Chapter 14: Education (5)

After the girl’s thorough response, no reactions appeared in the chat window.

To think she’d taken down Kim Seongyeong, who was like the Lü Bu of the chat!

Moreover, judging by her writing style and typing speed, this wasn’t her first rodeo.

How did she find out the address and parents’ names?

This… could be big trouble if handled wrong!

For the first time since the internet lecture began, an ice age descended on the chat window.

Thanks to this, the instructor continued with an unusually comfortable lecture.

In contrast to the peaceful flow of the lecture, someone else suddenly got busy.

A man in a black suit, constantly checking approval documents.

Just as Chungseong Guild Master Lee Sunghwan was about to check the investigation report on the Eunpyeong District Head,

A loud phone rang.

It was an unexpected call.

“…What? Wait. What happened with Kim Seongyeong’s parent?”

At first, he thought it was some kind of joke.

“So, um. A student called ‘Sinner’ apparently stole Kim Seongyeong’s personal information and threatened him.”

The academy run by Chungseong Guild was a place where only thoroughly verified people could enter.

Usually, students wouldn’t dare cross the line to avoid getting on the guild’s bad side.

But what?

Personal information theft and threats.

And now they’re complaining to him, the Guild Master, and even threatening to sue?

This could potentially harm Chungseong Guild’s reputation.

“Tell me the details.”

Naturally, Guild Master Lee Sunghwan’s voice grew cold.

An argument broke out?

That could happen.

They were just hot-blooded kids who couldn’t tell where to draw the line.

But what kind of backing did they have to be able to dig up addresses and personal information?

He needed to investigate thoroughly and respond decisively…

“Um… Guild Master. This access code shows it’s the one you issued yesterday?”

Ah…

“I have an urgent matter, so I’ll hang up for now.”

Something felt off.

He hadn’t issued many codes using his recommendation letter.

Among those, the only recent one was for the temple kid.

There was no need to think further.

The culprit behind this incident was that kid.

To think she’d cause trouble in just one day.

How on earth did she do it?

She was a child Monk Jamyeong had certified as an outstanding Awakened.

‘Whatever her ability is, it’s clear she has hidden skills.’

After thinking for a moment, Guild Master Lee Sunghwan checked the chat logs his secretary had sent.

He decided not to question the girl about her wrongdoing.

Kim Seongyeong had started the provocation about parents to an orphaned child.

Kim Seongyeong had also been the first to challenge her to a real-life fight.

In other words, if the girl said she used her ability because she felt threatened, no one could blame her.

Rather, what caught his interest was something else.

“This works out well. Let’s change today’s practical to measuring the students’ limits.”

The laptop he’d sent the girl wasn’t just any ordinary product on the market.

It was a kind of simplified virtual reality access device, made with materials from beyond the Gate and Awakened abilities that money couldn’t buy.

Since things had turned out this way, he planned to use Kim Seongyeong to check the girl’s skills and her limits.

Despite the Guild Master’s sudden order, his secretary answered without question.

“Yes, I’ll relay that. Then, how should we respond to Kim Seongyeong’s parent?”

“A child’s education is the parent’s fault for being incompetent. Give them a warning, and if they still insist on suing, respond legally.”

If children’s fights escalate to adult fights, he didn’t need to hold back either.

Understanding the Guild Master’s intentions, the secretary immediately started making calls.

Meanwhile.

“Since we have a new friend, we briefly reviewed. Now let’s learn some new content.”

The girl was focusing on the woman moving vividly beyond the monitor.

How on earth did they do it?

A person moving in this small machine!

The heretics’ technology really is amazing!

“We said the average age of Awakened is 18, right? But among those who Awaken, some succeed in a second Awakening. We call those with two abilities ‘Irregulars’.”

The girl tried to focus on the lecture but couldn’t quite manage it.

Whoosh-!

She picked up the laptop and shook it hard.

But the instructor continued her explanation steadily, unmoved.

“Um… Teacher…?”

She tried calling out to the teacher, but got no response.

When she tried to make eye contact, it felt like the teacher was somehow avoiding her gaze.

“…Heeeng.”

Could it be?

Maybe these bad heretics have forcibly trapped the teacher!

That’s why she has that unmotivated expression and won’t make eye contact!

“Monk Haein. Did they trap a living sacrifice in here?!”

At the girl’s sharp question-

“Puhahahahaha!!”

Monk Haein, who had been barely holding in his laughter, burst out laughing like a madman.

That huge body rolled left and right.

Feeling like his stomach might burst from laughing, he pounded his chest.

“…Monk Haein? Is that some kind of ritual?”

“Gack! Kuhehehehehe! Gaack!”

When he met the girl’s curious gaze, he really felt like he might die laughing.

Oh my, how will such a pure and small thing survive in this world.

What if Monk Jamyeong and they hadn’t found the child?

“……”

Meeting the girl’s blank stare, Monk Haein barely caught his breath and answered.

“Kid, there’s no person inside. You know mirrors, right? It’s like showing the image of someone far away, like a reflection in a mirror.”

If he kept teasing her, they might waste this hard-earned chance for a lecture.

To help her focus on the lesson, Haein immediately took out his smartphone.

He turned on the camera, focused it on himself, and showed the screen to the girl.

“Look at this. You can see me exactly the same here, right?”

“Eek…! Are, are you trapping souls?”

The terrified girl flailed and moved away from the smartphone.

She frowned as if she’d seen a cockroach, her expression full of contempt and disgust.

Honestly, it was such a tempting reaction to tease.

‘Should I be the only one seeing this?’

Monk Haein momentarily thought about not telling the girl the ‘truth’ and showing this innocent behavior to the other monks.

But that would be abuse.

Adults shouldn’t tease children for their own amusement.

“No, look closely. Doesn’t it move exactly as I move?”

Monk Haein handed the smartphone to the girl and moved around to show her.

“Ah! Hehe… Then I don’t need to break this evil tool!”

Thank goodness the years-old budget smartphone didn’t break…

Surely the girl wouldn’t shake that expensive laptop violently again?

Thinking the situation was settled, Haein stroked his precious smartphone and stepped back.

However, while the girl and Haein were making such a fuss, the lecture had steadily continued.

“As I said, these ‘Irregulars’ are treated essentially the same as S-class Awakened. It means that you who Awakened at a young age have a chance for a second Awakening.”

The short lecture seemed to be ending, as the instructor started summarizing the content and showed something.

It was an evaluation board densely filled with students’ names.

“Alright! Now it’s time to check how much you’ve all grown. Everyone, please connect to the virtual reality. Our new friend, why don’t you put your finger on the button in the upper left corner of the laptop?”

Virtual reality?

Why are they telling me to put my hand on the laptop?

The uneasy girl slowly turned her head to look at Monk Haein.

“Monk…?”

What if my soul gets stolen when I touch it?

Noticing the girl’s anxiety, Monk Haein raised his thick fist.

“I don’t know much about this either, so I can’t really explain. But if something seems off, I’ll step in and smash the laptop myself, so don’t worry and give it a try.”

Actually, Monk Haein had never heard of connecting to virtual reality with just a laptop either.

Common sense said you needed a huge capsule chair like a massage chair.

But surely the Chungseong Guild Master and guild instructor wouldn’t tell such an obvious lie.

“Th-then I’ll trust you and try…!”

The girl knew well how much Monk Haein cared for her after living together.

She also trusted Monk Haein’s character and the heretics’ abilities.

So, tap.

As she placed her small finger on the button-

“Welcome, our new friend!”

“…Huh?”

In the blink of an eye, her surroundings completely changed.

Tall mountain peaks surrounding the area like castle walls.

And in the center, one prominent building with a wide field around it.

It was like… the “school” she’d only heard about in words.

Was this a dream?

How could she be in a place like this if it wasn’t a dream?

The girl couldn’t easily regain her senses and blankly stared at the vast field.

“Still dazed? That’s normal for your first time. You’ll get used to it.”

The instructor stretched out her hand in front of the stunned girl.

Wasn’t this the child the Guild Master himself had mentioned to “thoroughly check her skills”?

Unlike her previous lack of enthusiasm, the instructor started taking an active approach.

“The other friends should be waiting ahead. Shall we get used to it slowly?”

Unable to call the girl “Sinner,” she chose the title “new friend.”

Perhaps that effort paid off.

“……”

Flinch, flinch.

The girl, who had been cautiously looking around, carefully took the instructor’s hand.

Her hand was much smaller and more delicate than even the female instructor’s grip.

‘C-cute… How old is she…?’

Though only the most talented could enter this lecture, this was the first time seeing such a young child.

Even the youngest was fifteen, a middle school student.

But this girl was clearly under ten, or early teens at most.

In other words, she was a genius among geniuses.

‘Is that why the Guild Master is showing so much interest?’

Her excessive flinching seemed pitifully scared.

There shouldn’t be anything particularly frightening nearby.

Maybe it’s because it’s her first time accessing virtual reality.

“Prison… so-soul prison…”

“Now, shall we go say hello?”

The instructor immediately headed towards the field where the students would be waiting, pulling the girl’s hand.

The problem was, focused only on the instruction to pay attention to the child, she had forgotten about “don’t let her clash with Kim Seongyeong.”

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