Chapter 33 : Head of the Deathdoor Family

“Kim Sunghoon, that bastard! I’m going to kill him, kill him, kill him!!”

Two men were hurrying toward a shabby hut located off-campus—the only dormitory outside the academy grounds, reserved exclusively for bottom-ranked students.

One of them, Belimond of the Corpse Crows, still hadn’t calmed down from what happened during the first round of the junior preliminaries.

His face was twisted like a vengeful demon as he kept muttering the same thing over and over.

In contrast, the middle-aged gentleman with a splendid mustache looked relatively composed, though he was silently fuming inside.

That man was none other than Cain Deathdoor, Belimond’s father and head of the Deathdoor Family.

For Cain, it was already frustrating enough that his own son had lost in the first round of the prelims.

But what truly made his blood boil was the fact that the loss triggered a snowball effect that led to the termination of their contract with the Witch of the Constellation—King of the Underworld.

The consequences were unspeakably painful.

“Damn it. Do you know how many corpses I offered as tribute just to secure that constellation contract? And now it’s all gone to hell because of this idiot son of mine!”

In truth, Belimond wasn’t just the least talented in necromancy among Cain’s children—he was also infamous for his wretched personality.

Yet, despite not even being the eldest, Cain had no choice but to name Belimond as his successor.

The reason?

Belimond was born with a Stigma.

Even within the Deathdoor Family—who had served the Witch of the Underworld since the very first patriarch—a Stigma was a rare and invaluable gift.

If it were possible to transplant it, Cain would have long since cut Belimond’s limbs off and distributed the Stigma to his other children.

However, the Stigma was a talent bound to the soul, which meant Cain had no choice but to push Belimond forward as the heir, despite his shortcomings.

As a result, they faced an unprecedented disaster: the Witch of the Underworld herself canceled the constellation contract and demanded a penalty fee.

“Father, is there any way we can quietly take care of that Kim Sunghoon bastard without the Academy finding out?

Even if he’s bottom-ranked, he’s still technically a student.

But now that I think about it, he hardly ever shows up to class, so even if he went missing, no one would really care…”

“Shut up! I’m trying to think right now.

And let me tell you this in advance: starting this summer break, you’ll be undergoing hellish training back at the main house.

First, we’re going to fix your rotten mindset.

Then, three times a day, you’ll offer prayers of repentance to the Witch of the Underworld.

So you’d better start preparing yourself now.”

Cain barely suppressed the urge to smack Belimond on the back of the head as he scolded his idiot son for coming up with such a foolish idea.

What?

Kidnap a student within Pantheon Academy?

He could say with certainty that if they ever attempted such a thing, not only would Headmaster Dragos destroy him personally, but the entire Deathdoor Family would be annihilated.

The dormitory where Kim Sunghoon lived was in a remote area, devoid of protection barriers, not because no one cared what happened to low-ranked students, but to serve as a symbol—a reminder to motivate other students by showing the consequences of being at the bottom.

It was never meant to imply that no one would care if such students disappeared.

Even so, Cain had allowed himself to be dragged here by Belimond’s absurd whining for one reason only: to retrieve the Karma Coins.

“The boy doesn’t even have a contracted Constellation yet. That means he likely doesn’t know how valuable the Karma Coin is—or even how to use it. So, if I offer him a decent artifact in exchange, he’ll probably hand it over without a fuss.”

Karma Coins were a physical condensation of Karma, a currency that regular humans couldn’t even perceive.

For ordinary people, they were nothing more than collectible coins.

But to a family like the Deathdoors, who worshiped Constellations, Karma Coins were priceless treasures beyond compare.

That’s why Cain had come up with a plan to offer a high-grade artifact in exchange, rather than trying to intimidate the boy outright.

But just as he was putting his strategy together, his damned son spotted the shabby hut and charged ahead like a madman, pounding on the door as he shouted:

“Kim Sunghoon! Get out here! You dare humiliate me with your cheap tricks? If we fight again, I’ll grind your bones to dust, so come out and face me—!”

“Wh-Who is it?”

Belimond, who had been pounding the door confidently under the belief that his father was backing him up, suddenly stumbled back in shock when a completely unexpected figure appeared from inside the hut.

It was none other than Professor Parkelas, radiating a gloomy aura.

His thick horn-rimmed glasses, disheveled long hair covering half of his face, and overall eerie vibe made him look every bit the master of insect arts that he was.

Although Professor Parkelas was known for being a reclusive shut-in, Belimond still recognized him since he had served as a chaperone during the field training excursion.

And once Parkelas recognized Belimond as well, he began unleashing a storm of fury completely uncharacteristic of his usual self.

“You… You… It’s you!

You bastard who hurt my Elizabeth!!

Why did you do it?!

Sunghoon had already declared surrender and was trying to forfeit the fight!

But you—you went so far as to cast a Silence Curse just to stop him from doing that, forcing my Elizabeth to fight instead!!

Elizabeth is no different from a kindergartener in human terms!!”

“W-Wait, I didn’t mean for it to go that far—”

“Her wings were torn, so I’ll tear your scapulae to match!!!”

Normally, Professor Parkelas was so gentle that he didn’t even react when students pranked him with chalk dust.

But when it came to anything involving insects, his obsession bordered on psychopathy.

And now, his declaration about tearing Belimond’s shoulder blades was no mere threat.

A tremendous surge of magical energy erupted around him, far beyond what anyone would have expected.

Even Cain, the head of the Deathdoor family, was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of that magical pressure.

He had no choice but to urgently pull Belimond back and retreat a safe distance.

“Why, of all people, is Professor Parkelas here?!”

Ordinarily, if a necromancer and an insect summoner of equal level fought, the necromancer would hold a decisive advantage.

That was because the sleep powder and paralysis dust used by insect minions were ineffective against undead minions, and necromancers’ dark energy was especially lethal to the swarming hordes of bugs.

But Professor Parkelas was the exception.

Among the magic insects he commanded were monsters not only immune to necrotic energy but capable of devouring undead minions entirely.

Sure enough, the space behind Professor Parkelas split open, and hundreds—no, thousands—of Neptune horned beetles, each the size of a human head, swarmed out.

‘He’s summoning Neptune beetles?! Is Parkelas trying to start a war at the academy?!’

Cain had never fought Parkelas directly, but he had once witnessed him handling his insect minions from afar during a planetary war to drive out demons.

That’s why he knew better than anyone the terror of the Neptune horned beetles, creatures so powerful they treated even Grade 1 Devil Dolls like mere prey.

Without hesitation, he opened the Death Door.

From the massive gate—far larger and more imposing than the one his son Belimond could summon—an enormous upper torso of a Skeleton King emerged, its size so massive it looked like it had been made from the bones of a giant, shielding Cain and his son.

The bones of the Skeleton King were coated in dense necromantic energy, which would normally cause any insect to wither and die the moment they got close.

But the Neptune beetles didn’t care.

They started gnawing at the bones of the Skeleton King as if it were nothing.

The eerie crunching and scraping sound sent chills down Cain’s spine.

For now, the beetles were only scratching the surface.

But if time passed, there was no telling what might happen.

Cain was debating whether to summon more undead minions when a thunderous dragon roar pierced the air.

“Parkelas! What the hell do you think you’re doing!!!!!!”

Crack!

There was no need for explanation.

Cain instantly recognized the voice of Lyn Dragos, the founder of Pantheon Academy and its principal—known as the “End-Fang King.”

Cain immediately dismissed the Skeleton King.

Then, he watched firsthand as Principal Dragos used his tail to smack the back of Parkelas’s head.

As for the Neptune horned beetles, the force of the Dragon Roar had already knocked them all unconscious.

“I sensed a powerful wave of magic energy coming from the outskirts of the Academy and thought demons were invading—but what the hell is this commotion?

Since Parkelas is passed out, Cain Deathdoor, you explain.

This isn’t a parent observation day, so why are you snooping around the Academy?”

“Ah, Principal Dragos, the thing is, this all happened because—”

“If you add even a shred of falsehood or twist the facts in the slightest, I’ll rip your tongue out. Tell me everything exactly as it happened.”

“O-of course. I wouldn’t dare lie in a place like this.”

Cain had been planning to make up a story about how he was just out on a walk with his son near the Academy when Professor Parkelas suddenly attacked them unprovoked.

But the moment he saw the hellfire blazing in Principal Dragos’s eyes, he changed his mind.

This was not someone you could deceive with a flimsy lie.

If he even sensed a lie, Dragos really would rip his tongue out without hesitation—so Cain decided to come clean and explain the situation honestly.