Seo Gayeon (5): Demon's Demise

—Kuhuhuhu. The demon's appearance was similar to that of a spirit. This was a place where spirits gathered. The demon was a being that stockpiled power here. Spirits were usually tricky opponents. They took damage from magic attacks, but only partially. Physical attacks didn't work, so students without mana awakening were bound to be in trouble if they encountered one. And this was a demon.

Demons traded a bit of intelligence for buffs that boosted all their other stats. Even so, I wasn't particularly tense.

'If it were any other demon, I might be on edge.'

Right now, I felt zero tension. Seo Gayeon's star mana. My Reverse Heaven Qi. Both had extreme advantages against spirits. Since they lacked physical bodies, regular physical attacks didn't faze them—but special forces like star mana and Reverse Heaven Qi hit them even harder.

—Kieeeek!

The demon screamed and charged. "Eut!" Seo Gayeon staggered for a moment. It had unleashed a wave that attacked the mind. But I was fine. My Reverse Heaven Qi protected my body.

I channeled Reverse Heaven Qi into the Reverse Heaven Sword. As I swung it, the spirit halted and stared at the Black Heaven Demon Sword.

—It still has some intelligence left. And it's fast, too.

'Yeah.' I replied to the Black Heaven Demon Sword with Nian.

Nian. I focused. Suddenly, the spirit's movements became crystal clear.

I gripped the sword tightly. Black Shadow Sword Technique. A sword style that was simply fast. But I quite liked it. Striking with Reverse Heaven Qi could deal critical damage on its own.

'But that's not enough.'

This world wasn't that convenient. You couldn't get by with easy moves. If you didn't know better, you'd get wrecked. You had to move just a little to see the ending. That's why I loved the game Epic World.

"Huu." I breathed. And moved.

The spirit mirrored my movement. Its purple trajectory arced toward my face. Footwork. My still-unperfected footwork. But it got the job done.

Black God Martial Art. It was a way to move the body even better. The Black Spirit corrected my movements. Reverse Heaven flowed smoothly.

Slash.

The Black Heaven Demon Sword severed the spirit's arm.

—Kuhhat!

It moved. Long claws sprouted from its other hand, aiming for my arm. I sidestepped half a pace to evade. Now I could see it. The enemy wasted a lot of motion.

'I'm starting to get the hang of it.'

One thing I'd realized from my battles so far: I was sorely lacking compared to my opponents. My physical stats were fundamentally inferior. Minimize evasion, maximize strikes crammed into the foe. And I couldn't afford to take a single hit. One mistake would be fatal.

'What a shit game.'

Truly a godforsaken game.

The Black Heaven Demon Sword watched Lee Seoha.

A style of minimal movement against the spirit, whittling away at its strength bit by bit. Yet Reverse Heaven Qi amplified those attacks into fatal wounds.

'Ridiculous.'

Lee Seoha's martial talent was genius-level. When first teaching him martial arts, the Black Heaven Demon Sword had lamented that point. But as the fight dragged on toward its end, Lee Seoha's growth was abnormal.

Hee-heuk. The spirit attacked. He evaded with minimal motion. A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strand of hair was sliced by its claws, drawing a thin line across his cheek. Yet Lee Seoha was smiling.

A disadvantageous fight. He'd put himself in a corner on purpose. Movements unaccustomed to battle were evolving into battle-honed ones. It was a form of madness.

No ordinary person would corner themselves like that. Not even lifelong martial artists. Yet Lee Seoha did it without hesitation, as if it were the correct path.

That's why the Black Heaven Demon Sword both feared and anticipated him.

With that thought, Lee Seoha pierced the spirit's chest with the Black Heaven Demon Sword.

'Not bad.' Lee Seoha thought.

Black God Martial Art felt more familiar now. Maybe it was time to learn a new sword technique beyond Black Shadow Sword Technique.

Whoosh. The spirit's body crumbled to ash and scattered into the air.

Thud. A gem emitting a deep purple glow dropped.

...So killing demons grants stat boosts, huh.

'Should I aim to hunt as many demons as possible?'

Swoosh. The Black Spirit absorbed the newly increased Reverse Heaven. Feeling the grown Black Spirit, I picked up the purple gem.

Appraisal.

High grade. I took it down easily, but it wasn't supposed to be that simple. And since it's versatile, that explains the rank.

'But this gem's true value lies elsewhere.'

I stored it in my subspace.

"A-Amazing, Seoha." Seo Gayeon said in an awed voice. But up close, her body was trembling. Proof of how hard she'd pushed herself.

"Y-You worked hard too." I handed her a stamina recovery potion as I said it.

"B-But is it okay to just give it like this?"

"They're meant to be used freely, no issue. Besides, who'd argue if the school's top prospects want them?"

"P-Prospects?" Seo Gayeon pointed at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠herself with a finger.

I nodded. "Prospect? More than that. With attribute mana plus star mana that's fatal to demons."

I added with a grin that she might even deserve top rank. Seo Gayeon looked bewildered. He was always like this with me. Showering me with endless goodwill. Even her family hadn't trusted her this much.

"Today's feel is key—hold onto that mana awakening sensation."

"...Yeah. Thanks so much for today."

"No biggie. If you're that grateful, do something for me later."

"I will. Anything."

Seo Gayeon beamed at me.

I returned to school with Seo Gayeon. Lying on my bed, I checked my phone—tons of KakaoTalk messages.

'A lot came in.' More than expected, so I scrolled through.

The long message felt like a letter—I couldn't just reply curtly, even for me. After sorting the chats, I washed my hands roughly. I wanted to rest. Intensely rest. But I had to move, even a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠little.

I sighed, got up, and headed out to the training grounds. I called the elevator and hit the first floor.

Ding. It stopped soon after. Floor 98. The doors opened, and Erhil Merhen appeared, wet hair swaying.

"Oh, heading out? I heard you were going somewhere with Seo Gayeon."

Erhil smirked as she spoke.

"Yeah. Just got back."

"Where'd you go?"

"Secret. You heading out for training?"

"Yes. Night mana suits me well, so I usually train at night."

I changed the subject, but Erhil's eyes followed me. Star-patterned, sparkling golden eyes.

"You know, don't you?"

"Know what?"

"...Hmm, nothing. Anyway, midterms are coming up soon."

"Yeah."

Time had flown. Midterms in two weeks. Instructors were busy because of it.

"Heard they're making this midterm a big deal."

"Makes sense. We're not ordinary, right?"

"Hmm, is that confidence?"

"Maybe."

Good thing, too. Demons would stir trouble during these midterms. One ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would crash the exam, hurting some students. But nothing major. Just a few demons during exam period. Even demons had limits—they wouldn't storm a school and massacre everyone, hell or not.

"Anyway, off to train."

"No fun. Train hard."

Erhil waved as she walked away. I headed to the training grounds.