The Calamity Descends
One day before the disaster fell, Gi Juseon was developing the Magic Armor at an astonishing speed. Once Lee Seokhyun filled the gaps in his execution, nothing could hold him back.
"I... I want to sleep."
"Everything's splitting into two..."
"No, that's actually two separate things."
"Huh? Oh... then I guess I can still work a bit more."
Of course, the research students were being worked to the bone in the process, but that was a price worth paying. Even though there was no strict time limit on the research, Gi Juseon ran like a man with nothing left to lose. The talent to pour everything into a goal once it appeared—he possessed the most essential virtue a researcher could have, more than anyone else.
"More! Push harder! The frame is done, so now we just need to connect the mana circuits!"
With solid steel, Forenta wood, a professor and students capable of mana forging, and Lee Seokhyun's blueprints as the final touch that made everything possible, the only remaining barrier was time. Feeling himself drawing closer to his dream with every passing moment, Gi Juseon threw himself into development with the resolve to grind his bones and flesh into the work.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang!
"No, not that way! When you do it like that, you have to twist your wrist slightly so the mana spreads evenly."
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
Barktor and Kim Seokcheol had also joined Gi Juseon's development after hearing his enthusiasm and request. 'I never thought Gi Juseon would ask for help.' Barktor in particular had never shown much interest in this sort of thing and had a packed schedule, yet he was participating anyway. The usually distant professor, who would hole up in his lab no matter what anyone said, had suddenly come to him with a request. On top of that, Barktor had found the Magic Armor blueprints genuinely fascinating. There were more than a few points that needed correction and supplementation, but those were issues that would naturally resolve themselves as development progressed. 'It's truly an incredible piece of work.' He couldn't help but admire both Gi Juseon and Lee Seokhyun for coming up with something like this. Until now, he had only ever forged items on commission—never once had he attempted anything so creative himself. That was why the feeling ran even deeper. A weapon that had never existed anywhere and would never appear again, being forged by his own hands. That was what stirred Barktor's emotions and brought him to this point. 'An armor-type weapon that covers the entire left arm... the fact that it can provide both protection and offense at the same time is truly appealing.' It wasn't just a good balance of offense and defense—it was an ideal weapon that excelled at both. Though it was still small enough to be called handcuffs rather than armor, Barktor was already beside himself with excitement. 'Once it's complete, it'll be extraordinary.' The real question was whether anyone could actually use it. Swallowing his doubts, Barktor picked up his hammer again. The completion of the Magic Armor prototype was drawing near.
A few hours before the disaster fell, the one who sensed the signs of calamity faster than anyone else was Woo Dohyun, a first-year at Mirinae Academy. Not the headmaster, not the professors, not the upperclassmen—just the first-year Woo Dohyun. His innate talent with the sword, combined with the ability to read malice connected to blades, allowed him to precisely detect the presence of demons. 'What is this?' But Woo Dohyun, who had no experience with this kind of thing, only sensed that something was off—he couldn't clearly understand what it meant. It was like sounding a fire alarm over and over to someone who didn't even know what fire was. Woo Dohyun knew it was dangerous, but he didn't know what exactly was dangerous or how to respond. 'Should I tell someone?' That something ominous was about to fall from the sky? That it seemed like it was going to happen? To whom? And how should he convey it? The flood of questions in his mind clouded his judgment and made it difficult to reach the best conclusion.
"Um... Professor Gainard?"
"Yes, Student Woo Dohyun. What is it?"
"Something ominous... seems like it's going to fall from the sky."
Rather than waste time agonizing over it alone, Woo Dohyun quickly relayed the information to Gainard. "Hmm?" Unfortunately, Gainard couldn't grasp what Woo Dohyun meant. If Lee Seokhyun hadn't existed and Woo Dohyun had shown extraordinary talent beyond combat, rising to prominence just a month after enrollment, Gainard might have seriously considered his words and passed the information upward. But with Lee Seokhyun's exceptional presence casting a shadow over Woo Dohyun, he was merely an outstanding student with innate talent for the sword. His age—just seventeen and newly enrolled—and the fact that his brilliance was limited to swordsmanship made his vague words difficult to take seriously. 'Is he feeling anxious because he hasn't been here long?' Even if Lee Seokhyun had said the same thing, Gainard would have reached the same conclusion without solid evidence. Right now, Woo Dohyun was showing nothing but unease without any explanation, so it was dismissed as simple homesickness. 'That's understandable.' Recalling his own younger days when he would sometimes feel emotionally shaken while looking at the sky and missing his parents, Gainard nodded. Still young, Woo Dohyun felt his worries ease the moment he saw the respected professor nod with that warm, knowing gaze. In that very moment when his sense of foreboding was dismissed as a minor incident because he couldn't properly explain it, they had effectively lost their final chance to prepare for the coming disaster.
"This is too exciting! How did we manage to look down on Mirinae Academy without getting caught?"
"The view is amazing. If I'd been born in a place like this with a house of my own, I wouldn't have ended up this miserable!"
"Peschino! Peschino! Where's the rose sandwich I left in the sky yesterday to eat later?"
"Ah, I stored it separately. Shall I bring it now?"
"Hand it over right now, you useless bastard! You should present things like this before I even have to ask!"
I'm going to die. The mid-grade demon Peschino swallowed his complaints and diligently attended to the high-grade demons. There were roughly twenty minutes left until they reached Mirinae Academy. Until then, these damned high-grade demons seemed determined to squeeze every last drop of service out of him. 'These bastards who got lucky and became high-grade demons... Once this is over, I'll be a high-grade demon too!' How long had it taken him to bow his head to an existence whose face he couldn't even see properly, just to plan and execute this? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Peschino had invested nearly everything to activate this Death Meteor carrying hundreds of demons. The grueling task of delivering so many people without triggering Mirinae Academy's barrier!
"Peschino! Come to think of it, I heard you bought Ungbak's testicles at the black market! Hand them over! I have far more use for them than you do, so why did you buy something like that?"
"Yes, hehe... You're right... I'll have them ready as soon as this is over."
"Good! Of course you will."
"You're really bullying Peschino too much. I don't need that stuff, so give me a massage instead. If it hurts, I'll kill you."
"Of course, hehe."
These trash didn't understand a thing. Even in a society where power determined rank, these bastards took it too far. 'I'll definitely kill them.' Once he became a high-grade demon and reached the peak of his power, he would slaughter them all and drink wine from their skulls. The scope of his killing didn't stop at Mirinae Academy students. He'd heard that the power boost from devouring other high-grade demons was enormous. Dreaming of a hopeful future, Peschino looked down. 'Those idiots laughing without knowing a thing.' Having become a demon, Peschino possessed exceptional vision thanks to his extremely trained body. He could see Mirinae Academy clearly below. The pleasure and ecstasy of tearing apart those bright, innocent children, followed by the sweet rewards that would come after—every single part of it was an exquisite delicacy he couldn't bear to miss. A bright smile spread across his face. Crack. And then he met his death.
"How annoying. Why can't this bastard hide his true feelings? It's written all over his face."
"That's only because you can read minds."
"I can see it, so what! Are you saying I can actually read everything? There really are some bastards whose intentions are just too obvious! The kind who practically beg you to read their minds!"
The high-grade demons didn't even blink at the death of the one who had been assisting them for days. Instead, they looked as if his death was only natural and kicked Peschino's corpse downward in disgust. "How dare he try to mingle with high-grade demons? You can see right through him—he's probably thinking he'll kill us too if he gets the chance!" "Don't get worked up. We're about to enter. Five seconds until entry." "Four." "Three." Two. One. As the countdown and the dwindling time vanished, a massive roar engulfed the high-grade demons. BOOOOOOM! Kyaaaaaaaah! Along with the thunderous noise came the screams of fresh, young sprouts. It was the signal that the disaster had fallen.