Ch. 22 - Octopus Feast (2)

Originally, it was Shin Chul-Min's job to help awaken Jung Ha-Yeon's abilities during the battle with Lames Jane. But since he's not here right now, I have no choice but to do it myself.

The urge to tear this tentacle monster to shreds right now, to rip its tentacles off with my own hands and snap its head off, was overwhelming. But I forced myself to resist.

This is for the growth of our main heroine, so she should handle it herself, not me.

"Ha-Yeon, you remember how to utilize mana from last time, right?"

"Oh, yes. I certainly remember."

It seems like she does. I just asked to confirm it.

"This time, I'll teach you the next step—how to increase the power of your magic."

"How dare you make small talk in front of me!?"

I was about to give Jung Ha-Yeon a lesson when Lames Jane shouted, clenching his fists, and immediately swung his tentacles at me.

"M-ms. Hye-Rim!"

Jung Ha-Yeon shouted in surprise at Lames Jane's attack.

Man, he's annoying me again. The punching bag should just take a beating obediently. After all, the only reason for his existence is to be a stepping stone for my Ha-Yeon's growth.

I immediately swung my sword. The tentacles were much larger and harder than before, but I sliced through them as easily as slicing through jelly.

"Aaaaagghhhhh!!! H-how?! How could you do this so easily...!"

Lames Jane screamed in agony. The tentacles that had become his arms were instantly turned into sashimi, so the shock must have been considerable.

Regardless, I turned back to Jung Ha-Yeon.

"He looks like he's hard to deal with, but he's actually pretty easy."

"...Easy?"

"Yes, that bastard is nothing; you just need to know the strategy."

"What's the strategy?"

Jung Ha-Yeon asked in disbelief. The answer was very simple.

"You just have to beat him up."

"......What?"

"Just beat the shit out of him with overwhelming force."

You just have to get stronger than him.

In the original manga, Jung Ha-Yeon fought alongside Shin Chul-Min and gained an epiphany that helped her grow to the next level. That's how she defeated Lames Jane with her special move, but right now Shin Chul-Min isn't here. So, she can't get that emotional progress like that.

So, I'm going to forcefully make her stronger.

The process is a little weird, but what's wrong with that? What's important is the growth of our main heroine. If the heroine grows stronger, the villains and monsters will be taken care of.

"Okay, Ms. Ha-Yeon, it's time for a lesson. Try using your magic as usual."

"D-do you really need to tutor me in this situation?"

Jung Ha-Yeon asked with an uneasy expression.

Is it okay to take it easy in front of the leader of the Monster Association? The answer, of course, is yes.

"This is the perfect opportunity. Look, he's still rolling on the floor."

Lames Jane was writhing on the ground, screaming in a mixture of panic and pain. You couldn't get more defenseless than that.

"This is the best time to strike. For it to be hands-on practice from our first lesson, opportunities like this don't come around often, do they?"

"Y-yes, but..."

"You don't have to worry about getting hurt again when Lames Jane fights back."

I showed her my sword, still glowing.

"If it gets dangerous, I'll just kill him quickly."

I would never let this bastard hurt my Ha-Yeon again. The sin of hurting my waifu is very great. I can't let him die in peace.

So I've decided on a brilliant way to help her grow stronger and get revenge at the same time.

"Come on, Ms. Ha-Yeon. Go ahead and use your magic. However, this time, don't just use magic as usual. Condense as much magic power as possible at your fingertips."

"Like this?"

"Yes, exactly like that."

As soon as she heard my words, Jung Ha-Yeon immediately produced the level of magic I was looking for. As expected of Ha-Yeon, she deduced ten things from just one lesson. In contrast, I had a really hard time tutoring Alice.

"Repeat that about ten times, then shoot at that bastard."

"Yes!"

Magic that had been condensed multiple times was shot toward Lames Jane.

"Aaaagghhh!"

Lames Jane, who previously shrugged off Jung Ha-Yeon's magic, took substantial damage this time. Writhing in pain, Lames Jane glared furiously and lunged towards us.

"How dare you people treat me like a lab rat!? I'll make you regre-!"

"Sit!"

"Aaagh?!"

He threw his body at us in fury, but I made him kiss the floor again.

How could a dog be so undisciplined towards its owner? From now on, I'm a trainer. There are no bad monsters in the world. It's just that he's lived in a bad environment.

That's why I need to give him a good mental education.

"Ms. Ha-Yeon. Please keep repeating it. You need to get used to using this kind of magic."

"Yes, I understand! Oh, but... isn't it too mana-consuming to use magic like this?"

"Don't worry about that."

I put my hand on Jung Ha-Yeon's back as I had done before and flowed mana into her body.

"...Eek?!"

"It's a strange feeling, isn't it? I'm putting my mana into your body right now. Can you feel the mana filling up?"

"Y-yes... I can feel it."

"Then let's continue practicing magic like this."

Lames Jane's expression seemed to darken a lot, but it's probably just my imagination.

Jung Ha-Yeon was amazed. Just a moment ago, she had been terrified and nearly killed by Lames Jane, overwhelmed by his strength. But as soon as Shin Hye-Rim appeared, all her negative feelings disappeared.

When Jung Ha-Yeon first saw Shin Hye-Rim come to her rescue, she was exhilarated. But at the same time, she was terrified, wondering if Hye-Rim would also fall at the hands of Lames Jane.

Those worries, however, proved pointless.

"Hey, sit back down!"

"Don't move, doggy! If you come running over here again, I'll slowly cut you up from your legs to your head, one centimeter at a time, so you'd better behave."

"Good boy. Now you're listening~."

The leader of the infamous Monster Association, who had confidently proclaimed he could take on all the Heroes in Great Park by himself, was now reduced to a small fry in the presence of Shin Hye-Rim.

Lee Mi-Na had once speculated that Shin Hye-Rim could single-handedly take on the Monster Association.

At the time, Jung Ha-Yeon had dismissed it as ridiculous, thinking it was impossible for one person to take on an entire group of villains. But now, watching Shin Hye-Rim handle Lames Jane like a dog, she was starting to think it might be possible.

If anyone could single-handedly dismantle the Monster Association, it was her.

It felt strange to see Lames Jane's tentacles slowly being sliced off by Shin Hye-Rim's sword and to see him dying from her magic.

Jung Ha-Yeon felt a tiny, almost microscopic ounce of pity for him.

"Behold the power of a monste- gaah?!"

"Now your works won't attack me anymor- aaagh?!"

"T-that's enough... kuh!"

"Go a bit easie- Ugh!"

"Just... just kill me, please."

At first, Lames Jane had been furious that Jung Ha-Yeon was practicing magic on him. But each time, he was knocked to the ground by Shin Hye-Rim's sword and fists.

After more than an hour of this, Lames Jane had given up. He realized that he could neither succeed in his terrorist attack nor defeat Shin Hye-Rim, who stood in front of him.

"Now, then, let's slowly wrap this up," said Shin Hye-Rim, who was still channeling her mana into Jung Ha-Yeon's body.

Under Hye-Rim's guidance, Jung Ha-Yeon learned how to use magic properly. She was a bit surprised to see Shin Hye-Rim use the leader of the Monster Association as a lab rat for her lesson.

But thanks to Hye-Rim's presence, Jung Ha-Yeon felt very comfortable.

Ms. Hye-Rim's hand on her back, her pleasant mana entering Jung Ha-Yeon's body, and her smile, always thinking of Jung Ha-Yeon and treating her with kindness, all felt so warm and reassuring.

"It's not good to take in too much mana from others, so let's stop here. Let's send him off now."

As Shin Hye-Rim removed her hand, she stopped channeling mana into Jung Ha-Yeon's body. It had felt suspiciously good, and Jung Ha-Yeon was disappointed to see it end.

Instead, Shin Hye-Rim's hand overlapped Jung Ha-Yeon's. Jung Ha-Yeon shivered a little at the touch.

She didn't know why, but she felt a strange sensation when Hye-Rim's hand touched hers.

"Here. Concentrate. This is the strongest condensation of magic power you've ever done. It might be a little hard to control, but I'll help you with it, so don't worry."

"Okay."

Jung Ha-Yeon trusted Ms. Hye-Rim and squeezed the mana in her body to the limit. Mana gathered in both hands. Controlling this much mana was challenging and difficult to handle.

But with Ms. Hye-Rim's touch, the mana that seemed out of control steadied.

"Remember this feeling. Next time, try it on your own, Ms. Ha-Yeon."

Ms. Hye-Rim's words were right next to her ear. She was so close, as if hugging Jung Ha-Yeon from behind while their hands were intertwined. Jung Ha-Yeon could even feel her breath.

"Huh? You can't suddenly lose your focus!"

"Y-yes!"

Distracted for a moment, Jung Ha-Yeon almost lost control of her powers. She snapped back to focus.

"Now, shoot it at him like this."

Jung Ha-Yeon fired the mana she had gathered into a ball of raw energy at the exhausted Lames Jane.

"Gaaaaaaaaaahhh?!!!!"

Lames Jane screamed in pain from the most powerful blow he had ever received.

The tentacles wrapped around his body began tearing off one by one, and eventually, the energy ball passed through all of them and pierced Lames Jane's chest.

A gaping hole opened up in the tentacle monster's chest, large enough for the wind to blow right through. With his heart blown out of his chest, he breathed his last.

Lames Jane was dead. This was the end of both the leader of the Monster Association and Jung Ha-Yeon's revenge for her friend.

"D-did I do it?"

She asked Ms. Hye-Rim to make sure she had really killed Lames Jane.

"You did a great job. The leader of the Monster Association is dead."

Ms. Hye-Rim stroked her hair gently, causing Jung Ha-Yeon to smile.

"Haha... I feel a bit empty."

"Why?"

"I didn't think I would end up killing my friend's enemy in this way."

"......"

Jung Ha-Yeon told Ms. Hye-Rim about her past.

Two years ago, her friend, who she had worked with as a Hero, died at the hands of Lames Jane. At the time, she was too weak to stop him. Before she retired as a Hero, she wanted to get her hands on Lames Jane, no matter what.

She achieved that goal, but it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. No, it was hard; she even almost died. But from the moment Ms. Hye-Rim appeared, it was a one-sided assault.

She didn't expect to kill Lames Jane while beating the crap out of him in this way.

"It feels kind of hollow, but it feels good to know that I was able to make the man who killed my friend suffer."

"Is that so?"

Ms. Hye-Rim replied calmly, then took a deep breath before speaking again.

"By chance, is the name of Ms. Ha-Yeon's friend Lee Yoon-Seo?"

"What?! H-how did you know that?!"

Jung Ha-Yeon hadn't mentioned the name when she told Ms. Hye-Rim about her friend. How did she know that her friend's name was Lee Yoon-Seo? Did she know Lee Yoon-Seo as well?

"Lee Yoon-Seo is alive right now."

"...What?"

Jung Ha-Yeon's heart seemed to drop at those words.

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