The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 3

As the light dimmed, the cave quickly returned to its original darkness.

At the same time, the Crippled Fox, which had been crouching around the shrine, was no longer visible.

‘Did it work?’

I had understood the spell based on my memory and formed the seal instinctively. I couldn’t be sure if I had won this risky gamble.

As I looked around, a window suddenly appeared.

[Spirit Information]

– Spirit: Yomi

– Rank: B

– Due to long-term sealing, it has lost most of its original power.

Spirit information? Lost most of its power?

What is this nonsense?

[Ahem.]

A coughing sound.

As I was reading the inexplicable words in the window, I felt a soft touch on the back of my neck.

[Puhuhu, with this, the contract is established! I am finally free!]

The voice of the yokai whispered right by my right ear.

I quickly turned to look over my right shoulder, and there was—a.

[Why are you staring so intently?]

A fist-sized ball of fur, barely maintaining the shape of a beast, was squirming there.

What is this adorable creature?

In context, it should be the Crippled Fox, but the disparity from the imposing figure I had seen atop the shrine was staggering.

“Why do you look like that?”

Unlike my flustered self, the fox seemed calm as if it had expected to end up in this form.

[Do you have any complaints about my appearance?]

“It’s just surprising that you’ve become so small all of a sudden.”

[It can’t be helped. I’ve lost most of my yokai energy due to being sealed for so long. Unless you’re some big shot who can replenish my energy.]

The fox chuckled, its soft fur tickling the back of my neck.

‘Lost most of its yokai energy?’

Considering the system window stated it had lost its power, it’s hard to assume the fox is lying.

However, that introduces a difficult question.

‘Then what happened in the main storyline that allowed it to wreak havoc on Seoul?’

When the Crippled Fox attacked Seoul, it was far from being this weakened.

If it lost most of its power due to the seal, what on earth happened in the one-year interval to regain enough strength to devastate Seoul?

What exactly transpired in that year to allow the fox to break free from the seal and cause such destruction?

[Puhuhu, you don’t look so well. Are you feeling afraid of my presence?]

The arrogant little fluffball.

Understandably, it would be elated to regain its freedom after so long.

As a dog lover, this was an unbearable temptation. Without realizing it, I reached out my hand towards the wriggling fluffball on my shoulder.

“Your fluffiness is soothing.”

[Ugh, you impudent—what are you doing!]

As I petted its head, the fox shook its head vigorously. It tried its best to dodge, but with such a short neck, it couldn’t escape.

[Get your hand off me!]

“Now that the contract is signed, what’s the matter? Not petting soft fluffballs like you, Yomi, when they’re right next to me is almost like committing a sin.”

[What! How do you know that name—]

Yomi.

This was revealed in the monster guide information after defeating the Crippled Fox ten times across multiple playthroughs. It’s hard to forget the name of the creature that wreaked havoc on Seoul, especially when it’s this adorable.

“I have my ways of knowing.”

[Stop calling me that!]

“Well, I’ll think about it.”

[You insolent…!]

While the fox—Yomi—was trembling with anger, a larger window than before appeared before my eyes.

Tutorial Clear!

– Acquired 30 Skill Points

A familiar term popped up. Touching the word with my finger, a new window appeared just like before.

[Skill Points]

※ You can use the acquired skill points to enhance your skills or conjure spirits.

– Skill Points: 30

– Spirit Conjuration (B): 0/300

* Yomi (B)

– Spirit Sight (C): 0/50

Skill Points. The structure of earning points through certain events or quests and then using them to level up skills was the same as in RollHun.

‘What should I invest in?’

Since I couldn’t expect to increase the rank of any skill with the current points, it would be advantageous to invest in a skill where I could notice changes most directly.

I decided to try investing all my acquired skill points into Spirit Conjuration.

– Spirit Conjuration (B): 30/300

At that moment, Yomi, who was perched on my shoulder, flinched.

[What did you just do?]

“Why?”

[I suddenly feel like I’ve regained a bit of my yokai energy.]

Yomi glanced around its body, almost like it was undergoing a short shedding process.

Judging by its reaction, it seemed that even if the skill level didn’t increase to the next rank, accumulating points made it stronger.

‘Maybe I should raise Spirit Sight next.’

Just as I was roughly planning out the next steps, Yomi wriggled.

[So, what’s the plan now? Why not head straight to the Rabbit’s den?]

“If you don’t want us to get annihilated immediately, let’s hold off on that.”

The opponent was an S-rank monster. With the current stats of Seol Ha-baek and Yomi, they didn’t stand a chance.

“If you truly want revenge, you’ll need to get stronger first.”

That’s why I roughly estimated three years. Of course, this was primarily to keep the promise made to Yomi.

Moreover, to fend off the massive monster invasion in the upcoming Great Seoul Raid, we needed to build our strength now.

“To do that, first—”

Main Quest No.1

Q: Enroll in the Babel Hunter Academy

– Reward: 50 Skill Points

As the quest window appeared at just the right moment, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

[What’s so funny? You suddenly laugh while talking.]

“Something just occurred to me.”

Enrolling in Babel was a set course of action. In RollHun, the quickest way to get stronger was enrolling in Babel.

However, there was a hurdle to overcome first.

“Time to persuade Father.”

If you win a bet, it’s only right to collect your winnings.

* * *

“Hmph.”

A man in a modernized hanbok with a long goatee sat cross-legged and let out a snort of laughter.

“Father.”

“Hmph.”

Seol Baek-san, Seol Ha-baek’s father, kept snorting with laughter.

It was no surprise he reacted that way. After instructing his son to reinforce the seal alone, Seol Ha-baek ended up breaking the seal and even forming a contract with the yokai.

[Seol Ha-baek, is that all your father can do, just laugh like that?]

“No, it’s not like that.”

Luckily, it seemed Yomi was visible to Seol Baek-san as well.

Initially, Seol Baek-san might have thought of Yomi as a little fox cub picked up from the cave due to its weakened energy, but his expression changed when he realized the Crippled Fox that had been enshrined at the shrine had disappeared.

“Normally, the right choice would be to expel you.”

After a long silence filled with contemplation, Seol Baek-san sighed deeply.

“But that’s not what your mother would have wanted.”

Seol Ha-baek’s mother had passed away not long after giving birth to him when he was young.

Furthermore, Seol Baek-san was not the type of person to be rigidly dogmatic. The fact that Seol Ha-baek was attending Babel in the main storyline means that Seol Baek-san must have permitted it at some point.

Although the duty to the family was often mentioned in Seol Ha-baek’s memories, Seol Baek-san was not someone tied down by formality. Though usually gentle, he became stern only when talking about Seol Ha-baek’s future.

‘He’s probably worried about Seol Ha-baek leaving home, knowing his personality.’

As depicted in RollHun, Seol Ha-baek’s character is dark and gloomy due to his lack of self-confidence.

He often stuttered because of his inherent lack of self-assuredness and even with his tall stature, he was always hunched over.

Initially, he had no interaction with Han Yu-seong, who was in a different class, until Han Yu-seong happened to save Seol Ha-baek from bullies in an episode. This event led to their paths crossing.

In the end, Seol Baek-san’s worries were somewhat justified.

“But even if the fox is weakened, it’s impossible to forcibly break the contract now that it’s sealed. Besides, I wonder if you’re already under its influence.”

“That’s not the case. I made an equal contract with this guy.”

Seol Baek-san narrowed his eyes and examined me closely.

“But ever since you came back from the cave, the way you speak is not like my son at all. Your spirit seems sharper?”

Oops.

Maybe I should have acted more like Seol Ha-baek. No, that’s not right. Even in front of his parents, I can’t keep up Seol Ha-baek’s meek and gloomy act forever.

“If my spirit is sharper, isn’t that a good thing? Think of it like this: maybe the energy that was blocked up until now has suddenly cleared. Isn’t that possible?”

“Hmm, perhaps it’s the aftermath of making a contract with a great yokai.”

[Puhuhu, the mere presence of this great being is a cure-all.]

The fluffball burst into laughter.

Seol Baek-san seemed somewhat convinced. It was indeed a good sign that his previously hunched son’s spirit had become somewhat stronger.

Moreover, it seemed Seol Baek-san, like Seol Ha-baek, possessed Spirit Sight to some extent, allowing him to perceive the flow of spirits.

If he truly believed I was under the fox’s influence, he would have taken stronger measures by now.

“Even so, what am I to do with this… I can’t face our ancestors after failing this duty.”

Seol Baek-san seemed pained by the fact that the old family duty had been broken. But the premise itself was wrong. Guarding the seal was only a superficial goal; the original duty was much simpler.

“Our duty was to keep an eye on this guy so it wouldn’t cause any more trouble. The seal was just a means to that end.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Seol Baek-san asked, puzzled.

“The solution is simple.”

In fact, there was a simpler solution than using cumbersome seals.

I looked Seol Baek-san straight in the eye. I could no longer show the gloomy and timid side of his son.

“I need to become strong enough to control this guy.”

“You can’t expect to become that strong in just three years!”

Got him.

“That’s why I want to enroll in Babel, Father. Even if I fulfill the contract, I need to be strong enough to seal this guy again.”

Enrolling in Babel.

It was the condition of the bet set by Seol Baek-san and the monster den that would serve as the main stage of RollHun henceforth.

Harsh as it may be, there’s no better place to grow stronger.

[Hmph, so arrogant. A mere kid who still reeks of youth wants to imprison a great yokai like me again.]

“This guy may talk big, but he’s more docile than he looks.”

[Ugh, I told you not to pet me!]

Yomi wriggled, trying to shake off my hand.

After a long period of contemplation, Seol Baek-san finally relented.

“…Fine, I understand. They say no parent can win over their child. Go ahead, visit that Babel or Dumbbell place. But come see me from time to time so I can check on your condition.”

I pounded my chest with my fist proudly.

“I will not disappoint you.”

It would actually be harder to disappoint him.

After all, I know exactly what will happen for the next three years.

[Pfft, how dull.]

Yomi snorted as if expecting a dramatic father-son clash.

Despite its words, the fact that Yomi quietly endured my occasional jabs showed it didn’t have a bad intention.

Anyway, this set the stage for my school life with the fox yokai.

I gently patted Yomi on the crown with my index finger.

“Yomi, I’ll be counting on you.”

The fox’s response wasn’t all that displeased.

[Ah, I said stop that!]

—
Hanbok – traditional Korean clothing