< Chapter 100: Return (2) >
Today is Monday.
It’s the day when classes begin as usual.
Thanks to the boiling pure blood within me, I had no after-effects whatsoever, but almost all of the cadets except me were still suffering from then.
“…I’m tired.”
“I only slept on the weekend.”
Half of them were complaining about physical after-effects from the Australian incident: nervous sensitivity, physical torture, and overuse of magic power.
“I went out yesterday and was surrounded by reporters. It was really tough.”
“You too? Hey, me too.”
“I’m still dazed. I wonder what we did.”
The other half were discussing the mental after-effects.
“But didn’t we do well for ourselves?”
“The instructors praised us, so we must have done well, right?”
At the time of the incident, among the first-year cadets, 496 people, excluding me and Ha Si-yeon, were scattered and responsible for the evacuation of the citizens and the elimination of the monsters that had flowed into the city.
“I saw on the Internet yesterday that the response was very good.”
“They highly appreciated that we didn’t act rashly.”
It was crucial that the cadets only overexerted themselves within their limits.
I agree.
If we had rashly stepped in to handle the Four Divine Beasts, it would have been more painful.
“By the way, who might be the unidentified superhuman who took care of Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise?”
“Ah. I was really curious about that too.”
“If those two had been left alone, wouldn’t there have been at least a million casualties?”
I watched that broadcast yesterday too.
It was a broadcast by a scholar who measured what damage would have been done based on the combat abilities of the Blue Dragon and White Tiger and calculated the combat abilities of the remaining two.
It was an interesting calculation method, so I watched with interest.
“Didn’t you see anything, Si-yeon?”
“Huh? Me?”
Si-yeon suddenly looked surprised, her eyes wide open.
“Yes. The place you and Seo-yul went to deal with the mini White Tiger was the center of the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird’s appearance.”
“I thought you might have seen someone there.”
“Ah… that, that is.”
“Huh? Si-yeon is flustered.”
“Did you really see something?”
Her face is visibly flustered. I touched my forehead.
I knew she couldn’t lie, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
No choice then.
“We saw Maiden Critines and Guildmaster Yu Hwa.”
I intervened.
“Ah. Those two?”
“But when they arrived, the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird were already down.”
“That’s right.”
“Why is Si-yeon flustered then?”
I looked at Ha Si-yeon, who was gently hitting me, and smiled.
“It seemed like she was wondering if she should talk about seeing those two. I thought it wouldn’t matter, so I said it.”
“Ah.”
Most of them seemed to accept that.
“And if they showed themselves to us, wouldn’t the best superhumans around the world have figured it out long ago?”
“…That’s true. Agreed.”
“Ah. In the end, it’s back to square one.”
Good. I’ve successfully resolved the situation.
“But the instructor is late.”
I completely changed the topic to nip Ha Si-yeon’s slip of the tongue in the bud.
“Huh? Yeah, the time has passed.”
“Is something wrong?”
“The instructors are probably being investigated in many ways right now.”
It was then that Jia, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.
“Investigation?”
“Not a bad one, but a witness investigation. They would need the testimonies of the instructors who faced the White Tiger directly to write the incident report.”
The instructors were given a break over the weekend out of consideration, and it wasn’t until Monday, today, that they emerged from the investigation.
“So what happens with the classes?”
“Hmm. I think an announcement might be coming soon.”
Just then, a broadcast sound rang from the classroom’s speaker.
―This is an announcement from the instructor’s office. Today’s first-year classes will be substituted with self-study. I repeat, today’s first-year…
It was Instructor Pi Jin Ho’s voice.
“See? It’s self-study.”
“Oh, wow.”
The classroom quickly became noisy.
“Who wants to go to the training field?”
“Call. I’m going to beat you today.”
Self-study at the military academy is self-study in name only; it’s no different from free time.
You can study, train, or rest.
No cadets dislike self-study.
“Hey! Who wants to do a 5:5 battle with Class 2?”
“Oh. Ji-hoon and I will participate.”
“Kim Chul-jin. I’m going to train with Si-yeon…”
“Oh. If Chul-jin and Ji-hoon are helping you, it’s like having an invincible army! Thank you!”
“…Can’t help it. I’ll help you specially.”
A smile spread across Choi Ji-hoon’s face. He turned out to be incredibly weak to praise.
“Seo-yul, what will you do?”
“Me?”
Jia approached me.
Behind her, I could see Si-yeon as well.
Both are filled with eagerness.
“How about a one-on-one match?”
“Yes. I’m going to show the temporary number one what’s what.”
“I think I need to show the former number one the reality of things.”
Both are smiling.
Si-yeon is genuinely smiling playfully. Jia is only smiling on the outside.
I can see that she’s boiling inside. Typical of Jia, the incarnation of competitiveness.
“Seo-yul, do you want to come too?”
Ha Si-yeon seemed to have no clue about Jia’s inner thoughts.
“No. You two go ahead.”
It’s wise to stay out of this atmosphere.
And.
“I have something else to do.”
There is something more important.
* * *
I secretly slipped out of the classroom and headed to the main library on the campus.
This place has the largest collection of domestic books related to superhumans.
“Excuse me, on which floor are the books related to magic?”
“Books related to magic are on the 5th floor.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed slightly to the librarian and headed to the 5th floor.
“Oh.”
The magic book corner on the 5th floor was decorated with quite a mysterious interior. It had an atmosphere as if the real Gandalf might appear.
The other floors were fairly crowded, but this floor had almost no people.
Including the librarian and me, there were only three people.
It’s even better if there are no people.
My purpose for coming here today is to find a clue to using magic.
The effect of the complete embodiment of the Dragon Tribe has awakened the talent of a magician, which is good, but there’s no way to actually use the vital magic.
There are no acquaintances around who can use magic.
I tried looking on the Internet, but I couldn’t find any relevant information.
This place is my last hope.
I quickly browsed the displayed books.
I looked through everything from a very basic book called “Basics of the Magician” to something more substantial called “The Extremes of Magic.”
Some books were somewhat interesting, while others were useless, filled only with the author’s bragging.
But the book I was looking for was not easily found.
That’s how about 7 hours passed.
“…Sigh.”
I closed the book with a click of my tongue.
I skipped lunch and only read books, but there was no gain.
I did not find a way to use magic.
The reason is simple.
The difference between modern humanity’s ‘traits’ and ‘skills’-based magic, and the Dragon Tribe’s ‘control of magical power itself’ form of magic from the past, is as vast as heaven and earth.
Shall we compare modern magic and ancient magic to a game?
If modern magic uses a ‘Fireball’ by learning it in a skill window and clicking on that skill to activate it,
Learning the ‘Fireball,’ memorizing the path of magical power, understanding the principle, and going through dozens, hundreds of trials and errors to form the ‘Fireball’ for the first time, is ancient magic.
The schools of thought aren’t just different, the concepts themselves are different.
“…This is big trouble.”
Modern magic, which I cannot even attempt without the system’s backup, is an unattainable realm for me.
What should I do?
I let out a small sigh.
* * *
That night.
I was having a conversation with Mr. Jung Il-yong in the dormitory.
“How’s the Cheonbyeon?”
“What can I say? It’s the best.”
Jia and Si-yeon were spread out in successive battles, so I ended up training alone in the afternoon.
So, in the individual training room, I turned on the ‘Monster Infinite Annihilation Mode’ and went out to check the performance of ‘Cheonbyeon.’ I was really surprised.
“It seems like it’s twice as strong.”
Monster Infinite Annihilation Mode measures the time you withstand the attacks of swarming monsters.
I had tried it a few times in the past, and the record was 11 minutes and 21 seconds.
Holding off increasingly powerful monsters was no easy task.
But with Cheonbyeon, I easily surpassed 30 minutes.
Exaggerating a bit, I became so dependent on Cheonbyeon that I couldn’t live without it.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Mr. Jung Il-yong chuckled.
We continued talking for a while. Mr. Jung Il-yong’s wisdom left a strange resonance in my heart.
“It’s already this late.”
Time had slipped to 10 o’clock at night.
“Let’s hang up then. You’ve worked hard in Australia, rest well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Oh, yes, come and visit with Jin Ho next time. I want to see you using Cheonbyeon in person.”
“Sure, we’ll all visit you next time.”
“Good, I’m looking forward to it. Rest up.”
With those words, the call ended.
I casually threw my phone on the bed and stretched.
My body felt strangely sluggish.
Maybe it’s because I used Cheonbyeon’s physical acceleration ability ‘Boost’ too much.
As I stretched various parts of my body, a thought suddenly struck me.
“…I miss Goldie.”
Goldie is with Yu Hwa now.
Because of White Tiger.
Since I hadn’t registered White Tiger as a guardian beast, I couldn’t keep it in my dorm room, so I decided to leave it with Yu Hwa.
That was fine, but White Tiger wouldn’t leave Goldie’s side.
So, I had no choice but to leave Goldie at Yu Hwa’s house as well.
…Honestly, I was afraid of what White Tiger might do if left alone.
I judged that keeping Goldie with White Tiger was beneficial in many ways.
“Hmm.”
Should I call?
They wouldn’t be asleep at this time, right?
I was about to make a video call to Yu Hwa to see Goldie’s face before sleeping.
Buzz-
My phone vibrated.
It was Yu Hwa.
And it was a video call. We were in sync.
“What’s up at this time?”
I sat down comfortably on the bed and answered the phone.
“Sorry for calling so late. Goldie keeps whining, wanting to see Seo-yul.”
“Nyaang!”
Goldie revealed himself beside Yu Hwa, who was lying face down on the bed.
Goldie’s face half-covered the screen. He had come too close to the camera.
Yu Hwa then hugged Goldie into her arms.
“Did you miss Goldie-hyung?”
—Meow~
Goldie let out a delicate cry.
They say Goldie’s become more affectionate lately.
“You’re just like hyung? Hyung missed Goldie too.”
Goldie grinned.
—It’s only been a day, but you’re acting like you’re starving.
Yu Hwa looked at us with an oddly jealous expression in her eyes.
“What about White Tiger?”
—She’s asleep. She was running around like crazy just a while ago.
Yu Hwa got up from her spot and showed White Tiger’s sleeping figure, curled up on the corner of the bed. An angelic sight.
—She’s like a real angel when she sleeps…
Yu Hwa said, sighing.
“She probably sleeps 16 hours a day.”
—That much?
“Yes. I mentioned it before, right? I have a taming-related trait. It’s an effect of that trait. Growth acceleration and mental stabilization depend on sleep time. Goldie also slept a lot initially, didn’t he?”
—Ah, now that you mention it.
Yu Hwa seemed convinced.
“Anyway, please take good care of him for a week.”
—A week? Ah, the house my sister looked into. You can move in a week later?
“Yes, that’s what they say. They’ve even stamped it.”
I was going to refuse because it felt burdensome, but she just insisted.
—So, is the private sponsor contract officially signed?
“That’s right.”
Private sponsor.
A system where corporations or superhumans support promising cadets. On the surface, it exists for a noble purpose, but in reality, it’s used as a way to lay claim to promising talent.
I signed that sponsor contract with Maiden Creativeness.
—When it’s revealed, it’ll be chaos. Dungeon Creator. The first-ever sponsorship! And the recipient is Korea’s Kang Seo-yul! That kind of article is 100% coming.
Yu Hwa and I laughed bitterly.
—Still, considering your track record so far, it’s fortunate that baseless rumors won’t spread.
“…They might.”
There’s a secret relationship between Maiden and me. There will definitely be such articles.
—Let those who write their own scenarios write. Don’t give them attention or it will become a habit.
“I know.”
From the start, I learned there’s nothing as foolish as giving attention to trolls and journalists.
—Anyway, now that it’s come to this, think of sucking up to my sister to the marrow and make bold demands. Got it?
“…Haha. Yes. I’ll try.”
We laughed playfully.
—Ah, right. Lord Ail has a message. I almost forgot.
Ail Chris. Also known as the Collector.
An elder obsessed with collecting dragon relics to an almost fanatic extent.
There are still a few ancient relics I’m supposed to receive, and it seems an opportunity to hand them over has arisen. That’s probably why he contacted me.
“What did he say?”
—Ancient relic farm. You buy three? Preemptive. At-at-at…
“…Excuse me?”
Yu Hwa cleared her throat and repeated, her cheeks slightly red.
—He, he really said it like this.
“…Ah, yes.”
Ail Chris’s snickering face came to mind. He’s not really selling, just joking. He’s been addicted to some games lately, so it’s probably because of that.
“Tell him I got the message.”
—Okay.
I was anxious because I had no ancient relics for insurance.
It was a good timing.
< Chapter 100: Return (2) > End
