Chapter 53

Chapter 53

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 53: Masquerade Ball (1)

-Aaaargh!

A scream echoed.

It was similar to the power I wielded.

Nyeom.

Moreover, I sensed a very faint presence of the Energy of Defying Heaven.

-…You’re still alive, Eternal Heaven?

-Heuk, Heuk. Is that you, Black Heaven?

The presence of Nyeom was palpable.

I looked at Black Heaven.

“Is she someone you know?”

-To be precise, she’s a woman, Eternal Heaven. A concubine of the former owner, Heavenly Demon.

-Bullshit! Why would I be her concubine? I died a virgin because of her! Damn it, if you’re going to slander me, at least do it correctly! Does dying a virgin make any sense?! She should have at least let me enjoy it before I died!

-You, you’re still shameless!

-Who are you to act noble! The madwoman who moaned every time Heavenly Demon touched a sword!

At Eternal Heaven’s words, Black Heaven faltered.

Black Heaven had also moaned back then…

As I observed Black Heaven with a discerning gaze, Black Heaven wore an expression of indignation.

-Don’t look at me like that!

I averted my gaze to a book titled Black God Martial Arts.

“So why are you here?”

-…Because of Heavenly Demon’s order. She commanded me to guard this place, so I’m unable to leave.

-You’re still bound by Heavenly Demon’s command?

-…That damn woman weakened and sealed us before she died, so I was powerless to do otherwise.

-Heavenly Demon did?

Eternal Heaven snarled in response, which made Black Heaven look panicked.

-Yes. I don’t know what that damned woman foresaw in her final years, but she went insane, telling us to resent her. Surely you knew that?

-I didn’t. I thought I knew everything about Heavenly Demon… but it seems she deceived me in some way.

-Hah.

Eternal Heaven exhaled a sigh of wonder.

-Well, it’s not as if Heavenly Demon wouldn’t have been interested in you. She probably took exceptional care of that.

-…So, do you know anything?

-Me? I know plenty. You’re the Heavenly Demon of this era, right? This time, he’s quite handsome. Last time, even though she was a woman, she had too strong a preference for women.

Eternal Heaven chattered cheerfully.

-Anyway, even though I’m weakened because of Heavenly Demon, my nickname is Eternal Heaven…

-Eternal Heaven can basically teach you sorcery.

-Hey! I was going to say that!

“Sorcery?”

-It’s a precaution in case the master couldn’t learn Black God Martial Arts. Compared to Black God Martial Arts, its performance is vastly inferior.

-That’s obvious. Black God Martial Arts is the martial art concocted by that monstrous woman.

“So, you’re saying I can learn sorcery?”

I made a subtle expression.

Black God Martial Arts was an exceptional martial art in itself, but it sometimes had its inconveniences.

‘Everything is concentrated in close range, which is a disadvantage.’

However, the martial art supporting it was merely a method of movement.

According to Black Heaven, even that was enough for Heavenly Demon, who had no match with it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much talent as Heavenly Demon. But talent could be created.

“What level is the sorcery?”

-You want to learn? There are some offensive sorceries that can work even against the highest level, but most are for support. Besides, Black Heaven’s memory is still unstable, right? I’ll help you. I really know a lot.

Eternal Heaven spoke desperately.

“What if I absorb the Energy of Defying Heaven?”

-I’m still not fully recovered from the power inflicted by Heavenly Demon, so I’m really useless! Please save me! Keeping me alive and learning from my knowledge would be more helpful, wouldn’t it?

As I looked at Black Heaven, he made a subtle expression and nodded.

-Eternal Heaven’s not bad. She’s the only woman Heavenly Demon forcefully troubled because of her fondness for men.

-What do you mean by ‘fondness’?

Eternal Heaven grumbled in annoyance.

“Then, among those like you who are sealed, is there anyone useful?”

-There are many. Their abilities are useful.

“What about their personalities? Are they cooperative enough?”

-Hardly.

Eternal Heaven spoke in a cold tone.

-In comparison, she’s really quite decent. There was this woman who, when Heavenly Demon imposed a restriction, stabbed my heart with a bright smile. And another woman who killed herself, saying she couldn’t serve another Heavenly Demon.

“……”

-Compared to that, isn’t she relatively good?

Hearing Eternal Heaven’s story, she suddenly seemed like a fairy.

-So, will you choose me?

“……I’ll think about it.”

However, that’s not enough reason to choose Eternal Heaven. It’s ambiguous. To come all this way and leave without any gain is a bit…

-Ah, right! The damn previous Heavenly Demon left something for the future Heavenly Demon.

“Something left behind?”

-Yes! Just infuse the Energy of Defying Heaven into the Black God Martial Arts book!

Following Eternal Heaven’s instruction, I placed my hand on the Black God Martial Arts book and infused it with the Energy of Defying Heaven.

Fwoosh!

However, the book turned black and then transformed into a shape resembling fragments.

“This is……”

At first glance, it contained an immense amount of the Energy of Defying Heaven. Absorbing it seemed like it could raise my level by at least 5.

-This is a part of the Energy of Defying Heaven left by the previous owner. Of course, there should be about 24 more pieces.

“……”

Eternal Heaven spoke brightly, but there probably aren’t that many.

The backdrop of this world is a dimensional fusion that occurred when the Earth’s dimension started breaking, mixing all sorts of dimensions.

‘Even if they exist, they might have fused with other things.’

In any case, it’s good information.

It means that every time I gather a legacy related to Heavenly Demon, my power can grow stronger.

I grasped the fragment and absorbed the Energy of Defying Heaven.

[Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven increases by 5!]

A translucent window appeared before my eyes.

-Huh?

At the same time, Eternal Heaven’s appearance also changed.

As I emerged from the cave with the Heavenly Demon’s legacy, the sun had already set.

A deep purple sky welcomed me.

-Yahoo! Fresh air, it’s been a while!

A black fox darted ahead, seemingly happy.

‘Is this the Heavenly Demon’s arrangement?’

As soon as I absorbed the Energy of Defying Heaven from the bead fragment, Eternal Heaven became bound to me.

Knowledge of her sorcery filled my mind.

‘I should practice and master this.’

Snap.

With a flick of my finger, black flames ignited in the air.

-Indeed, worthy of succeeding the name of the Heavenly Demon. Your talent is already at that level.

-The master’s control over the Energy of Defying Heaven exceeds the previous Heavenly Demon.

-…Really?

Eternal Heaven looked at me with surprised eyes.

Thanks to the Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven and Inscrutable Talent (A-).

-But how should I address you? Master? Husband? Personally, I like ‘Husband’.

“…Just call me by my name.”

-Yes, Seo-ha-nim!

I pressed my temples.

It felt like a headache was coming on for no good reason.

‘Still, there’s some gain.’

The sorceries Eternal Heaven possessed were better than I expected.

Most could be used with the power of the Energy of Defying Heaven, without the need for magic.

I followed the map Ershil had sent via text.

After about 30 minutes of walking,

I came across a luxurious house that looked like it had about five floors, the kind you’d see in comics or anime.

It seemed pretty affluent.

‘Indeed. Looks like it could be my vacation home.’

Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven chimed in, in agreement.

I walked towards the main gate.

As I approached, the door opened automatically, and a man who looked like a guard quietly bowed to me.

‘Has Ershil already informed them?’

I entered.

After walking for about three minutes to the house, a handsome man who appeared to be a butler greeted me.

“Mr. Lee Seo-ha, welcome. Miss Ershil is waiting for you.”

The butler led me inside.

I entered further and saw a swimming pool where everyone was playing and swimming.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Ershil greeted me.

For some reason, she wore a school uniform shirt and skirt.

I checked Ershil’s status window.

Analysis.

[Name: Ershil Merchen]

Strength: 10, Agility: 15, Stamina: 15

Magic Power: 25, Spirit: 25, Dexterity: 20

◈ Talents

A World Made of Lies(?), Dream Induction (S-), Decision of Dream (A+), Eternal Nightmare (A-), Battle Instinct (B+) and 3 more

◈ Skills

Basic Magic Control of Merchen (S), Ultra-Fast Chanting (A+), Basic Element Control (B) and 10 more.

◈ Constitution

True Illusory Body

Her stats were similar to mine, but Ershil’s status window was filled with talents and skills.

‘Talent is truly fearsome.’

Her talent overwhelmingly surpassed Hong Yu-hwa’s.

She had ‘A World Made of Lies’, created thanks to Melanie, the ‘Dream Induction’, which eroded reality with illusion, and the ‘Decision of Dream’, eyes that were less powerful than Divine Sight but still remarkable.

And the True Illusory Body.

Ershil possessed a unique constitution, dreaming true illusions, a quality even Melanie would envy for her talents alone.

Melanie had good reason to teach her earnestly and sincerely.

“Huh, where are you looking?”

While I examined Ershil’s status window, Ershil acted as if she were shyly covering her chest, lifting one corner of her mouth.

“I am quite pretty, aren’t I? The swimsuit is also quite nice, what do you think?”

“……You’re wearing a school uniform, though.”

“Hmm, so this level of illusion doesn’t work on you.”

Ershil looked at me with a tone of curiosity.

She had been testing the waters, after all.

“Ah, you’re too much. Kim Seo-hyun fell for even this much.”

“Well, Seo-hyun is still learning.”

“Are you discriminating against people? Well, it’s okay. I still have my secret magic up my sleeve.”

Ershil said, smirking on one side of her mouth.

“Whoa! W-Wait, Hong Yu-hwa!”

I heard the urgent voice of the club president. For some reason, a splash of water was heading this way.

Swish!

I quickly used the Energy of Defying Heaven to create a barrier. A technique I acquired from assimilating Eternal Heaven.

However, Ershil got drenched by the water.

“Ah……”

Ershil’s brow momentarily furrowed.

Then, looking at her clothes for a moment, she changed her expression.

Looking at me.

“……”

“Hmm, you can make such an expression too. Well, it’s not bad.”

She smirked, then snapped her fingers.

The water evaporated. Her uniform returned to its original state.

“Ah, right. There’s a small party tonight, would you like to come?”

She then whispered quietly to me.

“A party?”

“Yes, it’s a really small one. It’s a masquerade ball, so you can come if you want. Oh, and some students might be there too?”

“At the party?”

“Yes. There’s this girl in the next class, called the ‘Princess’, I think her name was Seolhwa Ryeon.”

Suddenly, I remembered the 300+ messages piled up on my phone.

All of them were sent to Seolhwa Ryeon.

“……I’ll go.”

“Hmm, is this your kind of hobby?”

Ershil briefly tilted her head in wonder, then nodded in understanding.

This was Ershil’s rough draft.