Gathering Squad 6
Whoosh—! On top of Hado myeol's palm, pitch-black flames writhed like a living serpent. On his other hand, the characters for fire (火) and flame (焰) floated in a chaotic swirl. Then, the fire on his palm wasn't ascending like a massive dragon?
Watching this, his attendants burst into applause.
"Woooah!!"
Shaping flames into a specific form was no ordinary feat. Hado myeol gestured like an orchestra conductor, and the dragon began floating through the air.
"Incredible!!"
"Ooh! It's a divine dragon!"
One corner of Hado myeol's mouth curled up as he clenched his fist with a crack! Splat! The dragon swimming in the air vanished like an illusion, leaving only traces of flickering embers.
"Woooaaahhh!!!"
Thunderous applause echoed throughout.
"As expected of Sixth Prince! Power surpassing a 4 Circle Grand Master!"
"No, with this level of detail and control, it's 5 Circle Sage level!"
Hado myeol smirked, clearly pleased with his shamanistic magic. Surprisingly, all his attendants were stunning naked beauties.
His birth mother, Ravriella, had been Almedia's first 7 Circle Archmage shaman and the cult's hidden necromancer. The day she came to him, Hado myeol's fate began rolling like a prepared cartwheel.
And the beautiful woman currently sucking his cock was Iellu, the nursemaid who had raised him and the cult leader's saintess.
"Slurp, slurrrp, slurp slurp."
Her head bobbed diligently as she sucked his cock; it was shaved half-bald with strange acupuncture needles embedded in it.
"Mom. What do you think? Of my power?"
"Mmmph, slurp slurp. Yeth, vewy goob."
"Tasty? I told you to rate the taste? I asked what you think of my magic. You told me not to do dangerous stuff. Not to play with fire."
Hado myeol grabbed Iellu's head as she sucked and shook it roughly.
"What do you think of my fire magic!?"
"Haaaang… haaang! ♥♥"
Her flushed face burned with heat as she flicked her tongue into the air. She was the cult leader's cumdump and had raised Hado myeol for ten years like a mother, but now she had been remade into his Fresh Golem.
"See? Why'd you have to deceive me? Huh? Look what your overprotection turned me into."
He had turned Iellu's daughters and maids into Fresh Golems as well. It was necromancy passed down from his birth mother, Ravriella.
"Fuck… give me back my ten years… you fucking bitch."
Anger surged back onto Hado myeol's face. Even if it was the cult leader's orders… wasting ten years like that.
"No, fuck! If I'd just kept training in shaman magic under our birth mom… I'd be a 6 Circle Grand Sage by now!"
It was then.
His pet crow, preening its feathers, let out a 'caw' and twisted its head grotesquely. At the same time, a woman's voice echoed from the crow's beak.
"Son… it's not that bad. If you'd done well, maybe a 5 Circle Sage at best…"
"M-Mother!"
A bright smile bloomed on Hado myeol's face as he looked at the crow.
"Do myeol, you must become the cult leader's successor and lead the cult. Understand? You were born for that. Got it?"
"Yes! Mother!"
Hado myeol bowed his head to the crow.
"You must never fall out of the cult leader's favor. He seems to have noticed the failure of the proxy assassination using Hado mong. Lay low for a while."
Hado myeol's head, bowed low, tensed up.
"I-I'm sorry, Mother."
"Turning your little sister into a human bomb was praiseworthy, but Amagi Souma figured out she was your sister? Leave Hadojin alone for now. Entrust it to Hado mong."
"Yes… Mother."
"Amagi Souma isn't the fool you think he is. Be very careful. And keep your necromancer identity hidden tight until your second awakening…"
"Yes… Mother."
"Caaaaw. Caaaaw."
The crow flapped its wings and shuddered. Hado myeol, head still bowed, let out a long breath and clenched his fist tight. Blood began dripping from it.
"Fuck… Hadojin… you rat bastard…"
Characters written in blood in the air: fire (火). Hado myeol admired the flame in his hand. The air around where the flame touched screamed and warped. He was confident this single spark could reduce the field boss of a decent B-rank gate to ashes.
Academy East Wing, top floor. This penthouse, permitted only to the cult leader's top-ranking successors, offered a view of the academy below like a quaint toy set.
Down there, swarming like ants—pathetic nothings. The power to control their fates lay right in his hand.
"Fools."
He turned his gaze out the window. His contempt especially targeted the West Wing building, shrouded in damp shadows contrasting the East Wing's splendor. A den of trash. And Hadojin was there.
Hadojin. The mere thought filled his mouth with a vile taste. Egenam. Failure. Half-baked reject booted from successor contention. Sharing blood with such scum was an unbearable insult.
He'd tried to eliminate him before enrollment to avoid even facing him in the successor race, but even that failed. 'Mana measurement impossible.' Rumors said he shattered the mana orb, but Hado myeol scoffed. Obviously a staged act by the cult elders or dean to save face for the cult leader. A talentless hack who crawled into the trash heap of the gathering squad on his own.
"Nine Piao still not back?"
Last night, he'd ordered his loyal dog: Crush Hadojin's spirit thoroughly. Make him irredeemable without killing him. Child's play for Nine Piao, a 3 Circle shaman whose fire arts overwhelmed most third-year hunters.
'Report should be coming soon.'
The moment Hado myeol extinguished the flame in his hand and turned—bang! The door flew open violently, and one of his underlings rushed in with a bloodless face.
"Y-Young master! Big trouble!"
"Don't make a fuss. What is it?"
At Hado myeol's cold voice, the underling panted and forced out words.
"N-Nine Piao…!"
"What's with Nine Piao? Did he break that failure's limbs?"
"He lost! Nine Piao… got beaten!"
"…What?"
Hado myeol's brow twitched.
"Don't talk nonsense. You think it makes sense for Nine Piao to lose to gathering squad trash?"
"Not the gathering squad… Th-that failure… Hadojin, he…!"
The underling reported in a terrified voice what had happened in the West Wing basement just moments ago. Nine Piao's surprise flame art. Hadojin blocking it with a shield. Closing the distance in a blink with godlike movement. And… just two punches.
"……."
As he listened, all expression drained from Hado myeol's face. The air around him chilled like ice.
"Just… two punches?"
"Y-Yes… First punch pierced the solar plexus, second shattered the jaw… Knocked out cold. He's in the infirmary now, but his whole body is tangled with mana—critical condition…"
Crash—! The crystal glass in Hado myeol's hand shattered under his grip. Sharp shards dug into his palm, but he seemed not to feel the pain.
Impossible. Unthinkable. That weakling taking down a 3 Circle shaman in two punches? Head-on, overwhelmingly?
"If this is a false report, I'll rip out your tongue and feed it to the crows."
"I-It's true, young master! Every student in the gathering squad witnessed it!"
The underling slammed his head on the floor, wailing. Hado myeol shook off the broken glass shards.
In his mind, scattered intel began forming a picture. Shattered mana orb. Dean's unusual 'special squad' assignment. His inexplicable choice of the gathering squad. And Nine Piao's crushing defeat.
"……An act."
A low mutter escaped his lips.
"All of it… just like Hado mong said, an act."
Chills ran down his spine. His most wary brother, third-year Hado mong, had come to him. Suggested killing Hadojin together on enrollment day. So he'd given him a human bomb—his own beautiful little sister turned into one.
"Stupid bastard."
Idiot Hado mong had deployed the human bomb in the ceremony hall and got blocked by Amagi Souma.
"…Wait. Hado mong on purpose?"
He'd clearly instructed to use her beauty to explode during sex. Hado myeol bit his lower lip. Blood beaded up.
"Hado mong… Hadojin… these two fuckers… played me?"
This wasn't coincidence. A meticulously calculated, perfect deception. He'd drawn the cult leader's attention—and not in a good way.
"Kuh… kuahaha… kuahahahaha!"
Hado myeol's shoulders shook. Starting as a low chuckle, it twisted into mad laughter. The underling cowered, head down in terror.
"Fun… this is so fun."
When the laughter stopped, his eyes were no longer human. Eyes of a destruction god finding a new toy. Beyond rage and humiliation burned a warped ecstasy.
"You two… dared… to fool me?"
He rose slowly. Walked to the window, gazing at the West Wing again. Hado mong was still a tough monster. But losing to trash like Hadojin bruised his pride.
His gaze locked on the West Wing.
"Failure… you've poked the hornet's nest."
The academy's afternoon was languid. The general education class 'Monster Ecology Basics' in the auditorium was sleeping pill for most students. First-years, second-years, third-years, special squad, master squad—all attended.
The white-haired old professor droned on about 'slime reproduction' in a monotonous voice, while students dozed or messed around.
But today, the boring lecture hall's air felt subtly different. All eyes, consciously or not, fixed on one spot.
Back row, window side. A group in the gathering squad's rustic gray uniforms sat there. At the center: Hadojin.
As if nothing happened, he propped his chin, focused on the lecture. On his shoulder, the little cotton-ball-like honey slime rabbit, Mochi, curled up asleep. Hard to believe this serene figure had half-killed a 3 Circle shaman hours ago.
Hado myeol watched from the special squad seats opposite. Elites and master squad aces surrounded him, but none dared speak. His icy killing intent froze the air.
'What the hell… is that guy's deal?'
Hado myeol stared piercingly. He looked utterly ordinary. No, fragile even. Slender neck, soft facial lines, delicate fingers scribbling notes. Listen (聽). He inscribed the character in the air, sending a shaman spell toward Hadojin. Amplifies nearby sounds.
Hadojin was the epitome of an egenam. But those hands had pulverized Nine Piao's jaw? The gap confused Hado myeol further.
Cha Gi-tae, beside Hadojin, shot his hand up.
"Professor, I'll present!"
When the prof asked for volunteers, he'd raised his hand high with needless booming voice.
"Professor! Slime mucus has not just acidic components, but alkaline ones too depending on habitat soil…"
Sighs of annoyance rippled through the room at his passionate spiel. Easy credits, so most ignored class.
Hado myeol eyed Cha Gi-tae like a bug, then back to Hadojin. Who smiled faintly at Cha Gi-tae—like watching a noisy little brother's antics, warm and gentle.
'That composure….'
It irked Hado myeol. Not a weakling's cower. The absolute ease of one controlling everything.
"Next, yes, let's hear from the saintess squad girls."
At the prof's words, saintess squad girls in front rose gracefully. Pure white dresses like elegant gowns, flawless poise. They purified the air just by existing.
One stood out especially.
Lush golden hair cascading down, doll-like beauty. Lucilia, Almedia Holy Kingdom duke's daughter, top saintess squad with the strongest holy power among freshmen.
As she stepped forward, every male student's gaze locked on. Even Hado myeol nearly lost himself in her beauty. But his eyes snapped back to Hadojin.
Hadojin ignored her completely. Just whispering quietly to the pretty boy beside him, Harin.
"Bro, that girl's super pretty, right? Like an angel."
"Yeah? Dunno. You look prettier to me."
"Aw, bro."
Harin laughed shyly, playfully smacking Hadojin's arm. At the intimacy, Hado myeol's brow twitched.
'That guy… not into girls? Or… tastes?'
Then. As Lucilia returned from presenting, her foot caught, stumbling. Silver heel twisted, ankle buckling.
"Oh dear!"
As she toppled toward Hadojin—the nearest—the room's noise halted. Everyone held breath, watching.
Beautiful Lucilia falling toward Hadojin in slow motion. All eyes, prof included, anticipated: him catching her smoothly…
But he sidestepped slickly?
Thud!
"Kyaa!"
Thanks to Hadojin's petty dodge, Lucilia's head smacked the desk corner. Blood trickled down.
"Ah!"
Hado myeol shot to his feet.
