Ch.188188. I Can No Longer Hide It.

That was fortunate, at least. I was afraid to scold someone whose mental state was fragile enough to consider suicide, but I had to make it clear.

That suicide is never atonement.

Eun Serin was intelligent enough to understand what I meant. And thankfully, she decided to live and overcome this.

Jo Seonghee also enters with a satisfied expression.

“That’s right, only the living can prove themselves. Serin.”

“…Unni.”

Eun Serin’s voice had softened. And she starts to sob again.

Thanks to that, the arm of mine she’s holding feels even more intensely soft.

Jo Seonghee was watching this with a smirk.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you cling to a man like this.”

“I need someone right now.”

Eun Serin looked at me and smiled weakly, in a way I’d never seen before.

Regardless of her resolve, Serin had reached her limit.

“You can lean on me as much as you need.”

“Thank you.”

Now she was resting her head against my chest. But isn’t this quite blatant?

She’s not even trying to be subtle.

Jo Seonghee’s gaze was directed at me at that moment.

“But aren’t you dating Ariel?”

“Strictly speaking, we’re just in the talking stage.”

“You’d better make a clear decision. A woman’s revenge can be terrifying.”

Hmm, I have nothing to say to that. Indeed, what woman would easily allow someone to date another woman while keeping her on the side…

“That doesn’t matter.”

But at that moment, Eun Serin lifted her head abruptly.

“Honestly, in my current state, what right do I have to restrict him? I don’t care if he dates Ariel or not.”

“Sort out your love affairs yourselves. From now on, Serin, you’re going to have a really tough time. If this makes you comfortable, that’s fine. Let’s get to the main point now.”

Jo Seonghee’s eyes grew serious.

“First, let’s start with whether the enemy can now control gates at will. And everything about the Apocalypse Group and what they’ve been doing. You have a lot to explain.”

“I’ll tell you everything, one by one.”

Finally, everything I wanted to know started flowing smoothly from Eun Serin’s lips.

*

I returned exactly two days later.

It took quite a lot of time just to review the materials Eun Serin had, so I was told to return before they were presented.

“Phew, just two days. Two days.”

But a strange atmosphere pervaded the school when I arrived.

Everyone’s gazes were sharp with suspicion toward me.

Some approached to ask questions.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Ah, I had some business… I’ll explain later.”

The fact that Eun Serin was at the Magician Guild was a secret.

Therefore, I had no choice but to keep quiet about it.

But the stares were still uncomfortable. The suspicions about me being a monster had surged.

“Du Jonghyun. Welcome back. Returning after just two days?”

The one who greeted me was Ariel, with a somehow sinister smile.

Han Minwoo just nodded when he saw me, which seemed relatively okay.

Geum Dohyun also touched my shoulder and smiled at me.

Everyone seemed fine, but Seol Yuhwa wouldn’t look at me.

Does she suspect I’m a monster?

But this couldn’t be helped either. Not in the current situation.

The classes were no different from before. Just rescue activities and now monster appearances happening simultaneously?

Training began in a heavy atmosphere. We were proceeding with giving each other directions in incidents occurring in mountains and waters.

Things were going smoothly, but then I noticed something unusual with Ariel and Seol Yuhwa.

Seol Yuhwa, who had always had good grades, had fallen to the lower ranks.

Ariel was in first place, which was natural given her skills. But how could Yuhwa fall so far?

During training, I observed that Ariel frequently looked at Seol Yuhwa.

Why?

At the same time, I was thinking about the Apocalypse Group.

I already knew that the Apocalypse Group had done something to Ariel.

So I called Ariel to the rooftop.

“What is it, Du Jonghyun?”

Ariel approached me more forcefully than usual.

So close that our faces were almost touching.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?”

“Something to tell you? Ah… I forgot about that.”

Ariel grinned and moved even closer. No, this is uncomfortable, please don’t do this.

Usually, Ariel might joke around, but she wouldn’t get this physically close in a way that could be misinterpreted.

She’s definitely acting strange.

“I heard an eyewitness account.”

“An eyewitness account?”

“That someone was at your hospital.”

“So?”

Ariel stared at me with such intense eyes that I couldn’t describe.

Eyes so intense that I might get lost in them if I stayed still. I deliberately avoided her gaze.

“You’ve changed a bit, haven’t you?”

“How so?”

“More than usual…”

Now we were so close I could feel her breath. Ariel was moving even closer.

Her face, seen up close, was becoming intoxicatingly sweet as her lips approached mine…

“Wait.”

I stopped her with superhuman restraint.

Ariel is acting strange. Really strange. This isn’t something I should just go with the flow on.

I barely regained my senses and pushed Ariel away.

“You’ve been affected by the enemy. The Ariel I know isn’t like this.”

“You don’t like me being more forward? Aren’t you being too reserved?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

At that moment, Ariel grabbed my collar and pulled me in.

Our lips met. A sweet scent spread through my body, creating an electrifying sensation. Ariel’s face was flushed as she pulled away.

“You’re mine. This is proof of that.”

“Stop doing this to Seol Yuhwa.”

I pushed all the distracting thoughts out of my mind. What’s important now is Yuhwa.

Ariel flinched.

“You playboy. Do you like that ‘pathetic, poor liar’ too? It doesn’t suit you. That child is miserably poor…”

“Stop it! Ariel!”

Just then, an indignant voice came from beside us. It was Yuhwa. She was approaching us, trembling with anger.

“What are you saying about Jonghyun?”

“Just talking about a thieving cat. Were you eavesdropping again?”

Ariel’s sneer was more chilling than ever. This wasn’t like her at all.

Ariel lunged forward.

“Why, should I tell you directly? All the lies you’ve told?”

“That’s…”

“This is between me and Du Jonghyun.”

As I tried to intervene, Ariel pushed me back.

“Every student in the school will know. That the class representative and model student deceived everyone with such lies…”

“Stop it!”

When Seol Yuhwa got angry, I noticed something ominous in Ariel’s expression.

“Then I’ll tell them. You beggar…”

“Stop it!”

I stepped in again, unable to watch anymore. Knowing the truth myself, it was unbearably painful. I had to phrase things carefully to minimize Yuhwa’s hurt.

“I don’t know what weakness she’s found, but using it to blackmail isn’t like you. Yuhwa! Ariel isn’t in her right mind right now! She’s been affected by something.”

“W-what are you saying?”

Ignoring Seol Yuhwa’s expression, I warned Ariel.

“Go see a Jaeger who specializes in mental treatment immediately. With your wealth, you can easily bring one in. You’ve changed. You’re different from the Ariel I know. This is the worst.”

“The worst?”

Ariel’s red eyes were trembling.

“Yes! The Ariel I know achieved what she wanted through her own efforts. But now you’re blackmailing people with their weaknesses? Is that Ariel? Absolutely not. Let’s go!”

I took Seol Yuhwa’s hand and headed for the rooftop door.

“J-Jonghyun?”

“Let’s go, don’t be hurt. Ariel isn’t in a normal state right now.”

We left behind a shocked Ariel. This confirmed it.

Ariel is being controlled. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s related to her mental state and making her act ‘unlike Ariel.’

The part that puzzled me was her grades.

As I had observed before, Ariel is the type who would aim for first place through her skills.

Just as I was about to leave with the hurt Seol Yuhwa, an alarm suddenly rang throughout the school.

“Huh? Ah?”

It was an alarm. A signal that a Break was occurring. As I tried to assess the situation, I saw fox ears in front of me.

“Ah? Huh?”

A foreign-looking beastkin was staring at me.

[You ruined everything. Die.]

Where did this person suddenly come from…? There was no time to think.

Fingers moved, and long spikes flashed.

They really flashed.

After everything passed, blood was flowing.

That blood was coming from my body.

I felt pain in my neck and chest, but my body was throwing itself through the window against my will.

Against my will?

“Run away!”

I could hear Seol Yuhwa’s voice. But my consciousness was fading.

I was unraveling. My body was collapsing like a ball of thread coming undone.

Ah… is this how I die?

As I was about to collapse helplessly, a mass of magical power fell before my eyes. Ah, that red hair… it’s Ariel.

“Don’t touch what’s mine!”

With that angry voice, I lost consciousness.

*

This situation wasn’t what Morgan wanted either.

Her original goal was to stimulate Ariel and ruin the academy’s excellent students.

As Du Jonghyun had figured out, the Apocalypse Group was currently gathering forces to attack the academy again.

They intended to increase the damage by brainwashing Ariel.

But Du Jonghyun had shaken Ariel’s emotions.

He even noticed the brainwashing.

The situation was developing rapidly. So Morgan had no choice but to modify her “original plan.”

‘It’s too fast. I’m already pressed because of Eun Serin!’

Moreover, Jino had moved the monster to deal with the situation regardless of her plan.

“Jino!”

[We would have had to attack anyway! This is our chance!]

That’s why the attack incident happened again.

‘This is a real mess.’

Morgan was dissatisfied with this untidy affair, but it was already too late to turn back.

‘But my attack was successful!’

She felt certain of her success. She hadn’t managed to cut his throat, but she had succeeded in ‘tearing apart’ his neck and chest area.

A normal person would die on the spot, even a Jaeger would die from that kind of injury.

Apart from Jino’s attack, Morgan saw Ariel’s furious gaze.

A killing intent and magical power that rendered the brainwashing meaningless. Morgan realized anew:

‘I can feel her intense emotions. Indeed, my ability isn’t perfect after all.’

Having completed her mission, she retreated for now. The two remaining people were just embracing Du Jonghyun’s corpse and wailing.

[Move aside. I’ll crush him along with his corpse.]

And suddenly, Jino was passing by her like a fog.

“He’s already dead.”

[No, this is separate from that. I’m going to tear his corpse to shreds.]

Unlike before, the fog formed a shape due to the modified experiment, becoming a giant fist that headed downward.

It was destroying the surrounding buildings with a tremendous impact sound.

This one blow should resolve Jino’s grudge.

That’s what Morgan thought, but suddenly Jino groaned.

[No!]

Morgan hurriedly looked back at where Du Jonghyun had died.

There was the answer.

[What happens when Du Jonghyun receives a fatal attack in his human state?]

The only case these people hadn’t experimented with was now unfolding.

A dinosaur was revealing itself with light. But its appearance was different from before.

Scales as dark as pitch-black darkness, along with horns.

It was bizarre. It had a dinosaur’s head, but combined with insect-like wings, beast-like legs, and a strange dragon’s tail—like a chimera.

But what was most strange was that its eyes had no focus.

And it was enough to instill fear in Morgan and Jino for a moment.

The monster’s roar began, and intense magical power blew them away.

[I’ve never seen this monster before! What the hell is it?]

As Jino hastily retreated, the monster flew up toward where the other monster was.