Episode 6 – Graduation Ceremony (1)
“Why?”
The word *Defying Heaven* was indeed ominous. But no matter the universe, Orthodox Heaven and Defying Heaven were bound to exist together.
Even in the inner universe where Seojun had lived in his previous life, a balance between the two had been achieved.
*‘If I had played the role of the Orthodox Heaven, then Knox had played the role of Defying Heaven.’*
Lost in thought, Seojun suddenly came to a realization.
“Is it because Mukgi is not the qi fortune of Defying Heaven, but the very essence of Defying Heaven?”
The two phrases sounded similar at a glance, but they were completely different.
Merely giving off the scent of Defying Heaven and being the fundamental source known as essence were inevitably different.
*‘Literally, a difference in class.’*
Having organized his thoughts, Seojun began to understand his current situation.
*‘Whew, this could have been a huge disaster if I’d messed up.’*
Although the system had appeared on its own and babbled something, glitching out by itself rather than by his intention, Seojun couldn’t help but be startled.
“Anyway, there’s not much time left until the graduation ceremony.”
Iri Awakener Academy.
The academy Seojun had attended for the three years since being driven out of his clan.
It was inferior to the academies in Seoul, but in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, where Seojun lived, it was an academy of some renown.
Having obtained the memories of his previous life and a fraudulent characteristic, Seojun didn’t necessarily need to graduate now, but he felt it was a waste to throw away the three years he had spent so far, and since he could obtain his license immediately upon graduation without taking the Awakener exam, he had no reason not to attend the ceremony.
Awakener License.
It was necessary to enter 3-star or higher dungeons or gates.
Although there were ranks among Awakeners and even with a license there were restrictions based on grade, it was an essential item for anyone who wanted to live as an Awakener.
*‘After all, I entered the academy to obtain that.’*
Once a person without a characteristic, the only way for him to obtain a license was to either graduate from the academy and receive it immediately, or complete four years of Association education to earn the right to take the Awakener exam, which was why he had attended.
However, it wasn’t only the characteristic-less who attended the academy.
Because as long as you had a diploma, like Sua, you could obtain a license without taking the Association-made exam, regardless of whether you had a characteristic or not.
The Association exam was notoriously difficult, so many preferred to graduate from the academy with ease and secure a license rather than take an exam they were likely to fail.
Perhaps due to that influence, graduating from the academy had become a mandatory course for anyone, regardless of whether they possessed a characteristic.
“Those guys will probably come to the graduation ceremony too, and I still have some time left, so I should run a few more dungeons until then.”
It was then.
“Hey~ Hey! Heeey! What have you been mumbling to yourself about this whole time? I’m asking what you want to eat!”
Perhaps because she was hungry after tirelessly hunting goblins in the dungeon, Sua pressed him about their lunch menu.
“Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something. Hmm, how about just gukbap?”
“What the hell are you thinking about that you can’t hear me screaming beside you? And you tactless jerk. A pretty girl like me is treating you to a date. What? Gukbap? Guuuk-bap? You want to die?”
“Why don’t you wipe the goblin blood splattered on your face before saying that? Puhaha.”
Flushing at Seojun’s words, Sua had to hurriedly wipe her face.
“Urgh! Anyway! So what are we eating?”
“I told you. Gukbap.”
Despite Sua’s persuasion, Seojun still had no tact.
After many twists and turns, Seojun parted ways with Sua after eating gukbap and was able to return home immediately.
“Should I wash up first?”
The restaurant where they ate was frequented by Awakeners, so the owner had accommodated them by allowing them to eat even in dirty clothes. Because of that, Seojun still had traces of battle all over his body.
After showering, Seojun was booking dungeons to run before the graduation ceremony.
Two weeks until the graduation ceremony. He had no intention of resting during that time.
***
〚Your level has increased by 1!〛
〚All stats have increased by 10!〛
Seeing the orcs collapsed before him, Seojun licked his lips and used Heavenly Devour.
The black energies flowing within his body squirmed and slowly seeped out from his outstretched right hand, latching onto the dead orcs.
Crunch! Crack! Crunch!
The sound of the orcs’ bones and flesh breaking rang out before they began to vanish, as if devoured by the black energy.
Ding!
〚You have absorbed 4 (Blue) Orcs!〛
〚Mukgi has increased by 1!〛
〚The Contribution of Blue energy has slightly increased!〛
He immediately opened his status window to check the contribution.
〚Blue: 0.002%〛
“Well, it’s just orcs so I didn’t expect much, but it does go up, huh?”
Although Mukgi had only risen by 1 and the blue energy’s contribution was 0.002%.
*‘What’s important is that it rises.’*
Thinking positively, Seojun wandered through the dungeon and devoured the orcs he hunted using Heavenly Devour.
The reason Seojun hunted orcs instead of goblins was that his level had surpassed 15, blocking his entry into 1-star dungeons.
After wandering around like that for a while, Seojun smiled in satisfaction.
“Mukgi rose by 6 total, and contribution went up by 0.003%.”
Having used Heavenly Devour to his heart’s content on the orcs, Seojun discovered one fact.
“It seems like Heavenly Devour’s effect gradually decreases as my level rises.”
Perhaps because Mukgi grew alongside Seojun’s level, the higher his level, the more he couldn’t enjoy better growth effects unless he ate something appropriate for it with Heavenly Devour.
But another problem arose while clearing dungeons.
—“T-That was your original characteristic?”
Yeomra, who had been sleeping inside the Annihilation Sword, had apparently woken up at some point and witnessed him using Heavenly Devour on the orcs just now.
*‘When I first started clearing dungeons, it was still asleep, so I thought it wouldn’t wake for several days.’*
Though flustered, Seojun reacted calmly without showing it.
“That’s right. This is my original characteristic. Why? Disappointed?”
—“Y-You really are….”
“Whew, I understand why you’re surprised. After all, dem—”
—“You’re so cool!!!”
“Controlling qi… Hmm? What?”
Seojun, who had been about to make an excuse at Yeomra’s answer, couldn’t help but make a blank expression.
—“Devouring the opponents you hunted so mercilessly! Kya~ That ruthless side of you, this is what makes you worthy of receiving my characteristic.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks for looking at it favorably, but aren’t you bothered?”
Yeomra nodded as if understanding Seojun’s question.
—“Hmm? Ah. Are you talking about that heterogeneous energy? Well, it is unsettling, but it didn’t seem very dangerous to you, so I didn’t pay it any mind. Why? Are you hurt? Hmm?”
*‘Does it not know about demonic qi?’*
Having realized it called demonic qi a “heterogeneous energy,” Seojun brushed it off calmly.
“I’m not hurt, so calm down. Anyway, this was my original characteristic. Keep that in mind. And don’t tell anyone about what you just saw—”
Yeomra interrupted Seojun by placing a finger to its lips.
—“You don’t have to tell me. Don’t tell anyone, right?”
“Yeah. Sua or Mom might be able to see you too, you know?”
Since Yeomra had never appeared when with Sua and Ayeong, he didn’t know if they could see it either.
—“That’s true. Got it. And I usually sleep a lot inside the sword anyway. The chances of running into them are low.”
“Now that I think about it, you do sleep a lot.”
—“Of course. I’m trying to regain my highest-grade form, after all. Even when I sleep, I’m actually recovering my strength!”
“Yeah, yeah. Then go back in and sleep. I’ll wake you again if I’m curious about something.”
—“Okay. Good luck then.”
Finishing the conversation, Seojun checked that there were no more orcs in the dungeon before finally leaving.
Without even properly checking the rewards, Seojun moved without rest toward the 2-star dungeon he had booked a few hours later.
“I’m in a hurry, a hurry. I need to reach my target level before the graduation ceremony.”
And so for two weeks.
Reducing even his meal times and sleep, he had to repeatedly run a total of four 2-star dungeons.
*‘Status window.’*
『Name: Shin Seojun
Age: 19
Origin: Earth
Level: 31
Unique Characteristic: Mukgi (???)-2 Star
Normal Characteristic: Twelve Branches Martial Arts (SS)-2 Star
Strength: 292
Stamina: 295
Agility: 297
Mukgi (Unique): 297』
“I reached level 31 in two weeks and all my stats passed 290… Is this really okay?”
Though Seojun had arduously raised his Twelve Branches Martial Arts proficiency to 2-star and his level to 31 by clearing dungeons without rest, his total combat power had already reached a level where he could steamroll ordinary rankers.
Talented rankers barely reached the level 60s with their main stats at what Seojun had achieved at merely level 31.
Not only that.
It was with *all* his stats, not just his *main* stats.
Unlike other Awakeners, Seojun’s stats increased by 10 across the board with every level up, so it was natural, but still.
“I should’ve been moderately talented, sheesh.”
To some, it might sound like bragging, but to Seojun, it was only natural.
In his previous life, he had been a being who surpassed even humans, standing at the apex even among the *gods*.
It was only expected for such a being to show that much of a gap when compared to humans who hadn’t even achieved transcendence.
“At this point, I feel like I can act without watching anyone’s temper.”
If Seojun fought seriously, he was currently in a state where he could face even the High Rankers at the very top of the world’s Awakeners.
Those arrogant individuals were level 90+ Awakeners who exclusively cleared A-rank or higher gates and only handled 5-star or higher dungeons.
Excluding the Twelve Heroes currently hiding somewhere in the world, 150 years later, the number of High Rankers now approached one hundred.
And among those hundred, the strongest within the top ten were called the Ten Heavens.
And Sin Jonghak, the third of the Ten Heavens and only son of Sin Yucheol, the Heavenly Sword among the Twelve Heroes, was a person related to Seojun.
“He’s the Patriarch of the Cheongeom Shin Clan, and to me, he’s my great-great-grandfather on my maternal side.”
More importantly.
*‘He’s the one who had the greatest influence on kicking Mom and me out.’*
Of course, most of the clan members had influenced the expulsion of Seojun and Ayeong.
*‘But he was especially severe.’*
“Whew, I’ll get revenge on that later. For now, as soon as the graduation ceremony is over.”
*‘I’ll head straight to the Frontier Zone. As an individual, Shin Seojun, of course.’*
As if declaring he would never do anything good for the clan, Seojun had no intention of going as the clan’s representative.
The Cheongeom Shin Clan had some influence in the Association thanks to his maternal great-great-grandfather being one of the Ten Heavens, but their position had become somewhat ambiguous now.
“That arrogant great-great-grandfather of mine is in the Tower right now.”
The Tower was a place most Awakeners except High Rankers avoided, but the High Rankers, swollen with arrogance in their abilities, had begun challenging it one by one.
Sin Jonghak, the Patriarch of the Cheongeom Shin Clan and the third of the Ten Heavens, was among them.
Once a year had passed since Sin Jonghak entered the Tower, the Association began reducing the Cheongeom Clan’s power as if it had been waiting for this.
They had held so much power that the reduction wasn’t noticeable, but the Association had succeeded in somehow freeing the authority related to the magic beast frontier from the Cheongeom Clan’s influence.
As a result.
“That’s why I’ve become able to go as an individual.”
*‘But even if that weren’t the case, I’ve gained enough strength to force the clan now, so it doesn’t really matter.’*
“If they keep pulling cheap tricks until the end, I can just beat them up then.”
In the past, he never could have imagined such thoughts, but now, in less than a month, Seojun was making them without a care.
“Alright, preparations are done. Finally, the graduation ceremony is tomorrow.”
***
The day of the graduation ceremony. Ayeong’s house.
“Oh my, when did my son grow so big?”
“Haha. It’s thanks to Mom that I’ve grown like this.”
Though he had regained the memories of his past life, Seojun was still a gentle lamb acting cute toward his mother.
“Now, let’s tie your necktie and go.”
“I can tie a necktie myself… And it’s just a graduation ceremony; a necktie seems a bit much.”
As Seojun tried to refuse, Ayeong forcibly grabbed him.
“Tsk! Son! You can’t obstruct your mother’s only joy like this.”
“Ahem… I understand. By the way, what time will you arrive at the ceremony today?”
“Probably around 10 o’clock? Oh! The necktie suits you well? Sua, if you want to protect your boyfriend from other girls, you’ll need to be nervous?”
Sua, who was drinking water beside them, was flustered by Ayeong’s teasing.
“Cough, cough. Geez, Auntie. W-We’re not dating yet….”
“Yet? Weren’t you two going out?”
“You! W-What are you saying! You haven’t even confessed….”
Sua mumbled the last part quietly so it wouldn’t be heard.
“Oho, so that’s how it is?”
Perhaps because his level had risen, Seojun’s physical abilities had improved greatly, allowing him to hear every word Sua said.
“A-Anyway! Let’s leave now. We need to be there by 8 o’clock!”
“Alright. I’ll see you both later. I’ll buy some pretty flowers too.”
We took a taxi in a hurry and managed to arrive at school just in time.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
“Right. It’s our first time since winter break.”
Being classmates, they entered the classroom labeled “Class 8, Grade 3” and sat in their respective seats.
As soon as Seojun sat down, his friend Jeong Seunghun, who had been his desk neighbor during the semester, spoke to him.
“Oh~ Seojun! Long time no see. How’ve you been?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Same as ever. Anyway, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
Seunghun leaned in close to Seojun’s ear and spoke.
“The Cheongeom Clan is attending the graduation ceremony today!”
“Really? But how do you know that?”
“My house is far from school, so I left early and arrived way too early, you know? But since I was already here, I was heading to class early and passing through the hallway when I saw the principal walking through the corridor bowing and scraping while on the phone.”
Seojun had already expected this even without Seunghun’s words, but he decided to keep listening.
“So? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Keep listening, man. So I was secretly eavesdropping in the hallway out of curiosity when, right then, the principal finished his call, called the vice principal, and I heard him saying the Cheongeom Clan is attending the ceremony today, so they need to prepare thoroughly.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“The Cheongeom Shin Clan coming directly to our school? Kya~ I feel so proud.”
Since he roughly knew why the Cheongeom Clan would come all the way from the main house to attend a graduation ceremony here, he wasn’t surprised.
Most likely.
*‘They’ve come to take me away as soon as the ceremony ends.’*
Well. As mentioned earlier, it was already expected.
*‘But things won’t go their way.’*
He had already explained his plan to Sua and Ayeong, so he waited leisurely at ease until the ceremony began.
Two hours later.
The class president urgently opened the door and spoke to everyone in the class, including Sua and Seojun.
“Guys, the homeroom teacher is heading to the auditorium now! The graduation ceremony is starting.”
The graduation ceremony that Seojun had been waiting and waiting for was finally beginning.