Chapter 1134

〈 Chapter 1134 〉 1134. The Academy’s Savior

Moka, the owl who had ascended to become a higher-level lightning spirit, soared through the clear sky. Through Moka’s awakened Spirit Vision, I shared her sight.

“Found the fourth one. He’s using stones to build an altar.”

The plan is to amplify the curse through the altar. Not bad thinking. Without my Spirit Vision, this would’ve been quite the headache.

“Moka. Let’s show this guy what real lightning tastes like.”

-Gruuuh!

Moka’s eager response came through loud and clear.

Kaboom!

A massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto the ground. The guy busy constructing the altar disappeared in a flash.

“Three left. I haven’t spotted Shin Narie yet… These last two are hiding well, staying out of my sight. Either they’re using spells or hiding somewhere like a cave.”

There were a few places that came to mind.

Just as I was about to move without hesitation—

Kiieeeeng!

A sharp sound pierced my ears. An unpleasant sensation shot through me—curse magic.

“Shit. So the fourth one wasn’t the culprit either?”

『Cord of the Divine Tree


Rank: S


Immune to curses.


Durability: 27/50』

Durability decreased by 2.

My face crumpled involuntarily.

Every ten minutes, curses kept flying at me from somewhere. And thanks to these damn curses, a total of 10 durability points had been drained from the Cord.

“Damn it. If the Cord of the Divine Tree hadn’t been protecting me, I’d be in serious trouble right now…”

What annoyed me even more was that I couldn’t trace the source of the curse, even with my enhanced vision.

I tried to hide my growing frustration as I took another step forward.

•••

“Gahhh!”

The fifth target fell off the hill.

Only Shin Narie and one other remained.

『Cord of the Divine Tree


Rank: S


Immune to curses.


Durability: 22/50』

After checking the durability, I turned my head.

Pale white hair, small stature, bandages covering the porcelain skin beneath her school uniform, and lifeless red eyes resembling fish eyes.

Shin Narie appeared. Her hands were equipped with claws—black gloves with three blade-like extensions on the back, resembling talons. But most menacing of all was the malevolent ghost attached to her. The long-haired female ghost with hollow eyes stared straight at me. Even though she lacked pupils, I could feel her glaring at me.

“Senpai. You were nearby, weren’t you? Why did you show up now?”

“The teacher told me to.”

She responded to my question in a completely emotionless tone.

Kim Jeo.

This was his strategy—to finish me off with his trump card, Shin Narie, when I was exhausted.

“But here’s the thing… I’m not tired. My stamina and mana are perfectly managed.”

Thanks to the Cord of the Divine Tree, those pesky curse users couldn’t touch me.

“Senpai, let me make you a proposal.”

“…?”

“Quit the Metallurgy Department and transfer to the Spirit Department.”

“No.”

“I know why you’re sticking with Metallurgy—it’s because of that malevolent ghost, isn’t it? I’ll tell you its true identity and how to control it.”

The mention of the ghost’s identity made Shin Narie react slightly—her eyes widened ever so slightly.

“…Even so, I can’t do that. I have to repay the teacher for his kindness.”

“Just give up already. I’ll help you if you do.”

“No.”

“…You know what? If you miss this chance, I won’t help you anymore. Consider it a deal—I’ll demand payment later.”


“And the price for that will be quite steep.”

“Still no.”

Naeri Shin declared firmly, raising her hand as if to indicate our conversation was over. Her steel claws gleamed sharply.

“I gave you a chance, senior.”

I call out to Mocha in my mind.

Mocha, the spirit bound to me, responds to my will. Thunder fills the air as Mocha, now manifesting as lightning, surges toward Naeri Shin.

Naeri’s body wavered strangely, resembling a marionette handled by an amateur puppeteer. Lightning struck down, and Naeri narrowly evaded Mocha.

Mocha unleashed bolts of lightning in all directions like a tantrum. The current spread through the ground. Naeri ignored the electricity hitting her body; her senses of touch were dimmer than most. The electric pain probably only felt like a mild sting to her. She could move because she used cursed powers.

I hurled spears at her advancing form.

Three spears flew in succession toward her. Naeri dodged them gracefully, like a ballerina dancing on stage.

‘Too unpredictable.’

There was no time for a hollow laugh. She had already appeared before me. I drew my sword from my waist to block her claw.

Clang! Clang!

Naeri’s attacks flowed like water.

Left, right, left, left, right.

The chaotic assault was pure instinct, with no discernible order.

‘It’s like fighting a monster, not a person.’

I retreated while blocking her attacks, using footwork to disperse her strength as much as possible.

‘Thank goodness I maxed out my Shadow Heaven Style. My feet don’t get tangled even when moving back quickly.’

Naeri relentlessly pursued me. Using trees as cover, I moved backward. A red curse gathered on Naeri’s claws like a blade of energy. The tree split into four and fell. I raised my own blue energy blade to block her attack.

As the attacks continued, Naeri’s focus on me intensified.

‘Mocha, can you do Thunder Bolt?’

The Thunder Bolt used in Dark Moon—if Mocha, a high-level spirit, can use it, then…

-Gulp!

Mocha’s confident intent came through. My mana drained suddenly. Mocha was going to do it properly.

Through Spirit Sight, I saw Mocha’s perspective. Lightning gathered around Mocha floating in the sky, compressing.

‘I need a bit more time.’

It wouldn’t hurt to show off my skills a little more here.

I gathered mana in my right foot and stepped into True Stance. Whoosh. The scattered barrels on the ground shot upward—all the trees Naeri had cut.

‘Acceleration, Instant.’

Shadow Heaven Style (影天流), Thunder Sound Step (雷音步).

Crackle.

My legs moved like lightning, trailing thunder. I jumped onto the rising barrels. Naeri’s red eyes chased my afterimages. When I judged she had completely lost track of my movement, I charged with my sword for a perfect ambush she couldn’t avoid.

But Naeri dodged.

Her body moved strangely to the side as if pulled by someone, evading my strike. The cause was obvious.

‘…Damn ghost brat.’

Naeri’s bewildered gaze met mine. But only for a moment—soon her claws retaliated. I twisted my shoulder forcefully to raise my sword defensively.

Clang!

My body flew backward. Even in mid-air, I maintained balance and landed stably on the ground.

“Thunder Bolt.”

I said it once.

Naeri tilted her head curiously. Her senses were dull, so she didn’t fully realize the attack prepared in the sky.

A bolt of lightning thick as an ancient tree struck her. The light of destruction was brief but scorched the surroundings, leaving a crater on the ground.

In the center, Naeri stood blankly looking up at the sky. There were no wounds, her clothes were intact. However, the bandages wrapped around her body had turned black. Slowly, they crumbled into dust and floated away like flower petals.

Jema’s bandages.

The bandages given to Naeri by Jea Kim.

The reason why Naeri, who didn’t particularly like Jea Kim, couldn’t refuse his words.

“…This is a dungeon, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”

She muttered. The bandages turned to dust, drifting like flower petals in the wind…”


The evil spirit’s lips tore apart as it let out a maniacal laugh. Its pale hands tightly embraced Seon-Nari’s skin, and the malevolent entity seeped into her body—a possession.

Seon-Nari’s white hair turned pitch black, her skin dyed crimson like blood, and her red eyes gleamed wickedly. The curses that had been stacked within her, bound by Jema’s bandages, now spread in all directions.

‘This suffocating feeling… It’s worse than I imagined…’

At this level, there would be few teachers at the academy capable of handling her.

Seon-Nari’s mouth opened wide.

An indescribable voice echoed through the space.

Moments later, her foot slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling outward.

‘A split second.’

I’d been watching closely; it wasn’t too late. I grabbed her shoulder as she approached me. The bracelet on my wrist glowed intensely.

Seon-Nari’s possession was lifted. Unable to withstand the bracelet’s holiness, the evil spirit was repelled. Seon-Nari returned to her original form and blinked her eyes, looking at me with confusion.

“Ahh…”

“Mocha, Lightning.”

KRAAAKK!

Lightning struck both Seon-Nari and me. Her face contorted in pain before she disappeared in front of me, defeated. The expelled evil spirit vanished as well.

‘Just temporarily dispersed, naturally…’

Ignoring the tingling sensation from the electric shock coursing through my body, I stared at the bracelet. The once-white bracelet had turned pitch black.

[Divine Bracelet of the Sacred Tree


Rank: S


Immune to curses.


Durability: 0/50]

The notification window wiggled and transformed.

[Cursed Divine Bracelet of the Sacred Tree


Rank: S


Absorbs curses.


Curses absorbed: 0/100]

‘Going according to plan.’

KIIIIEEEENG.

A curse flew toward me. Instead of harming me, it was sucked into the bracelet.

[Cursed Divine Bracelet of the Sacred Tree


Rank: S


Absorbs curses.


Curses absorbed: 7/100]

‘Already absorbed 7? This is no ordinary curse, indeed.’

I clicked my tongue.

The Cursed Divine Bracelet absorbs curses on behalf of its owner. However, it’s not entirely beneficial—once filled, it becomes a calamity that engulfs its owner. This item is useless unless wielded by someone who can handle curses.

‘Top-tier equipment, but unnecessary for me.’

It’s suitable for Seon-Nari. Giving this to her will skyrocket her affection towards me.

—

[Cursed Divine Bracelet of the Sacred Tree


Rank: S


Absorbs curses.


Curses absorbed: 21/100]

“There you are.”

I found the last person hiding in the cave.

As I entered, I furrowed my brows deeply. The cave floor was submerged in blood, ankle-deep. The source of the blood was the ceiling, where a small skull hung, continuously dripping gore.

Below it knelt a man, his head bowed, muttering incomprehensible words.

‘What is this guy? He already has over ten artifacts adorned on his body.’

All these artifacts have one thing in common—they’re made from something dead. Human hands, monster teeth, creature entrails… every single one disgusting.

[Cursed Divine Bracelet of the Sacred Tree


Rank: S


Absorbs curses.


Curses absorbed: 24/100]

Even just being here, curses are being absorbed. I clicked my tongue again and drew my sword.

‘Whatever. Let’s just finish this quickly.’

PLOSH PLOSH.

As I moved closer to end it, CRACKLE. The guy’s neck rotated 180 degrees, and he looked straight at me. His hollow eye sockets overflowed with bloody tears, and his mouth stretched grotesquely into a grin.

“You….”

It was the first-year student—the one who trembled in fear when Kim Jae-O challenged him to a bet against me.

“KEHEHEHEHEHE!”

He laughed maniacally. His neck stretched like rubber, reaching the cave ceiling, his empty eyes fixed directly on me.

DING!!

The space shattered like a mirror. Emerging from the fractured void was Kang Ji-Young. Behind her, panicked academy teachers and students could be seen.

Her face was twisted with rage, blood dripping from her tightly bitten lips.

“Capture Kim Jae-O immediately!!”

Her roar, filled with fury, shook the very air itself.