Chapter 1144

〈 Chapter 1144 〉 1144. The Academy’s Savior

“Ryu Ha Na. Here, you wanted it, right? Take it.”

I extended the wrapped Scarlet Bird Sword toward her.

“I can’t accept it.”

“Why not? This is the sword you’ve been wanting.”

“…It’s too expensive to receive as a casual gift. Besides, I don’t understand you. No matter how I think about it, this sword isn’t worth 300 billion. Even 100 billion is way overpriced. I kept quiet because I didn’t want to meddle in your affairs… but you’ve made a bad deal. You should go back and get a refund while you still can.”

300 billion.

An absurdly large sum of money for an ordinary person, yet she spoke of it as if it were 3 million. A telling moment that revealed her sense of value.

‘Hmm, with the North Diamond Clan’s power, 300 billion is nothing.’

Still, Ryu Ha Na has no intention of relying on the North Diamond Clan’s influence. Not until she graduates from the academy. She intends to survive on her own strength alone.

“Do you really think this is just any ordinary sword?”

“No. It’s not ordinary since it’s C-Rank. It might even qualify as a legendary blade. But it’s nowhere near worth 300 billion.”

“You clearly have no idea about the true value of this sword. Your discernment when it comes to swords is lacking.”

“……”

Ryu Ha Na’s brow furrowed deeply. More than anyone, she was passionate and serious about swords, reacting as though she’d been insulted by someone criticizing her parents.

“…Show me the Scarlet Bird Sword again. Please.”

“Hm, that’s not difficult.”

I unwrapped the Scarlet Bird Sword. Ryu Ha Na carefully examined the blade with full concentration.

Ryu Ha Na had more than enough discernment when it came to swords. After all, she was the one who first spotted this sword, watching it intently through the shop window.

“Can I try holding it?”

“…Didn’t the weapon shop owner say you’re not allowed to touch it?”

“You’ll be fine.”

“…”

After hesitating for a moment, Ryu Ha Na grabbed the hilt of the sword. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth opened, and her body trembled. She stared blankly into the empty air. I waited patiently.

‘With Ryu Ha Na’s unique trait, the Sword Maiden (SS), no sword could possibly reject her, whether it’s a Holy Sword or a Demon Sword.’

“…Sung Yoojin. You knew from the start. This sword… it’s worth more than 300 billion.”

“Can you reveal its true form?”

“Yes. But….”

“Don’t hesitate. Start now.”

“…This sword belongs to you. And you’ll be getting dragged into something big because of it.”

“I’m giving it to you as a gift. Besides, you won’t even be able to touch it anyway. But you can watch as the sword acknowledges you, right?”

Ryu Ha Na slowly nodded and raised the sword in her hand. As she summoned her mana, the Scarlet Bird Sword reacted immediately. Whoosh! Flames engulfed the blade, burning fiercely. The flames momentarily took the shape of a scarlet bird before returning to their original form.

The space in front of Ryu Ha Na began to warp. The distorted space pulled her inward. I quickly placed my hand on her shoulder. Ryu Ha Na and I were both sucked into the void.

『Special Dungeon, ??? Entered.』

As the notification window popped up, I raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s different.’

It doesn’t match what I know.

If the name of a special dungeon includes ???, there’s only one reason: the dungeon has mutated.

‘Did I cause the mutation by entering with her? What a headache.’

••


Na and Ryuhana stood atop a Seoul building, gazing down. The night view of Seoul was slightly different from what we knew—buildings that should’ve been towering were shorter, parts of roads were closed off, and there were fewer people around. The usually vibrant Seoul now exuded an eerie atmosphere.

“Is this…the past?”

“Yeah. A past manifested by the dungeon. Probably around 20 years ago? Could be 19 or 21.”

I vaguely replied, recalling the original story.

“Ryuhana, you faced Zhuque’s trial, right? What was it about?”

“…Find and defeat the enemy.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard to find them. They’re probably looking for you too.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Cause I went through something similar once.”

I wasn’t talking about the original game. During my first run, I forcibly awakened and used the Azure Sword, Verdant Spear, Obsidian Armor, and Vermilion Blade. Though I didn’t use them for long—they were particularly picky with me, so I ended up using them as sacrifices for Ruin(S).

I also learned during that first run that others could accompany me into this space.

“It might be annoying, but it won’t be tough.”

“…Where are you going?”

“Just need to check something. Oh, and just in case—this dungeon isn’t reality. It’s not based on reality either. It’s a manifestation of one of many parallel worlds. You know about parallel theories, right?”

“…A world where possible outcomes might exist.”

“To put it simply, someone who lost a presidential election could win here, or someone who died might still be alive in this world. Whatever it is, it doesn’t concern us, so don’t let it shake you.”

After advising Ryuhana, I leaped down the rooftop wall and landed lightly on the ground before heading toward the road.

SCREEEEEECH!

A car screeched to a halt as it noticed me running across the road. I approached the stopped vehicle.

With a punch, I shattered the driver’s side window and yanked open the door.

“AHHHHH! WHO ARE YOU??”

The salaryman, his face smeared with fatigue, screamed. I grabbed him, tossed him out onto the road, and slammed the driver’s door shut.

“This car is mine now.”

Ignoring the trembling man, I floored the accelerator, ignoring traffic lights and causing chaos on the streets. But who cares? This isn’t reality—it’s a dungeon.

WOOOOOOOOW!

“Damn rookies!”

The thrill of a city chase after so long got me pumped.

I made a sharp turn, showing off a flashy drift to the police officers…only to crash into a lamppost.

“Haha. My bad.”

No worries. Plenty of cars around. I stopped another moving car, stole it, and resumed the chase.

The police sirens blared loudly.

“Get out NOW if you want to live!!”

Up ahead, a hero blocked the road. This world had heroes.

“No one can stop meeeee.”

KABOOM!

Lightning struck the hero blocking my path. Unable to dodge, he took the full blow, staggering but not dying. I slammed the accelerator, ramming him with the car. He flew far away, tumbling on the ground.

“Haha! Stupid bastard!”

I summoned a bomb and hurled it behind me. Watching the pursuing police cars explode mid-air made me laugh uncontrollably.

“Today’s the day Seoul becomes a fiery inferno!”

•••

I exited the car. It was a narrow alley filled with residential houses. Through an open window, I heard a radio broadcast.

“-Breaking news! Namsan Tower has been bombed! Namsan Tower is collapsing! The police are in disarray! Another update! The police headquarters have been attacked! Bombs fell from the sky!”

‘This is relieving stress like nothing else.’

Smirking, I strolled through the alley.

Escaping the intense chase from heroes and cops was easy. All I had to do was use the teleportation spell.

‘Hmm?’

This was Seongha Ri’s house. More precisely…


Before entering the Academy dormitory, I lived together with Seong Ha-ri in a house.

“This house wasn’t so run-down back then…”

I sensed movement inside the house.

I opened the door and entered. The door was locked, so I broke the handle and went in.

“…?”

“Wh-Who are you?!”

A middle-aged man and woman watching TV looked at me. I stared blankly at them. I don’t remember them. They’re unrelated to Seong Ha-ri. Looking around, it’s a completely unfamiliar house.

-…WANTED: TERRORIST! We haven’t identified them yet, but anyone who recognizes this face, please report to the police immediately!

My face appears on the TV.

The middle-aged couple alternates their gaze between the TV and my face, instantly turning pale.

I turn around and head back out the entrance.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

“Po-Police! Police!!!”

Ignoring their panicked voices, I scratch my head.

‘Seong Ha-ri said she bought that house after I was born… Is this a time before I existed?’

Since this is one of the parallel worlds, it might be a world where I never even existed.

‘Ah, right. If I check the date, I can roughly calculate what Seong Ha-ri is doing now.’

I turn back into the house and threaten the middle-aged couple to find out the time period.

‘Huh. So Seong Ha-ri is from way before her Academy days.’

My destination is set.

•••

Jinryeong Seongga (True Spirit Accomplished Family).

I stop in front of the Jinryeong Seongga estate ahead. The Jinryeong Seongga clan is one of Korea’s prestigious ancient noble families. With my current abilities, barging in would only get me crushed.

This dungeon simulating a parallel world may be fake, but my life isn’t.

I activate both my Spirit Eye and Heavenly Eye simultaneously.

I pierce through the Jinryeong Seongga compound. Barriers? Since I’m not physically entering, they don’t matter. And these barriers aren’t strong enough to block both my Spirit Eye and Heavenly Eye anyway.

‘There are still so many spirits here. Seong Han-gu and Seong Myeong-saeng… they’re sitting side by side watching TV.’

I don’t see Seong Ha-ri. She must not be home.

I sit on a nearby bench.

The reason I’m looking for Seong Ha-ri is to uncover the secrets of my birth. Even if this dungeon’s setting is based on a parallel world, there’s a chance things related to Seong Ha-ri haven’t changed.

But once I learned the date, I realized this trip was meaningless.

‘It’s too far in the past. Not only was I not born yet, but Seong Ha-ri hasn’t even entered the Academy yet.’

Still, I came to the Jinryeong Seongga estate because I just wanted to see Seong Ha-ri once. In the end, I didn’t even manage to meet her.

‘Is she somewhere else… or does this world not have Seong Ha-ri at all? Ryu Hana must be doing fine, right?’

According to the original story, Ryu Hana is battling herself right now. And she’ll win without much difficulty. Even in the original, it wasn’t a hard fight.

I suddenly glance around. Lower-level spirits are gathering around me.

‘There are a lot of spirits near the Jinryeong Seongga estate.’

They’ve been drawn by my high spirit affinity.

I considered dispersing them, but since they’re not trying to harm me, I decide to leave them alone.

Moka and Makina come to mind. I couldn’t summon them in this special dungeon.

‘The time outside the dungeon must be frozen… well, more like flowing so slowly it feels frozen.’

This dungeon is unique enough to mess with the space-time axis.

‘Maybe I’ll rest a bit and try again later. Or finding a beautiful girl to flirt with wouldn’t be bad either…’

While I’m pondering, I sense someone approaching.

I lift my head and look toward the source of the movement. A girl walks toward me under the streetlight, wearing a black school uniform different from the Academy’s, with short black hair brushing her shoulders. On her back, slung diagonally, is something long, over 2 meters.

“Wow, there are so many of them gathered here. Are you a spirit user too, big brother?”

She’s short. Her chest is slightly rounded. Baby fat still lingers on her face.

The moment I see her, I know.

This is middle-school-aged Seong Ha-ri.