Chapter 216: Supplementary Exam (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 216: Supplementary Exam (2)
“Let’s go.”
“……”
“Chae-ha. I said, let’s go.”
Yoon Chae-ha remained seated, unable to leave.
She was rooted to the spot like a siege tank.
Her once-drowsy eyes were gone, and she was now reading five textbooks at once.
How that was even possible, I had no idea.
I sighed, stood up, and looked around.
No one else was there.
The three or four other students who had come for the supplementary class had long since met their quotas and gone home.
Only Yoon Chae-ha and I remained in the empty study hall and training ground.
Perhaps this was to be expected.
The time was…
Already 1 AM.
All for that damn kneader.
In the end, I realized I couldn’t stop Yoon Chae-ha.
“……”
I gathered mana in my palm, drawing out a cold energy.
And then.
Sshhhk…
I touched my ice-cold fingers to the nape of Yoon Chae-ha’s pale neck.
“Eek!”
Startled by the cold, she shot up from her seat.
Finding her reaction adorable, I burst out laughing.
“Let’s go.”
“Hmph.”
“You can finish studying tomorrow.”
The streets of Gaon at night had a charm all their own, different from the day.
Streetlights powered by mana stones illuminated the entire campus with a soft, blue glow, ensuring no one would get lost even in the dead of night.
We walked across the empty streets.
“Chae-ha.”
“Yeah.”
I asked her.
“Your career path… has it changed?”
Yoon Chae-ha was originally a scion of the Magic Tower, a highly anticipated talent.
Her gift for magic was probably the greatest among all living mages.
But now, she wanted to join Vanquisher.
The reason was quite simple.
Because I was there.
“Nope.”
Yoon Chae-ha answered immediately.
“I see.”
I said with a small smile.
“And the reason… is that the same, too?”
I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
The path Yoon Chae-ha could have walked as a successor to the Magic Tower would have been a fine one.
I felt a sliver of guilt that she was giving it up because of me.
Of course, I would do my best for her, but…
When it came to magic, that path was undoubtedly superior.
Yoon Chae-ha thought for a moment, then…
“I’m the one who said it.”
“Me?”
“No, me.”
Yoon Chae-ha suddenly tapped her own chest with a finger.
“Back then… in Bulgaram’s Workshop…”
She closed her eyes calmly, as if recalling something.
Then, slowly opening them, she smiled and spoke.
“I told myself… to stick right by your side.”
“…You did?”
I didn’t ask any more questions.
To be honest, I didn’t quite understand what she meant.
But Bulgaram’s Workshop was an inscrutable place where time, space, and even one’s sense of self could become twisted—a place where the unknown happened.
It seemed something there had solidified her resolve.
“Hae-in.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry.”
“……”
I stopped in my tracks for a moment. I hadn’t realized she’d noticed.
Yoon Chae-ha gently pressed her chest against my arm.
“This is the path I’ve chosen, and it’s the most fun.”
Her warmth reached me through the cool night air.
“Thank you.”
I replied with a smile.
*
The deepest Abyss.
Or perhaps, the highest heaven.
In a place where the boundaries of space were ambiguous, several thrones floated in the air, defying gravity as always.
And on the throne of the 2nd Seat…
Alexei sat, bored.
Before him, a chessboard that looked as if it were carved from crystal hovered in the air.
He had no opponent.
He was simply observing the state of the war through the game.
Will Belial truly deliver the results he boasted about?
Tap.
Tap…
The black and white pieces moved according to his will.
Just then, his black bishop stood before the white king.
“Finally.”
Has it gone as I wished?
A perfect skewer.
The moment the king moved to escape, the queen standing behind it was as good as dead.
A completely advantageous board.
Looking at it now, it seemed Belial’s success was all but certain…
Tap.
But then.
The white king moved.
Ignoring the rules, it charged headfirst toward the very bishop that threatened it.
“…The fuck?”
Alexei’s chin slipped from the hand it was resting on.
The king had charged, ramming into the bishop and killing it. No, not quite killing it.
The king, too, had suffered a fatal wound from the recoil of its own reckless charge and was now teetering on the chessboard.
But in that very instant, five white queens materialized from the empty air above the board.
They rushed mercilessly toward the injured black bishop and beat it to a bloody pulp.
“…Belial?”
Is he dead, just like that?
Before Alexei could even finish his thought…
ROOOOOOOOAR!!!!
A shout shook the earth and rattled space itself.
It was the roar of The Great Being.
At the sound of that overwhelming presence, the scattered Apostles all began to gather.
“……”
But Alexei himself didn’t join them, remaining seated with a look of ennui.
He had long since regained his composure.
His gaze returned to the hovering chessboard, to the white king that was on its last legs after its reckless charge. Five queens now surrounded the imperiled king.
“…I see.”
A low sigh escaped Alexei’s lips.
A still-weak king.
He was being protected, yes…
But at the same time, that king did not fear immolating himself to protect his queens.
However, perhaps his observation had been too intense.
Among the five queens, one that radiated a particularly clear, watery divine aura seemed to notice his gaze and turned its head toward Alexei.
It gave a scornful smile and unfurled a sacred domain.
In an instant, the entire chessboard Alexei was watching blurred and returned to its plain, ordinary state.
They’re buying time and protecting the king until he can mature.
If so, what happens if that fragile king grows to his full potential under their protection?
What, I wonder, is waiting at the end?
A long, slow smile spread across Alexei’s lips.
It had been a tedious match.
But the middle game had already begun.
And it was finally starting to get interesting.
“The Great One is coming!”
Just then, a high-ranking demon’s boisterous cry shattered his contemplation.
Alexei glanced in that direction.
Crash.
He shattered the chessboard.
Then he rose from his seat.
“We’ll be meeting soon.”
He murmured quietly.
“Little king.”
With a leisurely stride, he walked toward the place where The Great Being’s fury awaited.
*
The next afternoon, in a penthouse at Gaon.
She had decorated her penthouse to serve as her private office.
As the sun began to set, the soft glow of dusk filled the room, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
I brewed some coffee and entered her office.
There was something I needed to discuss with her today.
“A-rin.”
I placed a cup of coffee next to Kang A-rin, who had her head buried in a pile of documents.
Then, I gently stroked her cheek with my hand.
“Hnng…”
Looking pleased, Kang A-rin purred and nodded.
“Yeah?”
I sat down at the desk across from her.
“What’s up?”
Kang A-rin met my gaze and asked.
“It’s nothing major… but is your schedule open?”
I asked her.
Kang A-rin was incredibly busy…
After the subjugation of Belial, her guild was surely in as much chaos as Vanquisher. It seemed right for me to work around her schedule.
But Kang A-rin spoke immediately, without even checking her planner.
“I’m free today, and I’m free tomorrow.”
Kang A-rin rose gracefully.
She came over to where I was sitting.
And plopped down.
“I’m always free. Whenever you want.”
Kang A-rin turned to me, flashing another one of her cat-like smiles.
“Let’s go to the Pentagon.”
Kang A-rin’s eyes, which had been relaxed just a moment ago, sharpened.
Normally, we would have had to wait for its official opening date.
But that was no longer necessary.
“There’s something I absolutely need. There.”
“A Fragment?”
She saw right through my intentions.
“Yeah.”
Kang A-rin thought for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s possible.”
She had answered quickly, but she wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t something she could do.
I had anticipated as much.
A mischievous smile returned to Kang A-rin’s red lips.
“If it really comes down to it, let’s just steal it,” she added.
“……”
That was a bit much.
I did my best to ignore her extreme suggestion and mentally planned the next steps.
“But, are we going just the two of us?”
Kang A-rin asked first.
I thought about it for a second.
Our opponent was the USA.
Rather than going with a large group…
Kang A-rin, the Guild Leader of Maengju and heir to Glory Group, and just me. The two of us seemed like it would have more of an impact.
“That sounds better.”
“Really?”
Kang A-rin rested her chin on her hand, as if in thought.
“You’re going to do it, right?”
“Do what?”
“That.”
Kang A-rin’s hand slid down and gently stroked my thigh.
“I’m the only one who hasn’t.”
To be precise, Yu Hana hadn’t either, but still.
“…Let’s focus on getting it first.”
I lightly gripped Kang A-rin’s wrist.
“Hehe.”
Kang A-rin laughed seductively, as if my reaction amused her.
I gently released her hand and stood up with a smile.
“I’ll sort out the schedule and let you know.”
“Alright, let me know.”
Kang A-rin also stood up to see me out.
It wouldn’t be long now…
Until everyone had their Fragment.