I Became a Disaster-Class Sorcery Genius

Why Are You Coming Out from There? (3)

Crash!!

With a log window popping up before Kim Dojun's eyes, the windows of the Sorcery Institute building began to shatter mercilessly.

"Uwaaaaah!"

"S-Save me!!!"

The students who just moments ago had tried to enter the building now screamed in terror at the unexpected turn of events, scattering in all directions in a desperate bid for safety.

However—

"W-What the hell!"

"A b-barrier!"

It didn't take long for the fleeing students to realize, just like during the last Rampaging Spirits Incident, that a massive barrier was erected near the freshman building.

At the same time—

Oooooong—!

The barrier's surface filled with a crimson hue, completely severing the interior from the outside world, trapping them within.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As soon as the barrier was completed, chilling sounds echoed from inside the freshman building.

The students, not knowing what was happening, could only panic and struggle frantically to get out of the barrier.

"...."

Amid all this, only Kim Dojun wore a face full of questions.

'Why is it coming out here now?'

The Gatura of Salvation.

Kim Dojun knew that name.

In fact, it would have been odd if he didn't know it.

The Gatura of Salvation was one of the malignant spirits Kim Dojun had to defeat to see the ending of the Sorcery Killing Technique.

'This guy isn't supposed to show up here, though?'

The reason he was so baffled by this appearance was precisely the timing.

The Gatura of Salvation makes his appearance in the third year. At that time, he shows up as the third boss of the Sorcery Killing Technique.

'And the person it possesses isn't even a student at the Sorcery Institute.'

Thinking up to that point, Kim Dojun wondered if he had misread the log window, but quickly shook his head.

Right now, the crimson barrier around the freshman building wasn't the work of Kuniz of Revenge, the first boss of the Sorcery Killing Technique, but indeed that of the Gatura of Salvation.

As he pondered, Kim Dojun suddenly thought—

'As sudden as this is, maybe it's actually good?'

He looked at the log that still hadn't disappeared.

'I don't know why the Gatura of Salvation showed up, but what matters here is that an malignant spirit awakened without me even having to interfere.'

He soon grinned.

'There's nothing bad about this.'

His goal was a swift escape anyway, and up until now he had taken steps to ensure the malignant spirits awakened quickly for that reason.

But for an malignant spirit—even one he hadn't prodded—to suddenly appear ahead of schedule, it only meant less work for him!

'Besides, while I'm not perfectly prepared, I have at least the minimum ready to deal with the malignant spirit.'

Kim Dojun looked at the necklace hanging around his neck, emitting a subtle glow.

At the same time, a log window appeared in front of him.

----
Nameless Sorcerer's Necklace.
Grade: Superior.
Effect: Nullifies all mental attacks within a barrier deployed by an malignant spirit.
----

"It really does the job."

The Nameless Sorcerer's Necklace, which he had acquired after robbing a group in Hongcheon, was proving its worth.

Unlike the students who began to collapse, clutching their heads and screaming in agony under the Gatura of Salvation's barrier-induced hallucinations, Kim Dojun remained unaffected, protected by the necklace's power.

Tucking the necklace inside his shirt, Kim Dojun started striding toward the building, where the explosions and chaos still raged.

####

Kwoooom!!

"Shit...!!"

Cursed Shin Se-yeon as the wall beside her exploded outward.

What she saw next was something resembling a human, but with an appearance that could never be called human.

'What the hell is that...!'

Shin Se-yeon stared at the figure grinning at her with a slit-like smile that looked as if its face would tear open.

Red skin, with mouths drawn in arcs as if laughing surrounding its arms and legs.

'Why would something like that suddenly show up at school!'

She recalled what had happened just 30 minutes before.

It had just become lunchtime.

As usual, Shin Se-yeon had headed straight for the snack bar and then gone alone to the rooftop to eat her lunch, spending time preparing for midterms.

Then, a sudden outburst of overwhelming spiritual power. A crimson barrier instantly appeared, and sorcery started invading her mind. Instinctively sensing something was wrong, she cast a defensive sorcery ritual and quickly descended into the school.

That's when she saw it.

That thing.

'What the hell is it?'

A flood of knowledge filled Shin Se-yeon's head.

First, she remembered everything she knew about possessed entities.

Next, information regarding spirit entities lined up in her thoughts.

But among all the possessed entities and spirit entities she knew, none fit the existence in front of her.

It didn't share meaningful features with anything she recognized.

'Then what the hell...!'

Shin Se-yeon faltered for a moment.

She was a genius.

She prided herself on knowing virtually every possessed entity and spirit entity in the world.

But now, she was unable to identify the being before her.

It stood alone, raising a barrier of ridiculous proportions.

As if that wasn't enough, it radiated impossibly powerful spiritual power in all directions.

"...!"

Suddenly, realization struck Shin Se-yeon and her eyes widened.

She finally understood.

Shin Se-yeon...

She did know what that thing was.

It wasn't ignorance—it was denial.

If it truly was what she feared—

"...malignant spirit (死靈)?"

—her chances of survival were close to zero.

As Shin Se-yeon muttered the words, the being's grinning mouth tore even wider, its teeth resembling a shark's, flashing into view.

At the same time, Shin Se-yeon noticed—it had stopped attacking her.

And then—

"!"

Its hand was forming a hand seal.

"Drop (落)."

A grotesque but low voice echoed.

And at that moment, an impossible scene unfolded before Shin Se-yeon's eyes.

'... Big Sister...?'

Her older sister—killed years ago by the tricks of Shin Cheon-gyun—appeared before her.

At that moment, before she realized it, Shin Se-yeon reached out.

Crack!

"Gahk!?"

When she came to her senses, Shin Se-yeon realized she was being choked.

"Urk!"

A horrifying pain seized her throat.

Instinctively, Shin Se-yeon clawed at the arm choking her while her genius mind pieced together the word it had spoken with what she saw and deduced its identity.

'Gatura... of Salvation...!!'

Gatura of Salvation.

The most terrible malignant spirit, who appeared about 50 years ago and caused thousands of casualties and killed dozens of sorcerers.

Despair filled Shin Se-yeon's eyes.

If what she faced truly was the Gatura of Salvation, then there was not even a sliver of hope.

[Judging by your eyes, it looks like you've figured out who I am. Well, it makes sense—you're able to keep your senses in this land of paradise, after all.]

Gatura's voice.

Even in utter despair, Shin Se-yeon struggled desperately to escape; Gatura only tightened his grip.

[Since you know who I am, there's no point in running. Just accept your salvation.]

"Grrrk—!"

But even as Gatura spoke, Shin Se-yeon moved her hands somehow.

Gatura's mouth twisted in a pitying smile.

[I really can't understand why you humans go so far to stay alive.]

"Keuk—!"

[Even if you survive, all that awaits you is pain. The world is full of suffering, and so long as you live, you'll continue to taste it. You're in pain right now, aren't you?]

Sheer, twisted logic.

[So let me save you, with a painless death.]

Gatura sneered, but all Shin Se-yeon could do was frantically struggle to escape his grip.

Because she had reasons she simply could not die here.

'I have to have my revenge...!'

She had to take revenge.

Against her father, who used her mother and older sister like lab rats under the guise of research and then abandoned them.

'Please! Please!'

Her hands were a wreck—bones broken, nails torn—but Shin Se-yeon still desperately tried to pull herself from Gatura's grasp.

But his grip only tightened.

And before long, her vision began to black out.

Her strength faded rapidly.

Her hands, which had been moving wildly, began to go limp,

Her legs, which had been kicking at Gatura, slowed.

With that, Shin Se-yeon's thoughts started to sink into darkness.

'I... don't want to die...!'

As her body was cut off from oxygen, she clutched frantically at her slipping consciousness—

'I. Don't. Want to—'

But even that slid further into the depths.

[Another soul, saved—]

As Gatura's voice grew faint in her mind—

"—Bullshit, like that's gonna happen."

A familiar voice echoed for Shin Se-yeon.

Simultaneously—

KWA-AAAANG—!!

With a thunderous noise like a bomb exploding, Shin Se-yeon's eyes shot open.

She could see it.

A slightly familiar back, standing before her.

And Gatura of Salvation—who had been choking her—now pathetically embedded in a wall.

"-!"

She looked up, turning her gaze skyward.

There, she confirmed it.

The person who had appeared to rescue her—

"Kim... Dojun?"

It was Kim Dojun.

He rushed to the now dazed Shin Se-yeon.

"Are you alright!?"

He reached out, grabbing her by both shoulders, and asked urgently.

"...? Uh...uh?"

"I said, are you alright?!"

Kim Dojun looked her over frantically as if extremely alarmed. Se-yeon couldn't help but look bewildered.

But then she realized—he was actually worried about her, and the realization caught her off guard.

Kim Dojun had never shown her this side of himself before.

"I-I'm okay..."

As a result, something fluttered strangely in her heart as she answered.

Hearing her reply, Kim Dojun truly breathed a sigh of relief, placing his hand on his chest.

"Thank goodness. I was worried."

"Y-You were worried?"

"Yes, really. If anything happened to you, I—."

Kim Dojun let out a deep sigh, as if he couldn't even bear the thought.

"? ...??"

Of course, this was because Kim Dojun knew that if Shin Se-yeon died here, the main boss would remain unresolved.

'She can't die until she kills her father...!'

That was the true reason for his concern.

But knowing nothing of his thoughts, Shin Se-yeon flushed at his sudden change of attitude.

"Really, I'm so relieved."

And his next words made something stir within Shin Se-yeon.

'Huh...? Huuhh...??'

Creating a strange misunderstanding in her heart.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Yeah, Dojun failed successfully with this one. It's not even the spirit that he was targeting.
【(⩌_⩌ )】