Pure White, Pitch Black

Seo Gayeon was smiling, bright and radiant.

In the Tower of Ordeals, those who failed to distinguish themselves earned no rewards. Even so, her smile was utterly pure.

"Sorry."

"Hm? Oh — you mean you're giving me your reward? I'm fine, really."

Seo Gayeon smiled faintly. "I've received far more than my share already. I'm just happy I can be of help to you like this, Seoha."

Perhaps because my Star Constellation Eyes were still active, I could see her state all the more clearly. She meant every word of it.

And then, unbidden, I remembered — the reason I had fallen for Seo Gayeon a second time.

In this world, perfect good and perfect evil barely existed. Kim Seohyun, forced into the role of the righteous, had spent every day agonizing over whether the justice she protected was truly right. Hong Yuhwa had a route where her usurpation failed, where she was betrayed by the very people she trusted, where she fell to darkness in the end. Seo Yebin believed, absolutely and without exception, that she alone was right — that she alone would save the world.

But Seo Gayeon was different. She never turned a blind eye to the evil that lived inside even goodness itself. Every one of the others had fallen, at least once, somewhere along their path. She alone never did.

"Seoha?"

"...Yeah. Let's go."

The moment we stepped outside, light burst forth — perhaps because my Star Constellation Eyes were still on. Within that brilliant golden glow, space warped and spat out its tribute.

Out came the same black neck pouch as last time. Elixirs, most likely. Which would suit me just fine — those I could usually feed to Seo Gayeon.

And from within it emerged one more item: a silver bracelet set with a diamond, a touch larger than the rest. I appraised it with Talent Reading.

I stopped mid-appraisal. The bracelet matched Seo Gayeon far too perfectly.

Did Seo Yebin have a hand in this?

The Tower of Ordeals was famous for tailoring its rewards to the challenger. But even so, it shouldn't have carried something this precise.

I opened the other pouch as well. Inside was a black bracelet — nothing like the one from Seo Yebin.

So they were meant to be a pair. Items designed to be used in tandem, as a combo. But the Pure White Bracelet belonged on Seo Gayeon's wrist, and the Black Bracelet was one I could put to far better use myself.

"Gayeon, the Pure White Bracelet looks like it suits you. What do you think?"

"I like whatever you give me, Seoha."

Not a sliver of doubt on her face. If anything, her expression said she'd gladly hand over the rest of her heart, too.

"Then this one it is."

I took the Pure White Bracelet and fastened it around Seo Gayeon's right arm. She was left-handed — and that arm was being saved for the grimoire that would make its home there at the upcoming weapon selection.

The Pure White Bracelet was a B-rank armament. She must have known it was far too lavish a prize for a single exam, because her face had gone scarlet.

I watched the scene with a fond smile.

"…………Am I supposed to be glad that this era's master is a man who seems capable of handling it all?"

Heukcheon said with a small sigh.

Hong Yuhwa let out a low sigh.

Kim Ara quietly steadied her breathing as she gazed down at what had been the Shadow Wolf. The bloodline ability Lee Seoha had taught her was, in a word, beyond imagination.

Primordial Force………………

It let her strike even things that did not, by nature, exist. It amplified the power she already possessed several times beyond what mana alone could ever grant. She could feel her skin growing tougher, her body hardening stronger by the day.

Unfortunately, her height had barely changed. Her arms and legs had lengthened a little, but her chest and hips had grown only slightly. Which was, if anything, more of a nuisance.

Kim Ara turned her gaze to the scoreboard. The rankings were already posted.

"We barely pulled that one off."

"We lost again."

At Kim Ara's words, Hong Yuhwa glared at the scoreboard with smoldering eyes. A twelve-minute gap. Even after playing the strongest combination she could devise, she had been left in Lee Seoha's dust once more.

And I was certain I'd win this time.

Kim Ara was a vanguard beyond anything she had imagined. More than Park Unhyeok... no — the attacks she unleashed with that strength were closer to a mage's full-power strike; to rank them alongside a warrior's blows would be an insult to her. And on top of that, her defense was absurdly high. Her only shortcoming was a slightly slower reaction speed, and even that could hardly be called a flaw — her movement was merely a shade slower than Park Unhyeok's.

And yet.

They had lost. Utterly, completely lost.

Lee Seoha had held that pace the entire way while carrying Seo Gayeon, who ranked a mere 700th.

Hong Yuhwa stepped outside with Kim Ara, smoldering eyes sweeping the crowd for her follower.

"G-good work out there, my lady."

"You have the recording of Lee Seoha and Seo Gayeon's run, don't you?"

"Yes."

Study your opponent, find their weakness, exploit it — the instructors would award points for exactly that kind of thing. Because these students were heroes who would one day have to stand against Villains. Heroes lived in the public eye; analyzing opponents and striking at their weaknesses like this earned bonus credit for the future.

"Hand it over."

"Y-yes, h-here you go."

Hong Yuhwa accepted the video and told Kim Ara she'd done well.

"How should we split the rewards?"

"Rewards? Oh."

The two of them checked what they'd been given: a length of red silk and a belt.

"Nice. First-grade Flame Silk, and a belt that boosts your acceleration in an instant."

Lee Seoha had crept up on them unnoticed, wearing the friendliest of smiles.

"...You can appraise items too?"

"Yeah. My eyes happen to be pretty good." He tapped a finger against his own eye.

"Well, if there's ever anything you want appraised, just call me anytime." He answered with a grin. Looking straight at Hong Yuhwa.

Hong Yuhwa's mood curdled. This time the winner was Lee Seoha, and he had come over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if to gloat about it.

No — this is proof he's conscious of me.

Hong Yuhwa gave a haughty nod.

"Instructor Seo Wooju, may we return to the dormitory?"

"Of course."

With Seo Wooju's blessing, Hong Yuhwa strode toward the dormitory, chin held high.

Then she flopped face-down onto the bed in her hundred-square-meter dorm suite... and lifted her gaze to the ceiling. Lee Seoha's handsome face — one corner of his mouth hooked up in that infuriating smirk — hung from one side of it.

"Tch. Did you really think one win meant you'd beaten me? Did you think I'd keep losing forever?"

Hong Yuhwa's eyes went glassy with tears. Such a disgraceful defeat. He was the first person in her life ever to hand her an overwhelming loss. She had always been the one who won — this sting of humiliation was a first.

Grrk. Gritting her teeth, Hong Yuhwa glared at the ceiling crowded with images of Lee Seoha. Then she put on the video she'd taken from her follower.

Glaring at the TV, she let herself imagine it. Someday, she would bring him to his knees. Picturing Lee Seoha kneeling before her, Hong Yuhwa curled the corners of her mouth upward and stared holes through the Lee Seoha on the screen.

The penthouse's private training room.

There, I generated the Black Sword. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was of moderate length, sheathed from tip to hilt in black.

So this is the feel of it.

Whoosh—. I gave it a light swing. The weight was slight. To test its hardness, I flicked the blade with a finger. Ting. A clear ring rolled through the room. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Not bad at all?

"Not a bad armament. A smith of more than ordinary caliber forged this one."

"And now — Fission."

The Black Sword split into four. I floated them up with telekinesis, took one in hand, and poured Defying Heaven into it.

Crack, crack. Fissures spiderwebbed across the black blade, and a heartbeat later it crumbled to powder and was gone.

"As expected, it can't withstand Defying Heaven."

"Hohoho. A power that defies the very heavens — how could a mere trifle of steel ever hope to resist it?"

Heukcheon declared, looking oddly pleased with herself.

"Only I, the one and only Heukcheon Demonic Sword, can fully receive my master's power. Thus you must cherish me all the more, Master."

"Don't I already cherish you plenty?"

Heukcheon stared at me in open disbelief.

"How would it be, hmm, if you at least endeavored to polish the blade once a day?"

"...It doesn't exactly rust if I leave it alone, though?"

I genuinely could not understand it. The Heukcheon Demonic Sword was an S-rank armament. Its edge was sharp — but only moderately so, its keenness deliberately held back so the blade would never overshadow its master's skill. From S-rank on up, whether armament, artifact, or elixir, such treasures carried the potential to spark 'wars' between nations. And I did polish Heukcheon at least once every three days.

"You call one lazy pass of cloth over the edge 'polishing'? Is that how this world defines it?"

"...Fine."

Argue as I might, Heukcheon was still my master. There was no need to defy her over a bit of cloth. I set her down, tore a suitable strip from the cloth kept in the corner of the penthouse, and cranked Dexterity's output to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠its maximum. The plan was to tend to her blade until she was satisfied — then spend what remained of the night tearing apart a martial technique.

And the moment the cloth touched Heukcheon's blade—

"Hnnnnghh♡"

"......"

For a long while after that, the room was filled with nothing but silence.