I Became the Academy’s Disabled Student - Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Signs of Chaos
***
The place where the Twin-headed Venom Dragon had been defeated was an ordinary forest.
Though it had been poisoned and the aftermath left it a dead, barren forest, there were still trees rooted in the ground, standing in what remained of the forest.
In the middle of the forest, there was a massive crater.
It was a result of the attack that presumably defeated the Twin-headed Venom Dragon, changing the landscape dramatically.
Around the crater, rows of barracks were set up in a circle.
These were the temporary bases for the investigation team dispatched by the World Superhuman Association, the search team, and the forces from Gop-hwa, Changhae, and Taesan.
Even while the nearby area was busy with purification efforts due to the remnants of the venomous aura left by the Twin-headed Venom Dragon, the ground near the crater had been conveniently cleared of obstacles, and as the venom had all but disappeared, temporary bases were quickly constructed.
Among those gathered there was Hong Yeon-hwa.
‘…What the hell happened here?’
Hong Yeon-hwa cautiously peered down into the crater.
It was so deep and wide that one might think a meteor had struck.
A change in the landscape.
If she wanted, Hong Yeon-hwa could also create such a thing.
If she unleashed Gop-hwa’s flames onto the forest, everything would burn and disappear, and if she used Blaze Bloom on top of that, she could definitely create a large crater.
‘But this… This size… would be difficult to achieve in one attempt.’
Hong Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes as she carefully surveyed the crater. Even after doing the calculations, it was impossible for her to create a terrain change of this scale.
Even if she used her Expansion Ability, it would be a stretch.
Even her Blaze Bloom wouldn’t be enough. Her evolution ability, which enhanced her physical capabilities, wouldn’t help, and Sacred Flame, which she had yet to master, was focused on self-healing, so it wouldn’t work either.
‘…Did Hayul do this?’
The enormous crater, large enough that even higher-level attack magic would struggle to create it, was created by Lee Hayul.
Not only did he create the crater, but he also obliterated the Twin-headed Venom Dragon without leaving a single remnant behind.
Additionally, the land surrounding the crater, stretching far beyond its boundaries, had been overturned as if affected by the same strike.
Most likely, it was all done in one blow.
Considering the fact that the dragon had been weakened and affected by multiple adverse conditions as a necromancer, it was still hard to believe.
It wasn’t that Hong Yeon-hwa underestimated Lee Hayul, but from what she understood, this shouldn’t have been possible.
Even though Lee Hayul had exhibited Gop-hwa’s flames on par with her own, even considering that, this was beyond anything he should be capable of.
Ordinary Gop-hwa flames couldn’t create such a crater. Even using Blaze Bloom wouldn’t result in anything like this. And Lee Hayul hadn’t yet achieved the Expansion Ability.
Even if he had achieved Blaze Bloom in a moment of crisis, leaving behind such a drastic mark was simply impossible.
Hong Yeon-hwa crouched down and stretched out her hand. Her gloved fingers traced the surface of the crater.
It was smooth.
Although not polished to a shine, considering the time that had passed since the creation of the crater, it must have been even smoother at first.
This wasn’t the work of Gop-hwa’s flames.
And yet, she could sense traces of Gop-hwa’s energy.
The energy of Gop-hwa lingered in various places throughout the crater.
It was faint and difficult to detect due to the passage of time, but without a doubt, it was Gop-hwa’s energy.
‘…What is this?’
Hong Yeon-hwa fell deep into thought.
Once again, she realized how many secrets Lee Hayul had.
The most recent mysteries were his eyes and voice.
Just one kiss, and his blinded eyes were suddenly opened, and his silenced voice returned.
At the time, she had been so shocked that she hadn’t even been able to react properly.
It was so absurd that it warranted a hollow laugh.
Was he some sort of cursed princess from a fairy tale?
…Of course, his appearance certainly lent itself to such a theory, but in many ways, it was still hard to comprehend.
She hadn’t asked him directly.
The first time she asked, Lee Hayul had looked troubled, as if unsure how to answer.
She could have pressed further. Hong Yeon-hwa already knew how to get him to talk.
If she held him close in her arms all day long, comforting him, his tightly sealed lips would eventually open. In fact, it had nearly happened on several occasions.
But Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t someone who ignored ethical boundaries.
She wasn’t the type of person to forcefully pry out something that the person she loved seemed hesitant or uncomfortable revealing.
-Miss Yeon-hwa! Young Master Hayul has gone missing after the battle with the Twin-headed Venom Dragon!
-Krrrk…
-M-Miss Yeon-hwa?!
…It wasn’t that she was never tempted to become such an unethical person. She was tested by temptation and impulse at every moment.
In the past, Hong Yeon-hwa would have found such sweet and intense temptations and impulses unbearable.
Now, she felt proud of herself for enduring them in real-time.
But if she hadn’t been able to resist?
By now, Lee Hayul would be confined to her bedroom, clinging to her, drinking milk from her chest at every moment…
Suddenly, a sweet vision of the future came to mind.
Temptation and impulse flared up within her.
‘…Endure… Endure…’
Hong Yeon-hwa’s body trembled as she chanted the word ‘endurance’ over and over again, biting down on her lips.
The taste of blood faintly spread in her mouth, and the sticky mental fog that had been clouding her thoughts slowly began to clear—
“Yeon-hwa, what are you doing?”
“Ah…!”
“Huh?”
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind her. Startled, Hong Yeon-hwa let out a strange sound and jumped up.
Baek Ahrin, who had been approaching her, blinked at the exaggerated reaction.
“Wh-What the heck? Why did you call me?”
“What were you doing that scared you so much? Were you doing something weird?”
“I was just lost in thought, and you startled me, okay?! Don’t pick a fight with me.”
“You’re being mean… Can’t you speak to me as kindly as you do to Hayul?”
“Crazy woman…”
Hong Yeon-hwa scrunched her face in disgust at Baek Ahrin’s teasing words. Seeing her reaction, Baek Ahrin let out a soft chuckle.
“So? What were you really doing?”
“Not much. Just observing.”
Hong Yeon-hwa replied curtly.
Baek Ahrin seemed to think for a moment before stepping closer and crouching down beside her to look into the crater.
She, too, had seen this crater plenty of times over the past few days.
It was located right in front of their temporary base, and it was so massive that it was impossible to miss.
“Hmm…”
Baek Ahrin reached out her hand. Like Hong Yeon-hwa, she traced her fingers over the surface of the crater as she spoke.
“Did you hear about Jiyeon? She was discharged from the hospital yesterday.”
“Already? Oh right, Taesan.”
Hong Yeon-hwa blinked, as if she had just remembered.
The manifested powers of Taesan came with superior physical abilities.
Their overall physical prowess grew, and their defense and durability became outrageously strong.
At the level of controlling life force, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them near-immortal zombies.
“By the way, why is it so noisy over there?”
Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly pointed to the other side.
That’s where Taesan’s temporary base was set up, and it had been noisy over there for the past few days.
Taesan had been the first to set up their temporary base here, and even when Hong Yeon-hwa and the rest arrived shortly after, the commotion hadn’t stopped.
Although they had used soundproofing magic, making it hard to hear exactly what was happening, the chaotic and restless energy was obvious.
“Well, the heir got caught up in the battle. It’s only natural they’re in a frenzy. The next head of the clan almost died out in the field, after all.”
“Is that so? But Jiyeon was discharged just fine, wasn’t she? Ah… and she was discharged before I could even visit her in the hospital again…”
Hong Yeon-hwa muttered with a conflicted look on her face.
There had been other times when she heard that Choi Jiyeon had been hospitalized.
Each time, Hong Yeon-hwa had made plans to visit, only to find that Choi Jiyeon had already been discharged by the time she arrived, waving awkwardly as if nothing had happened.
That was in the past, though. They hadn’t seen each other much recently.
The last time they had met… in the lounge…
‘Ah, damn.’
The memory was so embarrassing.
Hong Yeon-hwa bit her lip again, trying to suppress the rising shame.
“Well, since the investigation is over, I’ll just have to stop by Shio-ram and greet her once the break ends.”
The investigation was over. In truth, there hadn’t been much to investigate in the area.
The corpse of the Twin-headed Venom Dragon had completely disappeared, and all that was left were the remnants of the battle in the surrounding area.
There wasn’t much Hong Yeon-hwa could contribute at this point.
Baek Ahrin, who had a wider range of skills, might have been able to help, but with the end of the break approaching, she would be heading back to Shio-ram soon.
“…Yes, Shio-ram. It’s time to go back.”
Hong Yeon-hwa would also be returning to Shio-ram.
And… she would have to meet with the boy who had almost died out in the field, nearly making her a widow for no reason.
-Crunch.
The dirt in Hong Yeon-hwa’s clenched fist crumbled into dust.
With a sharp motion, Hong Yeon-hwa stood up.
***
“…Hmm…”
As Hong Yeon-hwa’s figure disappeared into the distance, entering her part of the temporary base, Baek Ahrin turned her gaze back to the crater.
It was enormous. You’d likely have to launch several advanced spells after careful preparation just to create something of a similar size.
As Baek Ahrin blinked, she glanced down at her hand.
‘…Is he not even trying to hide it anymore?’
A handful of dirt was crumbled in her palm. It had been scraped from the surface of the crater.
Her white gloves were dirtied, but Baek Ahrin didn’t seem to care as she rubbed the dirt between her fingers.
‘Or perhaps he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about the aftermath since his life was at stake.’
After all, with the Twin-headed Venom Dragon chasing right behind him, survival would have been the priority.
‘But when you look at the traces, it seems like he had some room to spare…’
With a strange glint in her eyes, Baek Ahrin kneaded the dirt, which carried faint traces of Changhae’s energy.
Even among those who could manifest Changhae, Baek Ahrin, with her exceptional mana-detection abilities, could barely sense the faint energy of Changhae here.
Focusing her mind, she carefully analyzed the energy of Changhae.
There wasn’t much information due to the uniformity of the sample, but…
“…Hehe.”
She did discover something.
‘It was worth showing off.’
Not just the power output, but the precision with which Changhae had been used was remarkable.
It was a very pleasing discovery.
Baek Ahrin smiled brightly.
***
Border of Ao Han and Naïman.
The forces from the Taesan clan dispatched to the site where the Twin-headed Venom Dragon was defeated.
Their commander, Lee Sun, was not a manifestation of Taesan.
He was a branch member who inherited the blood of the ancestors, but instead of Taesan, he manifested an earth-based attribute.
Compared to Taesan, one could say he was of a lower rank.
However, he had enough talent to become a high-level hero.
Furthermore, his loyalty to the clan, proven over many years, and the experience he had accumulated earned him his position as commander of the forces under the Taesan clan’s command.
In other words, Lee Sun was someone with a lot of experience.
He had been stationed on the frontlines of the Demonic Realm for a long time, gaining plenty of combat experience. He could handle most unexpected situations with ease.
“…I’m sorry. My head is pounding a bit.”
But right now, dealing with this situation was proving difficult.
In the command center of the temporary base, Lee Sun sat behind a desk, holding his head in his hands and groaning.
“I understand.”
Across from him, delivering his report, was Lee Eun-hyuk. He nodded stiffly.
Like Lee Sun, Eun-hyuk was from the branch family, but he had manifested Taesan.
Though his Taesan manifestation wasn’t particularly powerful, his acquired detection skills made him a valuable asset for this kind of search operation.
“Shall I continue with the report?”
“Please do.”
Although Lee Eun-hyuk’s unique power placed him above Lee Sun, the position he was given by the main family made Lee Sun his superior for now.
Lee Sun barely managed to nod.
Seeing how confused he looked, Lee Eun-hyuk couldn’t help but nod inwardly as well.
He was as confused as his superior.
Lee Eun-hyuk began to speak.
“At the site where the Twin-headed Venom Dragon was defeated, we detected traces of Taesan’s energy—though different, it was distinctly Taesan.”
“…Is there a chance it’s a mistake? Could it have been confused with Lady Jiyeon’s Taesan?”
“We conducted detailed scans over the past few days. While there are some similarities, we’ve determined it to be a separate energy.”
Hearing the firm confirmation, Lee Sun closed his eyes tightly.
“Sigh…”
His head had already been in poor condition lately, and now he was worried it might get even worse.
End of Chapter.
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AUTHOR IM SORRY BUT EVEN I CANT GASLIGHT MYSELF INTO THINKING THIS ISNT What you want irl….