Academy's Savior

Mocha, the thunder owl who had become a high-ranking lightning spirit, soared across the clear sky. Her vision was shared with me through the Spirit Eye I had opened.

Found the fourth one. He gathered stones and built an altar.

He was planning to amplify a cursed object's curse through that altar. Not a bad idea. Without my Spirit Eye, I might have had a real headache tracking him down.

Mocha. Let's give that bastard a taste of lightning.

-Squeeze!

Mocha's will answered me, eager and ready for the task.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!

A massive bolt of lightning crashed down to the ground. The one who had been preparing his curse at the altar was retired on the spot and vanished.

Three left. Still no sign of Shin Na-ri… and the other two have hidden themselves well enough to slip past my eyes. Either they used some kind of sorcery, or they're tucked away in a cave somewhere.

I had a few places in mind.

The moment I took a step without hesitation—

Kiiiiiiiiing.

A sharp, grating sound rang in my ears. Something foul punched straight through my body. A curse.

Shit. So the fourth one wasn't the culprit either.

Two points of durability gone.

My face twisted without mercy.

Every ten minutes, a curse came flying from somewhere. And that damned curse had already shaved a total of ten durability off the rope.

If the Sacred Tree's Straw Rope is losing two durability at a time… just how powerful is this curse? Fucking hell. Without the rope, I would've been in serious trouble.

What irritated me even more was that even my eyes couldn't find a single trace of the curse.

I forced down the rising impatience and took another step.

"Kueeeerk!"

The fifth one went tumbling off the top of a hill.

Only Shin Na-ri and one other remained.

I checked the durability and turned my head to the side.

Pale white hair. A small frame. Bandages hiding the fair skin beneath her uniform. Dead red eyes like a fish's, completely lifeless.

Shin Na-ri revealed herself. Both of her hands wore claws—black gloves with three blades extending from the back of each hand like steel nails. More dangerous than the weapons, though, was the evil spirit clinging to her. The long-haired, hollow-eyed female ghost's head was turned toward me. Those nonexistent eyes of the spirit seemed to be staring me down.

"Senior. You were nearby, weren't you? Why show up only now?"

"Teacher told me to."

She answered my question in a voice that carried not a single shred of emotion.

Kim Je-o.

This was that bastard's plan. Wait until I was exhausted, then finish me off with his trump card—Shin Na-ri.

Too bad for him. I'm not tired. Stamina, mana—both perfectly managed.

Thanks to the Sacred Tree's Straw Rope, those annoying curse users hadn't been able to do a thing to me.

"Senior. Let me make you an offer."

"……?"

"Abandon the Cursed Object Class and join the Spirit Class."

"No."

"I know why you're in the Cursed Object Class. It's because of that evil spirit, right? I'll tell you what it really is and how to handle it."

The identity of the evil spirit.

Those words got a reaction out of Shin Na-ri. Her eyes widened, just a little.

"…Still no. I have to repay the kindness Teacher showed me."

"You can just give up right here. Then I'll help you, okay?"

"No."

"…Do you know what happens if you miss this chance? I won't help you at all. I'll demand a proper price. And that price is going to be pretty steep."

"Still no."

Shin Na-ri spoke with finality. She raised her hands as if to say she was done talking. The steel claws gleamed sharply.

"I gave you a chance, Senior."

I called for Mocha in my mind.

The spirit bound to me answered my will. Thunder filled the air, and Mocha, transformed into a bolt of lightning, charged straight at Shin Na-ri.

Shin Na-ri's body swayed in a bizarre way—like a puppet under the clumsy hands of an amateur puppeteer. The lightning struck. She barely managed to dodge Mocha.

As if throwing a tantrum, Mocha unleashed lightning in every direction. Current raced across the ground. Shin Na-ri ignored the electricity that touched her. Her sense of touch and pain were duller than most people's. The shock from the current probably felt like little more than a sting. The only reason she could still move was the power of the curse.

I hurled my spears at the approaching girl.

Three spears flew at her in succession. Shin Na-ri dodged them with the elegant grace of a ballerina dancing on stage.

Completely unpredictable movements.

There was no time for a hollow laugh. She was already right in front of me. I drew the sword from my waist and blocked her claws.

Kaaang! Kang!

Shin Na-ri's attacks flowed into one another as naturally as water.

Left, right, left, left, right.

There was no order to be found in the barrage—it was pure instinct.

Feels less like fighting a person and more like fighting a monster.

I stepped back with careful footwork, absorbing her blows, dispersing as much of her force as I could.

Raising the Shadow Heaven Style to the max was worth it. Even moving backward at full speed, my feet never tangle.

Whenever the distance opened, Shin Na-ri chased relentlessly. I used trees as cover while retreating. Crimson curse energy gathered on her claws like a blade aura. A tree was sliced into four pieces and toppled. I raised a blue blade aura of my own and blocked her strike.

The longer the exchange went on, the sharper her focus on me became.

Mocha, can you do Thunder Bolt?

The Thunder Bolt I had used during the Dark Moon. As a high-ranking spirit, Mocha should be able to pull it off.

-Squeeze!

Mocha's confident will came through. My mana drained away in a rush. She was going all out.

Through the Spirit Eye, I saw Mocha's view. Lightning gathered and compressed around her floating form high above.

Needs a little more time.

Showing off a bit more of my skill here wouldn't hurt either.

I gathered mana into my right foot and stomped a true step. Hoooong. The logs scattered across the ground—trees Shin Na-ri had already cut—rose into the air all at once.

Accelerate. Charna.

Shadow Heaven Style—Thunder Sound Step.

Pajik.

My legs moved like lightning, trailing the sound of thunder. I stepped on the floating logs. Shin Na-ri's red eyes chased my afterimages. The instant she completely lost track of me, I closed in with my sword raised. A perfect, unavoidable ambush.

But Shin Na-ri dodged.

As if someone had yanked her aside, her body twisted unnaturally and slipped past my strike. The cause was obvious.

…That fucking evil spirit.

Shin Na-ri's eyes, tinged with confusion, turned toward me. Only for a moment—then her claws came back in a counterattack. I twisted my shoulder hard and raised my sword to defend.

Kaaang!

My body flew backward. Even in midair I kept my balance and landed cleanly on the ground.

"Thunder Bolt."

I said it out loud just once.

Shin Na-ri tilted her head, puzzled. Her senses were dull. That was why she never noticed the attack prepared in the sky until the very end.

Lightning as thick as a centuries-old tree crashed down on her. The light of destruction was brief. But it scorched the surroundings and left a crater in the earth as its mark.

At the center of it, Shin Na-ri stood staring blankly at the sky. No wounds. Her clothes were intact. But the bandages ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrapped around her body had turned black. Slowly, they crumbled into dust and vanished.

Jema's Bandage.

The bandage Kim Je-o had gifted to Shin Na-ri.

The reason a girl who didn't particularly like Kim Je-o never refused his orders.

"……Since this is a dungeon, I guess it doesn't matter."

She muttered. The dust that had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bandages scattered on the wind like flower petals. The evil spirit's mouth split open. Its hands tightly embraced Shin Na-ri's pale skin. The spirit sank into her body. Possession.

Shin Na-ri's white hair turned black. Her skin flushed blood-red. Her crimson eyes shone with a sinister light. The curses that had been piled up inside her by Jema's Bandage erupted in every direction.

It's hard to even breathe. Worse than I expected…

At this level, even among the academy instructors, only a handful would be able to handle her.

Shin Na-ri's mouth opened.

An indescribable voice filled the space.

Immediately after, her foot slammed into the ground. That alone sent out a shockwave.

Charna.

I had been watching, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I wasn't late. I grabbed the shoulder of the girl rushing toward me. The straw rope on my wrist blazed with intense light.

Shin Na-ri's possession broke. Unable to endure the sacred power of the rope, the evil spirit was flung out. Returned to her original form, Shin Na-ri blinked at me.

"Ah…"

"Mocha. Lightning."

KWA-RRRRR-RUNG!

Lightning struck both me and Shin Na-ri. Her face twisted. The retired girl vanished before my eyes. The ejected evil spirit disappeared with her.

Only temporarily separated, so of course…

Ignoring the tingling from the electric shock, I looked down at the rope. The white straw rope had turned completely black.

The notification window writhed and transformed.

Just like the guide said.

Kiiiiiiiiing.

A curse flew at me. Instead of harming my body, it was sucked straight into the rope.

Absorbed seven curses at once. Yeah, this is no ordinary curse.

I clicked my tongue.

The Cursed Sacred Tree's Straw Rope absorbed curses in place of its owner. It wasn't purely a good thing. Once it filled up, the curses would become a calamity and crash down on the owner. This item was useless to anyone who couldn't handle curses.

A top-grade cursed object. But I don't need it.

The one who could properly handle this was Shin Na-ri. And gifting it to her would send her affection skyrocketing.

"Found you."

I located the last one hiding inside a cave.

The moment I stepped in, I frowned hard. The cave floor was flooded with blood. The pool reached ankle depth. The source was the ceiling—a small skull hanging there, endlessly pouring blood from its mouth.

And beneath it, a man knelt, letting the blood rain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down on him. Head bowed, he kept muttering meaningless words.

What the hell is this guy? Just the cursed objects decorating his body number over ten.

They all shared one thing in common: every single one was some kind of corpse. A human hand, monster fangs, the entrails of living things… all of them revolting.

Just standing here was enough for the rope to keep absorbing curses. I clicked my tongue and raised my sword.

Whatever. Let's finish this quick.

Splash, splash.

I was closing in to end it when—

Crick-crack-crack.

His neck twisted a full one hundred eighty degrees to face me. Blood tears streamed from empty eye sockets, and the corners of his mouth were torn into a grotesque grin.

"You…"

A first-year from the Cursed Object Class. The same first-year who had been completely terrified of me when he challenged me to a bet under Kim Je-o.

"Kihi, kihihihihihi!"

He laughed. His neck stretched like rubber until it reached the cave ceiling. Those empty eyes were locked precisely on me.

Clang!!

Space shattered like a mirror. From the cracks stepped Kang Jiyoung. Behind her, startled academy instructors and students could be glimpsed.

Kang Jiyoung's face was twisted with fury. Crack. Blood welled from her tightly bitten lip.

"Seize Kim Je-o immediately!!"

Her enraged roar shook even the space itself.