The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 5

Thud, thud!

A few steps away in an alley, the sound of someone getting beaten echoed out beyond the alley.

“Die, you insect-like bastards!”

“Ugh!”

A male student, who had been punched in the solar plexus, clutched his stomach and collapsed.

Sprawled on the ground were freshmen who had just moved up from middle school. Cigarette butts littered the ground, still smoldering.

“I said if I catch you messing around in my area again, I’ll kill you, didn’t I?”

A girl with sharp eyes wagged her finger. Smoke from the cigarette butts gathered and dissipated at her fingertip.

Hidden in the opposite alley, I held my breath and watched as the delinquents were systematically dismantled.

‘She’s really brutal, unlike her appearance.’

Shin Seo-ha.

In the same class as Han Yu-seong, she moved up from Babel Middle School to the high school division as an elite.

She’s the first main heroine introduced in the story, the daughter of a prominent hunter family, and exceptionally talented.

With a tall stature that rivaled Seol Ha-baek’s, sharp eyes, flowing red hair to her waist, and a curvy figure, she captured the hearts of many male players.

Despite her sculpted looks, her fists were rough, and her speech was always coarse.

“Don’t just lie there—get up this instant, or I’ll tear you apart.”

This was Shin Seo-ha, Babel’s fierce fighter. She would charge headfirst at anyone who crossed her.

Fortunately, Shin Seo-ha’s targets were mainly delinquents. She had a reputation for being a righteous enforcer at Babel.

‘Something feels off.’

I glanced at Shin Seo-ha’s arms. Swinging them around, they still looked intact.

It was odd.

After the tutorial, when Han Yu-seong joins the class, he meets Shin Seo-ha for the first time. During that encounter, Shin Seo-ha’s right arm was definitely broken and in a cast.

So, by the time she had taken down the delinquents, her right arm should have been broken according to the setup…

“We just enrolled today. How were we supposed to know this was your turf…”

“Looks like you haven’t been beaten enough?”

Just as Shin Seo-ha raised her foot to fold the fallen male student’s waist,

“Shin Seo-ha, you bitch!”

A group of students suddenly rushed into the alley.

Their uniforms were tight, and some already had cigarettes hanging from their lips.

At the center of the gang, a burly figure wearing a gold necklace glared fiercely at Shin Seo-ha.

“Shin Seo-ha, this ends today. I’m going to fuck you up so bad you’ll never defy us again.”

“You really gather like insects.”

Shin Seo-ha glanced sideways to the back.

One of the fallen students was holding a smartphone, suggesting he contacted the gang right before passing out.

“How are you guys still the same since middle school? Do you enjoy getting beaten up by me that much?”

“You crazy bitch. It might be different today. I brought some new friends.”

The burly guy smirked confidently.

Since the entrance ceremony had just been held, it was clear that newly awakened individuals, unknown to Shin Seo-ha, were mixed in the gang.

“This school really has too many pests.”

Of course, Shin Seo-ha didn’t care about any of that.

Snap-!

When Shin Seo-ha snapped her fingers, flames erupted up to her forearm.

‘She’s really something.’

Some gather to smoke right after the entrance ceremony and those who plan to deal with them solo. Both are impressive in their own right.

Anyway, I’m certain now. In this fight, Shin Seo-ha’s arm will be completely broken.
Due to that broken arm, she will be toyed around by the delinquents she made enemies with in the story.

It’s now my turn to make a decision.

‘Should I let Shin Seo-ha’s arm break as planned or intervene and prevent it?’

Should I let the storyline follow its original course, or should I intervene and change the flow?

Just like the choices in RollHun, the decisions I made now would undoubtedly have a significant impact on future events.

“Get her!”

At the shout of the burly leader, the gang of delinquents charged in from the alley entrance.

‘What should I do?’

I had to make a decision.

While I was weighing my options, the brawl continued in the alley.

[Why are you hiding like a rat, peeking around like that?]

“I’m in the middle of making a life-changing decision, so hang on.”

Shin Seo-ha energetically knocked down the delinquents. Still, slowly but surely, she was losing the battle of strength.

“Overpower her with numbers!”

“Damn pests!”

Bang!

Right when Shin Seo-ha sent one of the delinquents flying to the alley entrance…

‘Behind you!’

From the rear, diagonal direction, the wall of the alley shimmered as the burly leader, who had been calling the shots, emerged stealthily.

He intended to ambush her while she was distracted by the enemies in front.

‘Following the original storyline wouldn’t lead to a clear outcome anyway.’

Just mimicking the original RollHun storyline wouldn’t provide a solution. To prevent the predetermined destruction, a change was necessary.

Moreover, the choice itself seemed too cruel. Watching a girl get her arm broken while knowing it would happen?

I might not be Han Yu-seong, but I’m not a psycho like Cheon Tae-seong either.

“Yomi, it’s time to get to work.”

[Puhuhu, finally, time to showcase the power of a great yokai.]

As I said earlier, I wasn’t just sitting around twiddling my thumbs until the entrance ceremony.

I formed the seal.

Unlike the procedure for contracting a yokai, borrowing the power of a contracted yokai requires only a simple seal made by raising the index and middle fingers.

Whoosh.

Yomi’s eyes glowed blue, and a cluster of flames ignited in the air.

The blue flickering flames resembled those found in a graveyard.

“Got you!”

“…!”

Just as the burly leader, who had completely sneaked up on Shin Seo-ha, clasped his fists and aimed to strike her right arm with all his might…

Whoosh!

A blue flame shot through the air.

It was like a firefly on a summer night.

“Aaaargh!”

The blue flames engulfed the burly leader. He collapsed with a thud right where he stood.

“What’s with all the fancy posturing if you’re just going to gang up on someone?”

“What, what’s going on?!

I looked around at the thugs from the entrance of the alley. Confused by the sudden turn of events, those still conscious were looking around frantically.

“What do you mean, what’s going on?”

The player has entered the scene.

You punks.

***

“G-Ghost fire?”

One of the thugs shouted as he looked at the flames floating around me.

But that was only a fifty-point answer.

『Spirit Conjuration – Yomi: Foxfire』

One of Yomi’s abilities is the power to summon Foxfire.

“Are you with that bitch?!”

“Damn, is he also a Fire Awakener?”

“Take him out before he does anything!”

The thugs charged in one after another.

Awakeners, who have mana coursing through their bodies, possess physical capabilities far superior to average people.

So, even at their slowest, the speed of the charging thugs was at the level of track athletes.

[They’re coming.]

If Han Yu-seong was the one standing here, it might have been troublesome. After over ten years confined to my room playing games, there was no way I could move like in a game.

But this time is different.

As Seol Ha-baek, with Yomi at my side, even my lousy athletic abilities would suffice.

“You bastard!”

One delinquent vanished like a flicker. He reappeared above my head.

‘Blocking would be too slow.’

An attack right after blinking that leaves no time for a counterattack. Even if I raised my guard, taking that punch would send me straight to the hospital.

That is if the one reacting to that attack was me.

Whoosh!

“Aaargh!”

Before his fist could strike, the Foxfire engulfed the delinquent’s body faster, catching him mid-air.

Simultaneously, the nearest delinquents creeping closer got swallowed by the Foxfire as well.

“This is a homing missile, idiot.”

No precise aim or instant reactions were needed. The Foxfire summoned by Yomi continuously follows the spirit it recognizes as its enemy.

“Ugh…”

The fallen delinquent groaned.

Although his body and clothes were only slightly scorched, his ‘spirit-mind’ must have taken a significant hit.

[Did you see that? This is the power of a great yokai!]

The fluffball wriggled proudly.

I wanted to argue, but it seems the title of a former great yokai wasn’t just for show.

“You didn’t kill them, right?”

[Don’t worry. I just knocked them out lightly.]

As we bantered, only three figures remained in the alley.

“Aaaah!”

One of the panicked thugs recklessly charged at me.

‘It looks like three minutes is my limit for now.’

Though the ability was overwhelmingly powerful, it consumed too much spiritual energy. It felt like my mental and physical strength was being drained simultaneously.

If I forced out more Foxfire, I’d be the next one to faint.

Anyway, the approaching thug was the last one. Once I dealt with him, the alley would be clear…

Thwack!

Shin Seo-ha suddenly delivered a punch to the thug’s face. The impact sent him crashing into the wall.

“Damn.”

The punch was strong enough to crack the wall. The thug lost consciousness immediately upon impact.

Black smoke rose from Shin Seo-ha’s fist.

“It’s a problem if you ignore me.”

She shook her fist.

Her hair swayed with the breeze as she brushed it back. Beneath her tough demeanor and punch, her beauty was still enough to captivate anyone.

The delinquents lay sprawled on the ground.

While the protagonist Han Yu-seong aimed to get them to put out their cigarettes, it seemed Shin Seo-ha’s purpose was to beat them to a pulp.

“Hey, who are you?”

Despite her having no qualms about beating people up, Shin Seo-ha now glared at me with a fierce expression.

“I just heard some fighting sounds nearby.”

I tried to act as relaxed as possible.

Avoiding anything that would further irritate the stubborn Shin Seo-ha.

“You, are you an external freshman?”

The single line on my chest indicated that I was also a freshman in the first year.

An external freshman refers to students like Han Yu-seong who entered the high school division directly, unlike those who were promoted from the middle school division.

If I had been one of the students promoted from middle school, I would have naturally averted my gaze just by looking at Shin Seo-ha’s face.

“What were you thinking, interfering in someone else’s fight? You should’ve just gone on your way like the others.”

Shin Seo-ha’s brows furrowed.

Even while I was watching, several students had quietly passed by without getting involved in the brawl out of fear.

“You looked like you were in danger alone.”

“Tch, I had it under control.”

Shin Seo-ha snorted.

“Next time, just go your way. You’ll only get yourself into trouble if you get involved.”

“Oh, are you worried about me?”

“Yeah, right.”

Shin Seo-ha smirked.

More than half of the curses she casually threw were practically compliments.

“I’m leaving.”

With that, she calmly walked out of the alley. I waved enthusiastically at the departing Shin Seo-ha.

“Let’s meet again if we get the chance!”

Without looking back, she flipped me the bird. I watched contentedly as she disappeared into the distance.

‘I’ve changed the flow.’

I managed to protect Shin Seo-ha’s right arm.

This proved that my actions could change the course of events.

[She is a rare girl indeed.]

Yomi’s tail wagged, showing interest.

“Shin Seo-ha is indeed strong-willed.”

[No, not that. Don’t you see what’s attached to her neck?]

“Her neck?”

Before Shin Seo-ha disappeared beyond the horizon, I quickly activated Spirit Sight and focused on her nape.

“…!”

I could see it.

Attached to Shin Seo-ha’s neck was a bright, shimmering figure, wrapping its arms around her as if in a protective embrace.

It was different from Cheon Tae-seong, who had Sa-nyeom clinging to him in clusters. This looked like a middle school-aged child, peacefully asleep with its arms around her neck.

When the child moved its lips, a pair of white wings on its back fluttered.

[A guardian spirit.]

“A guardian spirit?”

[Yes, and a very powerful one at that. Even ancestor spirits rarely emit such strong spiritual energy.]

Sweat beaded on my palms.

Although RollHun never mentioned Shin Seo-ha as having a guardian spirit, I had a vague sense of who it might be.

I knew well the identity of that guardian spirit.

“Shin Seo-jun.”

Her brother, Shin Seo-jun.

In the story, the deceased Shin Seo-jun appears briefly in flashbacks or mentions, but he played a pivotal role in shaping the current Shin Seo-ha.

‘This is getting more complicated.’

I had a feeling that school life was going to be challenging.

And such premonitions always turned out to be true.