章 14: Chapter 14: No Fun
Academy.
To merely call it a school would be an understatement; this place is far from ordinary.
During my first life, it was simply a school.
In my second life, it became incredibly splendid, thanks to the involvement of the Imperial Household.
By my third life, the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy had expanded to the size of a fairly large metropolitan area comparable to modern Korea.
I wondered, why go to such lengths for just an academy?
That was the situation, anyway.
But compared to now, those instances were insignificant.
'True, the spiritual vein is astounding, but where else would you find a site with an artificial island floating above it for training purposes?'
Was it because of such audacious actions?
The academy itself didn't seem sane either.
They constructed a school in the shape of a 'ㄷ', and its size was enormous.
The width exceeds 1km, and it's trying to surpass a height of 100m.
We were passing by it in a car.
"Is the car speed fast? Is it a new model?"
"Hehe, to think you'd notice. You are a troublemaker, but you have a keen eye. It's a new model released by Versa. Powered by a mana engine, it can instantly output over 2,000 horsepower, and it takes only 0.2 seconds to accelerate from zero to a hundred…"
"…Can you even drive it properly within the academy?"
"It's impossible, so I'm using it to entertain guests."
"I have something I want to ask."
"Go ahead."
At my words, Abel let out a laugh.
Annoying little smirker.
"Why did the principal call us?"
"She said he wanted to talk. The principal is very interested in unique individuals."
"Unique individuals?"
"Yes, sorry, but the technique you showed me last time caught her interest."
"Ah, the Ice Realm?"
"Did you name it the Ice Realm? It's quite straightforward."
"So what."
As I spoke, a faint smile crossed my face, causing Abel's expression to stiffen slightly.
Isn't that better than a beaming smile?
"Is that all she wants to talk about?"
"No, I think she has something specific she wants to say to Han Seojin."
"A proposal, huh? Sounds troublesome."
"...Probably. It's going to be an incident that shakes up the magical world. It might even cause a stir in the murim world."
"That significant?"
"Yes."
At Abel's firm response, I found myself momentarily lost in thought.
All I did was dissect and utilize his Blood Realm ability.
'Is it really that remarkable?'
How absurd.
Is this world only filled with truly cruel people?
"..Lately, it seems like everything shows on your face."
"The strong don't hide their expressions."
I shrugged at my disciple's words.
Creak-.
Before we knew it, we had arrived inside the school.
We got out of the car and stepped outside.
"Why is Abel, the Hunter of the School, the Crimson Blaze Noble, here?"
"Seeing Yoo Eunchae, who causes trouble wherever she goes, it's clear she's caused some trouble again. Serves her right."
"My student, you really have a lot of enemies."
"I live like this, suffering, Master."
As Yoo Eunchae pretended to cry with sobbing noises, Abel glanced at her with a look of disbelief.
"It's only us innocent students who suffer. Well, not every other student is necessarily good."
"The attack on the professor was real, too."
"Even so, an incident tarnished the professor's dignity. Gathering students and boldly raiding the professor's lab to attack him."
"That's an old story, was it?"
"That's why the principal gave you a special award. Though the punishment was cleaning the bathrooms for a week."
"Do you have any idea how dirty women's restrooms can be? Men's restrooms are better by comparison."
"…We've arrived."
Abel gestured as if he had a headache.
"Please be extra careful from here on. Our principal can be considered unique among those active in society as a transcendent."
"That's because everyone is at the border…"
Before Yoo Eunchae could finish speaking, the door creaked open on its own.
"Hello, hello! I'm so happy to meet everyone!"
And inside, a girl was smiling brightly.
She was a girl in pure white.Her body was somewhere between that of a middle school and a high school student, with white hair split into twin tails.Dressed in a pure white dress, she looked at us.
My body tensed up involuntarily.
I had experienced this sensation before.
'Demon King.'
He was the first one that came to mind.
However, reassessing the situation, it wasn't to that extent.
A bit further down than that.
The Heavenly Demon and the Duke of Extermination.
'No.'
It would be okay to go even lower than those two.
The three old monsters who ended my life in my third life.
She was a being comparable to them.
In the Murim world, she was someone who was in the realm of stepping into godhood, the Profound Realm.
And if it were magic, she had also reached the 8th circle.
By the standards of this world, she was a transcendent being.
That being suddenly rose from the chair and floated lightly in the air.
Right in front of me.
"Hehe."
"Principal?"
"This is interesting, very interesting."
Her smile, full of curiosity, deepened.
Blue eyes tinged with purple were directed at me.
"When I heard from Abel, it was just full of curiosity."
It's unpleasant.
The attempt to scrutinize me thoroughly.
'Can it be hidden?'
I ask myself, but honestly, I'm unsure if I can hide information from this woman.
This is a world of supernatural powers.
If it's through the eyes of a transcendent, somehow the most important things can be hidden.
But this world has the variable of Unique Traits.
Maybe she has already taken my information.
'I still have to hide it.'
I calm my inner chaos.
And erase the fact that I'm a reincarnated person from my mind.
The girl's eyes sparkled.
"Your reaction is incredibly fast."
"I've learned this and that."
"It didn't seem like this when I first saw you."
"Then, did you misjudge me at first glance? I'm a difficult man to assess in one look."
I babble nonsense while sizing her up.
This practically feels like a fight already.
"Hmm, no wonder you've been hiding all this time, Abel."
"…Yes, Principal."
"Erase all his absences."
"…I understand."
Abel nodded his head.
I smirked.
"I don't really want to attend this place, do I?"
"Hmm. That's possible. Is there something uncomfortable about the academy?"
"Not really."
Since I haven't actually attended.
Even searching through Han Seojin's memories, I can't recall anything.
'Come to think of it, there was a bully.'
Han Cheoljin.
The guy didn't provide information, so he might be a corpse by now.
I feel no guilt.
After all, he deserved it for what he did.
According to Han Seojin's memories, he tormented at least five students.
"Um, that's a bit problematic."
"Why?"
"You're bound to reach a high level of enlightenment. So, I wanted to send you to the boundary that the transcendents guard."
"Boundary?"
I glanced at Yoo Eunchae.
Then, Yoo Eunchae made a strange expression.
'I'll have to ask about this later.'
"What would make you attend the academy?"
"I'm not sure."
I don't know.
I am someone who believes that all I lack is time.
A potion that could significantly reduce that time would be nice, but…
'Do I really need to attend such a place?'
That's what I think.
The existence known as the principal is undoubtedly strong.
However, to put it differently, she is only this strong.
Compared to the old monsters that barely managed to kill me by joining forces.
In other words, if they had each attacked me separately, I would have killed them all and left leisurely.
And she's telling me to attend classes?
'Rather, unless I'm teaching, perhaps.'
"It seems you're not interested. No, more precisely, you're reluctant to learn anything."
The girl said with a bright smile.
She can read minds or at least discern the emotions of others.
My smile deepened, wondering if my thoughts were correct.
"Sorry, sorry. This isn't something I can control."
"Even as a transcendent?"
"Even as a transcendent, I'm a bit of an unusual case. You could say I ascended forcibly."
"Forcibly?"
"Anyway, that's not what's important."
The principal took something out of her pocket.
"It's a gesture of goodwill. You'll accept it, right?"
Click.
Inside the box was a single elixir.
A bead radiating black light.
Though the energy within was minimal…
'The purest energy.'
An inner elixir refined and filtered of impurities.
An elixir of this caliber is extremely expensive.
Even though they are all elixirs, each possesses different properties.
Thus, most either tailor the elixir to suit themselves or exchange it with others.
However, an elixir containing pure mana harmonizes well with anybody.
'This should suffice.'
It's similar to mana that has been refined through the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra.
It would allow for even more perfect tuning of the body.
And I might find the martial prowess of my previous life sooner than expected.
When I glanced at Yoo Eunchae, she was wearing a very surprised expression.
"You absolutely, absolutely have to do it."
Seeing her say that, it seems right to accept it.
"Of course, I know this might still be lacking."
The girl smiled brightly, looking at me.
"I'd like to give you something even more amazing, but it seems you wouldn't like that."
The elixir is somewhat tempting.
But the other things, not so much.
'It's because I'm receiving too much.'
A burden of the heart.
Doesn't exist for me. If I can rip it off, ripping it off thoroughly is my principle.
Even when I had diverted 30 percent of the empire's budget to the Mage Tower, becoming the enemy of all Mage Towers, I thought of how to extract more from the emperor.
However, I refused.
I smiled at the principal.
"May I ask why?"
"Because it's not fun."
"…Fun?"
Yes, fun.
It was the driving force of my previous life and an obsession that has always driven my life.
It's okay to become moderately strong.
"But I hate becoming too strong because of someone else's kindness."
The principal, momentarily stunned by my response,
"HA! Hahahahaha!"
Clutched her stomach and laughed.
She really laughed her heart out.
"I thought you might have some burden on your mind, or I couldn't guess what you would ask for, but that was a foolish thought!"
Tears slightly formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Fun, fun, huh! Yes, I made a big mistake. I almost made a mistake. You're different from the other kids."
Deep.
Eyes the color of a deep abyss turned towards me.
"I'll remember you."
The girl said so.
––
Click.
The door closed. After sending off Yoo Eunchae and Han Seojin, Abel smiled brightly at the girl.
"Interesting. Yes, it was a beneficial conversation."
"Interesting… and beneficial?"
At the girl's words, Abel was genuinely shocked.
This girl is a god in the guise of a girl. Pretending to be innocent, she judges the value of students.
「That one, 1 billion. Oh, what's this? Did I misjudge the value? That one, 50 million. Release after the first semester.」
A being who says such things nonchalantly.
"What did it feel like?"
"Well, I'm not sure."
"…You're not sure?"
"Yes! Right from the start, he was hiding what he had."
Of course, it's not that it couldn't be seen.
She is a being who ascended as a transcendent with her Unique Traits.
The Abyssal Eyes that come from her unique characteristics draw out everything from the opponent.
But she wasn't sure.
The sense is caught, but it's not clear.
"Still, there seems to be one thing I understand─"
"What's that?"
"If we place him among the children, will they fall into self-loathing and devalue themselves?"
"…Yes?"
Abel momentarily wore a blank expression.
What kind of students are in the first years now?
They are monsters who have defeated the so-called golden generation of third years.
There are at least ten individuals with talents so exceptional that it wouldn't be surprising if they were the top students. Among them, a man named Seon Woohyun is known to have already defeated a mid-level mine.
"He should be an adult by now─."
"Do I look young?"
At those words, the girl snickered.
"Abel, as I've said repeatedly, it's better to break the habit of judging by appearances."
"…So, what you're saying is, what's inside is more valuable?"
"Yes, indeed. He's not Han Seojin anymore, having awakened to his past life's Unique Traits, fallen into some space, and undergone decades, even centuries of training."
The girl smiled brightly, but her eyes were astonishingly cold.
"I'm not familiar with such beings. I've never encountered anything like them at the borders."
"Should we classify him as a Class 1 dangerous individual?"
"No, his energy didn't seem particularly malicious. Rather, I sensed a clear energy."
Despite exchanging only a few words, I sensed a deep spiritual energy within him.
Although I also felt an intense madness within him, such individuals were usually fine.
Those who fall into the path of magic possess only madness, but with such strong spiritual energy, he is unlikely to succumb to magic.
'More than that.'
There was something more troubling.
He scrutinized me with those blue eyes.
So, I revealed a bit of my aura.
But the emotion contained in those eyes was singular.
'What, is it just this much?' It was a look filled with disappointment.
'What kind of child are you, really.'
I felt a bit of vitality returning to my previously dull life.
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