I and Choi Seo-yoon were wandering around the monster field.
Our destination was a small hill behind the campsite.
After receiving explanations from the instructor about the monster field, the habitats of the monsters, and the hunting methods, we were deployed into practice.
The instructor assigned each team a mission, and ours was to hunt a Giant Black Lizard and retrieve its hide and horns.
I didn’t quite understand why we were doing this on the very first day of the special class, but since we were ordered to, we had no choice but to comply.
“…How are we supposed to find a Giant Black Lizard in this vast area?”
Choi Seo-yoon sighed as she muttered.
“No idea.”
“Seung-ah was assigned to catch a Monster Fairy, though.”
“A Monster Fairy? That’s way too much of a difficulty gap.”
Monster Fairies are widely distributed across various habitats, making them one of the most commonly found monsters in the field.
On the other hand, Giant Black Lizards are so rare that even after scouring the mountains thoroughly, they’re hard to come by.
Would we even be able to find one today?
“By the way, the sky is already pitch black. And it’s cold.”
The current time was 8:30 PM. The sun had set long ago.
Especially at night, monsters tend to become more ferocious, so extra caution was necessary when traversing the monster field.
“Watch your step.”
“Yes~.”
— Grrrrr…
A monster’s growl echoed from somewhere.
“Ugh. That’s creepy.”
Choi Seo-yoon shuddered slightly.
“Should I use magic to brighten our surroundings a bit? It’s hard to see.”
“No. The monster will run away.”
“Oh, right.”
Choi Seo-yoon nodded in understanding.
And so, we continued walking for about twenty minutes. I glanced at her and spoke.
“Choi Seoyoon.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want me to help you get together with Lee Seo-jun?”
“…Huh?”
Her eyes filled with confusion at my sudden words.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Just what I said.”
Of course, even if I helped, the chances of them actually ending up together were slim.
That’s because by Lee Seo-jun’s side was his formidable childhood friend, Lee Hyun-joo.
However, if things followed the original storyline and Choi Seo-yoon fell hard for Lee Seo-jun, it would bring stability to future events and increase his chances of survival.
If that were the case, I was willing to push Choi Seo-yoon toward him.
Choi Seo-yoon scrutinized me for a while before speaking.
“Senior, did you eat something weird?”
Then, as if realizing something, she clapped her hands.
“Oh! I get it. This is because of Park Minye, isn’t it? You’re afraid Lee Seojun might steal her away?”
She grinned mischievously.
“…”
I hadn’t expected Jang Ye’s name to come up again.
“Hey, you…”
I was about to rebuke her but decided against it.
“Sigh. Think whatever you want.”
“Should I help you with Park Minye, then?”
Choi Seo-yoon giggled. She seemed thoroughly convinced of her theory.
“No need.”
“Why not? The way you’re even thinking about pushing me toward Lee Seo-jun proves you really like her.”
“Shut up.”
“Aw, so shy.”
— GRAAAAH!
Just then, a monster’s scream rang out in the distance.
“Huh? Looks like another team has taken one down.”
“Yeah. When are we going to find one and get this over with?”
As we casually chatted, an ominous chill suddenly ran down my spine.
At the same time, heavy thudding sounds echoed from somewhere far away.
Instinctively, I reinforced my body with mana. Then, without hesitation, I grabbed Choi Seo-yoon’s wrist and pulled her toward me.
“Kyaa!”
— Swoosh!
Something zipped past the spot where she had been standing just moments ago.
A monster’s ambush.
I turned my gaze toward the source of the attack.
A black-scaled lizard was crouched low, staring at us with predatory eyes.
“S-Senior! That hurts!”
“Oh, sorry.”
I quickly released her wrist. Without realizing it, I had gripped it tightly with my enhanced strength.
Was she okay? That must have hurt quite a bit.
“Are you alright?”
“Ugh. Yeah, for now.”
Rubbing her wrist, she turned to look at the monster that had just attacked us.
“…A Giant Black Lizard?”
“That’s right. Get ready for battle.”
The Giant Black Lizard.
The very monster we had been searching for as part of our mission.
We had struggled to find it, yet it had conveniently shown itself to us.
“I’ll handle it. Back me up just in case.”
“Okay!”
I conjured a sphere of magic in my hand and stepped forward.
The lizard growled low, observing me before suddenly lunging forward.
— KRAAAH!
I remained calm and unleashed my magic toward it.
The lizard twisted its body with remarkable agility, narrowly dodging my attack.
“Click.”
I immediately prepared for a follow-up strike.
At that moment, I felt a surge of powerful mana from behind me.
A spear of ice shot forward at incredible speed, piercing the lizard’s leg.
— Shwoooosh!
— Crack!
The lizard let out a painful screech and rolled on the ground.
“Oh.”
I couldn’t help but be impressed. That was some impressive magic. As expected of the first-year top student.
However, now wasn’t the time to be admiring her skills.
Gathering my mana, I conjured another spell.
The lizard’s movements were now restricted.
This was my chance to finish it off.
— Vrrrrrr…
A sphere of magic hovered above my palm.
I extended my hand and fired it straight into the lizard’s forehead.
After the battle, Choi Seo-yoon and I were dismantling the lizard’s parts.
She skillfully used an ice-formed blade to cut off its horns and skin.
Despite the blood, which could have been repulsive, she showed no hesitation.
“This should be enough, right?”
“Yeah. That looks good. Nice work.”
“Whew~ Finally done.”
She stretched with a big yawn, then glanced at me.
“Oh, right! Senior, thanks for earlier.”
Surprised by her sudden gratitude, I looked at her.
She was flashing her usual bright smile.
She was probably thanking me for saving her from the lizard’s ambush earlier.
And then—
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ feels grateful to you.]
[You have received a reward of 1,000 points.]
Seeing this message pop up, it seems like she’s not just saying it out of politeness.
“Forget it. Let’s just head back.”
At my response, Choi Seo-yoon quietly smiled and nodded.
“But, senior, your reaction speed was really fast earlier. Do you have some secret technique? It was like watching a reinforcement-type mage in action.”
Choi Seo-yoon rubbed her slightly reddened wrist as she spoke.
“It’s not that my reaction was fast. You were just careless.”
“Wow, even when I compliment you…”
Choi Seo-yoon pouted in dissatisfaction.
I ignored her and continued walking straight toward the campsite, our designated meeting point.
As time passed, we eventually arrived at the campsite.
When we submitted the black giant lizard’s horn and skin, Park Jungwan looked surprised.
“Oh, that must’ve been hard to find, but you finished faster than I expected. Choi Seo-yoon, Kim Sunwoo, good job.”
“Yep.”
Having completed all our tasks, Choi Seo-yoon and I sat down in an empty spot.
I glanced around and noticed that fewer students had completed their missions than expected.
Lee Se-ojun still hadn’t returned either.
The fact that he was alone with Jang Ye worried me a little, but the current Lee Seo-jun was strong enough not to be easily taken down, even if Jang Ye ambushed him. So, I decided there was no need to worry too much.
Just as I was lost in thought, Lee Seo-jun and Jang Ye returned.
In Lee Seo-jun’s hand was a “Giant Beast Fang.” He showed it to Park Jungwan.
“Lee Seo-jun, Park Minye, good work. You can return to your seats and rest.”
“Yes.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded and sat down on the ground with Jang Ye.
A handsome guy and a beautiful girl sitting together—it looked like a scene straight out of a painting.
Judging from their conversation, they seemed to have gotten pretty close.
I glanced at Choi Seo-yoon.
Surprisingly, she didn’t seem interested in them at all and was instead looking at her smart student notebook.
But her expression seemed a bit serious.
‘I know what this is about.’
This was the beginning of an episode related to Choi Seo-yoon, one that had also occurred in the original story.
The Choi family, one of the five great magical noble houses, had many enemies.
Especially her father, Choi Jae-hyung—his ruthless nature didn’t allow anyone to stand in his way, which naturally earned him plenty of foes.
Some of those enemies, seeking revenge on Choi Jae-hyung, had devised a plan to use his only daughter, Choi Seo-yoon.
Some of them even included dark mages, making the situation especially dangerous.
She had probably sensed the strange movements around her recently and reported it to the Mage Association.
But judging by her reaction, she must have just received a message saying the investigation was closed with no findings.
“Something bothering you?”
“…Huh? No, not at all.”
At my question, Choi Seo-yoon looked up from her notebook and gave me her usual fake smile.
But I could feel the anxiety behind her eyes.
“I can tell something’s up.”
“Would you help me if something were wrong?”
Choi Seo-yoon met my eyes directly and asked.
I stared at her for a moment before answering.
“Who knows?”
At my response, Choi Seo-yoon looked dumbfounded.
“What kind of answer is that?”
I simply shrugged instead of replying.
I wanted her to rely on Lee Seo-jun rather than me.
And I was also worried that getting involved might create unexpected butterfly effects that could lead to trouble.
Not understanding my reasoning, Choi Seo-yoon let out a deep sigh.
“Forget it. You’re so cold.”
She pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
I just let out a meaningless laugh.
Late at night.
In the pitch-black hideout of the Ten Demon Lords, a vortex of mana began to form.
The swirling energy gradually took the shape of a man.
The man walked steadily through the darkness and eventually stopped before a grand, ornate throne.
A man lazily seated on the throne—the King—spoke.
“Seong jin. What brings you here at this hour?”
“I have a report regarding the Demon’s Great Barrier.”
Seong jin, the King’s loyal servant and an S-rank dark mage, knelt before him.
The King gazed at him before speaking.
“Go on.”
“After investigating, I discovered that the testing ground where the Demon’s Great Barrier was set up had no surveillance cameras. In the end, I had to rely on rumors to track down information.”
“And?”
“At the time, most of the 18-year-old students were engaged in personal training, preparing for their second-year mock battles, which were scheduled two hours later. But after gathering intelligence from journalists and guild scouts, I managed to identify a single 18-year-old who was present in the test site.”
The King narrowed his eyes.
“Who is it?”
“Lee Seo-jun.”
“…Lee Seo-jun?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The King fell silent, deep in thought.
“Lee Seo-jun… That’s the same Lee Seo-jun I’m thinking of, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…I never imagined he would be the one with the power of the Demon Slayer.”
Lee Seo-jun.
Even among dark mages, his name was well known.
He was rumored to have the greatest magical talent in history.
But soon, a grin spread across the King’s face.
“Haha. Hahaha… I finally found him…”
The prophecy of the previous Demon King—his curse.
The King had always feared it.
He still couldn’t forget the final words his predecessor had spoken before his death.
—”Next year, a human with the power to slay demons will be born into this world. That human will bring about your ruin. You will live in fear, never knowing when you will die, until the day you finally perish…”
‘What nonsense.’
The previous Demon King had claimed that a human with the power to destroy demons would bring about his downfall.
But after years of searching, he had finally found this so-called Demon Slayer.
The prophecy was wrong.
No matter how much of a prodigy Lee Seo-jun was, killing an 18-year-old human was easier than breathing.
‘…I have won.’
Lee Seo-jun.
As long as he died, I would be eternal.
—Jin, how’s Lee Seo-jun?
“He’s doing fine, as always.”
—That’s good. You’re keeping an eye on him, right?
“Of course. No need to worry.”
Inside a high-end apartment near the Mage Academy, a man called Jin sat on the couch, sipping wine as he spoke on the phone.
“By the way, Bert, you looked great in that photo. Saw it in the news.”
—What are you talking about? I was squinting in one eye like an idiot. That picture is so annoying.
Hearing Bert’s irritated voice, Jin burst into laughter.
“Kukuku. Oh, did you check the article comments?”
—Yeah. People are saying Jaun isn’t as threatening as before or whatever. Just a bunch of nonsense.
“They’ll only understand once they’re all dead. Am I right?”
Jin’s lips curled into a cruel smile.
—By the way, we’ll be heading to Korea soon.
“Huh? Already?”
—Yeah. Ever since my picture got out, the Mage Association has been in an uproar. They’re searching for us like crazy. So, we’ll lay low for a while and just keep an eye on Lee Seo-jun.
“Hmm.” Jin nodded.
A break didn’t sound bad. There was no need to rush things.
Thirteen years ago, Jaun had suffered a bitter failure.
They had lost their one true god, and their members had been scattered or killed.
But Jaun had learned from that failure. They would never repeat the same mistakes.
“By the way, you haven’t forgotten about the meal you owe me, right?”
—Jeez, why are you so obsessed with food when you’re loaded with money?
“If someone’s treating, I gotta take full advantage. Let’s have crab. I’ve been craving shellfish lately.”
—Ugh… Fine. I’ll get the biggest one.
“Hehe. I’m looking forward to it.”
Leave a Reply