The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 13

A tiring day.

It had been ages since a day felt so long. From morning till now, I had been constantly using my stamina and spiritual energy, leaving me without even the strength to lift a finger.

“No more…”

I collapsed onto my bed. Despite its hard mattress, at this moment, it felt like the bed of a five-star hotel.

Circle Quest Clear!

– You solved one of the Four Great Unsolved Mysteries! : Skill Points + 50

– You confirmed Jin So-yul’s hidden abilities! : Spiritual Power + 1

– You successfully conjured the restroom ghost! : Skill Points + 50

Just as my body hit the bed, a quest window appeared.

A total of 100 skill points and 1 point in spiritual power. Considering I barely escaped a life-threatening situation, the rewards were quite substantial.

‘By the way…’

Through my slowly closing eyelids, I glanced at the two yokai at my bedside.

[You’re so cute! Can I pet you?]

[How foolish! Are you looking to get burned again by the great yokai?]

Whoosh.

Blue Foxfires appeared above my head. Like having bright fluorescent lights turned on, there was no way I could sleep.

[I-I’m sorry.]

[As long as you know your place. From now on, address me as Lord Yomi!]

To think Yomi once hated being called by its name. Anyway, while I was getting used to Yomi’s chatter, having Baek-Ah whispering in my ear as well was too much to bear.

On top of that, there was the issue of distributing the newly acquired skill points. It was crucial to avoid distributing them carelessly since there were still several important events ahead.

Main Quest No.2

Q. Weapon Selection

※ New skills will be unlocked depending on the weapon you choose.

A newly updated third quest.

Tomorrow marks the first day of official classes, and the weapon selection, often considered the highlight of the academy genre, awaits.

The skills you can fundamentally handle change based on the weapon chosen, making this one of the key events in the early game.

‘What weapon did Seol Ha-baek use?’

Since I had never been in combat with Seol Ha-baek, I had no way of knowing. From here, it was uncharted territory.

What type of weapon would suit someone weak and clumsy like me?

‘Should I go with firearms, the classic choice for academy genres?’

I chuckled, recalling the content of a novel I read once.

‘…What should I pick?’

While contemplating which weapon to pick, my eyes slowly closed. For the first time, I felt like I could understand the protagonist of that novel, the one who had to wield firearms among superhumans.

* * *

The next morning at the Disciplinary Committee.

Unfortunate expectations never fail to come true.

“So, just as you were about to sleep, you heard a humming noise from the second-year building.”

“Yes.”

“It was so loud that you went to check it out, only to find the drain pipe had suddenly burst.”

“Yes.”

“And because of the noise from the bursting pipe, the hallway windows shattered?”

“Precisely.”

“Phew.”

The cold air in the Disciplinary Committee room seemed even more stifling. Sitting across from me, Seo Geum-bi rubbed her forehead.

“Do you believe your current statement is credible?”

“Well, it’s not impossible.”

Seo Geum-bi ran her hand through her dark green hair, perhaps struck by realization.

[S-Sorry. I was just so moved yesterday…]

Hovering diagonally, Baek-Ah awkwardly scratched her cheek.

Suppressing the urge to say something, I forced myself to maintain eye contact with Seo Geum-bi. Just then, she was skimming through the report detailing the events.

“Judging by the broken glass fragments, it doesn’t look like they were smashed intentionally. The drain pipe was confirmed to be corroded…”

“Can you tell such things?”

“There are so many students causing trouble.”

Seo Geum-bi set down the report and stared intently into my eyes.

“This time, you were lucky. Maybe, just maybe, there won’t be any more students hearing that crying sound. However, if something similar happens again, it won’t end as easily as today.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

I nonchalantly scratched the back of my neck. Seo Geum-bi, realizing further conversation would be futile, nodded slightly.

“Well, since you weren’t hurt, I suppose that’s fortunate. You may go.”

“Until next time, then.”

“Hopefully, there won’t be a next time in the Disciplinary Committee room.”

With a slight bow, I made my way out of the room.

‘Saved.’

The timing was perfect.

Right after the welcome party, incidents tend to spike, making the Disciplinary Committee focus on bigger issues.

‘Given the circumstances, it was more of an accident.’

Insufficient evidence.

Though the situation was suspicious, I was released without charges. I savored the brief moment of freedom, only to find an unexpected person waiting for me outside the Disciplinary Committee.

“Ha-baek!”

“Senior?”

Waiting for me was none other than Jin So-yul. As soon as I stepped out, Jin So-yul approached me with teary eyes.

“Sniff, you’re finally released. Here’s some tofu.”

“…How did you even get this when it’s not sold at the snack bar?”

Thinking about Jin So-yul standing in front of the Disciplinary Committee room holding tofu made me chuckle a bit.

[Eek!]

At the sight of Jin So-yul, Baek-Ah shrank back. The punch she received yesterday must have really traumatized her.

“What brings you to the Disciplinary Committee room?”

“I, Jin So-yul, am a person who values loyalty. Naturally, I came because I was worried about my junior.”

Jin So-yul puffed out her chest proudly. She probably felt guilty about what happened in the restroom yesterday.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought.”

She didn’t need to feel guilty, as it was my actions that had dragged her into the situation. Sending her away last night wasn’t a selfless act but a calculated decision to conjure Baek-Ah.

Of course, it wasn’t me but Jin So-yul who had ripped off the restroom door.

“No, I won’t feel right just letting you go like this.”

Jin So-yul casually slung her arm over my shoulder. It was surprising how easily she talked to someone she’d known for just a day.

“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? Let’s go to the cafeteria! This senior is treating!”

For Jin So-yul, a pretty ordinary choice. I glanced at the clock on the wall.

‘There’s still quite a bit of time before classes start.’

One of the golden rules of a gamer: check out all possible events. With time left before class, there was no reason to refuse her offer.

“Then, I’ll happily accept your offer.”

At my agreeing to go along, Jin So-yul’s eyes sparkled.

“Awesome!”

* * *

It would be doing the Babel cafeteria a disservice to call it just a school cafeteria. It was massive, capable of accommodating nearly a thousand people, with no set menu, allowing everyone to choose what they wanted.

There were over thirty food stations, offering more than a hundred different types of dishes. More importantly, any food station with consistently low ratings had their contract with Babel terminated, ensuring the quality of the food was top-notch.

Among the multitude of food options, Jin So-yul chose…

“Fried frog legs?”

“Oh, you should try it. It’s really good. Want a bite?”

“I’ll pass.”

Watching Jin So-yul chomp down on frog legs, I picked up my fork. On my plate was a perfectly seared steak, neatly sliced. As I placed the largest piece into my mouth and bit down—

[What is this? This flavor!]

[Sniff, to think I can taste such food. I’m glad I haven’t ascended yet…]

They say a conjurer and their conjured spirits share some senses. Before I even chewed, Yomi and Baek-Ah were bursting with praise.

[How can this meat be so tender? I can’t believe it!]

[Not just tender, but the way the juices burst in the mouth, it’s like a waterfall flowing!]

[You seem to know quite a bit about meat, youngster.]

[Thank you, Lord Yomi!]

Leaving the two yokai to their steak commentary, I turned to Jin So-yul.

“Thank you, senior. This is really delicious. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

“Hehe, thanks to you, I didn’t get scolded by Senior Geum-bi.”

Come to think of it, Seo Geum-bi was chasing Jin So-yul at the welcome party yesterday. Judging by her words, it seemed that—

It seemed she had managed to escape safely.

“By the way, what do you think all that was about yesterday?”

Jin So-yul tilted her head, seemingly still unable to let go of her curiosity about the restroom ghost story.

“They said it was a drain pipe issue.”

“Really?”

Unconvinced by the answer, Jin So-yul put her frog leg back on the plate.

“No matter how I think about it, it sounded like someone was crying.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m not really sure, it’s just a feeling. Something feels off.”

Jin So-yul scratched her cheek.

Whether it was an unconscious display of her spiritual abilities or just plain curiosity, I couldn’t tell.

Having witnessed her knock out Baek-Ah with a punch, I was certain of Jin So-yul’s spiritual abilities. The real question was how well she was aware of them and how effectively she could use them.

‘We need to maximize our strength.’

In a foretold apocalypse, surviving an unbeatable game alone was impossible.

To succeed, I needed to enhance the abilities of as many characters as possible. The reason I wanted to end Shin Seo-ha’s nightmare was similar.

“Anyway, it’s a pity. I really thought there’d be a ghost this time.”

Jin So-yul ground her teeth in frustration. Watching her, a personal curiosity struck me.

“Why are you so obsessed with ghosts… with occult elements? Not just because it’s fun, but is there a more fundamental reason?”

“Hmm…”

Jin So-yul’s gaze drifted somewhere far away. For a brief moment, the smile vanished from her face.

“There’s someone I want to meet.”

“Someone you want to meet? How is that related to the occult?”

At my question, Jin So-yul smiled brightly.

“Hehe, I want to meet the ghosts of Abraham Lincoln and John Lennon.”

“Another ridiculous reason…”

There wasn’t much information available about Jin So-yul, since she wasn’t a main heroine like Shin Seo-ha. But now that I confirmed her spiritual abilities, I could slowly learn more about her.

“Anyway, how about joining our Occult Club, Ha-baek?”

Bang!

Jin So-yul slammed the table in excitement, drawing the attention of surrounding students. She continued speaking as if she didn’t care about the stares.

“If you join our Occult Club, oh my! Baldness will be cured, and you’ll guess all the multiple-choice answers on the next midterm correctly!”

“Well, there’s that, but isn’t Senior Jin So-yul the only member—”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Jin So-yul plopped back into her seat, nervously tearing off another piece of frog leg.

‘She’s truly in a different dimension.’

I paused my eating and looked at Jin So-yul.

If the person I was talking to now were Shin Seo-ha, I wouldn’t be having such a relaxed conversation.

“Is there something on my face?”

Sensing my gaze, Jin So-yul asked.

Though I couldn’t explain it, I instinctively knew it was time to make a decision.

“Senior.”

“Yeah?”

I set my fork down and met Jin So-yul’s eyes. Once I made a decision, there was no turning back.

“I’ll join the Occult Club starting today.”

I realized the school’s Four Great Unsolved Mysteries were valid quests. Moreover, I saw potential in Jin So-yul, who hadn’t received much attention in the original storyline.

To catch both opportunities presented before me, this was the most efficient choice.

“Really?”

Gone was her earlier bravado, replaced by cautious hope.

Of course, my answer remained unchanged.

“I look forward to working with you, senior.”

The moment I made my decision—

[You have joined the Occult Club. Linked quests have been unlocked.]

Briefly glancing at the message on the status window, I heard a shout.

“Thank you, Ha-baek! Really, thank you!”

“Ugh!”

Jin So-yul leaped over the table and clung to me. As her arms wrapped around me, I felt a crushing pressure on my spine.

“People are watching, senior!”

“You’re the best, Ha-baek!”

“If you squeeze any harder—”

Crack

“Gahhh!”

After that, I had to half-crawl my way to the armory where the first class was to be held.