ilhu’s enthusiastic attitude suddenly lifted my mood.

Seeing people like him always gave me positive energy too.

“What’s up with you? Fine, let’s do that.”

Maybe it was because I was three years older than him, but sometimes Ye Ilhu felt like a younger brother to me.

Feeling proud, I patted him on the back and told him to head out.

He looked at me silently for a moment before moving outside without a word.

“Alright, let’s begin. Goya!”

“Y-Yes!”

Once I put on the thick goggles covering half my face, the holographic wasteland spread out before my eyes.

With only 3 minutes of limit time, I pondered how to distribute my time while approaching Chae Goya.

Soon, Chunsik appeared.

Recently, I had only seen him in a size small enough to fit in Chae Goya’s arms, so facing his massive 10-meter frame felt unfamiliar.

But the shiny golden scales and flicking tongue were unmistakably Chunsik’s.

‘Even though I was told just to block his attacks, it still feels off.’

If it weren’t for Chae Goya’s request…

No, even if he wasn’t thoroughly ignored by the guild members, I would have immediately rejected this proposal.

But since I decided to do it, I wasn’t going to do it half-heartedly. I clashed my black leather gloved fists together and shouted.

“Here I come!”

When I first used my abilities, it took some time to activate. But thanks to consistent sparring with Ye Ilhu, I could now use them much faster.

Chunsik straightened up with a menacing stance, making me slightly nervous. But if I backed down now, this spar would be meaningless.

I punched the holographic floor, cracking it and sending fragments flying. I selected the largest one and hurled it at Chunsik.

He expanded his body and deftly knocked the stones away with his tail.

I rolled on the ground twice to avoid the attacks.

As expected of a defense type, even amid this chaos, Chae Goya behind Chunsik remained unscathed.

I broke the floor faster, sending more fragments flying. Chunsik matched my speed, deflecting the stones faster.

After about a minute, Chae Goya, finding it hard for Chunsik alone, summoned Seoksam. After a brief exchange of glances, Seoksam found Chunsik’s blind spots and began assisting.

‘Good teamwork.’

As expected of Chae Goya, who ventured into gates with Ye Ilhu despite his young age.

Actually, Chae Goya wasn’t someone who should stay at C-rank.

He was just disregarded within the guild for various reasons, like his summoner’s wyrm not becoming a dragon and his timid personality.

‘He definitely has a good sense of combat… Oh, I see he’s a bit scared.’

Maybe because of his nature or his affection for his summons like his children, Chae Goya flinched whenever Chunsik and Seoksam looked hurt while deflecting large fragments.

The bond between a summoner and their summons is inseparable. Naturally, the summoner’s anxious mindset would transfer to the summons.

If the summoner hesitated, the summons would also shrink back.

‘I’m glad we decided to spar today.’

It hurt my heart when I heard I had to attack Chunsik.

But by fighting today, the chances of injuries in future real battles in the gate would decrease.

When the spar was over, I planned to tell him everything I noticed.

Just as I was about to strike the ground again, my entire body lost strength, and my watch beeped loudly.

My legs wobbled, throwing me off balance.

Normally, I would slow down towards the end, but I had forgotten, fully engrossed in the new opponent.

As my body leaned forward, a startled Chae Goya quickly called out to Chunsik.

“Chunsik!”

The voice was so loud I couldn’t believe it came from Chae Goya.

Before I could be surprised, Chunsik appeared like lightning and caught me before my knees hit the ground.

“Ugh…!”

But my chest was crushed against Chunsik’s body, making it hard to breathe. Hearing my painful groan, Chunsik quickly put me down and shrank his body.

As if asking if I was okay, Chunsik circled around me nervously, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, I noticed a scar on the tip of his tail from a stone I had thrown. I gently petted Chunsik.

“Thank you, Chunsik. I didn’t fall because of you.”

“Swish…”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.”

“Hyung!”

Just as I was comforting Chunsik, Chae Goya, looking as shocked as Chunsik, ran up quickly. His eyes were shaking like a ship caught in a storm.

“Are you hurt? Let me see…!”

His voice was louder than usual. Oh dear, the kids were startled. I should have managed the situation better. I smiled bitterly, feeling guilty for worrying them.

But now, my condition wasn’t the issue. I quickly grabbed Chae Goya’s shoulder, who was floundering.

“Chae Goya, about the sparring earlier.”

“Yes? Yes…”

“You seemed really scared.”

“Oh…”

I glanced at Chunsik and Seoksam. Four jet-black eyes blinked at me.

Hmm, it’s a bit awkward to talk about this in front of them. But if I leave it for later, I might forget.

I shuffled closer to Chae Goya.

He still smelled like fresh soap from a recent wash, thanks to the familiars he had summoned.

I placed my hand flat against his ear and whispered quietly so the others wouldn’t hear.

“When you get scared, it affects them too. I called Seoksam because I thought Chunsik alone wouldn’t be enough, right?”

Chae Goya shuddered.

“What’s wrong?”

I wondered if he was ticklish.

But it seemed he was blushing for another reason, his ears turning red and shoulders hunching.

“You’re too… too close, hyung.”

Only then did I realize how close we were, almost feeling each other’s breaths.

Ah… Was I too clingy just now?

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Even though we were close, personal space should be respected. Especially since Chae Goya wasn’t used to physical contact, I had been inconsiderate.

I hastily apologized and tried to move back, but suddenly Chae Goya grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.