Episode 121: End of Semester (2)
Vacation was just around the corner.
Only a few days remained.
Officially, all courses had ended, and grades were finalized.
Across the campus, some students had already packed up and left, but most of the first-years were still staying.
Well, honestly, vacation didn’t really change much.
The dorms remained open for students who had come from far away.
Above all, the training facilities here were the best in the country—unmatched anywhere else.
It was only natural that so many first-years chose to remain.
And for me, my plan was the same.
I had no intention of leaving.
“Phew...”
Early in the morning, I was running along the campus jogging track.
Beside me, as always, was Yu Hana.
Unless something unusual came up during the semester, we always ran together.
We were practically long-time partners now, our rhythm in sync.
As we ran, I tried to organize my thoughts about the days ahead.
My first goal was clear.
“Bulgaraam.”
The association’s reward.
I needed to exercise my right to enter the Bulgaraam’s forge.
What kind of reward I’d get… even I didn’t know exactly.
He was a very peculiar person, after all.
But one thing was certain:
Through this opportunity, I would definitely become stronger.
Now that I had a Fragment, I had met the bare minimum requirement.
And the second goal:
Obtaining Fragments from key characters.
In fact, the association’s reward might just be a stepping stone for that second goal.
There were three candidates in total…
But the first one I had in mind was—Yu Hana, who was running and sweating right next to me.
After we finished our run, I caught my breath and looked at her.
Sweat glistened on her forehead, catching the morning light.
Noticing my gaze, she smiled and asked,
“Why?”
I looked at her for a moment, then spoke.
“Do you remember what we talked about?”
“Hm?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
“The trip. The one we planned to go on during break—any change in your schedule?”
I asked again.
Yu Hana was an extremely busy person.
I needed to make sure nothing had come up to ruin our plans.
Of course, one way or another, I was planning to take her.
Whether by sweet talk… or dragging her along.
“Oh, that?”
She stretched out her words, then cautiously said,
“Well, the thing is…”
Huh?
Did something happen?
“I’m… going to take over as head of the family during this vacation.”
Ah.
Of course.
Succession.
Succession was a traditional ritual of the Yu family.
The current family head formally passes their title to the next generation—called the small head—in a kind of rite of passage.
For several weeks, the current and future heads isolate themselves completely from the outside world, and engage in continuous duels inside a hollow realm.
Until the successor defeats the current head.
For her, this was a major event.
Something she had to overcome on her own.
Usually, this was held around the second year.
I nodded silently.
“I knew it.”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had noticed Yu Hana’s ridiculous growth rate.
Her father, Yu Mujin, the current head of the family, had also realized it.
Yu Hana’s skills had already far surpassed expectations.
Her growth curve was so steep, Yu Mujin probably saw no reason to delay any further.
“…Sorry. Are you disappointed?”
Yu Hana looked at me carefully and asked in a cautious tone.
“Hm? No, not really.”
It wasn’t that I was disappointed.
I was just wondering who to go after next.
“It’s not that I don’t want to go. Really. I swear.”
She mumbled again and again, emphasizing how it wasn’t that she didn’t want to go.
I smiled faintly.
“Yeah, I got it.”
Even if she said she didn’t want to go, I had no plans to let her off that easily.
If it weren’t for the succession, I would’ve taken her with me no matter what.
With that, Yu Hana was pushed down the list—for now.
I needed to quickly find the next candidate.
“Who should it be?”
Kang Arin, or Cheon Yeoul.
It was time to choose one of them.
***
Yu Hana couldn’t get out of bed in her dorm before school.
Her heart was still pounding hard.
‘What do I do… I actually went through with it.’
Yu Hana had ultimately rejected Jung Haein’s proposal after much deliberation.
But it wasn’t because of personal desires or some false excuse.
It was true that her father had unexpectedly scheduled the succession ritual earlier and made the offer.
It happened just when Yu Hana was agonizing over it all.
The timing was perfect. In the end, she accepted, pretending to give in, pretending to be crazy.
For a moment, her heart dropped like a stone—but strangely enough, that anxiety quickly turned into a sweet thrill.
Her heart continued to race wildly.
With this, she would become Jung Haein’s second.
Whether it was a fragment, her heart… or perhaps even her body.
But strangely, that thought wasn’t scary. In fact, it made her feel exhilarated.
A mix of sweet guilt and the electric thrill of a forbidden act.
Could she chalk this up to some post-game aftereffect?
No.
There was no point denying it now.
She could feel with every fiber of her being—her preferences, her beliefs, had been shattered.
Tock, tock.
Yu Hana left a message in the group chat.
To the people who would lose their minds over this news more than anyone else.
[OnE]: Me
[OnE]: Not going on the trip.
Then she closed her watch.
As soon as she shut it, a flood of messages began pouring in like wildfire.
She could already see exactly how things were about to unfold.
Pretending like they just realized it.
Pretending like they figured it out during intense training.
Pretending like they acquired it by chance.
From now on, the other girls would go crazy trying to prove they were worthy of being Jung Haein’s fragment.
Each in their own way.
Even as alarms kept going off one after another, she just smiled faintly and closed her eyes.
Her heart was still pounding like crazy.
***
The Sanctum he had visited once before.
Today was the second time he’d been granted access.
It’s been said many times, but there was really nothing to do at Gaon.
Train a little.
Bother Yoon Chaeha over a game of Go.
Eat something.
Then bother Yoon Chaeha a little more.
Naturally, this made the Sanctum visits something to look forward to even more.
‘Nice.’
It had been a while since he could enjoy some quality training.
His body itched with anticipation.
At that moment, a message popped up on his watch.
[1000_y]: Should I bring the elixir?
It was Cheon Yeoul.
The elixir that had been given to everyone as a reward for the final exams.
He thought about it for a second… but decided today wasn’t the right time.
He judged that it wasn’t necessary just yet.
[belief_]: It’s fine for today.
There would be a more suitable time for it.
Oh right.
[belief_]: Wear something decent today.
Last time, more of her skin had been exposed to the air than what her clothes covered.
Of course, back then he had been like a stone statue, so it didn’t matter.
But now… it might be different.
He wasn’t so confident anymore.
[1000_y]: )
Ah.
It seemed Cheon Yeoul had different thoughts.
He closed the watch notification and sighed.
Then, he headed for the Sanctum.
When he arrived at the entrance to the temple, the air inside was noticeably different from the chilly morning breeze outside.
The warmth and divine power gently emanating from within seemed to slowly thaw out every corner of his body.
Just as he reached the large marble doors, he paused and looked around.
But Cheon Yeoul was nowhere to be seen.
He quietly asked a priest who was standing nearby.
“Where is she?”
The priest responded with a subtle smile.
“She’s already inside.”
It seemed she had entered early.
After a short wait, the massive marble doors opened with a heavy sound.
Thud.
As soon as he entered, the doors slowly began to close again.
Looking ahead, in the center of the wide and serene space—
Cheon Yeoul stood quietly and gracefully.
Today, even inside the Sanctum, her outfit was definitely more modest than usual.
“You’re here?”
Cheon Yeoul spoke first.
”Yeah.”
We greeted each other and moved to our respective spots.
Inside the Sanctum, the atmosphere was strangely heavy yet calm.
Almost as if it was suppressing any impure thoughts from forming.
Soon, the training began.
The kind of training that pushes both body and mind to their limits, to the point of breathlessness, driven by the sacred atmosphere.
”Ugh…”
After several dozen minutes, my whole body was screaming in pain.
I had overdone it since it had been a while. I was exhausted—completely worn out.
Eventually, I collapsed like a ragdoll and lifted my head.
‘Now then…’
One of today’s main goals was to observe Cheon Yeoul.
I had to assess whether she was in a state where she might be able to accept a Fragment.
I caught my breath and cautiously looked at her.
Unlike Yu Hana, Cheon Yeoul had a clearly defined threshold.
‘Dual Casting.’
Her unique realm—simultaneously wielding sacred arts and magic.
Even just a piece of that technique, even just a glimpse or a hint, would be more than enough.
But because of that, her turn to awaken a Fragment was likely to be delayed.
It was a realm of such a high level of mastery.
At the earliest? Maybe second year?
It would probably still be too difficult for now.
At that moment, Cheon Yeoul let out a quiet breath and extended her left hand forward.
In the silence, a magic circle began to form above her hand.
Clear and pristine light.
The light of an advanced sacred technique.
‘Not bad.’
She had already mastered the deployment of sacred formations.
That alone was impressive.
But then, Cheon Yeoul suddenly raised her right hand.
“…?”
I looked at her, puzzled.
Then—
Bzzzzt.
A cold and sharp magical force shimmered in the air.
With a slight grimace, she tried to simultaneously activate a blue magic circle while still maintaining the sacred one.
“… Huh?”
I quietly muttered to myself without realizing.
”Dual Casting…?”
It was unmistakably Dual Casting.
Could this really be happening?
Cheon Yeoul bit her lip slightly, intensely focused.
Her fingertips were trembling, and both circles started to flicker.
BZZZZT!!
In the end, both formations shattered at once in a flash of light.
She had failed.
Cheon Yeoul stood still for a moment, then pouted her lips slightly.
“Ugh…”
As if regretful, she flicked her hands with disappointment in her eyes.
I stared blankly at her for a moment before finally opening my mouth.
“What… was that just now?”
It seemed she had only just realized I’d been watching, and for a brief moment she looked startled—then quickly smiled brightly.
“Ah… that?”
She scratched her head, embarrassed.
“After I wore the tiara last time… my sacred power increased. So, I had this spark of inspiration? I’ve been researching it ever since. It’s still not working well, though…”
It was then that I realized.
Come to think of it.
Kang Arin, Yu Hana, and Cheon Yeoul.
Among the three, Cheon Yeoul had received the most support and assistance.
From Iano’s cross to the tiara.
She had absorbed high-quality artifacts, and along with them, a massive amount of sacred power and mana.
Maybe… I had underestimated Cheon Yeoul.
While I stood there, dazed, she slowly walked toward me.
She must have been intensely focused—her whole body was drenched in sweat.
Cheon Yeoul brushed her damp hair behind her ear and stepped even closer.
Then, after catching her breath, she asked me—
“…Why? Do you… have something to say to me?”
I silently looked at her.
It seemed the one chosen for the trip had been decided.
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