CHAPTER 87 – A vision of the future

In the middle of the forest, a cadet and an exam overseer were looking at each other. The cold stare coming from the overseer would make anyone stop from whatever they were doing, but not this time.

The cadet, Kim Hajin, was looking straight at her. Deep inside, he was afraid, he knew that she could defeat him in mere seconds. But he wasn't going to back off. Help was on the way, and if there was something he has learned while interacting with the one coming to help, is that sometimes you have to put everything on the line if you wish to receive a better reward.

{I'm not a daredevil, but if I can't hold my ground in such a safe moment, Cristopher won't stop bothering me about the great opportunity I missed for being a coward.}

With that thought giving him more strength, Hajin once again spoke to Yun Seung-Ah.

"So? Miss Vice Leader? Weren't those the terms you put yourself?"

"But I said it was if you made me move with your weapon." Yun Seung-Ah answered in a cold voice.

"No. You clearly said that if I made you move even a single step, or if you used anything other than your left hand to stop my bullets, I would win." Hajin tried to smirk as best as he could. "And I remember, that I was the one that made you move, whether that was by telling you a shocking fact or using my bullets, doesn't have anything to do. In the end, you moved one step. Also… You used your right arm to stop my final bullet."

"…" The glare coming from her intensified. "I-" She was about to speak, but someone appeared close to them, out of the tall grass of the forest.

" 'Supp? What's happening here?" Cristopher appeared and moved right beside Hajin, smirking. "Mm? Am I interrupting something?" There was no way he wouldn't notice what was happening.

"Not really." Hajin said, with an even more confident grin this time. "I was just waiting for Miss Yun Seung-Ah to give me her nametag. You see, I won an unexpected event she held."

"Huh? Really? That's great, man." Cristopher smirked deeper.

"No. He didn't."

"Um…" Cristopher rubbed his chin. "You know? I've known this guy for quite a time now. And I'm sure he wouldn't make a lie like that."

"Precisely." Hajin followed him. "She said, that if I made her move one step or if she used anything other than his left hand to stop my bullets, she would lose, and give me her nametag. And she didn't only move one step. She stopped my bullet with her RIGHT ARM. That's clearly my win."

"It wasn't supposed to be like that! You lied to me to make me move!" Yun Seung-Ah shouted.

"Mm? I didn't lie." While Hajin shrugged. "I just told the truth to bait you."

"The hell are you talking about, dude?" Cristopher suddenly looked at him with a frown. "It doesn't matter if you lied or not. The fact is. You're a sharpshooter. You're not a warrior. Why the fuck would you try to fight directly? It's normal for you to trick your enemy so you can have a sure shot."

"What!?" Yun Seung-Ah shouted.

"That's what I want to ask you." Cristopher then turned to him. "If a sniper lures someone into a trap. Is he doing something wrong? Of course not. He's using his advantage. You were the one to fall into his trap. If he lied or not, that's his problem to think. He laid a bait, and you fell for it, just like a fish. Idiot."

"You…"

"Well, he's right. And also, I didn't lie about what he did. Just used it to lure you." Hajin shrugged.

Right at that moment, another person came running towards them.

"You…!" Vieri came out from the tall grass shouting at Cristopher. "Huh…? What's happening here…?" But stopped once he saw Yun Seung-Ah and her pretty obvious bad mood.

"*chuckle* That's the idiot who I took the nametag from." Cristopher said while softly hitting Hajin's ribs with his elbow.

"Oh, him?" Hajin tilted his head at the guy.

"What…?" Yun Seung-Ah looked as if she was hearing something impossible, before turning to look at Vieri. "It's that true!?"

"Wait!" Vieri put both hands in front, shaking them furiously. "Listen to me! He cheated! He didn't accept the game I proposed and suddenly appeared in front of me while hitting me! And I don't know how he took the tag at the same time he hit me!"

"PFFT!!! HAHAHAHAHA!" Cristopher couldn't hold his laugh.

"Pfft!" Even Hajin almost laughed.

"You…!" Vieri turned at them but had to stop once he felt the fury coming from Yun Seung-Ah.

"So…" She closed her eyes while starting to speak. "You're telling me. That a cadet cheated you. BECAUSE HE ATTACKED YOU AND MANAGED TO TAKE YOUR NAMETAG!?"

"Hiiiiik!" Vieri flinched. "It! It! It was so sudden! I couldn't react!"

"YOU IMBECILE!" Yun Seung-Ah shouted at him. "Are you saying that you, an active Hero from the number one guild in the whole world, couldn't react to a goddamn cadet in time!?"

"But! But! HIS SPEED!" He tried to justify himself.

"What speed!? You're a freaking active Hero! He's just a cadet! How the hell did you let yourself get caught like that!? Let's go back. The guild will hear about this!" Yun Seung-Ah said while grabbing Vieri's shirt from the back of the neck and pulling him away. Or at least she tried.

"Hey." Cristopher called her.

"Where are you going?" And Kim Hajin asked.

"…" She flinched, before turning to them. "*kuhum* I'm going to talk to my subordinate here-"

"The tag."

"Don't forget to give me my tag. I won."

"Huh…?" Vieri suddenly lifted his head. "Wait. Don't tell me… He won to you!? Vice Leader!?"

"It was cheating!" She shouted in an angry voice while slapping Vieri's face constantly. "It was clearly cheating! I was talking about his bullets when I proposed the game! Yes. I may have not specified it, but for him to use such dirty tricks! He lured me! And it was your fault!" She said while slapping the life out of Vieri.

"This is ridiculous." Cristopher shook his head.

"Tell me about it…" While Hajin just let out a sigh. "She's supposed to be a heroine…" Letting out a whisper that only Cristopher could hear.

"Uh… Well… I'm sorry for Suho, I guess." He shrugged, before walking forwards. "Hey, give us the nametag and you can leave with that corpse."

"Huff… Huff… Huff… It was cheating…" A panting Yun Seung-Ah was angrily looking back at Cristopher.

"*snort* You don't know how to lose."

"What are you saying!?" She shouted at him while exposing her front.

"…" Without answering, he just appeared close to her, taking her tag and quickly throwing it towards Hajin, without her noticing, while whispering in her ear. "I said that you don't know how to lose."

"You…!" She reacted angrily, slapping at him.

But Cristopher barely stepped back out of her range, while laughing.

"Well, then. I guess you can go already."

"What the fuck are you saying now? We wer-" She started to speak but was interrupted by another voice.

"Ready. 200 points scanned. Man, this sure was easy." Hajin said while smirking with her nametag in one hand.

"Done? Let's go then. I'm hungry as fuck." Also, with a smirk, Cristopher answered him.

"What…? Huh…?" Yun Seung-Ah looked at her chest and noticed that she didn't have the nametag, while the two cadets that took it away from her were leaving the place while laughing between themselves.

"…" She just stood there, grabbing the poor beaten Vieri's shirt's neck, while he was hanging from it while looking at the place where the two cadets disappeared.

The silence lasted long. Really long. And was only broken minutes after with a small, weak chuckle.

"He… Hehe… Hehehe… He defeated you too… Vice Leader…" The beaten Vieri laughed at his superior, taking his revenge for what happened before.

"Shut up!"

But it cost him a few more slaps, before being dragged back to the Overseer Tower, pulled from his leg all the way. The few cadets that were witnesses to this couldn't sleep that night, with the haunting face of the angry demon dragging his victim away appearing while they closed their eyes.

***

"Hahahaha did you see her face!?" Back at the camp, Cristopher and Hajin were talking about what happened moments ago.

"Pfft yeah! She was lost as if she couldn't believe what happened!" Hajin also laughed while grilling some meat and chicken.

"Ow man… My stomach is hurting from laughing so much!" Cristopher answered before taking a sip from his beer. "Also. I'm proud of you man."

"Huh? What the hell do you mean?" Hajin tilted his head.

"I mean that I'm quite proud that you didn't back off there." He said before sipping once again. "I got there earlier, actually. But waiting for a little bit to see how you would act. And I must say, that it impressed me how you didn't back off at her glare."

"…" Hajin got quiet for a moment. "So, you could save my ass sooner, but didn't?" He then frowned at him.

"Oh, come on! It all went well, right? We got two nametags. That's 200 points for each one of us." Cristopher shrugged. "You can be getting angry at me for that. I just wanted to be sure of something."

"And what would that be?"

"That you've grown some balls." Cristopher said with a serious face.

"…" Hajin looked at him quite seriously.

"Pffft! Hahahaha! Ow, man! Well, I'm glad, really. You have grown a lot since the first time I saw you." Cristopher shrugged.

"*chuckles* I guess you're right… I wouldn't even think about doing something like that if it wasn't for your influence. Though, I must say. I won't be going around putting my neck to the blade. This time was different. I wouldn't die for it."

"It doesn't matter." With a shrug, Cristopher sipped on his beer. "The fact that you stood your ground against an opponent that is far stronger than you, speaks volumes of what you're made of. Imagine if there was someone important for you behind. Not turning back would mean that you at least did your best to protect that someone."

"I guess you're right…"

"I know I am."

Moments later, Rachel came to the camp and was surprised to see both Cristopher and Hajin laughing so much.

"What happened, ma-… Cristopher-ssi?" She asked.

"Haha… Nothing much. We just got two nametags from two overseers, so we're mostly done with this exam." Cristopher said with a shrug.

"Huh…? Yes…? Could you repeat what you said, master…?" Rachel stood still, looking dazed at both Hajin and Cristopher.

"We got two nametags." Cristopher took out something from his pocket and threw it towards Rachel, who caught it and looked at it.

It was Vieri's nametag.

"Huh…? How… How is this possible!?" Rachel shouted.

"Pfft… Don't you know that your master is quite powerful?" Cristopher smirked. "Hajin also got one."

"Well… I just trapped her with her own words." Hajin shrugged with an awkward smile. "Besides, it was you who finally took it from her."

He then took another nametag from his pocket and threw it to Rachel, who also caught it quickly and look at it.

"Yun… Yun Seung-Ah…? You got Yun Seung-Ah nametag…?" She couldn't even close her mouth.

"Yeah, haha. You had to see her face! It was hilarious." Cristopher chuckled before sipping from his beer.

"Yeah… I didn't know she would stay like that *chuckle*" Hajin also chuckled while serving the food on plates. "Well, let's have a great meal for celebration!"

After his words, they all sat down to eat, though Rachel was mostly looking at both nametags with her mouth open. If it wasn't for Cristopher who actually reminded her to eat, she would just stay all day looking at them.

After lunch, Hajin said that he was going to rest for the day instead of going hunting, while Cristopher offered himself to go with Rachel to win some points and to also train her while doing it. Hajin got quite interested and decided to go with them.

They all started hunting, with mostly Rachel attacking while Cristopher advised her from the side while drinking beer that he smuggled into a dark water bottle with extended capacity. Asking Hajin to cool it whenever its temperature increased.

The day finished with them resting after a great dinner, and Cristopher standing watch again, though Rachel got out again from the tent to train with him like last night. Something he agreed with.

***

"Huh…? What do you mean, Hajin-ssi?" Rachel asked Kim Hajin.

It was already the next morning, and after having breakfast, Kim Hajin actually asked Rachel to go with him. After all, there was an event that will occur, and that Rachel had to go.

"Yes. You see, I need your help with some monster I found, but that's too strong for me. So, I thought about telling you to accompany me."

"Why don't you ask ma-… Cristopher-ssi?" She tilted her head.

"Nah, don't want to." Cristopher shrugged. "I'll go with you two, but I won't intervene in the fight. You two can just fight and I'll be there in case something goes wrong. You can think of it as training."

"Oh…" Rachel nodded, before smiling. "Okay, let's go."

While today was barely the fourth day, it would be the last one, as the exam would end up tomorrow at 9:00 AM, and there was a certain event that would happen where Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and originally, Rachel, would face a Butterfly Seedling. But as she teamed up with both Cristopher and Kim Hajin, it would be impossible for her to face such an event.

So, after walking for a while, they made it towards the World Tree, the place where the Butterfly Seedling would appear.

"Kim Hajin-ssi, are you sure the monster is around here?" Rachel asked.

"Yes… It should appear somewhere around the World Tree, but I don't know exactly when…" Kim Hajin answered while scratching his head.

"So… We just have to be going around this tree until it appears?" Cristopher asked while looking at the big tree.

"Yes, precisely, why?"

"Mm…" Cristopher rubbed his chin. "Rachel, come here." He suddenly spoke to Rachel.

"Yes?" After she came to him, Cristopher turned on his smartwatch and transferred 100 points to Rachel.

"Huh…? What…? W-W-W-Why are you giving me so many points!?" She suddenly got flustered.

"Because it's a waste of time to be hunting right now when there's barely any monster around this place. I better keep training you while the monster appears. So, with those points, you shouldn't have any problem at all at the end of the exam." Cristopher shrugged.

"B-But…! I can't accept it!"

"*sigh…* Listen. Points, grades, that shit doesn't really matter to me, and it shouldn't to you neither. I know you want to make your country proud. But isn't getting stronger a better way to do so?" Cristopher lifted his eyebrow.

"He's right." While Kim Hajin shrugged.

"But-"

"No buts. You'll practice your magic power and physical control here." Cristopher said while pointing at the World Tree.

"Huh…?" Making both Hajin and Rachel tilt their heads.

"Remember the training you've been doing these days?" Cristopher asked while walking towards the tree.

"Yeah…?"

"Well, this is another way to apply that same theory." With a smile, Cristopher put one foot on the tree, then he started to walk up the tree completely normal, as if it was a horizontal surface, before turning to look at Rachel and Kim Hajin. "See? It's quite easy, really. You just need to control your body not to fall back at the same time you control your magic power to fix you into the tree."

"…" Kim Hajin had his mouth opened wide.

"…" While Rachel had her eyes sparkling.

"It's similar to when I walked on water, but at that time, I used the opposite, a slight film of magic power that would push the water and would prevent me from sinking. Though, that's more complicated than walking through vertical surfaces."

"Then… Can I learn that…?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm telling you we'll be doing. Meanwhile, Hajin can be on alert to when that monster actually appears."

"I want to learn that too…" Hajin muttered.

"I already told you why I didn't teach you." Cristopher rolled his eyes.

Starting from that point, Cristopher started training Rachel, while Hajin looked at them and checked around to see if the Butterfly Seedling appeared. He had the advantage that his eyesight could cover the entire tree and even see through it.

***

After some hours of training, it was almost 2:00 PM, and right while Rachel was taking her third step up the tree, a sudden earthquake appeared, almost making her fall from the tree.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Our signal, maybe?" Cristopher stood up from where he was sitting while turning to look at Kim Hajin, who nodded back.

"Yeah. It has appeared. Let's go." With those words, Hajin started moving, while Rachel jumped down from the tree and followed him. Cristopher yawned before going before them.

***

On another part of the forest, also close to the World Tree, Chae Nayun and Kim Suho were walking, looking for more monsters to hunt. The only reason while they were together being because of Chae Nayun who kept getting lost.

"Hey." Chae Nayun suddenly spoke. "What do you think about Kim Hajin?"

"Mm? Kim Hajin?" Kim Suho tilted his head. "Why? Is he in your mind?"

"No… It's not that." She shook her head. "Don't you think he's hiding many secrets?"

"I guess you're right…" He answered vaguely while also giving a mysterious smile.

"What's that reaction?"

"What? You asked if he's hiding secrets and I just answered."

"But what's he hiding?" Chae Nayun asked further.

"…" Kim Suho suddenly got quiet, thinking about Hajin's words during the day they traveled to Paris.

"Hey, don't stay quiet. Answer me!"

"Why ask me? You should ask him yourself." He answered with a smile.

Once they got close to the World Tree, they felt a strange vibration in the air.

"What…?" Kim Suho furrowed his eyebrows.

They both started running towards the epicenter of the vibration, and once there, they found a strange view.

"What's that!?" While Chae Nayun pointed to some weird creature that was slowly floating around an open space under the World Tree.

It had the aspect of a butterfly, but differently from one, it looked more like if some artisan made it from a tree, with tree roots weaved delicately in the shape of wings, and leaves growing out from its body and head.

"It's an elemental monster…" Kim Suho muttered, realizing the nature of the monster that suddenly appeared.

"Is it strong?" Chae Nayun asked.

"Looks like it." Kim Suho said while preparing his sword.

"…" After pondering if she should use the sword or the bow, Chae Nayun finally decided to take out the sword.

"…" It was at that moment, that the Butterfly Seedling turned to them, with a pair of chilling eyes that made both of them flinch.

"It looks super strong." Chae Nayun said while Kim Suho only looked at the monster.

Then, out of the ground, a sudden tendril-like root shot up, followed by a dozen more, that wriggled for a moment before moving towards Chae Nayun and Kim Suho at great speed.

They both jumped back, evading the first attack, but what followed next was a barrage of more roots, falling at them with great speed, making them evade each time.

"Hey! I think we should cut them out!" Chae Nayun shouted, and Kim Suho nodded. Both preparing their swords to attack.

And while the plan worked for Kim Suho, Chae Nayun still didn't have the power to cut through the magic-power-filled giant roots that were stronger than gold. Making her struggle to fight the root in front of her.

*sweesh*

Like a red-comet, a bullet shining in bright red came flying towards the root that Chae Nayun was fighting, hitting it at the middle, and starting a fire that burned the root and made it weaker. Weak enough for Chae Nayun to finally cut it down with her sword.

After the bullet, a crescent-moon-shaped crimson fire shot towards the main body of the Butterfly Seedling, who could barely evade it, not without receiving a small burn in one of its leaves.

"Who…?" In her surprise, Chae Nayun turned to look at where the bullet came from. "Eh…?"

From there Rachel and Kim Hajin came running towards them but were stopped by new roots coming out of the ground close to them, and while Kim Hajin jumped back to stay out of their range, Rachel gracefully evaded them while cutting the roots with a crimson-flame-covered sword, cutting through the roots and burning them as if they were mere paper.

"Wow…" Chae Nayun almost forgot of her own fight while looking at the princess out of a fairy tail dancing while cutting every root with her blazing sword.

"Oi! Be careful!" A shout woke her up, while a root almost impacted her, if it wasn't for two red bullets that impacted the root and burned it, making it easier for Chae Nayun to evade and cut it.

"Stop daydreaming!" Kim Hajin shouted again at her while trying to shot at the main body.

"You…!" She tried to retort but stopped. "When did you come!?"

"Just attack the main body!" Kim Hajin shouted again.

"What!?"

"Attack the main body! Not the roots! Use your bow for today!" Hajin shouted while jumping back once again to evade a root, and hiding behind a bush.

"What are you doing hiding back-" She wanted to ask, but another root came flying at her, making her defend and step back. "Hey! Support me like before!"

But instead of a bullet, a crimson-fire blade came from afar and cut the root, it was Rachel who was giving her support this time.

"That's it. Keep going on like that. Remember that you're not limited to hit from close range, you just have to attack from afar whenever you can't." From somewhere around the place, a new voice caught Chae Nayun attention.

"Huh…!? What's he doing here!?" She shouted once she saw Cristopher sitting under a tree with a water bottle, drinking from it.

"Mm? You should focus on what's in front of you." He nodded at her front, and right then, another root came shooting towards her.

"Shit!" She defended with her sword but had to go back.

"Fuck…" From his hidden spot, Kim Hajin prepared himself to shot at the Butterfly Seedling with a special bullet, filled with magic power from the Stigma, giving it the power of fire.

After a few moments, he shot. The bullet quickly reached the Butterfly Seedling's wing, causing an explosion that gave Hajin quite a surprise.

He blinked twice, trying to understand what happened. As there was no way that his bullet would burn the monster's wing with just one shot.

Knowing that there should be something else, he looked around, and right then, he found Seo Ijin, Boss's disguised, hiding behind some bushes, looking at the perfect moment to attack without being discovered, and she used Hajin's bullet to secretly attack the monster.

"She must be behind the Seedling's dust…" Hajin muttered.

Without one wing, the Butterfly Seedling slowly fell, becoming a perfect target for Kim Suho's sword, finally cutting it in half, making a big explosion of golden dust appear around them.

It wasn't from the monster, but Seo Ijin's dust that she threw, it was a powerful sleeping powder she prepared to take the reward from the monster without being noticed.

And it was affecting everyone. Making Chae Nayun, Rachel, and Kim Suho drowsy, all of them trying not to fall asleep as hard as they could. While Kim Suho could resist to a certain degree, he was still in a daze, looking at the golden dust covering the sky slowly fall, while Chae Nayun looked almost half-drunk. Rachel looked better than her, but she still looked like she was trying hard not to fall asleep.

Hajin, who could resist thanks to the help of Aether that was covering his nose and mouth, and working as some kind of filter to stop the powder to affect him, went out, running to try and stop Seo Ijin if it wasn't for a blinding golden light that shone from his chest.

"What…?" He barely could speak while the golden light exploded forth.

***

{What's… Happening…?} I thought, trying my best to stay awake, but it was as if the dust surrounding me was making me drowsy, slowly falling to sleep. {Master… Where's master…} I tried my best to look around, searching for my master who should be somewhere around.

But the drowsiness was too much for me to focus on anything else.

{I'm sure… That I may reach third place… Just let me reach third place…} I thought, before slowly succumbing to the drowsiness.

But it was then, that a burst of golden light once again covered my eyes, making me blink repeatedly until I completely opened my eyes.

{What…?} On my stomach I could see a golden clump of light, slowly forming the shape of a human, embracing me tightly. "What…?"

I didn't know what's happening, but all of a sudden, the golden light transformed into a human. No. A child, a child that looked to be 3 or 4 years old was embracing me all of a sudden, and somehow, from her, I could sense some kind of familiarity, as if I knew her from somewhere.

The child looked up at me with her own pair of clear blue eyes, slightly bigger and darker than my own, adorning a beautiful face that slightly reminded me of my younger self, with a button nose less sharp than my own, and with light-brown, almost blond, eyebrows, and a hair that was of a golden color flowing down lovely, darker on the roots and gradually turning into a platinum blond after the hair reached half of her face, extending and degrading further all the way down to her hips in a platinum white color.

"Who…?" Before I could ask, her hands started to shine, and the old wounds I had on my body from fighting monsters started to heal quickly.

Looking at this, I opened my eyes wide, turning to look back at the child that was embracing me. Only to be surprised by her next words.

"Mommy!" She shouted with a smile.

{What…!? Mommy…? Me…!?} I was disoriented, and before I could try to ask her what she meant, more dust came falling over me, making me succumb to my drowsiness completely.

Not before listening once again, the word mommy coming from the small child embracing me.