Chapter 42: Mine (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Mine (6)
Seong Si-woo was dead.
Ah.
I want to ask my past self from ten years ago.
‘Can you kill the Evil God without the protagonist?’
He’d probably have told me to go fuck myself.
In the end, my ten-year plan went up in smoke.
The protagonist couldn’t overcome the Mine’s persuasion and infestation.
If there had been even a sliver of hope, I would have found a way to save him.
But even the System had shattered.
What that meant was simple: he could no longer be considered human.
I took a deep breath.
If there was one thing that bothered me—
It’s too fast.
Usually, when an infestation begins, the demonic energy is observed internally for a few months.
Then, when the time is right, the demonization process begins.
But look at that purple arm on the floor. The demonization had started at the same time as the infestation.
This implied one of two things.
First, that he failed because he had far too little mana to resist the demonic energy.
But while Seong Si-woo lacked talent and everything else, the one thing he had in abundance was mana. So that wasn't it.
The second possibility… was that the Evil God had taken a great liking to this guy.
The Evil God usually doesn't emerge from behind the curtain. Not unless something interesting happens.
But it intervened to the point of shattering the System?
That was… unusual.
“What in the world…”
The Paladin was aghast.
Coincidentally, so was I.
“It was the early stages of infestation. What just happened… is legally not much different from murder. Of course, we understood the severity of the situation, but if we can’t get a definitive test result proving he was beyond saving, you may not be able to avoid punishment…”
The Paladin’s expression clouded with worry. She wasn’t blaming me for killing Seong Si-woo.
It felt more like she was worried I would suffer because of my judgment.
It seemed best to prove that there was nothing that could have been done.
I just wanted to lie down, but I forced myself to get up.
However, Cheon Yeo-wool, who had been standing behind the Paladin, was a step faster.
She approached Seong Si-woo’s corpse.
She reached out a hand.
But as if she didn't want to touch something so foul, she twisted her fingers as she neared him—
Then stopped her hand just before it made contact.
A blue aura trickled from her fingertips.
Cheon Yeo-wool closed her eyes slightly.
Soon after, she gave a quiet nod.
“…I see.”
She turned to the Paladin and continued.
“It was too late. The inside is already filthy. Very.”
The Paladin’s face hardened.
“I believe he was past the point of being saved. Hae-in’s judgment was correct.”
Cheon Yeo-wool looked at the Paladin, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly. Her demeanor gave no hint of her connection to me.
At her words, the Paladin bowed her head in acceptance. It meant she wouldn't question the Saintess's opinion in the slightest.
And she was, in fact, correct.
“Besides… it seems a rather high-ranking demon latched onto him. This could have been dangerous.”
Just then, Kang A-rin, who was standing on the opposite side, took a few steps forward.
She glanced down at Seong Si-woo’s body, then lifted her head and spoke to Cheon Yeo-wool.
“So you’re saying Hae-in correctly diagnosed the Cult’s lukewarm judgment and eliminated a threat?”
For a moment, the Paladin’s shoulders flinched.
Kang A-rin crossed her arms, propping her chin with one hand as she added.
“Shouldn’t this be rewarded, not punished?”
The saints standing behind Cheon Yeo-wool showed signs of discomfort.
But Cheon Yeo-wool herself simply smiled at Kang A-rin’s words.
She turned her gaze to the side, looking at Jung Hae-in.
“I suppose so…”
Cheon Yeo-wool tilted her head slightly, a smile playing on her lips.
“This could have tarnished the Cult’s reputation. It would be appropriate for our Cult to reward him. Don’t you agree?”
She spoke to the Paladin with a gentle smile.
That’s when I cut in.
“Let’s talk about that later.”
I pointed to the corpse on the floor.
“First, we need to burn that body. With the Cult’s Holy Fire, until not a trace is left.”
Holy Fire.
The sacred flame of the Cult that burns the very existence of a Mine from its roots.
It wasn't as powerful as a Fragment, nor was it meant for combat, but its ability to purify those who had been infested was absolute.
Until that was done, it was too early to feel relieved.
You could never predict what those Mine bastards would do.
The Paladin nodded.
“Of course. A priest from the Cult will handle the procedure personally…”
A priest…
When a priest of the Cult personally conjures the Holy Fire, most demonic energy vanishes in its flames.
But that was only in ‘most cases.’
This case could hardly be considered a typical infestation.
It was a little disappointing, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
As if reading my thoughts, Cheon Yeo-wool spoke up.
“No, I’ll do it myself.”
The Paladin’s eyes widened. She began to fret, trying to dissuade Cheon Yeo-wool.
“Saintess… there’s no need for you to do that. A priest is more than capable of handling this…”
“No.”
Cheon Yeo-wool was firm.
“It appears a high-ranking demon was involved. I will burn it myself with the Cult’s Holy Fire.”
She took a short breath and added.
“You know as well as I do, Holy Knight.”
“What happens when the demonic energy isn’t completely eliminated.”
At that, the Paladin finally fell silent and took a step back.
I, too, was satisfied. If it was Cheon Yeo-wool, she would finish the job properly.
Just then, Kang Yun-hyeok emerged from behind Kang A-rin.
His mere presence seemed to dominate the entire space.
Drawn by his intense aura, people unknowingly turned their gazes toward him.
He opened his mouth.
“They’ve just reported eliminating the last of the Moras. The pursuit of the main body has failed, as expected.”
I gave a short nod.
Losing Moras was unavoidable. Even in the original story, his hiding place was never described.
He wasn't the type to be caught in one go anyway.
Perhaps he had contacted them, because personnel from the Association and Gaon, along with other members of the Cult, came rushing in.
They began to handle Seong Si-woo’s body.
“We’ll take care of it.”
A member of the Cult prepared a coffin imbued with divine power.
To move the body, he carefully lifted Seong Si-woo’s arm.
In that instant.
Sizzzle!
A black, smoldering mark appeared.
Smoke rose. Like an impurity being burned away, the skin cracked and split.
“……”
Slowly, very slowly, Seong Si-woo’s skin crumbled away.
Even in death, demonic energy still lingered within him.
I let out a short sigh and turned my head.
This was not the death I had expected.
Watching a kid I’d had affection and expectations for die…
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.
*
As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I collapsed onto my bed.
I stared blankly at the ceiling.
My mind was a mess.
The exam had been suspended. A temporary suspension.
The TV I’d left on was broadcasting news about today’s attack.
—There was one casualty… confirmed to have died fighting a Mine to the very end…
Objectively speaking, my preparations for this attack had been a success.
The swift disposal of Medusa, followed by a natural transition to pursuing Moras.
The fact that there was only a single casualty was also a very significant result.
However, that ‘one person’…
“Why the fuck did it have to be you…”
I clutched my head as I lay there.
I had lost the person I considered most important in the most futile way.
I didn't know what to do. I wondered if it was my fault.
Was there a better way?
Or should I have just stuck by Seong Si-woo’s side?
Countless thoughts swirled in my head.
Just then.
Beep.
An alert sounded from my watch.
Covering my face with one hand, I slowly lifted the watch.
The exam was suspended, but ridiculously, the guilds’ bidding hadn't stopped.
The bulletin board was endlessly updated with videos of the students who had distinguished themselves today.
This, too, was a strategy on the academy’s part.
To divert public attention from the incident, they were naturally steering the conversation toward another topic.
And those clips were starting to raise their market value.
I sorted the posts by view count.
The post with the highest number of views.
[4 hours ago, Views: 3,353,211]
At the very top…
Was the video of me slicing off Medusa’s head.
A figure shot in from the corner of the screen like a bolt of lightning. The cameraperson tried to turn and find them, but they had already lost the subject.
After the screen shook, a scene was finally captured. The cameraperson hastily panned the camera up to the sky.
Five clones rushed toward Medusa.
And then, her head was severed in a single strike.
—Whoa…
The cameraperson’s awe was audible.
The comment section was exploding.
[sdff221]: Who the hell is this student? He’s not even in the rankings?
[GrilledScallop]: Look at the bids coming in. This is on the level of the Former Hero.
[alex588]: come to America.
I checked the bidding ranks.
“Hah…”
[Cheongpung Sect] → [Jung Hae-in] 800,000,000 KRW bid.
[Arcadia Cult] → [Jung Hae-in] 1,000,000,000 KRW bid.
[Maengju Guild] → [Jung Hae-in] 1,200,000,000 KRW bid.
[Lotus Guild] → [Jung Hae-in] 1,500,000,000 KRW bid.
Things were going absolutely wild.
The Cheongpung Sect…?
The guard unit of the Yu Hana family, infamous for its exclusivity.
Even they had placed a bid.
But one stood out above the rest.
[Vanquisher] → [Jung Hae-in] 5,000,000,000 KRW bid.
Crazy.
I let out a hollow laugh and sighed.
It was a waste of time to just lie here.
I pushed myself up and went straight to my desk.
I opened my notebook and organized the situation.
I had to admit it.
The Strategy of Borrowing a Knife I had prepared for ten years with Seong Si-woo had failed.
I could no longer borrow someone else’s sword.
In the center of the notebook, Seong Si-woo’s name was written.
Surrounding it were the names Yu Hana, Kang A-rin, and Cheon Yeo-wool.
And various opportunities and martial arts were directed toward him with arrows.
It looked like a kind of mind map.
I tapped my pen, thinking.
I thought it over one last time, a final, final time.
Then, I gripped the pen decisively.
I crossed out Seong Si-woo’s name in the center.
And in its place, I filled in a new name.
‘Jung Hae-in.’
I had absorbed the Fragment.
In truth, I was the only one who could fill the role Seong Si-woo had left vacant.
I tossed the pen onto the desk.
“I don’t know anymore.”
This was probably the best decision.