Chapter 1145

〈 Chapter 1145 〉 1145. The Academy’s Savior

I sensed someone approaching.

I looked up toward the source of the presence. Under the streetlight, a girl was walking this way. Wearing a black school uniform unlike those of the academy, her short black hair barely reaching her shoulders. Strapped diagonally to her back was some long object over two meters in length.

“Whoa, there’s a huge crowd gathered here. Are you a Spirit Handler too, big bro?”

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

The moment I saw her, I knew who she was.

This was Seong Harri from middle school days.

『Name: Seong Harri


Strength: B- Stamina: B Agility: A Durability: C Mana: C+


Trait: Spirit Devourer (S)


Skills: Combat Sense (A), Purification (E), Reverse Field (D)


Affinity: 15』

Without thinking, I checked Seong Harri’s status window.

I almost chuckled involuntarily. Despite being a middle schooler, her stats were ridiculously powerful. Of course, compared to the Harri outside this world, these numbers seemed pitiful.

“Could I defeat the current Seong Harri if we fought?”

She was Seong Harri after all. Stats aren’t everything when it comes to her.

“…If I used all my abilities, maybe there’s a way…”

Lost in thought, I sighed. What am I even doing challenging a middle schooler?

“Big bro! Are you mute or something?”

Seong Harri approached closely. While her features are average, her manners seem rather brash for someone so young.

“…What do you want?”

“You can talk! I thought you were mute since you’ve been staring at me silently.”

“What do you want? Or are you confessing your undying love for me?”

“Are you crazy?”

Seong Harri responded with a serious expression. Her reaction stung a little. Outside this dungeon, Harri adores me to no end.

She suddenly stopped mid-approach, maintaining about a 10-meter distance.

‘Is she wary of me? But this distance is too far…’

I eventually realized why. Lower-level spirits had gathered around me. The spirits were watching Seong Harri carefully, ready to flee if she came any closer.

“I’m just curious. An unfamiliar Spirit Handler appeared near our house, so… Normally I wouldn’t care about regular handlers, but the way these guys follow you… It’s the first time I’ve seen such a scene. What’s your name, big bro? My name is Seong Harri.”

I hesitated briefly.

Should I tell her my name?

After all, this is a dungeon world based on a parallel universe. Nothing I do here affects the outside.

“Seong Yoojin.”

“…So your surname is Seong too? Could you be from our family line?”

“Nope, just a coincidence with the last name.”

“Ah, that could happen I guess… And you’re not surprised to hear I’m from the True Spirit Seong Clan?”

“There’s a main branch of the True Spirit Seong Clan nearby, so it’s not surprising you’re part of them. You probably want to see the spirits, right? You can come closer if you’d like.”

“That would be nice… except the spirits don’t like me.”

“This should work.”

I reached out my hand toward the nearby spirits and gently grasped them. They didn’t run away thanks to my high spirit affinity.


Hey there. Normally, it’s impossible to catch spirits when they’re in their ethereal form, but I’ve got the Spirit Vision.

“Uh, you’re gonna make me mad if you keep treating them so carelessly.”

“They can get mad all they want. Come closer and take a look.”

“……”

Spirits may fear and dislike Gender-Ha, but I already know that Gender-Ha actually likes spirits.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Gender-Ha approached and sat beside me, staring intently at the captured spirits.

“…It’s pitiful yet kinda cute how they desperately struggle to escape.”

“What are you gawking at? If you’re part of the Divine Spirit Clan, don’t you see spirits every day?”

“Well, my case is special. Spirits run away when they see me. When I go home, they hide from me. Even though I know it’s inevitable… it still feels sad to be avoided like that.”

“…”

“I envy you. The spirits come to you so freely. Normally, they’d try to escape using all their strength… but they aren’t resisting here. It must be because of you, right? Is it related to your eyes?”

I tilted my head.

“This is called Spirit Vision.”

“Spirit Vision! I’ve heard of it! They say it’s one of the greatest abilities a spirit handler can have… but this is the first time I’ve seen it in action. …Are you really not part of our family?”

“If I were from the Divine Spirit Clan, you’d already know me by now.”

“That’s true. You’re right about that. Hey, brother, why don’t you come over to my place?”

“…Do you really have a crush on me?”

“It’s not like that!”

Gender-Ha lightly punched my shoulder, seemingly joking around, but it actually hurt.

“If you’re near our house, it means you have business there, right? Let me guide you. My dad or grandpa would love to meet you.”

“…No. I don’t have any business with the Divine Spirit Clan.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Just…?”

“…Suddenly seems suspicious.”

Gender-Ha narrowed her eyes and looked at me suspiciously. I released the lower-level spirit I had been holding onto. It wasted no time escaping far away. Gender-Ha watched it flee with an expression of detached indifference.

“Here’s some advice as your senior in life: don’t get too cozy with strangers.”

“I’m not a kid. I don’t randomly get friendly with people I don’t know.”

She blushed slightly as I stared at her incredulously.

“It’s just… well, you don’t feel like a stranger for some reason. Hard to explain, but…”

“Like family?”

“No, no way! You’re not family… But… um… it’s like you’re not family, but kinda feel like it?”

“I guess you like me.”

“No, I don’t!”

『Gender-Ha’s Affection Level: 27』

Our short conversation somehow raised her affection level.

‘Still, there’s not enough time to fully charm her… Should I just overpower her?’

The real question is whether I can completely dominate her. I’m not confident I can fully handle a middle schooler like her.

With a sigh, I stood up.

“…Leaving?”

“Yeah. Talking with you was fun.”

“Really not coming over?”

“Not interested in the Divine Spirit Clan.”

“…Goodbye then. Will we meet again?”

“If we’re lucky.”

“‘If we’re lucky’? What does that even mean?”

Ignoring her dissatisfied muttering, I started walking away, heading off to find Ryu Hanna. I have a rough idea where she might be. If things go according to the original story, she’s probably investigating her parents’ younger days.

Grrrroooom.

The ground shakes.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. Our eyes met with Gender-Ha standing by the bench, clearly startled.

‘So if it’s not Gender-Ha, the cause must be elsewhere.’

Grrooom, Crack, Grrooom.

Trees are breaking, and the ground trembles.

Both Gender-Ha and I turned our heads toward the source of the commotion. Behind the bench, among the trees, a mud giant is rising.

As soon as the monster appears, Gender-Ha quickly puts distance between herself and it. She swiftly grabs the weapon slung diagonally across her back—


I drew the spear.

“…A middle schooler wielding a spear?”

“I got permission from the Hero Association.”

When you think about it, this isn’t such an odd thing in today’s world. The future will probably refer to this era as the Age of Turmoil or something like that.

‘Hmm, maybe I should just bail. There’s a Spirit School nearby anyway.’

This world isn’t real. No matter who dies here, it won’t affect the outside world.

But Na keeps getting in my way. The thought of young Na dying made me feel terrible. I decided to take out the mud giant.

But someone moved before me—Na. She created a force field in midair, used it as a stepping stone, and charged at the mud giant who hadn’t fully risen yet.

KWAANG!

An explosion sounded. It was from Na’s spear strike. The mud giant’s right arm flew off. The giant swung its left arm at Na.

Na tried to twist her body in midair to dodge, but she wasn’t quite fast enough. The giant’s fist grazed her, sending her flying.

‘In the blink of an eye…’

I dashed behind her mid-flight, catching her. I basically acted as a cushion.

“Ugh… Big Brother…?”

“That was reckless. What were you thinking rushing in like that?”

“Well… I’ve fought mud giants before. If you hit them hard once before they fully rise, they go down immediately… But this one was different.”

“Really…?”

“Also, would you mind removing your hand? Do you enjoy groping people?”

“It was an accident.”

Unknowingly, I had squeezed her chest tightly. Compared to Future Na, Current Na’s chest was smaller than my hand, making the sensation strangely different.

Na raised her right arm and delivered an elbow strike to my stomach.

“…”

Letting out a silent scream, I stumbled away from her. I almost threw up. Na glared at me with a bright red face.

“Pervert… I didn’t think you were like that…”

“It was an accident! And you already forgot I saved you…!”

I stopped speaking mid-sentence and abruptly turned my head.

『The Demon Hunter(S) has detected the presence of a demon.』

『All stats temporarily increased.』

『Attack power against demons temporarily increased.』

The mud giant’s body turned red, and complex black patterns floated above it.

『The Demon Hunter(S) cannot identify the true nature of the demon.』

『Insufficient information.』

The mud giant isn’t a demon—it’s just a monster corrupted by demonic power. The real demon is probably hiding somewhere, watching the situation unfold.

‘A demon appearing randomly… Is this really a coincidence?’

A demon showed up near where I was, but it’s hiding while using a monster to attack me. This feels far too deliberate. My mind grows more complicated.

The mud giant opened its mouth wide toward us, and dozens of rock stakes fell from the sky. Na and I leaped back, putting distance between ourselves and the giant.

Zzzt.

Lightning briefly flickered in my hand before disappearing. The mana leaving my body triggered a reaction in the heavens.

KRAAAAANG!

A bolt of blue lightning struck the top of the giant’s head. Its skull caved in slightly before returning to normal.

‘Damn, it’s earth-based, so lightning isn’t very effective.’

Tsking, I started thinking of another plan.

“Big Brother! Spirits! Use spirit magic!”

“I can’t use spirit magic.”

“Eh?! Then summon a spirit to fight!”

“We can’t summon spirits right now.”

“…”

Na looked at me suspiciously.

I summoned Huayuan Sword.

If lightning won’t work, I’ll just go there and slice it apart. Luckily, I can clearly see where the giant’s heart is located.

‘Acceleration.’

[Using Acceleration. Duration: 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 5]