Chapter 12: Conflict

After Yoo Jin's interference, they calmed down.

Yoo Jin beckoned for them to come inside the house, and so they did.

The three entered the small house and sat down at the dining table.

Aria and Sungha faced each other, enmity still wafting in the air. The two scrutinized each other.

Meanwhile, Yoo Jin stood on the side and rambled on and on about how what they did was completely stupid and uncalled for.

"It's not like we are in the middle of nowhere! People can still go here from time to time! Hyung, are you planning to attack every single person who comes here?!"

"Who? The carpenter? He's not suspicious in any way. When I found this woman, she held a sword and imbued it with mana. You didn't tell me about her, can you blame me for being wary?"

Yoo Jin turned to Aria, wanting to hear her side of the matter.

"He attacked me first, so I just did the same," Aria retorted.

Yoo Jin wanted to give up. He was clearly the youngest out of the three, but the two adults were acting childish and didn't want to relent the case peacefully.

"This is a base! Do you understand?! It's not a secret base, but it'd be better if no one found us, you know?!"

"What were you guys thinking?! Seriously! Please consider the place and time before rampaging! I don't mind if you fight inside a dungeon- wait, you can't do that. Ahhh!!!! You get my point!" Yoo Jin continued scolding the two, who were still looking at each other furiously.

Both blamed each other for the current lecture they had to hear.

Yoo Jin sighed. It was partially his fault for not considering his elder brother's decision before taking in Aria as well.

He was someone who liked to be alone and didn't enjoy social interactions.

Only a few people became an exception.

"This is my brother, Yoo Sungha," Yoo Jin introduced. "Well- technically he's not my real elder brother, but he's the one who takes care of me... and will help you in the future,"

"This is Aria-nim. Another <Player>, just like me,"

"A <Player>?! Hey, do you know anything about this <Player> shit?!" Yoo Sungha rushed to grab Aria's forearm, gripping it tight.

"Huh?!" Aria was caught off guard.

The man was like an erupting volcano. Unpredictable.

She struggled to remove his grip, but to no avail. The man possessed monstrous strength that confused her.

'How is he so strong?!' Aria bit her lips as she glared at Sungha.

"Wait, wait! Can you be patient for a minute?!" Yoo Jin raised his voice, peeling Sungha's grip off of Aria.

Sungha was pushed away and staggered backwards.

He had gotten heated just by hearing the word <Player> come out.

A strange phenomenon.

This status was attached to his younger brother one day, all of a sudden.

Yoo Jin was shocked at the new update, but handled it fairly well due to his experience with game Systems.

Sungha, however, didn't take the news as well as Yoo Jin did.

He prized the little child, as both of them were the only living survivors of a car crash dating back to a couple years ago.

Both of their parents had been killed. Sungha, who had to raise Yoo Jin alone was burdened with the loss.

They had no relatives, since their parents had been cut off from their immediate families. Their identities were murky.

Sungha was forced to drop out of school to work.

At first, he worked at normal jobs, but that was nowhere near enough to pay for the two's living costs.

He slowly started to reach out towards the underground jobs, got involved in shady dealings, and ended up landing on a decent position.

His earnings increased, and he managed to obtain this house at a fairly cheap price.

Its location was not close to any public places, so people had to travel a certain distance just to get their necessities fulfilled.

No one wished to live there, but it was perfect for the likes of Yoo Jin and Sungha.

That was how they got there.

However, the world didn't allow Sungha to relax.

Mother Earth changed.

Gates appeared, containing dangerous monsters inside.

One of those gates appeared just in the forest near their home.

It was left unresolved since no one thought to check on the site.

The siblings, too, didn't bother to look into the forests.

In the end, the gate seals expired and the monsters escaped the spatial membrane, flooding into the world.

That same day, Yoo Sungha awakened his 'power'. A special one, at that.

The one that led him to achieve greater heights, with the price of risking his life.

Yoo Sungha desperately wished that Yoo Jin wouldn't have to involve himself in the Hunter business.

Unfortunately, the boy was automatically selected to have a 'fate'.

As a <Player>, it was like your whole life got optimized to nurture you into a Hunter.

Sungha tried his hardest to block Yoo Jin from pursuing this dangerous path, but the boy he refused to relent.

He wanted to follow his fate.

He had been granted with a gift, just like Sungha.

It's like the world picked them to be a Hunter, who had to fight with their lives on the line.

Yoo Jin sighed, knowing what his brother's opinion on Hunters were.

To him, the <Player> status was something that ended up putting his brother on the battlefield by default. A cursed status.

"Remember how I said I was the Sixth <Player> to be chosen? Aria-nim is the Seventh. Forget asking information from her, she didn't even know what Runes were,"

"I know what Runes are. Something to be conquered or turned into a Main, right?" Aria rebutted.

She experienced handling a rune, so naturally the claim can now be disputed.

However, instead of being acknowledged, she received two strange stares instead.

Honestly, runes didn't exist in her time. That was the only reason why she felt so lost when Yoo Jin first mentioned the rune.

The generation had changed. Her knowledge of the world might be less than a kid's.

"...What did you say?" Sungha asked.

"...Runes are meant to be conquered or turned into a Main?"

Their expression turned grave.

"Is this something that only <Players> have? No, Yoo Jin- you didn't have it, right?"

"No... Well, the Main thing- isn't it just absorbing the rune and turning it into our spell? The Conquer thing, however..." Yoo Jin pondered.

"You have it wrong. When we use runes, it stays as a skill. Meaning, it's not going to change no matter how hard you level up,"

"However, if it is literally a 'Main'... The spell can evolve. It can get stronger,"

"Then.." Yoo Jin also realized the seriousness of the matter. Aria's power was indispensable.

He knew how rune users were bound to a set level. The nature of the rune couldn't be changed. If you bought an F-rank rune and didn't continue to buy more in the future, you will be forever an F-rank.

However, those who were given their own Mains could improve their proficiency. This is where the line gets drawn.

A line that signs the fact that the world prefers Main-users more than runes.

"What did you receive? The name of the rune, what was it?" Sungha asked.

"[Scarlet Vines],"

"[Scarlet Vines].. It is a C-ranked skill, but if you continue to evolve it, can it be on par with B-ranks or even A-ranks?"

Aria herself was confused. Why were they freaking out so much?

Sungha noticed Aria's visible frown and sighed. Yoo Jin told him that she was clueless about literally anything.

Like a child.

"Listen here. You've said it to us, but what you have is abnormal. Even as a <Player>, it's abnormal. Don't. Ever. Tell it to anybody else," Sungha stressed his words, warning her.

If the news got out, it'll cause a huge commotion for sure.

"..I don't get why you're freaking out so much?" Aria questioned.

How abnormal was it? To have her powers?

"It's as abnormal as that dumbass Blythe's power,"

"Blythe.. Who?"

It wasn't a familiar name to her.

"You don't even know Blythe? The Korean Association's head? Are you serious? That guy's name is painted all over the media!" Sungha raised his brows.

How clueless could one be?

How did Aria live her life up until now?

Why wasn't she aware of the most basic things?

"..No," Aria cursed. She dug her own grave. She shouldn't have asked. "I was raised in a secluded mountain. We don't have any access to whatever media you're talking about,"

She hoped that the lie would come through and fool them.

"Which mountain?" Sungha grew suspicious.

Aria's way of talking was refined and clear. People who heard it would think that she was a traditionally educated young miss. Her diction was clear, and the way she brought herself was filled with an elegant vibe. Like she came from an elite family.

Her body was also spotless. One that couldn't be obtained through other means that meticulous care. Living in the mountains would at least guarantee a few scars and blemishes, but there were none.

If not for the clothes Aria was wearing, Sungha's first thought of her would also be that of a rich lady.

Not someone who lived in the mountains and should've been far away from high education.

Her manner of speaking was too perfect for that standard.

In truth, it was just the result of Aria's strange 'add-on'.

She learned that she was able to discern every language.

When she passed by signs on the street, her brain immediately translated it to her own language.

She knew that this was a special trait, because she tested Yoo Jin.

On the appliances inside his home, languages other than Korean were imprinted. When she asked Yoo Jin to translate it, she received a weird look that seemed to say 'how do you expect me to understand that?', whereas she was able to read the text and make perfect sense out of it.

This 'add-on', however, translated her words in perfect grammar quality.

Even if she didn't mean to say it a certain way, the 'add-on' will force her to speak eloquently as if she is a linguistic expert.

Not wanting to explain this to the man, Aria grumbled. It would garner her with even more trouble.

"Will it kill you to not be that suspicious of me? I have special reasons which I am not allowed to talk about. If it bothers you so much, I will leave,"

"Leave! Leave, then. Don't come back," Sungha pointed to the door.