Ch.185185. Passion

Dohyun Geum sensed that the situation was turning serious.

The monster’s attack targeting Serin Eun, and the battle of large monsters outside.

“This is strange. Jonghyun and Ariel must be out there too.”

He had already heard that Ariel was seriously injured and taken to the hospital from Jonghyun Do.

“It’s chaos. Absolute chaos.”

But the bigger problem was the atmosphere in the class. Not long after the incident between Jonghyun Do and Jinwon Seo, another incident had occurred.

Moreover, it seemed that an incident had happened on Jonghyun and Ariel’s side, who might have gone outside.

‘What should I do? If Jonghyun really is a monster…’

Dohyun Geum already knew well what he needed to do.

He approached Sangheon Gu.

“Another incident has broken out. Want to talk until the guilds investigate?”

“About what?”

“What would you do if Jonghyun Do is a monster?”

Sangheon Gu has always been unpredictable. Dohyun asked out of curiosity, but the result was unexpected.

“First, I’d attack him.”

“What?”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Dohyun was taken aback. Given his usual personality, he thought Sangheon wouldn’t care much, but he’s concerned?

‘This is different from what I expected… Well, it’s normal to dislike monsters. But didn’t he cooperate well with monsters before?’

Thanks to monsters that help people, perceptions had improved, but generally, disliking them was the default.

Especially with various suspicions mounting, the class atmosphere was becoming unsettled.

“Is Jonghyun Do really a monster?”

“Again outside… there’s definitely something going on.”

“Has he been deceiving us all this time?”

Various comments were circulating. The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense, and classes were suspended for the day.

Jonghyun had sent word that he would be at the hospital with Ariel before returning.

But the class group chat was in complete chaos.

-Jonghyun. You’re not a monster, right? Right?

-Please say something! Clearly! We’re friends.

-Why do monsters keep appearing wherever you are?

There was a sense of confusion bordering on indignation.

Dangerous incidents kept happening while they remained in the dark.

As the situation grew more serious, Dohyun Geum addressed everyone.

“Come on, everyone, calm down. It’s not like Jonghyun is running away. Ask him directly when he returns. Let’s not do this. He’s a precious friend.”

But before a day had passed, Serin Eun also went missing.

*

My head is spinning. This is a complete mess.

Instead of returning to the dormitory, I was waiting with Ariel as she met with butler Corner and her bodyguards.

I’m waiting for Ariel to stabilize, and I’m also curious about her condition.

The good news is that she recovered quickly. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that Ariel had regained consciousness.

But the class group chat is in complete disarray.

They’re making a fuss, constantly asking what connection I have with monsters.

I want to tell them. But…

Should I say it now? The moment I speak, it’s no longer a secret but reality.

Everyone will focus on me, including my parents.

“Why was Serin Eun attacked?”

She’s supposed to be a collaborator. But she was attacked? Did she fall out with the Goegyeopdan?

How many bizarre incidents have happened in just one day?

Amidst my worries, another problem arose.

“What? Instructor Serin Eun is missing?”

Serin disappeared while being investigated. Why? Could it be them…

In the past, when Serin’s activities were traced, didn’t she commit suicide?

I couldn’t help but connect the dots.

Because she was abandoned by the Goegyeopdan. Could it be? Where did Serin commit suicide back then?

As the net closed in, she committed suicide in front of a grave.

I couldn’t stay any longer. I needed to find that grave where Serin had committed suicide before.

My body was moving reflexively. Why did I come to the past?

This wasn’t what I wanted. I had intended to get important enemy information from Serin.

About what happened, why things turned out that way.

No, that’s not all. There, I…

I shook my head repeatedly as I tried to recall my emotions.

This isn’t the time for that.

I rushed to the grave where Serin had committed suicide back then.

The exact place that was explicitly reported in the newspapers. At the National Cemetery.

Why the National Cemetery? All I knew was that one of Serin’s family members was buried there.

Suicide in front of family…? Come to think of it, when I went to Serin’s house…

I belatedly recalled the family photo. There was definitely a boy in that family photo.

My phone was searching for a Yeager with the surname Eun.

There must have been some incident.

[This child’s name is Jiho. Eun Jiho.]

“Huh?”

Eun Jiho. The one she definitely referred to as her cousin. But I felt like I’d heard the name somewhere before.

Wasn’t there an incident that happened several years before I enrolled?

[Suspicious Death of Promising New Yeager, Eun Jiho]

-The Yeager community is in turmoil over the death of Eun Jiho, a promising newcomer from the Magician Guild.

-The Magician Guild, which had preemptively prevented an ‘illegal drug distribution case,’ mistakenly suspected Eun Jiho as an internal traitor during their investigation.

Although it was later revealed that the actual criminal was someone else, not Eun Jiho, the deceased had already suffered greatly from public criticism.

After two months of seclusion, Eun Jiho was found dead.

While it appeared to be suicide, there were several traces at the scene that suggested homicide.

Blood of a different type, signs of intrusion, and other strange traces. Despite these anomalies, the Magician Guild declared it a suicide and hastily concluded the matter.

According to this, did the Magician Guild deliberately kill Serin’s brother? No, something doesn’t add up logically.

The content seemed full of inconsistencies. And then Serin’s suicide and current disappearance.

It was clear there was some connection with the Magician Guild.

Everything in my field of vision was rushing by urgently.

I went to the National Cemetery, but fortunately or unfortunately, Serin wasn’t there.

And the name Eun Jiho was clearly inscribed on that grave.

[Shall I tell you something?]

“You startled me.”

At that moment, adult Joonho appeared beside me. Come to think of it, didn’t he say he had Hermes’ abilities?

“The situation has become strange. Can you find where Serin is?”

[Of course. Let me give you a regular situation report first.]

After I explained what had been happening, adult Joonho whispered to me.

[Would there be parents who name their cousin’s child the same? Do you think Serin really has a cousin? She’s connected to the Goegyeopdan. I don’t know if that child is really Serin’s cousin or something else.]

That’s a valid analysis.

Who would give the same name? I should have thought of this from the beginning.

“How’s your side? The threat from those Goegyeopdan kids?”

[They haven’t appeared recently. I’m tracking them, but they did appear around that kid Ariel.]

“Ariel?”

So what? They’ve targeted both Ariel and Yuhwa Seol?

For what purpose? If they wanted to attack, they should have done so already.

[It seems the enemies are trying to target Academy students. It might be a way to cause internal problems.]

“My parents and relatives would all be in danger too. To shake us up in that way…”

Why specifically Academy students? There have been attack incidents, but those are cases of external intrusion.

“If they shake us from within and come from outside like this time…”

[It would be a disaster. If they’re planning to brainwash, it makes sense to observe. They’d want to use us. I’ll protect my sister as much as possible. You’re looking for Serin now, right?]

Adult Joonho was concentrating with one finger pressed against his hand.

[Hmm. It’s hard to find her. I wish we had more hints.]

My head is truly in chaos right now. After being hit hard once, so many situations are arising that I’m about to lose my mind.

Every time I try to do something, it falls apart. And then falls apart again.

I need to make the first move…

Let’s organize. Quickly organize. Starting with the most urgent.

The surveillance of Ariel and Yuhwa Seol. The possibility that Jinwon Seo is connected to the Goegyeopdan isn’t an immediate concern.

Ariel is usually protected by powerful individuals, and Yuhwa will be protected by the White Dragon Guild thanks to adult Joonho.

So, I need to deal with Serin first.

Thinking it through, the reason Serin cooperated with the Goegyeopdan, her sudden suicide.

This is definitely connected to her brother. The name of her dead brother and the child she called her cousin were the same.

“Joonho. Check the Magician Guild. Around there, or around important figures at least.”

[Got it.]

As adult Joonho disappeared, I headed to Serin’s house.

Since she’s missing anyway, it shouldn’t matter if I enter. Above all, what about Serin’s child?

There might be something to resolve this curiosity. Breaking into Serin’s house, I began to search every corner.

And there was something strange.

The baby supplies we had given her were in the baby’s room, unused and still in their boxes.

“Traces of a child…”

A small bed where a baby sleeps. Toys are visible, and there’s a palm-sized basketball that children would play with.

It’s definitely something needed for playing with a child, but a baby can’t even walk yet? It’s premature for a baby.

There were several children’s clothes in Serin’s house. Not for a baby. Clothes that would only fit someone at least kindergarten-aged.

“It’s physically impossible.”

What on earth was Serin raising?

I transformed to try to understand the structure of this house.

With a wolf’s perception, I realized there was a fairly large facility in the basement.

Breaking in, I found an empty space with a laboratory and the smell of blood.

A computer was turned on.

[To whoever sees this]

Serin’s story was written there.

*

Sunghee Jo was constantly examining the new ring she had received from the summoning spirit.

In one hand, she held a phone.

“Could you finally hit Jun’s face a bit?”

[Oh, sister. Don’t even mention it! I finally saw that bastard’s face contort, you know? We’ve definitely crossed another door.]

Both of them had now stepped into the realm of avatars. They’ll become even stronger from now on.

[But you know what? There was another accident at the Academy?]

“Ah, I heard about it. Our kids have gone to help with the recovery.”

[The atmosphere has been ominous lately. It’s like they’re making desperate moves. Be careful.]

Sunghee Jo smiled at her brother’s kind warning, but was puzzled by a knock on her door.

“That’s strange. Knocking isn’t the current method, is it?”

In her puzzlement, she guessed who might be standing outside.

“Is that you, Serin?”

“You know well, don’t you? How did you guess it was me right away?”

“I thought you’d come someday. And above all, that knocking method was discontinued a year after you left. These days, we use a button to signal.”

Sunghee Jo casually went to open the door. A beautiful woman with a gaunt face was glaring at her.

“Wouldn’t it be better to hide your expression a bit?”

“I don’t want to hide it at all, even for my brother Jiho’s sake.”

“…”

Sunghee Jo invited Serin into her room.

“It reminds me of the old days. You used to brew lemon tea, saying your brother liked it, and test it on us.”

“Those were happy times, weren’t they?”

Serin was just like back then. She naturally moved towards the pantry set up in one corner of the room.

There, she made lemon tea for everyone to drink while chatting.

She was reenacting a scene from their past memories. But the affection from back then was now filled with hatred.

Sunghee Jo sat across from Serin, holding the lemon tea.

“Serin, what will happen to me if I drink this?”

“…”

There was no answer. Sunghee Jo bitterly drank the lemon tea filled with hatred.