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Translator: uly
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Childhood Friend (4)
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"G-Genius...! A A talent divinely gifted by the heavens!"
That was what Jin Se-jeong's wet nurse cried out, collapsing to the floor on the day she awakened.
Starting with the wet nurse's thrilled shout, news of Jin Se-jeong's awakening spread throughout the entire Jin Family.
Considering that the average awakening age for superhumans from prestigious families was after thirteen, her awakening at exactly ten years old—120 months since birth—was undoubtedly remarkably early.
However, even an early awakening didn't guarantee success; many failed to live up to their early potential. So at first, it only drew the family's attention.
But when she formed a mana core within a week of awakening by following the family head's guidance, and began coating her sword with mana after just a month, everyone in the Jin Family had no choice but to gape in collective disbelief and acknowledge it.
"A genius has emerged from the Jin Family!!!"
Jin Se-jeong, the Jin Family's second daughter, was an overwhelming prodigy destined to lead the family one day.
From then on, the way the Jin Family looked at and treated her changed.
She had already grown up without lacking anything as the family head's direct descendant, but after her exceptional talent was confirmed, the support overflowed to the point where the very concept of "lack" vanished from her mind.
Every gaze from the Jin Family toward Jin Se-jeong brimmed with irrepressible expectations, and she joyfully accepted those expectant stares.
Because she was just a ten-year-old child. A little kid who could purely delight in praise.
But the world is far too easy for those blessed with innate talent—yet also far too harsh.
"...Elder, so what are you going to do? Just leave it be?"
"I'll handle it properly."
The world's complicated laws applied mercilessly to Jin Se-jeong as well.
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"Haa..."
The kid who had been spouting precocious mutterings about genius this and unwanted gifts, she soon dropped her head and let out a sigh so heavy it seemed the world might end.
A ten-year-old kid sighing like that? I didn't know the details, but she clearly had her circumstances.
Well, I could roughly guess what kind of mess she was in.
I replayed the kid's behavior I'd seen so far and the mutterings I'd just overheard, then stepped out from the shadows into the moonlight.
It was a full moon tonight, so the night was reasonably bright despite the hour. The kid over there, being an awakened superhuman, immediately sensed my presence and turned her gaze toward me.
"Yang... Woo-bin...? What, it's you? A guy wandering outside at night. What kind of nonsense are you here to spout?"
The moment she confirmed it was me, the wariness filling her eyes melted away in an instant.
Not because she saw me as an ally, but because she figured I wasn't even worth being wary of.
Well, this was the Reverse Hero Tale world. Even if someone snuck up in the dead of night and popped out, the moment they realized it was a guy, dropping their guard was par for the course.
I got it on a logical level, but as a veteran of this world, her attitude—like I wasn't worth the caution—still stung my pride.
So to reclaim my wounded pride and make good use of this sudden opportunity with the kid, I opened my mouth.
"Your face looks awful. You seemed so bright earlier. Feels like now's the real you and that was fake. Good acting skills, huh?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
She frowned and glared at me, clearly scratched by my words.
I'd meant to probe her boundaries to provoke a reaction, but I hadn't expected her to bite so fast. She's ridiculously straightforward. Kids are kids, I guess.
Her fresh, lively response—like a freshly hooked fish thrashing about—left me inwardly impressed.
Anyway, I'd successfully baited her, so now I needed to steer the conversation my way.
"What do I mean? Just purely praising the once-in-a-generation genius Jin Se-jeong, who awakened into a superhuman at the ripe old age of ten."
"...Tch."
Oh yeah, nailed it. Even with all the flowery praise, her face hardened right up. Normal kids that age wouldn't even recognize sarcasm—they'd take it as a compliment. She's genuinely hating being called a genius.
The vague outline of the kid's situation sharpened into focus.
Awakening at ten meant starting way ahead of the pack. And wielding sword aura at ten? That meant she could sprint far faster than anyone else.
A true prodigy, with "genius" fitting her like a glove—that was Jin Se-jeong, the kid right in front of me.
But she hated the label and wasn't thrilled about her innate gifts.
There had to be a reason, and I thought I knew it.
If you've got decent talent, naming the eldest daughter as heir is standard.
Even in this Reverse Hero Tale world, sticking to matrilineal primogeniture was the surest way to avoid drama.
But if a talent dazzling enough to shatter that tradition appears? Everything changes.
Awakening at ten wasn't enough—she'd formed a mana core and wielded sword aura. That must've terrified the eldest daughter and her supporters.
Enough to decide they had to eliminate her.
A pack of wild dogs can only kill a tiger by ripping it apart as a cub.
She was still just ten. She could wield sword aura, sure, but less than a year into being a superhuman—like a toddler taking its first steps.
If the eldest's backers set their minds to it, offing a kid like her would be child's play.
She'd probably come to the Yang Family as a guest retainer out of sheer necessity for survival.
"Man."
Once my thoughts reached that point, an uncomfortable feeling settled in.
A ten-year-old forced to leave her birth family and throw herself on the mercy of strangers just to stay alive.
Truly pitiful.
I'd lived a wretched life myself, but at least my neck wasn't on the chopping block.
In that sense, she had it worse—living under constant threat of death. For the first time since reincarnating into this world, I felt genuine pity.
Yeah, go easy on her. She's pitiful.
With pity blooming in my heart, I held back, shelved my planned "planned relentless provocation," and spoke to the kid.
"Watched you the whole time. Looks like you've got some seriously messy circumstances. Probably why your head's full of stray thoughts."
"So? What can you do about it?"
Maybe from me needling her earlier, her attitude toward me was downright prickly.
But since I'd already pegged her as pitiful, her rudeness didn't faze me. I pressed on.
"What can I do? Plenty. Like... unraveling that knot in your chest of yours."
As I said that, I picked up one of the white garden stones scattered around the yard and gripped it.
Nice grip—perfect for throwing straight where I wanted.
"W-W-What are you saying?! Y-You insolent jerk! Easing a girl's mood when you just met her today? I felt it when you offered your hand earlier, but you really..."
"Throwing."
"Huh?"
Just like our first meeting, I cut off her stream of nonsense and hurled the stone right at her.
Pang-!
I'd put some real force into it, so the stone tore through the air and shot toward her in a flash. Her face froze at the speed and power packed into it.
Thwack!
The thrown stone just grazed her earlobe and flew past, embedding itself in the tree behind her.
"Whoops. Missed."
I'd thrown it deliberately off-mark, but claiming it was a miss would better set up the situation I wanted, so I lied.
"Y-You...?"
She touched her stinging earlobe, turned to confirm the stone stuck in the tree, then whipped her head back to stare at me.
The shock in her eyes held no trace of her earlier nonchalance. Seeing her on the verge of freaking out healed my pride, wounded all day.
But this wasn't enough. Not satisfied yet.
I grinned at her.
"Training grounds. Let's spar. I'll blow every last one of those stray thoughts out of your head."
"What're you...?"
"I'll beat you so senseless that petty distractions can't even touch your mind."
A provocation no kid her age had likely heard before: I'll personally wreck you. Brutally straightforward.
At my taunt, she touched her grazed earlobe again, then glared at me with fierce eyes.
"No idea what your deal is, but I'm in a bad mood today. You'll regret those words and that attitude."
And so, human Yang Woo-bin's first spar in life was on!
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Crash! Clang! Thud!
"Done. Whew, way too easy."
"Ugh...?"
Thus, human Yang Woo-bin's first spar in life ended in my victory!