Chapter 117.1

Chapter 117 – Rule 31: The Leader Restores Order in Academy City (19)

Ahn Woo-jin couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Suddenly, his entire body felt liberated.

He saw the massive fissure that had stretched across the sky slowly closing.
It was sluggish, as if time itself had lost its pace.

‘Am I dead? What the hell just happened…?’

Blinking his eyes, the sky turned crimson. Woo-jin squinted and looked around, puzzled by the surreal scene unfolding before him.

The sensation against his entire body was identical to when Se-Ah had fully unleashed her magic. That chilling power had spread throughout Neo Seoul.

Woo-jin lowered his gaze.

He found himself floating in the middle of the crimson sky, and an unfamiliar landscape stretched out before him.

Neo Seoul was bathed in a horrifying red hue.

Countless figures that seemed human were twisted or deformed, bound here and there. Overseeing them were long, black-masked creatures.

Their abnormal limbs—elongated arms, legs, fingers—fluttered like reeds or taffy with each step they took.

These monsters roamed Neo Seoul, enjoying the city as if they were its citizens.

“……!”

Suddenly, sensing an overwhelming presence, Woo-jin snapped his head in that direction.

Toward the outskirts of the Mayeon High School Autonomous District.

Where Moon Chae-won’s underground hideout should be, a colossal tree towered. Its immense size was clearly visible even from this distance.

However, the trunk of the tree was far from ordinary.

Numerous people were sporadically absorbed into it, their bodies fused to the trunk as if genetically altered, forming a single organic entity.

“……?”

Woo-jin attempted to approach the tree using spatial leap, but his Unique Ability refused to activate.

‘I can feel the magic within me… but I can’t use it.’

Then it happened.

“!”

Three of the elongated creatures patrolling the city unfurled their wings and leaped, reaching Woo-jin in an instant.

The monsters encircled him.

Woo-jin was taken aback.

Three black masks stared at him. Upon closer inspection, they weren’t masks at all—they were part of the creatures’ skin, composed of keratin-like material, similar to nails, claws, or animal horns.

Red eyes gleamed from behind those mask-like faces, resembling the eyes Se-Ah had when she unleashed her power.

“What on earth is going on…?”

An endless series of incomprehensible events filled Woo-jin’s mind with confusion.

The elongated monsters reached out toward Woo-jin, and from their hands, he sensed the same power that had emanated from Se-Ah.

‘This is…’

Woo-jin had an idea of what would happen if he allowed them to touch him.

The humans populating this city seemed to have lost their former selves, grotesquely transformed into these warped, flesh-colored creatures.

If this world was not the living but a realm of the dead…

Woo-jin surmised that these creatures’ power manipulated the form of souls as if twisting their physical bodies.

Woo-jin attempted to flee, having instinctively learned to fly.

But.

“!”

The elongated creatures flapped their wings and caught up to Woo-jin in no time.

He felt an overwhelming sense that, if caught by Se-Ah’s mysterious power, everything would end here.

Crack!

A fissure suddenly formed behind Woo-jin, and a girl’s arm reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling him through. Woo-jin crossed through the fissure, which then sealed shut.

The monsters’ arms swung futilely at empty space.

Fwoosh!!

Riding through a wormhole, Woo-jin emerged from the fissure into a wide flower field filled with golden marigolds.

The sky shone brightly, like gold, more luminous than any sunset. It was a stark contrast to the terrifying urban landscape he had just witnessed.

In the middle of the flower field stood a solitary cottage.

And in front of the cottage—

Thud.

Dragged forcefully, Woo-jin stumbled and fell flat.

Geumyang, who had pulled him in, clicked her tongue in disapproval as she looked down at him.

“What a troublesome kid.”

“Geumyang…?”

“This is my labyrinth. It’s only because of your current state that you were able to enter.”

Woo-jin propped himself up, and Geumyang knelt in front of him, meeting him at eye level.

A gentle breeze rustled the golden marigolds. Despite being called a “labyrinth,” it was a remarkably serene place.

“What’s going on…?”

Woo-jin still couldn’t grasp the situation.

He had charged at Se-Ah, only to find her red eyes glowing menacingly, and then suddenly, he had been thrust into this world.

“I told you to run, didn’t I? Se-Ah’s power can’t be judged by the laws of this world, nor can it be measured by any sense of superiority. To humans, it belongs to the realm of the absurd.”

Geumyang shook her head in exasperation, grumbling.

“You’re such a brat, not listening to your elders… Truly a rebellious kid. Well, it worked out in the end. You’re not dead yet, and time is moving very slowly for you right now.”

“…You figured something out, didn’t you?”

“Hmph.”

Geumyang stood up and headed toward the cottage.

“Where are you going?”

“Let’s have some tea. Follow me.”

Woo-jin stood up and followed Geumyang toward the cottage.

“Sit there and wait.”

Geumyang motioned toward a wooden table in front of the cottage. Woo-jin sat at the table. Soon, Geumyang returned from inside the cottage with warm tea.

Two cups of what appeared to be green tea were placed on the table.

The tea had no fragrance.

Geumyang sat across from Woo-jin, inhaling the nonexistent aroma with a relaxed expression. Woo-jin couldn’t understand what she was savoring.

He glanced back at his cup of tea.

He had no intention of drinking it.