Chapter 166. Social Gathering Party (3)
"Ugh, I'm exhausted."
Starting with Min Yeji, most of the guild people came to say hello.
I wanted to ignore them, but with Baek A-Young and Moon Surin next to me, I had to keep up appearances.
'Feels like I greeted people a hundred times.'
At least I didn't have to waste energy remembering names.
I knew them all just by listening.
Right now, I had run away under the pretense of going to the bathroom.
On the way there, I ended up in an unfamiliar area.
Since the party hall was large, there were still many I hadn't seen. This area was full of unfamiliar faces.
"Hahaha... Indeed, Chairman."
"As expected of President Park. By the way, is the lady next to you your new secretary?"
"Yes, yes. Something like that, Chairman."
I turned my head instinctively at the sound of that conversation while scanning the area.
And there she was—the person I was looking for.
'Found you.'
In a dark corner of the party hall.
Nam Daeun was standing behind a middle-aged man.
It was dim due to the corner location, but I could clearly see her face.
She had straight black hair and wore a flashy dress.
She looked much more beautiful dressed up.
The dress covered very little—her exposed back was covered by her hair, and she used her hand to cover her cleavage.
Nam Daeun adjusted her outfit while subtly dodging Park Mingyu's hand trying to touch her shoulder.
Park Mingyu gave her an annoyed look but didn't say anything, perhaps because of the man in front of him.
"So anyway... oh?"
The man talking with Park Mingyu turned his gaze and spotted me.
He smiled and walked over, offering his hand.
"Hey, it's the celebrity himself! Nice to meet you. I'm Shin Younghoon, Guild Master of the Shin-Young Guild."
I hadn't planned on talking, but maybe this was okay.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Hoyeon."
If he's from the Shin-Young Guild, he must be the father of the Student Council Vice President... and since he's here with the Baeyer Guild Master, he's probably not a good person either.
"Hey, Mingyu. Come here. This cadet's the hottest topic right now."
Shin Younghoon pulled Park Mingyu over and had us greet each other.
"Ah... You're Cadet Lee Hoyeon?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
Park Mingyu also came forward and held out his hand.
That's when Nam Daeun finally looked my way upon hearing my name.
She had been staring into space, completely out of it, but the moment she heard my name, she finally focused.
Her lifeless eyes began to tremble as they met mine.
Then she slowly shook her head and backed away.
Her look was like she'd just seen a monster—asking why I was here.
"Huh? Daeun."
"...Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
"Oh, uh, go ahead."
With Park Mingyu's permission, Nam Daeun fled.
"Must've been really urgent to leave mid-conversation."
Shin Younghoon chuckled and took a swig.
But I didn't have time for this. I had to follow her.
"Then I'll excuse myself too."
"Already? We still have business to discuss..."
Ignoring the hand trying to stop me, I headed in the direction Nam Daeun disappeared.
Following the faint trace of her mana, I found Nam Daeun crying in a corner near the bathroom hallway.
She had her face buried between her knees, trembling softly.
"...Nam Daeun."
When I touched her arm, she slapped my hand away with a loud smack.
"Please, just leave me alone..."
★ Heroine Status Window
[Nam Daeun]
- [ Affection: 57 ]
- [ Lust: 15 ]
- [ Appetite: 40 ]
- [ Fatigue: 90 ]
Current Status: I didn't want you to see me like this.
"...Hey."
"Go away! Why do you keep coming near me?"
Nam Daeun jumped up and pushed me away, refusing to talk.
"I'll help you, Nam Daeun."
At those words, her expression turned cold.
"What do you know that makes you think you can help me? Do you even understand my situation?"
"I know everything. You're being blackmailed because of Nam Dahee."
"...Yeah. And I'm also drowning in debt. I can't go against Mr. Mingyu."
She already looked like she had given up.
She probably tried to fix it herself but got nowhere.
Even if I say I'll help, she wouldn't believe it right away.
"Debt like that isn't meant to be paid off. And I already saved your sister."
"...What? What are you talking about."
"Hard to believe, but it's true. I rescued Nam Dahee. I'll explain everything—"
Boom! Boom! KABOOM!
Just as I was about to explain, an explosion echoed through the party hall.
Then I felt a familiar wave of mana hit me.
'A rune barrier...?'
Rune barriers were being set up, dividing the party hall into small sections.
Bzzz—
I reverse-calculated a part of the barrier that stood between me and Nam Daeun.
After awakening, controlling mana like this became easy.
"W-What is this..."
A flustered Nam Daeun looked around and began summoning her mana.
"Nam Daeun. It's okay."
This was a terror attack.
And if rune barriers are involved, only one group could be behind it—Pandemic.
I didn't know why they were targeting a social party, but I had to finish my talk with Nam Daeun...
[A sub-quest has been delivered.]
Then, a system message popped up—one I hadn't seen since completing the top spot in the practical exam.
----------------------
[Rescue the Heroine!]
A heroine without combat power needs the protagonist's protection.
Especially if she's the main target from the start.
Stop the evil hand reaching for the heroine!
- Reward: +3 Affection with the targeted heroine
----------------------
"...."
A heroine without combat ability... there's only one.
Baek A-Young.
I didn't know the reason yet, but if she was the target, I had to get to her immediately.
She had no combat power at all.
I looked at Nam Daeun.
I wanted to explain things properly to her trembling figure, but there wasn't time.
"Nam Daeun. Ignore all messages from your guild and go to the central fountain of the Academy."
Thankfully, I had a contingency plan—I'd told Scarlett about this possibility.
"...What?"
"A blonde girl will talk to you there. Follow her to my room in the boys' dorm. Nam Dahee is there. She'll explain everything. I have to go save people now."
"W-Wait!"
"Don't trust the Baeyer Guild. Just this once, trust me."
I met her flustered gaze.
Nam Daeun seemed about to say something but fell silent at my serious expression.
It was a look I'd never seen from her before.
She must've been overwhelmed by my sudden words.
But thankfully, I could tell one thing—she believed me.
I left Nam Daeun and ran toward the party hall.
*
"What the hell is this?!"
"Break! Break, damn it!"
A man swung his sword at the barrier.
Clang! Clang!
But the barrier didn't get a scratch.
Hunters enjoying the party were now trapped inside with some of the guests.
Even high-rank Hunters were struggling to reverse-analyze the unfamiliar type of barrier.
"What kind of lunatic does this at a social gathering..."
Min Yeji scowled as she stared at the barrier.
Since an invitation was needed, someone clearly betrayed them.
Only trustworthy people were invited. There's no way this happened without an insider.
'At this rate, it'll take 10 minutes to break it down.'
In a terror situation, 10 minutes is an eternity.
That's more than enough time for things to go horribly wrong.
But to save even a second, Min Yeji cleared her mind and focused on breaking the barrier.
Then, the barrier started to shake.
It disrupted the Hunters trying to reverse-analyze it.
"Damn it, we lost progress!"
Vrrrr—
The Hunters looked toward the source of the vibration.
One part of the barrier was trembling.
Crackle.
With a tearing sound, a part of the barrier ripped open.
Then a head popped through.
"...Nope, not here either. Oh? Ms. Min Yeji. Have you seen A-Young?"
"Y-You... How did you...?"
Min Yeji was stunned—not just by Lee Hoyeon's sudden appearance, but by how effortlessly he tore through a barrier that top Hunters had been working on.
"I'll explain later. Did you see A-Young or not?"
"N-No... I haven't."
She had completely forgotten about Baek A-Young while enjoying the party.
"Hmm. Got it. Everyone here, come help fight the demons outside. There are tons of them."
With that, Lee Hoyeon disappeared.
The trapped Hunters looked suspiciously at the hole he left, but then followed through it and escaped.
Outside was utter chaos.
Dozens of demons were fighting Hunters at the party.
Most of the Hunters had been rescued by Lee Hoyeon.
Min Yeji immediately drew her mana and rushed into battle.