The Labyrinth Incident (3)
Professor Lee Jun-gyeom held up the heart and curled his lips into a smirk. That was when the narration hit me.
The target is activating the divine blessing, Devour Slaughter.
Devour Slaughter? In that instant, Professor Lee Jun-gyeom began devouring the heart in his hand. The sight made me wrinkle my nose in disgust. It reminded me of the monsters that crawled out of the rifts. He no longer looked human.
A revolting belch echoed through the chamber. Having polished off the first heart in seconds, he immediately pulled out a second one.
"Hehehe..."
Absolutely disgusting.
Constellations sometimes lent their power to the streamers they contracted with. These were called divine blessings, and the more powerful the constellation, the more blessings they possessed. The Servant of Slaughter was one of the most influential evil constellations, so it made sense that it could afford to grant two without breaking a sweat.
That didn't mean the constellation itself was relaxed. Blessings were as precious as life to them; they didn't hand them out lightly. The fact that it had given an extra one suggested it desperately didn't want its streamer to lose.
Crunch!
By then, Lee Jun-gyeom had already eaten half of the second heart. I couldn't move recklessly. I had zero insight into this so-called Devour Slaughter blessing.
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet is glaring at the Servant of Slaughter.
The timid narration came right on cue. Come to think of it, one constellation had been reacting violently to the Servant of Slaughter since earlier. Then another message appeared.
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet grants the Blessing of Knowledge.
The user will instantly acquire unknown knowledge!
Blessing of Knowledge? In that moment, information about every blessing unfolded before my eyes. My eyes narrowed.
Devour Slaughter: Grows stronger with each human heart consumed. (No limit)
Interesting. Looked like the 'brainiac' who contracted with me hated losing just as much as I did. When I thought about it, she was one of the constellations with truly immense power.
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet bites her lip and watches the situation intently.
The constellation Beating Maestro quietly steps back.
I'd thought she was just a timid, book-loving girl. Turns out she was justice wrapped in a black judge's robe.
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet adjusts her glasses.
That was when Lee Jun-gyeom's laughter rang out again.
"Hehehe..."
His eyes had completely rolled back. He looked like a genuine evil spirit now. I drew my weapon. The reinforced dagger immediately began radiating sword energy.
Unique Skill: Swordsmanship lv.2
A shimmering haze rippled outward, forming the shape of a blade. Lee Jun-gyeom charged at that exact moment.
"I'll show you what I'm truly capable of!"
Clang!
I parried his knife with my reinforced dagger. But he immediately thrust out his left hand. It was his first blessing, Murderous Hand.
I twisted my waist and dodged. He was definitely stronger than before, but if brute strength was all he had, he was actually easier to handle.
Lee Jun-gyeom swung both arms wildly and screamed.
"You have to die so I can live a new life!"
He kept swinging his blade with reckless abandon. Clang! Clang! I deflected every strike and stared straight into his eyes. Lee Jun-gyeom flinched, his body trembling. I used that opening to send his knife flying.
Clink!
His gaze locked onto the fallen knife. That was when I delivered a low kick.
Thud!
"Aargh!"
Lee Jun-gyeom dropped to one knee and glared up at me.
"I-I definitely got stronger...! Just who the hell are you!"
No matter how much stronger he'd become, he was no match for me. After all, he was just a rookie who'd started streaming today.
I looked down at him, tapped my temple, and said, "Me? A fellow streamer and your senior."
"...What?"
For a moment, Lee Jun-gyeom stared at me with a completely stunned expression. He must have been shocked. He'd probably thought he was the only special human blessed by the gods.
"Ugh... This can't be happening."
Lee Jun-gyeom ground his teeth as he glared at me. That was when his eyes flicked to the side.
A faint sign of life can still be detected.
One of the female students we'd thought was dead was still breathing! Lee Jun-gyeom must have already known. He began crawling frantically toward her.
"I-I need more hearts...!"
He still hadn't given up. I quickly chased after him and struck the back of his neck before he could do anything.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed from Lee Jun-gyeom's throat as he collapsed, dead. He didn't even get to scream. Thud.
It was over.
I let out a long breath. A flood of narrations poured into my head. It was time to settle the rewards.
Additional rewards are being calculated for completing the Sudden Mission conditions.
You have acquired 500 points as a bounty.
You have acquired 800 points as an additional reward!
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet is deeply moved by your display of justice.
She has sponsored 1000 points as a bounty.
The constellation Beating Maestro has sponsored an additional 300 points.
When the messages ended, I looked down at the professor's corpse. This was the ugly end that awaited anyone who contracted with the Servant of Slaughter.
The constellation Moving Answer Sheet has won her bet against the Servant of Slaughter.
The constellation Servant of Slaughter has been expelled from the Korean server.
I had a pretty good idea what kind of bet they'd made. Lens, who was standing beside me, let out a raspy cackle.
That was when I heard footsteps.
"Ha Yeonjun?"
I turned around. Kim Jeong-a was staring at me with a face pale with terror.
Oh, right. I wondered what I must look like right now.
I blinked as I surveyed the blood-soaked scene around me.
*
"To think something like this would happen in our academy!"
The faculty office in the main school building was still buzzing with noise. Even though the police investigation had already concluded, Principal Kim Chong-jae was sweating bullets as he tried to sort out the situation. No matter how prestigious a hunter academy it was, having two students murdered by a professor was a massive blow to its reputation. Reporters were still swarming outside.
People accepted hunters dying in rifts as normal, but this kind of scandal drew blood like sharks.
The story had already made front-page headlines. However, because the principal's own daughter was involved, public opinion was split.
"To think Professor Lee would do something like this..."
Professor Kang Dong-geun spoke up. The other professors around him looked equally stunned.
"Could he have turned into some kind of evil spirit as well?"
"The association has already dispatched their investigation team, so let's not jump to conclusions," Professor Kim Strang replied. Professor Jang Ji-seok continued.
"Professor Lee always did have a rather shady side, didn't he? I had a bad feeling about him for a while now. That's why I asked him directly last time. If he had any major complaints about society..."
"Ahem!" Principal Kim Chong-jae cut him off.
"That's enough, Professor Jang. For now, let's prepare the funeral for the deceased students by tomorrow. Professor Kang, please compile the list of victims and show it to me. Oh, and it would be best if you all leave through the back door."
When Principal Kim pointed out the window, the professors nodded in understanding and left. Once the faculty office fell silent again, the completely exhausted principal collapsed into his chair.
Now that I think about it, what was the name of that last student...?
The name Ha Yeonjun came to mind exactly one minute later. The student arrested for killing Professor Lee Jun-gyeom but immediately released on grounds of self-defense. No, if not for that student, there might have been even more victims.
Professor Seong Ji-eun mentioned him before, if I recall correctly.
Principal Kim's gaze shifted to the female student sitting on the sofa. It was his only daughter, Kim Jeong-a. As a witness to the incident, she had passionately defended the student named Ha Yeonjun to the police before collapsing from exhaustion and resting here.
He approached her carefully as she stared at her smartphone and spoke gently.
"Jeong-a? From what I heard, the labyrinth went completely dark for a while..."
"Yes, it did."
"Are you feeling alright?"
Kim Jeong-a gathered her bag and stood up.
"It's not like a little darkness is going to hurt anyone... I'll be going now. I'm tired."
She opened the door to the faculty office and stepped out. Principal Kim had been worried the trauma from 'that incident' in her childhood might have resurfaced, but she seemed okay this time. Still, like any other father, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was growing more distant from his daughter.
"Sigh. Our conversations seem to get shorter every day."
On one wall of the faculty office hung a magnificent painting of a raven. It was a cherished possession of Kim Chong-yeol, the founder of Raven Academy. A prophecy was written on it. Principal Kim stroked his beard as he read the inscription.
That was when he picked up the receiver of the phone on his desk. After the dial tone, he spoke.
"Yes, this is Principal Kim. Please come to the faculty office right away, Professor Seong Ji-eun. There's something urgent I need to discuss."
Principal Kim Chong-jae began writing something with a ballpoint pen.