Restoration
True fear is something so massive it defies comprehension, overwhelming and transcendent.
Before fear that cannot be resisted, even the will of a being to struggle desperately for survival is abandoned.
It was no wonder that words I had once heard from my grandfather suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘That is….’
Strength would not enter my body.
That I was still standing with my arms wrapped around Yeon Haneul’s shoulders was a miracle.
To such a degree was I feeling fear toward the red eye of unknown identity that I faced head-on.
‘What the hell is that?’
I could not gauge its class.
It felt like simply facing death—no, beyond death, the annihilation of the soul.
If I kept gazing at it like this, I felt as though my mind would snap.
Crackle!
Even so, my Evasion Instinct was telling me strongly not to move.
The compulsion, which I could not resist even with my Instinct Control skill, seemed to say that attracting that red eye’s interest would be anything but good.
“….”
Perhaps even my Evasion Instinct could not judge the situation and was hesitating.
Because the Gift’s appeal was different from usual.
But the only thing I could rely on in this situation was my Evasion Instinct, which had saved me from crises until now.
I decided to follow my Evasion Instinct’s appeal and pulled Yeon Haneul into my embrace so she would not tremble in fear.
“Gyeon-u, hey….”
“Stay still. Be quiet.”
“…Okay.”
I whispered into her bunny ear.
Yeon Haneul, who had been anxious in my embrace, gradually showed signs of calming down.
I patted her shoulder as she did so and did not avert my eyes from the red eye.
‘Haneul is here. Don’t be scared.’
I consoled myself.
My fear would soon become Yeon Haneul’s fear.
If I was afraid, she would be afraid too.
Knowing that, I desperately held onto my mind that felt on the verge of snapping, and stared directly at the red eye.
Before long.
‘Is it leaving?’
The rift in space healed, and the red eye that had been looking around inside it slowly closed.
Before I knew it, nothing but the site of the villa lay before us, desolate, with embers burning and smoke rising into the air.
“…Haneul, are you okay?”
“Yeah…. What about you?”
“Me too….”
The aura that had felt like facing death was no longer felt.
Only then did we realize the red eye had retreated, and we let out sighs of relief as though releasing breath we had been holding.
I felt the reality of having survived.
At the same time, I could not help but have questions.
‘What the hell was that?’
I did not know, not at all.
I could hardly come to a conclusion.
Because it had not been mentioned in the game.
* * *
There was no way people in the area had failed to notice the aura emitted by the red eye.
They had been subjugating monsters and demons, but it seemed even they could not move instinctively and were in shock.
Some say several even lost consciousness and collapsed.
They had not met its gaze like Yeon Haneul and I had, but there were those who witnessed it directly with their own eyes.
“Somehow I felt like I shouldn’t get close. I wanted to help you two, but my body wouldn’t move as I wished…. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to help. And I’m really glad you’re both safe.”
“I was in the same state as Hanbyeol. I thought provoking that eye for no reason wouldn’t do any good either….”
“But what on earth was that eye? Gyeon-u, do you know anything?”
Gang Hanbyeol and Do Sieun came up to me as I participated in mopping up the remnants.
Looking around, not just those two but others also seemed concerned about the red eye.
Even while dealing with monsters and demons, their minds seemed elsewhere.
“Well, I don’t know either.”
“There’s something you don’t know? Even though you figured out earlier that O Junsu was trying to summon the Demon King.”
“…I just lucked out by reading the situation, that’s all.”
Not knowing is not knowing.
Rather, I wanted to know too.
I shook my head at Gang Hanbyeol’s question and decided to focus on taking down monsters.
Then, Lisa offered an opinion.
“Since he tried to make the Demon King descend, couldn’t it have been the Demon King? But the descent failed, so only the eye appeared, and it went back without being able to cross dimensions.”
“…Maybe.”
It had some persuasive power.
Others also showed reactions somewhat agreeing with her opinion.
But students from the black magic line presented the counterargument that it was clearly different from the unique aura of demons.
It could not be arbitrarily concluded.
More than anything….
‘It’s not the Demon King.’
My instinct was denying it.
Drawn by an instinct that lacked any proper basis, I decided to set aside the thought for now.
Because delving into an unresolvable doubt was meaningless.
Rather, dealing with the remaining enemies was more productive and took priority.
I combined forces with the others and set out in pursuit of those who had lost their momentum and were fleeing.
As the situation thus entered a lull….
“Sorry, kids. We’re a bit late. Leave the rest to us.”
“Instructor, you’re late.”
With the Jigak Sword Guard at the forefront, the curtain completely fell as troops dispatched from Geumgang Academy and the nearby clans arrived.
* * *
O Junsu’s Demon King descent incident became quite the topic, just as it had in the game.
A giant magic circle had risen in the night sky, and Pandemonium from the demon realm had even appeared, so it could not help but attract public attention.
Moreover, it was an incident that had arisen from attempting to contact the Demon King, who was considered taboo even in black magic.
If things had gone even slightly wrong, the Demon King would have manifested and dealt a great blow to the world.
It was only natural that people condemned the Heukma Oga and demanded appropriate punishment and follow-up measures.
Even Geumgang Academy, where O Junsu had been enrolled, could not be free from this wave.
“According to a faculty member I know, there were so many calls coming in that they pulled out all the cords except for the important lines. And yet, somehow they got his cell phone number and called that too. They say it’s utter chaos.”
Go Eunbi was quick to hear rumors.
Thanks to that, we, who had to take the remaining final exams, could more or less grasp the situation as it unfolded.
Judging by the trend, the academy’s punishment seemed likely to be decided before the semester ended.
Of course, knowing the game’s progression, I was predicting what punishment would be handed down to O Junsu.
‘He won’t avoid expulsion. And he’ll be cast out by his clan.’
Given the seriousness of the situation, he would face judicial punishment afterward as well.
Unable to receive his clan’s protection any longer, O Junsu’s life could be said to have ended with this.
He was already finished from the start, though.
His soul had been devoured by the Demon King’s residual consciousness, and while he had barely survived, his mind had regressed to that of an infant.
Now, he was nothing more than a breathing corpse who could speak at a simple level.
Since his soul was not whole, there was no hope of him returning to his original state.
Just as had happened in the game.
“But apparently, neither O Junsu nor the people involved in this incident remember well what happened. There’s a rumor that lawyers told them to keep their mouths shut, but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. They read their surface consciousness with magic.”
Meanwhile, those who had been brainwashed by O Junsu could not accurately remember what had happened at the time.
With the state of the incident’s mastermind and accomplices being what it was, SWORD’s investigation inevitably faced difficulties.
That was why they needed our testimony even more.
“Ah, right. I heard this story too.”
“What story?”
Monday morning, the week after we finished our final exams.
Having submitted absence notices and skipped class, we visited SWORD Headquarters under Yu Noeul’s guidance.
SWORD Headquarters was located in District 1 of Academy City, which would be Jongno District if compared to Seoul.
I looked up at the building with the Geumrim River flowing behind it and lent an ear to Go Eunbi’s story.
“Apparently the Hunter Association and political circles tried to use this incident as an excuse to interfere with the academy’s operations. So they contacted or visited the Chairman directly… but do you know what the Chairman said to those people? Ah, let me tell you in advance that this isn’t confirmed.”
“Eunbi-kkabi! So what did she say? Stop dragging it out and tell me!”
“The Chairman supposedly said this. ‘Oh my, is that so? But Councilman, where do you live? What? District 15 of Academy City? Ah, I see… that’s close, really. You should be careful above your head.’ ‘What?’ ‘Why, you ask? Wouldn’t the Councilman know that better than me?’”
“She’s indirectly threatening them that it’s within range of the Star Light Road. That’s scary….”
“It’s only fitting for the Chairman.”
The real power of Academy City was not the Mayor who managed Academy City as the executive branch.
It was the people of the Gongheon Society, who possessed the authority to elect the Mayor and were deeply involved in the history of Academy City.
Therefore, the Star Witch, So Hyeyul, one of the members of the Gongheon Society, could be said to be the real power of Academy City.
If she set her mind to it, she could exert enormous influence on Academy City.
Moreover, she possessed the Star Light Road, which could obliterate Academy City at any time.
‘If we had failed to defeat O Junsu, the magic of the Star Light Road would have fallen then. It’s terrifying to think she was targeting us without us knowing. And we don’t even know if she’s still doing it now…’
In a world where power was practically everything.
It would not be an exaggeration to say there were almost no people who could oppose So Hyeyul’s authority.
Especially in Academy City, no one could go against her.
That was also the reason I did not arbitrarily antagonize her and tried to build a relationship as a collaborator.
Then, Yu Noeul called out to us as we were chattering noisily.
“Guys, we’re going in for investigation now, so be careful not to say anything that could cause problems. You are, after all, the contributors who resolved the situation, so you won’t be subjected to pressure tactics, but you never know. Still, I’ll be right beside you so it’ll be fine. Even though I’m a rookie, I’m quite knowledgeable in this area.”
Yu Noeul explained the precautions before the testimony taking at SWORD.
We listened attentively to her explanation and climbed the stairs.
Meanwhile, I could hear Gang Hanbyeol muttering.
“Once the investigation is over, I’ll be able to get back the staff I got from O Junsu, right?”
“….”
Unfortunately, Gang Hanbyeol had to submit the staff she had seized from the Heukma Oga to SWORD for the investigation.
It was the staff O Junsu had received from Tacheon.
She was showing enthusiasm at the thought of getting that staff back, but….
‘It would be better to give up.’
Because the staff served as a link to Tacheon, it was unlikely she would get it back.
It had not been possible to obtain it in the game, either.
Even so, I decided to play dumb to avoid needlessly disappointing Gang Hanbyeol.
‘But strictly speaking, since I was the one who took him down in the end, shouldn’t I be the one to take it?’
A bitter smile came to my face at the sudden thought.
At the same time, my thoughts turned to the repercussions that would occur from now on.
The tremors it would send through hunter society, which would realize Tacheon’s revival through the staff submitted as evidence.
‘Soon, the patriarchs of the Ten Great Houses will gather and hold a meeting about this incident.’
Due to Tacheon’s revival, the resurgence of the Demon Society, and the villains empowered by them.
From now on, Academy City, and this country, would begin to fall into even greater chaos.
* * *
The Demon King descent incident caused by O Junseok, the Black Feather of the Heukma Oga.
This incident that occurred in Academy City should not be considered merely dangerous.
Rather than being dazzled by surface information, looking at the underside revealed that something did not add up.
It was the Demon King.
Even if they overestimated him, it was questionable whether a student approaching the 4th tier could be a vessel to contain an 8th-rank demon; moreover, how on earth did he access information about an 8th-rank demon that was treated as taboo and forbidden?
Even if he was from the Heukma Oga, it should have been information that even the clan head could not easily access.
‘Someone had instigated this.’
That was the conclusion that could be drawn.
Someone with malicious intent had approached O Junsu and informed him about the Demon King.
According to SWORD’s information, he had been using a staff decorated with a crystal skull.
A crystal skull flickering with red eyes….
‘How ironic. Is it a coincidence, or has that bastard truly returned?’
The Patriarch of the Shingeom Doga, the Beast King Do Yeik.
Having unintentionally recalled an unwelcome adversary, he could not shake off the uneasy feeling.
The circumstances were the same for the other heads of the Ten Great Families.
Having fundamentally chosen not to involve themselves in the secular world and to stand apart from it, they decided to gather for the first time in a long while.
“Do Yeik.”
“Have you been well?”
Jung-gu, Seoul, a ryotei at Seoul Station.
Entering a restaurant that people of prestigious families often visited to discuss important matters, Do Yeik greeted the old man who recognized him with obvious pleasure.
It was the head of the Snow Spear Eun family, one of the Ten Great Families—the Divine Spear, Eun Homin.
After exchanging dignified pleasantries, the two were soon guided by an employee down the corridor.
“What about the other heads?”
“We’ll know when we get there.”
Before long, the employee opened the door to the innermost room.
Acrid cigarette smoke drifted out from within.
“Then, please enjoy your time.”
“Thank you.”
The employee withdrew after offering a polite bow.
Do Yeik gave a faint chuckle at the cigarette smoke and stepped inside with Eun Homin.
In the room, where an enormous round table had been set up, the person he had expected was sitting there, just as anticipated.
“When we last met, didn’t you say you were quitting? In the end, it was nothing but talk.”
“I still quit for a few days. It’s been a while. Have you both been well? My granddaughter was indebted to your grandson over that incident not long ago, so I wanted to thank you. Was his name Do Gyeonu? Since the boy doesn’t take after you, he looked decent enough.”
“I didn’t expect you to praise my grandson. Gyeonu may look mild-mannered, but he has a lion’s temperament, just like me.”
The head of the Magic Path Min family, the Griffin Min Hwiseong, was smoking a pipe and letting out wisps of smoke.
Aside from Min Hwiseong, the heads of the Yeonseong Nam family, the Tangung Ham family, the Iron Fortress Kwon family, the Bright Light Seong family, the Cycle Cha family, and the Righteous Hero Yong family were also seated.
Do Yeik exchanged updates with them as well before taking an empty seat.
“I don’t see the heads of the Yu family and the O family.”
“The head of the Yu family said he had some business to attend to, so he’d be a little late. Geumo hasn’t contacted anyone, so he’s probably on his way by now.”
“The person who caused the problem is arriving the latest.”
“He probably doesn’t want to come early and get cursed at.”
Of the eleven seats, two were empty.
With his arms crossed, Do Yeik clicked his tongue as he looked at the vacant seats.
It was some time later that the head of the Black Horse O family, Geumo O Jinhyeok, attended.
“My apologies. I’ve been busy with work lately, so I was late to—”
“Geumo, you’re here. I heard your grandsons were beaten by the disciple of the Fighting Demon. There were two of them, was it?”
“You sure took your time. Did you come late because you were embarrassed that your grandsons lost to the Fighting Demon’s disciple?”
“…”
Min Hwiseong, Do Yeik, and the other family heads jeered at O Jinhyeok as if they had been waiting for him.
O Jinhyeok, who had been about to take his seat after offering a perfunctory apology, twisted his face in displeasure.
The more he did, the more the family heads enjoyed it.
“…My grandchild wasn’t the only one who was beaten by the Fighting Demon’s disciple. Especially you, Do Yeik. Your grandson also lost and was forced to transfer—”
“Seungu’s case was unfortunate, but Gyeonu won splendidly, didn’t he?”
“…”
“Your grandsons, on the other hand, all lost. And they had two of the family’s treasures taken from them as well.”
He was truly hateful beyond words.
Watching Do Yeik roar with laughter, O Jinhyeok felt irritation surge within him.
However, as the head of a family, he suppressed his emotions in order to maintain his dignity.
Then he revealed to the assembled family heads the purpose for which he had proposed the gathering.
“I’ll dispense with the formalities and get straight to the point. It seems Fallen Heaven has returned.”
The Beast King of the Divine Sword Do family, Do Yeik.
The Uroborus of the Yeonseong Nam family, Nam Sieon.
The Griffin of the Magic Path Min family, Min Hwiseong.
The Geumo of the Black Horse O family, O Jinhyeok.
The Divine Spear of the Snow Spear Eun family, Eun Homin.
The Divine Archer of the Tangung Ham family, Ham Seokgyo.
The Bulwark of the Iron Fortress Kwon family, Kwon Haeil.
The Holy Heaven of the Bright Light Seong family, Seong Uhyang.
The Spirit Lord of the Cycle Cha family, Cha Taein.
The Martial Venerable of the Righteous Hero Yong family, Yong Suhwan.
The heads of the Ten Great Families began their meeting.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss