Ancestor Ex Machina
~20 minutes ago~
At the edge of the Park Myeong-gwan staff room, Jang Han-nam's desk. The rumor that he was the school's biggest softie for his wife turned out to be true—several framed photos of him with his much smaller wife sat proudly on his work desk.
"Yeah, I think your idea's the most efficient too. Got it. We'll put the TV there. I'll move it tonight."
Sitting in front of it, Jang Han-nam had his filial piety phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, deep in conversation with his wife about decorating their new home. He carefully wiped the frames with a soft cloth using both hands, a constant happy smile on his face utterly unlike the one he showed in class.
A moment later, he ended the long call and glanced at the wall clock.
The empty staff room. The meeting was about to start. The other teachers must have already headed to Park Myeong-gwan.
"Gotta hurry."
Official Directive
Chairman’s Seal
Jang Han-nam: Stand by on the rooftop.
As he rose from his seat—whirr—the fax machine in the corner spat out a single A4 sheet.
"Hm?"
The official document bore the chairman's seal—he'd been away on a business trip a few days ago. It instructed him to wait on the rooftop, with his name on it.
He had no idea why the chairman had singled him out for rooftop standby, but considering the eccentric stunts he'd pulled with teachers before, this was downright tame. Jang Han-nam quietly recalled the past demands and assumed there was some reason behind this one too.
He left the staff room and hurried to the rooftop, never suspecting the document was a fake cooked up by some reckless second-year student. Nor did he know his filial piety phone had sent bogus texts to this year's top entrants while he was talking to his wife.
* * *
Yeom Jin-gwan withdrew the remaining low-grade wraiths to safety and decided to observe.
"This should cover my meeting excuse. The vice-chairman will understand."
Jang Han-nam strode straight toward the hidden door without hesitation, his face relaxed. Yeom couldn't fathom how he'd pinpointed the final anchor point—and didn't care to.
"There's still... still a way...!"
The heretic's banner shared the mid-grade wraith guarding the anchor point's senses with Yeom.
-Roooaaarrr!!
The wraith protecting the last vine root was the priciest one he'd bought from the Bastards.
"Can't even see my cute student's face and have to deal with a wraith instead. Inefficient."
Jang Han-nam's movements showed no hesitation.
-Thud
-Crack
A tattered old uniform appeared over his body, the floor cratered beneath him, and in the next instant, he vanished from sight.
Moving at eye-defying speed to the wraith's flank, he threw a punch. The sheer wind pressure tore the wraith's body like paper.
"Thought a mid-grade wraith would be tougher. Surprising."
Yeom Jin-gwan, watching through the scattering wraith's eyes, chuckled softly.
-Whoosh...
"Hm?"
The dispersed body reformed in the distance. A sneer curled Yeom's lips.
This wraith's body—minus the outer shell—was all gas. No matter how much Spirit Descent boosted physical prowess, physical attacks wouldn't land.
"Hoo."
Jang Han-nam whistled appreciatively and charged again.
-Wham-bam!!
His fists and kicks rained down like hail on the wraith three times his size, but his face gradually hardened.
His near-perfect hard-body technique, honed by extreme Spirit Descent, amplified durability and strength further. The translucent True Spirit Armor in the form of an old uniform boosted sync with Podojang Jang Bung-ik, sharpening his motions.
-Groooaaarrr...!
Yet Jang Han-nam's attacks left no mark. Every hit that seemed to connect dispersed the wraith like mist, only for it to regenerate.
"Heh heh..."
A low chuckle escaped Yeom Jin-gwan.
"So the rumor was true after all."
This time, the voice echoed from the linked wraith's mouth via the heretic's banner.
"Jin-gwan, huh. Where you watching from? Wanna chat with your teacher?"
Jang Han-nam spoke as kindly as he could, but Yeom ignored him.
"Heard an interesting story. Class A homeroom teacher Jang Han-nam can't use Spirit Lord Transformation."
-Twitch
Yeom didn't miss the vein bulging on Jang's forehead.
"First time hearing that nonsense. Who's spreading it?"
"No use playing dumb. We're certain. You emphasize Spirit Descent and efficiency to hide—"
The wraith's lips curved slyly.
"—your inability to use Spirit Lord Transformation and the complex it causes. Right?"
"......"
"Awkward. Wrong opponent for that. I don't think this wraith can take you down, but stalling so you can't smash the anchor point? Easy."
-Ooze...
The wraith spewing Yeom's voice shifted to mist and surged at Jang Han-nam. Killing intent poured from every particle, aiming to invade his airways and shred his organs.
Hold your breath? Limits. He'd suffocate before fighting properly.
"Efficiency doesn't save lives in real combat? You're proving it yourself!!!"
Yeom was certain of victory. Even without a kill, holding the anchor a few minutes achieved his goal.
"Spirit Lord Trans—"
His arrogance narrowed his vision.
"Captain PODO."
The moment Jang Han-nam uttered it, a colossal figure materialized behind him.
-Rumble rumble rumble...
So unreal, Yeom—watching the rooftop anchor through the wraith's eyes—mistook it for a wall at first. Only when shadow fell over it did the wraith look up, and Yeom sighed through its eyes.
"This is..."
A massive upper body towered like a pillar behind Jang Han-nam.
"I don't favor Spirit Lord Transformation because power control's tricky—inefficient unless absolutely necessary."
The steel Podojang radiated ancestor power thick enough to fill the rooftop.
-Hiss!!
Smoke from its joints reeked of heavy oil. Thick hemp rope in left hand, studded club in right, its face gleamed with mechanical coldness.
Captain PODO
"Receive... the rope... of sin."
The heavy engine rumble formed words from the giant's mouth.
-Whirr...
Motors roared as the Podojang's eyes glared down at the wraith—like a human eyeing a bug.
No Spirit Descent or variant could produce something like this.
"For efficiency, upper body only today. Class is in session."
-Snap!
As the wraith hesitated, Captain PODO's rope lashed out, binding it. Yeom ordered mist-form escape, but the red hemp held firm—Spirit Lord Transformation's rope fixed the spirit body, preventing shifts.
"How... exactly..."
"Sorry as your homeroom teacher for not earning your trust—believing rumors over me."
Jang Han-nam swept back his short sporty hair and raised the studded club at his waist. Captain PODO mimicked perfectly.
"Lesson 1. As I always say, efficiency doesn't save lives in combat. Because—"
He swung his right arm lightly. Five rocket engines on Captain PODO's massive club ignited in unison.
The ultra-heavy blow cleaved air, plummeting toward the rope-bound wraith's head.
-BOOOOM!!!!
Shattered concrete flew, clouding vision—but only briefly. Dust settled, revealing the spot. Jang Han-nam nodded in satisfaction.
The spirit core shattered under the mechanical giant's strike, severing the vine root behind. Perfectly controlled to spare the rooftop floor, yet potent enough to instantly kill a mid-grade wraith.
"—efficiency is for cutting the enemy's throat."
With the short lesson done, Captain PODO vanished behind him.
* * *
All anchor points destroyed, the erosion space's fix weakened visibly.
-Hummm!
Soon, a massive vibration hit. Distorted Park Myeong-gwan snapped back to normal.
"The school's back to normal!!"
Students cheering past me in the hall. Vine roots still choked everywhere, blocking exits, but with most wraiths gone and the twisted interiors restored, they were relieved.
But no time to relax. We'd foiled the enemy's plan, but my job wasn't over.
"Gotta catch him before he slips away."
The moment I heard Jang Han-nam smashed the last anchor, I left the group and followed Kim Yun-ju's guidance to track Yeom Jin-gwan.
-Bang!
-Screeech!
Each Tonnerre trigger-pull echoed with wraith shrieks down the hall. Yeom's last gasp? Stragglers lunged from blind spots, but my ace navigator warned me ahead, letting me blast them all.
The concentrated spirit flow has broken. Seems they've halted their work.
"Planning to bolt already."
The few remaining wraiths clustered here to buy Yeom time to retrieve his Reverse Ethics Armament and escape the auditorium.
Pointless thrashing, though.
Found him...! Came up from underground, heading for the back door!
Don't let him go. Gemma fumed overhead as I bolted down the stairs. Far ahead, a glossy, shining bald head gleamed.
Black flames rippling above it.
No doubt. Even in the dark erosion space, that curse-blaze from his stigma burned clear—the mark of a world-law-defying traitor.
-Click
I chambered a slug round forged from ancestor power into Tonnerre, then bellowed at Yeom Jin-gwan's back with all my lungs.
"Jin-gwaaaaaan!!! Bring back some choco sky breaaaaad!!!"