Chapter 214: Aftercare Is Certain (5)
I was elated.
So very elated.
To Baek Seol-hee, I barely managed to hint at being the Goblin, never mind invite her into the Secret Society.
To Yumir, even after revealing that I was part of the Secret Society and explaining every single support the society offered, she only dipped her toes in.
It was only towards the end of February, after infiltrating the Academy and nearly two and a half months later, that I finally managed to recruit someone.
My salesperson journey was not wrong.
I wasnt specifically looking for a heroine.
In my search for capable ability users, most turned out to be heroines, and in filtering out women involved in drugs or theft, I ended up making contact with Yoon Iseon.
[Im glad. Welcome to the Secret Society. Now that youve joined, feel comfortable]
No, I cant!
Yoon Iseon grabbed my wrist just as I was about to remove my mask.
Never take it off!
[I was thinking of showing my face beforehand, in case you get disappointed later.]
Its okay since I already know. Please stay in your Goblin form when youre a Goblin. Thats my condition for joining the Secret Society!
[What?]
I had a hunch.
As expected, perhaps.
[You know who I am?]
Yes. I know who you are. Ive been pretending not to know, so lets just move on. Whats important now is Yoon Iseon, who will soon be an S-class, and the Goblin!
[.]
This kid was exhausting.
Knowing that Do Ji-hwan was the Goblin yet strictly distinguishing between the Goblin and Do Ji-hwan.
Was this what being a fan was?
I was starting to get a little scared.
[When did you find out?]
After I learned that Yumir is the Solar Platina.
[That was when Duoexini released the 72 demons.]
Yes. Um, dont say anything to Yumir. It was just a guess.
[I think I understand what kind of guess it was. You investigated Yumirs social relationships, right?]
Dont tell Yumir. It would hurt her feelings, so dont say it.
As I expected.
Yoon Iseon delved into my identity, leveraging the fact that Yumir had no friends.
Yumir, devoid of friends, curiously followed only one man?
Considering the relationship with that man, its natural to suspect he knew that Yumir was the Solar Platina.
Because its the truth.
[Now that youve joined the Secret Society, I wasnt planning to hide my identity, but if thats your wish, Ill comply.]
Wow!
Yoon Iseon spread her arms wide, her smile radiant.
Thank you! You truly are the Goblin. Hehe. A tsundere who excels in fan service, as expected.
[Dont use such terms lightly. Ive mentioned it a few times and only ended up causing unnecessary Rider hype.]
But you do step in when it seems necessary, even if reluctantly. If such situations arise in the future.
[If it can be resolved without assuming the Riders form, I wont do it. Ive decided to abandon the Rider persona.]
With my identity now revealed to Yoon Iseon, I felt more at ease interacting with her.
[So, Ms. Iseon, what concept have you decided on?]
The Goblin doesnt speak like that.
[Ill speak in a manner that feels natural to me.]
If youre going to wear a mask, commit to it fully.
[Its because Im in front of you, thats why.]
Even in front of me, you should be consistent. Its problematic if you keep offering me the red pill.
[Hmm.]
If thats your stance.
[Alright. Then, since referring to you simply as a student doesnt quite fit, Ill address you as Yoon Iseon for now. When the Chief assigns you a codename, Ill use that codename.]
Oh.
[Of course, the codename will be a pseudonym that wont lead anyone to think of you upon hearing it. It will be distinctly different from your hero name, similar yet different. For you, I can think of a few potential codenames.]
What might those be?
[Byakumenkimono. Or perhaps Tamamonomae.]
Arent those Japanese?
[Who would think its a Korean name if it sounds Japanese? Theyd assume its a fox-type ability user from Japan.]
Thats the essence of how codenames work within the Secret Society.
It began when the Hero Association started arbitrarily assigning names of evil spirits or monsters to the executives of the Secret Society. However, this practice had its own logic, and now everyone adopted monster or demon codenames.
Someday, when the Secret Society conquers the world and emerges as the true world of light, it will shed the image of the monster Yi Maengmangnyang and be reborn as guardians of order.
Except, the Goblin would remain just a Goblin.
[The Hero Association will probably come up with a pseudonym for you once you become S-class, but the pseudonym will reflect your essence. That is, the pseudonym will vary depending on the style of combat you use.]
I pointed to six symbols next to the picture of Yoon Iseon I had displayed earlier.
[Assassin, warrior, mage, ranged dealer, supporter, tanker. Does this classification sound familiar?]
No. Its completely different from the classification at the Academy.
[Well, I suppose so. Its one of the Secret Societys unique classification methods. You wouldnt find it on the wiki.]
Due to the cataclysm, the ravine no longer existed in this world.
Had the ravine been created, then ability users would not have been able to play in it.
Just five rounds in, and theyd start worrying about their parents. How could ability users with fragile mentalities possibly navigate the ravine?
Which category does the Goblin belong to?
[A supporter whos also an assassin?]
What does that mean? How can Dodjirider be both a supporter and an assassin?
[Its all an illusion created through technique. When you think about the role categories, this fits me.]
Considering youre swinging a bat, wouldnt that make you a warrior?
[Just a supporter who goes around executing villains with a bat.]
For your information, I was the one who proposed this classification to the Chief myself.
I suggested dividing the roles of ability users into these six categories, and the Chief gladly accepted my proposal.
[Each of these six categories is further divided into more specific subcategories. Even tankers are categorized into offensive and defensive types.]
Vanguard and sentinel?
[Yes. There are tankers who withstand the enemys attacks upfront, and those who protect allies and hold the shield. But since youre not a tanker, thats not relevant to you.]
I began to eliminate roles one by one.
In fact, I had a particular entity in mind that fit a role, but the image of a fox wasnt exclusive to that character.
[There are two concepts that suit you.]
A mage and a supporter?
[Yes. While most ability users can easily be classified as mages, youre a type of mage who uses your agility to exploit the enemys weaknesses. A flame sorcerer with a fox concept.]
Yoon Iseons combat style involved using her small stature for mobility to dodge enemy attacks and efficiently firing bullet-like magical bullets.
[You struggle a bit against opponents with strong durability, right?]
Yes. Thats true. I had a hard time dealing damage when fighting against Ray Hwang.
When facing Ray Hwang, her attacks didnt penetrate well, but now, with the full use of the mana in her mana pouch, the situation would be different.
[Do you think you could beat Ray Hwang if you faced him again now?]
Yes. Of course. I can definitely win. Just using the techniques the Goblin taught me is enough to win.
Its not flattery or excessive self-consciousness.
Yoon Iseons magic power had significantly increased just from awakening, enough to maintain her physical body without much trouble.
She now has enough firepower to engage in a battle of strength without relying solely on mobility.
[But Ray Hwang is at an A+ level, and you are now S-class. You have to think about facing an S-class.]
.
[You need to decide your path clearly. Whether to keep the same combat style with your increased body size or to choose a new combat style. I think.]
Um, theres a bit of a problem with that.
Yoon Iseon interrupted me.
I want to match my combat style to my clothing concept.
[What?]
I want to choose clothes that fit the Goblins concept and then finalize my combat style as an S-class to suit those clothes.
[No.]
Wait a minute.
[Youve got the order reversed.]
But now that Im S-class, I can choose my combat style as I wish, right?
[Well, yes, but.]
Wouldnt that be the best way for me to become stronger? People should wear the clothes they want, not be wrapped in a concept they dont like.
[.]
There are people who changed their combat style to focus on kicks just to fit into a Rider suit. And actually, many of them showed results in this tournament.
[.]
I wanted to argue, but thinking about the logic of this world, I couldnt find anything to refute because it made sense.
[So you want your concept to be like mine?]
Yes. If possible, please make it a couples set. If not a couples set, then something that feels aligned with the Goblin.
[You saw last time, the form Ive changed into is closer to this.]
I showed her the form I took when fighting Duoexini.
Long disheveled hair and a black hanbok.
If I had to compare, maybe a warrior Goblin from the Goryeo dynasty.
Though the hair was made of magic power.
[Youre going to match this?]
Ah. Perfect.
Yoon Iseons eyes sparkled as she pointed at the wall.
It feels like having a general beside me who would protect me, so Ill go with the generals wife concept.
[.]
Traditional wedding attire would be nice. This one, this. Though the details might be different.
[Got it.]
Ability users.
[Do as you wish.]
If they were prevented from doing what they wanted, they became demons.
And so.
Yoon Iseon decided to develop her abilities, starting with her costume.
Ah, this is traditional wedding attire for a queen or princess.
[Spirit Charge doesnt suit this outfit, umm!]
So.
[Are you sure you want this outfit?]
Yes.
[Even if it kills you?]
Yes.
[Alright, do as you wish.]
Yoon Iseon completely sacrificed mobility for her costume.
Because she had to match her S-class costume with the hanbok costume the Goblin wore.
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