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chapter-172

Pulling the Accelerator (4)

Baek In-ha was born far apart from the norm. He was blessed with an overwhelming talent and amount of mana from the start that none in his generation could match.

“What an excellent child.”

“If I was like that, I wonder if I could become the master of Baekyang.”

“Haha, stop joking. That child was born too late. Humans get old with the passage of time, but a strong superhuman will only grow stronger as time passes.”

“Well, aren’t there one or two who are aiming for the position of Baekyang’s master? The master said that if you don’t meet the standard, you won’t be given a seat even if you’re a relative.”

“Yes, the competition is already fierce. Even for this child…” If he had been born ten years later, that child would’ve become the master of Baekyang. Baek In-ha, who had exercised his dazzling talents without hiding them, grew up listening to that from a very young age. It was thrown around by those who recognized his shining talent and expressed regret, but it only sounded like ridicule to his ears.

‘It’s not my fault I wasn’t born earlier. My fault is that I’m too weak to overcome the limits of time, and that is all.’ Baek In-ha realized that at a young age. Words like ‘because I was born too late’ or ‘I didn’t have good enough artifacts’ only served to frustrate him. Such things didn’t motivate people, but only encouraged them to stop moving.

He didn’t like it. People around him making excuses for him were unbearably annoying. It was around that time he stopped caring about his reputation. Natural talent, time, effort, all of that felt ridiculous. He just started doing his best at what he could. He wanted to surpass the guys who cut themselves down. Perhaps it was then that his tone of speech became more casual, and his behavior became awkward, a symbol of a spiteful adolescent boy. He wanted to make a big counterattack after ridiculing those who only judged the outward appearances.

As a result, Baek In-ha became comfortable. Those who talked nonsense about his talent disappeared, and his ability began to advance at a phenomenal pace. Without any intervention, he grew freely. He stopped revealing himself so much on the outside, so it became difficult to know exactly how strong he was, but he was satisfied with his strength. He didn’t compare himself to others but focused solely on strengthening himself. As he grew older, however, he slowly remembered his history and realized that what he knew was not everything in the world.

“In the future, behave more properly.” That was why his grandfather… that was why the master of Baekyang, Baekjuin, directly called out to him.

“Think about what the guy who will be the master of Baekyang will look like to others.”

“Yeah? Who?”

“You.”

“The owner of Baekyang?”

“Yes, the guild master.” Baekjuin declared so firmly.

“I’ve placed it in front of you. So do your best.”

“No, why?” Baekjuin let out a laugh.

“I wonder if you’re just pretending to be the prodigal son.”

“Hey… ugh!”

“You will be Baekyang’s face in the future. Fight and defeat all those who attack. If you don’t have that kind of spirit, you can’t sit here.”

“No, Grandpa, so why…”

“You are the strongest among your relatives. Isn’t that clear?” Baekjuin’s eyes shone brightly.

“It’s a lie to make them loyal when it is said it doesn’t matter if they are outsiders.”

“Thank you for being so mischievous…ah!”

“But they won’t notice. So, in fact, you must prove you have the abilities to be worthy of Baekyang’s master, starting now. Okay?”

“…So…”

“First, start with Shinyoung. Student Council President, you can do that much.”

“No, no…”

So, Baek In-ha formally became Baekyang’s successor. That was when he realized that no matter how much he hid it, there would be those who would recognize him. But, he didn’t think the way of life he chose was wrong. He thought it had gone well, as he had been able to meet a boy his age who couldn’t handle mana.

***

‘This…’ How many times had he become a bystander to Kang Shin-hyuk during a crisis? Baek In-ha was on the lookout for shadow elementals crawling around him in the surroundings filled with darkness.

‘He had even produced this bike…’ The reason he had borrowed the blue cow from Kang Shin-hyuk was that his magical power had been gradually falling. However, he could save his mana by using the blue cow to move around and then use his magic into attacking. With that, it would be possible to endure the situation. It was a great artifact; even now, it seemed as if it had its own ego that actively assisted him.

‘No doubt, it’s lending me the power of the wind to my attacks.’ He felt surprised by Kang Shin-hyuk’s development over half a year and couldn’t help but wonder how he had accumulated such extraordinary strength in that short amount of time. A bitter smile played on his lips at the thought.

‘When did I start comparing myself with the friend I made without a thought of it before…?’ Kang Shin-hyuk was a man without mana, yet he had entered Shinyoung confidently and had devoted himself to what he could do, despite what anyone around him said. Baek had felt a sense of unity in that, feeling that the two were essentially very similar. However, Kang Shin-hyuk couldn’t help but pay attention to others’ opinions and make an effort to improve without giving in, while Baek had stopped caring. With that, Shin-hyuk had taken a leap into an entirely new category of strength.

‘I could’ve taken it for granted until he became the Rookie King. Then…Shin Eun-hyuk…’ It would’ve been a lie if he said he was just happy to see his friend grow faster than him. But what were those emotions, and where did they come from? It wasn’t easy to admit, but in the end, Baek accepted he was no different from the others he laughed at. He was jealous of his friend, comparing himself to him. However, he had no intention of giving up and sitting down. The attitude Baek had throughout his life wouldn’t change. He didn’t care if Kang Shin-hyuk made a bike, shot threads, or even had a relationship with a red-haired beauty! Baek could proceed the only way he could.

‘No, but how the hell did he end up with Claire…?’

-Myu!

“What are you saying, hedgehog?”

-Myu?!

He wouldn’t accept those who imposed limits on themselves, not even if he did it. He clenched the handle of the bike he borrowed from his friend, his knuckles turning white.

“Do you think I’ll be satisfied with only this much?”

-Myu!

He pulled down on the accelerator with one hand and held a dagger in the other, raising his mana up to the limit. If he could match the speed of this bike, he could prevent the elementals from approaching.

-Shaaaaa

-Kiiiiiii!

The sounds of the elementals rang out, but he remained vigilant. He knew their cries meant little; what he needed to focus on was their magic—negative mana, poisonous magic that would eat away at one’s mana.

-Cuo…

The bike vibrated in response. He had no clue where it came from, but this artifact was blowing out a magical wind to protect him. It pushed away the magic of the shadow elementals as it boosted Baek’s power.

-Shaaaah!

Baek accelerated on the bike towards the shadow elements rising up from the floor. They let out a scream as the bike flattened them.

“Go away!”

-Kiaaaaak!

His magic power was concentrated at a single point at the tip of the dagger as it cut through even the shadow elementals far away from him.

‘What…’ The results that came out were much more impressive than the power he had used. Was it just an illusion? No, he confirmed it wasn’t as he kept swinging the dagger.

‘Is it this bike?!’ He had heard of artifacts like this that enhanced their master’s abilities, but he never imagined the change would be so dramatic. It was all thanks to the Shinfeng orb that powered it, but Baek In-ha had no idea. The traits of the blue cow matched very well with him, making them incredibly fast. It instantly recognized what was happening around them and created an efficient path to follow. They moved around an area with Hyeongju Ahn at the center, removing the shadow elements that encroached on them as they moved like lightning.

‘No, it’s actually sparking. Is it using wind and lightning?’ The blue cow responded by releasing the magical power of the wind to amplify Baek. He immediately fell in love with the bike.

‘If I ask Shinyuk to sell me one, would he?’ Maybe it would be too hard to make something like this again. If so, he would have to engrave what this felt like in his mind—the flow of the wind and his own mana.

At some point, green mana began to rise up from his entire body. Hyeongju Ahn was unconscious, so he couldn’t see it, but Onyx watched it with amazement.

***

-You have subdued one that is harmful to the order of things! Bonus based on membership level! You received 27,000,000HP! As a VIP bonus, you had received an additional amount of HP equivalent to 50% of the reward, for a total of 40,500,000HP!

It had been a satisfying meal. The amount of HP had been slightly higher than when he had killed the Poison Mist (SS+), as well. That probably meant this opponent was particularly tricky, but Kang Shin-hyuk had an ability that served as a hard counter to his foe.

-The Dark Spirit Pearl has absorbed darkness beyond its intake limit. It has been sealed until it is finished digesting.

“I believe in you, Dark Spirit Pearl.” Kang Shin-hyuk placed the pearl in his inventory as the gate erosion was lifted, and the natural night sky returned.

-The Irregular Gate has been cleared. The gate has been destroyed. Everything inside the gate will be discharged outside.

Soon, everyone would be bounced out. Kang Shin-hyuk used the air bubbles to land gently on the ground. He had grown comfortable using them during the fight. Ahead of him was Baek, his eyes closed as he rode atop the blue cow.

“What, did you burn through everything, Baek?” Hyeongju Ahn, as a bonus, was still knocked unconscious.

-Myu! Myu!

“Yes, you seem fine too. Good job, Onyx.” He grabbed onto Onyx, who had rushed him with some intent.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

-Myuuu!

Onyx pushed against Shin-hyuk’s cheek to make him look at Baek.

Only

“Baek In-ha? What’s going on?”

“Shinyuk…” Baek finally spoke up, gently opening his eyes that were now stained with emerald color.

“Lend me this bike.”

“No.”

“I’ll do anything, so lend it to me. Please, lend it to me!”

“I hate the idea of it…”

“Sir?”

In order to build a bright and compliant society full of dreams and hopes, Kang Shin-hyuk had decided to prepare a contract.