Chapter 23: Soul Armament(1)
Chae Gain, an awakener from Hwanryeong Team 2, was enjoying her vacation with a beaming smile.
The break given around the time the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament ended was so sweet that she was simply lounging at home, mindlessly flipping through TV channels with her brain on standby.
The days of being holed up in a stuffy lab, slaving away over mana training or magic research until dark circles formed under her eyes, felt like a dream.
This one-week vacation—she was absolutely determined not to step outside.
With that resolve, Chae Gain was watching a rerun of the Hwanryeong Grand Tournament.
The noisy commentary from the broadcast team echoed in her ears.
“Oh, right. I meant to rewatch this… perfect timing.”
On the screen, Hidelicious was displaying its majestic presence.
[“Watching it again?”]
“Of course. Something like that deserves to be rewatched over and over…”
Her guardian, Jekern, appeared.
Resembling a small cat, Jekern looked at her with pity and let out a heavy sigh.
Whoosh.
A small flame burst from the cat’s mouth.
At that moment, the TV showed Hidelicious approaching Yoo Soha.
Then, with some muttering, Yoo Soha’s grin was caught on camera.
As the commentators showed puzzled expressions at her smile, Chae Gain looked at her with admiration.
“Seriously, she’s our team leader, but she’s incredible.”
[“What’s so incredible?”]
“Smiling like that with that giant in front of her is amazing in itself. I’d have been frozen with fear. Her guts are something else.”
The next scene was one that stirred grandeur in the hearts of viewers no matter how many times they saw it.
A knight taking form as it descended from the air.
Worn armor, a tattered cloak, a broken greatsword.
The crowd showed little reaction to the unremarkable knight.
And then… the following scene.
That unremarkable knight sent the giant flying with a single punch, broke through a hail of bullets, shattered the giant’s gauntlet, and slammed it into the ground.
Chae Gain let out continuous gasps of awe as the thrilling scene unfolded.
“Wow… how can someone do that?”
[“Jealous?”]
“Not jealous… but it’s impressive. Maybe she went ten years without a guardian just to summon one like that?”
[“That’s a reasonable suspicion.”]
“Anyway, I need to watch the next one too. The final was even crazier. I’ve got plenty of time.”
But just as Chae Gain was about to rewatch the final between Shin Sungmin and Yoo Soha, her smartphone suddenly buzzed.
A short message popped up.
[“Hwanryeong Team 2, report to work immediately. I have instructions.”]
It was from Yoo Soha.
“…Huh?”
Naturally, for Chae Gain, who was just getting hyped to watch the final, this was like a bolt from the blue.
“This is unacceptable…!”
“My, my vacation…”
Before Yoo Soha’s arrival, the abruptly summoned members of Hwanryeong Team 2 were clutching their heads in the office.
Being called in while they were happily planning their vacations was a shock.
With dazed expressions, they began to wonder what Yoo Soha could possibly want by summoning them.
“But seriously, what’s this about? Isn’t it Hwanryeong’s unwritten rule not to call awakeners after the tournament?”
“I don’t know…”
“If we’d heard something, that’d be one thing, but we’ve got nothing.”
“Alright, alright, the team leader’s coming soon, so everyone calm down.”
As Cha Hyunsung soothed the complaining team members, Chae Gain and the other awakeners, whose lips were protruding in pouts, fell silent.
As things quieted down, the door to Hwanryeong Team 2’s office opened, revealing brilliant blonde hair.
The person who entered was, of course, Yoo Soha.
“Everyone here?”
“Yes!”
“Heh. Sorry for calling you all during your vacation. You all look exhausted, like you were just about to relax.”
“N-no, not at all!”
At Yoo Soha’s playful smile, the members of Hwanryeong Team 2 tensed up.
When she smiled like that, it often meant she was about to assign them something grueling.
“I called you all here today because I’m going to tackle the North Korean region.”
“North Korea, you say? I didn’t mishear, right…?”
For a moment, Cha Hyunsung felt his words catch in his throat.
North Korea.
Since gates began appearing on Earth, it was a country that had been exposed to an unusually high number of high-rank gates, leading to its rapid collapse.
Due to un-cleared high-rank gates, constant gate invasions had made the area impossible to reclaim, a land where humans could no longer set foot.
It was the so-called Demon Realm, North Korea.
“North Korea, yes.”
“Why North Korea all of a sudden…?”
“My father asked me recently if I was thinking about preparing for an S-rank promotion.”
“S-S-rank!?”
The team members of Hwanryeong Team 2 exclaimed in shock.
“Yes. I told him I was, of course. That’s why we’re heading to North Korea.”
Even though it was a highly personal statement, the reason the team was shocked was simple.
The more S-rank awakeners a guild had, the more its prestige skyrocketed.
How many S-rank awakeners did Hwanryeong currently have?
Yoo Hyuk, Yoo Hajun, Shin Sungmin.
Three. Not just three, but a whopping three.
That alone was enough to make Hwanryeong Korea’s top guild.
And now, another S-rank awakener from their guild?
Hwanryeong’s reputation would only soar higher. A guild with four S-rank awakeners was unheard of.
The ripple effect was something everyone could understand without words.
Moreover, working toward her S-rank promotion would also boost their own achievements.
But was it worth tackling the Demon Realm of North Korea? The members of Hwanryeong Team 2 didn’t think so.
Honor. Financial rewards. The chance to work with an S-rank awakener.
All great.
But if they lost their lives in the process, all that value would fade.
You had to be alive to enjoy anything, after all.
Yoo Soha read the hesitation in her team’s expressions.
‘I expected this much.’
With a confident smile, as if she’d anticipated it all, she spoke.
“I know a lot of you are hesitant. Probably because of the threat to your lives. No matter what rewards you get, they’re useless if you’re dead.”
The team members nodded.
“But you don’t need to worry too much.”
“…What?”
“In this expedition, my guardian, Eclipse, will do everything to protect those in danger. And just in case, I’ve also secured Shin Sungmin’s cooperation. He said he’s free and willing to help.”
The team members’ faces began to brighten.
A guardian who single-handedly defeated an S-rank awakener and Shin Sungmin, one of Korea’s top awakener candidates, would be with them?
If that was the case, they might not need to worry about their lives, a thought that began to cross their minds.
Yoo Soha, watching their reactions, curled her lips into a smile.
Then, she drove the point home to the team members who still seemed uncertain.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to come along for free. You’ll all receive appropriate compensation and be treated accordingly.”
“Can we hear more about that compensation?”
Chae Gain raised her hand and asked.
“I was just about to explain. First, everyone who joins me will be provided with top-tier equipment.”
“Top-tier equipment, like what…?”
“Soul Armaments.”
“…What?”
Everyone’s expressions froze.
Enjoying their reactions, Yoo Soha said with a smile,
“Every awakener will be given a Soul Armament.”
“…Is that for real?”
Cha Hyunsung and the rest of Hwanryeong Team 2 were dumbfounded.
What were Soul Armaments?
They were specialized equipment developed with Hwanryeong’s full effort.
Crafted using mana stones from high-rank magical beasts, tailored to match an awakener’s mana pattern, and customized individually.
Their performance was beyond question.
Soul Armaments amplified an awakener’s unique abilities based on their mana pattern and allowed the use of additional mana stored in the stones.
In other words, a single piece of equipment could bring out an awakener’s maximum potential.
The downside was their exorbitant cost.
Requiring high-rank beast mana stones and multiple manufacturing processes, they were equipment most awakeners could only dream of.
And she was saying she’d provide these dreamlike armaments?
“Is the guild covering the cost?”
“No. My personal funds.”
“…What?”
“I’m dipping into my own savings. It’s for my promotion, after all.”
Her words left everyone stunned.
How much money did she have to afford Soul Armaments for thirty people?
“Anyway, Soul Armaments aren’t the end of it.”
From Yoo Soha’s mouth poured a flood of lavish benefits.
Salary raises, and a promise that if any Team 2 awakener wanted to pursue a promotion, she’d personally provide as much support as she could.
“Just in case you’re skeptical, I’ve prepared contracts. Mina-ssi.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Lee Mina, Yoo Soha’s escort and de facto secretary, was suddenly holding thirty sheets of paper.
“If you sign these contracts, everything I’ve promised will be yours. Of course, there’ll be no penalties for not participating. But if you don’t join, you won’t get these benefits.”
At her words, the team members took the contracts from Lee Mina as if entranced.
“Read the contracts carefully, okay? I’m not the type to play tricks with this stuff, but I don’t want any misunderstandings later. Review them thoroughly before signing.”
“Yes!”
The team members scanned the contracts, found nothing amiss, and signed faster than anyone else.
Taking the signed contracts, Yoo Soha smiled at her team.
“Full participation. Correct?”
“Yes!”
“Great. Shall we get moving then?”
“Uh, to where…?”
Chae Gain asked, bewildered, and Yoo Soha replied,
“Where else? To get your Soul Armaments customized, of course. It takes about a week to craft them, so we need to hurry. We’re heading to North Korea next week.”
As soon as she finished speaking and opened the door to Team 2’s office, the team members let out cheers and followed her.
Yoo Soha gave a subtle smile at their reaction.
‘As expected, nothing moves awakeners’ hearts like equipment. Splurging was worth it.’