Mystery Tales Under the Moonlight

Chapter 37: Category Determination Exams at the Academy (14).

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A green field covered with some snow.

The winter winds were exhaling their breaths, as if telling everyone about the imminent arrival of spring.

And yet, it can be said that the prolonged cold is about to end.

In the creature-free environment, a group of humans can be seen.

A boy with golden eyes and long hair stands behind his followers, with a group of six people standing in front of him.

Instead of tension, each person had a different reaction from the other.

While Fernando and Chai Nayun were on high alert, the other four were more dismissive.

Loki placed his hands behind his back while his eyes ripened with boredom.

Viron sat relaxed, showing no interest in this group.

Dio stepped forward, his hands in his pockets.

Lloyd stood back, smiling as calmly as ever.

"Oh? I shouldn't have heard the rumors at all," Kang Woo chuckled lightly while observing Loki and the others' reactions.

"It seems they are not monkeys as I thought?"

No, wait, this is a bit familiar...

His followers behind him showed cold expressions and prepared to move.

Kang Woo raised his hand and stopped his followers, "I will face them myself."

"But sir..."

"Don't make me repeat myself," a harsh glare appeared in his eyes.

His simple gesture frightened the follower, who lowered his head submissively and stepped back.

After suppressing the actions of his dogs, Kang Woo stepped forward to face Dio.

"While we wait..." he laughed fiercely as he said, "there's no harm in playing."

Swish!

His body suddenly disappeared, appearing in front of Dio in an instant!

He left no room for action when he punched with force!

Bang!

A loud collision sound erupted from the area.

The force of his punch sent the air flying!

"Slow..." his voice was calm and undisturbed like a clear lake.

In the place where Kang Woo punched, there was nothing his followers could guess.

Instead of Dio's face, there was something else.

A hand colliding with the sole of a foot.

This is what the eye saw.

Kang Woo was extending his arm forward colliding with Dio's leg.

Dio, with his hands in his pockets, had his foot raised towards Kang Woo's outstretched arm.

The others did not see it, but Kang Woo saw it clearly.

The moment he appeared in front of Dio was just a moment before he struck.

But at that moment, Dio lightly jumped back, raising his leg and striking forward with the sole of his foot.

A simple movement, as if he was anticipating his moves.

Contrary to the shocked expression Dio expected, Kang Woo was smiling.

"As I expected," Kang Woo laughed instead of panicking.

"Oh? Your move was surprising, boy, but unfortunately ~"

Dio's voice, while laughing mockingly, was present before everyone.

"You haven't reached the level yet."

"This is insolence!"

"Know who you are talking to, you lowly one!"

Kang Woo's followers moved quickly to attack Dio.

However, at that moment.

"I do not advise you to do this."

The grassy environment became cold.

In front of Kang Woo's group, the green grass turned blue.

As if resembling sharp needles, it grew rapidly in size and formed what looked like a field of ice thorns.

A white-haired boy stood alone.

His violet eyes glimmered with a coldness akin to ice, his emotionless voice pierced the ear harshly.

While standing comfortably, a blue light resembling ice shone behind him, a field of cold thorns of enormous size formed a beautiful painting.

Even many people had been trapped by these sharp thorns, preventing them from moving.

Although they had not shown their skills in the past six days, after the start of the exams, aside from their academic results, there was nothing to stop them.

It's not as if they weren't strong enough to protect themselves.

On the contrary, they were strong, very strong.

Therefore, there was no harm in playing a little.

Loki smiled lightly, saying, "If there is a desire to stain the grass with blood, I have no objection at all."

The number of ice thorns increased with his words, immediately suppressing the movement of Kang Woo's followers.

"That's why I told you not to interfere, you fools."

Kang Woo's grip retreated from Dio's leg, as he said coldly.

Dio lowered his leg calmly while smiling.

He now understood the strange feeling that had come over him.

"You are too weak to do anything in the first place."

They probably thought he was preventing them from interfering in his fun.

Hehehe, what fools they are!

"Kang Woo, what a way to greet, I think?" Firon's voice came out.

"How dare you call the young master by his name like that?!" one of Kang Woo's followers growled.

"How dare I? Hahaha!" Firon laughed as if he heard a joke.

"Kang Woo, simple, I just opened my mouth to say: Kang Woo."

The person became angrier, but did not dare to move, because there was something preventing him.

"Are you afraid? It's just a light fire, really."

Firon's voice came from behind the young boy.

Pale blue flames appeared in the air behind the chestnut-haired boy.

His flashing eyes looked like dragon eyes.

The reason the young boy did not move was instinct.

His instinct loudly told him that these flames were no joke.

"Huh? Hahaha, it seems these are not family followers, are they, Kang Woo?"

Seeing the frightened boy, Firon laughed disdainfully.

"You bastards... didn't you die three years ago?" Kang Woo replied in an annoyed voice.

"Tsk! Calling me the son of the Baik family, didn't you understand the hint, you bastard?" Loki said in annoyance as well.

"That means: we don't know you, so you don't know us either, don't you understand? No! It's impossible not to understand, humph!" Dio continued arrogantly.

"How are you, Kang Woo?"

Behind Kang Woo's followers, the calm voice of the boy passed gently through the ear.

What resembled a wave of wind... no, it would be more appropriate to say it was a storm brewing quietly.

Lloyd stood with his hands behind his back, there was a green color mixing with the wind behind him.

While they did not notice, the boy Lloyd had stood behind them, ready to strike at any moment.

They finally understood their leader's words.

It was not these people who were in danger.

It was them.

A shiver ran through the body.

Lloyd's expressions were gentle, but combined with the storm behind him, he looked like a beast.

"Hehe, I expected that, how could bastards like you die so easily? Tsk!" Kang Woo clicked his tongue as if annoyed.

"You already know our identity, what is with this acting?"

From the beginning, Loki and the others knew it was an act by Kang Woo to confirm their identity completely.

They were not trying to hide themselves in the first place, otherwise, they would not have come in their true appearance.

Their identity would be revealed over time.

So it didn't matter.

"Anyway..." Kang Woo's eyes flashed meaningfully as he said, "Your coming here of all places, what are your intentions?"

Kang Woo's group was confused and did not understand anything.

"This is not the right time, eyes are watching."

As he said that, Firon looked towards the horizon.

"Tsk! These bastards have been following me until today... how annoying!"

From afar, they could see a group of people approaching.

Kang Woo and Leon's group showed ugly expressions on the surface, but spoke secretly among themselves.

[Did they try to recruit you too, Kang Woo?]

[Yes... heh, these bastards think they have the right to do whatever they want, humph!]

[Anyway, in the hunting test, we can talk freely, let's finish our act.]

It was Loki who was talking to Kang Woo, but on the surface, he showed a shocked expression at the sight of the new incoming group.

As if they understood something, they looked at Kang Woo with annoyance.

The situation seemed to be Kang Woo's plan, and Loki and the others were caught off guard.

The previous display of power was to attract the lurking group from afar.

They were the ones Loki originally wanted to draw out, Kang Woo's entry into the picture was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

"You bastard! This is a trap, guys, run away!" Loki shouted in a panicked voice.

The others did not wait, Dio grabbed Chai Nayun and Fernando in his arms and ran.

Lloyd jumped while stepping on the winds, while Firon leaped across the field.

"I will repay this humiliation someday!" while escaping, Loki said in a frantic voice.

"Humph! Try if you can!" Kang Woo shouted, enjoying himself.

[I will take down these meddling bastards, focus on getting out of the picture for now.]

[Thank you, I will repay you later.]

[Hehe, don't forget your words!]

As he said that, he secretly sent a message to his followers.

[Do not spread a word about what happened today.]

[Your orders are commands, my lord.]

His followers, who were confused, agreed immediately after hearing his dangerous voice.

No matter what happened, the important thing was to obey their leader's orders.

Loki and the others disappeared over the horizon, leaving Kang Woo standing in silence.

"Three years, huh?" he chuckled slightly, and his eyes glowed with a harsh coldness.

He had some guesses about why Leon and his group came to this academy.

Chaos is about to begin.

'If we return alive, it means completing our plan so that we are not swept away by the waves of the new era!'

Words spoken to him three years ago.

"Hahaha!"

Kang Woo laughed fiercely.

"Let chaos reign in the world! Let the fools be lost in the depths of oblivion! Making way for the strong on the dawn of a new era...!"

In a voice that was majestic, Kang Woo roared like a ferocious beast.

He turned towards the new incoming group, as he walked leisurely.

He was now heading to eliminate the intruders.

Like Dio, he too hated the weak who did not know their place.

Aside from these monsters, in his eyes, neither Princess Cairo nor anyone else deserved his time.

He was not afraid of the factions that controlled the academy even a little.

In this era where wars began to spread little by little, how could he fear mere foxes who had tasted peace for a long time?

For him, who had fought in wars with Loki and the others and tasted harsh political struggles since childhood, there was nothing to worry about.

"With that bastard devil's arrival, I can already see the days becoming enjoyable, hehehe."

With Leon's extreme personality, peace was not an option, let alone submitting to the factions centered on this island.

The Leon he knew would ignite the whole world in flames of chaos rather than submit to anyone.

It had nothing to do with pride even.

Pride, what? Is that something sold at a good price?

That would be his answer if you asked him about his pride.

It was more fundamental, he was a person who lived according to his desires with complete sincerity.

That is Leon.

Kang Woo was indeed looking forward to the second test, wanting to relieve some of the accumulated tension.

The third test, where he would meet Loki and the others, wasn't the time to talk about yet.

* * *

As Leon walked through the trees in the forest, he made his own guesses.

"It's likely that the scoundrel Kang Woo has met with the others; the information I gave him was useful after all."

The reason he didn't wait for Kang Woo was to let him meet with the others.

But due to the other faction's thugs following everyone as if they were being watched, he needed an excuse to meet his group.

In the opinion of others, they believed that Loki and the others were weak and were merely Leon's followers.

Thus, it wasn't strange, given Kang Woo's sadistic personality, that he would "play with them."

Only a few remembered the power that Dio had shown; Leon's performance overshadowed that, and some forgot it, not to mention that he only suppressed and did not do anything considered a threat.

What do you say he showed his power in the first test?

Haha, the test ended a few hours ago, and information won't spread that quickly!

Not to mention Princess Lucia's performance and the others with grade (A) talents; unless someone pays special attention to Leon's group, the information won't reach that quickly.

It was natural for others to see Kang Woo approaching Leon's group; they would think he found them instead of Leon and would try to learn something about Leon from them.

The best time to meet them was before the second test.

That was to confirm the continuation of the plan.

Meeting them would tell him their intentions, whether to be an ally or an enemy.

Leon arrived at an area with a green rock covered in moss.

Its shape was unremarkable; a stream could be seen near the massive rock, and some small animals were drinking water.

Swish…!

The peaceful appearance faded with Leon's sudden arrival.

Seeing the person who appeared suddenly, the small animals panicked and fled.

"After this… is this the place? Blade of Dusk, are you still here?" He opened his mouth in the empty area.

There was no one.

Swish.

Suddenly, the space rippled as a human figure appeared behind Leon.

"Blade of Dusk greets the master," a female voice spoke from behind him.

It was a woman kneeling on the ground, her hand clenched into a fist touching the surface of the mossy rock.

Her cold voice was devoid of emotion.

Her features were unclear under the hood she wore.

Only her mouth and some features of her nose were visible.

Her white skin shone in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Her head bowed down as a sign of submission and respect.

"No need for formalities, did you bring what I asked for?"

"Yes, my lord, information about the academy's rules and the students whom you have paid special attention to."

"Detailed information about the opposing factions, who supports them behind the scenes, and other relevant information."

"From their backgrounds to their life events, whether secret or public, all of them are here with me."

As she said that, she tapped the ring on her hand, and a bundle of papers appeared in her hands.

The bundle flew from her hands through the air to Leon.

Blade of Dusk did not immediately leave; she was waiting for her master's orders.

"Alright… this is good, give the bundle to the faceless one to summarize the report; I will tell you my orders for now."

"Yes, my lord."

Leon took the bundle and made a preliminary assessment, then returned it to Blade of Dusk.

His eyes sparkled with ethereal light, and with a thought, a black paper flew through the air.

"Prepare these things; I will settle in the northern forest."

The paper reached in front of Blade of Dusk and did not fall; it floated in the air.

The paper slowly opened, revealing its contents to Blade of Dusk.

After she finished reading the content, Blade of Dusk took the black paper and stored it.

"As you command, my lord."

It was taken for granted that she would agree to whatever Leon ordered; that was her duty as a follower.

"Pass on my next orders to the others."

Leon's voice became colder as his red eyes sparkled with ominous light.

Blade of Dusk lowered her head and opened her ears wide.

Her master's voice became like this when he was serious.

That meant that his upcoming orders must not fail to be executed.

"After living in the darkness of this era for a long time, the clock has finally struck."

His body floated in the air for a moment, the sunlight reflecting off the young boy's body.

As the words flowed from his mouth, the body moved past the rock beneath him, reaching the clear river.

"You have been patient on the path of suffering, carrying the burdens of blood on your backs! Today, I declare…!"

Slowly and steadily, he descended onto the water, standing directly above it, his feet touching the calm water.

Instead of sinking into the stream's water, his feet settled on the water as if it were solid ground.

The calm river water rippled beneath his feet.

The young boy's body was reflected across the river.

He turned towards the rock while placing his hands behind his back.

His movements were graceful and fluid.

The master below stood on the river's water, looking up at the rock.

The maid was kneeling on one leg on the rock, looking down at her master.

With the sunlight reflecting in the background, a beautiful painting was drawn.

An image of a young boy standing looking up and a half-kneeling woman gazing submissively and respectfully at the boy.

The young boy looked at his follower while saying words he had long waited to say.

"We will be the first conquerors of the invasions at the dawn of this era! It is time for the lion to bare its fangs…!"

"… Yes," her emotionless voice had trembled slightly until now.

Her master's orders, how long had she waited to finally hear them?

Three years, for three years they all waited in the dark without seeing the light!

The tragedy that occurred and for which they did not take revenge was solely due to the master's orders!

And finally… finally, the clock has struck, revealing the end of a wait that felt like an eternity.

It is time for them to show themselves to the world after secretly gathering their forces for a long time!

It was unacceptable to show tremors of joy in front of her master, so Blade of Dusk controlled her shivers.

She could not easily suppress the flood of emotions, but she stopped herself with difficulty!

Her reaction and body movements were clear to Leon.

"That's all for now; we will meet after the class placement exams."

As he said that, his body floated through the air in a gesture of departure.

The rippling water distorted Blade of Dusk's expressions.

It was unclear, but a sad expression appeared on her face.

"Yes, my lord."

Blade of Dusk replied; this short meeting was a bit disappointing, but it didn't matter anymore.

It was not the right time for such emotions.

"Oh right, I almost forgot," before leaving, Leon remembered something.

Blade of Dusk listened attentively.

Leon smiled kindly before saying, "It's nice to see you in good health."

Blade of Dusk couldn't respond for a while.

Her master's sincere words tickled her heart.

She was silent for a moment before saying,

"Thank you for your kindness, my lord."

Behind the hood on her head, a slight smile could be seen.

She was happy to meet her master after a long separation.

"Alright, see you later."

Leon laughed before flying away.

The second test was supposed to start shortly.

He didn't want to be late.