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Chapter 92: So That’s It…

“I was wondering how quickly the cereal was disappearing when it turned out you were secretly raising a stray dog.”

It didn’t take any special magic for Yeon-woo to figure this out. The selection exam had ended earlier than expected, and returning to the dorm, she simply caught a glimpse of Shar and Tae-oh sneaking out.

Half of her felt proud that her father could keep a secret, and the other half was filled with sadness at how quickly they were growing up. While she hid her complicated feelings, snippets of conversation about pets and emotional development reached her ears.

“They say pets are good for children’s emotional growth…”

Yeon-woo loved the puppy just the same and had the urge to take it to the vet right away, but as Shar said, the dormitory regulations created a problem.

“It’s not until August for the next semester; it would be a big issue if that pseudoscience came knocking in the meantime.”

Even though she had sent a significant amount of money to the orphanage, she still had enough to rent a place in the residential area. But that would mean moving away from the academy, and it wouldn’t be possible to keep Yuri completely safe outside the Academy’s bounds, so it was indeed too soon.

“For now, should I ask Master or Riley?”

If she went to the Department Head’s Office, both of them could easily meet, and creating a separate space in Relin’s Archive, then connecting it to the dormitory would be one viable option.

Regardless, it seemed like there was nothing she could do at that moment. Yeon-woo took a deep breath.

“Guys, Dad’s heading home!”

[“Huh, yes, yes! We’re waiting!!”]

[“Kiki, we’re waiting!! Hurry up…!”]

The two kids jumped in surprise at Yeon-woo’s exaggerated tone. They hurriedly unpacked the items they had brought and soon dashed off to clean up the mess while excitedly petting the still-rolling puppy, Momu.

“They’re such cute kids.”

In any case, she felt a pressing need to figure something out for their sake quickly. It wouldn’t look good if they kept letting it roam in the back hills.

*

The Academy Championship is held among five academies of similar levels. With the scale dramatically increased and thinking about the wizard with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, it would surely impress. The number of participating schools has grown, with a hundred representatives per grade, making a total of fifteen hundred contestants.

Of course, there are many complaints regarding the Academy Championship. It’s unfair to first-years, there are too many participants, it could be held once a year…

Well, those suggestions are always dismissed, and it continues as usual.

Oceanic Academy.

Like all academies, Oceanic Academy is also located in an area transformed due to a gate explosion. Known as the “Drifting Island.”

Situated on an island that floats atop the sea, the territory managed by Oceanic Academy is the ocean itself. It is a moving fortress created in response to gate explosions happening beneath the sea, to combat sea monsters.

“…I will never get used to this salty smell.”

First-year student of Hunter Department, Dang Sa-ryeon, scowled and brushed aside her dark green hair. The saltiness ruined her hair and clung to her skin, making her feel sticky.

After hearing that this dampness was neutralized by the barrier surrounding the academy, Dang Sa-ryeon began to regret her choice of Oceanic Academy.

Yet still, the reason she didn’t consider switching to another academy was its unparalleled position. No other academy in the world prepares a curriculum for combat against ocean monsters as thoroughly as this one.

“Is everything progressing alright?”

Nokpungdae, who was following behind, asked as they approached Dang-myeon. Surprised, Dang-myeon hurriedly lowered their voice.

“Yes, miss. We’ve made contracts with the fishermen’s union on the island. Regardless of creatures or monsters, 40% of the poisonous materials will be supplied to our family.”

“Hmmm, and the remaining 60%?”

“I hear they go to the Magic Tower, alchemists, and Hunter Guilds. That’s beyond what I could manage.”

“That’s not bad.”

If the remaining 60% were taken by others, then getting 40% for their family would surely satisfy her father. She smiled at the thought.

“Compile the content for my father and send it off, and once that’s done, you can take a break. I’ll focus on the championship for a while, and you can handle anything you deem unimportant.”

“Are you going into seclusion to train?”

“By the time of the championship, it will have been two months since then, and if I don’t make any progress, even an unknown junior would be disappointed.”

Dang Sa-ryeon covered her mouth with her wide sleeves and smiled coyly. As she watched the retreating figure, Dang-myeon thought to themselves.

‘It’s not like she hasn’t done anything, though…’

The lady of the Dang family, upon first glance, seemed like a genius who appeared suddenly like a star, but Dang-myeon realized that wasn’t the case only after becoming her subordinate.

The hands hidden beneath that wide sleeve appeared as delicate and clean as someone who has never been touched by water, but few knew that it only looked that way due to makeup.

Despite having managed to extract the poison while utilizing poison techniques, Dang Sa-ryeon’s fingertips bore a faint lavender hue. A pure human born from a lineage of vampires. Consequently, she possessed no resistance to poison and had to ingest it herself to build her tolerance.

The top first-year of Oceanic Academy, a prodigy of the Dang family. No one knew the effort she had poured into earning such a nickname.

“I just wanted to live fairly normally, but somehow I got tangled up with someone like her…”

With a low sigh, Dang-myeon vanished from sight. It was essential to do the job that had been requested diligently.

*

“Bwahaha, is this really happening!!”

A burly man laughed loudly as he slapped the back of a man who looked like one of his subordinates. The struck man winced in pain but forced a grin.

No, he had to laugh. Although he seemed pleased now that the information he shared had turned out to be true, this man, Gillian, was a monster. Should things go sideways, he could easily kill ten people with a smile, a figure from the underworld.

‘So that’s why the lower levels have been quiet lately…’

For about a month, Seok-min had been working as a guard at the library. He was what you’d call a gray figure. Normally, he operated as a legitimate Hunter but would occasionally reach out to the lower levels, known as the “Dark Guild,” for slightly illegal yet lucrative jobs.

Of course, the Dark Guild wouldn’t be fond of gray figures who might stab them in the back, so he rarely took up serious business with them…

Yet for some reason, when he discovered a gate inside the library and approached them to set a trap, the Dark Guild welcomed him with open arms. Feeling uneasy about this, Seok-min accepted.

It was after he learned that the Dark Guild had been completely excluded from Harmony City that he realized his mistake.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have taken it to the Guild.”

But it was too late to regret after signing the contract. Now, if he hoped to leave before the guild discovered his dealings and make money from this gate to relocate to another city, it was the right course of action.

“I wonder how much we can get if we just clean out what’s inside. Even after giving my share to our collaborator, how much will be left for me?”

“I get your enthusiasm, but keep it down. If the duty-bound librarian hears us, it’ll be a hassle.”

Excited Gillian licked his lips and muttered so. The loudness of his voice prompted the bald advisor beside him to tap his shoulder, urging him to quiet down. Gillian chuckled and shrugged in response.

Well, of course. Gates generally manifest in similar environments. And this particular place is a library. It’s certain that a gate resembling a library would contain hundreds, if not thousands, of books.

And these otherworldly books are so rare, they could be called priceless. Most often found in other gates in such poor condition that they crumble at a touch; should they come across complete books in this gate…

“Alright, are you ready to become rich, folks?”

At that statement, the Hunters broke into silent smiles. Greedy smiles as they stepped toward the gate.

“Welcome. I, the armed librarian Riley, warmly greet the adventurers from other realms…”

Thud.

A hammer and shield as large as a person dropped to the floor, embedding itself. The slender figure who introduced herself as Riley picked up the enormous hammer and shield with ease in each of her hands.

“If you surrender now, I won’t treat you roughly.”

The gate, ‘Relin’s Archive,’ features a very peculiar structure. The only monsters that appear are living spellbooks, which apart from their ability to cast magic, have no special abilities beyond their numbers.

Nonetheless, prior to Yeon-woo’s regression, the difficulty of clearing Relin’s Archive was ranked B. Despite being just a little over a month into their enrollment with only E-rank monsters swarming the gate, this rating seemed puzzling.

What caused the difficulty of Relin’s Archive to rise to B?

The answer is remarkably simple.

The spellbooks are merely treasured items collected by the gate’s owner, the grand sorceress Relin. Yet, collectors in any world tend to hold their collections in extreme regard.

As a result, Relin reached the conclusion.

“It would be reassuring to have extremely powerful guardians in place.”

The boss of the gate doesn’t simply stay in the boss room; instead, it wanders the archive—an inconsistency of sorts. Encountering the boss immediately upon entering the gate is illogical. Having a monster of that level as the boss does not match the gate’s standards.

Shimmering silver mana danced around like falling blossoms. Easily identifiable, the mana took a tangible form. Just one petal brushing against her shoulder felt like a burn.

“Hahaha.”

Gillian let out a hollow laugh. He knew he could handle two high-tier monsters ruling the western forest simultaneously.

Yet, even with that slight gap in strength, Gillian hesitated in despair due to the overwhelming difference.

Eventually, recognizing the ‘difference’ between him and his opponent requires a certain level of understanding.

“What is it? Just because you’re a girl, you think you can act all high and mighty. You think you can—”

“That’s filthy.”

Swish.

A hunter was reduced to a puddle of blood by the hammer that swung without even the slightest sound of wind.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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