It had been quite some time since the group battle had begun.

They were now past the eighth wave.

At the heart of Gaon, in the top-tier VIP room.

This space, reserved only for frontline guilds and top-ranking organizations, was—

Much emptier than one might expect.

That was to be expected, though. Group battles weren't the best measure of individual skill.

Unless someone had a specific recruit in mind or a particular person they wanted to observe, there was little reason to watch the group match.

“Hoho, visiting your daughter’s match the moment your training ends?”

A Cheongpungdae escort laughed as he spoke.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man in neatly arranged robes, eyes narrowed as he gazed at the battlefield.

The head of the Yoo family—Yoo Mujin.

He didn’t answer.

He simply focused on the battlefield displayed on the screen.

There, the group Yu Hana belonged to was locked in intense combat.

He had to watch.

He needed to confirm it with his ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) own eyes.

The face of the scoundrel who had stolen his daughter’s heart.

Hana... what in the world were you saying...

Husband.

That one word his daughter had said wouldn’t leave his mind.

He had even forgotten to call her “daughter” as he urgently questioned her again...

But Yu Hana had nodded without a hint of hesitation.

A firm gaze. A voice free of uncertainty.

It was the look of someone whose heart was already set.

Yoo Mujin knew all too well.

His daughter, Yu Hana, was the type who, once she chose a path, never looked back.

Just like her mother.

Stubborn. Quick to decide. Never backs down.

But who the hell is he...!

Without even a chance to intervene, some punk had stolen the heart of his one and only precious daughter.

Just who was this guy, who’d taken advantage of his absence to nestle himself into her heart?

Yoo Mujin tried his best to analyze this Jeong Haein objectively, with a clear and critical eye.

However—

“......”

As someone whose life had been entirely devoted to martial training,

The more he watched, the more Yoo Mujin couldn’t help but acknowledge the boy.

The kid understood his role perfectly.

A team—or a raid party—wasn’t something that functioned just because one person was talented.

Especially in a combat scenario like this, where team cohesion and coordination were the priority.

Sure, sometimes a particularly strong person could brute-force their way through—

But this wasn’t the kind of test meant to highlight that.

And in that context, Jeong Haein was, astonishingly—

“Flawless.”

Not too much, not too little.

He moved with precision, perfectly aware of his position.

He created a rhythm with minimal effort—so that his teammates could move more freely, more comfortably.

He guided the flow of battle through smart positioning rather than force.

Movements like those could easily become harmful if overdone, but—

“Not at all.”

He already understood the essence of martial harmony, even at such a young age.

It was clear that he wasn’t even using 30% of his true strength.

When that overly headstrong, orange-haired mage—Yoon Chaeha—threw off the team’s balance with her flare, he would gently support her from the side, creating the perfect environment for her to shine.

And once she realized he was watching her—

She would instantly ramp up her output, casting magic with even more flair and boldness.

Like a child craving praise.

He never stepped forward himself, but if he wasn’t there at the center holding it all together, the other five members wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the two women at the front.

“...Huh.”

And it was the same with his daughter, Yu Hana.

Whenever Jeong Haein focused on the mage, his daughter would subtly slip from his line of sight.

And then she would purposefully step into the most dangerous area on the battlefield.

And he, like clockwork, would notice and support her at the perfect moment.

In return, Yu Hana would playfully show off her sword techniques as if in gratitude, elevating the pace.

Yoo Mujin pressed his fingers to his forehead and closed his eyes.

He almost wished he hadn’t seen it.

Hana...

So the one flirting wasn’t the boy.

He was, if anything, too sincere.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He faithfully fulfilled his role and orchestrated the team flawlessly.

If there was one problem, it was that he walked right into the traps the two girls laid out for him—without even suspecting a thing.

Innocently. Without hesitation.

From Yoo Mujin’s perspective—

The battlefield had already transformed into a stage where two girls were trying to outshine each other to draw Jeong Haein’s attention.

***

Beeeeeeep!

“Nice!!!”

With the buzzer signaling the end of the wave, everyone collapsed to the ground all at once.

Their breaths were ragged, bodies drenched in sweat.

“Let’s keep this up, please...”

Yoon Sanghyuk laughed weakly from the rear.

Team Yu Hana had already made it to the ninth wave with excellent performance.

The scoreboard showed their current rank... 1st place.

In 2nd place, as expected, was the team with Ju Seojun and Johan.

The point difference wasn’t huge, but being in the lead was what mattered.

More than anything, I hadn’t stepped onto the frontlines.

Honestly, this mission was something I could’ve handled alone. I already had the achievements to prove it.

So I figured there wasn’t much point in jumping in myself.

But it wasn’t the same for the others—opportunities to fight against monsters like this didn’t come often.

So I’d made it my goal to give them as much experience as possible.

And after nine waves, the conclusion I came to was—

“You guys are good.”

They were doing well.

I muttered to myself.

Yu Hana, of course, needed no mention. Her movements were textbook. Sure, she sometimes took riskier positions, but that was just her unique instinct.

Looking at the bigger picture, it was a necessary role for the team, so there wasn’t anything that needed correcting.

On the other hand... Yoon Chaeha—

She seemed to be enjoying my attention.

Her firepower was impressive. Her spellcasting technique was outstanding. Her spatial awareness was nearly innate.

But that wasn’t the problem.

She kept casting large-scale spells.

Of course, that’s what mages are supposed to do in large-scale fights, and usually someone like Daehyun would step in to cover for her...

‘La—––!’

‘Are you kidding me!’

She’d spend the whole wave throwing out suppression spells and fireballs, only to pull out Flame Spears specifically when I was nearby.

“You talking about me?”

Apparently, she heard my muttering.

Still collapsed on the ground, she turned her head toward me.

“No. Not you.”

I answered briefly, but she didn’t look fazed at all.

“Really?”

Then, with a bright smile, she ran her slim fingers through her sweat-dampened bangs.

“I’ll just do even better next time.”

She grinned, looking straight at me.

That confident attitude almost made me laugh.

“Haein.”

But just then, Yu Hana approached me, sweating and breathing heavily.

“Can you wipe off my sweat?”

“Sweat?”

She’d been at the very front, clashing with monsters the whole time.

Her clothes and hair still bore the marks of the battle.

Let’s see...

There was still time. Each wave gave a short break before the next.

We had a bit of breathing room before the final wave.

“If it’s just for a moment... Help me out. It’s a spot I can’t reach on my own...”

Yu Hana glanced around quietly, then gently tugged on my sleeve.

Then she began to carefully lead me toward the edge of the ruins, into the nearby forest.

That’s when—

“Leader?”

Yoon Chaeha’s voice called out.

A short, quiet word.

And then—

Fwoosh.

A small flame sparked at her fingertips.

The flame stirred the air and mana around it, softly flowing toward Yu Hana.

“...!”

The flame expanded with Chaeha’s energy.

Refined heat, guided by her will, gently wrapped around Yu Hana’s body.

A warm, subtle breeze passed over her, evaporating the sweat and smoothing out her tangled hair as if a blow dryer had been used.

Even her skin looked freshly refreshed.

“I’ll dry you off.”

As soon as she finished her words, Chaeha spread the same warm breeze to the rest of the team.

“Oh—thanks.”

“Appreciate it~”

Grateful voices rang out all around.

After pushing themselves nonstop, this brief moment was a rare and welcome relief.

Yu Hana gently ran a hand through her now-dry hair and opened her eyes narrowly.

Her face remained calm, but her gaze quietly shifted to Chaeha.

With a sideways glance that clearly showed something wasn’t to her liking.

But Chaeha, without a word, naturally pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket.

Slide.

She stepped toward me and raised the handkerchief without saying anything.

“You didn’t sweat that much... so a wind spell would be overkill. I’ll wipe it off for you.”

With those words, her hand reached my forehead.

A faint lavender scent tickled my nose.

Without a sound, she gently wiped my forehead with care.

But her own forehead still had sweat beads glistening on it from conjuring that flame spell just now.

I looked at her and quietly reached out my hand.

Wipe wipe.

With the end of my sleeve, I softly wiped her forehead.

As my fingers touched her skin, she didn’t flinch, simply looking back at me.

Me, wiping Chaeha’s forehead—and her, wiping mine.

With arms crossed, we wiped each other’s sweat.

“...Thanks.”

As she wiped my forehead, Chaeha suddenly lowered her head.

Uncharacteristically, the corners of her lips trembled just slightly.

Wipe wipe wipe.

Because she couldn’t see properly, she ended up swiping the handkerchief across my eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Hey—mph. Look where you’re wiping.”

I squinted and muttered.

After finishing, we returned to our spots.

“Huuuh...”

Beside me, Yu Hana closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, beginning to meditate.

Her hand was trembling.

[ Time until Wave 10 begins: 00:15 ]

The final wave was about to begin.