---

Chapter 76

The situation calmed down only after Yuri returned. Kim Hyun-soo, who followed Yuri, guided Dooko-hyun in a conversation toward the dormitory, and the rest could simply return to their dorms without a fuss.

Of course, there were some things to address before that.

“So, how did you find out?”

Yuri, with her arms crossed, quietly inquired. It seemed she wanted to know how they got involved in the Dark Guild cleanup. The three of them were silent, or rather, they chose to be.

Jung Yu-jin and Namgung Seong’s eyes subtly shifted to Yeon-woo. Naturally, since no one spoke up, Yeon-woo, who had nothing to hide, sat there with his head down.

Yuri let out a small sigh before speaking.

“Namgung Seong, Jung Yu-jin. You should head back to the dorms first. For this incident… it’s best to be somewhat prepared.”

“What!? Aren’t we supposed to protect the whistleblower!?”

“That’s right! Exactly!”

“We’ve protected you, so let’s end it here!! Get inside!!”

Yeon-woo could only be stunned by the sequence of conversations. He thought they shared a close bond, but both turned out to be traitors.

‘Ugh, if only I had someone to betray…!!’

[Is this… friendship…?]

Shar muttered in disbelief within his mind.

He wanted to make excuses, but there was nothing to say. Indeed, friendship during youth could easily turn into betrayal, even after risking one’s life in a fight.

If someone were to ask who told them to sneak off to the PC bang, they could all point fingers at the instigator, proving that it was a survival of the fittest amongst friends.

[I, I don’t think I need friends…?]

‘Oh, that sounds like something Baek In-hwa would say.’

[How, how insulting!!]

The insult was directed at you, not Baek In-hwa.

‘I might just get sued for defamation of character by the Ice Palace at this rate.’

After thoroughly dragging Baek In-hwa’s reputation through the mud, Yeon-woo finally lifted his head. Soon, Yuri, who had shifted from crossing her arms to tapping her fingers on her forearm, was motioning for him to rise.

“Well, have the strategies with Shar concluded?”

“…Um, could you give me just a little more time?”

“Will that work!! Shar, come out too!!”

About thirty minutes later, Yeon-woo found himself kneeling in the field while Yuri continued her scolding. After tuning her out and finally rising at her gesture, he asked.

“Ouch, my knees…. But, do you know Lady Samiryun-ju?”

“It’s not my intention to associate closely, but… she came looking for me when they started calling me the Sword Demon. Oh dear, Shar, are your knees hurting?”

“N-No, it’s fine, Grandfather…. This was part of the deal after all…!”

“No, no, Shar. I had to scold you, but what wrong did you do? It’s all because of that fool being full of himself. Now, hop on.”

“Thank you….”

As Yeon-woo coldly glared at that old man who was quite the fool, Shar’s body began to lift and was enveloped in Aura.

Indeed, Shar knew better than anyone how to elicit a protective nature from the old man. The fact that it came without calculation was truly horrifying.

“Aren’t I getting a ride?”

“Have you done anything to deserve one?”

“That’s true. But who’s stronger, Lady Samiryun-ju or my master? The Five Great Demons are always ambiguous, right?”

“To think there’d be a fool asking themselves that….”

Yuri looked at Yeon-woo as if genuinely amazed. He thought that didn’t require such praise…. Feeling awkward, he rubbed the back of his neck, and Yuri responded.

“Hmm, let me give you a caution for this opportunity. No matter what, you should avoid confronting Lady Samiryun-ju.”

“No, it’s not like I plan to fight her.”

“That’s not what I mean. As you may know, the old man has undergone a transformation to the Half-Return phase. Fortunately, he reached the Realm of Reverse Ancestral Technique. This young body is the result of that. In terms of swordsmanship, one could say the old man has mastered a realm superior to the Kings of Authority or the Martial Arts Association.”

“Well, I suppose so…?”

Although the Half-Return phase is seen as a legendary level, there are certainly those who have reached it. The issue is that there’s simply no way to confirm it.

Why is there no way to confirm it, you ask? Let’s provide a simple example.

Namgung Yang, the Heaven-Splitting Sword King. He is the grandfather of Namgung Seong and recognized as one of the great swordsmen, known for his crow-like hair.

If someone with crow-like hair reached the Half-Return phase, would people even notice that change? That is the kind of story.

Only someone who knew the individual as a child would recognize that a master has suddenly become younger.

“But do you know? Lady Samiryun-ju has already undergone a transformation once, having reached the Half-Return phase. Probably only those who are excluded, like the Five Great Demons, the Martial Arts Association, or close aides of Yoon-ju, are unaware of this.”

“…What? But Lord Yoon-ju….”

“Completely an old man!?”

“Yes, exactly. That skinny, wrinkled old man’s image isn’t what Yoon-ju remembers from his youth. It’s enough to trigger a transformation, yet that man’s transformation ended up looking like that.”

That was a chilling statement in Yeon-woo’s mind.

What is a transformation? It’s a miracle where a master who has reached a high level turns their essence into a state more suitable for training martial arts using their internal energy, transforming back to their prime physical form.

“Does it mean that he’s either always in his prime or that this current form is indeed his prime…?”

“I’ve never heard it directly, but that seems to be the case.”

With that, Yuri muttered quietly.

“Thank goodness that old guy isn’t a swordsman. For someone of that caliber.”

Heh heh heh….

Yuri’s quiet laughter filled the path back.

“You’ve walked around just fine in that condition, huh? Not a single bone in your body is unbroken. It’s a complex fracture.”

“Huh, what do we do about that?”

“What to do? Do you want to die??”

The next morning, Yeon-woo found himself tussling with Na Yang-ho in the infirmary.

Na Yang-ho was pressing him down on the bed, insisting he absolutely couldn’t leave, while Yeon-woo was struggling, claiming he had to meet Lady Samiryun-ju and asking if they’d be responsible if he really died for missing that appointment.

It was a bizarre standoff between someone wanting to save their life and another wanting to live.

After sweating it out for a while, Yeon-woo was finally freed under the condition that he wouldn’t push himself too hard. He had a fleeting thought: the sight of both the worn-out student and the beautiful nurse in the infirmary panting heavily would be easily misunderstood if someone walked in. But he didn’t care; if necessary, he could just check the CCTV.

The next visit was to Kim Hyun-soo. There were various things to discuss, including uniform procedures.

“I heard roughly from Baek In-hwa. It can only be described as bad luck….”

Trailing off, Kim Hyun-soo was left with no choice but to worry.

He had been the happiest when the student awakened his mana, but now he questioned if that judgment was correct.

Of course, he hadn’t personally passed him, considering the cut-off line. That overwhelming purity was talent enough to get into the Academy.

However, this boy was causing too much trouble.

Becoming Yuri’s disciple, discovering an unidentified monster in his first Gate, he had been a dragon’s contractor, and simultaneously had led the contact with Relin’s Archive, saving Baek In-hwa’s life while handling the leader of the Dark Guild, who, by all odds, should have been missed.

In the last two months, all of these events had unfolded around him.

It was no longer a matter of the boy causing trouble; it seemed he was deliberately seeking out chaos.

“So you went off to fight again, with that kind of body?”

“Haha….”

The boy, with soft light brown hair, scratched his cheek with an embarrassed face. His body was covered in bandages and patches. One might suspect he was being bullied by a sword demon.

“Thank goodness Lady Samiryun-ju arrived when she did; what were you thinking facing off against a violent criminal? Where did you even learn the plan? That’s supposed to be top-secret information known only to certain members of the student council and some faculty.”

“Well, you see….”

Making it sound like he would share yet ultimately mumbling as if to say he definitely wouldn’t, Yeon-woo stammered.

Though he had shown remarkable growth compared to two months ago, to be honest, his outlook wasn’t particularly bright.

Despite whatever methods Yuri had employed, her touch over the last ten years with the sword could be said to have just begun to advance slightly.

However, from Kim Hyun-soo’s perspective, it still seemed too early for him to have fully settled into being an Aura Expert.

“…Yeah, it’s not something to blame Yeon-woo for. If Baek In-hwa had indeed died like that, it would not only tarnish the Academy’s reputation, but there would have been a storm of accusations against the faculty, asking how they managed such student care. They would have lamented over losing such a talent and kind student.”

“That’s right! No one else is like Baek In-hwa.”

“And I can’t even imagine what could happen from missing Louis. It was a prime opportunity to eliminate a puppet of the Demon King’s cult. Just thinking about what information might leak now that he has returned to that cult is even more concerning.”

“That’s right! It’s fortunate we caught him here!”

“Hmm, so you knew Louis was part of the Demon King’s cult….”

“Uh oh.”

The mindless yes-man position he took landed him in an interrogation trap. Yeon-woo grimaced. Kim Hyun-soo had no choice but to let out a heavy sigh.

“I can’t quite guess what you’re hiding anymore, Yeon-woo. I’ll just be waiting for the day I hear it directly from you.”

With that verbose musing from Kim Hyun-soo, the questioning came to an end.

“One hurdle has passed, but now homework is piling up.”

“Homework? Didn’t you finish it all?”

“Not that type of homework. The deceive is… well, I just didn’t expect to gain the ice element on top of it. What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Aah…. Three types of elements already…. I’m curious how many I can contain.”

For sure, that was a big problem. Right now, he was swirling around the Dragon Heart like a floating donut, but someday it would fill an entire orbital path.

“I guess I’ll just have to do my best with what’s given….”

“Isn’t that how most of your father’s concerns end?”

“But he only knows how to do that.”

Fool… only a fool who knows nothing but effort…!

“Anyway, since Lord Yoon-ju invited me to dinner tonight, shall we take it easy this weekend? Let’s see, I should also prepare to have Shar make some friends….”

“Must I really make friends…?”

“Shar, friends are a wonderful thing. You saw me having fun with Yu-jin and Namgung Seong. Even fools enjoy each other’s presence just by seeing each other, you know?”

“That’s no comfort at all….”

Regardless of Shar’s reaction, she didn’t need to go to kindergarten, having been through mandatory education like elementary school.

Of course, sending her to kindergarten wouldn’t be bad, but there was no need. She could speak, listen, and write without formal education; although not superior in general knowledge, her mental age far surpassed that of ordinary kids.

The real problem would be if they had to urgently summon Shar back. Wouldn’t there be chaos if the child suddenly disappeared? In that respect, elementary school was relatively problem-free, as spirits and summoned creatures often attended alongside.

Thinking about it, the most fitting for friendship… or perhaps a sibling-like presence would be….

“Shall we start making a contract….”

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

---