Chapter 1136 – 1136. Savior Of The Academy
“I checked the list of artifacts and the artifacts used in the duel. More than half of the artifacts used were not on the list.”
Kwon Sang-hoon’s eyes widened.
“…Did Kim Je-oh acquire the artifacts personally?”
“I tracked all of Kim Je-oh’s assets and the artifacts he used. Kim Je-oh’s assets remained the same. On the other hand, the artifacts came from various sources, including auctions, black markets, and theft.”
Kang Ji-young stared intently at Kwon Sang-hoon.
“I swear, it wasn’t me.”
“Do you think I can easily believe that?”
“I’ll stake everything on it. It wasn’t me. I’ll cooperate with a lie detector or a psychometry user, whatever it takes, so please believe me.”
“I’ll try to believe you. Then, let me ask a different question… Who do you think gave the artifacts to Kim Je-oh?”
“……”
Silence fell.
Kang Ji-young waited for three minutes, but Kwon Sang-hoon didn’t open his mouth. Kang Ji-young sighed.
“We must catch Kim Je-oh.”
“Of course. I’ve already requested cooperation from the government and the Hero Association.”
“Where do you think Kim Je-oh is, Vice Principal?”
“…Kim Je-oh is arrogant for his abilities. He thinks he’s smart. And he’s surprisingly bold. It’s darkest under the lamp. He probably thought of that saying. So… Kim Je-oh is probably hiding in the academy.”
“I think so too. But I couldn’t find him. There’s no trace of Kim Je-oh in the academy.”
“Kim Je-oh took all the artifacts. Among them, there must be an artifact with the ability to hide his body.”
Kang Ji-young clenched her fist tightly. She turned her head to look out the window.
“Vice Principal. The academy’s honor is at stake in this matter. We must catch Kim Je-oh.”
“You are absolutely right. I will do everything in my power to catch Kim Je-oh.”
“If Kim Je-oh is hiding somewhere in the academy… the students could be in danger.”
“We cannot send the students out of the academy. It would be a disgrace for the academy to stop because of just Kim Je-oh. Maruhan Academy didn’t stop even when more serious accidents occurred.”
“So you’re not going to do anything?”
“I will take appropriate measures.”
Kang Ji-young turned her head again. The Vice Principal hadn’t left.
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“We need the help of Sung Yu-jin and Shin Na-ri.”
“Those kids are students.”
“Sung Yu-jin has special eyes, and Shin Na-ri is sensitive to artifacts.”
“……I’ll consider it.”
The Vice Principal bowed. Before leaving, he asked Kang Ji-young.
“…When are you planning to hold Ki Ha-wook’s funeral?”
“We’ll hold it after we catch Kim Je-oh. So, catch Kim Je-oh within two weeks at the latest.”
“Understood.”
***
The atmosphere at Maruhan Academy was uneasy.
That was because control had begun in the academy, which had been pursuing freedom.
The time for going to school and leaving school became strict, and students were not allowed to go outside the classroom during breaks. After the day’s work was over, they had to go straight to the dormitory and could not come out until the next morning.
The academy students were naturally dissatisfied. But no one expressed their dissatisfaction. That was because they had seen it too. The miserable death of Ki Ha-wook, a first-year student, and the artifact.
Ki Ha-wook’s death became an issue but soon subsided. If this happened at a normal school, it wouldn’t be strange to consider closing the school. But this was an academy. A place where hero aspirants gathered. It is said that several decades ago, when Korea was unstable, academy students died quite frequently.
It was time for major classes. Students gathered and headed to the major building. Individual actions were prohibited. Even when going to the bathroom, they had to go in groups of three or more.
I head to the Spirit Department with Kales, the representative teacher of the Spirit Department. What’s unusual is that Shin Na-ri is next to me.
“Yu-jin. Na-ri has transferred to the Spirit Department for her major.”
The Artifact Department was disbanded due to this incident. That’s because Ki Ha-wook’s cause of death was a curse caused by an artifact. The students of the Artifact Department moved to the Sorcery Department, which was a similar major. Except for Shin Na-ri.
“Senior, you came to the Spirit Department… I guess it was your opinion that was reflected?”
“Yeah.”
“To get my help?”
“…Yeah.”
It was just yesterday that she said she didn’t need my help. Shin Na-ri, knowing her shame, answered slowly.
We arrived at the Spirit Department building.
“Everyone. There’s something I need to tell you before we start class.”
Kales said. It wasn’t that he was trying to set the mood because Shin Na-ri had newly joined the Spirit Department. Kales wasn’t that kind of teacher.
“What is it?”
“It’s about Kim Je-oh. I don’t want to involve you if I can help it… but the Dean and Vice Principal have asked for your help.”
“Us?”
“……”
Shin Na-ri was quiet. I figured as much. In the original story, Shin Na-ri was a character of few words.
“Have you heard the rumors circulating among the academy students?”
“The rumor that Kim Je-oh is hiding in the academy? They’ve been talking about it like a ghost story every break.”
“That rumor probably started from something a teacher leaked. The Dean and Vice Principal also said that Kim Je-oh is hiding somewhere in the academy.”
“…What you want from us is perhaps….”
“Na-ri, you can see curses with your eyes, and Yu-jin, you found the opponents who were hiding in the artificial dungeon this time.”
“So that’s why you want our help.”
“You can refuse. There won’t be any penalties.”
“What about compensation?”
I had no intention of doing it for free.
“Your accumulated demerit points will disappear. Yu-jin, you have quite a few demerit points for being late, and Na-ri, you have demerit points for poor class attitude, right?”
They were going to use us for free.
It was okay to refuse, but Kim Je-oh, who had done something that wasn’t in the original story, was quite bothersome.
“Okay. I’ll help.”
“…Me too.”
“Thank you both. You can move with me after school. Now, let’s start class. But… I don’t know much about evil spirits… what should I do?”
***
During class, Kales moved to the archives, saying he would find materials about evil spirits.
Although the names of spirits and evil spirits are similar, they are clearly different beings, so there would be no helpful materials.
Only Shin Na-ri and I were left in the classroom. It was awkward, but we couldn’t go outside. Kales had repeatedly asked us to stay in the room when he left the classroom.
“Senior Shin Na-ri.”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t look well.”
“…Because I don’t have, bandages.”
Jema’s bandages.
The bandages that Kim Je-oh gave her sealed the power of the curse, but they made her comfortable. As her body itself was an artifact, she wouldn’t die from the curse, but she was negatively affected. Her senses became faint, she had nightmares, and she suddenly had headaches.
“Senior. How do I look right now?”
“…Your skin is blue. It looks like the sea. Your eyes are like the sunset.”
Another side effect. She sees people strangely.
『Name: Shin Na-ri
Strength: D+ Stamina: D- Agility: C+ Durability: D Mana: C
Trait: Cursed Body (S)
Skills: Possession (S), Curse (S), Flexibility (C)
Favorability: 31』
I checked her favorability and nodded. Favorability 31. It meant she was interested in me.
“I can help you, Senior. I can also tell you the identity of the evil spirit attached to you.”
“…I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. How much do you want?”
“Do you have money?”
“……”
Shin Na-ri shook her head.
“I get other things besides money. Do you have anything else?”
“……”
She shook her head again this time. Shin Na-ri was from an orphanage run by the association. She only had one thing. That cursed body.
I took out a black string from my pocket.
『Cursed Sacred Tree String
Rank: S
Absorbs curses.
Absorbed curses 47/100』
“This item can replace Jema’s bandages. It’s even better than Jema’s bandages in some ways. It doesn’t just seal the curse. You’ll probably have to remove the curse once a week. You know how to handle curses, right?”
“…I can tell this is a great item. I want it too. But… I don’t have any money.”
Her gaze was fixed on the string.
“This is worth at least 80 billion. Absorbing curses is similar to having curse immunity.”
If she became a formal hero and worked, 80 billion wouldn’t be an impossible amount to repay. But Shin Na-ri was a student, not a formal hero.
“The downside is when the curse accumulates… but there’s a way to deal with that too. You can pass it on to someone else to get rid of the accumulated curse. Well, for a senior who handles curses, you can just extract the curse accumulated here and use it in battle.”
In other words, this string was her personal battery.
“80 billion… that’s too expensive.”
“If you add the identity of the evil spirit attached to you and how to handle it, it’s over 300 billion.”
300 billion was an exaggerated amount. The naive Shin Na-ri didn’t doubt it and hung her head.
“Can I… pay on credit?”
“Are you crazy?”
“……”
“Senior, you don’t have to be so discouraged. There’s a saying in this world. If you don’t have money, pay with your body.”
She raised her head.
“I’ll do whatever you tell me to. Help me.”
There was no hesitation.
“You seem used to it.”
“Kim Je-oh teacher….”
“Senior, Kim Je-oh is not a teacher. He’s a criminal.”
“…Kim Je-oh told me when he gave me the bandages. To only listen to him.”
“Did Kim Je-oh touch your body too?”
“No. My body is… cursed. No one wants to touch it.”
I nodded calmly. I was just checking if the original setting was correct. In the original story, Kim Je-oh feared Shin Na-ri even though he had her in his grasp. He might not have known when Shin Na-ri was young, but her grown body was a dense curse itself.
“Senior. I’m not a bad guy like Kim Je-oh. I’ll let you go when you pay back all 300 billion. But while you’re paying back the money, use that body for me. Well, you’re talented, so you’ll become an A-class hero. An A-class hero’s earnings are enormous, so 300 billion is just pocket change.”
“Okay.”
“Let me ask you again, Senior. Do you need my help?”
“I need it. Help me.”
It was a nonchalant statement. But I know the despair contained in that statement.
[Savior of the Academy] is a game title. And most of the game content is about saving.
In the original story, Shin Na-ri is a kind of sub-quest. You can save her, or you don’t have to. If you save her, you get experience, achievements, money, etc. There are no penalties if you don’t save her. However, Shin Na-ri is briefly mentioned later. There are two futures for Shin Na-ri.
Disappearance and suicide.
In her third year of the academy. She disappears without a trace. It is not revealed what happened to her after that.
Suicide, like disappearance, happens in her third year of the academy, when she hangs herself in her dormitory. There is no will. Instead, the description of the bandages wrapped around her body turning black makes us guess what happened. It means that Jema’s bandages also have their limits.
“Then, Senior. We’ve made a contract. Even though there’s no contract.”
“Okay.”
I approached her. And without warning, I grabbed her cheeks and kissed her. I put my tongue into her mouth. It was a small mouth. I ravaged her tongue, which was sitting quietly inside, with all my might.
Because I didn’t activate the Spirit Eye, the evil spirit attached to Shin Na-ri was invisible. It was probably glaring at me right now, wanting to kill me.
The short but intense kiss ended, and I pulled away. My whole body was tingling. It must be the effect of the curse.
She stared at me with a dazed look.
“Senior. How was it?”
“…It was warm.”
『Shin Na-ri’s Favorability: 44』
Her favorability increased dramatically with a forced kiss. That’s proof of how unique a character she is.
“Senior. This is your first order.”
“Okay.”
“Show me your pussy.”
Shin Na-ri tilted her head.
“What’s a pussy?”
