“What do you mean by that?”

“Well… it’s a long story, and this isn’t the best place for it. Not to mention, we’re short on time.”

I glanced behind me.

“For now, let’s keep what we know about each other secret. We’ll meet tomorrow, somewhere without eyes on us—like the academy grounds.”

“…Fine.”

She hesitated, but she didn’t really have another choice.

Seo Yui couldn’t afford the academy discovering she was fighting in an illegal arena.

“One more thing. That man upstairs will ask what we talked about. When he does, say that I was smitten with you—that I wanted to see you outside, so I asked for your contact info and address.”

“……”

Once again she wavered briefly, then gave a small nod.

“And take this.”

I handed her a bundle of bills—twenty million won.

“W-what’s this for…?”

“Tell him I gave it to you as a tip. He’ll want to keep the money. Just hand it over. That should satisfy him. Now then, I’ll be going.”

I slipped the raccoon mask back on and climbed the stairs.

“Ah, you’re finished already?”

The man’s voice was bright with relief, as though he’d been sweating bullets the entire time.

“Yes. I’ll be leaving now. Don’t worry—I’ll keep my promise.”

“Truly, thank you.”

“By the way, what’s your name? If I come again, I should be able to call for you at the entrance.”

His face twitched.

Not that it mattered—I already knew.

After hearing the eyepatched man’s name, I left Valhall.

The gatekeepers at the exit were not the same faces I’d seen earlier.

The next day.

As soon as lunch break began, Seo Yui came to our classroom.

The moment a second-year walked in—straight to me, no less—the room burst into whispers.

Lumina looked more shocked than anyone, staring at us with wide eyes.

Seo Yui’s face was the same drained mask I’d seen yesterday in the second-year classroom, half-lidded eyes and weary expression.

It was hard to believe this was the same person as the Masked Fighter.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I rose from my seat.

“Ah—Ye-Yein…” Lumina stammered.

“Eat lunch with Meiling. Tell her I’m talking with Senior Seo Yui.”

“O-okay…”

I walked out with Seo Yui.

Every student we passed—first- and second-years alike—stared at us in astonishment.

We made our way to the back of the main building, where no one lingered.

“That man yesterday asked what we talked about, didn’t he?”

I checked that we were alone before speaking.

“Yeah. I answered like you told me. He cursed you out, said you were a crazy bastard.”

Her voice was drowsy again, but her eyes…

Her gaze shifted, sharp and focused—the same eyes I’d glimpsed behind the mask.

“Yesterday you asked why I was in that arena. Said depending on my answer, you’d see me as an ally or an enemy.”

Her tone had changed completely—no longer languid, but heavy, pressing down with invisible weight.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then explain what you meant by enemy and ally.”

If she were only a negotiation partner, I might have leaned hard, pressured her.

But Seo Yui was a future comrade.

So it was better to coax her closer with care.

“Of course. I’ll explain.”

I smiled.

“My enemy is Valhall. My allies are anyone who wants to bring Valhall down.”

“!!”

Her eyes widened.

“Bring Valhall down? Why?”

“That I can’t say yet. First, I need to hear something from you. Why are you holding the Champion’s throne in that place?”

At the word Champion, her teeth clenched.

“…It’s not like I wanted this.”

Yes, I know.

I erased my smile and spoke more seriously.

“But yesterday, when you stomped on that girl Lina’s stomach, you didn’t look hesitant at all.”

“If I hadn’t done it, they would’ve forced us to fight until far more blood was spilled!”

Her face twisted in fury. Her clenched fists trembled.

“Valhall exists for rich bastards drunk on blood. They drag in awakened kids who’ve never even learned how to fight, then throw them into matches. They even force-feed them drugs to dull their fear. You saw it yourself from the stands! Children barely ten years old, slashing each other with blades while those pigs laughed!”

“Yes. I saw it. Looked like a gathering of lunatics.”

Seo Yui bit her lip and lowered her head.

“You said awakened children were dragged in. Are you the same?”

“…Yes. Though my case was a little different.”

Her hands slowly unclenched.

“I was sold. My aunt, drowning in debt, sold me to Valhall.”

It was exactly as I’d remembered.

After the Human-Demon War, orphans multiplied endlessly.

The first generation perished in the fighting; the second suffered starvation and poverty.

Naturally, the number of abandoned children skyrocketed.

Seo Yui was one of them. Her only remaining relative—an aunt.

But that aunt had been useless.

A drunk and a gambler, she had racked up debts beyond paying back. In the end, she sold her niece.

Being just an ordinary person, she had no idea of Seo Yui’s immense talent.

Her stats were extraordinary—Stamina S, Energy B, Spirit A. Among all companion characters, she ranked near the top.

And her awakened ability was utterly unique.

In any academy, she would have been a prodigy.

To Valhall’s owner, Seo Yui was a golden goose that had dropped straight into his lap.

“After I was sold, for a year it was kill or be killed. By the time I came to my senses… I was Valhall’s Champion.”

Her face contorted with anguish.

In that arena, her growth would have skyrocketed.

Awakened opponents gave tens to hundreds of times more experience than monsters.

The announcer had said 149 matches, 149 wins.

But that count wouldn’t include group matches, nor the countless unrecorded bouts.

The true number of young awakened cut down by her must have been far higher.

Not by choice—but by cruel design.

When I first made contact with her, she had already reached level 31.

Naturally, the difficulty of her scenario was high—without meeting her level, it was impossible to recruit her.

“Once I became Champion, Valhall’s owner sent me to Gwangcheon. Said he’d let me become a proper hunter.”

“So he supported you?”

“He’s just using me. By making it look like Champions are treated differently, given freedom, he gives the other kids false hope—to drive them to fight harder.”

“I see.”

“But even if I become a proper hunter, I’ll never escape Valhall.”

“Why not?”

“There are several hunters over level 50 there. And Lei Shin—the owner—has ties everywhere. Any report would be ignored. If I ran, they’d drag me back soon enough. The end is always the same: a life as his pawn.”

“You’ve seen it happen before, haven’t you.”

She didn’t answer.

But her expression gave me all I needed.

“Is that the only reason?”

“…What?”

“The only reason you don’t escape, or expose Valhall to Seoul authorities?”

“……”

“Yesterday you said if you hadn’t stomped her, the fight would’ve dragged on with worse bloodshed. And I saw your anger when children were hurt. That wasn’t the detachment of a Champion seeing rivals—it was fury. Fury that wasn’t born from superiority, but from something deeper.”

“You… what are you really…”

“Answer me. This is an important question.”

I met Seo Yui’s eyes head-on.

“Senior, why do you remain in Valhall?”

“…Because I want to protect the children there.”

Her voice was quiet, but steady.

“They’ve done nothing wrong. But just because they’re awakened—orphans, most of them—they get dragged into Valhall and forced to wound and kill each other. As long as I’m Champion, I can hold some of it back. I teach them to strike without dealing fatal blows, to fight in ways that cause the least lasting damage.”

That wasn’t all.

Though she didn’t say it aloud, I knew she also kept the kids safe from power struggles, bullying, and abuse inside. No one dared defy the Champion’s will.

That was why she didn’t run from Valhall.

Foolish, maybe. But the kind of foolish goodness that doesn’t just live in thought, but in action.

A goodness so radiant that even in hell it shone all the brighter.

That was why Seo Yui was, after Eleanor, one of my favorite companion characters in Latesai.

“Senior, I have a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

I smiled.

“Why don’t you and I destroy Valhall together?”

Her eyes widened.

“Destroy it? How?”

“Simply put—poison against poison.”

“Poison against…? I don’t understand.”

“If the plan works, the children trapped there will be freed. The owner, his lackeys, every parasite connected to Valhall will be wiped out.”

“How?”

“Valhall’s owner isn’t the only one with connections.”

I explained my plan in detail.

As I spoke, her expression shifted—from shock, to thoughtfulness, to a grim seriousness.

“…Who are you really?”

“Just someone who wants Valhall gone. If you work from inside and I from outside, our chances will soar. So…”

I held out my hand.

“Whether you take it, or walk away—that’s up to you.”

Seo Yui stared at my hand, then asked quietly:

“…One last thing. Why do you want to bring Valhall down?”

Of course, the real reason was to free her and make her my ally.

But I couldn’t say that. So I gave the line I’d prepared.

“I grew up in an orphanage. And one of my closest friends died in Valhall. That enough?”

“…I see.”

She nodded—and clasped my hand.

“I’ll trust you.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll notify you when the time comes. When I return to Valhall, that’ll be D-Day. Until then, we’ll exchange information in Gwangcheon.”

“Alright.”

And just like that, her face shifted—back into the drained, weary look from before.

“Incredible. You can change expressions so easily.”

“My specialty is wearing masks.”

Her voice had gone hollow again, as if stripped of will.

After classes ended, I took Lumina and Meiling to our destination—Bag Toter Mine, the independent dungeon.

There, safe from eavesdropping, I told them everything about Seo Yui and Valhall.

“To think something so horrible is happening…” Lumina’s face crumpled, close to tears.

“Disgusting,” Meiling muttered coldly, arms crossed.

“That’s why I’ve decided to work with her. Once she breaks free of Valhall, she’ll rethink joining the squad. And more importantly—there’s no place in this world for a den of twisted pleasure built on children’s suffering.”

“Yes! I agree!” Lumina clenched her fists, eyes burning with anger—a rare sight for her.

“Destroying it is fine. But how?” Meiling’s tone was cool, sharp.

“If a place like that’s been running untouched, it means someone powerful’s been covering it up.”

“Exactly. Well spotted.”

“I’ve seen plenty of filth like that.”

Her mouth twisted bitterly.

As Chen Kai’s daughter, Meiling must have witnessed plenty of the corruption within Forward Group.

“You’re right. Valhall’s owner keeps it hidden through his connections. Reporting to the police would be useless.”

After the Human-Demon War, public authority had weakened, and corporations with money had seized real power.

The world of Latesai was just shy of a full-blown corporate state.

Seoul was one of the few exceptions—thanks to one particular person.

“That’s why we’ll use another kind of power.”

“……”

Meiling fell silent, her expression conflicted.

“Don’t worry. I’m not borrowing your father’s strength.”

“Wh-who said I was thinking that?!” she shouted, flustered.

‘Not that it matters. Chen Kai would never lend a hand against Valhall anyway.’

Instead, I thought of the connection I would use.

The image of a silver-haired girl rose in my mind.

(End of Chapter)

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