The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All

A bit shallow.

Choi Hyun-woo clicked his tongue softly at the sensation in his hand and immediately adjusted his grip on the sword.

Ironically, the very excellence of the sword Yu Ji-hyeok had handed him was what threw off his sense of distance and timing. Of course, the fact that Landschi was a dragon who had lived for centuries — nearly a thousand years — and possessed an exceptionally tough body probably had something to do with it too.

"Why, you little brat."

Landschi spat out a rare flash of anger and clamped a hand over the half-severed neck dangling at his shoulder.

It was a wound that should have killed any ordinary person outright or left them unconscious, yet he didn't so much as stagger. He squared his stance and glared right back at Choi Hyun-woo instead. Flames flickered at the edges of his slightly parted lips.

"Don't know your place…!"

The words had barely left his mouth before black flames poured out, swallowing Choi Hyun-woo's body in an instant. No mere human could take fire hot enough to melt trolls and walk away unscathed. They couldn't have. They shouldn't have been able to.

"Oh, come on…."

"……."

Choi Hyun-woo didn't say a word.

Only after he'd sheathed the sword with the most efficient, pared-down motion possible did he quietly open his mouth.

"When you're talking to someone, the least you can do is show up in your real body, don't you think?"

"…Crazy bastard."

Landschi's head bounced across the floor a few times before finally coming to rest, his eyes rolling sluggishly up to look at Choi Hyun-woo. With his nose and mouth smashed flat, his face looked utterly serene.

"You took someone's head off for a reason like that?"

"You need more of a reason than that?"

Landschi answered Choi Hyun-woo's question.

"Plenty."

Even with his head severed, he burst into great peals of laughter.

"More to the point — should I take this gesture as a declaration that you stand against me?"

"I never joined hands with you to begin with."

"That's a shame. I rather like your type."

He clicked his tongue.

"Too straightforward, too rigid — easy to push around with the slightest nudge."

"……."

Choi Hyun-woo just stared at him, as if to say talk all you want.

He had no intention of getting drawn into conversation and feeding the man even a scrap of information.

"Still — it's a pity."

Landschi was still watching him.

"Means you didn't trust your own partner either. Just like me."

A jolt of dread shot through Choi Hyun-woo, and he flicked his thumb, snapping his sword upward.

"What a shame — to think a Landschi can't even sway one little child."

"Tch?!"

Choi Hyun-woo barely managed to parry the daggers flying at his vital points, then wrenched his body around to face whoever was charging at him. A bone-jarring clang rang out, and a searing pain tore through his grip as though his hand were splitting open.

"…So you're Nam Hyun-hwa's disciple."

The old man whose blade he'd crossed muttered the words and reached out, as if to grab Choi Hyun-woo's wrist.

Choi Hyun-woo flung himself backward just in time to avoid the man's hand, then stared at him with growing disbelief.

"You know Master — don't tell me…."

His face twisted into something vicious.

The image of Nam Hyun-hwa that day, locked in battle with the lich Gracius — that ghastly, vengeful figure — was still seared into his mind. And he'd heard every detail when the two of them had spoken alone afterward.

"Arthur Walclay, you disgusting traitor piece of shit…!"

The old man's eye twitched at Choi Hyun-woo's words.

"Nam Hyun-hwa — seems that girl never bothered teaching you manners."

"What kind of manners do you think a traitor piece of shit deserves?"

In a rare flash of temper, Choi Hyun-woo flipped him the middle finger. Then, gripping his sword and settling into stance, he muttered:

"…Works out perfectly. I can't let scum like you anywhere near Master ever again."

"Ha."

The old man let out a sneer.

"So you're going to do your duty as a disciple, is that it?"

Instead of answering the sneer, Choi Hyun-woo kicked off the ground and lunged again.

Charging in blind without even gauging my skill, the old man thought, calmly bracing himself to deflect the attack and fire off a counter.

"Mm!?"

"Huh?"

But Choi Hyun-woo ignored him entirely and tore right past him without breaking stride.

At the end of his run lay Landschi's severed head.

"Kugh?!"

The old man didn't miss the chance — he flung sword energy at Choi Hyun-woo's exposed back, and it tore mercilessly through his body, slicing him open. Even Choi Hyun-woo, who was used to enduring pain, couldn't stop a strangled groan from escaping his throat.

But the price was worth it.

Because his sword punched clean through one of Landschi's eyes and skewered the head onto the blade like a bead threaded onto string.

"You fool."

Landschi, impaled on the sword, muttered in apparent bewilderment.

"You can't possibly not know this is a doppelganger. Then why on earth would you take a critical wound just to—!?"

A horrific pain suddenly spread out from his eye, and Landschi let out an involuntary scream.

He could swear he'd never felt pain like this before. His impaled head shuddered violently, releasing a noise like metal scraping on metal for a long moment.

"You, you fucking…! What is — what the hell…?!"

…The sword forged from Yu Ji-hyeok's scale carried the essence of dragons, spirits, the World Tree, and the Seven Calamities all at once. Which meant that to most beings, it was practically poison — capable of delivering a lethal blow.

"……."

This wasn't the first time he'd fought an opponent who used doppelgangers.

His fight with Esmeralda Lisnerger had taught him roughly how that kind of ability worked, and he also knew that under certain conditions, striking the doppelganger could carry damage back to the original body.

It had been half a gamble, but he'd pulled it off — and Choi Hyun-woo broke into a grin.

Someone like Landschi was always a pain to deal with, and his thinking was to weaken him before Yu Ji-hyeok had to move against him in earnest.

"Th — agh…! Hurry up!"

At Landschi's cry, Choi Hyun-woo realized his mistake and twisted his sword.

The old man's blade, which had been driving straight for Choi Hyun-woo's heart, abruptly changed course and slammed into Landschi's head instead. Choi Hyun-woo clicked his tongue softly. He'd seen through his opponent's play, but too late.

Crushed and pulped like rotten fruit by the strike, Landschi's head drifted away into smoke and vanished. Should've held on to it a little longer, he thought, retreating a few steps while keeping his guard up against Arthur Walclay.

"Trickier than I expected."

The old man didn't pursue. He just stood there, watching Choi Hyun-woo back away.

Then he looked down at the blood pooling at his feet and clicked his tongue with that same regretful air.

"But petty tricks are still just petty tricks. At the end of the day, nothing's changed except that you've taken a critical wound — am I wrong?"

"Oh, so by your logic, stabbing your comrades of decades in the back doesn't count as a petty trick?"

"……."

A corner of Arthur's eye twitched.

As if to say there was nothing left worth saying, he spun his sword once in his hand and charged.

Having known Nam Hyun-hwa for so long, he was intimately familiar with her swordsmanship.

Choi Hyun-woo knew that too, and he gritted his teeth at the bind he was in — and then someone stepped in between them.

Hair so white it could be mistaken for silver.

A scabbard, blade, and hilt every bit as snow-white.

"…Just what do you think you're doing to my precious disciple, Walclay?"

Nam Hyun-hwa, planted in front of Choi Hyun-woo, murmured the words in a voice that promised murder.

"Nam Hyun-hwa…!"

As if he'd been expecting this, the old man let out a feral, eager laugh and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Master."

"Go on, Hyun-woo."

Without turning around to look at him, Nam Hyun-hwa spoke.

It was a back he'd seen countless times before, and yet for some reason, Choi Hyun-woo felt a strange déjà vu.

"I don't know exactly what's happening right now, but I do know those children need you."

"But, Master…."

"And the fight with that one falls to this old woman."

After that, Nam Hyun-hwa glanced back, and her eyes met his.

The moment their gazes locked, Choi Hyun-woo couldn't understand how he hadn't recognized her until now.

Younger or not, the look in her eyes was exactly the same.

The look that had always believed in him, supported him, taken pride in him.

"It'd be unseemly to dump my own fight on my disciple, wouldn't it?"

"…Yes!"

She smiled brightly, and Choi Hyun-woo nodded back with a stiff expression.

He moved to sheathe his sword — and then flinched at the warm energy wrapping itself around his body. Nam Hyun-hwa's hand was extended in his direction.

Choi Hyun-woo said nothing more and broke into a run toward where Yu Ji-hyeok was.

The wound on his back had already healed cleanly.

Not long after, the ring on his finger began to tremble with a strange resonant hum, and he kicked harder against the ground.

"— Thank you all so much for coming, everyone! I love every single one of you!!!"

Standing on the massive stage, Yoon Seul-hye beamed and waved both hands at the crowd.

It was still early, but the seats were already packed.

"— I know we're a little ahead of schedule, but I just can't bear to keep you waiting any longer! So we're going to start right now!"

Her words drew a deafening roar from the audience.

Keeping that radiant smile firmly in place, Yoon Seul-hye began to dance and sing the instant the music started, every move practiced and clean.

"Whoa, Seul-hye's really on tonight, huh?"

One of the staff members watching her performance murmured the words.

The man had worked with Yoon Seul-hye for years, and the woman beside him nodded at his admiration.

"Right? She's basically singing live too, and she hasn't cracked once. And she's still nailing every dance step. When did this girl get so much stamina…?"

Their amazement wasn't misplaced.

Yoon Seul-hye's performance was more than enough to whip up the crowd — it was overflowing with energy. The festival atmosphere had the audience riled up to begin with, and now it caught fire in earnest.

"— Thank you! Thank you!"

After running through several songs back-to-back, Yoon Seul-hye wiped at the sweat on her face and kept that bright smile up without a hint of fatigue.

"— And now, allow me to introduce our next act! All the way from England…!"

"Great job, Seul-hye!"

"The vibe is amazing right now, Seul-hye! Keep it just like that for your next set, okay?"

The people who closed in around Yoon Seul-hye as she came down from the stage all had something warm to say.

She didn't seem the slightest bit worn out and just nodded back with a faint smile.

"Yeah, will do — as long as nothing comes up."

"Oh come on, what could possibly come up?"

"Hey, I'm actually pretty tired. Mind if I rest in the green room for a bit?"

"Of course! Go on, get some rest! You'd have to be made of stone not to be tired after running around like that. I'll come wake you before your next slot. You've got about thirty minutes, so close your eyes for a bit. Okay?"

Yoon Seul-hye nodded at her manager.

When she reached the private green room set up for her, someone was already waiting inside.

She froze the moment she spotted him, and a slow smirk curled at the corner of the waiting man's mouth.

"Hey. You sounded great out there tonight."

It was Choi Jun-hyeong.

He flicked a half-smoked cigarette to the floor, still lit, and frowned slightly at the way Yoon Seul-hye had gone rigid in surprise.

"What are you just standing there for? I came to talk for a minute, so close the damn door and get over here."

"…Ah, yes. Sorry."

Yoon Seul-hye murmured in a small voice.

She carefully shut the door behind her, and Choi Jun-hyeong sprang up from his seat and started brushing off his clothes.

"You've probably figured out by now, but today's the most important day."

He glanced sidelong at Yoon Seul-hye as he walked toward the door.

She dropped her head quickly, as if she couldn't bear to meet his eye.

"Lucky for me, you actually managed to feed that kid the stone shard like I told you. Color me impressed."

He clicked the lock shut with a sharp snick and pulled something from his coat.

When Yoon Seul-hye flinched at the sound of the lock and looked over, he grinned at her.

"Guess what this is."

"I — I don't know."

"Aw, too bad. Correct answer — it's a noise-muffling charm~!"

He gave a half-hearted little fanfare and dangled the thing in his hand.

"Once I set this up, even if a tyrannosaurus rex started roaring in this room, not a soul would hear it."

"Th — then why…? No, wait, why did you lock the door…?"

"Ha — Christ… Why are you doing the stupid act again, Seul-hye? You trying to piss me off, huh?"

He calmly activated whatever he'd pulled from his coat and stripped off his outer jacket.

His right arm was already grotesquely swollen.

"Obviously I've got to put you down right here, and the screaming can't get out."

"…What?"

"No matter how I run the numbers, one's better than two. Let's be honest, what have you actually done to earn your keep…? Right?"

He chuckled and watched Yoon Seul-hye tremble.

"Plus, there's about to be a hell of a commotion out there… An idol at the peak of her popularity, a member of the Six Stars, murdered in her green room? You can imagine how easy that'll make it to pull the public eye away."

"P — please… you, you said you'd let me live! You promised, you swore you'd let me live…!"

"And I'm telling you, this works out better for you too."

Choi Jun-hyeong made a soothing little shhh sound and nodded, as though he were calming a child.

"Oh, and don't worry about that cat of yours. My Happy could use a friend anyway."

With that, Choi Jun-hyeong lunged at Yoon Seul-hye.

A non-combatant like Yoon Seul-hye wouldn't even know how she died. Surely. That was how it should have gone.

"…Huh?"

Mid-lunge, Choi Jun-hyeong staggered.

His balance had failed. What the hell, he thought, raising his eyes — and the first thing they landed on was his own grotesquely swollen right arm.

It was hanging from Yoon Seul-hye's hand, torn off at the elbow.

"…What?"

"…Thanks for showing up quick."

Yoon Seul-hye tossed his right arm casually behind her.

Then she bent down, picked up the cigarette butt off the floor, and scowled.

"Smoking like a slob with no manners."

"What — what is this? Huh?"

Choi Jun-hyeong groped at the stump of his right arm in disbelief.

Watching him fumble, Yoon Seul-hye — still in her flashy stage costume — raised a hand and tapped lightly at her own face.

And the next moment, she became Jin Ye-seul.

"Surpri~ise."

Jin Ye-seul beamed, the still-lit cigarette butt held between her fingers.

"Come here."

"Gh — ghhhh?! Ugh, agh!"

She kicked out the back of his knee, shattering his leg, and stepped toward him with that same sweet smile.

The only thought in her head was that the man writhing on the floor in front of her had tried to harm Yu Ji-hyeok.

"A, agh!? AAAAAHH!!!"

"Gotta put the fire out."

She whispered the words with a smile, pressing one foot down on his back.

"Really lucky the sound doesn't get out. Thanks."

Means I can take my time for once.

"…It's started."

Yu Ji-hyeok murmured the words as he tugged open the front of his collar at the prickling sensation crawling across his skin.

A pattern he'd never seen before had surfaced between his chest and his throat, and the moment Alice Blesbuck saw it, she answered immediately — the sacrifice's sigil.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Beside him stood Han Su-yeong, Evangelline Loengreen, Kath Ryle, and Alice Blesbuck, each settled into position. At the chime of an incoming notification, Yu Ji-hyeok quietly closed his eyes.

[! The quest 'The Fourth Calamity' will begin shortly. !]

[! The body of the Seven Calamity 'Milited' is beginning to stir. !]

[! Please — do not let it take anything from you. !]

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!