Da······.
Yet despite the ominous rumors, Friday’s classes proceeded as usual. My appointment with Kim Suho wasn’t postponed either. As promised, Kim Suho asked me to come to Room 303 of Chungmugong Hall by 5 p.m.
“Don’t forget, it’s seriously important! Oh, and if it wraps up well, it might even be reflected in your cadet evaluation.”
Even after class ended, he reminded me again. He must have heard about Chae Nayun too, but he was probably planning to visit her after finishing this.
“Sure.”
I nodded. Kim Suho tapped me on the shoulder and hurried off somewhere. Watching his back, I yawned.
It was 3:30 now, so there was still quite a bit of time until 5. I should go back to the dorm and take a nap.
I was strolling along like that when—
“······What?”
I kept getting the feeling that something was following close behind me. The strange sensation was unmistakable. But when I turned around, there was nothing there. For it to be a djinn, the presence was too tame. Then an assassin? But why would an assassin target me?
“Hmm.”
It was probably my imagination. I started walking again. As I walked, I took out my laptop.
[383,013,160 points have been deposited after deducting fees. These points can be used at the Purple Banquet or converted to cash. (Minimum unit: 10,000,000P)]
The fee was outrageous, so the money that had been nearly 600 million had shrunk to 300 million. But there was no point feeling wronged. The first transaction at the Purple Banquet usually took about this much.
[Buyer—‘Youngfly’ has requested a conversation with you. (The seller’s nickname will be kept anonymous.)]
[If you have more wild ginseng, I’d like to purchase it.]
I didn’t accept the conversation request. Even if I wanted to sell, I didn’t have any wild ginseng left now······
Now.
I snapped my head around.
Shashashak—
Someone hid behind a wall like a cat. The movement was so quick that only an afterimage remained. But even hiding beyond a wall couldn’t escape my eyes. I looked through the wall.
······It was a rather unexpected person.
Rachel.
She was pressed flat against the wall, clutching her pounding heart.
“Hmm. Was it my imagination?”
To figure out why she was acting like that, I turned forward for now. Then I turned off my laptop. Using the black screen as a mirror, I reflected the area behind me.
When I started walking, Rachel poked her head out and stared at somewhere on me. Her gaze was fixed on my crossbody bag. There was nothing inside this bag except my note-taking notebook.
Ah. Come to think of it, this path was the same one that led to the library. The dormitory building and the library were attached, after all.
“······Is she trying to steal my notebook?”
As if a princess would do that. And even if she stole it, there wasn’t much in it.
After that, I kept walking. Rachel persistently followed me. Her tailing didn’t end even when I entered the dormitory building.
“She really followed me all the way.”
When I looked out the window from inside the dormitory building, she was glaring at the building itself with a regretful expression.
What a curious thing. I chuckled and went into my room.
* * *
After taking a light nap at the dorm, I arrived at Room 303 of Chungmugong Hall, the place Kim Suho had mentioned.
Quite a few people had already gathered there. Shin Jonghak, Yoo Yeonha, and also Kim Horak and Lee Yeonghan.
It looked like Kim Suho’s faction and Shin Jonghak’s clique had all assembled. Even Kim Horak, the lowest in rank among them, had a fair amount of importance until the middle part of the story, while I alone felt out of place.
They looked at me but said nothing. So I spoke first.
“Why did you call me?”
I asked in an acting tone, pretending not to know. I had only said that one sentence, but Shin Jonghak furrowed his brow. Before Shin Jonghak’s displeasure could erupt, Kim Suho explained.
“Not yet. We haven’t told Hajin yet. About why we gathered.”
“Right. What’s going on?”
At my question, Kim Suho rose from his seat.
He could have stayed sitting. The height difference was so big it was uncomfortable. I was newly jealous of those long legs. Maybe I shouldn’t have set him at 185 centimeters for no reason.
“Hajin. You know about the disappearances this time too, right?”
“······Of course.”
“Yeah. Regarding that, Cube has entrusted us with investigating the case. Of course, Cube will conduct its own investigation too, but since there’s a high chance the suspect is a student, they said it would be easier to root them out from the inside.”
At Kim Suho’s words, I was about to calmly nod, but then came to my senses and opened my mouth wide in feigned surprise.
“······But why involve me?”
“You have good eyes. I heard you can see even a thousand li away?”
“Uh······ My eyes are pretty good, yeah.”
So that really was the only reason. Swallowing a hollow laugh, I took a seat nearby for now. Like that, Kim Suho naturally ended up standing in the center of us.
Kim Suho looked at me and asked,
“Will you help?”
“······I don’t know if I’ll be of any help.”
But I don’t want to give up the SP.
“Thanks.”
Kim Suho smiled brightly. He cleared his throat and began by mentioning the “Chae Nayun incident” that occurred yesterday.
“First. I don’t think the djinn who attacked Nayun is the culprit behind the disappearances. But······”
However, Shin Jonghak cut him off.
“‘Nayun’?”
He was nitpicking the fact that Kim Suho hadn’t attached Chae Nayun’s surname.
“······I do think there’s a high possibility that Chae Nayun is the djinn’s next target. Djinn should follow the orders of demons, and if the demon that contracted with Sven targeted Chae Nayun, then another djinn contracted with that demon would also target Chae Nayun.”
It was a reasonable inference. But it was wrong. Sven’s demon and the real culprit’s demon weren’t the same. To begin with, Asmodeus and Lilith had completely different dispositions.
“So, with that said. Does anyone have someone they suspect? Among the people you know, anyone who has behaved strangely lately······”
Before beginning the investigation in earnest, Kim Suho asked for the opinions of those present. But no one stepped forward, and Yoo Yeonha stared only at me. Shin Jonghak and Kim Horak soon followed and fixed their gazes on me as well.
I knew the real culprit.
However, I was seriously conflicted about carelessly saying that name aloud.
The real culprit was probably still leaving traces even now. But the pace of events was too fast. In the original, it had been “two months—six people,” but now it had intensified to “two weeks—three people.”
My conscience pricked too much to leave them to die just because I was waiting for the story to develop. Besides, at this pace, there was a high chance even more victims would appear.
At least for now, if I threw that name onto the list of suspects, wouldn’t we be able to follow “that guy”?
“Yeah. I have one person.”
Five pairs of eyes focused on me.
“Who?”
Kim Suho asked, looking at me.
I slowly opened my mouth.
The real culprit’s three-syllable name—no, two-syllable name.
“Yoon Hyun.”
······After that, a heavy silence settled.
No one reacted to my opinion.
“Pfft.”
A moment later, Yoo Yeonha’s unmistakable sneer broke the silence, and then Kim Suho gently refuted me.
“That person has an alibi. He was close to the first victim, so we already investigated him.”
Of course that guy had an alibi.
“No. What if the victim went to see Yoon Hyun of their own accord?”
“Mental magic that lures a cadet somewhere······ As if that would work so easily.”
But Shin Jonghak flatly dismissed it. The look Shin Jonghak gave me contained contempt and scorn, as if he were looking at an insect.
As Shin Jonghak said, it wasn’t easy to entice a cadet who had grown to a certain degree using mental magic. Even if it were possible, it would surely have been obvious. Someone corroded by mental magic would move like a puppet or scarecrow.
However.
“If it were mental magic, sure. But······”
If it was “love,” then no. That was the most decisive difference between charm and mental magic. Love made it so that you didn’t even realize you were bewitched.
“Cut the useless crap.”
Shin Jonghak didn’t even listen to me to the end. He kicked one of the chairs lying around nearby. The chair clattered and came sliding all the way to my feet.
“······You see.”
At that moment, Yoo Yeonha gave a dangerous smile. Then she slowly raised her hand and pointed at me.
“I find you more suspicious than that person.”
“······What?”
My mind went blank. It was so sudden that I couldn’t even think of how to respond and just stayed still for a moment.
“Yoo Yeonha. That’s not it either. Hajin has an alibi.”
Kim Suho quickly blocked her, but Yoo Yeonha lightly refuted him.
“That’s only portal usage records, isn’t it? If he’s a djinn, he could fabricate something like that. Compared to Senior Yoon Hyun, who was with other people, that person is much more······”
“Let’s just break him from the waist first.”
Kim Horak abruptly stood up. The sight of him flexing his muscles and loosening his joints was like an ogre shrunk down as-is.
“If we beat him up, he’ll either confess on his own or transform. Hey. Get up.”
Yoo Yeonha and Kim Horak. Shin Jonghak and Lee Yeonghan.
Aside from Kim Suho, everyone looked at me with suspicious eyes.
At the center of it all, I got angry. This had never happened to me even in mafia games. So this was how infuriating it was to be cornered when you were innocent.
I wondered if I shouldn’t have offered my opinion after all, but then a hollow laugh suddenly escaped me.
No. Even if I hadn’t put forward Yoon Hyun, things would have ended up like this anyway. Yoo Yeonha had recommended me from the start because she suspected me.
“What are you grinning at? Jonghak. Can I break his waist?”
The ogre sought Shin Jonghak’s approval. Before Shin Jonghak’s answer could be heard, I kicked back my chair and stood up.
“Then come at me, you crazy pig bastard. I’ll put a hole between your eyes.”
“······What the fuck? Wow. Look at this psycho bastard?”
Kim Horak’s voice cracked harshly. I took the handgun out from my back pocket. But Kim Horak only snorted.
“Idiot. Who would so much as blink at something like that?”
Kim Horak took a charging stance, and I lowered my center of gravity. I had Aether. A stupid ox like him could be cooked at any time.
“Stop.”
But Kim Suho stepped between the two of us. He had even drawn his cadet sword.
“This isn’t the time for this. Hajin, you too. Calm down.”
The cool, pale glow emanating from the blade brought me back to my senses.
I had stepped forward with needless bravado, but Kim Horak was far too difficult an opponent for me. In other words, getting angry meant losing.
I took a deep breath, then pointed a finger at Yoo Yeonha.
“Hey. If you’re that suspicious, ask Chae Nayun.”
“······Why is Nayun suddenly being brought up?”
I had spoken to Yoo Yeonha, but for some reason Shin Jonghak reacted sensitively.
“When she was attacked by the djinn, I was there too. I helped her kill it. Guess she hasn’t told you yet?”
“······”
I said that while glaring at Yoo Yeonha. Without saying a word, Yoo Yeonha met my gaze with complete composure.
“Anyway. I clearly said I think it’s that bastard Yoon Hyun.”
Leaving those words to Yoo Yeonha—in other words, the “last victim” of this incident—I turned around.
“Huh.”
As I walked, my foot slipped slightly. For an instant, my body slid to the side.
But over the body that had slipped, some wild boar flew past and crashed into the wall.
It was remarkably fast for a wild boar, and far too destructive for a surprise attack against a fellow cadet. After all, it was enough to create cracks in Cube’s reinforced wall.
“Oh? You dodged?”
The corners of Shin Jonghak’s mouth twisted with interest. Just now had been Kim Horak’s body slam. If it had hit me, it wouldn’t have ended with just one broken bone.
“This······ bastard.”
Kim Horak got up. He was the one who attacked first, yet he was the one getting angry first. I had no choice but to aim my gun at him.
“You really do need to get shot.”
But Kim Suho stopped us again. This time, it was action instead of words. Magic power blazed from his sword, separating me and Kim Horak.
“If you’re that suspicious, you can just ask Nayun directly. Yoo Yeonha!”
He shouted while staring straight at Yoo Yeonha. Kim Suho’s blade-like gaze, filled with anger, was enough to make even Yoo Yeonha shrink back.
“······Wait.”
Tsk.
Yoo Yeonha clicked her tongue once and turned on her smartwatch.
────────────────────────────────────
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Exam Period (2)
Yoo Yeonha contacted Chae Nayun and asked whether Kim Hajin’s words were true. Chae Nayun explained in detail what had happened that day. Nothing she said contradicted Kim Hajin’s account. She even added one final insistence.
“Kim Hajin can’t possibly be a Djinn—”
Naturally, the gathering fell apart. Kim Hajin stormed out, and Kim Suho and Lee Yeonghan followed after him.
After the brief yet fierce commotion, Room 303 fell silent. The three who remained did not bother to speak. Amid the stillness, Yoo Yeonha looked at Kim Horak, who had been massaging his right shoulder for a while now.
“...Does it hurt?”
“Hurt? What’re you talking about?”
“That just now was your Gift, wasn’t it?”
Kim Horak’s Gift was already known to many cadets. It was that straightforward.
A simple, brute-force ability that momentarily amplified his body’s explosive power and destructive force. It was a Gift that required no lengthy explanation, and when it came to hand-to-hand combat, it boasted the highest efficiency.
And yet Kim Hajin had dodged that attack with perfect ease. It had not been a flashy or agile movement, either. With a motion so simple that anyone watching might have thought he had merely stumbled, he had made a fool out of Kim Horak, the one with the greatest Gift in martial combat.
“......”
Kim Horak pointlessly averted his gaze. What he felt right now was not something like guilt toward Kim Hajin. He was simply embarrassed. Embarrassed that his attack had been avoided so easily.
“Haa.”
Yoo Yeonha let out a sigh and glanced toward Shin Jonghak. He had been staring at his custom smartwatch for some time now. Was he perhaps contacting Chae Nayun? That bothered Yoo Yeonha.
“Jonghak, what are you doing?”
Yoo Yeonha approached him with a deliberately warm smile. Shin Jonghak answered without even looking at her.
“I was asking a vendor if they had more items in stock.”
“Items?”
“Yeah. I bought something.”
“What did you buy~?”
Yoo Yeonha tugged on Shin Jonghak’s arm, acting as charming as she could.
“You don’t need to know.”
But Shin Jonghak pushed her away. At that cold action, Yoo Yeonha’s expression stiffened for an instant.
“...Tsk. If we’re done here, I’m leaving.”
Shin Jonghak had his reasons. The site he had been browsing until just now was the famous “Violet Banquet.” However, Cube cadets were not allowed to register on that site. Simply owning an ID for a black market such as Violet Banquet was grounds for suspension.
Even so, his indifferent attitude itself deeply wounded Yoo Yeonha.
“Kim Horak. Aren’t you coming?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Kim Horak, who had been watching Yoo Yeonha’s reaction, followed after Shin Jonghak like a puppy.
And so, Yoo Yeonha was left alone once again. She swept her gaze over the empty Room 303. Suddenly, anger surged within her. Being treated like this once or twice was one thing, but now she was sick of it. Shin Jonghak, that bastard. What exactly do I lack compared to Chae Nayun...
“Haa.”
Still, what could she do? The one who wanted more had to work harder.
Just as Yoo Yeonha was about to follow Shin Jonghak, her smartwatch vibrated.
It was a message from Yun Hyeon.
—Next Monday, our society will be helping people study for the exams. You’re attending too, right?
During exam periods, club activities temporarily stopped. However, the academic society had separately arranged mentoring sessions between seniors and juniors.
Yoo Yeonha was about to reply when she suddenly recalled what Kim Hajin had said. His claim that the culprit behind the disappearance incident was Yun Hyeon...
“What nonsense.”
Yoo Yeonha dismissed it once more and sent her reply.
* * *
9 p.m...
I am sitting on a bench. Kim Suho and Lee Yeonghan, who had uselessly come over to comfort me, were driven away long ago.
In the empty park, I stare up alone at the dark sky and spit out the things knotted inside me.
“...Haa.”
A powerful sense of skepticism rose within me. As if being dropped into my own novel weren’t enough, I had even ended up clashing emotionally with the characters I had created with affection. It seemed all the emotions I had managed to hold back until now had burst out today.
I want to stop now. I want to return to the home whose lease still has a year left. I want to see my parents back in my hometown. I had never visited them, always using the excuse that I was busy, and now I regretted that so much.
What was time like in the world I originally came from right now? If it had continued to flow unchanged, then I must have become a missing person. Perhaps one day, I might even be declared dead. Because in this world, I have to spend close to ten years.
At this point, I truly felt fortunate that I had raised my perseverance at the beginning. The me of this world has nothing. The memories, relationships, and emotions I had built up—none of them exist here, not even a speck.
If it had been my previous self, I probably would not have been able to endure it. Even if I lacked the courage to commit suicide, the thought of returning to Earth