episode_0038

Shortly after the incident occurred, rescue teams arrived at the scene and began to control the situation. The injured were transported and a temporary perimeter was set up at the breached separation wall.

I just thought everything worked out so well.

We succeeded in killing not only the high-level demon beasts that crossed over to the northern section, but also the Aetheranus variant, which was our most difficult enemy.

They even went so far as to put an identification tag on the recognition device first. In addition, I didn’t miss out on any of the extra points for cooperation and the extra points for killing monsters.

To be honest, I thought that winning first place was a given. It was definitely my plan to go back and nominate Yeon Yeon-ha as my first choice as a mentor.

“You’re crazy. It’s really crazy.”

But now I was kneeling on the floor of the temporary barracks.

“I’m absolutely out of my mind. In what kind of mind did you do such a thing? Huh?”

In front of me, a female professor was giving a sermon with her arms crossed in an angry voice.

Her short hair made her look gentle at first glance, but now her face was filled with heartfelt anger.

“Do you think you can achieve anything just because others tell you that you are great? Huh?”

It was fortunate that I was not dealing with that anger alone. Next to me, three students were kneeling side by side in the same position.

The four of us also had something in common: the intruder suits we were currently wearing were completely stained with the body fluids and blood of the demonic beasts.

Jin Ye-seo, blonde and green-eyed, with a very pouty expression.

Woojin Choi seems to be listening to the professor’s words with one ear and letting them out of the other.

He was the only one who looked a little reflective. Sehwa’s older sister’s younger brother, Ryu Seung-heon.

“Hey, professor. Even though it was a level 2 demon beast, it was nothing special… ”

“Wizards like you are really rare in our age group. Do you know why? Those who lived for their own pride have all died long ago!!”

Choi Woo-jin’s excuse was like pouring oil on the fire. After witnessing the anger bursting out, he had no choice but to close his mouth again.

“Woojin, just call him that kind of guy! But Ye-seo and Seung-heon. You guys are such a disappointment! I’m so disappointed!”

Jin Ye-seo, who had suddenly become angry, looked to the side with a resentful look.

“You still do not have the authority to arbitrarily step into an emergency situation! This is an issue that has nothing to say even if severe punishment is imposed! Even if you use firework magic and escape to a safe area as quickly as possible, it won’t be enough!”

The female professor’s burning eyes now turned to the gentle-looking male student.

“Especially you, Seungheon! And if something goes wrong, what will our Yeoul do? Are you trying to make me a widow before I even get married? Huh?”

“Well, I’m sorry… Even if ten mouths have something to say… ”

He lowered his head to the floor. Actually, I also thought it was a little surprising. She always smiles with a gentle expression, but I never thought she would be the same as Se-hwa in that she has her own competitive spirit…

“And Jinhyeon, you too! What on earth were you thinking… !!”

The sermon was finally getting to me. I didn’t think I had done anything wrong. On the contrary, it feels a little unfair.

But there is no need to be stupid and puffed up. I tried to show that I was reflecting a bit, but suddenly someone’s elegant voice came from somewhere near the entrance of the barracks.

“Professor Moon. Leave it at that.”

I turned my body reflexively and saw a woman who appeared to be about the same age as Professor Moon, just rolling up the cloth and coming inside.

“Haewolhwa!”

“Aren’t you still at this energetic age? You have to experience various things when you were young to avoid making the same mistakes as an adult.”

The principal smiled, seemingly benevolent.

“It is true that these children violated military discipline, but didn’t they somehow prevent the magic beast from spreading everywhere? These kids are definitely good at resolving accidents with minimal damage.”

“But… ”

At Haewolhwa’s words, the short-haired female professor hesitated with a noticeably softened attitude.

“Now, you all, stand up now. This matter will be handled under my authority, so you don’t have to worry too much. However, next time, I hope you think about it one more time before you step forward. Got it?”

We carefully got up from our seats after hearing Haewolhwa’s words. And I was about to leave the barracks under the guidance of the female professor, but a voice coming from behind stopped me.

“Oh, and student Jinhyeon Yoo? You have a meeting with me, so please stay for a moment.”

I turned back to the principal’s words. The others looked at me questioningly for a moment, then moved again and left the barracks. Only Seungheon came out for a moment and exchanged a quick glance.

“Professor Shin Jae-yu brought the kids the wrong water… Go and say something sharp… ”

After the female professor’s final lament, there was silence in the barracks. I walked over to the chair in front of the table and sat down again.

Instead of a benevolent smile, the principal was now frowning as if he was extremely tired and in trouble.

“… Are you okay?”

“Don’t even talk. I was just heading this way after stopping by the emergency response committee. What kind of lightning is this? ”

The principal touched his forehead and sighed. Then he looked at me and spoke in a strange tone.

“By the way, you did very well on the first test, right? Huh?”

“… I’m sure they’ll give it to me no matter what… ”

“I’m not particularly criticizing you. I told you. He clearly has the balls. To be honest, I think the ball is much bigger. And your achievements will be overwhelming compared to other children. In fact, it is completely incomparable… ”

“I didn’t do it specifically to do a good thing. At first I thought it was part of the real test. so… ”

“Puhuh… I guess it’s because I spent time at the front line, so I couldn’t properly gauge the level of the exam.”

Haewolhwa covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.

“But in some cases, the results are more important than the motivation. I think this is exactly the situation we are in.”

“… ”

“But I knew that your skills were great, but I never imagined that you would hunt an antennae snake alone.”

“A antennae snake?”

“This is the identification name of the Aetheranus variant you hunted. It is the most powerful demon beast in the Sky Basin, and it was observed that it went into hibernation, so we conducted training this time. More post-mortem investigation is needed to determine how the person woke up from hibernation… ”

Haewolhwa, who continued her explanation, suddenly looked full of regret.

“Anyway, thank you very much. As the principal of this cradle, I am deeply grateful to you. But I think it will probably be difficult to receive separate compensation for this incident… ”

In other words, this exam is the first exam conducted with a changed curriculum after a strong request from the National Supreme Council was accepted at the cradle.

However, since such a major accident occurred from the first test, if we are not careful, the prestige of the Cradle and the Supreme Council could be greatly damaged.

Fortunately, the accident was able to be minimized because it was resolved without any deaths, but the principal’s point was that if fault was properly assessed and someone was officially rewarded or punished, such incidents would come to naught.

“… I’m sorry. If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter, but there are so many people who will suffer from this… ”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t something I specifically wanted to win an award for.”

“It’s hard to say that I am a minister, but I can still give you as many personal rewards as I want. Is there anything you want from me?”

“… hmm… I don’t have anything in particular… ”

It seemed like a hint of regret passed over the principal’s face. But soon he smiled lightly and nodded.

“Hehe, is it really too sudden? I get it. Then, think about it slowly, and if something comes to mind later, don’t hesitate and tell me.”

“Okay. But then what happens to the test rankings?”

The principal’s eyes widened as if he had heard something unexpected.

“Is that important to you during this time?”

“Yes. It’s important. And it will be important to the principal as well.”

“What is that… Aha.”

She looked confused for a moment, but she soon understood what I meant.

“This cute guy. Didn’t you think you had a pretty good head? I was already worried about whether I was doing well or not. You’re so sincere, unlike your leader, huh?”

Haewolhwa’s face was full of happy smiles…

“Well, the professors are still wrapping their heads around it. The test was messed up, but time is running out because there are continuing curriculums to take the test again. Still, you don’t have to worry too much. Even if the defeat of the Antennae Snake is not recorded, you are high enough… ”

“… 1st place.”

“Huh??”

“I was first place and stamped the identification tag on the machine. Then, aren’t I number one? There will be additional points for killing monsters and additional points for cooperation.”

“In the meantime, you stamped the identification tag again?”

Haewolhwa’s eyes looked surprised, but it only lasted for a moment. He soon nodded with a smile full of satisfaction.

“Then… There’s no need to say it.”

***

Although it had been a while since Lee Hyun returned, Haewolhwa was still sitting in her seat, lost in thought. Next to her was a short-haired female professor, Professor Moon Seon-kyung, who had returned from sending off her students.

“Professor Moon. Did you make sure to control entry?”

“Don’t worry. Still, they are intelligent children, so they will be well aware of the repercussions if this incident were to become public. Sometimes, youthful energy makes you crazy… ”

After hearing the female professor’s words, Haewolhwa nodded her head lightly.

“Thank goodness. Who are the people on site?”

“This is a group made up of only the caretakers of our cradle… I think it will be covered up somehow.”

“What about the investigation team?”

“Professor Noh is out in the field. After investigating the area around the separation wall, we plan to head straight to the antennae snake’s hibernation site.”

“Yes, yes.”

Haewolhwa then leaned back and sighed loudly, as if she had just had a good time.

Although it is an institution that emphasizes practical education, the situation is completely different now.

If there had been even a slight delay in handling the scene, the students who entered the northern section would have been caught up in the snake’s rampage and turned into fish meat.

It was almost like the worst disaster since the founding of the Cradle occurred, with an entire generation of future stones disappearing.

It must have been a painful loss not only for each family, but also for the nation to lose precious magicians.

And no matter what anyone says, the person who contributed the most to suppressing this situation early on was Yoo Jin-hyeon.

In fact, since it was a job with no personal compensation, Haewolhwa was secretly preparing for a situation in which he would be asked to major.

However, perhaps taking after his superior, he did not seem to be very interested in that.

But even though the incident was over, Haewolhwa’s mind was full of questions.

This is because I couldn’t figure out how he managed to kill the antennae snake.

According to the testimony of three other people, when they arrived, Yu Jin-hyeon was already resting on the carcass of the antennae snake.

However, it is a demon beast so powerful that there are opinions that a separate class needs to be created starting with Aeteranus, the original species.

Not only does it instinctively use primitive lightning magic, it also has a hard exoskeleton that is resistant to particles.

No matter how good a wizard he was, it would be very difficult to deal with him alone, and usually he would form a group, allocate roles, and then set out to subdue him.

However, the antennae snake mutated once more, so there is no need to talk about its strength.

Even in the cradle, I was concerned about the collateral damage that would occur while subduing him, so I limited myself to tracking and observing.

Even veterans who had served double-digit numbers of years in the field were like that, so it was obviously impossible for them to defeat him alone at the level of a student.

No matter how talented he is.

What was even more puzzling was that there were no traces of magic left anywhere on his body.

Unless you’re at least a squirrel, you won’t be able to avoid all attacks.

Since the only thing left at the scene was the particle traces of one person, it is difficult to say that anyone helped him.

“… ”

Haewolhwa thought.

I don’t know the circumstances yet, but I think Sa Jae-hyuk has let something absurd into the cradle.

I don’t think they’re related by blood, but where on earth did they pick up those seeds? And why did a guy who had no interest in such things before his life do something he never did before?

If he is truly capable of defeating the Aetheranus variant on his own, there will be great chaos when his skills become known to others.

“Umm… ”

Haewolhwa returned her thoughts that had gone astray for a moment to their original direction.

There were other strange things as well. The students who encountered the demon beast all testified.

It seemed like the demon beasts were stimulated by something and forced to leave the area, and at the same time, they seemed scared.

It could be said that the other demon beasts were frightened by the antennae snake’s movements, but the problem is that Yoo Jin-hyeon testified that it also had signs of that kind of behavior. The fact that a high-ranking magician who had gone into hibernation in the first place suddenly woke up was an abnormal situation.

The adult form of a level 1 demonic beast occupies the top of the food chain in the nearby ecosystem. It is extremely rare for these guys to be scared. No, it’s safe to say that it almost never happens.

So far, this phenomenon has only been observed once.

It was only during the witchcraft incident 15 years ago.

“… no way… ”

Haewolhwa shook her head, saying it couldn’t be like that, but it seemed like the doubts had already taken root firmly in her head.

Also, what she thought of was Sa Jae-hyuk again.

“Stupid guy… ”

He was a truly pitiful and pathetic former student who was still trapped in the past within the necklace.

***

“Ang?”

A group of people had crossed into the southern compartment beyond the porous separation wall and were investigating the incident.

Among them, Noh Jong-ha, an arrogant-looking professor with a mustache, caught the eye of a strange object among the fallen leaves.

He carefully lifted the object with his hands. It was a rectangular mechanical device that could be held in one hand. In the center, a processed stellite sensitized stone was positioned as the power source.

“This… ”

He was able to figure out the identity of the mechanism without difficulty.

Demonic beast collector. It is a device used to stimulate high-ranking magicians in areas with developed fields by amplifying waves of a specific pattern, and was often used when building settlements or colonies in the East.

When this is activated, nearby demon beasts become extremely confused and flock around the device, making it possible to easily subdue the beasts gathered like moths to fire.

“… Someone played a prank.”

The mustachioed professor muttered with an expression of displeasure.

“But this crossed the line. How dare you do something like this at the sacred academy.”

He immediately took out the polarized particle filter, put it on, and checked the device again.

“At least it’s probably another trick of lowly people. Just try to get caught. I personally came forward and took action… ”

The magic collector is a tool that operates only when the wizard directly injects particles into the internal power source. So, by checking the remaining particle traces and comparing them, it was easy to find the culprit.

The particle traces are never the same for each individual, and the number of people who can enter this place is extremely limited.

“… ?”

However, his confident face soon turned into doubt. A filter was installed, but there was no trace as if the ether in the atmosphere had been blown in.

He took off the particle filter and examined the device with the naked eye again. There were clearly signs that it had been activated.

– rustling

Suddenly, something was heard behind the phantom-like figure.

“… ? you… ”

The professor turned around and was soon able to see someone’s face. And at that moment, he suddenly began to feel an unknown pounding in his heart. Then, the light in the eyes became blurred and became unfocused.

He couldn’t even finish what he was saying and stopped in his tracks.

“I guess he had some lust for me… How could a professor do that to a student… ”

Someone standing in front of the professor muttered softly.

“Can we still say that we are fortunate? At least you won’t have to kill me… ”

At first glance, the voice was full of sadness.

“… You didn’t find anything suspicious here. Let’s go back and report and carry on as normal as if nothing happened. Give that to me.”

As soon as the voice finished speaking, the professor’s blurred eyes returned to focus. He wordlessly handed the demon beast collector to someone. Then he turned and headed toward the grassland outside the basin.

After seeing him leave, the voice crushed the demon collector with its hand.

“I’m sorry… Ugh… ”

Raindrops fell from light brown eyes. She quickly disappeared to retrieve the remaining devices.