Matan's Shooter

Chapter 936

“Master Kay.”

“Ram Hwajung-ssi, hehe. How’s the skill upgrade going?”

“Secret.”

Ram Hwajung glanced at Kijung before quickly turning her head and heading inside the office. She carefully opened the door to a separate room, and Kijung followed her inside.

“Ram Hwayeon-ssi!”

It was Ram Hwayeon’s private office.

Kijung greeted quietly but firmly, but Ram Hwayeon did not even look at him.

From the Hwahong Guild members, who came to report to her only to get scolded, to the Ramrung Group staff and the secretaries who simply assisted her with her schedule—everyone was there, making the private office busier than the outside area, which Kijung fully understood.

In some ways, it was rather satisfactory.

“As expected, it’s amazing. Well, you have to be at this level to properly control Leeha-hyung—”

“Ma───ster───Kay!”

Ram Hwayeon, who hadn’t even glanced at Kijung, dashed towards him like lightning, interrupting his words.

Her sudden charge made Kijung instinctively raise his shield.

“Huh, huh, how can a mage class be so fast? I thought your agility stats were maxed out.”

“Sh-shut up! And th-that… what nonsense are you talking about!? Don’t you know you shouldn’t say that in front of people!?”

Ram Hwayeon didn’t bother asking Kijung how he knew the secret. She knew it had to be Leeha who told him.

Seeing her stutter in embarrassment, Kijung felt both surprised and mischievous.

“Hehe… that matter? What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what matter! Of course, th-that… that one!”

“What could it be? I really don’t know. Oh! Is it something related to Leeha-hyung?”

“Firstly—ehm—everyone! Everyone, leave now! I’ll hear the report later, clear my schedule for about 15 minutes, and you, secretaries, go out too.”

“Yes, guild master!”

As Kijung grinned mischievously, Ram Hwayeon quickly ushered out the staff.

The employees, grateful to be released from her nagging, silently thanked Kijung.

As soon as the door closed, Ram Hwayeon collected herself.

Not to calm her emotions, but to address the issue at hand.

“Really! You and your hyung are just alike! Do you think it’s fun to tease people with this kind of thing? Even though I indeed started d-d-dating Ha Leeha, we have to keep it a secret within the group, not to mention, it’s not good if the Chairman hears about it yet! Can’t you understand how dangerous it is to joke about this here?”

A storm of scolding rained down on Kijung.

Despite being reprimanded, Kijung couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing Ram Hwayeon with flushed cheeks making up excuses—how endearing!

“Somehow, I feel proud. My hyung is awesome.”

“What? Are you listening to me?”

“Yes? Ah! Of course, I’m listening. Absolutely.”

When Kijung exaggeratedly nodded, Ram Hwayeon sighed. Ram Hwajung pointed at Kijung and said, “Just alike.”

After the ruckus subsided, Ram Hwayeon turned to Kijung again.

“So, what’s the reason you’re here?”

“Sorry that your boyfriend couldn’t come and I had to show up. Hehehe—”

“Ah, seriously, stop! That’s enough.”

Kijung tried to tease her again by mentioning Leeha, but Ram Hwayeon cut him off this time.

Kijung, who intended to tease her once more, couldn’t attempt it further. The embarrassed and bumbling girl from moments ago had disappeared.

As her title Flame Mage suggested, flames seemed to burn in her eyes.

“Ahem. Yes, understood.”

Kijung knew continuing to tease her wouldn’t end well.

What if Ram Hwayeon actually became ‘the future sister-in-law’?

“Who knows what misfortune that might bring later? Sigh, in any case, Leeha-hyung must be having a tough time.”

Not to mention her stunning appearance and impressive background, dealing with the troubles arising from Ram Hwayeon’s exceptional abilities seemed an enormous task.

It was natural for Kijung, who had witnessed Ram Hwayeon’s true self after a long time, to worry about how she managed her subordinates and interacted with people, being renowned for her exceptional interpersonal skills.

“So, why are you here? The promotion and recruitment of current users are proceeding smoothly. What does the ‘Sacred Alliance’ have to say?”

Ram Hwayeon quickly got to the main point.

“Ah, no. The direction is flowing positively. General Ewin has decided to actively request assistance from various countries in the Lope continent as well… We will get a response soon on how to handle the military command and operational control of the ‘Sacred Alliance’ in case of an emergency.”

“Really? You could have told me that in a whisper.”

“Oh, come on! I was just joking. Do you really have to push me away like that?”

When Ram Hwayeon spoke coldly, Kijung clutched his chest and pretended to act hurt.

Ram Hwayeon felt a sudden pang of embarrassment and snorted.

She felt ashamed for speaking so sharply, and Kijung’s actions reminded her of Ha Leeha.

“Ahem! It’s not exactly like that. I was just a bit sensitive since I was busy.”

Kijung smiled again as he listened to Ram Hwayeon. His reason for coming here today was to relieve some of Ram Hwayeon’s workload.

Kijung took out a bundle of scrolls from his bag and placed it on the table.

“What is this?”

“Skill scrolls.”

“Is this an investment from Byulcho? We are already stockpiling alarm skills and teleport detection skill scrolls. More is always better, but—”

“No. No, it’s not that. Heh, this is something you can’t find anywhere else.”

While Ram Hwayeon tilted her head in curiosity, Ram Hwajung rushed over to the table and picked up a few scrolls to check for herself.

“Ah.”

“What is it, Hwajung?”

“The blindfold. Woman.”

Ram Hwajung instantly recognized whose skill was recorded on the scroll.

Upon hearing Ram Hwajung’s two-word synopsis, Ram Hwayeon also grasped Kijung’s intent.

“Rubini!”

Oracle Rubini. Due to her physical limitations, she had devised a way to help by recording her skills onto scrolls.

By simply tearing the scroll, the owner could activate the recorded skill, allowing them to utilize Rubini’s immense map skill to detect enemy movements even in her absence.

What surprised Ram Hwayeon was not the efficacy of the scroll.

“She made these… for you? Did Rubini make these for you, Master Kay?”

It was because of the severe drawbacks that skill scrolls had.

The reason only commonly used magic had scrolls was not just their simple production process.

Skill scrolls disclosed all information about the creator, including the creator’s nickname, skill details, cooldown time, duration, and MP consumption.

The more information disclosed, the easier it was for other users to figure out its source, so high-level users rarely made scrolls.

In Middle Earth, where skills were assets, it was natural for those with rare skills to keep their cards close to their chest.

“Yes. Well… it wasn’t entirely because of me… but she did give them. Saying it would be necessary.”

“‘Not because of you’…?”

Ram Hwayeon’s intuition kicked in.

Before Kijung could respond, she spoke again.

“Then who is it? For someone like Rubini, who remained hidden during the National War, to make skill scrolls now? During the Pyrot-Cocri incident it was understandable because Raphaela was with her, but this is a different situation, isn’t it?”

Her sharp mind had already pieced it all together.

“Well, uh—that’s….”

“Who is it? Tell me.”

Ram Hwayeon was all smiles.

Inside her crescent-moon-like eyes, Kijung saw a demon.

―Hyung! Hyung!

―Oh, Kijung! Hey! I just had a bout with Prea and stretched a bit. The skills I got are incredible―n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

―This is no time for that! My situation just got really complicated! Come here quickly!

―Where are you? Oh, the temporary fortress? Got it.

All he could do was hastily send an SOS.

“Master Kay?”

“Oh, Leeha-hyung is on his way?”

“Ha Leeha?”

“Yes! Uh… and I trust you to distribute the scrolls to the Paleos making the defense line! I’m going now!”

“Wait! At least explain why Rubini made these―”

To be precise, Kijung had summoned Ha Leeha not as an SOS call, but to pass the responsibility onto someone else at that moment.

As Ram Hwayeon strode towards Kijung, Ram Hwajung quickly looked up at the office door.

“Oh, oppa.”

Ram Hwayeon’s enhanced perception, almost a superpower, quickly detected Ha Leeha, shifting her attention from Kijung to him.

“Ha Leeha―You came?”

Without waiting, Ram Hwajung opened the door and dashed outside. Kijung, who was nervously watching Ram Hwayeon, took out his crystal ball and spoke.

“Then, I’ll be off! I’ll inform you if there’s any unusual activity from chimeras or manticores. Goodbye!”

“Oops, master―”

Whoosh!

Kijung teleported back to the center of the new continent.

He rejoined Biyemi, Jin Gonggong, Tale, and Hyein, who had already secured the location, practically making it the open base of the Separate Dimension.

In the place where his cousin had disappeared, Leeha entered with an awkward gait, opening the door.

“Uh― Um, ram, Hwayeon~ Ssi~?”

What was more awkward than his walk was the way he addressed Ram Hwayeon.

Should he call her Ram Hwayeon? Hwayeon? Ram Hwayeon-ssi? Or “darling”?!

“Ha, ahem, Ha Leeha― Ah~?”

Should she call him Leeha? Ha Leeha? Ha Leeha-ssi? Or “oppa”?!

It remained an awkward way of speaking, neither fully informal nor completely formal.

Their first awkward moment alone since becoming a couple!

“Hmph.”

To be precise, it was simply an awkward moment under the watchful eyes of Ram Hwajung, who was trying hard to stifle her laughter, but the couple couldn’t even notice her presence.

Avoiding each other’s gaze, they looked down at their feet or ran their hands over the surface of the table.

Leeha’s hand accidentally brushed against a bundle of scrolls.

“Ahem, this―what’s this? Some scrolls? I heard you’ve been busy lately―”

“Yes, scrolls.”

“Um, what?”

Leeha suddenly sensed the change in atmosphere.

Ram Hwayeon’s expression shifted unexpectedly.

“What is with those?”

Despite being thrilled to see Leeha, her excitement was overshadowed by Kijung’s words.

“What, what?”

“What’s your relationship with Rubini? Was it not just Shin Nara?”

“Oh, oh? Wh-what do you mean?”

TL’s Corner:

Honestly, Rubini and Leeha’s skill synergy is cheat-like.