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“Have you heard about the elevator urban legend that got him hooked? No, wait. First, I should talk about the rumors surrounding our school. Brother, listen closely.”

* * *

Have you ever heard of “geumak” (지맥)?

Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users was built on top of a prominent “yongmak” (용맥) among these geumak. The location where the school was constructed is a point where the mountain range surrounding it intersects, resulting in an accumulation of energy that forms a massive “hyeol” (혈).

Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users was designed to make the most of the energy gathered at this “hyeol,” and the proof lies in the shape of the building. At first glance, the school appears to be a bit unusual, but when you take a closer look at each section, you’ll realize something odd.

When you gather certain elements, it resembles the shape of a fountain, and in some parts, it resembles a giant dam.

That’s not all.

Given the school’s large size, there are many resting spots for students, benches, and art pieces scattered around. In fact, the number of additions from students who secretly set up or donated items continues to grow every year.

But here’s what you really need to pay attention to.

I’m talking about the things that have been placed here by the school since its construction, not what the students created.

If you look closely at those… you’ll see familiar shapes.

Structures that are often found by rural rivers or streams.

I’m talking about weirs (보).

Connecting the structures made by the school resembles the form of a weir, and there are not just one or two of them.

There are a whopping three.

Can this really be called a coincidence?

At this level, we can infer that it was built where the yongmak overlaps.

Moreover, if you examine the names of those who participated in the construction of Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users, you will notice that it was built with the assistance of geomancers skilled in feng shui, shamans brought in from abroad, those versed in formation techniques, military experts, and architects…

…

…

And so, it was constructed in a form that holds significant feng shui and architectural meaning.

Thus, the school has devised a plan to control the energy in a certain shape, deciding to invest the immense amount of energy that gathers at the intersection of the yongmak into talented individuals—specifically, students with special abilities who enroll in the school. Naturally, the government is deeply involved in this plan, and rumors say that not only the government but certain secret societies, long-existing in Korea, are also involved…

* * *

“Sounds plausible, right?”

Iarin looked at Jinseong’s face after finishing her tale about the school.

She wanted to check if he found it interesting.

“This is quite a convincing story, I must admit. Honestly, even I think this tale sounds real. Walking around the school reveals many parts that seem constructed for military use. Like the square window you find after opening a secret door, or a parking lot that looks like it’s reinforced with concrete and rebar, or a rooftop designed for helicopter landings…”

The combination of the school and military facilities.

Iarin indicated based on her observations that her story about the school’s construction held credibility.

“During times of war, the school is often used as a shelter…”

Jinseong nodded at Iarin’s words.

Indeed, her narrative was credible.

It is an unwritten rule that schools and hospitals are not attacked during wartime; while war often disregards boundaries, there’s still a line that should not be crossed.

Most countries tend to uphold this unwritten rule to a certain extent.

If this line is breached… what was once a fierce conflict would turn into an unrestrained nightmare.

Resorting to forbidden biological weapons.

Wasting no time in attacking civilians.

Casual about conducting terrorist acts they would never typically perform.

Performing torture without a second thought.

Unlike typical warfare where only soldiers perish, it would become a situation where the very existence of the nation and its people is threatened directly.

This is how significant boundaries are, and how terrifying vengeance can be.

That’s why many countries attempt to strategically utilize hospitals and schools.

They either link military facilities with hospitals, legally regulate the construction of schools to include large sports fields or parking lots, or the government directly intervenes to build military facilities…

Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users is probably one of those cases.

In the name of a parking lot, building a shelter, a weapons depot, and a tank storage combined.

Installing gun ports everywhere for easy defense.

Creating helicopter landing pads to evacuate VIPs in emergencies.

Making the sports field huge to easily bring in soldiers and equipment…

“There must be more…”

There are likely more facilities that students haven’t discovered yet.

There might be a shelter for government officials or important figures hidden in the school’s basement, or facilities that could withstand isolation. Or perhaps, like in the old Soviet Union, there could even be a passageway connecting the school to the outskirts.

“Anyway, this school really has a ton of secret facilities. It’s no wonder there are rumors about some weird creature being raised somewhere in the school.”

Of course, that creature was surely the result of summoning or alchemy mix-ups.

Iarin chuckled as she said this.

She mentioned that some amusing characters among the students contributed to the urban legend.

“The story that Serah got caught up in must have stemmed from the nature of this school as well… Hmm. It’s a rather complicated urban legend, but if I explain it…”

Iarin crossed her arms and slightly tilted her head.

Then, rifling through her memory, she began to recount the “elevator urban legend.”

“Okay, here’s the gist. Our school has a lot of elevators, you know? Honestly, I sometimes think it’s kinda excessive, but judging by the number of people using them, it seems like we could use even more… Anyway, compared to other schools, we have quite a few.”

“….”

“Among those elevators is one called the ‘Dangerous Cargo Elevator.’ It’s mainly used by alchemists and wizards… You can guess from the name, right? Only that elevator should be used when carrying artifacts or experimental items.”

“….”

“But here’s where the gossip comes in. There’s a rumor that riding this Dangerous Cargo Elevator can take you to a secret place.”

A secret place.

A “hidden space” like the military facilities I mentioned earlier.

“The secret place is said to be… linked to geumak.”

According to the rumors, this secret space is related to the geumak—the “yongmak” tied to the school’s establishment.

“…geumak?”

“Oh wow, look at you reacting to that word as if you weren’t a shaman.”

Super cringe.

Iarin couldn’t help but giggle at Jinseong’s reaction.

She paused as if teasing and chuckled, rummaging for some snacks from somewhere.

Then, she opened the snacks and exclaimed—

“Brother, open your mouth!”

Whoosh.

The snack Iarin tossed landed perfectly in Jinseong’s mouth, and the moment it hit, it released an intense aroma all to itself. A strong minty freshness engulfed his mouth while the wasabi scent pricked his nose, and on top of that, the buttery fragrance of the melting flour filled the air.

“Why are you listening so seriously? I gave you snacks, and you weren’t even opening them.”

Iarin remarked, tossing her own opened snack into the air and lightly tapping it with her finger.

Despite being opened, the snack floated in the air, drawing a perfect arc before landing in Jinseong’s arms.

“Brother, eat while you listen. It’ll be much more entertaining.”

With a playful expression, Iarin said this and gazed intently at him.

She continued to watch until he picked up the snack and popped it into his mouth.

Crunch.

Only after Jinseong had the snack inside his mouth did she start to continue her tale.

“I mentioned the geumak, right? So anyway, the Dangerous Cargo Elevator supposedly takes you to a place related to the geumak — but it’s not exactly the place above the geumak… what do you call it? A facility that extracts energy from the yongmak? If you were to liken it to a human body, it would be something like a blood vessel. In any case, it’s said you can reach a space that’s akin to such a blood vessel.”

“Hmm.”

“And when you enter that blood vessel, oh, you won’t believe it!”

Iarin made drumming sounds with her hands on the bed.

And just as the excitement reached a peak, she dramatically said, like someone resembling Anastasia with a mischievous glimmer in her eye.

“Your skin transforms to that of a baby! And you become incredibly beautiful!”

 

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