Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 13: Ershil (1)

-How fascinating.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword smirked as if it enjoyed watching me struggle.

It was dressed differently than usual, donning an off-shoulder blouse, a black skirt, and black stockings.

“Suddenly changed clothes?”

-It’s part of a mood change. The clothes here satisfy my aesthetic desires quite a lot.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword grinned from the bed.

“What’s so fascinating?”

-It’s fascinating to see that there are things even the master can’t do on the first try.

“I’m not a genius. You’ve also said my talent is ordinary.”

-The man who dwells in the past isn’t popular, master.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s remark left me speechless.

-And it’s not that you lack talent. It’s just so unique from my perspective that it’s hard to assess.

Unique.

-How should I put it? A method of ‘conquering’ the opponent and adapting one’s fighting style accordingly? I don’t know much about other things, but it seems the master is particularly adept in that area. Uniquely so.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword explained her reasoning. It implied I was adept at gaming.

Pleased, I broke off the staring match with the Black Heavenly Demon Sword and frowned as I looked at my arm.

My right fingers were stained black.

Black Scales ── a protective force of the Black God Martial Arts.

-It blocks physical forces that influence all abilities and the material world by wrapping them with the Energy of Defying Heaven. Simply put, when you defend with Black Scales, you become virtually invincible. It is literally the strongest defensive ability.

But it had its drawbacks.

Black Scales had a limited range.

How limited? Currently, it only covered my hand, and even at its full potential, it would only cover both arms.

-If you’re wondering why it’s so narrow, it’s because the Energy of Defying Heaven negates and dismantles all abilities. Conversely, it can’t influence physical forces.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword said regretfully.

-That’s why the previous master created Black Scales. However, its range is limited. It can be spread thinner to extend a bit more, but then the structure of Black Scales collapses, rendering it unnecessary.

“It’s fine. If I later acquire ‘that,’ I can maximize the effect of Black Scales.”

-Learning defense isn’t a bad choice for the master. You can gradually learn Black Wing and Black Scripture. Black Scales is a defensive technique, but it’s virtually invincible even when used for offense. The only issue is,

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword sighed.

-The master’s Heaven Defying Body was acquired postnatally. Normally, with the master’s talent, mastering Black Wing wouldn’t be a problem.

“No, it’s actually better.”

If I had the Heaven Defying Body innately, I would possess the Energy of Defying Heaven appropriate for this body’s age.

But that was not a good choice.

‘Instead, there’s more room for another ‘power’ to enter.’

It was not a power like abilities. Rather, it was more like Kim Ara’s ‘strength’ itself.

-Then let’s move on. What do you think is more important than swordsmanship, master?

“Footwork.”

I answered without hesitation.

Because in games, learning footwork was often crucial.

It helped you avoid most attacks. Rushing in to strike vital spots would significantly reduce the opponent’s health.

Most importantly,

If you mastered high-grade footwork, your movement distance greatly increased from that moment.

‘I can’t miss out on this.’

-Originally, if you learn Black Wing, footwork isn’t that important. Once you properly master Black God Martial Arts, you can force the opponent into aerial combat. However, since the master still lacks the Energy of Defying Heaven, you need to learn footwork.

“I see.”

-Don’t worry, master. The previous master created footwork techniques for such cases. It’s not specialized in long jumps, but it’s pretty decent for evasion.

That day, I practiced footwork tirelessly until I was completely exhausted.

Sighing, I headed towards the Occult Research Club with Ershil.

The Occult Research Club was quite far away. I met Ershil on the way.

“It seems they study occult matters quite seriously, don’t you think? To have such a dense presence of Yin (陰) mana even outside the building.”

Ershil’s golden eyes sparkled, perhaps due to her star-shaped pupils, which seemed to twinkle even more.

“How do you feel, Seo-ha? Isn’t it thrilling? This eerie atmosphere where ghosts could pop out at any moment. Gasp, are you scared of ghosts or something?”

“…No.”

I felt like blood was about to gush from my ears. Ershil was grinning from ear to ear, chatting away happily.

“Did you know? Instructor Seo Woo-ju has a crush on Professor Song Ra-hee. But Professor Song prefers younger people, so he was rejected… Oh, isn’t that Hong Yu-hwa over there?”

“Hong Yu-hwa?”

Following Ershil’s gaze, I saw that it was indeed Hong Yu-hwa, clad in a neat white top and a skirt that reached her thighs, with her red hair and eyes.

This was a relief.

It was somewhat awkward with Ershil, whom I was meeting for the first time, but seeing Hong Yu-hwa, someone I knew, made me feel a bit more at ease.

“Hello, long time no see. Are you also in the Occult Research Club?”

“I was curious about the relationship between Yin energy and magic. But are you guys part of the Occult Research Club too? I didn’t know.”

Hong Yu-hwa spoke with pride.

But that was a lie. Hong Yu-hwa took extreme pride in herself. Normally, she would automatically join the same club as Kim Seo-hyun.

I thought she would join the Mint Chocolate Research Club…

‘Is she more conscious of me than of Kim Seo-hyun?’

“Since we’re heading the same way, shall we go together?”

“Sure, why not.”

Hong Yu-hwa started walking ahead with a proud demeanor.

“What’s this, what’s this~? Could it be that Hong Yu-hwa has an interest in Lee Seo-ha? I really love this kind of stuff~.”

“No, I don’t.”

Ershil giggled as she walked beside me.

Hong Yu-hwa was about to snap back but then sighed deeply, realizing that reacting would only amuse Ershil more.

“Eh, it seems likely~. What’s wrong with that? We’re still young, right? Why not be honest with me about it? It’ll be our little secret, just the three of us.”

Ershil said, snickering.

“No, it’s not!”

Hong Yu-hwa glared at Ershil sharply and then walked ahead a bit faster.

To tease the Crimson Lotus like that, impressive.

“You see, you see? She’s definitely interested!”

Ershil laughed beside me.

The Occult Research Club was literally eerie.

“Ah, ah, hello.”

The person who seemed to be the club president was a gloomy type. He was similar to Kim Ara, with bangs slightly covering his eyes.

But despite appearances, this person was quite knowledgeable about curses. A good person to befriend.

“That person, despite appearances, is well-versed in curses. It’d be good to get on friendly terms.”

Hong Yu-hwa whispered to me from behind.

“But why is your anti-magic strength so thick? I can’t even send a magic message through it.”

“It’s because of my constitution.”

“…Don’t tell me you blocked Professor Song Ra-hee’s magic with your constitution?”

“No, that was my own power.”

It was indeed my constitution, but there was no need to elaborate that to Hong Yu-hwa.

“And I don’t need things like protection spells, so you go ahead and befriend them.”

“You’re quite confident. Are you saying that if a curse affects you, an ordinary student couldn’t break it?”

Hong Yu-hwa spoke with disbelief.

She wasn’t wrong. There was no curse that could penetrate the Heaven Defying Body. Most magic couldn’t even break through it, let alone curses, buffs, or debuffs—they would just be devoured by the Heaven Defying Body.

I looked around.

As expected of the Occult Research Club, there were all kinds of items covered in curses.

“These are quite remarkable. Even freshmen at Korea Hero Academy would suffer from a mild curse that would prevent them from sleeping for a week if they touched these things.”

Ershil said, impressed.

Was that considered mild…?

“Ah, you shouldn’t touch that. It’s frequently used by the professors…”

“The professors use it?”

“Yes. They say if graduate students lack talent and effort, they need to be kept awake forcibly to make them work…”

“…Graduate students are still people, aren’t they?”

“Were graduate students ever considered people?”

As I spoke gloomily, Ershil laughed brightly.

“Can we take a look around here?”

“Yes, yes. But please be careful with the cursed items. There are curses that can turn you into a graduate student if you’re not careful.”

That truly was a terrifying curse.

I observed various items using my talent-reading ability. Many of them seemed interesting.

There was an item that, if used by a man, turned him into a woman, increasing his charm.

And a bracelet that increased fire attribute control at the cost of draining energy from the entire body.

Items with curses were generally like this. Things that others would never use even if they granted power… but I was different.

I picked up the bracelet that increased fire attribute control at the cost of draining body energy.

“Gasp, if you use that incorrectly, you won’t be able to move all day! You shouldn’t use it!”

“It’s okay. I’m not susceptible to curses.”

I wore the bracelet. Immediately, a smoky black energy tried to invade my body along my arm.

And then it was devoured by the Energy of Defying Heaven.

Snap.

I flicked my finger, and a flame materialized in the air.

That looks good.

“Do you have more items like this?”

“Are, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m immune to curses. If you have items that are difficult to dispose of, give them to me, and I’ll handle them.”

“Th-there’s such a constitution? Th-then, would you like to take a few more?”

Subsequently, I acquired approximately five additional items.

-Not a bad haul.

Indeed.

I concurred with the Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s sentiment.