Clearing Misunderstandings and Shattering Machines
I barged into the dean's office.
After knocking roughly and swinging the door open, Dean Han Myeong-sin sat there calmly sipping her tea, her expression completely unfazed.
As I approached, she naturally set down her teacup and looked up at me.
"Come in. What brings you here today?"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"
"That girl's a bit immature, but she's good at heart."
"…"
If she were that good twice over, my body would be wrecked.
Come to think of it, she didn't exactly leave her clan home honorably—she's basically a runaway teen delinquent.
Good at heart? Really?
"Not satisfied?"
"Do I need to answer that?"
"Her skills are the real deal. I guarantee it. Didn't you need a mage?"
"I do need one."
"Coax her nicely, and she'll be a huge help. Especially with that human experimentation stuff."
"…You knew about it?"
"I found out after the cadet told me. She'd secretly built a workshop underground in Prism to keep researching."
She must have investigated on her own after hearing from me.
But an underground secret workshop…?
"Whoever the ringleader is, you won't have to worry about that anymore."
"Uh… okay…"
Hang in there, Olivia.
It wasn't intentional, but I'd contributed to shutting down her secret hideout.
I'd have to apologize next time I saw her.
As I left the dean's office, the door across the hall caught my eye.
Was Latynia in there right now?
I knocked, but no response.
Just in case, I tried the handle—and it opened easily.
Slipping inside quietly, I saw Latynia sitting at her desk, staring blankly out the window.
"Sigh…"
She let out a deep sigh, lost in whatever heavy thoughts.
I could guess.
Olivia was really wronged here. It wasn't like I wanted to do it!
"Do-jun…?"
"Yeah?"
"Eek!"
Latynia jumped up in shock.
She stared at me like I'd seen a ghost.
"D-Do, Do-Do-jun?! What are you doing here?!"
"Had something to say to the dean. Stopped by while I was at it."
"Why didn't you knock? Where's Ruphus?"
"I did knock, and Ruphus wasn't around. Maybe he went to the library?"
-Grind,
"Ruphus…"
I swear I heard a sound from Latynia's mouth that shouldn't come out of it.
Hope her teeth are okay… she's gonna regret that later.
Latynia pulled herself together after muttering curses under her breath at someone.
"So you just barge into someone else's office? I'll call for someone."
"Ah, sorry. I'll head out now."
"Wait!"
As I turned to leave after the eviction notice, she grabbed me.
What did she want?
"Why are you always in such a rush?"
"Living in this busy world kinda made me this way."
"You didn't used to be like this…"
"I have a bad habit of getting casual with people I'm not that close to."
"So we're close now?"
"Aren't we? Or not."
"Guess we are close."
Silence settled between us.
Latynia fidgeted like she wanted to say something, then steeled herself.
"Um! That thing… in the classroom back then…"
"Oh, that?"
She'd been too out of it to talk then.
Now she could hear it.
"Olivia and I are researching together, and she left some kind of mark or whatever. Probably some special witch thing only she can do."
"Ah… I see. So you're not involved with Instructor Olivia at all?"
"Nope. Purely business."
"Good. I was worried…"
Latynia breathed a sigh of relief.
I wasn't that interested in Olivia anyway…
"Why the relief?"
"Well… I thought you were a playboy…"
"Uh…"
I've already done everything with Ji-ah, and I'm raising Vivian at home?
"Why?"
"No… haha."
"Suspicious…"
I bolted from the office to escape her wary gaze.
It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, right?
I'd get forgiven later.
With all the human relationships sorted, my mind felt clear.
Now I just needed to prepare for the future without worries.
My immediate goal was fixing Vivian, but I couldn't do it right now, so I'd set that aside. After graduating Prism normally, I needed a plan.
The best option seemed to be heading to the Imanitus Continent and registering as an adventurer.
I could leverage my game knowledge and rise to fame quickly.
The Great Labyrinth could wait.
I headed to the training grounds for the first time in a while.
The end-of-term grounds were packed.
Everyone was training for practical exams, so it made sense.
No private rooms left, either.
Group room or back to the dorm…?
"Ah! Do-jun!"
"Director Kim Ye-eun? What are you doing here?"
"Still calling me so formally between us?"
"What 'us' is there?"
"Well…"
Kim Ye-eun blushed and twisted her body awkwardly.
Something felt off.
Mostly her head.
"You okay? You don't look great."
"Forget that— you're in a bind with no private room, right?"
"Yeah, pretty inconvenient."
"I can help. Wanna make a deal?"
A deal, huh.
Considering how persistently she'd clung before, she wanted something.
Might as well hear her out.
"Let's hear it."
"Great. This way."
Kim Ye-eun led me deeper into the training grounds.
I thought we'd hit a private room, but we passed them and headed underground.
I'd never heard of a basement in Prism's training grounds.
"Hold up. This is sketchy."
"You don't trust me?"
"Has anything happened between us to build trust?"
"I'm disappointed. I trust you…"
She made a blatantly hurt face.
No matter how I looked at it, that was acting.
If you're gonna act, at least practice like Olivia.
"Not even if I beg?"
"How?"
Kim Ye-eun approached with pleading eyes and wrapped her arms around mine.
Felt familiar… but her arm was shockingly rigid against mine.
Her elbow jabbed my ribs—ow.
"I think you should know yourself better, Director Kim Ye-eun."
"What?"
Realizing what her arm was doing, she froze in shock.
She didn't move until I pulled my arm free.
"Nothing else? I'm going."
"Wait."
"Why?"
"Can't let you go like this."
Her eyes burned with wounded pride.
Wrong switch flipped.
"Fine! We'll go together!"
"Now you say that?"
"Take it or leave it."
"Feels off… but let's go."
I followed her down to the training grounds' basement.
It was vast, spanning the whole building site—couldn't see the far wall.
One side had rows of specialized measurement equipment.
"What's this place?"
"Hero Association's awakener measurement gear, relocated here."
"Hero Association…"
Group I didn't want to tangle with.
Most of this world's evils could be pinned on them without exaggeration.
Sensing my reluctance, Kim Ye-eun waved it off.
"Just using their equipment—no Hero Association ties!"
"What does that mean? Did you steal it?"
"Steal? We used this."
She curled her finger into a circle.
How rotten is the Hero Association…
"So what do we do here?"
"That thing you showed before? When you wrecked the training ground wall."
"Oh, that."
"Wanna measure it."
"What's in it for me?"
"Solo use of this huge facility. Reinforced defense magic circles—won't collapse like upstairs."
"Just once?"
"Yep. One measurement, then free rein."
Not bad.
I wanted to know my exact destructive power anyway.
Olivia just rambled about magic and truths—hard to gauge.
"Measure first?"
"Yes. This way."
Kim Ye-eun started operating something.
Machines lit up sequentially, humming to life—it was mesmerizing.
A touching sight.
I stared until she finished and approached.
"Do-jun? What's up?"
"Cool…"
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Where do I go?"
"Over here—attack that measurement machine."
She led me to something like a punching machine.
Hit that?
"How hard?"
"As strong as possible, keep firing. Gauges destructive power and sustainability."
I took position and summoned Thousand Changes as a pistol.
Practice paying off—pistol form felt natural now.
Focus my mind…
-BOOM!
The pistol let out an unholy roar, and the machine shattered to pieces.
Residual force slammed the back wall, cracking it deeply.
"Machine's gone."
"Uh… one sec?"
Kim Ye-eun fiddled with controls again.
After a while, she turned to me in disbelief.
"Was that your max output?"
"No? I could go harder."
"Impossible…"
It's all about willpower intensity.
With true life-or-death focus, it'd get stronger.
"Way off the charts. Measurement failed… Can you go weaker?"
"Weaker? Like this?"
I fired Thousand Changes at her—soap-bubble-like orbs floated gently and popped on contact.
She caught an unpopped one and bombarded me with questions.
"Any limits? Mana cost? Continuous fire?"
"No mana, reusable, no problem. Watch."
I fired more into the air.
Bubbles drifted; she gawked blankly.
"How's that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Measurement done? Can I use the place now?"
"Wait! One more! Just once!"
"You said once."
"Come on, between us?"
"What 'us'?"
After bickering, we agreed: I'd train, she'd watch.
Didn't matter who saw, and she'd seen plenty already.
Kim Ye-eun even set up camp to observe.