Baaang—!
Jet-black bone fragnts filled the sky.
Each shard was lethal even with the slightest touch, and with thousands, or tens of thousands of them raining down, the sheer pressure they gave off was overwhelming.
In response, the Underworld Dragon King expanded his domain and slowed the flow of ti, buying a mont to prepare.
Flash—!
The spells engraved into the wooden box reacted to my mana and began to emit a bright light.
The light created shields one by one, then gathered into a do shape and wrapped around the group.
Sanctuary.
It was a skill that protected allies within a specific area.
Since it had been enchanted by the principal, its defensive power was beyond question.
And just as I finished preparing, the bone fragnts slamd into the barrier.
Pitter, patter—
It sounded like raindrops hitting an umbrella.
At first, it was a light drizzle, sparse and scattered, but it quickly turned into a torrential downpour.
Rattle-Rattle-Rattle!
As I had expected, the principal’s Sanctuary was rock-solid.
Even with all the bone fragnts hamring down, the shields of light didn’t lose a hint of their original brilliance.
It must be because of the density.
The [Corpse Explosion] cast by the Witch of Death was a skill that targeted a vast area, whereas the principal’s [Sanctuary] only protected a limited space.
That difference made this side more advantageous, even in a clash between two S-ranks.
After watching the sky for a while, the rain of bone fragnts finally ca to a stop.
I only released Sanctuary after making sure the witch hadn’t left anything else behind, and the box, having fulfilled its purpose, crumbled with a dry crack.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze and turned my head, but there was nothing there.
Looks like she’s gone.
See you next ti.
I offered a silent farewell to the witch in my heart.
***
The Witch of Death had activated an item skill at the sa ti she cast her final Corpse Explosion, allowing her to teleport a short distance away from the battlefield.
Even so, the damage she’d taken was severe. She had been hit directly twice by the sniper attacks of the Hye-seong Group’s chairman.
Her clothes had been reduced to rags, and her skin was scorched and torn in places, to the point that muscles and bones were exposed.
Her limbs dangled loosely and were bent in unnatural directions.
If she got hit by another sniper round here, things could truly beco dangerous. And yet, the Witch of Death kept her eyes fixed on the battlefield.
I have to see this through.
She was curious about the outco of her final move.
Baaaaang—!
For a while, she didn’t even blink as she watched the pitch-black bone fragnts scatter into the air.
Then she slowly nodded her head.
Mhmm, he blocked it well.
She had expected to at least inflict so injuries, maybe even kill one or two of the enemies.
But that first-year Monarch had pulled out an unexpected card.
So he had a connection with the principal too.
[Sanctuary] was a defense skill for close-range types.
It didn’t suit the Guardian under teor Dragon or the Hye-seong Group’s chairman, which ant it was likely an item that ca from another S-rank.
And that soone was, in all likelihood, the forr Hero and current principal.
Considering that first-year Monarch attended Dragon Slayer Academy, it all made perfect sense.
Looks like Depletion might have a tough ti ahead.
She briefly considered sending a warning, but quickly let go of the idea.
They didn’t have that kind of close relationship anyway, and even if she tried to contact him, it probably wouldn’t get through.
He’ll manage on his own.
And if not, oh well.
The witch had been quietly watching the first-year Monarch when she suddenly felt soone’s gaze.
It was probably the chairman of the Hye-seong Group who had spotted her.
Ti to go.
She didn’t want to stick around and get hit again.
The Witch of Death pulled out a magic scroll from her inventory and tore it straight down the middle.
Imdiately, a teleportation portal opened wide and swallowed her whole.
***
Despite an S-rank powerhouse rampaging and multiple buildings being destroyed, the number of casualties was surprisingly low.
That was thanks to the excellent security system of Hye-seong City and the swift response once the Witch of Death revealed herself.
Still, the fact that there had been damage at all couldn’t be denied, and a heavy atmosphere hung over the city.
Naturally, the plan to “go hang out” was canceled.
The mood wasn’t right, and on top of that, Seo Ye-in herself didn’t seem too eager.
Things might get better with ti, but there was less than a week left until the second ntoring session.
“Let’s go next ti. After school starts, maybe in the downtown area?”
“Mhmm……”
Seo Ye-in slowly nodded her head.
Then she looked up at intently and said sothing unexpected.
“Hardship.”
“You want to do stage two?”
“I want to.”
“You sure?”
– Nod.
At that, both the Underworld Dragon King and Ahn Jeong-mi, who had been watching from the side, each spoke up with concern.
“Niece, I think you might want to reconsider that.”
“There are other ways to train, you know.”
They were worried because they had seen firsthand how much she had struggled during stage one.
I felt the sa way.
It would be great if Seo Ye-in could grow stronger quickly through Hardship, but wouldn’t it be better in the long run if she didn’t push herself too hard?
So instead of rushing into it, I decided to ask her first.
“It’s admirable, but what made you decide that?”
“The bakery’s enemy.”
Now that I thought about it, the bakery building had been destroyed when the Spine Tower crashed down.
I’d heard she used to go there often to bake cookies, and it was also a place where she and I had made mories.
But now, thanks to the Witch of Death, that place was gone….so she was talking about getting revenge.
Then Seo Ye-in added another thing.
“Our ho.”
“We protect our ho?”
“Mhmm.”
Hye-seong City was like a hotown to Seo Ye-in. It was where she was born and raised.
It seed that through this incident, she had co to realize that her hotown could be invaded and ravaged by enemies at any ti.
And that with her current strength, she couldn’t protect it.
After all, she had done practically nothing during the battle with the Witch of Death.
Seo Ye-in flipped the Immortal Pot upside down over her head.
“I’ll punish the witch.”
“……”
I exchanged a quick glance with the Underworld Dragon King and Ahn Jeong-mi.
They looked a bit surprised but also proud. It seed this was the first ti they had seen Seo Ye-in so determined.
Even from my perspective, having guided this sloth girl for a while, this was rare.
She should be fine at this level.
[Activated ‘Hardship’.]
[Cooldown: 5 days 23:59:59]
[‘Stage 2 Hardship’ has been granted to the target.]
Seo Ye-in briefly read through the quest details, then firmly gripped her assault rifle.
Click.
“I’ll take it down.”
And in less than three days, she completed the second stage of hardship.
***
A few days before leaving Hye-seong City.
At the chairman’s summons, I entered the high-rise building for the third ti.
After getting into the direct-access elevator and pressing the button, I arrived at the chairman’s office in no ti.
“Welco.”
Unlike usual, the chairman and the Dragon King weren’t looking out the window; they were standing near the elevator.
Could that be taken as a sign that they had been waiting for ?
As we sat down facing each other, the chairman began to speak.
“I heard Ye-in was safe thanks to you. I wanted to express my gratitude.”
“I only did what needed to be done. And the principal deserves more credit than I do. I believe he’s the one you should thank.”
If it hadn’t been for the box, the outco could’ve been much worse.
What if the Witch of Death had a slightly different personality?
What if she hadn’t gone easy on or played around and instead tried to kill with full force from the start?
Or if she had targeted Seo Ye-in or Ahn Jeong-mi first, instead of ?
It would’ve been dangerously close. Or we might’ve failed altogether.
Having an S-rank insurance policy was what allowed us to block even the slightest risk like that.
But the chairman and the Underworld Dragon King seed to think differently, and each made a comnt.
“I do intend to thank the principal separately. But it was you who made proper use of the item. You should give credit where it’s due.”
“You didn’t even use the box until the end. Holding out until then was your own skill, young monarch.”
They weren’t entirely wrong, and if I kept trying to be modest, it would just drag the conversation into awkward territory.
So I gave a faint smile and nodded in agreent.
The chairman continued.
“When we spoke last ti, I gave you permission, but I still had so reservations about letting Ye-in join an unauthorized raid.”
“……”
“But after what happened, I’ve had a bit of a change of heart. Even if you’re taking her into a dungeon, it might be safer for her to stay by your side.”
Even an academy like Dragon Slayer, with its ironclad security, couldn’t prevent high-level threats from occasionally breaking through.
Just like the Blood Cult elders and the Witch of Corruption had done.
So there was no telling what might happen as the sester went on.
In that situation, the fact that I had survived even the Witch of Death and protected my party ant he could now entrust her to with greater confidence.
Still, despite his words, it was clear he hadn’t completely shaken off his worries about his granddaughter, so I gave the chairman another assurance.
“I promise. I won’t ever attempt a reckless raid.”
“That puts my mind a little more at ease. Thank you.”
A faint smile ford at the corner of the chairman’s lips.
“If you need anything during the sester, contact Team Leader Ahn. We’ll do whatever we can within the reach of Hye-seong Group’s resources.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Then the Underworld Dragon King added,
“My niece has recently taken an unusually keen interest in training, so I intend to lend her so help as well.”
“I’d really appreciate that.”
During the remaining half of sumr vacation, Seo Ye-in was scheduled to begin a second round of ntoring with An Jeong-mi.
Lately, she’d been showing great enthusiasm, saying she wanted to teach the witches a lesson, so as long as that motivation held, we could expect significant growth.
And if a dragon joined in to support her, the results could be even better.
The Dragon King asked again,
“How many days are left until Stage Three?”
“I should be able to use it once more before I leave.”
The cooldown for Hardship was six days.
Still, since I’ve been using [Ti Share] here and there, the cooldown should line up just in ti.
***
Perhaps because of the chaotic atmosphere, Father Seo hadn’t co by our room for several days.
Then, on the last night, he showed up carrying a chessboard.
“……”
“……”
A fierce battle of life and death was unfolding on the chessboard, but the room remained quiet and peaceful.
The only sound was the soft clicking of the pieces as they moved.
Seo Ye-in was dozing off with her head resting on my lap. She fluttered her eyelids slightly every ti she heard that clicking sound.
As the match progressed, the tide quickly turned, and soon, barely any of Father Seo’s pieces were left on the board.
He stared down at them with a deliberately serious look, then suddenly asked a question.
“Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’m taking the morning train.”
“……”
“……”
“When will you co again?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Co often.”
“Yes, I’ll co see you often.”
Father Seo made a final attempt to resist, but I crushed even that without rcy.
“Checkmate.”
“…Lost again.”
His record remained a perfect zero wins.
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