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Chapter 145

It had only been a few months since the Dark Guild was completely uprooted from Harmony City.

While there hadn’t been enough time for the remnants of the slums to be entirely cleared out, neither had enough time passed for any new group to take root in the Dark Guild’s place.

In the underground commercial district, where the concrete couldn’t yet be filled, there were still grim-looking people roaming around. They were gray particles close to black, unable to step into the light.

In places without a tiger, the fox reigns supreme, and it seemed that such a phenomenon was occurring even in Harmony City’s underground.

Of course, Christopher was not the type to concern himself with such matters. For a man, this was merely a trivial issue.

He lay sprawled on the rough, cold concrete of a dark alley.

The reason was simple.

“Ah, I forgot….”

He couldn’t remember the distinguishing features of his target before he set off. He did remember the name, though. It was something like Choi Yeon-woo.

“Well, it can’t be helped… I can catch a glimpse of them once the tournament starts…”

The Academy Tournament could be watched worldwide since the broadcast would cover it. If someone was significant enough for the High Priest to mention, they would undoubtedly participate in the tournament. Killing them then wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

Having concluded this, Christopher rubbed his back against the ground. The concrete was as rough as he had said. Rubbing oneself against it would surely result in a bloodied back, but for Christopher, that was not the case.

The one getting hurt was not Christopher’s body, but the concrete.

When he leaned against the wall, the ground seemed to have transformed from rough to smooth as if it had never been coarse.

“I’m feeling depressed… I feel like dying…”

Christopher, sulking in a corner, was spotted by a passerby. The passerby laughed.

Ah, if it’s that guy, I could easily fleece him, they thought.

With a little blade to threaten him, he would tremble in fear and surrender everything he had. It had happened several times in the back alleys before.

Distinguishing between easy marks and the not-so-easy marks was far too easy for the passerby.

They wondered just how much this ragged-looking fellow might carry, but anything was better than nothing. With this in mind, the passerby pulled out a knife and approached Christopher.

And so, a corpse would merely add to the tally in the back alley. As if having the waist pulled away, only the chest and hips would remain, spilling out what was inside. As Christopher looked at that scene for a moment, he muttered.

“…Oh, I’m hungry.”

*

“…Did you have a good time?”

As soon as the class ended, Baek In-hwa, who was stretching a yawn, said that. The professor said nothing in response, knowing that the students would deal with their own exam scores anyway.

“Did you sleep well? You drooled over there.”

Baek In-hwa, startled, wiped her lips. Of course, it was a lie. She figured it out when she saw Yeon-woo giggling.

“Here, a gift. How about spending the entire vacation at the academy?”

“It was hot.”

“I see….”

That reply didn’t lead to any real conversation. In fact, Baek In-hwa would likely say it was hot wherever she went in the world…

Yeon-woo fiddled with a ring. When she was considering what gift to buy when they went to the beach, this seemed the most appropriate for Baek In-hwa.

“What’s this?”

What Yeon-woo placed on Baek In-hwa’s hand was a glass ball. Inside the glass ball, waves crashed against a blue beach. It was a scene that felt refreshing just to look at.

“They say it’s a magic engineering music box. I thought it would give a cool feeling when played while sleeping?”

“So, this is what a warm sea looks like.”

“I never imagined I’d hear such impressions…”

A warm sea, huh? Perhaps Baek In-hwa’s concept of the sea was more like a stagnant harbor or an icy ocean.

“Definitely sounds refreshing. Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

“Good, I’m glad you like it. Well, I’ll head out first.”

Yeon-woo said that and left the classroom.

Unlike the first semester, which had a somewhat regular schedule, the second semester allowed everyone to choose what they wanted to study, except for a few foundation subjects. Because of this, it became hard to meet friends outside of lunchtime.

While Baek In-hwa was momentarily staring blankly at Yeon-woo’s retreating figure, she fiddled with the round glass ball on her hand.

“…Hehe.”

Startled by the small laugh escaping her lips, Baek In-hwa quickly looked around, then hurriedly packed her bag and exited the classroom, clenching the glass ball tightly.

*

“We’re here, sis!”

“Oh my, you’re back already?”

“Woof! Woof!”

As Shar and Tae-oh cheerfully flung open the cabin door, Momo jumped down from their arms. Momo scampered over to the bed, where Noel picked her up.

“How’s the new home, Momo?”

At Noel’s kind question, Momo stuck her tongue out and started panting instead of answering.

From the front, it looked like she was smiling, causing Noel to gently smile back.

“What should we play, sis!?”

“Tae-oh wants to build a sandcastle!”

“Uh, uh oh. Let’s just play however you guys want…?”

That heartwarming scene lasted only a moment.

In the morning, Kim Yoo-min and Namgung Seong were often in class or sleeping, and as for Yuri, they weren’t very active in joining in on games.

Typically, playtime should be just the two of them, but now there were more people eager to join.

Armored with the characteristic health and liveliness of children, the two kids charged forward recklessly. Noel, who had never had younger siblings, was caught off guard by the situation.

“Then let’s go! There’s a sandpit we made near the flower bed, so we can play there?!”

“Great idea, sis Shar…!!”

“Uh oh, let’s go, okay….”

Excited by Noel’s response, the kids leaped off the bed, grabbed the cane next to it, and handed it to Noel.

Tae-oh pushed the desk next to the bed aside. Meanwhile, Shar, who passed the cane to Noel, even brought out shoes and placed them on the floor.

Noel, momentarily dazed watching the two kids’ effortless escort, came to her senses with a gasp.

“Uh, okay. You guys go ahead! I’ll tidy up a bit and join you.”

That was all Noel could say.

The two kids left the cabin first, puzzled about what tidying up meant.

It was a bit of a distance to the flower bed, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

Thinking so, Noel turned around and pulled her lower body out from under the blanket.

‘It’s getting more difficult to move…’

Looking at the violet markings that had snaked their way up to her knees over the last two days, Noel let out a soft sigh.

It was becoming harder to exert strength than before. Now, she was starting to wonder if she could even walk with the help of a cane.

“Ugh…!”

With her body leaning against the cane, she rose. At least her upper body could still use Aura, but she worried about how she would manage if her arms started to change as well.

With trembling legs, she barely stood up. Little by little, she moved one foot after another, taking her time.

It was hard to believe that just a few months ago, she could run all the way to the other side of the forest in a single bound.

“…This is tough. Should I ask my master to buy me a wheelchair…?”

Muttering that, Noel laughed weakly. She could easily guess why her master, someone who could afford hundreds of wheelchairs, had still not gotten her one.

She didn’t want to give up hope. Believing that if she kept exercising little by little, if she didn’t give up, one day she would recover.

A hero must not give up. A hero must not despair. A hero must know how to move forward, no matter what adversity lies ahead.

‘But can I even do that going forward…?’

Those thoughts emerged. When she could fight, she never had such weak thoughts, but now that she faced such obstacles, they started to arise.

After struggling to take each step, she opened the cabin door. From a distance, she could see Tae-oh and Shar happily playing.

A place that even children could reach in less than a minute seemed so far away for Noel.

As she hesitated there, Noel licked her dry lips. Her voice escaped.

“Hey, can you guys help me out a bit?”

It felt so pathetic that she, unable to move even this much, had to ask for help from the kids.

*

– Greetings to our viewers! We bring you this year’s Academy Tournament from Harmony Academy. I’m your caster, Ji Sung-jae.

– Hello, I’m Kim Jeong-hwan from the Gwangmyeong Guild, here to provide commentary for the year. It’s an honor to be in such a position.

– Ha, the honor is ours! To be in the presence of the 17th ranked influential Hunter in Korea and a graduate of Harmony Academy, the active A-rank Kim Jeong-hwan!

– Haha, I never thought I’d see you so closely, Ji Sung-jae. I’m a fan!

On TV, smartphones, and radios. The same voices flowed from various media. Among them were some who started shaking their legs nervously, as if their anxiety was amplified, while others appeared indifferent, calmly meditating.

Where Yeon-woo was seated was a corner of the auditorium, in the Harmony waiting room. There were five waiting rooms in this vicinity, packed with around a hundred students each.

Even amongst the members picked in such a manner, not everyone was guaranteed a spot in the competition. Depending on the situation, some students might not participate even once.

Still, just being part of the lineup was enough for them to make a name for themselves as promising talents for the next generation, so many students didn’t care too deeply about that fact.

As the banter to fill time between the caster and the commentator came to a close, a signal was given that they were fully prepared, and the caster raised his voice.

– Alright! Now it’s time to meet the protagonists of the tournament taking place over the next week! Audience members in the auditorium and those watching from afar, please welcome the representatives of the Academy with a round of applause!!

At the same time, the door swung open, and Kim Hyun-soo entered. As always, he wore a light smile on his face.

“It’s time to go. Are you all ready? Even if you’re not, you must go out and steel yourselves right now.”

(To be continued in the next installment)

 

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