Heroine Hunts Heroines-Chapter 124

It’s been a while since I last saw her. Truthfully, even when I was in the archives, I had a few encounters with her. Around a century ago, there was a moment when a portal to her chamber briefly opened.

“Should I go myself?”

“Let’s think it over first.”

The enemy might turn out to be weaker than expected. Still, an unshakable sense of foreboding lingers over me—a gnawing feeling that something catastrophic is going to happen within days.

China, along with the Sin of Gluttony, is set to launch their invasion on June 25. It’s precisely around this time now.

Ultimately, the Academy will likely play a key role. If war breaks out, the Association will relay the news to Hansung, and everything will unfold from there.

For the time being, I’ll need to make sure I don’t miss anything.

***

The Academy was unusually busy today, with instructors bustling about as if something urgent had occurred. Was it finally happening?

Thanks to me and the heroines, the class balance had already been thrown into chaos long ago. The Academy had even sent multiple messages about guild recruitment opportunities, which I had thoroughly ignored every time.

Today, however, even Shinohara Kotone was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey! Long time no see, everyone!”

The fiery "Troublemaker," Choi Si-woo, appeared. While she usually looked cheerful and playful, often bantering with Yoo Jin-seok, her expression today seemed uncharacteristically grim.

“Oh, long time no see, Firecracker. So, how’s your romance with my brother going?”

“You’re so annoying.”

I smirked at her as she waved her hand dismissively. Judging by her reaction, there didn’t seem to be any major issues with Yoo Jin-seok.

“Or maybe you’re thinking about ditching him for Baekhwa after that kiss?”

Now that would work for me. Despite her terrible personality, her figure was undeniably impressive. Fixing that attitude could even be a fun project.

“You’ve really lost it, haven’t you? Now’s not the time for jokes.”

“Why not?”

She had started smiling first, so what was the issue now?

“A Yellow Dragon has appeared in China.”

What? For real?

“Is that true?”

Even Choi Si-woo, who had experienced a regression, was startled enough to ask for confirmation.

“Yes. It’s causing a massive uproar.”

Wasn’t the Yellow Dragon supposed to stay dead? Had it replaced the Sin this time, in some strange twist of causality? Something felt off about this.

While Choi Si-woo questioned the Firecracker further, I turned to the Akashic Record for answers.

“Akashic Record, has the Yellow Dragon taken the place of the Sin?”

[The Sin of Gluttony was discovered by Beijing warlords, who located the Yellow Dragon’s corpse and used the Sin’s power to resurrect it.]

Damn it. So now it’s not just the Sin—we’re dealing with the Yellow Dragon on top of that.

If the Yellow Dragon is under the control of the Beijing warlords via the Sin, then it’s not the same uncontrollable beast as before.

“How did they even find its corpse?”

[The Yellow Dragon’s corpse originally drifted down the Yellow River and was later used as an energy source during the Gate Disaster caused by Yoo Eun-ha’s death in the original timeline. In this altered timeline, the Beijing warlords retrieved and resurrected it.]

So, this is my fault for being alive?

Still, even if that’s the case, the humans in the Infiltration Zones should’ve been wiped out. Without the Gate Disaster, the Yellow Dragon shouldn’t have been able to return.

[The issue is that the Yellow Dragon is now set to directly attack Seoul.]

Seoul? A direct attack?

Well, this is officially screwed.

“Can we stop it?”

[There are many possible futures. It is impossible to give a definitive answer.]

“Can I take on both the Yellow Dragon and the Sin at the same time?”

[You can only face one. As a reincarnated human, you cannot wield the same level of power as before. Facing both simultaneously would place you in grave danger. The Yellow Dragon is stronger than it was before.]

Even I’d have to give it my all?

“What if Choi Si-woo takes on the Sin of Gluttony?”

[The Sin of Gluttony is stronger than anticipated. At best, Choi Si-woo might achieve a stalemate. This is because the host for the Sin is Ping Tao, who is set to become the Beijing warlords’ next commander.]

Ping Tao? The host?

Ping Tao was also connected to the Constellation Saimyari, wasn’t she?

Well, this just keeps getting worse.

Choi Si-woo hasn’t had much time to strengthen her subordinates yet. While she’s grown more powerful thanks to my assistance—and the power of Lust—she’s still one of the weaker Sins overall.

In the original timeline, Gluttony’s host was Zhang Wei, the Beijing commander. If Ping Tao is now the host, it changes everything. The Sin of Gluttony grows stronger the more it consumes. Even if Lust’s power growth rate is high, Ping Tao’s unchecked consumption will make her far stronger.

And if her already durable body has been feasting right up to the brink of war, this will be a nightmare.

Maybe Choi Si-woo should’ve strengthened herself further through… more personal means?

No, absolutely not. That’s crossing a line.

As for the Yellow Dragon, can I even handle it? It’s possible, but if it’s paired with the Sin, things will get messy.

I might need Yoo Jin-seok’s help with this. As the original wielder of the Divine Sword, he’s perfect for countering China’s overwhelming numbers. It might also be a good idea to have him face off against Ping Tao.

“I doubt there’ll be any classes today. The instructors are probably all busy heading to the Association over this Yellow Dragon situation,” the Firecracker explained.

“So, even you?”

“Yes. If the Yellow Dragon is in Chinese hands, no one knows what might happen. At worst, it could mean war. Once things are done, head straight home.”

So they’re planning on sending us home immediately?

“Could we end up being sent to the frontlines?”

A nameless Class A student raised their hand to ask.

“If it comes to that, we’ll be the ones heading out, not you cadets.”

But, in reality, it’s always the cadets who get pulled into these things.

In the original timeline, Choi Si-woo’s tendency to get involved made things worse. Fortunately, she’s entirely devoted to me now, unlike in the original timeline, but still, this era relies on Hunters for warfare.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Cadets would inevitably be drafted as student soldiers. The wartime system is completely different from the pre-Cataclysm days.

Later that day, as we returned to the penthouse, news about the Yellow Dragon began flooding the TV and the internet. By 4 PM, the inevitable finally happened.

[Breaking News: Chinese President Zhang Wei has officially declared war on South Korea. In response, President Ha has expressed regret and pledged a firm stance against the invasion.]

There it is.

The Blue House’s response isn’t the issue. What did Ha Jung-seok himself say?

[“We will crush the insolent and foolish Chinese who still see us as Joseon, and restore the glory of Goguryeo!”]

What a lunatic. It’s the Hunters who’ll be fighting, not you. What are you planning to do, exactly?

But then again… his eyes were twitching.

Is he scared? He might even flee at this rate. In the original timeline, he didn’t act like this. Probably because all his subordinate Hunters are dead now.

Choi Si-woo, watching the news with me, finally spoke.

“Soon, we might be drafted into the war ourselves.”

“Is it that serious?”

Reyna reacted to Choi Si-woo’s concern.

In the original timeline, it was. At the start of the war, South Korea’s military was obliterated by China’s Hunter army. While the national military acted as a meat shield, Hunters abroad were recalled to form South Korea’s Hunter army and take on the Chinese Hunters.

This time will likely play out the same way.

“With the Yellow Dragon involved, we need to prepare for the worst. In the original timeline, it devastated an area the size of the Korean Peninsula before it was finally subdued.”

“If it’s that dangerous, what about creatures capable of opposing the Sins? Couldn’t they help?”

“They’ll likely be assigned to handle China’s overwhelming numbers. The problem is, the Yellow Dragon might be even stronger than before. If it was resurrected by the Sin, it could be even more powerful than the Sin itself.”

The Sins, even on their own, are on par with the Four Heavenly Kings in terms of power. This was something the original Yoo Jin-seok had explicitly stated.

“What about bringing in the black dragon, Magnute, from the Elven Kingdom?”

“Wait, something like that exists?”

“Yeah, it does. A dragon that once fought for the Demon King's army.”

Was there really such a creature still alive? Honestly, I had no idea. I’d never encountered it during my battles. If it had been part of the Demon King's forces, I would’ve seen it firsthand.

“Mom, was there really a dragon like that?”

Reyna asked, tilting her head. Rachel twirled her fingers thoughtfully before replying cautiously.

“It’s a dragon I came across during my time as a resistance fighter. That thing burned down every village built by the elves. I don’t remember all the details, but it was said to have been the guardian of a country that the Demon King and the Empire had joined forces to create. It wiped out every human nation that dared to rebel against it.”

“But there’s no way to travel back to your timeline, right?”

Since Rachel is now connected to this worldline, returning to that destroyed world is impossible. The Demon King is dead, and the only thing left of the Elven Kingdom is its peaceful, happy state.

“No, that dragon is supposed to be incredibly old. I don’t know for sure, but the elders of the resistance claimed it was at least several centuries old.”

If such a dragon still exists, could we make use of it? No, I shouldn’t rush. As the saying goes, even when crossing a stone bridge, you should tread carefully.

“It might be a strong addition to our forces, but can it even be persuaded to help us?”

“We’ll have to try. It can at least understand speech, so communication shouldn’t be impossible.”

Right. There’s no harm in trying.

“I’ll need to meet with Ha Jung-seok as well, just in case.”

“To yank out more of his hair?”

Not this time. That’s a task for after the war. It’s better for the economy of creativity if I save that for later. Besides, if I provoke him before he’s had a chance to get crushed by the Yellow Dragon, who knows what might happen?

“No, it’s something else. It won’t take long.”

This war is an opportunity to negotiate with Ha Jung-seok. There’s the matter of Baekhwa Sect’s treatment, as well as securing autonomy for the lands under my rule. First, though, I need to figure out a way to deal with the Yellow Dragon.

I headed to the rooftop and called for Kate.

“Kate, if I ask you to open a Gate, can you do it?”

“Yes.”

I’ll also need to make a separate arrangement with Ha Jung-seok. The Yellow Dragon will require some way to stall for time.

Every time I mention changes to the original story’s events, I get a splitting headache. It’s better to approach this from a different angle.

“Akashic Record, does South Korea still have an air force?”