Chapter 41 - Prelude to War B (2)
I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 041
EP.41 Prelude to War B (2)
– Ooduk! Ooduk! Bbududeuk! Peo-eok! –
Kang Seo-jun’s body swelled up as if a bomb were exploding inside him, repeatedly jerking and protruding.
– Bbakgak! –
“Huh, Huk!”
With the sound of bones joyfully breaking, Kang Seo-jun’s spine bent backward.
It looked like his spine was completely broken and he was staggering.
Seeing the dreadful sight, Seo Eun-ha covered her mouth with both hands.
“A-Are you okay!! Seo-jun!! Seo-jun!!”
Seo Eun-ha couldn’t help but roll her feet nervously by Kang Seo-jun’s side.
Her pupils shook violently, expressing her restless heart.
“Of course, it’s fi-i-ine! Th-theere!”
– Purreuk! Peok! Bureureuk! Buryureureuk! –
Although he said he was fine, it didn’t look fine at all.
Despite his body twisting, Kang Seo-jun forced out his voice.
“It’ll, end, so-oon, O-o-o-o-okay!”
– Ulluk! Bulluk! –
– Ududduk! Peo-eok! –
“I-I should’ve, warned you, that you wouldn’t want to see this in advance!!! S-Sorry, I-I’m, sorry, th-theere!”
Suddenly, a heavy emotion settled in Seo Eun-ha’s chest at the sight.
“W-What, in the world….”
Seo Eun-ha spoke with a voice that barely contained her sobbing heart.
“H-How many times have you gone through this kind of thing….”
– Peok! Bbuduk! Bbududeuk! –
Kang Seo-jun replied nonchalantly.
“O-over, t-tens, of th-thousands! Fo-forgot, the, exact, nu-u-umbers!!”
“T-That, that’s…!”
Although Kang Seo-jun was just talking about the number of repetitions in the game cycle, it meant something completely different to Seo Eun-ha.
‘If it’s over tens of thousands…! Those dreadful times……!’
The records of her own hardships, seen as a ‘Records of Destiny ‘, flashed rapidly in her mind.
What ‘Records of Destiny’ showed was not just simple images.
It would not have been so emotionally turbulent if it were just an image.
‘Records of Destiny’ is a powerful item that faithfully inherits accidents and emotions from previous cycles.
The emotions engraved in the heart like a fine print through ‘Records of Destiny’ stirred deep guilt within Seo Eun-ha.
The decisive trigger for Kang Seo-jun’s agonizing regression was the unreasonable demand from Seo Eun-ha in his past life, which threw him into the cycle of regression.
‘What have I done to Seo-jun…!’
Seo Eun-ha bit her lower lip and wore a expression that seemed like she would cry at any moment.
‘Why doesn’t he blame me even though I did such a thing…?’
The previous dawn.
She vividly remembered every word Kang Seo-jun said while embracing her.
She felt no remorse.
She didn’t regret any moment she spent with him.
And in this life, she vowed to save him as well.
‘That’s not just about beliefs or forgiveness…’
Seo Eun-ha tightly closed her eyes.
Large tears fell to the ground with a thud.
‘If anyone experiences such time for that long… human emotions are bound to wear away…’
– Sob! –
‘He doesn’t have no regrets towards me… it’s just that over countless long repetitions, even his resentment towards me has faded away. And yet, what remains unshaken throughout all those long hours is his heroism.’
And that he declared to save me even after his heroic spirit endured through endless cycles of erosion and fading.
That’s because his nature is that of a pure hero, Seo Eun-ha thought.
After enduring hellish times endlessly, only his pure nature remained unscathed.
And what made such a good person twisted like this…
‘It’s all because of me.’
Seo Eun-ha held back the tears trying to burst out with both hands.
“Ah. Thi-i-i-i-is, like thi-i-i-is!”
Kang Seo-jun mistakenly thought Seo Eun-ha’s actions were due to disgust.
The power to protect one’s mind from disgust or fear is the will stat.
Although Seo Eun-ha possesses a high willpower of ’26’ A-grade,
if she suddenly experiences such a gruesome phenomenon without any mental preparation, it’s natural to assume there could be some mental damage.
“B-B-B-Because, you, might, f-feel, t-troubled, I-I’ll, st-stay, away for a while-ile-e-ee!!”
– Ooduk! Bbududeuk! –
– Twisting and turning! –
Kang Seo-jun turned his back, thinking he lacked consideration.
At that moment.
– Slam! –
Seo Eun-ha hugged Kang Seo-jun tightly from behind.
“……!”
Kang Seo-jun’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gesture.
He could feel her trembling breath against his ear.
“Eun-ha, what…?”
– Ooduk! Bbududeuk! –
For a while in the darkness, all they could hear were each other’s breathing and the sound of bones breaking.
“This time, I will definitely… I…”
With a voice filled with determination, Seo Eun-ha swore into Kang Seo-jun’s ear.
“I will save you.”
“?”
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[Constellation 《Tree Guardian of the Flame Realm》 looks forward to the events to come.]
[Constellation 《Queen of the Deepest Place》 anticipates the events to come.]
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[Constellation 《Golden Fox of the Sun and Moon Palace》 sponsors dimensional currency for you.]
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Seo Eun-ha couldn’t understand why she suddenly hugged him from behind and said such things with what emotion.
Although it wasn’t necessarily for that reason, Kang Seo-jun warmly held her hand as desired by Constellations.
And even if not for that reason, it was uncomfortable just watching her hand tremble so.
With the hope that she would calm down a bit, Kang Seo-jun replied.
“Well, then. I always believe in you.”
Her embrace grew even warmer at his words.
– Snap! –
“Ouch…!”
It was a tight hug almost to the point of his tongue sticking out, but Kang Seo-jun suppressed his groan.
– Thud. Thud. –
As a short time passed, even the sound of bones breaking gradually subsided.
Kang Seo-jun, who had been holding her hand for a while, slowly released her embrace and said.
“First, we need to properly finish this matter.”
The transformation was now nearing its completion.
Kang Seo-jun didn’t want to be embraced by Seo Eun-ha in the form of Park Shin-hoo.
“I apologize for showing such a spectacle.”
Fortunately, Seo Eun-ha stepped back without much resistance.
“It’s nothing. The spectacle was my doing.”
Well, whatever.
If Seo Eun-ha’s appearance was considered a spectacle, then what was he, who transformed while contorting his entire body, but an absurdity show?
– Sob! –
Seo Eun-ha turned her head and wiped away tears.
– Thud! Thud! –
In the meantime, the transformation was almost complete.
Like the bones that had broken were now realigning and moving, forming a perfect shape.
“……Huh?”
After wiping away her tears, Seo Eun-ha turned to him and let out a surprised sound.
It was because the silhouette was one she recognized.
This figure was ranked first among the individuals Lady Jin se-rin should be wary of in this year’s Academy session.
“Taesan Group… Successor?”
Kang Seo-jun had now completely taken on the appearance of Park Shin-hoo.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Kang Seo-jun in the form of Park Shin-hoo slowly turned towards Seo Eun-ha.
A fierce countenance overflowing with masculine hormones.
Contrasted with Kang Seo-jun’s usual calm expression that didn’t suit him.
“Ah!”
Seo Eun-ha clapped her hands as if she had suddenly realized something.
“So that’s what you meant.”
Passing the attention of the mains to the successor of the Taesan Group.
However, one question arose.
“Why the Taesan Group though?”
“For the future.”
Kang Seo-jun checked for any abnormalities in his transformation with the smartwatch camera as he spoke.
“If the Taesan Group doesn’t take action now… there’s a high probability they’ll join forces with the Demon faction later.”
The Taesan Group was an organization that didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary for the benefit of its headquarters.
In the latter scenario, as the Demon faction’s influence began to grow rapidly, it also became one of the largest organizations to betray humanity quickly.
“So, we’re trying to align ourselves with the Demon faction in advance.”
By pitting the two factions against each other early on, the likelihood of the Taesan Group joining forces with the Demon faction later on would significantly decrease.
“So that’s what happened.”
Seo Eun-ha nodded in understanding.
“They are certainly capable of such things.”
Considering the atrocities the Taesan Group had committed as rivals to the Seongjin Group, they were more than capable of doing such things and worse.
– Clap! –
After completing the transformation check, Kang Seo-jun clapped once.
“Now, let’s move on to the next step quickly. I’ll explain the scenario in detail.”
“Yes.”
Approaching Kang Seo-jun, Seo Eun-ha perked up her ears.
“I’ll stage a situation where I deliver information about the Demon faction to Eun-ha.”
Kang Seo-jun pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Seo Eun-ha.
“I’ve already written the script, so please refer to it. You don’t need to memorize it word for word. Just understand the general flow.”
Seo Eun-ha projected the script onto her smartwatch and quickly scanned it with her eyes.
Before three seconds had passed,
“I’ve memorized it all.”
“What? You’ve memorized it all?”
Kang Seo-jun blinked his surprised eyes widely.
“Yes. I can follow the script perfectly fine.”
Seo Eun-ha discreetly disposed of the script on the spot, flashing a confident smile.
“I’m confident in my memorization.”
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– Creak. –
The two of them opened the rusty container door and stepped outside.
Sure enough, as soon as they stepped outside, they immediately sensed the presence of Demon faction members hiding nearby.
While they were talking inside the container, the Demon faction members had taken positions and were monitoring this side.
Seo Eun-ha, also sensing this with her A-grade sense, gave Kang Seo-jun a nod.
Kang Seo-jun nodded slightly, and Seo Eun-ha immediately began acting according to the script.
“Are. You. Going. To. Convey. Such. A. message. To. The. Holy. Shrine. For. Our. sake?”
“?”
Kang Seo-jun’s eyes widened.
‘Wait, acting???’
“Surprisingly. yes….”
Kang Seo-jun tightly shut his eyes.
‘What kind of acting is this???’
It was a mistake.
Come to think of it, there was hardly anyone in the original [Grand Hunter Academy] as distant from ‘acting’ as Seo Eun-ha.
She often received debuffs in most deception judgments due to her direct nature and inability to hide her feelings well, and her ‘acting’ talent was relatively low compared to other playable characters.
‘But still, it shouldn’t be this bad.’
[Intelligence: 9]
Perhaps it’s because her Intelligence is at Grade E.
‘I miscalculated.’
[Willpower: 30]
‘But the plan isn’t completely ruined. As long as it’s at this level, it should be fine.’
The Demon faction members hiding nearby weren’t right next to witness this performance.
‘Fortunately, they’re quite far away.’
So even if the pitch sounded a bit awkward or the expression seemed a bit off, it wouldn’t be noticed easily.
‘The plan will proceed as planned. Seo Eun-ha’s acting skills are better than expected, but this should be manageable.’
In a very short time, countless thoughts passed through Kang Seo-jun’s mind.
Meanwhile, Seo Eun-ha, unaware of this, wore an expression of curiosity as if saying, ‘Am I doing well?’
‘Focus and concentrate.’
The Demon faction members hiding nearby are listening to this conversation in real-time.
Now it was Kang Seo-jun’s turn to speak his lines.
“We know more than you think.”
Kang Seo-jun put emphasis on the following lines.
“If Seongjin Group wants, we can provide more information about the Demon faction. We could even eradicate the seeds of every Demon residing in the Stellafort, if they desire.”
– Swish! –
As Kang Seo-jun spoke, the Demon faction members who had been observing with the Eye of Providence sharply reacted.
‘They took the bait safely. Thankfully.’
It was a clear signal that the fuse of the war had been properly ignited.
Indeed.
Words that clearly stimulate the opponent as much as implying their own death were rare.
‘This war must happen.’
It wasn’t just to prevent Taesan Group from joining forces with the Demon faction.
‘If I can utilize this war well…’
From dimensional currency to Taesan Group’s support, and even the hidden treasures the Demon faction holds.
There were boundless benefits Kang Seo-jun could obtain.
And those benefits would greatly contribute to obtaining the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
It was all written for Kang Seo-jun’s ascension.