The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 30

“Ha-baek, are you okay?”

Thanks to the mark Han Yu-seong had left behind, joining up with the support team happened faster than I thought.

“Ugh, there’s no need to cry.”

Sitting alone in the temporary shelter, Han Yoo-seong suddenly appeared and gave me a warm hug. Despite his appearance, his emotions were deep, and his face was swollen from crying.

“What did the medical team say?”

“Other than a sprained ankle and some bruises, nothing significant.”

I looked at the shattered Crystal Giant. Hunters were already collecting evidence that might explain the monster’s rampage.

“To come out with just this after fighting something that huge, I’d say I’m in pretty good shape.”

We won.

Even with the information, facing such a monster in reality made my legs tremble, no matter how prepared I was.

“This incident was quite exceptional. Apparently, it wasn’t just us; other dungeons also had monster rampages caused by the C-virus.”

“What about the injured…?”

“The support team arrived before most accidents happened. It took longer here because our cave collapsed.”

Han Yu-seong’s words made my shoulders relax.

‘I suppose it’s a relief no one died.’

The main scenario hadn’t even started yet, and my heart was already pounding.

‘If I don’t get ahead a bit more…’

If I don’t, masses of people might die. Revealing this without a solid lead would get me branded a lunatic, so it’s ultimately up to me.

“Han Yu-seong, student.”

“Ah, I guess it’s my turn.”

Han Yu-seong waved his hand in response to the call from the medical team.

“Then, see you in the training room.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

With a wry smile, Han Yu-seong left his seat. I thought I could finally rest, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Hey.”

I recognized the voice just by hearing it.

Shin Seo-ha, her red hair fluttering, plopped down next to me. On the tip of her outstretched index finger hung a familiar object.

“This protector, you put it on me, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You idiot.”

Squeeze!

Shin Seo-ha suddenly grabbed my collar. I could feel her sharp anger in her gaze.

“What were you thinking? What if you got hurt?”

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

“This isn’t the time for that kind of talk! Why aren’t you taking better care of yourself-”

“Because you’re more important to me.”

“…!”

At that moment, Shin Seo-ha’s grip on my collar loosened.

“You, what are you even saying…”

As Shin Seo-ha’s face turned red, her spiritual energy flared up intensely.

‘What’s going on? Did I say something wrong?’

Shin Seo-ha is a main character who will play a crucial role in the upcoming scenarios.

If I let Shin Seo-ha die, it would lead to catastrophic consequences. And even without considering that, I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die in front of me.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Huh? Ahem! It’s fine. Just don’t do that again in the future.”

Shin Seo-ha fumbled her words.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed like her anger had subsided a bit, so that was a relief.

“By the way, are you hurt anywhere? You were buried under debris; shouldn’t you get a thorough check-up?”

“Right.”

Shin Seo-ha looked herself over.

“I thought I might have broken a few ribs, but surprisingly, I’m completely fine. I feel unusually energized.”

Shin Seo-ha tilted her head as if recalling something.

“But I don’t remember anything from after the fall until I woke up. I think I was conscious the whole time, though.”

I’ve heard of something similar.

When someone is seriously injured in an accident, the body can create a semi-conscious state, almost like hibernation, to protect itself. Maybe that’s what happened to Shin Seo-ha.

“I’m… sorry…”

Although it probably wasn’t a pleasant memory, Shin Seo-ha furrowed her brow as if trying to remember.

“I don’t know, but I feel like I had a good dream.”

“A good dream?”

I feigned ignorance.

“…Maybe it didn’t matter what my brother’s last words were.”

Shin Seo-ha mumbled to herself.

I interpreted the dream catcher as a “symbol” and used the Sain-gum as such. Maybe humans are similar in this way. Shin Seo-ha might not have found her sibling’s last words to be particularly significant.

“Oh, and…”

Shin Seo-ha lowered her gaze and spoke softly.

“I think you might have appeared in that dream…”

“I can’t hear you; your voice is too low.”

“Damn!”

“Whoa, you scared me.”

Shin Seo-ha suddenly stood up. Although I couldn’t hear what she said, a blush had spread across her cheeks for some reason.

“I’m leaving.”

With a curt farewell, Shin Seo-ha rose from her seat.

“You were lucky.”

Just before she left the temporary shelter, I offered my own farewell.

“What do you mean?”

“Even after all that happened, you’re fine. Maybe you’ve got a guardian angel on your shoulder?”

Shin Seo-ha chuckled at my question, but her face still held a trace of sadness.

“No way.”

I gave her a warm smile.

“You never know.”

Just as Shin Seo-jun smiled at the both of us.

* * *

That night, in the Crystal Cave.

Only two people remained, both in a deep, almost enchanted sleep.

Click, clack, click, clack

The sound of heels, out of place in the cave, echoed through the space. Lantern light reflected off the cave walls, casting the shadow of an outsider.

Dressed in a suit with polished shoes, the figure, wearing an outdated fedora, picked up a shard of crystal that had fallen to the floor.

“It was quite a piece of work.”

The fingers holding the crystal weren’t human. Between the white, fluffy fur, a purple spiritual energy subtly seeped out.

The outsider took out a notebook from his coat and quickly jotted something down with a fountain pen.

“The duration of the curse, its intensity, and the cohesion of the distorted grudges have all improved. This should be a satisfactory result for the ‘client’. Next, I’ll have to increase the concentration of the distorted grudges.”

Putting the notebook away, the outsider looked around.

“But…”

His distinctive red eyes reflected something like a blue mist.

“That stupid fox woke up, huh.”

The outsider walked slowly through the hollow, occasionally swiping the ground with his index finger before taking out the notebook to jot something down again.

“One guardian spirit, one lowly vengeful spirit, and…”

He grinned, revealing his protruding front teeth.

“A shaman from the Seol clan.”

* * *

The day after the mock subjugation.

In her room, a girl lay on her bed, staring blankly out the window.

“Because you’re more important.”

Something came to mind, causing the girl—Shin Seo-ha—to bury her face in her elbow and stomp her feet.

“Aah! I’m gonna kill him! I’m gonna kill that guy!”

After a moment of struggling, Shin Seo-ha lifted her head. Her face was as red as her hair.

‘So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!’

Just thinking about his haggard face made her irritation boil.

No matter how harshly she pushed him away, he came back as if nothing had happened. Even if she tried to push him away with force, he wasn’t scared. Shin Seo-ha found Seol Ha-baek’s persistence extremely frustrating.

‘But what is this feeling?’

Shin Seo-ha clenched her fists in front of her chest.

The irritation remained, but among it, a new, unfamiliar emotion emerged. However, she couldn’t define what it was, leaving only frustration growing within her.

“This is so annoying!”

Shin Seo-ha hid her face in her arms again.

There was no way she could say it.

That it felt like she saw him in her dream…

She could never admit that even if her lips were sealed shut.

“I heard he’s still in the infirmary…”

As she continued staring blankly outside, Shin Seo-ha slowly got up. She walked out onto the terrace, brushing her hair back in the breeze blowing in from outside.

“Seo-jun.”

Shin Seo-ha’s lips trembled.

No more nightmares.

No longer does she torture herself, worrying that her brother might be cursing her and tarnishing his honor.

“Is it okay for me to let go a little?”

A breeze blew against her.

[Of course, Noona.]

For some reason, the wind felt like it was caressing her hair.

* * *

Among all the Hunter Academies, Babel boasted the most advanced facilities. Even the infirmary was no exception.

“Hm…”

It was more like a hospital ward than a typical infirmary. I was browsing through the list of completed quests.

Main Quest No.4 Clear!

– Survived the Mock Subjugation!: Skill Points + 50

– Defeated the Cursed Crystal Giant!: Spiritual Power + 2

– Obtained the Trace of the Curse!

I examined the purple orb resting in my palm.

Though I failed to conjure the distorted grudges, I received this as a reward for completing the quest. It wasn’t surprising, as the game often gave items as rewards.

[Trace of the Curse]

– A curse crystal whose origin is unclear, containing a large amount of distorted grudges.

– Two distinct spiritual energies can be felt.

– Those infected by the curse are ultimately swallowed by impurity. (不淨).

Countless distorted grudges swirled inside the orb. The grudges, screaming and wailing, seemed tormented being confined in such a small space.

‘With my current power…’

Even though I wanted to set them free, it was impossible to even scratch the orb with my present strength.

[That curse is woven with high-level magic. Neither your current power nor mine can even dare to touch it. Trying to break it might bring misfortune.]

This was Yomi’s interpretation of the orb. Fortunately, just carrying it didn’t seem to bring harm, so I planned to keep it until I figured out its use.

One of the distinct spiritual energies in the orb, mentioned in the item description, belonged to the Moon Rabbit That Pounds Rice Cakes. Perhaps this orb could help identify the caster of the curse.

“Well then…”

Having received the rewards, it was time to put them to use.

[Skill Points]

– Skill Points: 270

– Spirit Conjuration (B+): 30/300

* Yomi (B)

* Baek-ah (C)

– Spirit Sight (B): 0/300

The remaining points were just right.

Without hesitation, I poured all my skill points into ‘Spirit Conjuration (B+)’.

Ding-!

As the skill level increased, a cheerful sound effect played, and the skill information was instantly updated.

Spirit Conjuration (A)

– The abilities of the restricted spirits have been partially unlocked.

– Consumption of spiritual energy allows the temporary manifestation of a spirit.

Manifestation?

Does that mean I can materialize them?

I glanced down at Yomi, who was sleeping beside my pillow.

‘How will this turn out?’

Watching Yomi with growing anticipation—

Flash!

A bright light erupted from Yomi’s curled-up form. The small, fluffy figure began to grow larger and take on a more elongated shape.

[Yawn.]

Yomi woke up and stretched her mouth wide open.

Originally the size of a fist, Yomi had grown significantly. Its snout was elongated, and its body length now matched my forearm.

“Yomi, your body…!”

[Hm? What’s all the fuss about this time-.]

Yomi glanced down at its own body and opened its eyes wide, like full moons.

[Waaaah, what’s this! My body has returned!]

Even its speech pattern changed, indicating how shocked it was to the point of almost losing its character.