The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 20

C-Virus.

Initially, the virus didn’t even have a proper name, but it gradually became a substantial threat to humanity.

The virus, initially observed in a few monsters, gradually began to appear, albeit rarely, in humans as well. It grew increasingly lethal, causing those infected to rampage like monsters.

However, who spread it, for what purpose, and how it was manufactured were mysteries that remained unsolved.

One of the many rampant speculations would never have been expected to unravel this way.

[Those grudges aren’t just ordinary ones.]

“Then what are they?”

[They are curses.]

Yomi shivered.

I could vaguely tell from the transmitted emotions that it wasn’t fear or terror. What was conveyed was intense anger.

[There’s only one entity with that specific purple spiritual energy.]

Yomi’s previously calm eyes glowed red with fury, and Foxfire flared from its body.

[H-Hiik…!]

As Yomi emitted intense killing intent, Baek-Ah became frightened, causing the Sain-gum to rattle. Even I, who knew Yomi well, had never seen him this enraged.

[The Moon Rabbit that pounds rice cakes. Whatever you humans call it, what was inside that long container earlier was a densely concentrated curse.]

Yomi growled low.

The earlier scene on the screen had already passed, but what was inside that cylinder were grudges. Just as I deciphered the expressions on the grudges’ faces,

Hidden Quest Clear!

– You have discovered a hidden truth about the C-Virus! : Spirit Power +1, Skill Points +50

It seemed I had taken a step closer to the truth.

* * *

[So, you want to know what a curse is?]

“Yeah. I figured the best way to learn about curses would be from a yokai.”

[What a funny guy you are.]

Inside the special training room.

Unlike the physical training hall, this facility, set up for mana training, had individual rooms where one could focus on their practice comfortably.

Yomi sat atop the weapon maintenance station, looking down at me calmly.

[A curse is exactly what it sounds like. However, it’s a technique with a particularly rotten aftertaste.]

“A rotten aftertaste?”

[Ahem.]

Yomi cleared its throat in response to my question. Sensing Yomi’s cue, I quickly pulled out the sausage I had stashed in my pocket and took a reluctant bite.

“Ugh, it’s awful. I don’t even like sausage.”

[Hmph, good.]

Yomi clicked its tongue and puffed out its chest with a serious demeanor once again. It didn’t look serious at all, but since it seemed satisfied with itself, I decided to leave it be.

[The reason a curse is considered a rotten technique is because its effects eventually come back to the caster.]

“Oh, I’ve heard that before. Something about it eventually returning to the person who cast it.”

[That’s right. But for that to happen, certain conditions must be met.]

Yomi’s tail twitched, pointing at the sausage I was holding.

[Bring that long jerky over here.]

“Why? You can’t even eat.”

[You’ll understand once you bring it.]

When I handed over the sausage, Yomi let out a mischievous laugh. Feeling uneasy, I had no choice but to comply.

[Alright. I will explain the prerequisites for activating a curse. First, you need a byproduct from the target’s body. In this case, it’s the saliva from your mouth.]

Yomi’s body began to glow a blue hue.

[Next is a medium for the curse. In this instance, it’s this long jerky. And lastly—]

The sausage became enveloped in Yomi’s blue spiritual energy. Soon, my body also started to emit a blue glow.

[You imbue the curse with a fervent wish towards the target. The greater the wish, the more exponentially the spiritual energy consumed. Therefore, unrealistic wishes like death cannot be embedded. And the resentment I’ve imbued in this instance is…]

Yomi paused and gazed at me intently. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong,

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a tickling sensation began at my ribs, spreading throughout my body.

“Pu, pffft, h-hold on. Wh-what is this, pffft!”

No matter how hard I tried to hold it in, it was impossible. The overwhelming tickling sensation made me lose my composure, rolling on the floor in laughter.

“Pff… ha?”

It didn’t take long before the tickling sensation abruptly ceased as if nothing had happened in the first place. And what awaited me after the tickling stopped was,

[Hahaha…! Hahaha…!]

Yomi’s loud laughter.

The small fluffball wiggled from side to side, snorting with laughter.

[Did… did you see… pffft, this is what we call rebound… pfft… Hahaha!]

Did I look that ridiculous when I was rolling on the floor? Curses—they are truly fearsome techniques.

[Phew.]

Soon, Yomi stopped laughing and straightened up. Though straightening up only meant curling up in a loaf posture like a cat.

[This is a curse. The curse I placed on you rebounded back onto me as well.]

“But calling it ‘rotten’ seems a bit much; it’s pretty effective.”

[That’s because you weren’t prepared for the curse at all. There are often failures, too.]

When Yomi cleared its throat again, I hurriedly finished off the remaining sausage. Once Yomi savored the taste, it spoke again.

[However, even if a curse fails, the rebound will inevitably find its way back to the caster.]

“Is there no way to prevent the rebound?”

[That is impossible. The calamity (災厄) that returns upon cursing another is one of the natural orders.]

That’s why Yomi called curses a “rotten technique.” Observing the recent demonstration, curses indeed didn’t seem all that practical.

‘You’d need something like the target’s hair or nails, and the energy consumption is high. Plus, regardless of whether you succeed or not, there’s a hefty penalty…’

It’s cumbersome and not very effective. Moreover, if anything goes wrong, I’ll be the one bearing the penalty. Cursing someone was definitely not worth the trouble.

“Wait a second.”

At that moment, a conversation I had with Yomi earlier flashed through my mind.

“If what was in that cylinder wasn’t just a simple virus but a curse, what happens to the one who spread it?”

[They would be engulfed by the rebound of the curse.]

“…Is that even possible?”

[By common sense, it’s impossible.]

According to the limitation, Yomi explained about curses, even if the target is a monster, the caster would inevitably face the backlash.

And the condensed curse we knew as the C-Virus targeted an enormous number of monsters. Meaning, the caster would not be able to withstand that rebound.

[Collecting the byproducts from that many monsters would be difficult, and the energy consumption would be astronomical. Cursing an unspecified multitude is essentially impossible.]

Yomi added,

[But you never know until you see it for yourself.]

An act beyond even the common sense of a great yokai like Yomi. To find out the details, we needed a sample.

‘That’s fine. We’ll encounter it soon enough.’

According to the scenario, we would soon face monsters infected by the C-Virus. There was no worry about getting a sample.

[However, there is one part I don’t understand. The Moon Rabbit’s spiritual energy is indeed purple, but it’s not the kind to create and spread curses.]

“What do you mean?”

[That’s the mystery. The rebound of curses is fair, even for great yokai. The Moon Rabbit is a cunning being that calculates gains and losses, so creating and spreading a curse would result in more losses than gains.]

If the Moon Rabbit isn’t the one who created the curse, then who did? And why is the Moon Rabbit spreading this curse?

Trying to uncover one mystery only seemed to lead me deeper into the labyrinth.

“Hmm…”

[Why do you look so troubled? Didn’t I say we won’t know the details until we see it for ourselves?]

“No, it’s not that.”

While I was momentarily lost in thought, Yomi blinked and asked.

“It’s a different question. Is it possible to place a curse on oneself?”

[…It’s not impossible, but who would be foolish enough to do that?]

“Of course, they wouldn’t do it intentionally, but there are cases where guilt or past trauma leads someone to curse themselves.”

Yomi rolled its eyes at my words. Eventually, Yomi seemed to understand my intention and chuckled.

[So, you’re talking about that girl? Seems like she’s quite on your mind, isn’t she?]

“I can’t deny it.”

I had been thinking a lot.

Why doesn’t Shin Seo-jun wake up? Why does Shin Seo-ha suffer so much from nightmares?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Not until I learned about curses from Yomi.

“What if a curse is preventing her Guardian Spirit’s awakening?”

[Are you talking about Yin and Yang, the Five Elements (陰陽五行)?]

In the context of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang (陰陽).

It represents the dual nature of all things, explaining the balance and interaction of two opposing forces.

As someone who has gone through many games, the concept wasn’t entirely foreign to me. Especially with the added ancient mystical knowledge of Seol Ha-baek, it felt almost familiar.

“A curse is yin energy. If that’s suppressing the Guardian Spirit’s yang energy?”

[That’s not a far-fetched idea. But unlike yin energy, yang energy isn’t so easily replenished.]

Yomi snorted.

[Humans are like that, aren’t they? A little setback, and they’re quickly consumed by despair.]

I had no intention of denying Yomi’s criticism. Instead, I saw a glimmer of possibility within its harsh words.

“Thanks, Yomi.”

[For what?]

“Because of you, I think I have an idea of what I need to do.”

It goes without saying, but the best way to prevent a disaster is to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place.

In the near future, to prevent the rampage of the C-Virus, we will need capable allies. And for that, Shin Seo-ha’s help is indispensable.

‘Plus, I’ve already said so much.’

Having sworn to end her nightmares, I couldn’t leave things as they were.

“In simple terms, if Shin Seo-ha stops hating herself, her Guardian Spirit might awaken.”

[That’s a laughable notion. That girl’s spirit was on the verge of shattering at the slightest touch. Do you think you can boost her confidence?]

Yomi’s mocking was understandable.

Shin Seo-ha’s spirit, as seen on the first day of the entrance ceremony, was on the verge of extinguishing. It was fair to say that her self-esteem was already at rock bottom.

“It’s not impossible.”

It would be difficult, but not impossible. Regardless of the difficulty, it had to be attempted.

‘But it’s impossible to do it alone.’

It may be a strange analogy, but right now, Shin Seo-ha is like a ticking time bomb.

Approaching recklessly would only result in getting hurt. In this situation, what is desperately needed is one thing,

‘Gather all the information I can.’

Unlike in the game with limited options and predetermined paths, I can go anywhere and uncover any information that exists beyond a scripted scenario.

“Let’s go. There’s someone I need to meet. At this time, they should still be around.”

[Are you going to meet that girl?]

“No.”

I pictured the person I was going to meet.

One of Rolling Hunters’ main heroines, known for her long dark-green hair and distinctive teardrop mole. She’s an inflexible girl who would likely still be in the disciplinary committee room at this hour.

“I’m going to meet Senior Seo Geum-bi, the Head of the Disciplinary Committee.”

Moreover, she could provide objective testimony about the relationship between Shin Seo-ha and Shin Seo-jun during their time at Babel Middle School.