Chapter 52
In a dark, sunless forest.
The forr tactical instructor, the Demonic Being Lee Gangju, was sitting on a rock in a shady spot.
Near him stood a boy with one foot on a corpse. The boy wiped the fresh blood from his mouth as if he had just finished a al and spoke bluntly.
"To think you would give such poor-quality sustenance to , who risked life and limb to aid in a prison break…"
"Poor-quality sustenance? It was a human from Saint Sienna Magic School, under thirty years of age, who did not eat at and was not married, just as you requested. I procured the prey properly."
"He didn't eat at? I can sll the stench of orc in his blood."
"Then the fellow must have lied."
"Don't try to talk your way out of it. We haven't been dealing for just a day or two. If you keep this up, things won't go well for you in the future."
"If you're going to be that picky, then you should commission 'Off-al' yourself. Ah! Weren't you already rejected by Off-al once? You should have fixed your eating habits."
"Don't you pick up a few good phrases from living among humans? Sothing about respecting preferences."
"Hey, Gen, you're the only one who devours humans who used the light attribute in their lifeti."
"Hmph. The others are just ignorant of fine dining."
The Demonic Being Gen kicked the corpse once in irritation.
Then, using his pitch-black mana, he lted away the corpse's skin without a trace.
HISS.
Watching this, Lee Gangju clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, if you were going to throw it away, you should have at least turned it into a Ghoul to make so money. That guy was considered an elite in his field, you know."
"Shut up. What I do with my share is none of your business."
"If you put it that way, I have nothing to say. By the way... it seems he's finally here."
Lee Gangju stared at a figure erging from the bushes on the opposite side.
It was a man who looked haggard at a single glance.
A living human, but one overshadowed by a gloom no less than that of a Ghoul.
"It's been a while, Park Oseok."
"...Lee, Lee Gangju."
It was the forr dical instructor, Park Oseok.
Park Oseok burst out of the bushes and ran toward Lee Gangju.
He soon crashed into him, knocking Lee Gangju to the ground, and grabbed him by the collar, shouting.
"Because of you! Because of you, I...!"
"Because of ? Thanks to , you get to breathe the outside air. You should be grateful. I'm the benefactor who has given you a new turning point in your life not once, but twice."
"Don't give that crap! What are you scheming this ti! What reason do you have to use again!"
"Hoo, hoohut, use you...? Hey, let's get our facts straight. What I gave you was an opportunity. You wanted power, so I simply told you how to get it. Aren't you the one who foolishly threw it away?"
"This bastard...!"
Park Oseok clenched his fist as if he would strike at any mont.
But that was all.
His fist remained fixed in the air, trembling furiously.
It was because no matter how much anger he showed, he judged that he could not defeat the Demonic Being before him.
Lee Gangju pushed his hands away from his collar and let out a sneer.
"It seems you can still tell right from wrong. I like that."
"What in the world are you going to do with ?"
"Ah, I have no ill intentions. I simply want to buy your desire."
"Desire?"
"Yes, sothing that any high-level being, be it a child or an adult, possesses."
"...But who is that little kid over there?"
When Park Oseok pointed at Gen, Lee Gangju placed a hand on Gen's shoulder and answered.
"Ah, you can think of this one as the sponsor of our current plan."
"A sponsor?"
"Yes, a being with considerable influence in our world."
Gen brushed the hand off his shoulder and spoke.
"There's no need to mind . More importantly, I would like you to give your answer soon."
"...Saying you want to buy my desire? You have a nice way of saying you want to use . Why don't you just turn into a Ghoul instead?"
Lee Gangju interjected.
"That's out of the question. It's inefficient."
"What?"
"Ghouls are beings who have lost their desires, no different from monsters. In contrast, you want to get revenge on Lee Eunho right this instant, don't you?"
"That bastard...!"
Park Oseok stomped on the ground with all his might.
Watching him, Lee Gangju smiled with satisfaction.
"I will give you the chance to take revenge. And the power to bring him to a wretched end."
"Power?"
"An item that can maximize your desire..."
A small shard of a mirror erged from within Lee Gangju's clothes.
It was an object that Park Oseok could not fail to recognize.
"The, the Shard of the Mirror of Greed...!"
"It seems you foolishly stabbed it into your arm last ti, but try to use it a bit more wisely this ti."
Lee Gangju threw a bag he had prepared onto the ground and continued.
"And these items... are a new ID and the articles you will use for the plan. Surely you weren't thinking of entering the 4th Scholastic District without a plan."
"...O-Of course not."
"As you know, our priority is to not leave a trail. Furthermore, our objective must not be revealed either."
"What do you an, not revealed?"
"We'll have to kill a few more people along with that Lee Eunho fellow. You're a wanted man yourself, so you wouldn't want to add any unnecessary suspicion, right? Let's just pin it on the Psychic Mafia."
"Why are you giving this opportunity?"
The reason for giving him the opportunity.
The answer to that question ca from Gen.
"Coincidence. My needs and your craving have simply t at a coincidental junction. You get your revenge, and I obtain what I desire amidst the divided attention."
"What you desire..."
Park Oseok hesitated for a mont while examining the bag, but his conflict did not last long.
If his life had already hit rock bottom, it wouldn't matter if he held onto one more modest goal.
Soon, his murmur flowed over the shadows of the forest.
"...Tell the plan."
***
Monday.
The auditorium of the Hero Preparatory School.
This oval-shaped building was designed so that everyone could look down upon the central stage.
The seats were arranged in tiers, enough to accommodate all the cadets, and the floor was adorned with tastefully scattered decorations and high-quality carpets that made one feel apologetic for leaving footprints. A ceiling, engineered to render sound input devices unnecessary, covered the top of the building majestically.
If the unofficial evaluation had not been planned for the last entrance ceremony, the ceremony would have surely taken place here.
"For the new cadets, I shall introduce myself."
I gazed at the central stage, from which a deep, low voice was flowing.
To be precise, I was looking at the person who had seated every cadet in Hero Prep from Monday morning, the start of the end-of-month evaluation.
"I am Principal Kim Shinwoo. I apologize for my late greeting due to personal matters."
It was the Sword Emperor, Kim Shinwoo, the pinnacle of all living swordsn.
According to the lore, he was around the sa age as Training Instructor An Hwigom.
Naturally, he was older than Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong and was a hero who had been active during the Great Rift.
One peculiar thing about him was that he looked abnormally young.
He looked younger than Park Cheolyeong, and could at a glance be mistaken for being just a generation above the thirty-sothing Investigation Instructor Yun Jeongseop.
"It seems several incidents occurred while I was away. That is my own lack of virtue. However... it is also proof that you are all subpar."
His words cut to the bone.
Kim Shinwoo's statent caused a great stir within the auditorium.
Even the instructors sitting at the end of the stage showed a sowhat surprised reaction.
It was an exceptional event in itself for a man who had shown little interest in Hero Prep's administration to hold a belated start-of-term ceremony on the day of the end-of-month evaluation.
I was probably the only one who understood his underlying intention.
His sudden action was due to having faced humanity's limits and despair in the Labyrinth.
That was why the cadets of Hero Prep, where the greatest talents gathered, did not et his standards.
He was a picky character to begin with, but he must be feeling a sense of crisis that if the awakened beings continued to rest on their laurels, it wouldn't be strange for Seoul to be conquered, let alone for them to break through the 1st Layer of the Labyrinth.
There was no need for further explanation, as half of the exploration team, hailed as the greatest in history, had returned either dead or with injuries from which they would struggle to recover.
"What amusing reactions. Well, was I supposed to make things up and praise you? Too bad, but by putting on that cadet uniform, you have all beco closer to the brink of death than anyone else."
The murmuring subsided in an instant.
As if by agreent, everyone pricked up their ears for Kim Shinwoo's next words.
"The grounds of Hero Prep are where the blood of heroes was shed the most during the Great Rift. Therefore, your aningless deaths, following in the footsteps of those heroes by wearing these uniforms, will be called sacrifices, and your insignificant deeds will beco heroic tales. ...I'm sure the majority of you are kids who got in with the halo of your family's na despite your pathetic talents, but as long as I am the principal, I intend to make even those pathetic talents into sacrifices of so small value."
Kim Shinwoo took out a piece of paper he had prepared.
"Therefore, with my authority, I will and the school regulations, to be effective from this very mont. The purpose is to enhance the cadets' major skills and survival abilities. It is useless to have complaints about this andnt. All of these are matters under my authority. ...Student Council President?"
"Yes."
Yu Hyeonjeong, who was at a corner of the stage, received the paper with a composed expression and read it aloud.
There were three noteworthy points in the revised school regulations.
First, the amount of points awarded and deducted would be increased.
The intention was to give more for doing well and take more for doing poorly.
Next, after the end-of-month evaluation, the lowest-ranking student in each year and division would be expelled for poor academic performance.
The cadets were considerably shaken by this part, but Kim Shinwoo did not budge an inch.
"...Finally, until a further andnt is made, the major transfer system is abolished. ...That is all."
The abolition of the major transfer system.
With Yu Hyeonjeong's announcent, I shifted my gaze to Do Minyeong, who was sitting a short distance away.
She appeared calm on the outside, but she was likely in great shock.
In the original story, Do Minyeong's state of mind was described as 'her will sank into the depths of despair.'
By the way, if the lowest-ranking student was to be expelled regardless of points, then I was in hot water too.
It was a foregone conclusion that I would be last in the tactical training evaluation tomorrow.
"You must be worried."
I followed the sarcastic tone and looked at the back seat.
Unsurprisingly, it was Gwon Chihun, looking down at with a smirk on his lips.
"You may have a lot of points, but are your grades any good? Just be satisfied with having worn the cadet uniform once. Where else would you find such an honor for your family? ...Ah! You don't have a family? Heh heh."
As he laughed, a few others around him followed with snickers.
...From where I'm sitting, you guys don't look all that different.
Soon, Kim Shinwoo descended from the stage, and Yu Hyeonjeong announced the end of the ceremony.
The cadets busily rose from their seats.
Among them, my eyes were drawn to Do Minyeong, who was sitting blankly.
Was it said that there is nothing more unfortunate than a person who has lost their purpose?
I stood up with the intention of throwing so trivial joke her way, but she quickly left her seat and strode down toward the stage.
Her predicted direction was the passage through which Kim Shinwoo had just disappeared.
"...Don't tell she's going to et Kim Shinwoo out of the blue."
Confronting the current Kim Shinwoo was not a good choice.
If she needlessly got on his nerves, she would suffer a nasty consequence.
For instance, ...expulsion.
Without even a mont to be bewildered by a developnt that differed from the original story, I followed after Do Minyeong, moving against the flow of cadets.
User Comments
0 comments from readers