―Kieeek! Kieeek! Kieeeeek!
I tied up the cave fiend with the rope I had prepared in advance.
The creature had been screaming non-stop in terror.
Yoon Hayoung looked at me with wide eyes.
“…What are you doing right now?”
“Training.”
“I mean, training is fine, but this is a bit…”
I glanced at the cave wraith tied to the wall. Honestly, I did feel a little bad. No matter how much it was a monster, this was a rather cruel method.
But what choice did I have?
Yoon Hayoung was an important figure in this world, and to see things through to the end, her power to eradicate demons was absolutely necessary.
Besides, with the butterfly effect already throwing the future into chaos, I had no idea what kind of atrocities the demonkind might commit.
“Hmm. Sorry, but I can’t think of any other training methods.”
“…….”
[Character ‘Yoon Hayoung’ feels a slight fear toward you.]
[You have gained 500 points as a reward.]
―Kieeek! Kieeeek!
The cave fiend continued to scream.
Hearing that noise made me waver for a moment.
I focused my magic into my fist and struck the creature’s head with force.
Thud!
“…Hoo.”
Finally, some peace and quiet.
“…….”
Yoon Hayoung gazed at the cave fiend with a look of pity.
“Alright, don’t let your emotions get in the way. Let’s start training.”
“What kind of training are we even doing that requires all this?”
“I’ll explain now.”
I looked her straight in the eye.
“First, you have a hidden power.”
“…Wait, you were serious when you said that earlier?”
Yoon Hayoung stared at me, filled with doubt.
“Yeah, I’m serious. You have a special power that no one else has. Today, we’re going to train you to awaken that power.”
“And what power is that?”
“The power to eradicate demons.”
“…The power to eradicate demons?”
Yoon Hayoung muttered, still not fully understanding.
“Remember the demon attack the other day? You used a force against the demon that was different from regular magic—it actually harmed them.”
“Oh…”
She opened her mouth as if recalling the moment.
“Yeah, I remember now.”
“That was it. That’s the power to eradicate demons. It’s exactly what it sounds like—a power that destroys demons.”
“Wait… I have that kind of power?”
Yoon Hayoung mumbled in disbelief.
“Hard to believe?”
She shook her head.
“No, you’ve never been wrong before, so I believe you. It’s just… kind of amazing.”
Hearing the trust in her voice made me smile.
“There’s something important you need to remember. This power is the natural enemy of demonkind, but that also means it will make you their prime target. If they find out you have this power, they’ll do everything in their power to kill you.”
Yoon Hayoung’s body trembled slightly at that thought, but she quickly composed herself with a determined look.
“So my power is strong against demons?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll just take them all down.”
She responded with a confident smile.
It was admirable that she didn’t shrink back but instead embraced the challenge.
“Still, you have to be careful. Never tell anyone about your power—not a single soul. Got it?”
“Got it. I won’t tell anyone but you. But, Seon-woo… how do you know all this?”
She looked at me with suspicion.
“There are ways to find out.”
“Tsk. Why are you so full of secrets? Are you really 18? You didn’t lie about your age or something, did you?”
“Huh? No… I didn’t.”
Physically, I was 18, so technically it wasn’t a lie. But my mental age was way older, so I felt a little guilty.
“What? Why are you stammering? Did you really fake your age?”
“Of course not.”
“…Suspicious. Now that I think about it, the way you hide your skills and act so mature—it’s weird. Are you some undercover agent sent to infiltrate the school?”
“An agent? Seriously?”
Even with my exasperated response, she didn’t drop her suspicious gaze.
“Hmm…”
“Enough of that. Let’s focus on training. Come on, concentrate.”
Finally, Yoon Hayoung nodded and dropped her suspicions.
“Do you remember when you used your power against the demon?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Do you remember how you activated it?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Try to think carefully. When people awaken their abilities, their body usually remembers how to use them automatically.”
Yoon Hayoung closed her eyes and fell into deep thought.
“Body memory…”
A magical energy formed in her hand—her signature ice arrow. But this wasn’t the power to eradicate demons.
“Hmm… I don’t really get it.”
How should I explain this?
I had never used the power to eradicate demons myself, so I couldn’t offer any direct advice.
I could only share what I knew about special abilities.
“Try focusing your mind instead. Think clearly: I have to destroy demons. I have to eliminate them. Channel that determination.”
“Determination…”
Most abilities activated automatically through physical memory, but sometimes, they were triggered by a strong will.
In this world, that was called willpower.
Yoon Hayoung’s ability might be one of those cases.
Swooosh—
As I had expected, a unique energy began gathering in her hand.
Slowly, it took shape, forming an ice arrow.
Within it, I could sense a faint trace of the power to eradicate demons.
“Good. Keep going.”
“Hmm…”
I continued encouraging her, pushing her to focus on her intent.
“Keep thinking: I have to defeat demons. I have to eliminate them. Focus on taking down the cave wraith in front of you.”
Swooosh—
The ice arrow emitted a subtle, mysterious glow.
However, the power of Demon Eradication did not increase any further.
It was because her willpower was still lacking.
Willpower is a force harder to wield than the imagination required for magic.
Anyone can train their imagination, but strong determination for a particular action is difficult to develop without a special purpose.
“Ugh…”
I glanced at Yoon Hayoung. She was struggling with the forced exertion of willpower. On top of that, handling the power of Demon Eradication must have put a considerable burden on her body.
It would be best to stop here.
“Now, fire your magic at the cave fiend in front of you.”
At my words, Yoon Hayoung extended her hand toward the cave fiend.
And at that moment—
A small change occurred in the ice arrow forming above her palm.
The ice arrow suddenly radiated a brilliant white light, and the Demon Eradication power within it grew even stronger.
At the same time, the ice arrow shot forward with a paang—!
Swoooosh—
Kwaaaang!
A tremendous explosion rang out.
“Oh…”
As the dust settled inside the dungeon, the cave ghoul, pierced through by her magic, was revealed.
A burning mark, unique to Demon Eradication, was left on its chest.
Though still rough around the edges, this was good enough to earn a passing grade.
“You did well. That was it.”
Yoon Hayoung stared blankly at the cave fiend. Then, as if feeling dizzy, she wobbled and collapsed onto the floor.
“…Sunwoo, my body feels weak.”
Thus, the first training session for wielding Demon Eradication came to an end.
It was a bit disappointing that it had to be cut short, but since she wasn’t used to Demon Bane yet, she had drained all her energy.
Still, the fact that Yoon Ha-young had managed to use the power was enough to be satisfied with.
Since dungeon exploration wasn’t part of my plan yet, we stopped there and returned to school.
And so, time passed peacefully as usual. Monday and Tuesday went by, and finally, Wednesday arrived.
It was the day of the first class for the Special Training Group.
After finishing all my regular classes, I headed to the bus stop in front of the school—the designated meeting place.
“Senior!”
From a distance, Choi Seo-yoon approached me with a bright smile.
Her silky hair swayed as she politely bowed her head.
“Hello.”
“Oh, hey.”
The Special Training Group had both individual and team-based lessons.
Today was a team-based class.
If the story followed the original plot, we would be going to a “Monster Field” in Ganghwa Island for real combat training.
“What do you think today’s lesson will be? It’s a team session.”
“Probably monster hunting.”
“Monsters?”
“They said the course would focus on practical training.”
“Oh, right.”
Choi Seo-yoon nodded in understanding.
“As expected from a perfect scorer on the theory test—your deduction skills are top-notch.”
What? That’s not deduction.
Sure, I spoke confidently because I knew the original plot, but anyone could have guessed this.
…Wait a second.
“Hold on. How do you know that?”
It was public knowledge that I ranked first on the theory test, but nobody should have known I got a perfect score.
“Know what?”
“That I got a perfect score on the theory test.”
“Oh, that? The rumor spread everywhere.”
“Rumor?”
“Yeah, about two days ago? Probably everyone in school knows by now.”
What the hell? When did that get out?
Now that I think about it, I did receive an unexpected 3,000 points two days ago… Was this the reason?
“Hmm.”
Well, earning points isn’t a bad thing.
If I had known this would happen, I would’ve spread the rumor myself.
Amid the buzz of conversations, the voice of the Special Training Group instructor, Park Jungwan, rang out.
“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s board the bus and head out.”
After some time, we arrived at the Special Training Group’s designated site in Ganghwa Island.
Stepping off the bus, I saw an area resembling a campsite. It was set up by mages who made a living hunting monsters in the Monster Field.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
Beside me, Choi Seo-yoon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
The other students reacted much the same way.
Since I had often seen these mage camps in my past life, I wasn’t particularly impressed. What concerned me more was Jang Ye, standing next to Lee Seo-jun.
I couldn’t help but worry—would something happen between them?
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing my serious expression, Choi Seo-yoon asked.
“Nothing.”
She glanced toward Lee Seo-jun and then smirked mischievously.
“You’re really paying attention, huh?”
“To what?”
“Senior Park Minye.”
Here we go again.
“Well, I get it. After all, the person next to her is Lee Seo-jun…”
“Can you stop talking nonsense?”
Even as I spoke, I sneaked a glance at Choi Seo-yoon.
She was subtly stealing glances at Lee Seo-jun, clearly conscious of him.
For all the big talk she gave me, she was actually the one paying the most attention to those two.
“You’re the one who’s most concerned about them.”
“Huh? Me? No way.”
Oh? Trying to deny it?
“You like Lee Seo-jun.”
“…No, I don’t. I admire him.”
Admiration, huh… Well, maybe that’s still true for now.
In the original story, Choi Seo-yoon didn’t completely fall for Lee Seo-jun until a few key events in the Special Training Group.
Still, even now, she couldn’t deny she felt an attraction to him.
“Hmm.”
Now that I think about it, the team arrangements in the Special Training Group have changed.
Originally, Choi Seo-yoon would have teamed up with Lee Seo-jun, which would have deepened her feelings for him. But since she ended up on my team instead, that development might never happen.
If that’s the case, Lee Seo-jun could end up losing Choi Seo-yoon as a powerful ally. His survival chances might actually drop compared to before my regression.
What should I do?
Should I try to push Choi Seo-yoon and Lee Seo-jun together…?
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