Chapter 563
Chapter 563
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 563
Chapter Title: Academy's Savior
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Sung Ha-ri, gripping a spear in one hand, stormed into the Korean branch of the Nine Eyes Cult.
The fanatical cultists of the Nine Eyes Cult, clad in black robes and wearing grotesque masks depicting nine eyes, blocked her path.
Sung Ha-ri narrowed her eyes as she sized them up. Awakeners and non-awakeners were mixed among them. Killing an Awakener would be self-defense, but killing a non-Awakener could lead to serious trouble. There was no way to pass off a non-Awakener as an Awakener either—the Hero Association could distinguish between them from the corpses.
Though she wanted to sweep them all away, she held back. She couldn't afford to go to prison and leave Yu-jin behind.
"Where's Yu-jin?"
"Have you come to take away the Ninth Apostle? In your dreams! The Ninth Apostle belongs to the Nine Eyes Cult! Brothers and sisters! Kill this woman!"
Crackle.
Lightning sparked from Sung Ha-ri's spear.
The next instant, her foot slammed into the ground. The cultists couldn't even follow her movements with their eyes.
"She's gone... Gah?!"
Sung Ha-ri struck them with the spear shaft and her fists, knocking them unconscious. She wasn't killing them. To rescue Sung Yu-jin, she needed information, and to verify its quantity and reliability, she had to keep as many alive as possible.
"Can't see her... Urk!"
"A m-monster!"
There was no need for Sung Han-gu or the other spirit mages from the Jinryeongseong family to step in. They couldn't block her, let alone track her movements.
Sung Han-gu, who had been watching Sung Ha-ri's movements with arms crossed, secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
'She must be weakened by the Spirit King's binding... And yet, she's ridiculously strong.'
Sung Han-gu ordered the spirit mages to clean up the situation.
"You'll have to tell us everything you know."
While Sung Han-gu interrogated the subdued cultists, Sung Ha-ri couldn't stay still and wandered through the Nine Eyes Cult's facilities. She hadn't given up hope that Sung Yu-jin might be hiding in some corner. A few spirit mages followed behind her.
Sung Ha-ri spotted a wooden cage in the corner of a room and rushed over. A familiar spirit was trapped inside.
"Moca!"
Crunch.
Sung Ha-ri shattered the wooden cage with one hand as if tearing it apart and snatched up Moca's body in her other hand.
Moca trembled violently. It knew Sung Ha-ri wouldn't kill it, but its spirit instincts feared her.
"Moca! You're contracted with Yu-jin, so you know where he is right now, don't you? Where's Yu-jin?!"
"Kuu... Ku...."
Moca shook its head. It meant it didn't know either. If even its contracted spirit didn't know his location, Sung Yu-jin must be imprisoned in some special place.
Sung Ha-ri wasn't disappointed. It was as she had predicted. More importantly...
"Moca. The contract hasn't been severed, right? Yu-jin... Yu-jin's safe, right?"
"Ku."
Moca nodded.
A sigh of relief escaped Sung Ha-ri's lips. The worst-case scenario she had feared—Sung Yu-jin dying after being kidnapped—had been avoided.
'Yu-jin's definitely not here. Still, let's search a bit more. There might be some clue.'
Sung Ha-ri roamed the area. Whenever she encountered a cultist, she subdued them immediately and asked.
"Where's Yu-jin?"
"We can't say."
Sung Ha-ri didn't engage in deep conversations with the cultists. She knew words wouldn't get through to them. They were fanatics willing to die for their god. Even torture wouldn't make them talk properly. To find Yu-jin, she needed another way.
And finally, Sung Ha-ri arrived at the altar.
The priest, who had been kneeling quietly in front of the altar in prayer, stood up.
"Unwelcome guests. This is a place to worship the God with Nine Eyes. Please, at least here, remain silent."
"......Are you the one in charge here? No long talk. Where's Yu-jin?"
"The master of this place is the God with Nine Eyes. He is the true lord of the Nine Eyes Cult, and we are mere servants."
The priest's mask clattered to the floor. His revealed face was ordinary. Except for the third eye on his forehead.
Sung Ha-ri gripped her spear shaft again and stepped forward, speaking to the spirit mages behind her.
"You all, fall back."
"We'll help too, Lady Sung Ha-ri."
"I can handle it alone. You'd just get in my way."
Lightning writhed around her body as she spoke coldly. The spirit mages looked at Sung Ha-ri with regretful eyes.
"We know you're the Ninth Apostle's mother."
"Then tell me where Yu-jin is. A child belongs with his parents."
"We are grateful that you brought the Ninth Apostle into this world. However, it is the will of the God with Nine Eyes that guides him. Your existence is nothing but an obstacle to Him. Even if it means earning the Ninth Apostle's hatred, I will eliminate you here."
"You sure do drag out your declaration of killing me."
Sung Ha-ri hurled her spear at the priest. Rumble! The spear shot toward the priest's chest with the sound of thunder.
The priest's third eye quivered. The spear's trajectory shifted, turning back toward Sung Ha-ri.
Sung Ha-ri casually caught the incoming spear with her right hand.
"That eye. Doesn't sit right with me."
"Heh heh. As expected, you don't understand. This eye was bestowed upon me by the God with Nine Eyes. Though it doesn't compare to the Apostles' eyes, it is one of the greatest treasures in this world."
Rumble!
A spear infused with lightning flew from Sung Ha-ri's right side—identical to the one in her hand.
"......"
Sung Ha-ri swung her spear without a hint of panic, deflecting the incoming one. It flew through the air and vanished.
Rumble.
This time from behind and the front. Two spears approached. Sung Ha-ri spun, batting them away.
"I replicated your spear, but it's meaningless and taxing."
Blood trickled from the priest's third eye.
"To think it's already reaching its limit after just four uses... Just how strong are you?"
"It's not that I'm strong; it's that you're weak."
"This is the first time anyone's said that to me since I became high priest. But I can't deny it. As I am now, I can't stop you. So... I must beseech Him."
Sensing trickery, Sung Ha-ri moved. If thrown spears didn't work, she'd close in directly. She narrowed the distance in a second and thrust her spear at the priest. But an unknown force repelled her along with the spear.
"God with Nine Eyes, I offer all I have. Grant me your power."
The priest's body writhed and swelled. His robes tore away, his skin turned blue, and dozens of eyes appeared across his body.
He had clearly become a monster, no longer human.
"What the hell! A person turning into a monster...!"
"Lady Sung Ha-ri! We've recorded it! Do as you wish!"
The spirit mages shouted from behind her. Even without their words, Sung Ha-ri intended to do just that.
Crackle.
Sung Ha-ri charged and leaped into the air. A translucent blue barrier appeared in midair. She kicked off it without hesitation, maneuvering freely in the sky.
Tentacles extended from the giant priest's body toward her, but they couldn't reach.
Sung Ha-ri swung her spear, slashing the priest's body. However, his enhanced durability prevented a one-hit kill.
'If one slash won't do it, then many will.'
The priest's eyes followed Sung Ha-ri's movements. But his body was too slow. He could see her but couldn't catch or block her. In the end, the priest collapsed to the floor. His corpse didn't revert to human form.
"Lady Sung Ha-ri. We'll take care of this body. The Hero Association will surely want it. It'll benefit the family."
"Fine."
The spirit mages carried off the corpse. Sung Ha-ri didn't care about it one way or the other.
She scanned the surroundings. There might be traces of Sung Yu-jin here.
Apart from strange symbols on the walls and floor, there were no special clues. She leaned against the wall and let out a small sigh. Exhausted from days without proper sleep and constant worry over Sung Yu-jin, she felt more mental fatigue than imagined and closed her eyes for a moment.
"Kuuk. Kku!"
At Moca's cry beside her, Sung Ha-ri snapped her eyes open and glared at the altar, which seemed made for rituals.
A magic circle appeared on the altar.
A teleportation magic circle. Someone was arriving via magic.
'An enemy?'
Soon, a group materialized on the altar: two masked figures and one child.
Her eyes widened as she gripped her spear with hostility. She rushed toward the altar faster than Moca.
"Yu-jin!"
Her running body halted abruptly. She had seen Sung Yu-jin's golden eyes. They weren't the eyes of the son she knew. They gazed at her emotionlessly, without a trace of joy.
"......Yu-jin?"
Sung Yu-jin wore black priest-like robes. A round red gem was embedded on his chest.
"This woman dares call my name so casually."
His voice was as emotionless as his eyes.
"Get rid of her."
"Yes, Ninth Apostle."
The masked figures flanking Sung Yu-jin charged at Sung Ha-ri.
???
I asked Cassandra, the leader of the Nine Eyes Cult, to have me appear with two moderately strong cultists.
Cassandra had agreed to cooperate with the scenario I devised.
'If I go back and say nothing happened, who would easily believe me? The cultists at the Korean branch might spout nonsense and cause me trouble.'
And I planned to use this opportunity to make Sung Ha-ri value me even more.
'People only realize the value of something after losing it, right? It's a common trope in comics. Well, Sung Ha-ri already treasures me, but still.'
The plan was simple. I would pretend to be brainwashed by the cult. The orb hanging on my chest was the source of the brainwashing, and destroying it would break the spell. The key was my acting. And thanks to my trait, I was confident in my performance.
I watched Sung Ha-ri battle the two masked figures. Her skills were incredible. Her speed was hard to follow with my eyes.
'And that's not all. Her spear handling is masterful. It's like an extension of her body.'
Sung Ha-ri had several chances to kill the masked figures. But she didn't. The reason was obvious: she didn't want me to see her commit murder.
Sung Ha-ri tried to subdue them without killing.
"Pathetic fools. How long do you intend to disappoint me? Finish her quickly."
One was already knocked out and sent flying, while the other struggled desperately.
"F-Forgive us, Apostle. Please wait a moment. I'll finish her soo... Gah?!"
The masked figure, grabbed by the nape by Sung Ha-ri, slammed into the ground. The sword he held spun in the air and fell toward me.
"Yu-jin?! Dodge!!"
Sung Ha-ri rushed over to snatch the sword. I grabbed it first and swung at her.
Sung Ha-ri blocked my sword with her spear. It was a fairly serious swing, but she deflected it too easily, which was a bit shocking.
"Yu-jin! It's me! Mom! Do you recognize me?! Huh?!"
"You claim to be my mother?"
"Yes. Yu-jin! Those guys must have done something to you, but it's okay. You can come back. Mom will help you."
"......I have no parents. The God with Nine Eyes created me in this world."
I channeled mana to strengthen my body and swung the sword. But it was still easily blocked by her spear.
"Brainwashing. The Nine Eyes Cult brainwashed you!"
"I've never been brainwashed."