Chapter 289

Chapter 289

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 289: The One Who Devours Stars – Interlude (2)

Thump.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed.

This place was silent—a still space where no one was present.

The inside was bright.

A strange place filled with blue and golden light.

Thump.

A power that was never originally permitted to him filled the surroundings.

A power called divinity was flowing around him, infusing him with strength.

Divinity filled him.

Divinity flowed out of him.

And with it, his physical strength grew incomparably firmer than before.

Even with just pure physical power, he could now easily overpower the version of himself that had entered this place.

This power—

It was not a power permitted to him.

However, Lee Seo-ha had used his blue light to force this power to submit to him.

By force.

By overwhelming strength. That was why this divinity obeyed him.

However, this power had changed ever so slightly in its essence. But that didn’t matter.

Lee Seo-ha had said that his true talent made such things irrelevant.

‘Dignity.’

A false divine authority.

A false god.

And the power to become a god.

That was how Lee Seo-ha described his talent.

A talent called the Infinite Chalice and a power called the Book of Laws—these were merely offshoots of that talent.

—There exists a being known as the Law God.

—Law God?

—An artificial god. A deity artificially created through layers upon layers of miracles. His authority governs all laws. If you properly control this power, you could reach the level of a dragon or even a deity.

—…Me?

—Yeah.

Seong Han-byul was not particularly obsessed with transcendence. If she could fully wield her power, reaching transcendence would be easy.

Lee Seo-ha dismissed it so casually, then took divinity from beings called deities and handed it to her.

—Soon, beings called Evil Gods will invade. They’re extremely dangerous… dangerous enough that I might not be able to defeat them alone.

—So, it’d be great if you could help. Consider this an advance payment.

Lee Seo-ha said this as he infused divinity into her.

—Come with me… to the heavens.

A sweet voice reached her ears.

If she followed the source of that voice, she was sure she would find comfort.

‘Be quiet.’

If she reached the place called the heavens, she would gain power on par with Lee Seo-ha’s. That was what he had said.

But she had already received too much from him.

Too much that she did not deserve.

So, she couldn’t be swayed by something like this.

Materially.

Emotionally.

‘…He must like me.’

She had once thought of his behavior as frivolous.

It was a misunderstanding.

He got close to women, but that was simply because he didn’t keep his distance from people in general.

From the beginning, his eyes had been shining solely for her.

As time passed.

As his level grew.

That gaze became increasingly unreadable.

But his feelings must have remained unchanged.

Thinking that, Seong Han-byul began the process of adding and extracting divinity from her mindscape.

Fwoosh.

Flames flickered.

The fire burned a deep, vivid red.

Hong Yu-hwa stared at her flames.

‘Flames that can burn anything… was that what he said?’

Lee Seo-ha had looked at her flames with great anticipation.

He had said his Black Flame was fire that denied everything except himself. In contrast, the flames she wielded were powerful enough to burn even concepts themselves.

‘Black Flame seems stronger, though.’

However, Hong Yu-hwa kept those thoughts to herself.

Lee Seo-ha didn’t say otherwise. But he did say one thing.

If she could fully awaken the talent within her flames, they would become just as strong as his Black Flame.

Doubt lingered.

But Hong Yu-hwa believed in Lee Seo-ha. He never lied about things like this.

Fwoosh.

The flames roared.

Over the past year, Hong Yu-hwa had explored numerous grimoires.

At her core, she was a magician.

As a mage of flames, she had already surpassed her grandfather’s level—but she was not satisfied.

When they faced the Black Sun, Lee Seo-ha hadn’t taken her with him.

Not because they were lovers.

Simply because she was too weak.

If something had happened, he wouldn’t have been able to protect her.

That was why Hong Yu-hwa honed her flames.

She didn’t want to be a burden.

She didn’t want to just stand behind him and watch.

If possible, she wanted to stand beside him and fight their enemies together.

As if in response, a crimson crown shimmered above her head.

The power of the Usurper and her flames had merged.

Crimson Lotus.

The flame Lee Seo-ha had anticipated the most—

The flame that would usurp the Extinguishing Flame had begun to bloom.

“How is it?”

Hong Yu-hwa suddenly barged into my room, looking extremely confident.

“……”

“How does it look?”

I stared blankly at Hong Yu-hwa.

Beside me, Kim Ara let out a soft hum and clung to my arm.

“Well… I do congratulate you on your progress.”

“Yeah? Keep praising me.”

“…Our Yu-hwa worked really hard.”

“Hehe.”

Hong Yu-hwa’s arrogant expression softened into a silly grin for a moment.

Then, she quickly returned to her haughty demeanor and cleared her throat.

“But do people usually barge in like this?”

“So what? We’ve already seen everything there is to see. The things we should and shouldn’t have seen. Remember? The moment you came out of seclusion, you dragged me, Ershil, and Ara into countless battles. Even when we collapsed and begged you to stop.”

Hong Yu-hwa sat down beside my bed, giving me a glare.

Since I had no excuse, I remained silent.

The scent of night-blooming flowers filled the air.

“So, how many times did you do it yesterday?”

“…….”

“Ara isn’t even reacting even though I’m sitting here.”

Hong Yu-hwa reached out to the thin liquid staining the sheets and licked it with her tongue.

“Judging by how watery it is… at least ten times. It’s a relief that today isn’t as bad.”

“…….”

“And didn’t I tell you to always use contraception magic?”

“I did.”

“……It’s not active, though? No, wait. Did you actually dismantle the spell?”

Kim Ara flinched.

“This girl is using her talent for all the wrong things.”

Hong Yu-hwa traced a finger over Kim Ara’s bare stomach.

A red magic circle appeared.

“My baby!”

“How dare you try to have a child before me!”

“Seo-ha’s baby… sniff.”

Kim Ara pouted, on the verge of tears.

My head was spinning.

And the problem didn’t end there.

Ershil walked into the room, her cheeks puffed out.

“Maataku. Seo-ha, you were at it again while I wasn’t looking?”

“……Why are you speaking Japanese?”

“I heard it’s trendy these days, so I tried it. But your reaction isn’t great, huh?”

Ershil let out a thoughtful hum and checked something on the clipboard she was holding.

“What’s that?”

“Fufu, are you curious? You are, aren’t you? But I’m not telling you.”

The way she said it only made me more curious.

“But if Seo-ha gives his lovely Ershil a kiss, I’ll tell you right away.”

Ershil walked up to me in quick, tiny steps.

Then, she pursed her lips with a playful hum.

Smooch.

“Hehe. Well, it’s nothing major—it’s a list of Seo-ha’s preferences.”

“…My preference list?”

“Just things that men generally like. For example…”

Ershil’s eyes met mine.

She seemed eager to see my reaction.

“From bunny girls to cow-print outfits, it’s got all your little kinks written down.”

“…….”

I remained silent.

In the blink of an eye, time passed.

After experiencing Kim Ara in a cow-print outfit, Ershil in a cat-girl costume, and Hong Yu-hwa in a bunny suit, time seemed to fly.

“Hmm…….”

I had finally calmed down.

‘There are a lot of things on my mind.’

But there was no immediate way for me to get stronger.

The reason I had secluded myself for a year was that my body had already reached its limit.

The colors had already been claimed by others, and I was at a point where I couldn’t absorb any more talents at the Ex-grade, which were called “Seats”.

And now, I have devoured The One Who Swallows the Stars.

I thought I had reached my absolute limit—that nothing more could be added.

But…

That wasn’t the case.

Instead, the area had expanded.

My mindscape had grown, allowing me to fit one or two more of those “Seats”.

[■■■ has recognized your remarkable achievement!]

[This achievement is one that will be known across the universe! Until now, no Evil God has ever been slain by human hands. You are the first to accomplish this feat!]

[You are now eligible to receive the Seat of Man Among Gods.]

[As a reward, you may obtain an Absolute Stat. ……Confirming. There is currently no vacant slot for a color.]

[Would you like to challenge for the Green, Yellow, Jade, Purple, or Red Seats?]

[In exchange, you have received 1,000,000,000p as compensation.]

The rewards were unlike anything before.

[You have obtained the right to select an Ex-grade talent.]

[The stars within your soul are unable to contain another “Seat.” Searching for an alternative reward…]

That message didn’t appear this time.

‘Is it because I devoured an Evil God?’

I sat quietly, contemplating how I had changed.

Has my nature turned evil? Did I now feel an urge to torment others?

‘Well… I’ve always enjoyed that, in that kind of way.’

I thought about it for a while, but I didn’t feel like I had become any more evil.

If I looked on the bright side, it meant I could now fit another Ex-grade talent.

‘Status window.’

[Name: Lee Seo-ha]

[Title: Black God]

[Absolute Stats]

Black-Blue: 30.

◈ Talents.

“Reading (-),” “Celestial (?),” “Black God (Ex),” “Sword God (Ex),” “True Dragon (Ex-)”

◈ Techniques.

“Infinite Black Flame Star (Ex),” “Dark Azure Sword (Ex),” “Steel Will (D+)”

◈ Constitution.

“Primordial Spirit · Black-Blue (Ex)”

‘So I can add something here.’

No matter what I chose, I would become stronger.

But if I wanted to choose the most optimal option, that was a different issue altogether.

‘I have about two candidates.’

As I pondered while drinking from my cup, I sensed Seo Ga-yeon approaching.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

The door opened, and Seo Ga-yeon walked in.

I put down my glass and greeted her with a smile.

“What’s up?”

“I heard the rumors.”

“What rumors?”

“That moans were coming from your bedroom.”

“…….”

Well… yeah.

I had tormented them quite a bit.

Hong Yu-hwa and Ershil had assured me it was fine, but in the end, both of them passed out in the middle of it.

Most magicians had poor stamina, after all.

I was just about to suggest improving the soundproofing when—

“So, when’s my turn?”

“Pfft!”

I spat out my drink.