Revenge with the Power of the Final Boss-Chapter 78: Those Who Approach Baek Seo-jin (1)

‘Baek Seo-jun.’

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Moriya Yuka saw the name of the boy who had been tortured and tormented by villains in the video shown during the first lesson.

Since his appearance clearly resembled Baek Seo-jin, she easily found information about the Baek brothers on the Korean internet by simply searching their names.

Although the incident had occurred 14 years ago, and Yuka, being Japanese, wouldn’t have known much about it, it was remarkably easy to find the details thanks to the records available online.

As Moriya Yuka dug into the story of Baek Seo-jun, the older brother of Baek Seo-jin, she couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

‘It really is Baek Seo-jun. But how could Baek Seo-jin, that man, look at his older brother being tortured like that with such cold eyes?’

On the surface, it seemed like Baek Seo-jin was simply silent about the matter, saying nothing publicly.

However, Moriya Yuka noticed that when Baek Seo-jin watched the video of Baek Seo-jun’s suffering, there wasn’t a trace of concern or anger towards the villains in his expression. Instead, his gaze resembled that of someone who believed the villains deserved their punishment.

It was the same gaze Yuka had seen on the faces of Japanese citizens when they watched villains being taken down after committing acts of terror. The look they gave the villains was identical to the look Baek Seo-jin directed at his own brother in the video.

‘Could it really be this?’

Moriya Yuka felt like she had found the source of the revulsion she felt toward Baek Seo-jin.

Whatever might have happened between the brothers, Baek Seo-jun had been only ten years old when he was abducted by villains.

At that time, Baek Seo-jin would have been six. It seemed unlikely that something significant enough to cause such animosity could have occurred between them at such a young age.

But now Baek Seo-jin was 20 years old. As an S-rank Hunter, his memories of his childhood would likely be vivid.

In fact, given his strength, which was at least SS-rank—stronger than Yuka’s own as an SS-rank Hunter—there was no doubt he could recall those memories clearly.

‘To look at his brother, suffering like that at the age of ten, with such a cold expression... It’s horrifying.’

Moriya Yuka thought of her own older brother, Moriya Yuji.

Unlike her, who had talent, Yuji lacked the abilities required to become an heir. Yet, despite not being fit for succession, their family didn’t discriminate against him. Their father, Moriya Takeru, often allocated more resources to Yuji, feeling sorry for his untalented eldest son.

Yuka herself, being capable of earning substantial sums by clearing dungeons, had her own wealth accumulated over the years.

No matter how much care the family provided, Yuji, lacking talent, could never feel truly satisfied. He was the black sheep of the Moriya family.

Yuka, while pitying her brother, knew that openly showing sympathy would only make him feel worse. The best she could do was support him quietly, in her own way.

‘Even though my brother is the black sheep of our family, I still care for him.’

This was why Yuka found Baek Seo-jin’s attitude incomprehensible.

If her own brother, Moriya Yuji, had committed a heinous crime, she might have despised him for it. But as his sister, she would still feel a mix of love and hatred, lamenting his flaws while longing for a better relationship.

She wouldn’t ever feel such absolute indifference, devoid of any affection.

‘I’ll need to investigate this further, but one thing is clear: it’s best to stay away from him.’

Trusting her instincts, Yuka resolved to keep her distance from Baek Seo-jin. However, alongside her suspicion of him, she couldn’t shake her curiosity about Kim Ho-jun, the academy’s principal.

‘Why do I always feel pity when I look at him?’

The feeling she had was like the pity she felt for her brother Moriya Yuji, but amplified several times over.

As the principal of the prestigious Kangin Academy and an SSS-rank Hunter, what about Kim Ho-jun could possibly invoke such sorrow?

Moriya Yuka wondered if Lee Ha-yeon might know something about this. She decided to ask her later, under the pretext of investigating the reason for her growing disdain for Baek Seo-jin.

***

After the first class, the students were briefly in shock.

Even those who had hunted monsters or seen the corpses of villains couldn’t help but feel a sense of human shock and anger at the atrocities committed by the villains depicted in the footage.

"That was truly horrifying."

"I feel like this will haunt me as a nightmare for the rest of my life."

Amidst the murmurs of discontent from the students leaving the classroom, Baek Seo-jin subtly tried to approach Lee Ha-yeon and Han Se-hee.

"There’s still some time until the next class. If you have any questions, I’ll answer them. Let’s go somewhere quiet."

"Alright, thank you."

However, he didn’t manage to approach them as they walked away, seemingly heading to talk with Moriya Yuka and Kang Yu-ra.

‘Are the four of them becoming friends already?’

It wasn’t surprising, given their exceptional talents and striking appearances. They were all beautiful, each one on par with Seomun Ye-jin, and their presence alone naturally drew attention. Yet, few dared to approach them.

In Lee Ha-yeon’s case, in particular, she seemed to radiate a subtle aura that warned others not to come closer.

It was difficult for most to casually approach women who were superior in both skills and background.

‘But that doesn’t apply to me.’

Though he chose not to interrupt their conversation and gave them space out of consideration, Baek Seo-jin was an old friend of both Han Se-hee and Lee Ha-yeon.

He could approach them whenever he wanted, but for now, he decided to let them talk freely.

"Hello, my name is Kim Chul-woo."

"I’m Park Sun-hoo."

"I’m Bae Ye-rim."

As Baek Seo-jin stood there, three students—two boys and one girl—approached him. With a gentle smile, he greeted them.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Seo-jin. What can I do for you?"

He quickly assessed the three newcomers.

Kim Chul-woo had a solid, muscular build and appeared to be an S-rank Hunter.

Park Sun-hoo had a leaner frame, also suggesting he was an S-rank Hunter.

As for Bae Ye-rim, she seemed to specialize in ranged combat, judging by her posture and movement, which were suited for maintaining distance. She likely wasn’t a firepower-focused Hunter like Lee Ha-yeon, but rather someone who utilized attacks imbued with elemental properties or shot projectiles from a distance.

‘She probably uses something like arrows or projectiles imbued with elemental power.’

While he could confirm more by looking at her hands, it would have been impolite to ask to examine them upon first meeting. Thus, he refrained.

"It’s about what you mentioned earlier. I found it intriguing."

At Kim Chul-woo’s words, Baek Seo-jin unconsciously clenched his fist—not out of anger, but from joy.

‘Someone is actually paying attention to what I said!’

He hadn’t expected many people to be swayed by his words, given how many had been deceived by the false image of Kim Ho-jun that had been propagated for so long.

Still, he believed that eventually, the truth would come to light, and there would be those willing to listen to him.

Realizing this, Baek Seo-jin nodded, his heart brimming with happiness.

"Alright. What are you curious about?"

"It’s about Seomun Ye-jin. Is it true that Kim Ho-jun, the principal, forcibly made her his wife?"

"Yes, it’s true. Ye-jin noona was coerced into marriage and can’t escape because he has something to hold over her."

"I see. What about the rumors about the Baekho Guild spreading false accusations?"

"Those are lies too. At the time, Kim Ho-jun, already an SSS-rank Hunter, used his influence to fabricate the accusations and frame the Baekho Guild. Ye-jin noona knew the truth and was deeply saddened by it."

Although he couldn’t clearly recall if Seomun Ye-jin had expressed her sorrow back then, Baek Seo-jin firmly believed it to be true.

Surely, she must have been heartbroken. No, she was heartbroken.

He didn’t know why, but he was certain of it. There was no room for doubt or hesitation in his belief.

‘Ye-jin noona.’

Seomun Ye-jin must have silently conveyed her sorrow to the young Seo-jin, hoping desperately that one day he would come to rescue her.

Kim Ho-jun, suppressing her, had likely forced her into marriage and subjected her to daily humiliation and abuse. No, that had to be the case.

Given his heinous acts against Seo-jin’s parents and his defense of Baek Seo-jun—a villain worse than Seo-jun himself—Kim Ho-jun was undoubtedly a depraved monster.

"Is that really true?"

"Yes. But at the time, the Baekho Guild didn’t have the power to fight back. Even now, it’s still lacking."

This time, Baek Seo-jin clenched his fist in frustration.

"We came because we’re interested in what you have to say. Could we find a quiet place to talk?"

At Park Sun-hoo’s suggestion, Baek Seo-jin nodded with a slightly firm expression.

"Of course. In fact, I was about to ask for that myself."

He had finally found people willing to listen to him.

With the intent to start persuading them and eventually unite the entire academy against Kim Ho-jun, Baek Seo-jin made a firm resolve.

‘Ye-jin noona, I’ll save you. Please, hold on just a little longer.’

He also planned to soon deliver definitive information about Kim Ho-jun’s true nature to Choi Kang-in.

Baek Seo-jin’s heart was filled with hope.