Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 12: Kim Ara (3)

– It’s only natural.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword lazily responded to the phenomenon.

Heaven Defying Body.

This body that defies the heavens rejects all mana-related supernatural abilities.

– It’s not all good news. Blocking the opponent’s magic is good, especially if it’s a curse; the effect is even greater. But it’s not entirely a positive phenomenon. You can’t even receive magic that enhances allies’ abilities or healing.

‘…I anticipated as much.’

Cooking, Alchemy, Blacksmithing.

Sub-jobs were mostly chosen from these three, and there was a reason for choosing Alchemy first.

It was a choice made due to the slow recovery of the Heaven Defying Body and the inability to learn healing magic.

“What, what? The curse just disappeared?”

“What kind of insane anti-magic power is that? Is he really a hybrid of a giant?”

The students murmured.

“Haha, haha. Indeed, this year’s top student is truly incredible.”

Song Ra-hee staggered and looked at me. Her eyes shone brightly.

“The next spell won’t be easy. It’s Song Ra-hee’s original magic. It’s a spell specialized in breaking anti-magic.”

Song Ra-hee cast her spell.

– Indeed, that’s dangerous. If not for the Black Scales of the Black God Martial Arts, any normal defensive measure might be shattered by that spell. Her talent is focused on anti-magic, quite unique.

“Of course, this is my own decision, so Lee Seo-ha can refuse. However, if it doesn’t break your barrier, I’ll give you scores you won’t have to worry about for a while.”

“I’ll do it.”

I looked at Song Ra-hee.

She seemed like a professor who could turn from slightly prickly to a score-dispensing machine.

Song Ra-hee threw a sphere. And, as expected,

Fssssss…

It disappeared as soon as it touched my body.

“What, what, this, this can’t be… How, how can this be… My, my magic…”

Song Ra-hee looked at me with a hollow expression.

No way. Now step back, the full score is mine.

Weekends approached quickly amid the busy training and theory exams.

The Korean Hero School, surprisingly, had some commitments on weekends.

That was,

“I understand everyone wants to rest on weekends. But only with a healthy body and hobbies can one become a true hero.”

Following the principal’s words, everyone ended up joining clubs.

…That was all good, but why on the weekends?

“Let’s join the travel club. Better to feel like traveling than other clubs on weekends.”

“How about the gaming club?”

“A baseball club, watching Lotte Giants matches?”

“What’s Lotte? A famous baseball team?”

There were many clubs. Students had to join at least one and could join up to two if they dedicated their Sundays.

My choice of club was simple.

The Occult Research Club.

Ershil also joined this club, bringing all sorts of cursed artifacts in the name of researching the occult.

‘Should I try to bring in Seo Ga-yeon?’

I considered it for a moment but decided it was best just to create a connection with Ershil.

I wrote down the Occult Research Club and submitted it to Seo Woo-ju, the instructor.

“Hmm? This club… it has no members and might soon be disbanded due to a lack of an instructor or professor. Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Finding an instructor or professor was easy.

Since I was the top student, there were many who tried to curry favor with me.

“Well, you can probably find one somehow. If not, you can tell me.”

Instructor Seo Woo-ju stamped the approval. I took it and returned to my seat.

“Oh, do you like something like the Occult Research Club?”

“Occult Research Club? Seo-ha, you’re interested in that kind of thing?”

Ershil asked me, and Kim Seo-hyun who was next to her also asked in surprise.

“Hmm, I was thinking about joining the Mint Chocolate Debate Club, but maybe the Occult Research Club instead?”

“Oh my, you know your taste well?”

The genius of England and the genius of Korea debating about mint chocolate.

That was really dreadful.

I sighed and shook my head.

“But do you really need to follow?”

“Isn’t that what friends do?”

“You don’t have to follow. We’re going to have fun on Sunday anyway, right? It’s better to do our favorite hobbies on Saturday.”

“That’s true. Then I’ll join the Mint Chocolate Debate Club.”

Kim Seo-hyun hummed and quietly noted down the Mint Chocolate Club.

“You’re here?”

“…Yes.”

Kim Ara nodded with a faint voice.

“But is it okay to come to such a secluded place?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

I had already gotten permission. I told Instructor Seo Woo-ju that I needed a large space for training, so he readily recommended this place.

“But to come all the way here for training?”

“That’s right. The method I’ll teach you is quite different from what you’ve known so far.”

I walked slowly and talked with Kim Ara.

The Overlord had taught Kim Ara.

However, while teaching her, The Overlord couldn’t properly impart the true ways of combat.

“Didn’t you find it strange that The Overlord was teaching you swordsmanship?”

“…Hmm. I think there was something. What my father said and what I achieved were different.”

It was simple.

Kim Ara had inherited what The Overlord couldn’t.

“My power is stronger than what my father said it should be.”

I looked at Kim Ara.

She had a slender physique, long purple hair, and bangs grown long, covering half of her eyes, yet unable to hide her beauty.

I put my hand in my pocket and spoke slowly.

“I told you. Your power is related to your bloodline.”

“Bloodline…?”

“Yes, bloodline.”

The Overlord and Kim Ara were descendants of a legendary being that had long since vanished.

The Giants.

In ancient times, even the dragon race avoided them, a symbol of ‘brute strength’.

Their blood, diluted over time, had almost ended with The Overlord’s generation, but it strongly persisted in Kim Ara.

She would soon grow strong enough that even The Overlord couldn’t handle her power.

“Have you ever struck something with all your might? Felt completely drained after a single blow with all your strength?”

“No, the Overlord told me never to strike anything with full power.”

“Did something feel off?”

“…”

Kim Ara stopped walking and looked at me.

“Didn’t you feel something was off? Like you could exert more strength. A feeling that my body is capable of more than this. Not a sensation, but more like a kind of revelation.”

“…I did.”

The Overlord, who couldn’t inherit it—

The power of blood that only Kim Ara received.

The Overlord inherited only half of the Giants’ bloodline, just their strength.

Kim Ara was different.

She inherited the biological factors of the Giants, unlike the Overlord.

“Then, this time, try to muster all your strength, even if it seems there isn’t any, and strike.”

This was a method Kim Ara had actually realized. In the future, while fighting a Mine targeting her Giant blood, she became aware of the blood’s existence.

“We’ve arrived.”

Arriving at the training ground, I tapped the ground with my foot and said,

“You can do it, right?”

“Yes.”

Kim Ara nodded. She picked up the Giant’s Sword. Its size was still amazing to behold no matter how many times I saw it.

Literally the ‘Giant’s’ sword. Kim Ara lifted it as easily as one would lift chopsticks.

Whoosh!

The sword quivered. Purple mana surged around Kim Ara.

I leaned against a tree and watched.

Screech.

Her mana screamed. Kim Ara, with calm eyes, gripped the Giant’s Sword tightly and raised it above her head.

-Wait…

The expression of the Black Heavenly Demon Sword changed, its eyes filled with astonishment from a look of ‘let’s see’ curiosity.

Kim Ara swung the sword.

From above to below.

There was no finesse to it.

Although it’s said that softness overcomes hardness, an overpowering strength can crush everything.

Crash────!!!

As the sword struck down, space itself seemed to scream. Everything at the sword’s intended target was pulverized by the sheer ‘force’.

The endpoint resembled a site that had been bombed, with the ground deeply cratered.

In the midst of the chaos,

Kim Ara was laughing.

Blood streamed from her arms as if her veins had burst, spurting from various places.

Yet, the innate power of the Giants rapidly healed her wounds. As the bleeding ceased, her arms appeared to reverse time, mending themselves.

Just slightly, but Kim Ara’s body became even more ‘robust’.

-…This is madness.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword murmured quietly.

I smiled and spoke to Kim Ara.

“How does it feel?”

“…Did you know this would happen?”

“Roughly. My eyes are pretty good.”

I pointed to my eyes and chuckled. Kim Ara also laughed, her smile chilling, yet faint.

“Is Seo Ga-yeon, the one you talked about, as impressive as this?”

“Ga-yeon? She’s no joke. So, what are your thoughts now?”

“It’s peculiar. I’ve never felt like this in all my years.”

Kim Ara’s words seemed to drift as she spoke, and I couldn’t catch the rest of her sentence.

“It’s the first time I’ve felt such an interest in someone.”

Alchemy Guild.

It might sound like a collective of alchemists, but these individuals largely operated independently.

Most alchemists, rather than fostering sociability, preferred to devote their time to research.

Recently, the Alchemy Guild had been in an uproar.

The source of the commotion was singular: a recipe disseminated by a recently joined member.

“This golden combination exists; it’s truly unbelievable…”

“It’s counterintuitive. Poison and medicine are separated by a thin line. But to create a potion from only poisons…”

“How efficient is it? The ingredients are not difficult to obtain, but the results need to correspond in effectiveness.”

“What a naive question. Do you see this potion merely as ‘money’? That’s an affront to the recipe!”

Even the ‘Master’ who created an AI and disappeared for 10 years to avoid meetings, ‘Al Magus’ who aimed to create the Philosopher’s Stone, and ‘Jermeng’ who controlled 35% of the global potion market.

These individuals, each capable of causing a stir in the Alchemy Guild, were gathered and engaged in discussion.

“It’s unbelievable. So, Master, you know who this person is, right?”

“…I don’t.”

“What? You don’t know, even though you created the AI?!”

“I really don’t! When I made the AI, my disciples were bothering me, so I sought help from the ‘Electronic Witch’ to complete it. I couldn’t be very involved.”

“This is madness…”

Electronic Witch.

A witch who resided within the electronic world. She abandoned her physical body to inhabit the electronic realm, making it incredibly difficult to hire her for any task.

“…We have no other option but to wait for him to resurface.”

“What do you mean, no choice?! By then, rumors will have already spread throughout the industry. Assassins ready to target the alchemist responsible for this recipe might emerge!”

Though it was a worst-case scenario, they had witnessed such events before. From the standpoint of Mines and villains, they did not want the heroes to gain strength.

“By the way, what is the name of this alchemist?”

“Don’t you know that either?”

“Veritas.”

“…”

The person who had posed the question fell silent. It was only then that they realized no one had mentioned the alchemist’s ‘name’.

Truth.

A name that symbolized the ultimate pursuit of all alchemists.