Chapter 15: skipping a grade(2).

Arena lay there, wrapped in bandages and connected to a respirator, eyes closed as still as death.

“I heard she has a lot of broken ribs and organ damage. Plus, every bone in her fingers was broken, and her elbows and knees were shattered,” Seohee said.

Her condition was far worse than Chayeon had imagined.

“Will she be alright?”

“Thankfully, her life isn’t in danger. The surgery was successful.” At those words, Chayeon breathed a sigh of relief.

“It seems my injuries were nothing compared to Arena’s.”

“That’s not true. Your condition was serious, too,” Seohee countered. “You were even worse on the inside. I was so shocked when you suddenly started vomiting blood and collapsed.”

“I was?” He knew he’d lost consciousness, but he hadn’t realized his condition was as dire as Arena’s.

“I feel fine now.” Chayeon looked down at his body. Apart from the IV drip in his arm, he seemed no different than before.

“The immunity and recovery rate differ between someone who simply borrows power from a spirit and someone with a spirit residing within them. Unlike this girl, you have a spirit residing directly in your body.”

But, she added, “Even so, your recovery rate is abnormal. A fox spirit who can communicate and has this much healing power… I’m becoming more and more curious about your true nature.”

Come to think of it, Heukgu had been silent since he woke up.

‘Hey, Heukgu.’ Leaving Seohee, who was lost in her own world and muttering something, Chayeon spoke inwardly.

But there was no reply.

‘Hey, answer me.’

He called out again, but still, nothing.

‘He’s always talking nonsense, but silent when I need him. Hey, you fox bastard, where’d you go?’

But no matter how much he called, there was only a hollow echo.

Where did he go?

Could it be…?

<<It’s noisy, I’m trying to sleep.>> A sound that seemed to shake the cave echoed in his mind.

Chayeon’s body, which had been tense for a moment, relaxed at the familiar voice.

‘Wait, f*ck. Why was I tense?’

<<I appreciate your concern, but it’s unpleasant to be woken up. I’ll forgive you this once since your appearance as a chick crying because it can’t see its mother is quite cute.>>

‘Don’t give me that.’ It was just as expected, him spouting dogsh*t because he’s a fox.

‘You sleep too?’ He’d always seemed to be awake.

<<During the last battle, and then to recover your body afterwards, I used too much power. I need to recharge.>>

‘What kind of strongest spirit gets so exhausted from something like that?’ Even as he said that, Chayeon was feeling a strange sensation.

Could it be?

‘I’m alive thanks to Heukgu?’

<<You don’t need to be shy. You can be more grateful, you know.>>

‘…Sh*t.’

Chayeon’s face flushed, having momentarily forgotten that Heukgu could read his innermost thoughts.

Come to think of it, he was suffering like this because Heukgu had entered him.

He’d been acting like an idiot for a while.

<<And the reason I’ve become this weak is because of an injury I sustained before coming to you. The original me wouldn’t be this drained from recharging after something like this.>>

‘Yeah, right. I’m sure.’

<<Anyway, I’m going to sleep for a while.>> With those words as the last, Heukgu went silent.

It seemed he had gone back to sleep.

“…Then after all, the most likely possibility is that a fragment of the Seven Divine Pillars’ energy gained self-awareness as a spirit? If that thing entered Chayeon… Oh my, look at me!”

Seohee, who had been muttering, suddenly snapped back to reality.

“I was thinking only about myself again. I’m sorry, Chayeon.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

Chayeon turned his head to look at Arena.

The sight of the young girl connected to all sorts of medical devices was pitiful.

‘Her, and me too.’

Would they be threatened by those brutal guys from now on?

That memory from back then floated to Chayeon’s mind again.

If the circumstances had been slightly different, there was a chance that he too would be lying there like Arena, critically ill.

He might have even died.

“Don’t worry. Jindal’s doctors are excellent. She’ll wake up soon.”

Seohee stroked Chayeon’s head.

Chayeon silently entrusted himself to her touch.

A week later, Chayeon, who had received permission to be discharged, headed outside the hospital.

After undergoing several detailed examinations the day before yesterday, the doctor had determined that he had fully recovered.

[I’ve been discharged.] After sending a KakaoTalk message to Seohee, he went down to the first floor and saw her standing in front of a pillar next to the main gate.

“Congratulations on your discharge. How does it feel to be going outside after a week?”

“When did you get here?”

“I came as soon as I saw the KakaoTalk from Chayeon just now.” She was living up to her reputation as a teleportation user.

“Here, a discharge gift.” Seohee held something out.

Chayeon’s expression crumpled as he accepted it.

It was a set of hair ties.

“I don’t need these.”

“You do need them. Your hair is quite long, you know? It’ll get in your way someday if you don’t tie it up.”

It seemed that the “someday” she was talking about was a situation like last time, when he encountered and had to fight a demon.

Now that he thought about it, it had been somewhat uncomfortable when it was flying around during the fight.

“Then I’ll cut it.”

“No!” Seohee suddenly shouted loudly.

“It’ll take a long time to grow back if you cut it once. I want to see Chayeon with short hair, but I also want to try different things when you have long hair!”

She had been saying it was a nuisance and everything, but her true intention was finally revealed.

He had no intention of becoming Seohee’s doll, but it would be awkward to give the gift back, so Chayeon silently accepted the hair ties.

“Come to my room next time. I’ll show you how to tie your hair.” It seemed like it would be best to avoid Seohee for a while.

“I’m sorry for the suddenness, but would you go somewhere with me for a bit?”

“Where to?” Now that she mentioned it, there was one place that came to mind.

“Are we going to look for the Heukgumiho by any chance?”

The original appointment, 9 days ago, had been called off due to being attacked by a demon. He couldn’t think of anywhere else to go as soon as he was discharged.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not there. The Heukgumiho isn’t in the academy right now. He had some business to take care of far away.”

“Then where are we going?” He couldn’t think of anywhere. Chayeon tilted his head and asked.

“We’re going to meet the boss of this Jindal Academy now.”

“Boss?” Like some gangster movie from the 80s.

“Yeah, to be exact, we’re going to meet the academy’s Director,” she said.

“Great view.” Chayeon said, looking around.

True to his words, both sides of the hallway were made of large glass windows, giving a clear view of the outside scenery.

Chayeon and Seohee were on the top floor of the education building, where the academy’s teachers gathered outside of class time.

At the end of the hallway was a huge door, with a sign that read ‘Director’s Office’ above it.

“Fancy.” It was like the office of a major corporation’s chairman.

The two approached the door. A man who seemed to be a secretary knocked on the door.

“Director, Teacher Jung Seohee has arrived. Student Jeon Chayeon is with her.”

“Come in.”

They’d been informed of the situation, so he knew Chayeon’s name and face.

The door opened, revealing the interior.

It felt more like the private room of a major corporation’s chairman from a drama than an office.

“Director, I’ve brought Student Chayeon.”

“Thank you, Teacher Jung.”

A white-haired woman was sitting in a fancy chair, leaning back.

She seemed younger than what you’d expect for someone with the title of Director.

She looked to be in her early thirties, or possibly her late twenties.

She was dressed neatly in a hanbok. Her black gloves and the blue petal drop earrings on both ears were eye-catching.

Next to her stood a young man.

He seemed much younger than the white-haired woman.

He couldn’t have been more than twenty years old.

He was tall, blond, and had distinct features, but he gave off a very gentle impression.

He was very handsome. And because of that, very familiar…

Familiar…

“Hey, why are you here.”

It was Namyeon again.

“Hello, are you feeling better?” Namyeon waved his hand with a carefree expression.

He’d surprised him by suddenly appearing in the hospital room, and now he was shamelessly showing his face inside the Director’s office.

“Darling, do you know him?” The white-haired woman turned her head to Namyeon and said.

What? Darling? Daaarling?

“Yeah, honey. You know, the friend who came with me that I told you about? Chayeon is that friend.” Namyeon answered with a gentle smile.

Sh*t, it made him want to throw up just listening to it.

“Hmm, I didn’t know that friend was a girl.” The white-haired woman turned her gaze towards Chayeon.

Her gaze was different than when she was looking at Namyeon.

“Hello, Ms. Chayeon. I’m Lee Yeonkyung, the Director of Jindal Academy.” The woman smiled and greeted him.

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

‘I should have known.’

This woman seemed to be the big boss of Jindal Academy. It seemed like things had gotten seriously tangled.

“Darling, would you mind stepping out for a bit?”

“Okay, I’ll see you later, honey.” Namyeon gently kissed the woman, Yeonkyung’s, forehead and headed towards the door.

On his way out, he smiled sweetly at Chayeon and whispered in his ear. “I’ll see you later too, Chayeon.”

Yeah, I’ll deal with you later, you bastard. Can’t you see that your honey is about to flip out? This guy is 100% doing this on purpose.

After Namyeon left and the door closed, only Yeonkyung, Seohee, and Chayeon were left in the room.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, well, thanks to you.” Chayeon answered awkwardly.

He felt inexplicably intimidated.

“To hear you captured Rubrum-Luna with just the two of you is amazing, despite being injured. It’s great that such a talented person has joined the academy. Thanks to you, we were able to minimize the damage.”

“No. I would have died if it hadn’t been for Teacher Seohee.” Chayeon truly believed that.

He had been stupidly caught by the mental manipulation at the end and almost lost his life. It was fortunate that Seohee had come in time.

“But even with that, just holding out for 20 minutes against a Level 2 demon is an amazing feat. To exaggerate a little, you are already beyond a student’s level,” Director Lee countered

‘She was that strong?’ Chayeon was surprised by Yeonkyung’s words. But her words were easy to understand.

Thinking of the atmosphere when he’d faced that demon, he still felt chills.

Perhaps, was Heukgu really a stronger spirit than he’d thought? What if he was the strongest being, as he claimed, and could casually chew up and swallow demons?

<<…>> Heukgu was still silent, as if asleep.

That couldn’t be. If he was really that strong, there’s no way he’d be sleeping for this long after exerting his power just once. He did seem to be a spirit with more power than he’d thought, but still, him being the strongest was probably just a boast.

“So, the academy would like to propose something to Ms. Chayeon.” Yeonkyung held out a sheet of paper, which floated into the air and spun as it flew towards Chayeon.

It seemed that Seohee had used telekinesis to move the paper, as he saw her twirling her fingers.

He felt a sense of déjà vu. [Guidance for Advancement]

“What is this?”

“It’s a guide that explains the advancement system in detail. Our Jindal has an advancement system where outstanding students are promoted to a higher grade even if they haven’t completed all of the curriculum. It’s my belief that outstanding students should receive lessons and training that matches their capabilities.”

The paper described in detail how the advancement system was operated, and how the curriculum and assignments of each grade were given.

“Despite being first-years, Ms. Chayeon and Ms. Arena have shown amazing talent, to the point that they could deal with a Level 2 demon. Ms. Arena doesn’t seem to have recovered yet, so I’d first like to propose to Ms. Chayeon that she advance to the third grade. What do you think?”

It was advancement by two grades, not just one.

“What happens if I refuse?”

“Nothing special happens if you refuse. You’ll just continue with the first-year classes. Do you not want to advance?”

“No, it’s not that.” He had just asked out of pure curiosity.

There was no particular reason to refuse if they were offering him advancement.

“Alright. Then I’ll take it as a acceptance.” As Seohee gestured, several more sheets of paper flew towards Chayeon.

“Tell Teacher Jung if you have any questions or need anything. An unprecedented event has occurred this year, with three students advancing from just the first-years,”

“Three people?” The two were Chayeon and Arena.

Was there another person? Chayeon tilted his head.

“I thought you’d be famous, but I guess not?”

Knock knock—

‘Student Joo Jiho is here.’

“It seems like he came just in time. Send him in.” Yeonkyung replied to the voice of the secretary, who had guided Seohee and Chayeon earlier, from beyond the door.

Soon, the huge door opened and a man entered.

“Welcome, Mr. Joo Jiho.”

“Hello, Director.”

Chayeon had to look up quite a bit at the man, who was over 190cm tall, and saw the corners of his mouth lifted.

…..

He’s annoying.

That was Jiho Joo’s first impression.