<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family 40>
To speak plainly, hunting and clearing have different meanings.
Hunting is simply killing monsters in the Gate for the purpose of obtaining magic gems and byproducts… it is literally just hunting.
Then what about clearing? Isn’t it the same as capturing monsters in the Gate?
That’s correct. But the objectives are different.
Clearing is the act of trying to ‘clear’ the Gate.
It involves finding and killing the boss within the Gate, thereby clearing and shutting it down.
Once cleared, the Gate loses its color and the connection is severed.
At this point, it splits into two types again.
In the case of the Purple Gate, which has the possibility of a backflow, or the Red Gate, which is like a timed bomb before it bursts, once cleared, they slowly disappear and hide their existence.
Conversely, in the case of the Blue Gate, which has no restricted access and is commonly referred to as a hunting ground, after a certain time passes post-clearance, the color returns, and the Gate reactivates.
Even so, if the hunting ground is closed for a while after clearing, it’s a clear loss.
Because of this, it’s considered an unwritten rule not to ‘clear’ a Blue Gate without a special reason, to the extent that the state even manages it.
And now, in my hand is the key to clear this Blue Gate, a certification clearly emblazoned with ‘Academy Head Cheon Su-man’.
“…17 students. 3 supervising professors. 8 safety personnel. A total of 28 people. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
The gate manager alternated his gaze between the paperwork and me, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.
“I just don’t get it. What kind of guts did the higher-ups have to grant permission for this? What will we do if a problem arises… d*mn it!”
It was a statement that resonated with the sorrows of an underpaid middle manager.
From long experience, I knew that it was best to stay quiet in times like this. If I opened my mouth unnecessarily, I would lose even the principal.
“Ha… listen, student. Just to check, you know this is a 5-level Gate, right?”
“I know well.”
“Then you should know about the clearing personnel for a 5-level Gate. Yes, you should know. Because you’re from the Academy. It’s 20 people. A minimum of 20 people are needed to get clearance for the raid. But no matter how I look at it, the student team…”
The gaze of the gate personnel scanned behind me.
“15… 16… 17 people. Including students, that’s only 17. Are you really saying you want to raid the Gate with this number? Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously.”
“Ugh, give me a moment. Let me just talk to the supervising professors.”
Normally, it’s an unwritten rule to treat professors and safety personnel as if they don’t exist during finals, but our manager, being so anxious, broke that unwritten rule and ran to the professors.
I wouldn’t hold him back either. He was clearly anxious.
Instead, I gestured to Jin Yu-ri to assess the situation with the remaining time.
“How’s the status?”
“Who? Me or them?”
“Of course, your team members.”
“Hmm, I’m good. I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night. But it feels good. It’s a pleasant daze, you know? It’s like my focus is heightened.”
“…Are you even listening to me? I asked about your team members’ status.”
“Ugh, you’re still so blunt… they’re just as expected.”
With a haughty expression, Jin Yu-ri shrugged, and I genuinely wanted to hit her for being so annoying.
To cut to the chase, the atmosphere of Team 1 was, in one word, disastrous.
And it couldn’t be helped.
In the Academy’s history, Team 1 represented that year’s cohort. They were naturally noteworthy in every aspect and were seen as objects of envy.
They probably dreamed of a rosy future.
That dream was about to collapse overnight.
Because of Jin Yu-ri’s whims.
“Just in case I should ask.”
“Don’t ask just in case. I’m definitely breaking up the team. If you stop me, I’ll drop out.”
“…This is maddening.”
In the end, Jin Yu-ri decided to step down as the team leader at the end of this semester.
This wasn’t unexpected. She was never a leader, to begin with.
She was similar to Han Jun-woo. Jin Yu-ri was a dazzling presence by herself, and her brilliance overshadowed those around her like a screen.
Knowing this reason, I wasn’t particularly surprised that she wanted to disband the team.
But still, the timing was awful!
Why did she have to say it right before the exams?
I told her to just get through this semester and talk later, but this reckless girl in front of me didn’t listen.
She declared her decision instantly on the day it was made.
“I know it’s irresponsible, but let’s break up after this semester. No, it’s not even about whether you’re doing well or not. I was wrong. This was a mistake from the start. A relationship that only hinders each other’s growth isn’t good. It’s better for everyone to part ways cleanly.”
It was cold.
Colder than winter’s ice.
How do I know this so clearly?
Because she said it right next to me!
I felt unnecessarily guilty. After all, I was the cause of it all.
“I want to turn back time…”
“Oh my, do you really want to see me that badly? To turn back time and see me sooner?”
“I’m really in trouble.”
“Pfft, how cute. You’re really cute.”
Jin Yu-ri was licking her lips as she looked at me. I was exhausted from dealing with her.
So I turned my head and saw the atmosphere was even worse over there.
Sigh… what do we do in this situation?
“There’s no answer, no answer. Asking those kids to clear the Gate? Ha, ha, ha…”
“What’s the problem? You have Mary and Jun-woo. If it doesn’t work out, just the two of us can do it like last time.”
“Get your hands off me. Before I break your wrist.”
“Uh, saying you’ll break my wrist just now… that’s a heart-throb. Such masculinity! That’s your charm.”
Jin Yu-ri leaned in closer.
I turned away, shaking off her antics, but I could still feel the burning stares.
I wasn’t joking; all the members of Team 1 were looking at me.
Their gaze was filled with jealousy, like men who had lost their lovers.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
I sighed.
Did I ask what the problem was earlier?
All of this is the problem.
This composition! This group! This situation!
Even at this moment, Jin Yu-ri, unabashedly placing her hand on me, and those glances from the others filled with jealousy.
Everything! It’s all a problem!
“…I wish they would all go away.”
Despite a bit of a commotion, Park Ki-hyuk and his group entered the Gate, and the real finals began.
But they say bad premonitions are usually right. And this one was no different.
As Park Ki-hyuk feared, the ruined atmosphere of Team 1 would become a hindrance.
Experienced professors wouldn’t miss this.
“Disappointing. They’re all working separately.”
“Probably due to lack of motivation.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean? Why lack of motivation?”
“Hmm, it seems you haven’t heard. Team Leader Jin Yu-ri said she was quitting as team leader at the end of this semester.”
“Wait a minute. She’s quitting the team? What will happen to Team 1?”
“I don’t know. According to the regulations, if the team leader quits, it’s supposed to go through the dissolution process… but with Team 1, we’ll have to see what happens.”
If someone is the Team Leader, they are officially the face of that year.
And she’s saying she’s quitting? Seriously?
The professor who asked the question abandoned his judgement in light of the absurdity of the situation.
Another professor accompanying him turned to Professor Noh Hae-chun, who was known for his understanding of raid principles, to ask if he knew anything about the situation.
Noh Hae-chun, including the head of the Academy, boasted the longest experience in the Academy.
If Noh Hae-chun had the slightest ambition for power, there would be talk that he should be in the headmaster’s seat, not Cheon Su-man, and I had no doubt that he would provide a clear answer even in this chaotic situation.
“I wouldn’t know anything since I haven’t had any conversation with her. This is the first I’m hearing of it. However, I did think something like this could happen. Jin Yu-ri, you see… she’s a Jin-ryong, right?”
“Jin-ryong? Why…”
“Historically, Jin-ryong has never made a good team leader. This is a fact that can be seen not only from history but also from the Jin-ryong students I’ve taught.”
The Jin-ryong lineage awakens various clan abilities, inheriting the ‘bl**d of dragons’.
And the代表 representation of that ability is the ‘Dragon’s Eye’.
With the Dragon’s Eye, they can interpret any type of magic, provided it is indeed magic.
They are almost perfect sorcerers.
This is significant.
Perfect (完璧)
Since they are already perfect, they have no need for help. And since they don’t need help, they can’t help but be indifferent to those around them.
“They’re like noble dragons. They think of themselves as perfect beings, showing little interest in their surroundings. But how can a team led by such a Jin-ryong function properly? The answer is already clear. It’s just as it appears.”
“It may have changed now, but the previous generation of Sword Masters were the same way.”
Though a lot has changed now, in the time when the previous generation and the current Jin-ryong family head Jin Do-ha and the current Sword Master family head Park Geon were attending the Academy, Jin-ryong and Sword Masters were thoroughly outsiders.
No, the term outsider isn’t quite correct.
Heaven and earth, I alone exist.
They emitted a sense of their own existence as if they were the only ones in this world.
This frightened the other children, making it difficult for them to approach.
“But Professor, the Sword Masters are different, right? So, that means there’s no good team leader.”
“That’s right. The Mountain Lord exists, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, that’s correct. That’s why I said things have changed. The emergence of Mountain Lord Park Su-hyeok was a signal for that change. And that was signaled by his mother, Kim Yeon-hee.”
“Kim Yeon-hee?”
“Suddenly, the representative of Optimum comes up here?”
“Yes, Kim Yeon-hee. She was the most brilliant student throughout my long teaching career.”
People misunderstand.
They assume Kim Yeon-hee was lucky, just married well and succeeded.
But Noh Hae-chun absolutely disagrees.
On the contrary.
“She brought the Sword Masters, who were an object of vague awe, into the public eye. Just look at the results. People no longer fear the Sword Masters. Instead, they respect them.”
“Did you mention the Mountain Lord? Park Su-hyeok is truly the best work created by Kim Yeon-hee. He says he isn’t, but I’ve seen it clearly. The traits of Kim Yeon-hee are evident in Park Su-hyeok.”
“A brilliant mind, a kind personality. These are advantages that the previous Sword Masters didn’t possess. Park Su-hyeok inherited that. They are all traits of his mother.”
The Sword Masters have changed.
The current Sword Masters are no longer self-righteous. They are capable of listening to others despite their perfection and can recognize their shortcomings.
A beast awakened to reason,
In the hands of Kim Yeon-hee, the Sword Masters have learned about the world.
“Personally, I have high expectations for Park Ki-hyuk. I wonder how he will overcome this crisis. How he will lead this disjointed team.”
Professor Noh Hae-chun’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, and shortly after, Park Ki-hyuk, in response to this expectation, dove in headfirst.
But in a totally unexpected manner.
“This won’t do. Everybody, put your heads down.”
Fact one.
Objectively and subjectively, I had a bad personality.
No, even saying bad isn’t enough. I was so twisted back then that I wondered if I could even manage basic daily life.
Seeing me like this made the old man worry, and he tried to patch up my personality by any means necessary, but… if that had worked, would I have been called the Demon Lord?
Why am I suddenly reminiscing about the past?
Because I suddenly thought of what the old man once said.
“Do you have any thoughts about marriage? I’m worried that your twisted personality will cause trouble. Still, you have some responsibility, so if you have a family, you might get better. Tsk.”
Old man, you were right again this time.
With Park Ki-hyuk, I opened my eyes and gained a family. For the first time in my life, which had endured the trials alone, I now had a family.
I’m no longer alone.
This one sentence became the safety pin for my twisted personality.
But here’s the thing.
“I’m trying to be good, yet you guys are messing with me? Hey. Get your butts in the air. Line up while I’m still speaking nicely.”
The kids were bowing their heads in front of me.
“My legs hurt, sniff.”
“Don’t whine, Jin Yu-ri. I know you’re using your mana.”
“Tch, you’re too perceptive.”
Of course, Jun-woo is bowing, and Mary is bowing too.
“d*mn it.”
“Why do we have to go through this? What did we do wrong?”
“Quiet. You’re all the same. No matter how much it’s a final exam, you’re comrades, and yet how can you not say a word?”
There are no exceptions. They all messed everything up.
“Hey, what did I say? The situation is tangled, but I asked you to do your best, right? Huh? No answer?”
The reply sounded slow. ‘Yes…’ meant dissatisfaction, didn’t it?
I threw the stone I was fiddling with.
Boom—!!
The tree exploded.
“…!!”
Swallowing hard—
“I won’t say it twice. Answer me properly.”
“Yes—!!”
A loud voice responded.
Now I’m satisfied. Indeed, those who don’t understand my words are in need of a rod.
“I’ll make it clear. I couldn’t care less about your feelings, nor do I have any intention of knowing them.”
Consideration? Apology? I don’t know such things.
Unless it’s a challenge.
“Anyway, we’re grouped together, and I will lead you all. No matter how ungraded the exam is, I want to do well. So I won’t be ashamed in front of my mother.”
Which means…
“Cooperate.”
This is where the words end.
“If you mess up one more time, I’ll break one of your legs and talk later. Get up.”
The kids jumped up swiftly.
If only they had acted like this earlier, how great would that have been?
“Let’s do well.”
Our clearing begins now.
