The Darkness's Jealousy
Deep in the abyssal darkness of the Void Abyss, a writhing shadow stirred, devouring its own kind and swelling larger with every swallow.
The darkness watched someone from the narrow sliver of light that alone pierced the pitch of the Abyss.
【You seem so incredibly happy. Even enviably so....】
The darkness owner observed Cheon Seong conversing with Yuna in that space.
【This is the life you, the elemental, always wished for, isn't it?】
The shadow owner colored the Abyss itself, turning its void into his own empty darkness.
【Why not give up...? Why refuse to let the endless pain break you?】
The shadow owner's hand reached toward the light.
Slurp...
Though the darkness met and vanished into the light, it still caressed the silhouette of Cheon Seong reflected upon it and whispered.
【How much more pain will you endure...? How long will this curse drag on? I'm curious....
The surrounding darkness repeatedly swallowed and obliterated the light, and countless dark veins slowly began to infiltrate.
【And I wonder whether you can be saved this time. It makes me want to laugh until I die.】
The light slowly shrinking under the darkness changed those it illuminated.
Beautiful raven-black hair, and eyes like amber that preserved an eternal glow. An ugly woman, black clothes draped over her shoulders, laughed and played with a young girl wearing fox ears as white as silver hair.
【Beatrice.... I look forward to seeing what face you will show me this time.】
Krrrrrkkk!
Kiriririr!
The darkness writhed, rising up, eyes gleaming with the sight of Beatrice, and a terrifying smile split its face wide.
【Shall I show you despair? Or shall I show you hope?】
Kurururur!
Kiriririr!
All the surrounding darkness converged, embracing the light and shrinking its size, and the master of the deepest darkness spoke.
【No matter what expression you wear, I will enjoy it and look forward to it until I die, Beatrice. So please.... suffer even more.】
After the shadow owner finished speaking, the surrounding darkness scattered and vanished, leaving behind in that place...
.
.
.
.
Nothing.
A blinding flash of teleportation light erupted. Intense vertigo crashed over everyone.
“Ugh! Oww!! Uweeeek!!”
“Uweeeek!!”
“W-what the hell... ugh! Uwekk!!”
Many vomited from the sudden wave of dizziness.
Though my face tightened in annoyance at the nausea, there was no time to hesitate.
“Yuna, wait just a moment.”
Before I fully steadied myself, I summoned white mana and chanted a purification spell aimed at Yuna's worsening expression from the teleportation sickness.
Four-star Purification Magic
Cure
Although Cure could purify almost any poison—except the venomous bite from the Dang family—it felt like an overkill for mere dizziness. But for me, knowing Yuna was suffering mattered far more.
“Cheon... Seong... thank you. I'm much better now.”
“You're not completely better yet. If standing is hard, I'll carry you.”
Even after using Cure, dizziness could never be fully eliminated, so I tried to support Yuna as she swayed, but she insisted she was fine and refused.
“Then at least lean on me. I'm worried as your lover.”
“...Yes.”
Yuna's face brightened to the point of blushing at my words. A pinkish glow spread between us. Had there been no one else there, it would have continued. But there were others.
“.....Stop teasing already and take care of me too...”
Yoo Hwa-young, who had avoided the teleportation sickness, approached with a deathly pale face and begged me to cast Cure on her as well.
“You figure it out.”
But I wasn't the one who would help Yoo Hwa-young's plea.
“Ugh... don't be so heartless... I can't cast White Magic at all....”
“Then just endure it. I'm enduring it too.”
Of course I was circulating white mana in my head to cure the nausea, but...
“You're lying... ugh! Pleeeease, just once...”
Finally, Yoo Hwa-young couldn't hold back the contents rising in her stomach and began vomiting.
“You... you... uweeeek!! You're not letting me go...”
Yoo Hwa-young glared at me with resentment, but who could have guessed she couldn't even cast basic Cure?
“Hwa... Hwa-young, are you okay?”
“Huh? How are you so fine?”
I asked as Dang Hwa-ran, who had come to pat my back, blushed and answered.
“T-that's because... since I was a child, I've eaten a lot of poison to build immunity... so this much dizziness doesn't bother me at all.”
I didn't know why her face was flushing, but assuming it was because of the shame of being raised on poison since childhood, I nodded with a murmur of “I see.”
Indeed, as the direct bloodline of the Dang family's poison-using family head, she had likely consumed countless poisons since childhood to develop immunity, making this level of dizziness nothing.
“Ugh.... Cheon Seong, you jerk! Was casting Cure that painful for you?!”
“Eh. I thought it was worth it.”
“At times like this, even a white lie saying it's not worth it!!”
“......”
“Shut up!!”
I ignored Yoo Hwa-young's whining beside me and scanned the surroundings.
There was only one massive training hall, and within it, a single professor.
“Everyone, line up in teams of about four!”
Those quick to assess the situation began moving immediately.
“What if it's me and—”
“I only have supporters here—”
“Someone who can attack—!”
Many people moved, and many were annoyed.
“What if you don't have a team? Come to our side.”
“Not that side, ours is better!”
“Our side is—”
“Our side is better than yours—”
Yuna's beauty had some men surrounding her, chattering and begging her to join their team.
“Hey. Move.”
“Y-you... y-yes, please let me pass.”
One man blocking the way glared at me, but when I let out a faint killing intent, he immediately yielded the path and scurried away from Yuna.
“Let's go, Yuna.”
I was about to grab her hand and leave when someone grabbed me.
“W-why are you suddenly inserting yourself?! We were the ones who first made an offer to this lady.....”
“Boyfriend.”
“Eh?”
“I'm Yuna's boyfriend.”
The man froze, eyes darting between me and Yuna as if in disbelief.
I kissed her on the lips.
Smack!
“If you understood, now get out. Don't eye-fuck someone else's girlfriend.”
The man immediately loosened his grip.
Yuna's face was still blushing, and as I led her away, I pointed at the countless others receiving recruitment offers just like Yuna, while also indicating Yoo Hwa-young and Dang Hwa-ran who were receiving them in equal measure.
“If you want to flirt with women, go to the empty side over there. And it's disgusting, so stop standing around staring at someone else's woman before I break you.”
Pointing at the crotch of the man who had already erected his penis since seeing Yuna, he fled with shame flooding his face.
“Let's go, Yuna.”
“Uh... y-yes.”
Yuna, still lost in the afterglow of the kiss, touched her lips and nodded, then someone grabbed me again as I tried to find suitable teammates for her.
“Who is it again... what do you want now?”
The man grabbing me was not some lecherous youth enamored with Yuna's beauty, but Yoo Hwa-young, who was aggressively appealing by shouting “I'm angry with you!”
“Not with you—it's with Yuna! I said I'd spend the whole day with Yuna today!”
Yoo Hwa-young, clearly sulking because I hadn't cast Cure for her...
But whether I should accept it was not my decision to make.
“What will you do, Yuna?”
“Uh... y-yes? I-I'm... fine.”
Though she said she was fine, anyone could see her expression was a lie.
“Hwa-young, do as you please.”
“Eh? You're not interfering?”
Yoo Hwa-young asked as if surprised I had so easily allowed it, forgetting her own sulk.
“Yuna wants it, so why should I interfere. I'll bring Dang Hwa-ran over too, so you can spend time with her.”
Honestly, I didn't really like Dang Hwa-ran, but taking action against something Yuna wanted wasn't nearly enough.
The crowd surrounding Yuna and Yoo Hwa-young gathered and pressed toward Dang Hwa-ran, who was desperately seeking teammates, with killing intent.
“Everyone, step aside.”
With killing intent radiating, the crowd surrounding Dang Hwa-ran parted like Moses' miracle.
“Let's go, Yuna is waiting.”
“Eh...? Ah.. oh!”
The man who had enthusiastically answered my gesture to follow Dang Hwa-ran rushed over and stood beside me.
“Let's start like this.”
“Alright, Cheon Seong.”
“Let's cheer up! Yahoo!!”
Although there were two annoying guys, both were skilled enough that I could avoid drawing attention and, more importantly, because it was something Yuna liked, it was enough.
So, while waiting for the start of the third test and talking with Yoo Hwa-young and Dang Hwa-ran, an unpleasant mana owner approached.
“Excuse me, if it doesn't trouble you, could you accept me into the team as well?”
A smile that looked like a good person and a voice that seemed to charm women—Cheon Yu-seong.
Cheon Yu-seong had approached Yuna and asked if he could join the team.
“Um, that might be a bit difficult....”
“Wait a second.”
Yuna tried to refuse, but someone blocked her words.
“Cheon Seong? What is it?”
The one who stopped Yuna's words was surprisingly Cheon Seong himself.
“There's no problem with it. Welcome.”
“...Ah. Thank you.”
Cheon Yu-seong was surprised that Cheon Seong, who had been eliminated in the first round, had made it to the third. But he quickly controlled his expression and answered.
Cheon Seong smiled at those words and looked at Cheon Yu-seong, who suddenly felt a chill down his spine and looked around.
The source of the chill stood right in front of him.
Cheon Yu-seong's intentions were obvious.
No matter who looked, he was trying to make contact with Yuna somehow.
If not, he wouldn't have said such trash to me before regression.
【What? I was supposed to make Yuna my harem? He dares...】
The guy had been spouting nonsense before regression about turning Yuna into one of his lovers, but that was now just his delusion that could never come true.
Yuna's lover was me, and even if Yuna left me, I would never send her to that Cheon Yu-seong bastard, even if the world ended.
【So go ahead and get humiliated.】
Completely unaware that the Yuna he targeted already had a master, the guy had to get humiliated in front of many people.
Anticipating the start of the third test soon, Cheon Seong prepared to humiliate Cheon Yu-seong.
“The third test will probably involve dueling with the academy professor. Follow my instructions.”
“....Is it really necessary for you to give instructions?”
Cheon Yu-seong protested, insisting I didn't need to give orders even though I said I would.
【Of course. Given his personality, he wouldn't obey anyone's command.】
This guy had never been the type to follow orders before regression; he was the one giving them.
So I had expected him to object to my opinion, but there was no one on his side here, and the others sided with me.
“We'll do that, Cheon Seong.”
“I agree too~ I'm not good at commanding though~~”
“I-I agree as well....”
“...Then I'll go along with that as well.”
Everyone agreed with my opinion, so Cheon Yu-seong answered with a sullen face that he would too.
The preparation was complete.
“It seems we've all formed teams. Now I'll explain the third test. The final test is a duel against the professor. The passing criteria vary by professor, but be aware that whether you pass or fail is determined individually within the team.”
At the right moment, the professor also seemed ready to start the test.
【Now is when the plan truly begins.】
A simple plan, but for the arrogant Cheon Yu-seong, it was the start of a truly fatal revenge.
