Chapter 52
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 52
Roberto Vanessa.
His alias was "Allure."
Compared to the snake, the fruit fly, the tentacles, the bomb I'd faced so far.......
"......Putting it that way makes them sound like a bunch of kids' games."
Anyway, unlike those other material-plane traits, his was a conceptual-plane trait a full dimension higher. Originally, he was a Demonkin who should have been classified as Red Grade, beyond green and blue.
But he had never broken free of the Blue Grade shackles.
It was true that, befitting the title of one of the Eight Demons, he was stronger than any enemy I'd met so far. But he still hadn't shed the Blue Grade label.
The reason was talent that lagged behind his trait.
He lacked the Demonic Energy and the body needed to draw out Allure's full power.
As a result, Roberto's Allure only activated under specific conditions.
First, the target had to be in a state of favorable regard toward him. Second, the target had to be fully drawn onto his special Armament, the Demonic Space Canvas.
Only then could the Allure trait manifest, dragging the target's soul into a deep mire and devouring it.
Of course, inside the canvas was another world, so the added risk factor of "vision" came into play, but in this world, those were the conditions.
"That's all for today's class. Was it all right?"
Having finished the lecture, Roberto swept his gaze over the audience with a soulful look.
"Yes!" they chorused.
"It was wonderful, Mr. Roberto!"
At that, cheers of approval poured in from all over.
Roberto, who had pressed his palms together, soon let a good-natured smile settle over his face.
"I enjoyed it as well. For this hour, I was a butterfly frolicking in a flower garden. If there had been a glass before me, I would have toasted your eyes. Hahaha."
......Is this guy out of his mind?
Since Allure's activation condition was the target's favorable regard, I understood that this was his own way of working his charm.
But there were limits.
The words that followed were such a spectacle I could hardly bear to repeat them.
"Please give me the key. The key that will open your hearts~"
"There aren't only stars up in that sky, and there aren't only fish down in that sea, so why are there only all of you in my heart?"
His syrupy lines and voice were so revolting that I could almost feel a snake crawling inside my ear.
"Fuck."
But though it was agonizing and nauseating, I held on.
Something really did seem to be going off-script.......
At some point, his gaze had been fixed on Joo A-rin the whole time.
"Not flirting—no, enough talk. I have an announcement."
Roberto raised his staff, tapped it lightly against the floor with a thud, and got to the point.
"I have, in fact, received a certain inspiration......."
Stripped of the pointless chatter, he was saying he would take applications for models as part of his artistic work.
Knowing that all of it was groundwork for Allure, I found it absurd, but the reaction around me was heated.
Amid the atmosphere of everyone raising their hands, I stared at Joo A-rin.
"Why are you staring so hard?"
"Huh?"
Our eyes met, but she hadn't raised her hand, so I was relieved—and that was the moment.
"I hardly know what to do with all your support, but how about that lovely lady over there? Do you have time?"
The stage light suddenly whipped around and illuminated the seats.
The spotlight flooded my vision with dazzling light, and dozens of gazes followed it toward Joo A-rin.
Joo A-rin, already radiant enough on her own, seemed to prove just how much brighter she could look under the light. She turned back toward the front with a puzzled expression, and then—
I turned my head a beat late and couldn't help being startled.
"What......."
At the end of the trailing gazes stood Roberto.
Before I knew it, he had approached and was extending his hand toward Joo A-rin with an intense look.
"Becoming my muse is a rare opportunity. How about it?"
For an instant, my mind went blank.
Because this kind of direct approach was not in the original work.
"......Well."
Joo A-rin, uncharacteristically, dragged out her words, and in that brief gap, I thought.
Would Joo A-rin take that hand?
If she did, then today would be D-day. But then what about Cheon Seo-yoon, who had to obtain a new trait?
More than that, could I beat him alone?
He was someone Baek Sa-young and Cheon Seo-yoon had only barely caught by attacking together.
No, wait. Joo A-rin could refuse.
Couldn't I just stay still?
.
.
My racing thoughts refused to settle, but there was one thing I was sure of.
If a problem had an ambiguous answer, then the issue wasn't the problem itself—it was that the problem was the problem.
So let's get out of here first and think.
"Being a model is a first......."
"Hold on. Let me talk to you."
I snatched Joo A-rin's wrist just as she was about to speak. I hurriedly pulled her to her feet and dragged her outside.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Lee Taek-jin's faculty office.
Lee Taek-jin was staring down at the stack of documents on his desk with eyes full of suspicion.
This was the formative assessment conducted over the past week.
It was a kind of ranking sheet that listed every Class A student by overall performance across all subjects except individual sparring.......
It was only a record of one week, and it was not directly tied to their underlying combat strength, but—
The very first name on the first page grated on him badly.
It was neither Taehak's rising star Baek Sa-young nor Seol Yoon-gi, the pride of a prestigious family.
[Name: Park Ha-yul]
[Track: Sorcery Track]
[Evaluation Scores by Subject]
- Practical Training: A+
- History: A+
- Monster Studies: A+
- Understanding and Analysis of Sorcery: A+
To think even the remaining two subjects were A+.
"What in the world is this guy?"
Lee Taek-jin muttered, half to himself, and frowned. At that, Kim Mi-young beside him gave a small nod as if in agreement.
"Were there any comments from the other professors?"
Lee Taek-jin asked again, just in case. It was a roundabout way of asking whether there had been any issues with the evaluation.
"Well......."
But Kim Mi-young's answer was different from expected.
"First, Professor Cha Myeong-hwan said he is a well-rounded talent of the sort rarely seen these days."
"Well-rounded?"
"Yes. He praised his historical knowledge and the insight with which he sees through problems as being on the level of a great scholar. And......."
"And?"
"Professor Go Jun-hee of the Sorcery Track said that a Sulga is a Sulga after all. She didn't hold back her high praise."
"......High praise, huh."
Lee Taek-jin smiled bitterly and had no choice but to admit that part of his judgment had been wrong.
Park Ha-yul had certainly become a completely different person from his first year.
He was no longer the disgrace of the Sulga family from the rumors; he had become a talent whose ability exceeded his ranking.
Had he awakened a new trait in the meantime?
If not, it was something impossible to explain.
"That guy."
His displeasure remained, but Lee Taek-jin was someone who could separate public and private matters.
His cold temperament and rigorously trained, efficiency-first thinking were what had carried him from an unremarkable family to his current position. Lee Taek-jin made up his mind.
To observe more closely.......
How much value Park Ha-yul held as a talent. And whether he was a talent worth helping.
If he could become a useful piece for his own grand ambitions, then even if he was from a Sulga family, he was prepared to embrace him.
"What happened to the list of students I selected to accompany me to the conference?"
"If you mean the conference on new Monster species being held in Busan next month, it's students Baek Sa-young and Cheon Seo-yoon."
"Add student Park Ha-yul too."
"Understood. Student Park Ha-yul as well....... Pardon?"
Kim Mi-young flinched in surprise and asked again, but he didn't bother to add anything.
He only repeated quietly, with his usual indifferent attitude.
"Next agenda item?"
"Ah, the virtual reality competition team contacted us. They said a setting error occurred, and that it's impossible for them to determine the cause with their own capabilities, so they've requested your help, Professor."
"An error?"
"Yes. They said a perfect score came out on the first day of the competition. And that it's a score only possible if you kill an orc shaman within three seconds......."
"Tsk. For an official event run by Taehak to be this sloppy."
Lee Taek-jin clicked his tongue briefly, then suddenly remembered something from before.
"Assistant Kim. This competition's tech crew....... Don't tell me it's those same guys who made the scarecrow during the diagnostic assessment?"
"...Yes, I believe that's right."
"As expected, they're complete morons. This is why I said over and over that it should be run under faculty supervision."
Lee Taek-jin rose from his seat as if annoyed and grabbed his jacket.
"Are you going right now?"
"I have to. Dragging it out will only make it more annoying. I'll be back within thirty minutes, so no need to follow."
Lee Taek-jin strode out of the office.
Without dreaming that he was going off to find an error that didn't exist.
* * *
At the same time, in the open lot behind Dodam's club hall.
I was paying the price for an impulsive—but absolutely necessary—act.
"What exactly are you trying to do? If you don't give me a proper explanation......."
Ratatatatat.
Joo A-rin poured out words without pause, unfiltered in showing how flustered she was.
I acknowledged that, in front of so many people, it had been a sudden outburst that could easily have made her a laughingstock.
"I was going to refuse anyway, but because of you......."
I also only just now learned that if I'd stayed still, things would have passed without incident.
But I didn't regret it.
Even if I went back ten minutes, I would have done the same.
In a situation where nothing was certain, there was no simpler solution than pulling her out of there.......
"Hey? Say something?"
Anyway, what mattered now wasn't the justification for the act, but the reason.
First, I had to break the silence and bluff, whether it made sense or not.
What to do.
I agonized for a moment, then came up with a desperate measure.
It might make me look like a loser jealous of Roberto at first glance, but right now I couldn't think of anything else.
"Wait a second."
I took out my phone, searched for Roberto, and skimmed through articles related to him.
It was old news, but I thought there was a related setting, so I'd be able to find it.
Roberto embroiled in scandal with a model. He himself flatly denied.......
Fortunately, it was there.
It wasn't an established accusation, but this seemed like it would serve as an answer.
Still, if she asked why I was being so nosy, I had nothing to say.
I'd just make the excuse that, as a fellow student or as an investor, I felt uneasy and couldn't just stand by.
"I brought you out because I had something to tell you. Look at this first, then talk."
I held my phone out toward Joo A-rin.
No, I tried to hold it out.
Bzzzz.
But at that moment, Joo A-rin's phone rang.
Joo A-rin glanced down, checked the caller, and answered.
"Secretary No, not now, I'll call you later....... What?"
Then her eyes went round as she looked at me.
Wondering what was going on, I listened closely, and only then heard an elderly voice.
-Miss, Kim Myeong-cheol, that man....... He was the third young master's person. Right now, at a cafe outside the city, making contact.......
I caught on from the words "Kim Myeong-cheol" and "the third young master."
It turned out the wolf's identity had just been exposed.
"I understand for now. I'll call you back in a little bit."
Joo A-rin hurriedly hung up.
Her face was stiff, as if the shock was great, and I was left holding out my phone in an awkward pose.
But then.
"You don't need to show me. I just got the news myself."
"......Huh?"
"But I'm a little offended. You clearly said you'd confirm it yourself. Did you not trust me as an investor?"
No, what do you mean, not trust you.
At first I had no idea what she was talking about, but after chewing it over, I understood.
She seemed to think I had called her out because of the wolf.
If that's how it is....... Not bad.
"That's not it......."
First, I quietly hid my phone behind my back.