Something's Odd Today
The overall sparring event at the academy was a kind of surprise event for students—something like a sudden festival.
I knew something was happening at the academy today because of the very reason the academy existed.
Why the world power of Korea had handed over so much power to the academy and the association.
It was all for the prosperity of our motherland.
Legna Academy was Korea’s top hero training institution and a multinational school that welcomed not only Koreans but also foreigners and even members of the martial world. But even if it was multinational, it sat firmly in Korea, so there were bound to be more Koreans than anyone else.
The students who entered the academy were gathered from the cream of the cream among geniuses. Their growth would directly bolster national strength, and those from other countries who remained even a little bit after graduation would still contribute to Korea. That was why the government poured resources into supporting the academy.
But did that mean the government gave the academy support without any interference? Of course not. The government had a lot of influence over the academy. And this sparring was probably going to be heavily influenced by the government’s hand as well.
Graduates of the academy had four main options.
One was to become a hunter or a hero.
Another was to join the association as staff.
The third was to enter one of the guilds that controlled more than half of Korea’s power.
And the last, though rare, was to become a government official.
I had heard that some graduates did go into the underworld—becoming villains instead of heroes—but that was the exception, not the rule. Roughly one in a hundred.
No matter what, because the academy students had choices, the students’ sparring became a target of interest for the guilds, the government, and the association. Professors, scouts, and officials sent from each group would be watching the academy’s sparring closely.
It was a way of scouting for talent ahead of time—sifting through the decent students.
It was an event that happened at the academy, Korea’s premier hero training institution, with scouts from the various guilds and the association, including the big four guilds. You couldn’t help but know about it, even if you didn’t want to.
*I didn’t learn about it because of that...*
The only reason I knew about today’s incident—the first event at the academy, the Dungeon Erosion Incident—was because of Yuna, my childhood friend and the woman I loved and would love for the rest of my life. She had been swept up in a dungeon erosion event with no warning, and I had learned about it through some means.
*Damn it... I was too complacent.*
Lately I had been staying up to date on rapidly changing futures and focusing on the events I could see coming, but I had completely missed the one right in front of me.
Most importantly, knowing that a dungeon erosion was going to happen didn’t let me prepare for it. Dungeon erosion was a phenomenon where dungeons literally corroded the surrounding land. Unlike the usual signs before a dungeon spawn, erosion happened with no warning at all—anywhere, anytime.
It was terrifying.
It felt like the world around me had gone silent, everyone else had vanished into the distance, and I was completely isolated. Because of the changed future, the events were unpredictable. I had already caused many changes to the future, and now I had to protect one small person—Yuna—in this vast academy space from a dungeon erosion that could strike at any moment, of any size, because of me.
But how?
Dungeon erosion was pure randomness—when, where, and how it would happen. The future had already been changed by my intervention, so events were being pushed forward or delayed. Right now, how was I supposed to protect Yuna from this dungeon erosion?
No, was there even any guarantee that a dungeon erosion was actually going to happen today?
What if I was wrong? If the full story of the dungeon erosion incident differed from what I knew, what was I supposed to do?
And would I even be able to protect Yuna? If my interference caused her to die in the erosion, what was I supposed to do then?
I had come to the academy for two reasons. One was to gather the seeds that hadn’t bloomed yet and use them in the war against the Celestials. But that was secondary. The real reason I had entered the academy was to protect Yuna.
And now, if Yuna suffered severe injuries but survived, and then my intervention caused her death... what kind of life was I supposed to live afterward?
What in the world was I supposed to do?
I just needed to protect Yuna’s bright smile.
So Yuna, don’t get hurt. Because I’m already torn to pieces.
It was enough.
The sparring was supposed to be a sudden shock for the students today, but the professors who had received the news in this morning’s meeting were just as surprised.
“Ah, actually~ I just remembered that today the first-year students are doing sparring. Please take note~”
“What?! Principal! You’re telling us such important news on the actual day!”
The other homeroom professors who had attended the morning meeting yesterday were naturally shocked and tried to complain to the principal...
“Heh heh, I guess getting older makes me forget things.”
But the principal’s shameless pose—cute and fluffy like a cartoon, sticking out his tongue—shut everyone up.
It was sudden, true, but honestly I didn’t feel too worried.
*It’s not like I have anything to worry about. Cheon-seong, that monster of a guy, is in my class. Besides, I should be worried about the opponents, not my own students.*
Of course, he had said he wouldn’t use demonic energy in front of others, but that didn’t mean his strength would disappear.
Even if it didn’t, the top and second-place students in the Korean section of this academy were both in my class, and there were plenty of Lucinus students as well.
So maybe I wasn’t the one who should be worried about my own class. Maybe I should be worried about the students who would be sparring against Cheon-seong, the top and second.
Well, the sparring was in a tournament format, and the professors in charge of choosing opponents weren’t me anyway.
Students from the same class could still spar with each other, but somehow the thought of watching Cheon-seong suffer because of restrictions sounded kind of fun.
*Besides that, though, it was going to be boring.*
Clang! KRRRANG!!
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Kim Woo-chan, fight!!”
“Rogie, fight!!”
The sparring had already started. I could see a few of the students I was in charge of in the ring, but honestly, none of them impressed me.
“Yo~ Ryu-ssi.”
“Professor Aren. What’s the matter?”
“I was just bored, that’s all.”
The combat professor, Professor Aren. A pure fighter who lived for battle and enjoyed sparring against stronger opponents even if he lost.
When I first became a professor at the academy, I had applied to spar, but I hadn’t properly tempered my strength yet, so the request was rejected. But when I kept insisting—offering money if necessary—he finally agreed to fight. That kind of person walking over to me now...
“I wonder if you have something you want from me. Are you here for another spar?”
“No~ It’s nothing like that. I just wanted to build some friendly rapport with Ryu-ssi.”
“You’re not the kind of person I know as Professor Aren, so I’d like to hear what it is you want.”
At my words, Professor Aren scratched his head awkwardly and leaned back against the railing.
“Actually, I like that kid Cheon-seong in your class... So, but...”
“No.”
“Eh... I didn’t finish my sentence yet?”
Aren blinked in surprise when Ryu Se-rin answered without letting him finish speaking.
“If you want to take him as your student, forget it. He’s not someone who can become anyone’s student.”
If it was the Cheon-seong I knew, he would never put himself under anyone’s control. If someone stood above him, he would bite their throat out like a wild beast. Right now he was just a wild beast crouched low, waiting to build up his strength.
But
“Ah, it’s not that. I know Cheon-seong already has a master, but I wanted to get closer to him. I was wondering if maybe you know someone he likes.”
“...What? A master? You say he has one?”
Cheon-seong had a master.
And Professor Aren knew a fact that even I didn’t.