Chapter 14: The Strange Boy, Lee Hwi-jun(14)

Kwah-Aaang!

A bolt of lightning, sharp and intense, struck the ground from a completely clear sky.

The evil spirit that had been troubling them just moments ago vanished without a trace, accompanied by a blue flash of lightning.

It was no ordinary lightning, but one infused with the divine power of the Thunderous Heavenly Deity, and as a result, the soul of the evil spirit, which was originally human, was sent to the afterlife, where it belonged.

“…What?”

Although she had handed over the talisman, Na Seon-yul had never imagined that such an event would occur.

The sight before her was so shocking that she couldn’t contain her disbelief.

What the hell is going on with this guy…?

She was so stunned that she almost let go of the shaman’s bell, Mu-ryeong, which she had taken out to conduct a ritual.

I just tossed it with the thought of tying his legs for a moment…

But instead of just binding his legs, the evil spirit was completely eradicated, leaving no trace of its presence.

It was a perfect exorcism—so complete that it couldn’t be undone.

In fact, by borrowing power to defeat the evil spirit, Na Seon-yul had managed to avoid any losses she might have otherwise incurred, so under normal circumstances, she should have been glad.

But the sight before her was so shocking that such thoughts didn’t even cross her mind.

“…That much power from the Thunderous Heavenly Deity?”

It wasn’t just the mere force of lightning; it was a lightning strike so intense that it looked like thunder itself.

In fact, it was close to the maximum power that could be wielded by a divine being of the Thunderous Heavenly Deity’s caliber.

But of course, this kind of power wasn’t entirely impossible to achieve.

If Na Seon-yul herself were in a better condition and not drained of energy, she could have summoned that much power too.

However, she was someone who could hold her own even against the strongest in the association.

That much power would have been within her grasp.

But for a beginner who wasn’t yet adept at handling energy, such a feat was practically impossible.

Normally, when a beginner receives a talisman and is told to infuse it with energy, it’s expected that they won’t be able to do it immediately.

Even if it was possible, summoning lightning like that would require a considerable amount of energy.

So, Na Seon-yul wondered, Did the beginner just unknowingly pour all the energy they had into the talisman?

…But he looked fine.

If that were the case, he should have collapsed from exhaustion by now, but instead, the person who had been standing there, seemingly unaffected, was none other than Lee Hwi-jun, which made Na Seon-yul suspicious.

…Could he be pretending to be a beginner?

Was Lee Hwi-jun acting like a beginner on purpose?

The more she observed him, the more suspicious he seemed.

For someone with Na Seon-yul’s level of spiritual awareness, it wasn’t hard to sense the energy of others.

For example, Yu Da-Hyun was someone with a noticeable aura, indicating that they had received spiritual guidance.

Meanwhile, ordinary people, like those who hadn’t received such guidance, had almost no aura at all.

But Lee Hwi-jun was different.

He has no energy…

In such cases, there were typically only two possibilities: Either he was an ordinary person with no spiritual insight, or he was an ability user deliberately hiding his identity.

Usually, ability users from the association would make their energy visible when they met others, to signal that they weren’t suspicious.

But since the moment Lee Hwi-jun transferred to the school, he had been hiding his energy.

That’s why Na Seon-yul had been cautious about him from the start.

Ability users who hid their energy like that were often problematic individuals, ones who misused their powers for selfish purposes rather than for helping others or exorcising evil spirits.

Na Seon-yul couldn’t help but wonder if Lee Hwi-jun might be one of those types—an ability user trying to hide his true identity by pretending to be a beginner.

But soon, she dismissed that thought.

If he had bad intentions, there’s no way he would have hidden his energy and waited until such a dangerous moment to reveal it.

Moreover, the way Lee Hwi-jun had looked at the evil spirit earlier—he had seemed to pity the creature, which was once human.

Na Seon-yul had noticed that, and she couldn’t bring herself to view him negatively.

Her master had always emphasized that when exorcising an evil spirit, one should remember that it was once human and show compassion.

Well, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy… If he were really suspicious, he wouldn’t have acted so openly like that.

In fact, someone who had been hiding their energy for so long shouldn’t suddenly reveal their power in such a dramatic way.

It would have been like advertising, “Hey, I’m someone important.”

If he were trying to hide something, such an overt display would be unthinkable.

There are rare cases of people who, without realizing it, learn to hide their energy to avoid detection by spirits.

My master mentioned that before.

Could he be one of those?

With that thought, Na Seon-yul realized that Lee Hwi-jun might be one of those rare cases.

She gave an involuntary chuckle.

So, he’s a beginner who instinctively knows how to hide his energy, but at the same time, he’s someone who’s naturally gifted with spiritual power and can use it to such an extent… It’s hard to believe.

If I told someone about this, they’d probably think I’m dreaming.

And to think, this absurd guy was…

“…The effect is definitely real. Your talisman works.”

He didn’t even realize how ridiculous his actions were, and yet he was still casually talking like that.

What a strange guy…

Na Seon-yul shook her head in disbelief as she muttered under her breath, looking at Lee Hwi-jun.

Having experienced such a shocking event, she suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to go home and rest.

So, she turned to Yu Da-Hyun, who was still in a daze, and tapped his back to snap him out of it.

“Yu Da-Hyun, snap out of it. It’s over now.”

“Eh? Is… is it really over?”

“Can’t you tell? The evil spirit has been exorcised by him. You can rest easy and go home now.”

As she said this, Na Seon-yul picked up the shaman’s bell she had dropped earlier and shook it once.

Jang-jang, the bell’s sound echoed, but only those with spiritual insight could hear it.

At the same time, the barrier that had been up dissolved, and they returned to the real world.

“Ah, the school building is on fire…”

As the lights returned to the once dark school, Yoo Dahyun looked at her as if to ask what was happening.

However, since she was too exhausted to explain anything, Na Seon-yul spoke to Yoo Dahyun and Lee Hwi-jun.

“It’s late, so I’ll explain everything later. We probably both have a lot of questions, so let’s talk tomorrow at school. I’ll clean up, so you two should leave now.”

“…G.”

However, despite the suggestion to leave, Yoo Dahyun nodded in agreement but remained sitting quietly, not getting up.

“…I told you to go. Why are you still sitting there?”

“Well, it’s just… I think my legs gave out because I finally relaxed.”

Really, she does everything.

Seeing Yoo Dahyun unable to stand, as if her tension had completely left her, Na Seon-yul thought this but refrained from saying it out loud, fearing it would make Yoo Dahyun sulk. With a sigh, she spoke.

“Sigh… Hey, transfer student. You said you live near her, right? Please take her home. I’m asking you.”

“…Got it.”

Lee Hwi-jun nodded at this request, turned his back on Yoo Dahyun, and squatted down in a piggyback position.

He then waved his hand, signaling for her to get on.

“It.”

“Eh, what?! You want me to ride on your back?!”

“You said your legs gave out and you can’t walk. It’s on the way anyway, so I’ll take you.”

Despite feeling embarrassed, Yoo Dahyun carefully climbed onto Lee Hwi-jun’s back.

As she was about to say something, she suddenly remembered and spoke to Na Seon-yul.

“Ah, right… Seonyul. My bag and Lee Hwi-jun’s bag are still in the classroom. Can you bring them to me…?”

“…Okay. I’ll bring them, so wait a bit.”

“And, while you’re at it, can you return the classroom key to the staff room too…?”

“Sigh….”

Na Seon-yul went to the classroom, grabbed the bags and classroom key, returned the key to the staff room, and then handed the bags to the two of them before sending them home.

However, after sending them off, she had to maintain the barrier she had activated earlier, so she was able to go home only 30 minutes later.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”

Completely drained, Na Seon-yul returned home, quickly washed her face, and collapsed onto her bed.

But she didn’t immediately fall asleep.

“…Hello? Master, can you hear me?”

[Ah, Seonyul. What’s the matter?]

She was calling her master.

“Master, you sent me here to make me suffer, didn’t you? There are so many evil spirits here… Just in the past few days, over 10 have appeared. I’m losing my mind, really.”

[Oh, is that so? Well, that’s all part of your training and experience. Stay strong and keep working hard.]

“No… It’d be nice if you were worried about your one and only disciple, wouldn’t it?”

[Well, the fact that you’re calling means you’re safe. Isn’t that enough?]

Na Seon-yul made a bewildered expression at her master’s words.

It was funny to expect such a kind response from someone who had always pushed her to her limits in training with a smile.

She thought to herself before responding.

“Well, I’m safe, but… there was something today.”

[Really? What happened?]

“Master, remember when you told me I had one of the top ten talents in all of history, and that in a few years, no one would surpass me in this land? Were you just lying to motivate me in case I couldn’t handle the training?”

[Lying? Although I’ve been harsh with you, I’ve never lied.]

Na Seon-yul mumbled to herself at her master’s words. “Even the master can be wrong sometimes.”

“That may be true, but I saw someone today who seemed to have as much talent as me.”

[…What? Where did you see this?]

“A transfer student in my class. I was shocked.”

[…Seonyul, you must be mistaken. At least among the people I’ve seen, there’s no one who has as much innate talent as you.]

Hearing her master’s words, Na Seon-yul spoke seriously.

“Maybe I don’t know as much as you do, but at least from what I felt, that’s what it seemed like.

He’s a beginner, but the innate talent he has… it could be on par with mine, or maybe even more.”

[…Tell me more. Don’t exaggerate or leave anything out.]

Na Seon-yul slowly talked about the boy she saw today, Lee Hwi-jun.

After hearing everything, her master, the most powerful shaman in the Joseon Dynasty, spoke in a serious tone.

[If what you’re saying is true, I’ll need to find time to visit. I must meet that child, especially for his sake.]