Chapter 14: The Angel Caught in a Test (11)

Episode 14: The Angel Caught in a Test (11)

The professors at the Central Academy are strong.

This is a fact that even ordinary citizens know.

However, the professors at the Central Academy are among the strongest in the human world. This was a terrifying truth known only to the highest echelons of intelligence agencies.

Lusa’s true title was Martial God; Fallen Elf was just a nickname that would be attached to her in the future.

“Wait, it’s just a professor, what…”

Another candidate flew through the air. Despite being renowned Awakeners from around the world, the candidates couldn’t defend against Lusa’s casual attacks.

Stronger than the elders of their families.

Stronger than the executives of their guilds.

Realizing this fact, the candidates trembled in fear.

“What? Don’t you want to pass the test?”

But there was one candidate who charged in despite knowing this fact. A black ponytail trailed her trajectory, and a silver horn gleamed, signalled her approach.

“Yes.”

The lightning-wielding girl’s name was Yumari.

Her punches flew lightly with little change in her posture. Though they were clearly meant as probes, most candidates, including Leffrey, couldn’t even follow their trajectory. (Probe in boxing is a method of testing an opponent’s defenses and reactions.)

2 seconds passed.

Lusa’s posture crumbled first.

Trying to parry Yumari’s punch with her shoulder, she ended up exposing a large gap in her side. Naturally, Yumari didn’t miss this opportunity.

A powerful punch wrapped in lightning.

“Naive.”

But it was a trap.

Recovering her posture with speed unbelievable even for an awakener, Lusa grabbed Yumari’s neck and arm, attempting to slam her into the ground.

However, she couldn’t. The moment she tried to slam her down, Yumari used her waist strength to lift Lusa more than a few centimeters off the ground. Ironically, instead of Lusa holding Yumari, it became Yumari holding Lusa.

“A chance.”

From a distance…

Hongwol, who had been in a cat-like hunting stance with her arms on the ground and her back swaying, immediately leaped towards Lusa as soon as the gap appeared.

Her attack left sound in its wake. A white ring momentarily formed along the path Hongwol had traveled, then with a tearing sound, it started flinging the surrounding furniture.

‘Sonic boom…?’

Leffrey craved popcorn.

“Not enough. Not enough.”

However, none of the attacks reached Lusa. With a little more force, she slammed Yumari deep into the marble floor and used Yumari as a weapon to strike Hongwol’s head.

They crashed through the wall of candidates and collided with the far wall of the hall.

“Ugh!”

“Kyaa!”

Lusa stretched her legs as if she had finally gotten a good stretch and taunted them.

“You guys, don’t you have any desire to pass?”

Ptui- Yumari spat out blood and muttered,

“…We’re risking our lives.”

“What, your lives?”

Crack- Crack- The ominous sound of knuckles cracking against each other. The sound came from Lusa’s fists.

“Anyone can risk their life for themselves.”

That, have you ever heard of the word ‘chukji’? It was a legendary movement technique of shortening the distance by manipulating the earth, known to be quieter and faster than anything else.

Lusa used chukji.

“…Risking your life for others is what’s difficult.”

Hongwol’s pupils dilated.

A powerhouse almost comparable to her mother. To think such a powerhouse was just an academy professor. Seeing that, Lusa landed a low kick on the collapsed Hongwol’s head with a smile.

She could have launched a bigger attack, so why a low kick?

Because she used the same posture from the low kick to spin around and deliver a roundhouse kick to Yumari’s lower abdomen, who was trying to attack while Hongwol was sent flying.

The wall of the hall crumbled, and thick smoke billowed.

“Cough- Cough-“

“Understand?”

Yumari barely managed to hold back the urge to vomit.

So with all this chaos happening, what was Leffrey doing?

“That’s how it is. What’s truly great is risking your life for others…”

The boy was healing injured candidates using divine power. Lusa looked at the boy with a sad expression.

Divine power, heavenly mana or white mana, was a very dangerous force compared to other types of mana. While it couldn’t be said that mana was good for the body, heavenly mana was definitely harmful to both body and mind.

Heavenly mana was pure power, unmixed with any other mana. To be pure, it had to reject anything even slightly impure.

And humans were quite impure.

That’s why the lifespan of awakener healers was short, around 30 – 40 years. Moreover, something that most awakeners didn’t know was that divine power damaged the body more and more the more it was used. That’s why Lusa couldn’t help but make that expression.

“Using divine power for the competitors who mocked him…”

But Leffrey was smiling.

He was currently collecting Angelic Power.

He ran to the candidates who had been defeated by Lusa’s monstrous strength and healed them with Angelic Power before they could rip off their bracelets and escape.

Moreover, with his healing Angelic Ability upgraded, he could achieve greater healing with even less Angelic Power.

It was truly economical…!

‘What is this? An event where Angelic Power is being sprinkled around?’

The collapsed candidates could all see one boy. A boy who rushed towards them as if he might be late (before they disappeared). The way he didn’t hesitate to use the dangerous divine power to heal them.

Many candidates saw an angel today.

Of course, the inside of that angel was filled with materialistic desires, such as the money he would receive for repaying favors and the stats he could raise with Angelic Power.

“Blazing darkness-“

Soya’s magic was complete, and the battle entered its next phase.

The flames surrounding her were strange.

Flames that absorbed light instead of emitting it.

People called those flames…

“Black flames…?”

Lusa’s muscles tensed slightly. To think there was a high-ranking mage among the candidates who could use black flames.

And so, the battle entered its next phase.

Hongwol regained her stance.

This humiliation, she would never forget it as a proud member of the Mooncat tribe, she was a warrior before she was a girl. Although her arm, which had blocked the low kick, was dangling.

She placed her hands on the ground again, swaying her back and looking for an opportunity… but she felt someone behind her.

One of the treasures she had recently been targeting.

It was Leffrey.

Leffrey was looking at her from behind. Only then did Hongwol start to examine her own posture.

‘Wait, this posture. Isn’t it a bit suggestive…?’

Although it was the traditional attacking stance of the Mooncat tribe, swaying her back while wearing clingy tights… wasn’t it a bit… suggestive?

‘T-This isn’t some suggestive posture. It’s our tradition… boy, stop looking!’

Her face suddenly flushed red.

“Boy, why are you interrupting?”

“…I’m not interrupting, I’m trying to heal your arm.”

“N-No need.”

But Leffrey ignored her answer and, without asking any questions, touched her hand and activated his Angelic Ability.

Her swollen left arm gradually returned to its original state. As the sensation returned, Hongwol’s face turned even redder.

‘I’m holding hands with a man right now… ahem, this can’t be. That boy is just one of the treasures I’m going to steal. I should be the one stealing treasures, not the other way around.’

Come to think of it, she had been too swayed by the boy lately. It was an unacceptable disgrace for the next chief of the Mooncat tribe. The Mooncat tribe was a matriarchal society. A race where women held much more power than men.

In the first place, only women were born in the tribe, so all men were outsiders.

‘It’s a bit rough, but I need to teach him about the hierarchy…’

But Leffrey’s warmth still lingered on her hand. Even Hongwol, who had lived a cruel life, couldn’t bring herself to be cruel when she looked at the boy’s face.

When stealing people, you steal their hearts as well.

That was the tribe’s policy.

Of course, stealing hearts here referred to the tribe’s dark secrets, such as drugs, violence, and brainwashing, but Hongwol didn’t want to do such things to Leffrey.

The boy’s smile suddenly came to mind.

‘I… will heal you with all my might.’

She truly couldn’t forget it. So…

‘…Let’s just watch him a little longer.’

Hongwol didn’t want to.

Not yet… she didn’t want to.

To shake off these complicated feelings, she charged towards Lusa once again. After all, when your heart is troubled, beating something up is the best way to relieve it.

*

*

*

*

And so, the test ended.

‘Did I really…’

Leffrey couldn’t believe he had passed the exam. Moreover, he had almost become the top scorer, let alone failing.

‘Thank you, Mooncat tribe for teaching the broadcasting station a lesson…!’

Fortunately, unlike in the future, this exam wouldn’t be made into a documentary. Actually, the broadcasting station still wanted to keep the project going, but the Mooncat tribe, who didn’t want the next chief’s abilities to be exposed, made an ‘offer they couldn’t refuse’ to the station’s president and it was hushed up.

That poor broadcasting station president would probably be plagued by nightmares for a while…

Well, it was fortunate for Leffrey.

The candidates who passed were packing their belongings and headed out of the application center and then out of the academy. Leffrey didn’t have much to pack since he hadn’t brought much, but he still gathered his things.

“In the end, I couldn’t make you fail.”

Yumari asked.

In the distance. The Seocheon Yu’s limousine can be seen.

Leffrey, unable to swear, could only smile.

‘I saw my own serious expression in the bathroom mirror, and it was beyond terrifying.’

Then a bragging smile was the best option.

“What kind of relationship did you have with me?”

Yumari had excellent senses.

So naturally, she could easily tell that Leffrey had very complicated feelings towards her.

Leffrey couldn’t answer.

“You can’t answer. It’s okay.”

Yumari thought that her sins were too great. To be precise, the Seocheon Yu’s sins. She would investigate Leffrey as soon as she left, but… she already had a few guesses.

“…I’m sorry.”

Yumari muttered with a blank expression.

‘A blank expression? Yumari is someone who can even fake tears…’

That girl was looking at the boy with an unknown expression, unable to put on any mask on.

Leffrey’s favorite hero, the half-dragon Yumari. She who had escaped to another dimension after becoming a complete dragon, seeing her back now and apologizing to him…

“…Now of all times.”

He barely managed to hold back the trembling in his voice.

Leffrey wiped his eyes and muttered.

“Don’t say things like that now.”

Yumari wanted to say something more.

Her expressionless face gradually cracking…

Her fingers slowly reached towards Leffrey.

But Yumari had a limousine waiting for her.

“Hmm, kid. This isn’t good…”

After Yumari left, someone else came looking for Leffrey. It was the three professors who had overseen this exam. Lusa, the martial arts professor. Park Jin-ho, the swordsmanship professor. And Klein, the magical studies professor.

Lusa was the first to speak.

“Dragons are very obsessive. And they’re ferocious. I don’t know what your relationship with that half-dragon is, but it’s best to escape Yumari’s attention as soon as possible.”

“…Professors?”

The three professors looked at Leffrey with eyes full of anticipation.

“Leffrey. Let’s talk.”

“Should we sit down?”

Suddenly, plush chairs and a table appeared. Bite-sized snacks and teacups were placed on the table.

“Ah, so bothersome. Let’s get straight to the point.”

Gulp gulp-

Lusa, who had emptied her teacup in one go, said,

“Kid. Become my direct disciple.”

“Lusa, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Leffrey has already agreed to inherit my swordsmanship…”

“Haha, these idiots are all talking nonsense. Young man, it goes without saying that you should join me.”

“This crazy mage. What do you mean it goes without saying…! Can’t you see? This child is my disciple!”

“Haha, Lusa. Did the nutrients all go to your chest and not enough to your brain?”

‘What on earth are these people talking about?’

The boy felt his mind go blank.