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205th Episode: The Start of the Festival (2)

The moment the sound of the banquet began, cheers erupted from the audience, while a hush fell among the participants.

Those summoned randomly across Purgatory Mountain had a simple task: find and defeat their identical counterparts. However, locating an opponent would not be easy either.

In the midst of such a vast mountain, finding your target is no simple feat.

Not to mention, rather than opponents, one could stumble upon all sorts of monsters, making this a game where stamina was of utmost importance.

<Chain Silver Style - Sleet>

With a swift motion, blue sword auras sliced through the approaching monsters.

Multiple lava giants slowly froze into heaps of stone, scattering everywhere.

“Where could my opponent be?”

Jenny, wearing a distressed expression, glanced around.

Despite walking around, it felt as if she was just going in circles.

Eventually, she found herself stepping into what looked like an ancient temple.

“Who knew there was a place like this in Purgatory Volcano?”

True to its volcanic nature, there’s hardly a hot day in Purgatory Mountain except in winter.

Lava bubbled up as if it were an active volcano, yet it has never erupted in a destructive explosion throughout history.

Especially at higher elevations, the heat was unbearable, rendering the area uninhabitable.

In contrast, the temple stood out as the only place that felt chilly.

“Why on earth… here of all places?”

A graveyard. The very type of place Jenny detested most.

Despite the ground being hot beneath her feet, a chill ran down her spine.

The tombs seemed quite old and were in a state of decay.

They were odd-shaped, reminiscent of something a swamp-dwelling native people might have created, and looked creepy.

The climax of that creepiness was yet to come.

“It looks like something out of a nightmare.”

She spotted a giant skull gaping at the entrance of the temple.

The temple seemed even larger and more terrifying than the Aligieri Tower, which was known as the town’s horror spot.

Jenny’s body froze in place, and she quickly turned her back.

“Surely, nobody’s hiding in a place like this.”

If she felt frightened herself, who would be waiting here?

Unless their guts were spilling out, that was completely implausible.

Jenny repeated this thought and walked stiffly.

Boom! Boom!—

Sounds of clouds colliding came from the sky before droplets began to fall.

Soon it turned into a heavy downpour, soaking Jenny’s head.

“Of all times, it starts to rain.”

It was already evening, and the skies were darkening.

With the dark clouds rolling in and the rain pouring down, the damp atmosphere grew even thicker.

As she turned back again, the temple looked even more sinister.

“Yikes!”

Pretending not to notice, Jenny bolted from the spot.

“Huh?”

Just when she tried to escape, Jenny suddenly froze and trembled. It felt as if someone had grabbed her ankle, immobilizing her.

Though the temple was scary, it didn’t warrant that level of panic.

Someone was intentionally radiating a strange wavelength, provoking her.

‘Someone is here.’

Turning her head back towards the temple, Jenny began to walk inside.

With the atmosphere shifting, she wasn’t overwhelmed by fear.

Unlike before, she willingly stepped into the mouth of the skull.

Inside was even gloomier than outside, with corridors that seemed as if they led directly to the Netherworld beyond.

As she ventured further in, she emerged in a columbarium and locked eyes with a skull.

“Yikes!”

She felt as if her heart would drop.

Nonetheless, Jenny followed an unseen force that seemed to be guiding her up the temple.

As she reached the rooftop, she spotted an old chair. A lone figure was sitting in silence.

Despite being drenched in rain, he didn’t move, and the staff by his side hung limply like a corpse.

`Surely, he must be a wizard from the Bloodymir School?`

Jenny recognized who he was.

No matter how she looked at him, he matched one of the four participants like herself.

In surprise at finding an enemy, Jenny cautiously approached, wary of potential traps.

Otherwise, there was no reason he would emit a wavelength pulling her in.

Yet as she drew closer, an uneasy feeling washed over her.

`What is this bubbling sensation?`

The closer she got to him, the more it felt like certain hormones were being excessively released.

A collision of lost rationality. It was the same trembling she felt whenever she picked up a sword recently.

The feeling of encountering an existence nearly identical to herself.

She had heard this kind of reaction referred to as `Resonance`.

Swallowing hard, Jenny slowly took his hand.

At that moment.

“Huh!”

Something infiltrated from their point of contact.

It was neither poison nor a curse; it was merely the genetic information left within him.

However, just sensing it made Jenny’s face turn pale.

And then—

Grab!—

The wizard, sitting like a corpse, seized Jenny’s hand. Already cautious, Jenny swung her sword immediately in response.

But the wizard caught the blue aura of her sword with one hand.

“Huh?”

In shock at this incredible sight, Jenny found words escaping her. This was not an ordinary wizard skill.

“Who are you?”

And the strange energy she had sensed from him. Though she couldn’t pinpoint it, Jenny was certain.

“You’re not a tactical martial arts participant.”

At her question, he caused a red wave to emanate from the hand holding the sword.

As Jenny staggered back in shock, he slowly stood up with his staff in hand.

At the same time, the old staff transformed into a sword with a red blade.

“I don’t even know who I am. Perhaps I will never know.”

Though his words were baffling, Jenny’s mouth fell open as she listened.

His previously masculine voice had suddenly shifted to that of a woman.

“I wonder what I did in life. What kind of life I led. And what sort of people I spent my time with. It’s truly a mystery.”

The voice of a woman she had heard somewhere before. A sudden ominous sense of déjà vu washed over her.

Just hearing it made her feel as though her breath was being cut off.

“And I don’t even know how I died in life. If I were to discover the cause… I might harbor resentment toward it.”

Blood dripped from the red blade.

With the deep crimson light emanating from the sword, the dark space was illuminated in an eerie red glow.

It resembled witnessing a spectral figure emerging from the Netherworld.

“Indeed, can you stop the rampage of my resentment?”

Finally, the wizard’s facial features began to peel away.

She couldn’t discern what had happened to the real wizard, but she could tell that this tactical martial arts event had taken a terrible turn.

As she revealed her true face, she spoke.

“Jenny Chain Silver.”

Her flowing silver hair bore no hint of brightness, and her once ruby-like red eyes lacked focus.

Though her skin was pale like a zombie’s, her features were beautiful and unmarred by scars.

At the appearance, Jenny gasped, taken aback.

She looked just like her mother, who must have died young.

“Hesitation is akin to death.”

She stomped forward and lightly swung her sword.

Caught off-guard by the sudden panic, Jenny had all the reasons to become the prey of a murderous intent.

Clang!—

Yet, despite believing she’d lost her composure, Jenny managed to raise her sword and block the attack.

To Jenny’s surprise, she wore a surprisingly firm expression as she declared.

“Do you know who I am?”

Even though Jenny was flustered, it didn’t take long for her to regain her fighting spirit.

It felt as if she was someone who had been waiting for her appearance.

“Even if you tell me… it won’t bring you back to life.”

But Jenny wept forth coldly in reply.

“M…om.”

The downpour intensified.

Lightning struck.

As fierce thunder rolled in, a weight settled down on her shoulders.

Frost swirled from the blue blade, and blood flowed from the red blade, pooling on the ground.

Mother and daughter met again, soaked to the bone in desperation.

*

“What the hell is going on! Why isn’t the screen showing anything?!”

Complaints erupted in the tactical martial arts arena.

The broadcast that had just begun to air the match suddenly cut off.

After ten minutes without a peep, uproar began to spread.

It should have been plenty of time to fix the issue.

“What are they doing instead of repairing it?”

“Is the organizing committee just sitting on their hands?”

“What are we supposed to do? The Emperor is watching this!”

“Could it really have been canceled due to the rain?”

“Are you kidding? This isn’t some kids’ athletic tournament!”

With the rain falling, irritations flared up even more.

Those complaints weren’t limited to the audience either.

The high-ranking figures watching the event were equally displeased.

“What on earth is this calamity? It was fine just a moment ago.”

“Principal, what is happening here?”

Those observing from the stands began questioning Principal Kaiden.

Since the event was being held at Aligieri, it was Principal Kaiden who was overseeing it.

Even if small troubles arise, it’d be his responsibility to address them.

“I apologize. I just sent a faculty member via telepathy magic.”

“This makes it impossible for us to supervise. However, we can’t just suspend the match either.”

Terrace Endless, head of the Bloodymir School, rose and spoke.

Commanding attention, he addressed Kaiden with disdain.

“If any participant commits any foul play, we won’t be able to intervene. This is a serious responsibility, Principal Kaiden.”

“…”

Kaiden had no retort for that.

Participants were aware that they were under scrutiny.

Even royalty was among the spectators at this event.

If those eyes vanished, unpredictable actions could occur.

“Perhaps, just perhaps…”

At that moment, Grisha Highend, the owner of the Yellow Tower, interjected.

“Could it be that the principal deliberately turned off the screen to allow Aligieri participants to commit foul play?”

“Your Excellency of the Yellow Tower…? That’s quite an accusation.”

“Well, it’s just a suggestion.”

Kaiden felt something was off about Grisha.

Until this morning, they had greeted each other warmly, but now he seemed to harbor hostility.

However, this wasn’t the time to be concerned; he needed to resolve the situation first.

“Principal Kaiden, is that true?”

“That’s not true, just wait a—”

“Don’t play coy! It can’t possibly be the case that the screen hasn’t shown anything for ten minutes!”

Yet calming the situation was easier said than done.

Terrace Endless, head of the Bloodymir School, was known for being fundamentally stubborn.

He had a straightforward personality… so those who doubted never stopped probing.

And he nurtured a significant amount of suspicion towards Aligieri.

“Indeed, you revealed that your elder was a follower of evil, hadn’t you?”

His Bloodymir School was originally founded by Elder Enviel.

Terrace himself was a fervent follower of Enviel, so he became suspicious of Aligieri.

It was not easy to calm him down, but once the screen resumed, it would solve the problem.

Kaiden waited for the faculty member he sent and kept an eye on Terrace.

In the blink of an eye… unaware of the ambush incoming.

Whoosh!—

A shadow emerged from the ground, launching a massive fist toward the crowd.

The fist sped towards the head of the Yellow Tower owner faster than the speed of sound.

The figures who noticed it too late were taken by surprise.

“I was worried, but here we are.”

The shadow’s fist halted right before reaching the Yellow Tower owner.

Had it charged forward, it would have crushed his skull, if not for Gerard Chain Silver’s intervention.

“Radon, everything that friend said was true.”

With the blackout starting, a political game, then an ambush.

Gerard, having foreseen it all, remained the calmest.

Had there been casualties, the head of the school’s political game would have escalated even more.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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